As I regained consciousness, my head throbbed with pain. The world around me swam in a haze, and the soft light filtering through the room’s window intensified the ache behind my eyes. I tried to sit up, but my body felt heavy, weak, and utterly drained.

  Where am I? How did I end up here? Why does everything hurt?

  Congratulations, the host survived. The host’s location is unknown. It seems the shaylip you saw back in the inn carried you to this bed.

  And you’re still as obvious as ever, Orange. Now leave me alone. I’m not in the mood to hear anything from you unless I ask for you specifically.

  Acknowledged.

  Even with my pounding headache, I turned and looked around. I was in a dimly lit room with one window. A small orangish sphere hanging from the ceiling illuminated the room. The room itself was mostly bare, with stone walls and me on a small cot against one side. Bark was leaning against a wall near the door, his arms crossed and a look of worry on his face. He snapped to attention when he must have heard me moving.

  “You’re awake.” The relief on his face matched his voice. “You scared me back there. What happened to you?”

  I groaned. His voice seemed louder than usual. “I don’t know.” Unable to hold my body up anymore, I flopped back onto the simple cot. There was a familiar gnawing at my stomach. “I feel weak and hungry.”

  “Considering you’re literally starving, that’s what I was told to expect.” Bark almost sounded like he was on the verge of laughing. “Don’t worry, Killa’s gonna pump you so full of ‘food’ you’ll burst.”

  I rubbed the side of my head. “I’m sorry, but who are you? And who’s Killa? Are you going to do what that fat slob tried?“

  Bark waved his hands out in front of him. “Oh no, I’m nothing like him. He was never really nice. Unlike him, I have morals.” He stood up and extended a hand. “My name’s Bark, by the way. What’s yours?”

  I glanced at his hand but didn’t shake it. “Rina.”

  “You said I was starving.” It feels like I’ve not eaten in days and I’m having the mother of all hunger headaches. “And if you really are a nice guy, can I have some food while you explain what’s going on?”

  Bark pulled his hand back and gave a curt nod. “Killa’s got that covered. Besides, she wants to talk to you.”

  Killa? Didn’t he say that name before? Also, he remembered me too. He probably carried me here too. That’s the second time I haven’t had to reintroduce myself to someone. Is this what it’s like to be normal? The memory of how I recovered from being shot multiple times resurfaced in my mind. Or at least, what’s normal for this world—city—place.

  I heard a door open as I shut my eyes. Every sound was like a nail driven into my head. An even louder groan escaped from me. It didn’t help.

  “She’s up, Killa, just like you said.” Bark’s voice felt like a burning slap on my brain.

  “Please, don’t yell.” I covered my ears in a vain attempt to hide from the source of the pain.

  “Quite you,” a sweet voice whispered. “She likely has a sensitivity to light and sound. Now go away before you make things worse.”

  “Fine, fine. Sorry, I’ll go,” Bark said as I heard his footsteps pound against the stone floor. “When you’re feeling better, Rina, I’ve got some questions for you.”

  There was a brief silence once the door closed behind me. Then I felt a gentle hand against my shoulder, urging me to roll back over. “It’s okay, sweetie. I’m Killa, and despite his ineptitude, Bark means well. You’ll not find many loyal souls like him in the Nexus.”

  I rolled over to see who possessed such a soft, welcoming voice. Although blurry, the being in front of me was definitely not human, either. She was a bright green, semi-translucent humanoid with partials suspended inside it. I couldn’t help but think about Jello when I saw her. Her face was enchantingly beautiful once I could focus and see more clearly. Her hair was a slightly more opaque green than the rest of her.

  “What? What are you?” I vocalized my question unconsciously.

  The gelatinous being wore a knee-length, form-fitting dress that executed her inhuman feminine curves. It was made of a silver, reflective fabric with thin black feathers along the edges. The dress also revealed her ample cleavage, drawing attention to it. But the small suspended objects inside her body started looking like small scales, and they danced within her.

  She smiled and giggled. “He said you were new to the Nexus.” She placed a hand on her chest. “I’m Killa, a slime.”

  “Slime?”

  Killa rolled her eyes. “You know, the species that has no right to exist? The one that nobody can explain? Any of that ringing a bell?” I shook my head. She smiled. “Well, all you need to know is that, as a slime, I am both on top of the food chain and on the bottom of it.” She grabbed a finger with her other hand and pulled it off. “Speaking of food, open up.”

  She held up her finger as if to feed it to me.

  “What? No!” My shouting hurt, but there was no way I was going to eat her finger.

  Killa pouted. “Don’t I look tasty? I’ve tried to make myself as sexy as possible. Don’t you want to try a piece of me?”

  “Are you insane? How does looking sexy translate to tasting good?” I tried to push myself away from the crazy slime. “How can you just pull off a finger and feed it to some stranger?”

  The slime woman giggled. “Oh, are you worried about me?” She waved the hand from which she pulled the finger. There were five fingers again. “See? Nothing to worry about. You need to eat soon, or you might pass out again. Also, this isn’t the first time you’ve eaten a piece of me.”

  My eyes went wide as my body stiffened. I haven’t… “You didn’t, did you?”

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  Her smile grew. “How else did you wake up?” She wagged the finger she severed in front of me. “This tiny piece should, by my estimates, provide the equivalent of three days’ worth of calories and nutrients. Slimes can eat everything, and everything can eat slimes. We are the most nutrient-dense species in existence.”

  I stared at Killa. The horror on my face was obvious. “You mean to tell me that you’ve fed me parts of you without me knowing it?”

  Killa nodded. “That’s right! Slimes like me can reconstruct our bodies. So I can offer small portions of myself to give predators something to chew on while I run away. They eat; I live. It’s a win-win situation, really.” She held up the finger towards me again.

  That sounds a lot like a thing some lizards do.

  My stomach churned at the thought of unknowingly consuming pieces of slime. “I can’t believe this. That’s...disgusting.”

  Killa’s eye twitched just before her smile returned. “Oh, come now, don’t be so dramatic. Quit being a big baby. You were on the brink of starvation, and I helped save your life. Besides, it’s not like I lost anything important.”

  I pushed her hand away. She felt cold and slimy. What was I expecting? “Well, thanks. But I can’t do this. There’s got to be another way. Something less drastic.”

  Killa’s playful demeanor shifted to a more serious tone as she stood up. “Look here…” She blinked. “Uh, I don’t know your name.”

  I blushed as my stomach growled. “Rina. It’s Rina.”

  “Well, Rina, you don’t understand the situation you’re in. You’re severely malnourished, and without sufficient nourishment, you’ll likely be dead in a day or two. Trust me, it’ll be more painful than you can imagine.”

  I swallowed. “What? No, that can’t be right, can it?”

  Orange, please tell me she’s wrong.

  The slime is correct.

  She kneeled next to me. “It can. I don’t know how, but you require more food than someone your size should. Last time I gave you the tip of my finger, something that should have fed you for an entire day, yet you still need more. The fact Bark has gone out of his way to bring you here means something. And I want to know why. But I can’t do that if you die.”

  She pushed the finger back into my face. “So, shut up and eat—my—finger.”

  The way she punctuated each word sent a shiver down my spine.

  Those are words I’d never thought I’d hear, ever. I was bitten, bleeding, and shot, yet I wouldn’t die. But here I am, dying of starvation.

  It is in the host’s best interest that they eat the material provided by the slime.

  Didn’t I tell you to stay away until I called for you?

  I looked at the gelatinous green finger. There was nothing floating in it. I swallowed as drool started pooling in my mouth. I grabbed the finger with two of mine. “If I’m going to do this, I’ll do it myself.”

  “Suit yourself,” she said with way too much enthusiasm. I stared at the finger that felt cold and slimy in my grip.

  I couldn’t do it.

  Killa sighed, causing a ripple to flow through her body. “Boring!”

  Without more of a warning, Killa grabbed my jaw, pressed the hinges on it, and forced my mouth open. Before I realized what she had done, she pushed my hand into my mouth.

  “Now be a good girl and swallow.” Killa’s voice dropped as she leaned in.

  I felt dizzy, as I could feel the slime against my tongue. The taste was bitter, salty, yet meaty. The texture was the equivalent of extra thick jello. I retched and gagged as my hand was forced into my face.

  “Swallow, and it’ll be all over.” Killa’s eyes stared into mine. Maybe it was my imagination, but they seemed to glow blue for a split second.

  I don’t know why, but I had to do what she said. Something in her voice made it seem like it was the only thing I could do. I swallowed the finger whole. My gagging stopped as she released me.

  The slime woman grinned as she leaned back. “See? That wasn’t so bad.”

  I gasped, finally no longer feeling the finger sliding down my throat. “That was the worst taste ever.” I kept trying to catch my breath.

  “Rude,” Killa said through her clenched jaw.

  There was a slight buzzing in my stomach as the moments passed. Suddenly, my headache went away. My vision also cleared, and every sound didn’t feel like someone was drilling a hole through my skull. I could feel myself getting better, quickly. But I still felt hungry.

  “Wow, that worked?” I looked at my hands. Everything seemed more responsive, and I didn’t feel the horrible weakness I felt when I woke up.

  Killa groaned. “Did you really think I was lying?”

  I turned and sat on the edge of the cot. “I, uh, don’t know what to think.”

  “What happened to you? You don’t seem to belong in the Soul Nexus. Why are you here?” I could hear the worry in her voice. “This isn’t a place people go willingly. You have to have a reason to be here.”

  “I…” Should I tell her? “Can I have some time to think? It’s been a hectic few days for me. Dying, not dying, coming here, and other things.”

  Killa gave me a sympathetic look. “Okay. Yeah. Wow, that does sound like a lot.” She walked towards the door. “If you’re ready to talk, just come out and call for me if you don’t see me.”

  She opened the door, but before she walked out, she paused and turned back to me. “If you need anything more, just ask. Something about you doesn’t feel right.”

  “That’s a way to put it. But, I should thank you for saving my life. So, thank you.” I tried to give her a smile, but it was hard to even fake it.

  I guess I owe Bark my life too. He’s a lot better than Culson. Not only was he the only one to come in to help me, but he carried me to his place and got me help from this slime lady. Maybe not everyone in this place is as awful as I first experienced.

  Killa’s playful demeanor returned as she giggled. “Oh, it was my pleasure, Rina. I always enjoy lending a helping hand... or finger, in this case.” Her giggling continued as she walked out and closed the door behind her.

  I couldn’t help but chuckle despite myself. Killa’s a strange one. But she did help me, asking nothing in return.

  I then looked down at my ruined clothes. But there is so much more I have to worry about right now that I don’t have answers for.

  I removed my hoodie and long sleeve shirt underneath to see that there were no scars, blemishes, or anything wrong with my skin. My skin was perfect—dirty and covered in dried blood—but that was expected.

  A good, warm shower will fix that. But do you care to fill me in on exactly what happened, Orange?

  We are obligated to warn the host after the previous episode. Our actions require energy from the host. The host will benefit from the consumption of extra calories. Your cellular regeneration also requires significant calorie consumption.

  I figuratively pointed at Orange. So it’s your fault I nearly starved to death.

  There is no fault. We only did what we could to preserve the host’s life. The host now should strive to not receive such lethal damage in the future. Cellular regeneration takes increased energy to rebuild from damage in proportion to the severity. We can store excess energy the host consumes but does not use until later without a limit.

  So you’re telling me I can eat as much as I want and I’ll never get fat. That’s kind of cool when you think about it. So how much food should I be eating just on a regular basis?

  There was no response from Orange immediately.

  The host requires six thousand calories a day, excluding heavy injuries.

  Six—thousand? I couldn’t wrap my mind around how much that was. Wasn’t the average person supposed to eat two thousand? That’s also if they were moderately active too. I didn’t have the luxury of watching my weight, but I did well just finding food regularly. Even though I technically broke the law a lot.

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