{FIC EXTRACT:

“Humans get cold,” Tucker said, his voice hollow, “You always seem to forget that bit, you know.”

Whatever had possessed him to say the words, whatever had taken hold of Tucker and allowed the accusation to slip out, he regretted not fighting it the moment the face of the creature in front of him slipped.

The mischievous smile, the childish glee- in seconds it all evaporated. And left behind was a shell that only resembled the boy Tucker had called a friend.

“What?” It asked, and its voice felt wrong in a way Tucker couldn’t pin down. It spoke in an uneasy cadence: “I’m human. You know that, don’t you, Tucker?”

Tucker couldn’t speak. He tried, but when his lips parted, nothing came out. Something felt like it was clawing its way up his esophagus. Sweat broke out on his neck. The expression on its face burrowed into his chest and expanded.

It took a step towards him and it wasn’t until it opened its mouth that Tucker realized he’d incorrectly clocked the movement as a threat, when in reality it was an act of desperation.

“I said, don’t you, Tucker?” It asked, its eyes feeling far too dead and far too flat for the tone of voice it had. It moved like an animal going to nip at a plate of food left on the ground, like it would back away and consume and then leave forever as quickly as it had come. }

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[Dialogue in comic reads:

1st Panel –

TUCKER: ... Humans get cold. You always seem to forget that bit, you know?

2nd Panel –

DANNY: What? I'm human. You know that, don't you, Tucker?

3rd Panel –