This story is part of Richard Thomas's short story collection, ''Staring into the Abyss'', out April 8th by Kraken Press in digital and print formats."In order to live, I have to die." So begins this story. In the near future there are people that prey on the weak—not vampires, needing blood to survive, but psychic vampires, energivores, who feed off of the misery of others. Cinder, or Cindy to her friends, is a lonely woman that has been alive for hundreds of years, moving from place to place to avoid the death that surrounds her. But there are entities in this world that are far worse than Cinder, people from her past—and in the end, she is vulnerable to her emotions and her desperate need to connect.Praise for ''Staring into the Abyss''"The stories in STARING INTO THE ABYSS are little literary predators that are smart, savage, and stealthy, with a lethal pounce at the end. Readers who enjoy finely-crafted and genuinely disturbing dark fiction will love Richard Thomas's outstanding collection."—Lisa Morton, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Monsters in L.A."STARING INTO THE ABYSS by Richard Thomas is an outstanding book, a grim tapestry of broken lives and shattered dreams, of dark fantasies and dark reflections. It's one of the better single-author collections I've had the pleasure to read in recent years, and as such, gets my highest recommendation. It's also a fine testament to a talent I suspect we are going to be hearing a lot more from, and soon."—Kealan Patrick Burke, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Turtle Boy, and Kin."With STARING INTO THE ABYSS, Richard Thomas takes you on a ride into a world of darkness and despair, punches you in the gut, and leaves you breathless. You'll hug your psyche a little tighter after reading."—Damien Walters Grintalis, author of Ink"STARING INTO THE ABYSS is gritty and ugly, seductive and sexy. Inside these filthy walls you will find everything you've ever feared you'd become; thugs, drunks, cons, prostitutes, murderers. Think of these pages as a mirror of what anyone--even you--can become, after just a few critical mistakes in life. Richard Thomas has proven time and again that he is one of the rising stars in the neo-noir culture. With Staring into the Abyss, he proves he has mastered it."—Max Booth III, author of True Stories Told By a Liar and Black Cadillacs"NO ONE DOES IT like Richard Thomas. Dark and disturbing, his unique blend of horror and noir digs its way into your psyche and leaves you begging for more."–C. W. LaSart, author of Ad Nauseam