The creatures were growling like starving dogs driven by despair but so much worse. Even the hounds of Hell were tame harmless beasts compared to these things. They radiated an insatiable hunger that was utter madness. They possessed no capacity for rational thought and Cora almost felt bad for them. Only almost as she was currently their chosen prey.
They were driven insane by the thing that had infected them and consumed their souls. They weren’t responsible for their actions. They had no agency. No choice. But once upon a time they had all accepted the parasite just as Cora herself had. So it was really their own fault. And she really didn’t want to be eaten by them.
Cora could feel their feral minds probing, reaching out for hers. She could sense some confusion in them. They identif
