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.When Eli didn’t join in her laughter she soon sobered and became a little fearful.“This is not a joke, Annie.They are much more than dangerous.” Annie wasn’t sure what to do with his words, laugh or run screaming.The rational part of her felt like shunning everything he said but, from the strangeness that had recently surrounded her life, part of her grabbed hold of the fear and believed what he said.“Then tell me, what are they?” She asked warily, feeling the gravity of it all.Without a word he stood and started to search through the books.He found a book and walked back to his seat, flicking through the pages intently.“They are beings that should be treated with caution and avoided at all costs!” He passed the book to her, opened to half way, and then went to retrieve another book from the shelves.She looked at the pages, it had a picture of a disgusting looking man, bloated and half dead.“How does anyone know of these things?” She asked, scrunching her face up in revulsion at the image.“Attacks.Some snatchers are careless and do not think about consequences.They can come in all different shapes and sizes and can be either men or women.” Eli grabbed another book as Annie was left shocked at his words.He opened to a specific page, handed it to her and walked back to the shelves.“Some look like rotting corpses and others are enticing creatures.It depends on the type of snatcher that created them.”“How do people become a…snatcher?” She asked as she inspected the books.“With bane that is administered into the victim.It can either be ingested by a human drinking from the creature themselves or by the snatcher biting them and injecting it into them,” Eli explained, handing yet another book to her.“It is fine, Eli,” she said refusing the book politely.“At this rate it looks as if you will hand me the whole shelf.Just sit and tell me.” He nodded then took his seat next to her.“From my understanding of the word ‘bane’, it refers to something that causes death, especially from poison.But do people die after being infected?”“The fluid they produce is injected into the victim.It stops their heart beating for a time until the transformation is complete, then the heart restarts,” he clarified.“So in a way it is a death but not technically.”“So it is poisonous?” She wondered.“We consider it to be a corruptive influence in a human’s system, so yes.” He watched her carefully to ensure she was not too overwhelmed.“The bane replaces the human’s blood which is one of the reasons why they have the option of drinking blood to survive.If the bane is not subdued then it becomes too…” He searched for the word.“Blistering within them and it burns through their skin, killing them.Am I going too fast?”“No, it is fine.Continue.” Annie was overwhelmed but fascinated.“From what we know snatchers are ageless.If you are transformed in old age you lose some of the age and remain looking possibly a decade younger.However, if someone is changed during their physical peak they are frozen in eternal youth.Bane maintains the body at its peak but also influences a person’s capabilities.It makes you better at everything but also allows you to endure things for longer.For example snatchers can run faster and longer, they do not need rest or food, they can see better and hear well.How are you coping with this?” He checked with her.“Fine.” She was intrigued to know more.“They only use their heightened skills when it is necessary.For instance, if they were defending themselves against a danger or they were preying on a victim.Otherwise they just come across as any other ordinary human being because technically they are…just much more improved.The bane sets a person in a mold once it is infused into them,” he summarised.“Their bodies are still able to be injured but the bane heals them at a very fast rate and they cannot die the same way humans do.”“So why are some disgusting?” She queried, thinking of the revolting image she had seen.“There are some that feed off dead bodies because they think it an easy meal [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]