street but I still felt completely exposed. I hated the idea of being so out in the open, but the road wasn’t covered with the typical overabundance of cracks and potholes so I managed to make even better time than the others roads or even the train tracks would have allowed. For once things seemed to be going our way, so I ran and I kept running.
At that point I couldn’t have been happier if I had a stripper and a keg of beer, but then I started to notice things. At first I thought the insects had grown louder or maybe there were just more of them but the sound of them became almost overwhelming and then I started to be able to smell them. They didn’t smell all that great, but the sensation was incredible.
And then I started to smell other things; squirrels and even birds in trees a dozen yards away. All of that wouldn’t have bothered me much except for the fact that I could picture the animals I was smelling but I couldn’t think of their names. That scared the shit out of me so I began running even faster but the faster I ran, the faster the thoughts started swimming around in my head yet I couldn’t focus on a single one. That was about when I realized my thoughts weren’t the only thing I couldn’t focus on. At first I thought my eyes were just dry or tired, but even after blinking the left one just wouldn’t cooperate. It was as if I had one contact in and one out. My depth perception became all screwed up.
But even with only one good eye, I could see the lights from the hospital less than half a mile ahead. The end was so close I could smell it. I don’t know if was my excitement at the sight of the hospital, all the changes that were happening within me, or a combination of both, but somehow we were practically on top of the group of infected waiting to ambush us before I caught their scent. I stopped as soon as I sensed them but that was about the same time the howling started. The spotter’s warning was practically ear-splitting and completely disorienting but I focused on ignoring him and instead swung the kid and my pack off my back and slid Excalibur from its sheath.
Then I stopped for a minute and stared down at my arm. After Godzilla had torn the meat from the bone I’d sworn it’d never work again, but I was clenching and unclenching it in anticipation of the fight. I probably could have stood there for an hour, marveling at the moment, but that really wasn’t the time.
Knowing what was about to happen, I should have been a little scared, but I wasn’t; not even slightly. Fear no longer existed within me, anger had completely replaced it and I was salivating at the thought of ripping a few of those creatures to pieces.
Chapter 10
The first one rushed me from behind but I smelled him and heard his footsteps, no matter how soft they’d been, before he could get within ten feet of us. I had the throwing knife out and flying at his skull before I’d even completely turned around. It hit perfectly and even buried itself several inches into what remained of that thing’s brain.
He dropped instantly but Excalibur didn’t have a chance to sever the head before the second and third creatures leapt from the trees on either side of us. I started to rush the nearest one but then stopped, only I wasn’t sure why. I shook my head then looked around for a second before I caught a glimpse of the kid still sitting in the middle of the road so I moved back towards him. I should have known him, something told me that much, but I just couldn’t think. And he smelled so good. He wouldn’t be much of a meal, but he’d make a nice snack. And I was hungry, really hungry.
Yet another one of those creatures hit me from behind, slamming my head into the ground and sending both of us rolling across the road. Just when I ended up on top, one of her friends slammed into me, screaming horrifically in my ear and tearing into my side with razor like fingernails.
I screamed out in pain but it
At that point I couldn’t have been happier if I had a stripper and a keg of beer, but then I started to notice things. At first I thought the insects had grown louder or maybe there were just more of them but the sound of them became almost overwhelming and then I started to be able to smell them. They didn’t smell all that great, but the sensation was incredible.
And then I started to smell other things; squirrels and even birds in trees a dozen yards away. All of that wouldn’t have bothered me much except for the fact that I could picture the animals I was smelling but I couldn’t think of their names. That scared the shit out of me so I began running even faster but the faster I ran, the faster the thoughts started swimming around in my head yet I couldn’t focus on a single one. That was about when I realized my thoughts weren’t the only thing I couldn’t focus on. At first I thought my eyes were just dry or tired, but even after blinking the left one just wouldn’t cooperate. It was as if I had one contact in and one out. My depth perception became all screwed up.
But even with only one good eye, I could see the lights from the hospital less than half a mile ahead. The end was so close I could smell it. I don’t know if was my excitement at the sight of the hospital, all the changes that were happening within me, or a combination of both, but somehow we were practically on top of the group of infected waiting to ambush us before I caught their scent. I stopped as soon as I sensed them but that was about the same time the howling started. The spotter’s warning was practically ear-splitting and completely disorienting but I focused on ignoring him and instead swung the kid and my pack off my back and slid Excalibur from its sheath.
Then I stopped for a minute and stared down at my arm. After Godzilla had torn the meat from the bone I’d sworn it’d never work again, but I was clenching and unclenching it in anticipation of the fight. I probably could have stood there for an hour, marveling at the moment, but that really wasn’t the time.
Knowing what was about to happen, I should have been a little scared, but I wasn’t; not even slightly. Fear no longer existed within me, anger had completely replaced it and I was salivating at the thought of ripping a few of those creatures to pieces.
Chapter 10
The first one rushed me from behind but I smelled him and heard his footsteps, no matter how soft they’d been, before he could get within ten feet of us. I had the throwing knife out and flying at his skull before I’d even completely turned around. It hit perfectly and even buried itself several inches into what remained of that thing’s brain.
He dropped instantly but Excalibur didn’t have a chance to sever the head before the second and third creatures leapt from the trees on either side of us. I started to rush the nearest one but then stopped, only I wasn’t sure why. I shook my head then looked around for a second before I caught a glimpse of the kid still sitting in the middle of the road so I moved back towards him. I should have known him, something told me that much, but I just couldn’t think. And he smelled so good. He wouldn’t be much of a meal, but he’d make a nice snack. And I was hungry, really hungry.
Yet another one of those creatures hit me from behind, slamming my head into the ground and sending both of us rolling across the road. Just when I ended up on top, one of her friends slammed into me, screaming horrifically in my ear and tearing into my side with razor like fingernails.
I screamed out in pain but it
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