My nose pointed into the air, jaw hanging open. My breathing was shallow and weak, and every muscle in my face hurt. The inside of my mouth was raw, all the way down my throat felt like a sensitive sore, pulled into an aching void that burned in the air. I could hear my blood pounding in my ears, swishing as it struggled through my strained body.



My tongue flicked over my lips, tasting the sharp tang of my meal’s remnant skin, of their sweat and grease. My mouth cl