Hungry or Hangry?

Why is it appealing to me right now? I looked closer at the animals, and the longer I did, the sooner I became grossed out about it.

"Why not partake of it?" Sintra whispered to me. "It is enriched with Eden and perfect for nourishment."

"I don't know…" I responded. "Right now I can't stomach the idea of it."

"That is fair," it acknowledged. "But, you might not have the choice in the future. Like I said before, everything is changing."

I took a breath. "..Okay, let's grill them."

Eli whooped in excitement. He scavenged the surrounding area for pieces of wood we could use to make a fire. After a big enough pile was made, we dragged the chicken lizards towards it. Isa sat in the car while all this was happening.

"You okay Isa?" I asked as I opened the glove compartment to search for a pocket knife.

She shook her head. "I just can't stomach the idea of eating that thing…it just doesn't look right."

"Yeah I understand," I replied as I pulled out the knife. "But we don't know when the next time we're going to eat though. Might as well start now."

She nodded.

I didn't push her anymore because I agree, it is a little gross. However, with everything going on, you have to stay as nourished as possible. Eli began to build a small teepee out of the wood and a small BBQ spit roast to cook the meat. Meanwhile, I started to skin the animals.

Its upper torso felt a little too weird and gross for me, so I just focused on the legs. I summoned Sintra and began slicing away at the bones and tendons connecting it to its body. I felt bad using Sintra for something so menial, but there's no way my pocket knife would've done the trick.

Each leg was about the same size as mine. The size of this animal still blew my mind. I only dismembered one bird because I doubt there's any chance we'd be able to finish one leg each. The thighs were massive and made the turkey legs you get at fairs and carnivals pale in comparison.

I began skinning the thighs and legs with the pocket knife to get all the feathers off. It was actually a lot easier than I expected. Eli finished building the BBQ spit roast and watched as I finished cleaning our meal. It only took about ten minutes to finish. It wasn't perfectly done, but at least the majority of it was ready.

The only thing we were missing was a spark to start the fire. Eli and I knew of a quick solution, but we felt awkward to ask.

"Ehem, hey Isa, would you mind giving us a hand?" Eli asked.

She sighed. "Yes."

Eli and I pumped our fists at the easy victory. Isa concentrated and the air in front of her began to shimmer. Soon a small tongue of fire streamed out and ignited the kindling. Soon the small sparks ignited a good size fire. Eli and I each grabbed one of the legs and skewered it from the wood we carved.

Two huge lizard chicken legs were roasting over a strong flame in no time. In the beginning, whenever the meat was still raw, I had some doubt about eating it; however, all of that doubt washed away. The meat began to glisten as the fat began to melt and drip into the flame. The smell of meat roasting and creating that nice char began to fill the air.

Isa poked her head out of the car and began sniffing the air. The overwhelming aroma began to pull her out of the car until she found herself sitting in front of the fire. Her stomach began to rumble.

She sheepishly smiled and asked, "If there's extra, can I have some?"

Eli and I started laughing and quickly agreed. There's no way that us two could finish this meal. Hell, not even all three of us combined could. After ten minutes or so of turning the spit roast, the meal was finally ready.

Eli and I struggled a bit to move the spit roast away from the fire. We carefully dragged it away so we wouldn't risk our meal dropping on the dirt ground. After we managed to haul the meat away, we waited a couple of minutes because it was piping hot. When the heat was manageable, we began pulling off chunks.

After we each had a piece in our hand, we all took a bite at the same time. My body went into shock the second I took my first bite. A huge explosion of flavor burst into my mouth. The meat was miraculously tender and juicy. We had no seasoning on the meat, but it tasted like something a 5-star chef would have made. It was a combination of flavors unlike any I've ever had.

"This is…DIVINE" Isa shouted.

We all started tearing through the meat until there was nothing left. We had somehow managed to devour an inhuman amount of food. We all lay against the car, unable to move because this was the first time in a few days where we were allowed to eat till we were content. We stayed like this for half an hour or so.

While we digested, I could feel a slight warmth traveling from my stomach to my chest.

"Do you guys also feel a warmth in your bodies?" I asked.

They both nodded in agreement.

"That is Eden being absorbed into your bodies" Sintra whispered to me. "Your body is digesting Eden like nutrients and making you stronger."

I relayed the information to Eli and Isa and we all marveled at this new information. We sat around for a little bit longer before we decided to pack everything up into the van and pick back up where we were on our journey.

***

The grassy plains changed into a dry, desert landscape quickly. We have been on the road for about an hour or so. The sun was beginning to set and we started looking for a place to stop for the night.

Isa sat up and pointed. "Hey, what's that sign say?"

I peered out the window and saw the green traffic sign. "It says..25 miles to Springtown."

"Maybe we could stop there for the night?" Isa suggested.

"Yeah that sounds nice," Eli answered. "Shouldn't take more than 30 minutes to get there."

Eli sped the van up. I looked out the window again and the sun was quickly setting, leaving behind a purple and pink sunset. I felt an unsettling feeling in my stomach begin to build up as we headed to an unknown destination.

***

When we pulled into town, there were only a few lamps illuminating the area.

"This place looks...pretty dead," I commented as I stepped out of the van.

Contrary to its name, Springtown didn't exhibit any sort of vibrancy or any sort of greenery. It was a ghost town and every building looked extremely run down. We slowly drove through the main road that ran straight through the city.

Once we reached the center of the city, Eli looked for a place to park the van.

"I haven't seen anyone at all," Isa remarked. "Maybe this place is abandoned?"

"Is that a good thing?" I asked. "Does that mean that we should also leave?"

"I don't think so," Eli expressed. "We drove around here for 10 minutes and I haven't even noticed a hint of any movement."

Isa pointed at a building across the street. "Maybe we should check to see if there are any supplies or food at that grocery store?"

We quickly agreed and began walking over to the Frestock across the street.