THE DAY I SLAYED MY VAMPIRE LOVER
"I was 802. I spent the last three cycles hiding in the sewers, watching the 'Kings' eat ducks and rats, waiting for the system to purge itself."
Cattleya lowered the locket. "The Nursery is gone. The machine is dead."
"The machine is dead," Sarah agreed, gesturing to the starving city, "but the hunger? The hunger is encoded in the bone. Even without the vials, even without the Council, we are creatures designed to consume."
Sarah stepped closer, her cleaver dragging on the ground with a rhythmic, grating sound.
"I've been watching you, 801," Sarah whispered, her tone shifting to one of chilling intimacy. "You think you're the hero because you shut off the power. But look around. You didn't