Gantz ran through the field, spotting the small, familiar house where he was born and raised. Halfway there, he saw small figures running toward him. He slowed down, only to be suddenly struck in the neck by something heavy.
His sister Ane hugged him, showering his cheek with kisses. Her red hair brushed against Gantz's eyes, forcing him to close them just as three more impacts knocked him to the ground.
— Hey, kids, that's enough! Stop the tickling! Ha ha!
Gantz finally freed himself from the little rascals and brushed the grass off his brown shirt.
— Did you do your exercises today?
— Hey, was the town busy today? I heard a priest is coming!
— Don't change the subject, you little fox!
Ane puffed out her cheeks and ran with the others toward the house. Tobias, the cubbiest of the four, stumbled as he lost his footing trying to keep up.
Smiling, Gantz looked around at a landscape any noble would surely want painted in their drawing room: verdant fields swaying in the fresh morning breeze and beautiful, sweet-smelling trees of various colors creating a natural fence around the small farm.
I love this place, he thought, smiling as he walked toward the house. In the distance, the children were now mere shadows moving through the green as they ran toward the porch.
Gantz looked to the side and saw black clouds approaching in the distance. — Looks like the mass will be held inside the church.
Opening the door, the scent of green beans greeted him. He smiled and licked his lips, thinking of the sweet-and-sour beans he loved so much. The house was like many farmhouses, made of wood and coated with a resin that left them shimmering. There was a shelf with leather-bound books of various colors and two red sofas on either side of a deep green rug adorned with floral patterns.
In the dining room, his mother sat at the head of the table. She wore her usual outfit: a beautiful corset over a blue dress that covered her from the mid-chest down, leaving her bronzed shoulders bare. Her curly black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, with only a few strands resting on her right shoulder. Her green eyes sparkled as she served the children beside her.
His father, six-foot-three with a thick, well-trimmed black mustache, had rigid features and a square jaw. Clad in his typical white shirt and black trousers, he greeted him with a nod and a faint smile.
— Visiting Melinda again, Gantz? — his mother said, her expression a mix of amusement and sternness.
— My beautiful mother, a man does not choose whom he loves!
— You don't love her! And she doesn't love you either! I only won't say why because of the children. Seriously, I don't hate her, but you're at the age to find someone your own age. If you spent less time with her while looking for a partner... I want a grandchild!
— I can do that!
— Not with her! She already has three; that's more than enough for her!
— I know, I was only joking.
His father's booming voice followed. — Regardless, we are going to mass today, so dress well.
— Understood, but first I'm going to hunt something for supper.
— A pig! — Ane shouted, grinning.
— I'll try, little one.
After lunch, Gantz headed toward the forest. He walked a few kilometers until he spotted signs of wild boar nearby. The woods were dense, and the scent of manure permeated the air. Tusk marks were gouged into nearby trees; from their height, Gantz estimated an animal at least two meters tall and weighing half a ton.
We're going to feast tonight! he thought, smiling.
Crouching through the brush, he finally spotted a large boar with dark hide and watchful eyes. It seemed to be the sentry of the pack. Gantz gripped his crossbow tighter, loading a thick, razor-sharp bolt. Aiming for the heart, he slowly pulled the trigger as he let out a deep breath.
The bolt traveled a few meters and hit something that dragged the boar away like a sack of cloth. The animal's screams could still be heard when Gantz finally realized what had happened.
— Dammit! What the hell was that?
He followed the animal's cries, and the closer he got, the more he heard other screams and the sound of grinding nearby.
— I hope the pack caught you, whatever stole my food!
Reaching a clearing, Gantz stumbled upon a slaughter. Boar carcasses were torn apart and scattered everywhere; the once-green woods were now crimson. Guts and heads were tossed onto branches all around. Gantz didn't hesitate; he turned to run as fast as he could before something struck him in the back, slamming him face-first into the ground. He rolled over only to find two red eyes and a black snout dripping with drool that soaked the creature's furry chest.
A wolf—and not just any wolf, but an alpha, marked by the thick mane around its neck. A bolt stuck in the animal's chest explained its rage, or so Guntz thought in the split second he had before a bite slammed down on his arm like a falling tree. His bones snapped instantly. He felt his flesh being pulled and torn, his skin peeling away from the muscle. Screaming, he threw punches at the beast's chest until he hit the embedded bolt. The impact drove it deeper, piercing the animal's lung and filling it with blood. The snout began to expel red liquid mixed with something else as the creature struggled to breathe. It took a few seconds until the beast lost the strength to fight and collapsed, its four paws sprawled in different directions.
Gantz sighed in relief before his vision went dark. As his mind drifted, a shadow from the animal's body covered him, clinging to his clothes like a spiderweb and entering his pores slowly but steadily. The thing suddenly shivered and tried to flee, but something pulled it inside his body. Black veins covered his wounds, regenerating them as Gantz's body grew slightly leaner. The bite closed tissue by tissue, woven as if by a master weaver, until the skin shut and fused completely. By then, the moon was already shining