The Perfect Specimen

------------------WARNING: Mild Gore------------------

"Combat Training. Apparently I am in something called the military program..." Alistair recalls information from the schools guide he read at the library.

He begins to make a mental checklist of what he knows and does not know that he feels is imperative to survival.

"One: It seems that the majority of my studies are centered around war tactics and training. I wonder how often attacks from the wilds occur that would cause the need for a formalized military. Everything seemed so peaceful when I got here." He recalls the drive through the valley and town.

"Two: I am not a normal person...at all. Everywhere I read, people start out as tinier versions of themselves called babies, and their ability to learn is nowhere near mine when I was studying. I will need to find out what I am, Sebastian said I am undead but there are no records of an undead like me. Depending on the answer though, I might be in a bad situation."

"Three: I need to know so much more than I do right now, but for some reason I feel so sluggish... I will have to find a way to get that learning ability back as fast as possible!"

He decides to ignore the problems that are weighing down on him for now and closes his eyes while laying on the bed. Trying to get the ability to refresh his mind that he read from books called sleep.

However, when more than a half hour goes by and he does not feel the slightest bit tired, he starts having doubts about whether or not he even can sleep. He decides to take a stroll outside for the night after much deliberation of whether or not to keep trying to sleep.

As he walks out the dorm area and into the open square with dark thunder clouds hanging above him. Their normal sounds amplified as a signal of a heavier storm than normal descending upon the land. A rare rainfall accompanying it.

Curious of seeing his first rainfall, Alistair sticks his hand out into it and notices that despite seeing the thick and heavy raindrops pelt his skin, he does not feel anything from it. He decides to walk out in it to help clear his head from the day.

Strolling around the open square the size of two football fields, he sees one person practicing complicated martial arts moves in the rain underneath a few trees, seemingly shadowboxing. From the dead grass and mud underneath of him, it's apparent that this spot is used a lot for practice.

"He is really training hard, it almost looks as if there really is an opponent for him to fight." Alistair has this passing thought as he continues on walking around, accidentally stepping in a pile of mud, causing his newfound distaste for dirt to spike up. Just as he takes a few steps away though he smells the familiar scent of blood.

Due to his meal earlier, even though it does entice him, it does not drive him to the point of insanity. However it does startle him and he turns his head back to look at the man practicing in the rain, only to see the upper half of his body missing from him.

He looks at the scene in complete horror, because he sees the upper half of his body being played with in the hands of a familiar face. A hulking figure, a figure that is not human, a beast. Smiling in the now torrential downpour, the beast tears off the mans head and tosses it at Alistair.

He does not move after that, only smiling a sickening smile standing as if a statue in the pouring rain. Alistair looks at the head by his feet and notices the scalp has been removed revealing the brain housed inside.

He feels his head start to buzz as if a whirling sound threatens to tear his head apart from the inside the moment he sees the brain. He reaches down towards it and mechanically puts the brain towards his mouth. He feels conflicted eating though, his willpower telling him that this is a person.

The face flashes from the boys face to it being Beths face he has in front of him, to Roger, Mrs. Diamond, and more. He tries to fight against his bodies impulse to eat it, but his instincts are too strong. He takes one bite and as soon as he does, the spiral in his brain recovers to it's previous speed.

He knows that if he eats the entire brain that he could very likely experience an evolution in his processing and learning ability. He does not care about that though, all he can think of is something he never knew he would treasure so much until now, his morals.

After the first bite he is given the ability to control his body slightly better than before and with all of his willpower he tosses the head away to the side, splashing into the mud. It's face still directed at Alistair.

Alistair falls to his knees feeling sick to his stomach for the first time. Coming to grips with the hard reality that even if he wanted to stop himself, if his body demanded him too, he would be forced to eat those he cared for.

He looks up at the beast with a heartbroken look in his eyes, the rain hitting his face starting to let up. He sees the beast standing right in front him looking down at him with disgust, "You can't even grow with my help. Pathetic, next time I come by, you better have grown or else I'll just have to eat you before you are ready. I am not known as someone you can keep waiting after all."

The beast waves his hand in front of Alistair, making the spiral inside of his head to freeze in place, causing Alistair to fall unconscious and fall to the ground.

Alistair wakes up in his bed the next morning feeling refreshed, the spiral in his mind moving at top speed once again and his stomach barely satiated enough to make it until lunch. He feels that the entire experience from last night to be something he read about called a nightmare.

He now knows what his top priority is because of it though, gain control of himself. If he can not control his impulses, his life will be one tragedy after another. He jumps up from his bed, puts on his muddy shoes and walks to his first class.