Eating

The sun glared in my eyes and the wind whipped the sand up into my face, stinging my eyes and rubbing it through my wounds as I struggled my way through the barren wastes. I drug my foot behind me as I forced myself to keep moving, though I had to pause for a moment. The pain was slowly getting worse, so bad that I was nearly doubled over coughing. A drop or two of blood came flying out of my mouth and landed in the sand in front of me. I stared at it, slightly concerned. Of course that shouldn’t be any surprise by now. I knew it was inside me, there was nothing I could do to stop it at this stage. The gash across my chest suddenly radiated with pain and my hand flew to it, although I’m not sure what good it would do. I cried out in pain as I fell to my knees and clenched my eyes closed, grinding my teeth together, and waiting for the pain to pass. After what seemed like forever, I was finally able to breathe normally again. I looked down at my arms and saw the skin ripple; I averted my gaze quickly and tried to hold down the little bit of food left in my stomach.

“Arghhhh….. fucking bitch!” I growled, spitting out more blood. “She’ll pay… she’ll fucking pay!”

I struggled back up to my feet and continued on my journey across the desert, foot dragging behind me and heaving with every breath. It took all I had to reach the next out post, only a few miles away, though in my condition it seemed half a world away. Finally arriving at the door, I managed to raise my arm enough to bang on the door once before falling down again. I could hear voices and feet shuffling to the door, a hand upon the knob, a click, and the rest of my body falling to the ground as the door opened.
“Ah shit! Gill! Give me a hand!” the man yelled.

Another man ran over and they grabbed me by the arms and dragged me inside, laid me upon the bed and closed the door. They turned around and looked at me, a look of shock and confusion upon their face. I managed to look at them for but a few seconds before it all went black.

***

I’m not sure how long I was out. I never bothered to ask either. When I did awake, I was in a different building, what I assumed was a makeshift hospital. There were two other cots to my left, with tables in between filled with medical equipment. I glanced around and the building seemed rather old, though in better shape than most. A plank floor had mostly rotted away but for the occasional 3 or 4 boards off to the sides. I was alone in the bedroom, and it seemed to be late morning or early afternoon by the light pouring in from outside. The air was dry with the heat, and my throat seemed raw from the sand. I looked down and I was wearing clean clothes, no more blood or tears. I had almost forgotten what that looked like. My wounds had been treated, as far as I could tell. My hand shot to my chest, where the gash had been. I could feel cloth; damp cloth. Damp with blood or sweat, I couldn’t tell, nor did I care to find out. Suddenly it radiated with pain once more and my arms and legs shout out straight as I let out a cry through clenched teeth.

“Don’t look down… don’t look down!” I muttered to myself, knowing full well I would see that ripple again. The pain subsided and I lay there in temporary exhaustion as a woman came running into the building from outside.

“Oh! Oh, he’s awake! Kathy! Kathy! He’s awake! Run, get Ward and Gill! Tell them the visitor is awake!”

The woman came running over to my bed and kneeled down, putting her hand upon my chest.

“Oh, my dear! You must be careful! Lay there, and rest!”

I looked into her eyes and saw those of a woman spent caring for the sick her entire life. I nodded my head. I coughed slightly and made an attempt to ask for water, though it came out as little more than a raspy whisper.

“Oh dear, don’t strain yourself! You need water? One moment dear!” she rose from her bedside perch and ran back outside. As she exited, another woman and two men entered. I looked up and recognized them as the ones who dragged me inside the building the other night. Or was it the other week? Month? I had no idea how long it had been. They approached my bed and stood at the end looking at me, arms folded, taking in all they could, learning all they could.

“ Good luck” I thought “You’ll never understand.”

I looked up at them, studying. The one on the left was slightly taller than his counterpart, with a darker complexion too. He was wearing a tan trench coat and a ten gallon hat. I couldn’t see the lower half of his torso, but I assumed him to be wearing cowboy boots as well. He was clean shaven with shaggy hair, by far the better looking of the two. His friend was wearing a white undershirt and well-worn jeans. He looked to be almost a decade younger, and had considerably more muscle build. He sported shoulder-length blonde hair and a blonde fu Manchu.
The tall one spoke; “Mary says she has gone for water.” Mary, what a suiting name for her. “Once she returns, we wish to hear your story. We have dressed your wounds and cared for you, and we have some rather unsettling observations we would like cleared up.”

Again, I simply nodded my head in response. Mary came running back in, carrying a flask with her.

“ Here, my dear” she said, handing me the flask “Drink.”

I drank like I hadn't drunk in years. The cool, clear liquid rushed into my mouth and slid down my dry throat like it was a gift from the Gods. I finished off the flask and let out a satisfied sigh, handing the flask back. Mary took it and smiled, then stepped back into line with the other three. They stood there, starring at me and I lay there, starring back at them. We stayed like that for several moments
before the tall one spoke.

“What is your name?” I looked at him and smiled.

“In time, my friend” I responded. A look of disapproval came across his face. “First, I’d like to know the names of thee who hast saved me, so I may thank them properly.”

The look almost immediately vanished from his face, replaced by one of pride.

“I am Ward, leader of this band of survivors. My friend here beside me goes by the name of Gill. It is we who dragged you in from the wastes. To my other side are your caretakers, Kathy and Mary. I believe you have already met.” I smiled and nodded at the two ladies, who curtsied in response.

“My deepest thanks I extend to the four of you” I said, making a bowing motion with my arm.

“And you are very welcome” Ward replied. “Now, please, your name.”

“Ah yes. My name is Elbron. I hail from the village of Tigana to the West.”

“Tigana, oh? Quite a journey, Elbron. Especially for a man in your condition.”

“Well extreme drive can do miraculous things. Now, you said you had questions. I suggest the women leave, the answers are not for those faint of heart.”

“Very well” Ward replied, motioning for Kathy and Mary to leave. They curtsied once more and showed themselves out. The two men looked back to me. Ward was about to speak, but I cut him off.

“Take a seat, gentlemen, for this will not be easy to hear."

They looked around the room and Gill grabbed two chairs from the far corner. The two men sat down at my bedside and looked at me with a look mixed with eagerness and fright.

I cleared my throat and rubbed my chin. “This all began but two nights ago. Two nights within my memory…”

***

I sat upon my horse, travelling the road between the farm where I worked and my house. We were on the outskirts of the town, ten miles from the closest store. I had just left work early as one of the other men reported seeing something strange on the road just past my house, or before it if I was leaving work. I pressed him for more, but all he would say was it was something unusual. I came upon the spot that he had described and at first saw nothing. I dismounted my horse and looked around again. There was nothing in plain sight, though there was a grouping of rocks off to the left of me. I began walking towards them, not knowing what I would find. As I came around the rocks I saw a dark brown tail laying in the sand, then a paw, then another paw. I stopped. I knew what I’d see if I went any farther. It was Manji, the kid’s dog. Killed by what I presumed was a wolf or coyote at first. I sighed and looked around the barren landscape, but couldn’t see any sign of either nearby. I knew how upset the kids would be once they found out. I wiped my brow off with my kerchief and stuck it back in my pocket. I figured I should burry him before the vultures picked him apart, so I continued around the rock. Nothing prepared me for what I saw next. Followed by his legs was his torso, front paws, head… wait, no… there was no head. Manji had been decapitated. I turned away and held down vomit the best I could.
“What kind of sick fuck…” I thought as I wiped my mouth off. I regained my composure and looked back. Sure enough, there was still no head. The vomit began to rise again, but I forced it down. I looked closer at where the head was cut off. It didn’t look like any wolf attack I had seen before. I grabbed the shovel off the horse and buried the poor fucker beside the rock as quick as I could. Jumping back on the horse, I hurried on down the road.

It wasn’t long until I saw my house rising in the distance. I dug the spurs in a little more and the horse sped up. As I arrived outside of the house, I noticed one of the windows was smashed. And not in, but out. Curious yet cautious, I advanced in the doorway. I moved slowly through the kitchen, which was completely ransacked. Cutlery lay everywhere, the table was upturned and a chair had been thrust into the wall.

“What the fuck…” I mumbled as I continued into the living room. I stopped as I saw what was inside. My wife was on her knees, with her back to me, in front of what seemed to be a body. The worst crossed my mind as I parted my lips enough to speak her name.

“Jane…”

Her head snapped around and looked at me. What I saw was not my wife. Her eyes were milky white, her skin pale, blood all around her mouth. An evil grin spread across her face as she slowly rose and turned towards me. I looked down to what she had been kneeling in front of; it was the body of our six year old daughter, Jill. Only, it wasn’t much of a body anymore; half of her face and most of her limbs and torso were nothing but a bloody mesh of bones, muscle and vomit. This time I couldn’t hold my vomit down any longer. I doubled over and proceeded to empty the contents of my stomach on the floor.

“Jane! What the fuck?! What the fuck?! What the fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck?! Oh god, oh god!” My eyes darted between what was left of my daughter and the thing that my wife had become.

“Come on, Elbron, don’t you love me?” it gurgled, smiling the whole time. I could see the bits of my daughter in her teeth.

“You! You, you… you… thing! Stay the fuck away from me!”

“Oh come on baby, don’t you want me? Come on, come here to mama! Come fuck me! I know you want to! You always want to! Come play with my fucking tits!” It yelled as it ripped its shirt off, exposing what used to be her breasts. They were now nothing but bloody stumps, rotted away and chewed away, by what, I didn’t know, and I didn’t care to.

“No! get the fuck away! You fucking monster!”

“Come on baby,” It continued, as it ripped its pants off. “Fuck my pussy! Fuck my pussy! Fuck my pussy! I know you want to! Ooh, or do you want to put it in my ass? You always wanted to! C’mon baby! Fuck my ass!” It yelled as it bent over exposing it’s asshole. It slowly inserted both index fingers into the hole and began pulling until it was a gaping hole. I took the chance and ran as fast as I could and delivered a blow straight to her ass, sending her flying forward. I didn’t stop to look back, I kept running forward, hoping in the back of my mind that my son was still alive somewhere in the house. I ran into the bathroom and looked in the bath. There he was, sure enough, in the fetal position in the tub.

“Braun..” I said as I reached out and touched his shoulder. His hand snapped back and grabbed mine and yanked me into the tub with him.

“What the fuck!” I looked at his face and he was no longer there. Just that same blank look his mother had, and the same blood stains around his mouth.

“Oh shit.” I punched him as hard as I could, but it was no use. He still held fast my wrist and looked down at it, hissed and bit me.
“Arghhhhhh!”

He just gnawed harder as I struggled to get away, punching him continuously. Eventually I managed to dislodge him, but just then his mother appeared in the doorway. I must have broken her neck when I kicked her as her head could no longer stay steady. She jumped on top of me and I kicked furiously at her midsection, finally getting her off of me. I turned and ripped the mirror off the wall and cracked it over her head. In the commotion I had partially forgotten about Braun. He had managed to sneak around behind me and, grabbing a piece of the broken glass, he jumped on my back. I stumbled back into the wall, and he reached over my shoulder and dug the glass in and ripped it up.

“Fuuuuuuuck!” I screamed as I elbowed him in the ribs. I fell down to my knees and he crawled away, over to the thing that his mother had become. They both looked at me, as I lay there bleeding and heaving. It almost seemed like a look of compassion came over their faces. But it was gone as soon as it appeared, and the thing that was Jane craned back its head and let out a blood curdling scream. It began to crawl towards me.

“You stay the fuck away from me, you bitch.”

The thing didn’t even flinch, just kept crawling slowly towards me, the same grin on its face, almost laughing. I tried to scurry back but the pain was way too great. She was on me before I knew it. I tried to fight but it was too strong. She now sat on my stomach and leaned in my face, blood dripping on to my brow. I spit in her face and she recoiled and screamed at me. She scurried down a little bit, now eye level with the gaping wound in my chest. She looked up once more and smiled. She began to cough, which progressed into hacking, blood and stomach acid dripping out of her mouth. Her body began to heave and she made vomiting sounds. She shot her head down and threw up this… thing. It was dark green in color, and about five inches long. Shrieking filled my ears and pain filled my body. I joined in with the shrieking as the thing burrowed its way within my chest.

***

“I passed out after that. The pain was far too intense for me to bear. I woke up in the desert in the middle of the night and I struggled my way here. You know the story after that.”

Ward and Gill just stared at me. I knew they’d react like that. I looked down at my arm and they followed my gaze. I closed my eyes and clenched my teeth, thinking about the infection inside of me. It worked, I could feel it reacting. My skin began to crawl; I had no need to look as I was familiar with the feeling by now. Ward and Gill jumped out of their chairs and scurried to the other side of the room, pressing their bodies against the wall. I opened my eyes again and the look on their face is that which was on mine when I saw Jane eating Jill.

I grinned.

“You know what that means, right?” they looked at each other then at me and then slowly shook their heads.

“ha… haha… hahaha…. Ahhhhahahahahahahah, hahahahahaha, hahahaha! You wanna guess?! You wanna guess, you pathetic fucks?!” My voice was getting deeper as I rose out of the bed. “Just take a guess, take a fucking shot in the dark, you little shits. It means, it means… it means that you’re fucking next!”

I pounced.

They ran.