Ken knew what this monster was, everyone heard the rumours.
The cannibal hidden in Gotham's sewers.
KIller Croc.
It grinned, showing off its mouth, filled with fresh blood and sharp teeth. It must have been at least eight feet tall and weighed as much as a small car. Ken tried to scan his surroundings, looking for an exit.
But the only one he saw was behind the monster, if only he could–
The Croc lunged.
Ken barely had time to react. A blur of claws and teeth filled his vision, instinct drove him to dive to the side. The creature's jaw slammed shut, where his head had been moments ago.
He hit the ground hard. His lungs heaved, his ears rung and eyes watered.
He looked up at the exit.
Ken pushed himself up, slipping on wet concrete as he ran, he needed to move.
Something twisted in his chest as he fled, again.
He really was pathetic.
He was closing in on the exit, he was pathetic but alive–
A clawed hand clamped around his leg, Kens blood ran cold as he fell forward, smashing his face onto the concrete below with a gruesome crack. The sharp, jagged claws slowly dug into Kens calf.
Ken dug his fingers into the concrete below, but it didn't offer any resistance as he was pulled towards the beast.
The monster laughed, jagged and broken.
'Hes laughing?' Ken thought. 'Laughing…at me?'
Rage and fear collided in his chest. He grit his teeth, muscles coiling like springs and with a sudden twist he drove himself up towards the clawed hand clamped around his leg.
Ken didn't know why, but he bit down and his teeth sunk deep. The rich taste of flesh and blood exploded across his tongue.
The Croc roared, a deafening guttural sound that reached even the city above.
But most importantly, he let go.
And by the time the Croc glanced back down, Ken was gone.
—
Ken sat in front of an old computer in a public library, he was damp, bloody and smelt of literal sewage, to be completely honest he expected to be sent away.
And by some of the looks he was getting from people walking by, they wished he had been.
Ken looked down at his leg, bloody but his wounds had disappeared.
Or healed?
Those scientists had obviously done something to him, and it was time he started doing something about it. This whole time he'd only been reacting, if he wanted to get fixed, he needed initiative.
He started by looking into human enhancement and potential side affects, he ended up finding hundreds if not thousands of academic articles. It was a very well researched topic, but there was one problem. Not many research studies on 'enhanced' subjects were available, so it really only came down to theories and speculation.
Another problem was that none of these studies mentioned craving human flesh as a side effect. He shook his head, he was unique then. Maybe…whatever they did to him, went wrong? Or maybe he was meant to be different, that the cravings were intentional.
He started to research cannibalism and what made someone 'crave' human flesh. But it came to a dead end, the vast majority of the results skewed towards the psychological rather than physiological.
Hours passed as he delved into more studies, into everything he could get his hands onto and he quickly came to the conclusion that he needed to find exactly what the scientists had done to him, and what he now could do.
All Ken really knew about his 'enhancements' were that he was strong and couldn't eat any food other than human flesh. He then started to research creatures that ate human flesh, real or mythological.
Because when things like Superman existed he couldn't rule anything out, not even folklore.
He came across hundreds, slowly he worked his way through each creature, the cryptid and mythological included.
Eventually he came across one that caught his full attention.
Ghoul - Ghouls are humanoid beings with physiology altered to require human flesh for sustenance. While similar to humans, ghouls exhibit enhanced strength, speed and regenerative abilities.
One of their most distinctive features is the kakugan, a condition in which the sclera darkens and the iris glows crimson when the ghouls' predatory instincts are triggered.
Ken froze. Every description matched him, every symptom, every craving. His hands shook as he continued.
In folklore, Ghouls are primarily nocturnal, hunting humans to survive. They possess heightened senses allowing them to track prey effectively. Ghouls demonstrate territorial behaviour and can display extreme violence when hungry or provoked.
He let out a shaky sigh as he slumped his shoulders forward and dropped his head.
What the hell had those scientists done to him…
"Jesus…" Ken whispered shakily, his mind was racing. How could he reverse this? Was it even possib—
"Hey?" A voice from behind startled Ken, the teenager snapped his head towards the person only to see a girl, around his age holding some clothes.
She had red hair, an awkward smile and had a staff lanyard around her neck.
'Staff'
"Oh, hello?" Ken responded, assuming he was about to be asked to leave.
"I, uh, fetched these from Lost & Found." She said as she presented the folded clothes in her arms. "I don't mean to be rude, just thought you might want to change?"
Ken blinked, looking at her with wide surprised eyes.
"Yeah, that would be nice" he responded, only to blink when she also handed him a leaflet. He looked down at it curiously,
'Wayne Shelter'
"It's a homeless shelter for teenagers," the girl said. "They have a shower, food everything you might need"
Ken felt his cheeks warm, with embarrassment.
"I—I don't mean to be rude, we just get a lot of kids who come here that need help—" the girl rushed to say. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about—"
"No, no it's fine" Ken interrupted, giving the girl a small smile. "Thank you"
She smiled right back.