the threshold of her safe house, her lungs burn

he room that vaguely resembled a kitchen. The c

tively calling upon the [Top-Tier Biolog

er gaze was razor-sharp, enti

er. She dragged the blade across the edge of the metal sink, the harsh scr

hide and sliding perfectly between the vertebrae. With a flick of her wrist, she cleanly

le, peeling back the thick, spiked hide to

had been perfectly dismantled. Prime cuts of meat were

ents, wiping a line of sweat from her f

d the ancient induction burner compl

for salt, pepper, or any basic seasoning. She found n

out fire and salt. Charity let

cial district. She needed b

tly wrapped a premium cut of tenderloin. She shoved it i

ized coat tightly around her to hide her scabs

and the lower-class residents were b

s, heading toward the corridor that

with rusted metal scrap, a shrill,

You're dirtying

a stood with her hands on her hips, scream

er. He was on his knees, desperately clut

oot, aiming a vicious kic

ed forward and caught Brenda's an

nd stumbling backward. She glared furiously at th

ce was a mask of cold indifference. She cr

at her with wide, terrified

she couldn't consume all the meat she had harvested before it spoiled in this humidity, and a small act of goodwill cost her l

I have extra, and it'll rot anyway," she said, her voice soft but

ok of absolute disbelief washed over his face. In this brutal,

ehind them. "Look at the fat

mpletely ignoring Brenda's existence, and walked straig