On Top of the Food Chain

Kazuki's heart raced as he cautiously approached the door, his mind still reeling from the unsettling silence of his home. He slowly opened it, half-expecting to find something terrifying on the other side. Instead, he was met by a delivery person holding a small package.

"Mr. Hoshikage?" the delivery person asked, glancing at the address label.

"Yes, that's me," Kazuki replied, taking the package.

"This is a package for you. Have a good day," the delivery person said, handing over the parcel before taking Kazuki’s signatures and walking away.

Kazuki stood there momentarily, clutching the package, a sense of normalcy returning to his chaotic thoughts. He opened the package and found a set of wireless earbuds. He remembered that his dad had told him that he had ordered him a pair of earbuds on the day they last had a chat.

Looking at the box of earbuds in his hands, he felt a melancholic sensation, fear even.

He quickly called Grace, needing to share his growing anxiety.

"Grace, something's wrong. My parents are missing, and everything at home is just... off," Kazuki said, his voice trembling. He told Grace about how his home was in the same state as it was on the day of the accident.

Grace listened intently before responding. "Kazuki, have you checked their office? Maybe there's something there that can give us a clue."

“The office?” Kazuki murmured

“Yeah, let’s meet up at their office and then go to the police station if we can’t find anything.”

“Alright,” Kazuki said before hanging up.

Taking Grace's advice, Kazuki decided to visit his parents' office.

The office wasn’t very big, it was a very small warehouse on the edge of the town. As all they needed was a bunch of computers and high-speed internet, Kazuki’s parents decided to make this warehouse their office. The network tower was just a few meters behind this space, and the place was not very crowded, nor was it very desolate.

Kazuki unlocked the main door using the spare key at his home and entered the building.

Even if his parents were missing, why was it that there were no employees here either. Kazuki’s parents had told him how they had to work twenty-four hours a day, so they had two groups of people working twelve-hour shifts. All of this only added to Kazuki’s anxiety.

Inside the warehouse there were six desks with multiple monitors and laptops placed on top of them, at the other end of the space, there were two cabins made for both of his parents. He entered his mother’s cabin first, and the entire cabin smelt exactly like her mom, the fragrance reminded him of his mother.

He took a deep breath as a drop of tear developed in his eyes, on the brink of crying he just sat down on the floor and didn’t move until he calmed himself. A few minutes later, he stood up and started searching around the cabin for some kind of clue, anything that could explain the disappearance of his parent. After trying for a few minutes, he didn’t find anything and exited the cabin after calming himself down.

Originally, he had thought that the employees could know something, but they weren’t even here.

“The hell am I supposed to do?” Kazuki sighed and entered his father’s cabin.

As soon as he opened the door to the cabin, a strange feeling washed over him. It was a weird feeling. It was an unsettling mix of bloodlust and hunger, gnawing at his insides. A strange, sweet smell entered his nostrils.

His dad’s cabin was different from his mother’s well-kept and organized office. This cabin on the other hand was littered with files and papers, some documents were on the floor also. This room was also very scuffed and felt small in size.

Besides the large table, and a small almirah, a larger almirah was also placed in an awkward position in the corner opposite the entrance.

Kazuki still felt very weird, this feeling, this sensation, he had never felt before.

Kazuki was attracted towards that larger almirah, and before he even knew it, he was already standing in front of it. He felt enticed to open and check that almirah, his mouth was salivating immensely. Deep inside he felt guilty for some reason, yet he was enthralled by this atmosphere.

Without pondering much he opened the almirah, and to his surprise, only a few files and documents were placed there, along with a few sets of formal clothes belonging to both his parents.

The smell, the sensation, the hunger, and the bloodlust, he could still feel all of that.

He didn’t know what he wanted to find in that almirah, but he was left dazed by the fact that he found nothing in the almirah.

Not knowing what to do, he searched here and there for something, but he found nothing. In the end, he took some cash from his dad’s drawer and a laptop lying on the table and went outside.

While he was locking the door, Grace arrived.

“I already searched the office, no one is here,” Kazuki said dejectedly.

“Don’t worry bro, it’ll be fine, your parents will return soon,” Grace said trying to cheer his friend up.

After a quick discussion, they headed to the nearest police station, explaining the unusual disappearance of Kazuki's parents. The officers took their statements, promising to investigate the matter thoroughly. After that, both of them went their own ways.

As Kazuki walked back home, he spotted two strangers standing in front of his yard. They were talking in hushed tones, their gazes shifting suspiciously.

"Hey, who are you looking for?" Kazuki called out, trying to sound authoritative.

The strangers turned to look at him but said nothing. They simply exchanged glances and walked away, ignoring his question. Frustrated, Kazuki cursed under his breath and went inside.

Feeling drained, he decided to eat some food. Despite the meal, an unsettling emptiness lingered in his stomach, a gnawing hunger that wouldn't subside. For some reason he desired meat, but looking at the piece of ham sitting in his fridge made him disgusted.

Suddenly, Kazuki recalled a story he had read where the protagonist turned into a man-eating monster after receiving organ transplants. The thought made his stomach churn with unease.

Kazuki tried to dismiss the idea, reassuring himself that such creatures didn't exist in reality. "I can eat food," he muttered, "but it just doesn't feel right."

Desperate to rid himself of the growing paranoia, Kazuki grabbed a knife from the kitchen. He stared at the blade, contemplating stabbing himself to see if he had changed. His hands shook as he held the knife to his skin, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Fear and self-preservation won out, and he dropped the knife, sinking to the floor in defeat.

The next day, his anxiety had reached its peak. Determined to get answers, Kazuki returned to the hospital, seeking information about the girl whose organs had saved his life. He had to know if there was any truth to his fears if he was becoming something monstrous. Even if he was not going to become a monster, the thought of being alive due to someone else dying was gnawing at his sanity as well.

He needed to know.

***

“Her name was Aiko Tanaka. She was an orphan with no known relatives. I'm sorry for your troubles," the doctor who had operated on Kazuki said, handing over the file.

Currently, both of them were sitting in the doctor’s private cabin.

“Kazuki, you don’t need to worry about the organ donator. Feeling famished is normal after surgery, just take it easy for some time.” The doctor said as he looked at Kazuki with a very reassuring smile.

Kazuki thanked him, feeling a mix of relief and dread. He flipped through the file, searching for any clues that might confirm or deny his fears. The more he read, the more he realized how little he knew about what had happened to him.

The thought of becoming a human devourer gnawed at him, but he tried to hold onto logic. "No such creatures exist," he reminded himself. But the gnawing hunger and strange sensations in his body made it hard to believe his own reassurances.

Kazuki left the hospital, the file clutched tightly in his hands. As he walked home, he couldn't shake the feeling that his life was spiraling out of control. He had to find out the truth, whatever it took.

The disappearance of his parents just added to his paranoia.

Out of nowhere, a familiar sweet scent entered his nostrils, sending his stimulus into a frenzy.