The most vivid memory I have, is driving into that tunnel in North Carolina. It was a chilly day in spring, and the trees were still wet from the latest rainfall. The big stone channel was overgrown, to the point where it seemed like it grew up out of the ground. I shuddered as I sped into the opening; it would be a long time before I felt cold again.
I left the daylight behind me and there was no sign of it. The darkness was so intense that I was totally blind. I began to fear that tunnel would veer without warning and I would crash into a wall unawares. Before I thought to slow down I was already doing it. My foot had left the gas pedal and the car rolled on.
It crawled in this way for hours and hours, but finally it sputtered, stalled and stopped. The blacktop under my feet was cracked and uneven. With a few more steps, I was on shore of rocks. I never thought about turning around and heading back. All I wanted was to finally reach the end.
I walked for what felt like miles, and the soles of my shoes offered very little comfort. The rocks became gravel which turned into sand. I waded in it, as it rose past my ankles, but then my strength failed me and I fell on it face down. I hadn't realized it but the sand was warm, and with every passing minute it quickly rose in temperature.
I tried to raise my head and found that I could not. It was like my skull was a lead weight, impossible to move. The sand boiled my eyes and seared my teeth and gums. I couldn't even exhale to scream. As painful as it was and I swear it was agony, the overwhelming fear outpaced the pain.
I started moving again but in truth I was sinking, deeper into the cauldron of sand, drowning and burning alive. It rushed into my ears and cooked my brain. It snaked through my hair and whisked it all away. I would have wet myself but I knew before I tried, that I didn't have the strength to make water.
It felt as if I was melting down to the bone. I was going to die and I wanted it desperately. My body was engulfed and I sunk with greater speed. I took this all to mean I was being eaten.
I'd fallen into the guts of some earthen monster. A behemoth sized creature, that fed on stupid people. I'd driven on its lips and stepped into its jaws. It was a Venus flytrap and I was Cajun food.
To be honest with you, I don't know what it was. It could have been a beast or the pit of hell itself. I fell onto a bed, and I mean I fell onto it. I bounced on wet sheets and slid to the floor.
I was curled up there on the hard wood, weeping like I did when I was a child. It was five o'clock in the morning and Ted was still asleep. His boyfriend the C/O was stirring next to him, and I didn't want to be seen like I was. All I could think of was my home in this place; it's where I belong now, and I know why that is.
I can't say where they are, but God bless their souls. I'll serve my time in this life, and I pray that it's enough. My meals have been kept kosher ever since, and five times a day, I bow my head to the east. Every night is a page from The Bible. It's hard to read, but I try to understand.
They could rape me in this jail a million times. They could knock all my teeth out and I'd smile just the same. All I want to do is pay what I owe, and hope I earn some pity from the most high. If I ever see that horrible tunnel again, I must find the light, or nothing means anything.
...............
Confession by: CONFIDENTIAL
Practitioner: Dr. Donald Laughton
Laughton/Holleran Institute
September 15th, 2005
------------------------
@ChannelSeals
Friday, March 18, 2016
Saturday, May 30, 2015
#TheFeeding Promo Picture, Stage #1
Well, that sucked.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think that the result is bad, it's the process that was undesirable. I have a new touch laptop now, that I've been fooling with, and I decided to try my hand at creating art with it. Unfortunately, the touch screen doesn't have the necessary sensitivity, to make drawing something on it, a very good idea. It certainly works, but getting any sort of detail is tough.
I did use a stylus for this, but at the end I just wound up finger painting. For whatever reason, the screen stopped responding to it well. Anyway, I gave it the old college try. I'll have to break down and buy a drawing tablet soon.
It'll set me back a couple bucks, but it should be way more sensitive, and provide a better stylus for the job. It's going to take some getting used to though; I'll be drawing on the pad, and looking at the results onscreen, and that's something I've never done before. Still, drawing (and painting) on tablet is quick, convenient, neat, and I can change the colors at will. It's worth it, in other words.
There'll be some minor changes to this, before it's done. A few more color changes, some text, and it'll be ready for prime time. I'm not working on it anymore with this setup, however. Trust me, it's annoying...
-Suffer for your art.
B.A. Seals (2015)
Sunday, April 26, 2015
FInal Thoughts
The
Feeding: AWIU Final Thoughts
Nasty buggers, aren’t they?
I
couldn’t tell you when I came up with “The Feeding”, or “The
Feeding Horde”, but I can say that the name and the concept, arrived
pretty close to each other, if not simultaneously. The cool thing
about a story like this, is for a while you weren’t sure, what the
creatures were. You might have suspected it was zombies, or
“infected”, but holding some cards, until the end was fun.
As
you probably know by now, calling “The Feeding” zombies, is an
oversimplification. The advantage of doing my own jazz riff on the
concept, is I get to make up the rules. Fast zombies and slow zombies
are both staples of entertainment, especially now, so years ago I got
the idea, to combine the two monsters together. It’s like chocolate
and peanut butter, and if you haven’t tried that dip, you should
(soft pretzels!).
I
don’t know if I should mention food, at this point.
Some
more regarding the creation: What happens to their mouths before they
feed was the driving point, to get me to work more on the concept.
They were thought up, sometime before the release of the “Blade II”
movie. I remember watching that film and thinking, that reapers were
almost like The Feeding-version of vampires.
Let’s
talk about the parasite, for a moment here. When I was creating the
concept, I decided that it’d be cool, to come up with a type of
zombie, that wasn’t created by a virus. That would mean, that you
can get bit as much you like, but you’re not going to turn, unless
something else specific happened. It also meant, that dealing with
the problem wasn’t as obvious, as “shoot them in the head”; you
do that, in this case, you might be in trouble,
Regarding
the origin of the parasite, I know it, but I’m not telling. Not
yet, anyway. If you’ll notice, the title of this short story has a
colon in it. That was very deliberate. I’m opening the door for
more, and better stories on this topic, down the line.
I
can’t say when. I have some other plans that this derailed me from,
at least for a little while, but that’s cool. One thing you have to
accept, as an author, is you’re going to have flights of fancy, and
suddenly decide to go in a different creative direction, on a whim. I
think that’s something you have to always remain open to. It’s a
cost of being creative.
As
always, it’s @ChannelSeals. I’ll let you know, when I’m up to
something else. Blogger won’t be able, to contain all of it,
-Later!
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Parts Thieen-Eighteen & Epilogue
The Feeding: AWIU Conclusion (3, 500 words)
Adult/Horror (Graphic and adult language, gore/violence)
Part Thirteen
-00:13 hours
It was them. The same reeking, pale and decomposing corpses, had shed their skins to be warm and strong and fast again. There were six creatures, chasing after Chuck and the girl. At the break-neck speed they were capable of, they would soon overtake and devour them.
The girl tired fast, so she reached out in desperation. She got a hold of Chuck’s pants and let him pull her along, but even that was still exhausting. Around the bend and onto the other half of Abbott, they ran up to a trail and then turned left, and then right and left again.
Left and then right they went, and then there was another left, before two more right turns. The area around them was filled with trimmed grass, and barren of trees and cover. The properties were so far apart, she was sure that losing their pursuers was impossible. Even with Chuck pulling her, she could barely stay on her feet.
Eventually, they stopped behind a large headstone, in the garden-like atmosphere of a cemetery. Both of them were panicked and breathing heavy and staring into the darkness. Behind the stone marker, they saw shadows far off in the distance. The creatures had stopped running and were wandering around; none of them were headed in their direction.
After taking a moment to catch her breath, the girl said, "Ya crazy?”
Chuck said, "We... downwi-"
"What?"
Chuck put his hands on his hips and breathed.
After a moment he said, "Wi-wind at their back...
“They can't smell us."
Chuck leaned against and then slid down the headstone. When he sat down on the ground, a sharp pain stabbed his right arm: it was bleeding again. He looked up at the starlit sky and saw the face of a stone angel, looking down at him from the top of the sculpture. There was a strong urge, to look at the name on that grave, but he was too tired to bother turning around.
----------------
Part Fourteen
-00:20 hours
The girl said, “Take off your shirt”.
Chuck looked at her for a moment and she nodded at his bleeding right arm. He unbuttoned the long sleeve shirt and pulled it off. He had an A-Shirt on, underneath it, but he couldn’t help but feel self-conscious.
The wound wasn’t as deep as he first thought. The thing had still taken a piece of his forearm, but the bleeding wasn’t indicative of severity. While he pressed his left hand against it, the girl dug out her keys. It was a complex set of rings, with keychains, skulls and other decorations.
She got hold of a small, Swiss army knife set and flipped out a blade. It took a moment, for her to find some part of the fabric that wasn’t muddy or wet, but she cut out long strips of his shirt and laid them on top of each other. Chuck stole a glance, while she bandaged up his arm; their eyes met and she looked away, with a small smile. In that light, with her eyes gleaming, Chuck thought she looked painfully beautiful.
He said, “What’s your name, kid?”
“Belle”, she said.
“Belle? I’m sorry I got you into this.”
She shook her head. “I don’t remember you getting me inta anything… Do you?”
After thinking about it for a moment, he nodded and then held out his hand,
“I’m Chuck, Belle.”
She shook it. It was a short, firm handshake.
“Hi Chuck. How much farther is your house?”
“Well, it’s not my house, it’s my ex-wife’s…
“But it’s on Best, up that way. I don’t know how far, but it’s by the corner.”
She groaned. “That’s a hell of a walk, guy.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
The girl peered around the headstone. She saw a few figures in the distance. It looked like there was a handful of them, but she wasn’t sure.
“Where’d they come from?”
“I don’t know”, Chuck said. “I was at the bar, with a few friends of mine, and one of them just appeared.”
She frowned. “You go to the bar on Sundays?”
Chuck paused. “It’s quiet… We like it that way.
“Anyway”, he said, “I don’t know when this started, but they’re everywhere out here. I didn’t see any around, where I stay.”
“Okay, so where is that?”
“Um… North Buffalo, I guess… What about you?”
“Tonawanda”, said the girl. “I don’t know… Maybe it’s worse in the South Towns.”
“Maybe”, Chuck said.
He thought about Billy, and then he said, “That won’t last for long, though. Whatever they got, is catching.”
They shared a look, and then both of them glanced down at his arm. There was a large spot of red blood, under the makeshift bandage, but it didn’t seem to be getting any bigger.
The girl said, “We better get on with it, then. Maybe when we get there, they’ll have some peroxide or something.”
---------------------
Part Fifteen
-00:27 hours
They made their way out of the cemetery, sneaking out from behind some markers, on the southeast side. The girl was completely lost, but Chuck apparently kept track. Once they were on Bayview Road, Chuck stopped by every vehicle and peered inside. There wasn’t many of them out there.
The girl said, “Now’s the time to get lucky.”
” I hope so”, Chuck said.
After jogging down the street a while, they came upon an old Jeep Cherokee, left running on the side of the road. There was blood on the driver side door and the window, but all of the glass was tinted, so they couldn’t see inside.
“Hold it”, he said.
The door was slightly ajar, so he opened it and peered in. There was nobody in the front of the vehicle, just a little of blood, here and there. In the back he saw a baby seat, and the red remains of something very small nearby. He closed his eyes then, leaving them shut for some time.
The girl said, “Is it okay?”
“Yeah Belle, just… give me a minute.”
He found a small, pink blanket in the back, which he used to cover the corpse. Then he opened the rear driver side door and tried to block the view inside.
“She got a little bit o’ gas in her. Why don’t you go ahead and climb in.”
The girl tried to peer around him, but he leaned against the frame and blocked her. She pursed her lips.
“Alright. Fine.”
When she stepped around the back of the Jeep, he took the bundle out. He waited until she was inside, before he stuffed it down a storm drain. When he got in himself, he immediately threw the vehicle into gear.
The girl said, “Seatbelt please.”
He stopped and latched it into place.
She said, “Well, you were right about ‘a little bit o’ gas’… and I hope it’s enough.”
Chuck looked at the dash again; the needle was on ‘E’.
-----------------------------
Part Sixteen
-00:42 hours
They turned left, onto Clark Street. As soon as they did, they started to see creatures, walking around.
“Jesus”, the girl said. “Where’s all the real people?”
Chuck kept driving, at a slow pace. They were able to make the right onto Knab Drive, but the truck stalled before they could reach High Street.
The girl sighed. “Guess that’s it.”
Chuck said, “It ain’t much farther.”
There was a group of men-things shambling up, from about forty yards behind them. They were slow and plodding, but they fell upon a gutted deer carcass, on the side of the road by the grass. Soon enough, they’d have the meat to heal and the energy to chase them.
“C’mon”, Chuck said.
It only took them a minute, to jog up to Best, but they turned the corner into a crowd of creatures. The girl’s breath caught in her throat and Chuck motioned for her to be silent. He led her up and onto the lawn, to their right. The house was a distance away from the road, but they had it in plain sight.
No lights were on, in the three story home. Judy had always kept the kitchen lit overnight, for as long as she and Chuck were living together. She was a creature of habit, if he knew anything about her, but he still felt like she was inside.
Blood ran down his arm, as they stepped farther onto the grass. Some of the horde, by that point, had already noticed their presence. Four of the creatures, far apart from each other, were snorting at the air, like bulls. Three other creatures, turned and sprinted towards them.
Chuck and the girl took off, running. The trek to the house was longer than it looked, and they slammed against the front door, out of breath.
The girl said, “C’mon, please!”
Chuck said, “Judy, it’s me! Open up!”
One of the things grabbed him from behind. It latched onto his back and bit him, right over his collarbone. He and the girl both screamed. Two more things were on them, before he had the chance to do anything.
---------------------------------------------
Part Seventeen
-00:54 hours
Blunt teeth clamped down hard, like a vice; warm liquid ran down his chest. Another thing bit his left hand, taking his two middle fingers. The girl was screaming so loud, that it almost dulled the pain. All he wanted to do, was to get to her.
He pulled the thing that bit his hand, closer to him. Then he grabbed the other one on his back and started moving. The three of them plowed into the creature that was struggling, with the girl. Chuck lost his footing and they all hit the ground.
Before anyone else could move, the girl got out the blade from her Swiss army knife, and plunged it into the back, of the creature closest to her; it squealed louder than any noise Chuck had ever heard, and the lips of the thing uncurled, as it fell limp against the grass. The other two creatures paused, hesitated, and then leapt at her. Chuck tackled one of them, while the other wrestled the girl to the ground.
She kicked and pushed off and struggled. It went for her neck and she reached around, to bury the knife between his shoulder blades. Another squeal erupted, as loud as the first, and its dead weight was suddenly on top of her. She wiggled free of the body, looked up and screamed.
The zombie standing over her, was so decomposed, that the skull of its face was showing. As it reached down, she lurched out of the way, but then she realized it wanted the body next to her. Two more of the slow-walkers, were already feeding on the creature she killed a minute earlier. A dozen more were on their way.
The man-thing under Chuck, was slim and middle aged. He had it pinned down, but it struggled violently. She handed Chuck the knife and he stabbed at its spine; when it squealed, a number of the approaching monsters stopped, and then they turned and shambled towards it.
Chuck and the girl fell back against the front door. There were three dozen creatures at least, blocking them from escape. The girl pounded on the door and yelled, as loud as she could. Then they were both hammering on it, and Chuck sprayed blood on the wood, with every blow.
Something clicked. It was followed by the whir of a motor, and the garage door to their right started to open. They ran for it and knocked creatures aside, as they did so. It raised at such a slow pace however, that the girl laid down on the ground and rolled underneath.
Chuck dove in after her. There was a red Volkswagen parked nearby, with a small boy in the rear windshield, screaming. When the girl opened the back driver side door, he could hear his son calling out to him. He tried to get up, but something had him by the ankle.
Three of the things grabbed and held him, by his legs. He tried to kick out, but two more pinned him down. Pain shot through him, as the creatures tore through denim and leather and wool. They were biting, clawing, and ripping off the rest of his clothing.
He felt the car pass by, but he didn’t hear it. He was surrounded by a mass of bloody faces, human, bloody faces. Their folded out lips disgusted him.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Part Eighteen
-01:08 hours
The squeal he heard then, seemed different. There was no panic, or wail in it, and the pitch varied slightly, during the call. The things surrounding him paused for a moment. They cocked their heads to the side and listened, and then the sound was repeated, exactly as before.
They backed off; some more slowly than others. One young creature, with blond spiky hair, stood there with his folded out lips and bloody face, staring and opening and closing its maw. The call came again and it flinched. Another, similar sound was heard, before it withdrew.
The face that replaced his, was much easier on the eyes; the young black woman had skin that practically glowed in the overhead light. Her hair was tied up into a bun, revealing the curve of her neck and shoulders, and her pale brown eyes were bordered, by dark and heavy eyelashes. Covering her was a plain blue outfit; a set of scrubs that didn’t do much, to hide her curves.
Chuck shook his head. Before the divorce, he used to argue that Judy was boring. All he had wanted her to do, was to spice up their love life and surprise him one day, by dressing up for him. This thing that approached, attracted him more than she ever did. It was the third woman he’d seen, in such a short time, that he had wanted immediately; it was also the last person, he wanted to actually be there.
She walked up, bent and then knelt over him. Her nostrils flared with the intake of air, and then she placed her hands down on his chest. The fingers traveled up to his neck first, then they cupped and caressed his jawline. The hands clamped down on his mouth suddenly, and forced it open.
She wasn’t that strong, but Chuck was too weak to stop her; he couldn’t even move. She brought her face close to his, turned it as if to kiss him, and then she curled her lips back, as she spread her mouth wider than what he would have thought possible. It was then, that the transfer was made. Whatever it was, that passed down from her throat and into his, was slimy, rancid and acidic.
He swallowed mechanically, but the stuff had coated his mouth and tongue. With its own consciousness and energy, it forced open the trachea, and slid down toward his lungs. The trail it made, burned the lining of his throat and smoke twisted up, into the air. Chuck lost his breath, and then he stopped breathing entirely.
-------------------------------------------------
Epilogue
-01:55 hours
The connection with the eyes was weak, but it opened them. The world that they found was dark and devoid of detail, but with some effort, it could recognize the form of shapes. There were also clear areas of light, but there weren’t any grays to be seen.
When it commanded the lungs to take in air, it was assaulted by a wave of sensation. There was an immediate repulsion, from the scent which surrounded it, and whenever it exhaled the feeling got worse. Dark figures stepped around and over it. That thick and rancid smell, seeped deeper into its being, the closer they came.
Instinctively, it sought flight from its position. It sent signals through the spine, to the host’s extremities, finding limbs and digits that responded to its call. The nervous system of the host was now its own; there was feeling, aches and incredible pain.
It stood with some effort, finding that it had difficulty, keeping its balance. One end of a lower limb, had been gnawed down to a nub, so it shifted and found stability with the other. Stepping cautiously around, it gained the feeling of moving in space. Gravity and weight, air and scent, all of it was new, as it had no memory to draw from.
A sound reached the ears of the host, and then echoed down to it. Instinct pulled at it again, but before it sought the origin of the call, another scent licked its surface and it stopped. It had no words for ‘blood’ and no concept of meat, but a crushing hunger gripped it, and it was forced to respond.
The woman in the corner of the garage, had been dead for over four hours. Her husband had driven a steak knife into her back, to keep her from eating her young child. The tarp her family had covered her with, had been tossed aside. The body had been consumed, but the skull and neck hadn’t been stripped clean.
Before it knew what it was doing, a cascade of signals escaped it, into the spine. The body lurched forward into the smell, so it repeated the signals, again and again. The body moved faster and faster, before it fell over and landed, into the air awash with blood. The lungs of the host body were forcibly expanded, in order to home in on the source.
While pulling itself along the ground, the fingers of the host touched bones. Hunger gripped the parasite then, but the spasm was brief. It searched for a connection with the maw, and found that it was much stronger, than the one with the eyes. It sent signals to the face as it crawled, and the lips curled away from the gums and teeth.
---------------------------------------------
The End.
B.A. Seals (2015)
Adult/Horror (Graphic and adult language, gore/violence)
Part Thirteen
-00:13 hours
It was them. The same reeking, pale and decomposing corpses, had shed their skins to be warm and strong and fast again. There were six creatures, chasing after Chuck and the girl. At the break-neck speed they were capable of, they would soon overtake and devour them.
The girl tired fast, so she reached out in desperation. She got a hold of Chuck’s pants and let him pull her along, but even that was still exhausting. Around the bend and onto the other half of Abbott, they ran up to a trail and then turned left, and then right and left again.
Left and then right they went, and then there was another left, before two more right turns. The area around them was filled with trimmed grass, and barren of trees and cover. The properties were so far apart, she was sure that losing their pursuers was impossible. Even with Chuck pulling her, she could barely stay on her feet.
Eventually, they stopped behind a large headstone, in the garden-like atmosphere of a cemetery. Both of them were panicked and breathing heavy and staring into the darkness. Behind the stone marker, they saw shadows far off in the distance. The creatures had stopped running and were wandering around; none of them were headed in their direction.
After taking a moment to catch her breath, the girl said, "Ya crazy?”
Chuck said, "We... downwi-"
"What?"
Chuck put his hands on his hips and breathed.
After a moment he said, "Wi-wind at their back...
“They can't smell us."
Chuck leaned against and then slid down the headstone. When he sat down on the ground, a sharp pain stabbed his right arm: it was bleeding again. He looked up at the starlit sky and saw the face of a stone angel, looking down at him from the top of the sculpture. There was a strong urge, to look at the name on that grave, but he was too tired to bother turning around.
----------------
Part Fourteen
-00:20 hours
The girl said, “Take off your shirt”.
Chuck looked at her for a moment and she nodded at his bleeding right arm. He unbuttoned the long sleeve shirt and pulled it off. He had an A-Shirt on, underneath it, but he couldn’t help but feel self-conscious.
The wound wasn’t as deep as he first thought. The thing had still taken a piece of his forearm, but the bleeding wasn’t indicative of severity. While he pressed his left hand against it, the girl dug out her keys. It was a complex set of rings, with keychains, skulls and other decorations.
She got hold of a small, Swiss army knife set and flipped out a blade. It took a moment, for her to find some part of the fabric that wasn’t muddy or wet, but she cut out long strips of his shirt and laid them on top of each other. Chuck stole a glance, while she bandaged up his arm; their eyes met and she looked away, with a small smile. In that light, with her eyes gleaming, Chuck thought she looked painfully beautiful.
He said, “What’s your name, kid?”
“Belle”, she said.
“Belle? I’m sorry I got you into this.”
She shook her head. “I don’t remember you getting me inta anything… Do you?”
After thinking about it for a moment, he nodded and then held out his hand,
“I’m Chuck, Belle.”
She shook it. It was a short, firm handshake.
“Hi Chuck. How much farther is your house?”
“Well, it’s not my house, it’s my ex-wife’s…
“But it’s on Best, up that way. I don’t know how far, but it’s by the corner.”
She groaned. “That’s a hell of a walk, guy.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
The girl peered around the headstone. She saw a few figures in the distance. It looked like there was a handful of them, but she wasn’t sure.
“Where’d they come from?”
“I don’t know”, Chuck said. “I was at the bar, with a few friends of mine, and one of them just appeared.”
She frowned. “You go to the bar on Sundays?”
Chuck paused. “It’s quiet… We like it that way.
“Anyway”, he said, “I don’t know when this started, but they’re everywhere out here. I didn’t see any around, where I stay.”
“Okay, so where is that?”
“Um… North Buffalo, I guess… What about you?”
“Tonawanda”, said the girl. “I don’t know… Maybe it’s worse in the South Towns.”
“Maybe”, Chuck said.
He thought about Billy, and then he said, “That won’t last for long, though. Whatever they got, is catching.”
They shared a look, and then both of them glanced down at his arm. There was a large spot of red blood, under the makeshift bandage, but it didn’t seem to be getting any bigger.
The girl said, “We better get on with it, then. Maybe when we get there, they’ll have some peroxide or something.”
---------------------
Part Fifteen
-00:27 hours
They made their way out of the cemetery, sneaking out from behind some markers, on the southeast side. The girl was completely lost, but Chuck apparently kept track. Once they were on Bayview Road, Chuck stopped by every vehicle and peered inside. There wasn’t many of them out there.
The girl said, “Now’s the time to get lucky.”
” I hope so”, Chuck said.
After jogging down the street a while, they came upon an old Jeep Cherokee, left running on the side of the road. There was blood on the driver side door and the window, but all of the glass was tinted, so they couldn’t see inside.
“Hold it”, he said.
The door was slightly ajar, so he opened it and peered in. There was nobody in the front of the vehicle, just a little of blood, here and there. In the back he saw a baby seat, and the red remains of something very small nearby. He closed his eyes then, leaving them shut for some time.
The girl said, “Is it okay?”
“Yeah Belle, just… give me a minute.”
He found a small, pink blanket in the back, which he used to cover the corpse. Then he opened the rear driver side door and tried to block the view inside.
“She got a little bit o’ gas in her. Why don’t you go ahead and climb in.”
The girl tried to peer around him, but he leaned against the frame and blocked her. She pursed her lips.
“Alright. Fine.”
When she stepped around the back of the Jeep, he took the bundle out. He waited until she was inside, before he stuffed it down a storm drain. When he got in himself, he immediately threw the vehicle into gear.
The girl said, “Seatbelt please.”
He stopped and latched it into place.
She said, “Well, you were right about ‘a little bit o’ gas’… and I hope it’s enough.”
Chuck looked at the dash again; the needle was on ‘E’.
-----------------------------
Part Sixteen
-00:42 hours
They turned left, onto Clark Street. As soon as they did, they started to see creatures, walking around.
“Jesus”, the girl said. “Where’s all the real people?”
Chuck kept driving, at a slow pace. They were able to make the right onto Knab Drive, but the truck stalled before they could reach High Street.
The girl sighed. “Guess that’s it.”
Chuck said, “It ain’t much farther.”
There was a group of men-things shambling up, from about forty yards behind them. They were slow and plodding, but they fell upon a gutted deer carcass, on the side of the road by the grass. Soon enough, they’d have the meat to heal and the energy to chase them.
“C’mon”, Chuck said.
It only took them a minute, to jog up to Best, but they turned the corner into a crowd of creatures. The girl’s breath caught in her throat and Chuck motioned for her to be silent. He led her up and onto the lawn, to their right. The house was a distance away from the road, but they had it in plain sight.
No lights were on, in the three story home. Judy had always kept the kitchen lit overnight, for as long as she and Chuck were living together. She was a creature of habit, if he knew anything about her, but he still felt like she was inside.
Blood ran down his arm, as they stepped farther onto the grass. Some of the horde, by that point, had already noticed their presence. Four of the creatures, far apart from each other, were snorting at the air, like bulls. Three other creatures, turned and sprinted towards them.
Chuck and the girl took off, running. The trek to the house was longer than it looked, and they slammed against the front door, out of breath.
The girl said, “C’mon, please!”
Chuck said, “Judy, it’s me! Open up!”
One of the things grabbed him from behind. It latched onto his back and bit him, right over his collarbone. He and the girl both screamed. Two more things were on them, before he had the chance to do anything.
---------------------------------------------
Part Seventeen
-00:54 hours
Blunt teeth clamped down hard, like a vice; warm liquid ran down his chest. Another thing bit his left hand, taking his two middle fingers. The girl was screaming so loud, that it almost dulled the pain. All he wanted to do, was to get to her.
He pulled the thing that bit his hand, closer to him. Then he grabbed the other one on his back and started moving. The three of them plowed into the creature that was struggling, with the girl. Chuck lost his footing and they all hit the ground.
Before anyone else could move, the girl got out the blade from her Swiss army knife, and plunged it into the back, of the creature closest to her; it squealed louder than any noise Chuck had ever heard, and the lips of the thing uncurled, as it fell limp against the grass. The other two creatures paused, hesitated, and then leapt at her. Chuck tackled one of them, while the other wrestled the girl to the ground.
She kicked and pushed off and struggled. It went for her neck and she reached around, to bury the knife between his shoulder blades. Another squeal erupted, as loud as the first, and its dead weight was suddenly on top of her. She wiggled free of the body, looked up and screamed.
The zombie standing over her, was so decomposed, that the skull of its face was showing. As it reached down, she lurched out of the way, but then she realized it wanted the body next to her. Two more of the slow-walkers, were already feeding on the creature she killed a minute earlier. A dozen more were on their way.
The man-thing under Chuck, was slim and middle aged. He had it pinned down, but it struggled violently. She handed Chuck the knife and he stabbed at its spine; when it squealed, a number of the approaching monsters stopped, and then they turned and shambled towards it.
Chuck and the girl fell back against the front door. There were three dozen creatures at least, blocking them from escape. The girl pounded on the door and yelled, as loud as she could. Then they were both hammering on it, and Chuck sprayed blood on the wood, with every blow.
Something clicked. It was followed by the whir of a motor, and the garage door to their right started to open. They ran for it and knocked creatures aside, as they did so. It raised at such a slow pace however, that the girl laid down on the ground and rolled underneath.
Chuck dove in after her. There was a red Volkswagen parked nearby, with a small boy in the rear windshield, screaming. When the girl opened the back driver side door, he could hear his son calling out to him. He tried to get up, but something had him by the ankle.
Three of the things grabbed and held him, by his legs. He tried to kick out, but two more pinned him down. Pain shot through him, as the creatures tore through denim and leather and wool. They were biting, clawing, and ripping off the rest of his clothing.
He felt the car pass by, but he didn’t hear it. He was surrounded by a mass of bloody faces, human, bloody faces. Their folded out lips disgusted him.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Part Eighteen
-01:08 hours
The squeal he heard then, seemed different. There was no panic, or wail in it, and the pitch varied slightly, during the call. The things surrounding him paused for a moment. They cocked their heads to the side and listened, and then the sound was repeated, exactly as before.
They backed off; some more slowly than others. One young creature, with blond spiky hair, stood there with his folded out lips and bloody face, staring and opening and closing its maw. The call came again and it flinched. Another, similar sound was heard, before it withdrew.
The face that replaced his, was much easier on the eyes; the young black woman had skin that practically glowed in the overhead light. Her hair was tied up into a bun, revealing the curve of her neck and shoulders, and her pale brown eyes were bordered, by dark and heavy eyelashes. Covering her was a plain blue outfit; a set of scrubs that didn’t do much, to hide her curves.
Chuck shook his head. Before the divorce, he used to argue that Judy was boring. All he had wanted her to do, was to spice up their love life and surprise him one day, by dressing up for him. This thing that approached, attracted him more than she ever did. It was the third woman he’d seen, in such a short time, that he had wanted immediately; it was also the last person, he wanted to actually be there.
She walked up, bent and then knelt over him. Her nostrils flared with the intake of air, and then she placed her hands down on his chest. The fingers traveled up to his neck first, then they cupped and caressed his jawline. The hands clamped down on his mouth suddenly, and forced it open.
She wasn’t that strong, but Chuck was too weak to stop her; he couldn’t even move. She brought her face close to his, turned it as if to kiss him, and then she curled her lips back, as she spread her mouth wider than what he would have thought possible. It was then, that the transfer was made. Whatever it was, that passed down from her throat and into his, was slimy, rancid and acidic.
He swallowed mechanically, but the stuff had coated his mouth and tongue. With its own consciousness and energy, it forced open the trachea, and slid down toward his lungs. The trail it made, burned the lining of his throat and smoke twisted up, into the air. Chuck lost his breath, and then he stopped breathing entirely.
-------------------------------------------------
Epilogue
-01:55 hours
The connection with the eyes was weak, but it opened them. The world that they found was dark and devoid of detail, but with some effort, it could recognize the form of shapes. There were also clear areas of light, but there weren’t any grays to be seen.
When it commanded the lungs to take in air, it was assaulted by a wave of sensation. There was an immediate repulsion, from the scent which surrounded it, and whenever it exhaled the feeling got worse. Dark figures stepped around and over it. That thick and rancid smell, seeped deeper into its being, the closer they came.
Instinctively, it sought flight from its position. It sent signals through the spine, to the host’s extremities, finding limbs and digits that responded to its call. The nervous system of the host was now its own; there was feeling, aches and incredible pain.
It stood with some effort, finding that it had difficulty, keeping its balance. One end of a lower limb, had been gnawed down to a nub, so it shifted and found stability with the other. Stepping cautiously around, it gained the feeling of moving in space. Gravity and weight, air and scent, all of it was new, as it had no memory to draw from.
A sound reached the ears of the host, and then echoed down to it. Instinct pulled at it again, but before it sought the origin of the call, another scent licked its surface and it stopped. It had no words for ‘blood’ and no concept of meat, but a crushing hunger gripped it, and it was forced to respond.
The woman in the corner of the garage, had been dead for over four hours. Her husband had driven a steak knife into her back, to keep her from eating her young child. The tarp her family had covered her with, had been tossed aside. The body had been consumed, but the skull and neck hadn’t been stripped clean.
Before it knew what it was doing, a cascade of signals escaped it, into the spine. The body lurched forward into the smell, so it repeated the signals, again and again. The body moved faster and faster, before it fell over and landed, into the air awash with blood. The lungs of the host body were forcibly expanded, in order to home in on the source.
While pulling itself along the ground, the fingers of the host touched bones. Hunger gripped the parasite then, but the spasm was brief. It searched for a connection with the maw, and found that it was much stronger, than the one with the eyes. It sent signals to the face as it crawled, and the lips curled away from the gums and teeth.
---------------------------------------------
The End.
B.A. Seals (2015)
Friday, March 27, 2015
Parts Nine-Twelve
The Feeding: AWIU 9-12
Adult/Horror (Graphic and adult language, gore / violence) - about 1900 words
Part Nine
-23:16 hours EST
She took the ramp onto I-990 South.
"Thank you", Chuck said.
She exhaled and nodded.
After a moment she said, "Where we going?"
"Hamburg... You know where that is?"
She nodded. "Ninety west and two-nineteen."
"Right", Chuck said. "You want the South exit, to Armor Duells and then left."
She drove on without a word. Her hands were at the ten and two o'clock positions, on the wheel. It looked like she hadn't been driving long, but that was expected. She couldn't have been much more than eighteen years old.
The studs in her ears caught Chuck's attention, for the first time. There was a nose ring as well, a little hoop, to go along with them. Her eyes were focused on the road, but they were floating in held back tears. At that moment, he couldn't help wondering, if she was wearing contacts.
Chuck turned away and shook his head at himself.
Then he said, "I'm sorry about your friend.”
A wave of pain washed over her face, but she kept going. The silence in the Cruiser became pronounced, after a short while. He thought briefly about asking her name, but he decided the timing was wrong. Instead, he pulled out his cell phone and called Judy's house. Darryl and Judy's house, he thought. After three rings, it transferred to voice mail.
A man said, “This a Darryl”. A woman said, “This is Judy”, and then a child, who was nine years old at the time, said “I’m Jake! Leave a message, please and thank you.” It beeped.
Chuck said, “Judy it’s Charles, pick up the phone please… I know it’s late, I know it’s Sunday, but it’s important, alright? Just pick up the phone, I need to talk to you, hello?
“Look, it’s a serious emergency out here, I’m not playing. Pick up the phone if you hear me, hello? Hello?
“Uh… Darryl?”
It beeped again. Chuck swore and hung up the phone. He tried two more times, but it didn’t even ring; voicemail picked it up, immediately.
“Fuck”, he said, and then, “Wait! That’s the exit right there!”
The girl hit the brakes and yanked the steering wheel to the right. The Cruiser’s passenger side lifted up into the air; it was on two tires for a while. When the car came back down, it bounced hard before righting itself. The girl put her head down on the wheel, and then she started crying.
Chuck said, “Hey, no... No, don’t do that, please, I’m sorry... I know this is hard, and-
“And this is the scariest shit I seen in life… You don’t have to be out here like this, I’ll catch a ride… I’ll catch a ride and you can go home.”
“No!”
She turned around, with tears in her eyes.
“We have to get your son, right? That what you said… We can’t just leave these, fucking whatever they are, running around, I won’t do it… Let’s just get him before something happens.”
She turned the Cruiser and headed the wrong way down the interstate, back to 90 West.
Chuck said, “I can drive if you want… Give you a rest.”
She shook her head.
“You’re not on my insurance”.
-------------------------------
Part Ten
-23:51 hours, EST
As soon as they got off 219 South, they saw a number of bodies. Some of them were red, stripped and laying on the ground, but others it seemed, were up and moving around. They had large wounds in their arms and necks, which were covered with blood clots and scabs. A few of them were missing hands, or feet or limbs, but they still stumbled along.
Chuck said, “What the hell?”
These were obviously corpses. Many of them had pale skin, which was black and flaking around the edges. Others were missing noses, ears, eyes, and skin in large patches. All of them moved slowly, and all of them had cloudy, faded irises that didn’t look normal.
The girl said, “This isn’t some joke, right? They’re not gonna pull off their masks… or wipe off their makeup and show us the cameras or something, right?”
Chuck shook his head. “No.”
She slowed the car down. As they traveled along Armor Duells Road, the amount of things walking around increased. When they passed Hedgerow Drive, the mass of bodies was so large, she was forced to drive at a crawl. Finally she had to stop, as several of them were shambling by, in front of the vehicle.
The girl said, “How much farther?”
Chuck said, “It’s your next left.”
The creatures in front of them moved on, except for one male; he paused and turned towards their direction, cocked his head to one side and sniffed. Something came up to the girl’s window and she jumped. It was a heavyset older woman, with white hair and pale skin; she put her face up to the glass and flared her nostrils, and then her blue lips curled away from her gums and teeth.
Up the street, two things that would have been women before, creatures free of decay, bumped into and knocked over corpses, as they ran towards them.
The girl said, “Oh, God…”
Glass shattered by Chuck and the arm of a very large creature reached in. The hand found his collar, the woman-things climbed onto the hood and another fresh creature smacked into the passenger side; it struck at the rear window and it cracked. Chuck grabbed onto the girl’s seat, but the thing on him was strong; he was being pulled out.
“Shit!” he said. “Back up!”
The car lurched forward immediately, plowing into the crowd. Chuck yelled at her to stop, but that just scared her. The women-things did not let go. The large beast in the window held on as well and they picked up more riders. Unable to see where they were going, the girl hit the brakes a moment too late, and they crashed into a light pole.
The girl hit the inflated airbag. Chuck collapsed against her seat. Blood splashed the side of his face. The women-things flew off.
They hit a nearby store front, fracturing multiple bones.
-----------------------------------
Part Eleven
-00:02 hours, EST
A short time passed. Chuck's body was sore in numerous places and his arm started bleeding again. He put pressure on the wound, and then he kicked something by his feet; it was a large, severed arm. He didn't see where the owner was.
The girl was lying on top of her airbag. Besides the visible signs of breathing, she was immobile. Chuck asked if she was alright, but she didn't answer. He wanted to shake her, gently by the shoulder, but he found that he was shaking.
A creature leaned in, through his window and grabbed him. It was a fresh man-thing, free of decay and flushed with blood. It squirmed and wiggled its torso halfway in, clawing and struggling with him, and pulling his arm closer to its open maw.
Chuck heard the whirring of a small motor. The remains of Chuck's window pushed up on the thing, and its back hit the top of the frame. It let go of Chuck instantly and tried to push out. Blood dripped from its chest, where the glass cut in, but it was pushing down onto it; the glass held and the creatures back was forced up, onto the window frame.
It started to panic. Something squealed, from deep inside of the thing, and its efforts to escape became frantic. The girl was confused, but she didn’t take her hand off the dashboard controls.
“Don’t stop”, Chuck said.
She didn’t. Something snapped under the creature’s shoulder blades, and a squeal echoed around in its chest, before the sound escaped. The lips that were curled released and relaxed, and the body fell limp. The girl let go of the switch and the whirring stopped.
She said, “What is that? What is that making that noise?”
“I don’t know.”
Blood trickled down from her nose and she wiped it away.
Chuck said, “You alright?”
She sniffed and wiped at her nose again, and then she nodded.
The girl’s door was jammed, so she followed Chuck out of the rear passenger door. The woman-things were writhing around on the sidewalk in front of them, unable to stand. One of them had cracked her skull on the ground; blood and grey matter escaped from the wound, but she still moved and squealed. Her vocal chords weren’t capable of making a sound like that and Chuck knew it.
Three decaying creatures were coming up, from behind the vehicle. The girl got behind him, but they all turned and shambled around, to the passenger side. They removed the clothes of the corpse in the wreck and they gnawed at him. The girl clung to Chuck’s back and he looked around.
More were coming, but they were headed in the same direction. The large man-thing that lost its arm, was on the ground and surrounded by creatures, about ten yards east of the women. A large pool of blood was underneath it, and the creatures were biting and ripping at him, while pulling off his clothing.
Chuck looked at the female creatures again. They were still shifting and squirming around, but none of the creatures bothered them. In fact, four of the things walked right over them, en route to the feast, ten yards away. Chuck pulled the girl by the arm and they jogged up to the next street; it was Abbott Road.
After jogging down Abbott a short while, Chuck stopped the girl. He put his hands out from his sides and waited. After thinking about it a minute, he motioned for her to follow him, and he turned back towards Armor Duells, back towards the monsters.
She said, “What are you doing?”
----------------------------------
Part Twelve
-00:11 hours, EST
He put a finger to his lips to silence her, and they stepped out cautiously amongst the creatures. Something Chuck hadn’t counted on, was how fast they were able to consume. The large corpse on the floor, was being stripped bare of meat. The corpse in the wreck had been pulled down, to lay face up and be finished off. Nearby, a team of two creatures were devouring the severed arm.
A creature by the wreck, a female, chewed and swallowed and bit off another piece. While it was eating, scabs fell off of it, revealing pink skin untouched by the rays of the sun. Other creatures were changing, as well. The ones on the arm were becoming flushed, from a pallor that was deathly pale.
Two creatures by the Cruiser looked up, and turned towards their direction. As they chewed, gashes they received from their peers closed up, and their cheeks were turning rosy. Their nostrils flared at them, but they bent down and returned to their food. The crowd by the other corpse had finished with that body; they walked around and sniffed.
Some of them were wandering away, but several were walking towards Chuck and the girl, opening and closing their jaws.
“Run!” Chuck said.
-------------------------------
Adult/Horror (Graphic and adult language, gore / violence) - about 1900 words
Part Nine
-23:16 hours EST
She took the ramp onto I-990 South.
"Thank you", Chuck said.
She exhaled and nodded.
After a moment she said, "Where we going?"
"Hamburg... You know where that is?"
She nodded. "Ninety west and two-nineteen."
"Right", Chuck said. "You want the South exit, to Armor Duells and then left."
She drove on without a word. Her hands were at the ten and two o'clock positions, on the wheel. It looked like she hadn't been driving long, but that was expected. She couldn't have been much more than eighteen years old.
The studs in her ears caught Chuck's attention, for the first time. There was a nose ring as well, a little hoop, to go along with them. Her eyes were focused on the road, but they were floating in held back tears. At that moment, he couldn't help wondering, if she was wearing contacts.
Chuck turned away and shook his head at himself.
Then he said, "I'm sorry about your friend.”
A wave of pain washed over her face, but she kept going. The silence in the Cruiser became pronounced, after a short while. He thought briefly about asking her name, but he decided the timing was wrong. Instead, he pulled out his cell phone and called Judy's house. Darryl and Judy's house, he thought. After three rings, it transferred to voice mail.
A man said, “This a Darryl”. A woman said, “This is Judy”, and then a child, who was nine years old at the time, said “I’m Jake! Leave a message, please and thank you.” It beeped.
Chuck said, “Judy it’s Charles, pick up the phone please… I know it’s late, I know it’s Sunday, but it’s important, alright? Just pick up the phone, I need to talk to you, hello?
“Look, it’s a serious emergency out here, I’m not playing. Pick up the phone if you hear me, hello? Hello?
“Uh… Darryl?”
It beeped again. Chuck swore and hung up the phone. He tried two more times, but it didn’t even ring; voicemail picked it up, immediately.
“Fuck”, he said, and then, “Wait! That’s the exit right there!”
The girl hit the brakes and yanked the steering wheel to the right. The Cruiser’s passenger side lifted up into the air; it was on two tires for a while. When the car came back down, it bounced hard before righting itself. The girl put her head down on the wheel, and then she started crying.
Chuck said, “Hey, no... No, don’t do that, please, I’m sorry... I know this is hard, and-
“And this is the scariest shit I seen in life… You don’t have to be out here like this, I’ll catch a ride… I’ll catch a ride and you can go home.”
“No!”
She turned around, with tears in her eyes.
“We have to get your son, right? That what you said… We can’t just leave these, fucking whatever they are, running around, I won’t do it… Let’s just get him before something happens.”
She turned the Cruiser and headed the wrong way down the interstate, back to 90 West.
Chuck said, “I can drive if you want… Give you a rest.”
She shook her head.
“You’re not on my insurance”.
-------------------------------
Part Ten
-23:51 hours, EST
As soon as they got off 219 South, they saw a number of bodies. Some of them were red, stripped and laying on the ground, but others it seemed, were up and moving around. They had large wounds in their arms and necks, which were covered with blood clots and scabs. A few of them were missing hands, or feet or limbs, but they still stumbled along.
Chuck said, “What the hell?”
These were obviously corpses. Many of them had pale skin, which was black and flaking around the edges. Others were missing noses, ears, eyes, and skin in large patches. All of them moved slowly, and all of them had cloudy, faded irises that didn’t look normal.
The girl said, “This isn’t some joke, right? They’re not gonna pull off their masks… or wipe off their makeup and show us the cameras or something, right?”
Chuck shook his head. “No.”
She slowed the car down. As they traveled along Armor Duells Road, the amount of things walking around increased. When they passed Hedgerow Drive, the mass of bodies was so large, she was forced to drive at a crawl. Finally she had to stop, as several of them were shambling by, in front of the vehicle.
The girl said, “How much farther?”
Chuck said, “It’s your next left.”
The creatures in front of them moved on, except for one male; he paused and turned towards their direction, cocked his head to one side and sniffed. Something came up to the girl’s window and she jumped. It was a heavyset older woman, with white hair and pale skin; she put her face up to the glass and flared her nostrils, and then her blue lips curled away from her gums and teeth.
Up the street, two things that would have been women before, creatures free of decay, bumped into and knocked over corpses, as they ran towards them.
The girl said, “Oh, God…”
Glass shattered by Chuck and the arm of a very large creature reached in. The hand found his collar, the woman-things climbed onto the hood and another fresh creature smacked into the passenger side; it struck at the rear window and it cracked. Chuck grabbed onto the girl’s seat, but the thing on him was strong; he was being pulled out.
“Shit!” he said. “Back up!”
The car lurched forward immediately, plowing into the crowd. Chuck yelled at her to stop, but that just scared her. The women-things did not let go. The large beast in the window held on as well and they picked up more riders. Unable to see where they were going, the girl hit the brakes a moment too late, and they crashed into a light pole.
The girl hit the inflated airbag. Chuck collapsed against her seat. Blood splashed the side of his face. The women-things flew off.
They hit a nearby store front, fracturing multiple bones.
-----------------------------------
Part Eleven
-00:02 hours, EST
A short time passed. Chuck's body was sore in numerous places and his arm started bleeding again. He put pressure on the wound, and then he kicked something by his feet; it was a large, severed arm. He didn't see where the owner was.
The girl was lying on top of her airbag. Besides the visible signs of breathing, she was immobile. Chuck asked if she was alright, but she didn't answer. He wanted to shake her, gently by the shoulder, but he found that he was shaking.
A creature leaned in, through his window and grabbed him. It was a fresh man-thing, free of decay and flushed with blood. It squirmed and wiggled its torso halfway in, clawing and struggling with him, and pulling his arm closer to its open maw.
Chuck heard the whirring of a small motor. The remains of Chuck's window pushed up on the thing, and its back hit the top of the frame. It let go of Chuck instantly and tried to push out. Blood dripped from its chest, where the glass cut in, but it was pushing down onto it; the glass held and the creatures back was forced up, onto the window frame.
It started to panic. Something squealed, from deep inside of the thing, and its efforts to escape became frantic. The girl was confused, but she didn’t take her hand off the dashboard controls.
“Don’t stop”, Chuck said.
She didn’t. Something snapped under the creature’s shoulder blades, and a squeal echoed around in its chest, before the sound escaped. The lips that were curled released and relaxed, and the body fell limp. The girl let go of the switch and the whirring stopped.
She said, “What is that? What is that making that noise?”
“I don’t know.”
Blood trickled down from her nose and she wiped it away.
Chuck said, “You alright?”
She sniffed and wiped at her nose again, and then she nodded.
The girl’s door was jammed, so she followed Chuck out of the rear passenger door. The woman-things were writhing around on the sidewalk in front of them, unable to stand. One of them had cracked her skull on the ground; blood and grey matter escaped from the wound, but she still moved and squealed. Her vocal chords weren’t capable of making a sound like that and Chuck knew it.
Three decaying creatures were coming up, from behind the vehicle. The girl got behind him, but they all turned and shambled around, to the passenger side. They removed the clothes of the corpse in the wreck and they gnawed at him. The girl clung to Chuck’s back and he looked around.
More were coming, but they were headed in the same direction. The large man-thing that lost its arm, was on the ground and surrounded by creatures, about ten yards east of the women. A large pool of blood was underneath it, and the creatures were biting and ripping at him, while pulling off his clothing.
Chuck looked at the female creatures again. They were still shifting and squirming around, but none of the creatures bothered them. In fact, four of the things walked right over them, en route to the feast, ten yards away. Chuck pulled the girl by the arm and they jogged up to the next street; it was Abbott Road.
After jogging down Abbott a short while, Chuck stopped the girl. He put his hands out from his sides and waited. After thinking about it a minute, he motioned for her to follow him, and he turned back towards Armor Duells, back towards the monsters.
She said, “What are you doing?”
----------------------------------
Part Twelve
-00:11 hours, EST
He put a finger to his lips to silence her, and they stepped out cautiously amongst the creatures. Something Chuck hadn’t counted on, was how fast they were able to consume. The large corpse on the floor, was being stripped bare of meat. The corpse in the wreck had been pulled down, to lay face up and be finished off. Nearby, a team of two creatures were devouring the severed arm.
A creature by the wreck, a female, chewed and swallowed and bit off another piece. While it was eating, scabs fell off of it, revealing pink skin untouched by the rays of the sun. Other creatures were changing, as well. The ones on the arm were becoming flushed, from a pallor that was deathly pale.
Two creatures by the Cruiser looked up, and turned towards their direction. As they chewed, gashes they received from their peers closed up, and their cheeks were turning rosy. Their nostrils flared at them, but they bent down and returned to their food. The crowd by the other corpse had finished with that body; they walked around and sniffed.
Some of them were wandering away, but several were walking towards Chuck and the girl, opening and closing their jaws.
“Run!” Chuck said.
-------------------------------
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