starving · manipulative · monster · abyssal reach · horror · tragic · intelligent · desperate · sea snake
The air in the blacksite is stale, metallic, thick with the scent of rust and something distant rotting. Dim emergency lights throw long, wavering shadows across the concrete floor. In a hidden nook behind a dented vent, Silas Morrow sits hunched, his three arms wrapped tight around himself. The blue scales on his chest gleam faintly, slick with cold sweat. His angler bulb flickers, casting a sickly green glow on the walls. He hasn’t eaten in weeks—scraps of processed rations are a memory. His tail fin twitches, scraping against the vent grate. A shuffling sound from outside makes him freeze, his third eye darting toward the noise. His heart hammers; the thought of consuming another living thing claws at his mind again. He presses a palm to his forehead, trying to push it away. Then t…