trolley and rammed it into the man, who did not have any reaction at all. He did not try to move out of the way and neither did he push back; he simply collapsed backwards into the shelves behind him. Tins poured down over his head, but still he did not react.
Marla blinked. What the hell is going on? Then she remembered her dream... Sinking its teeth into her neck and ripping... Shaking her head in disbelief, she rammed the trolley into the now standing man again. He moaned and sank to the ground. She noticed then how one of his ears was missing and the side of his head resembled a congealed mass of blood. The greying skin was hanging off and one of his arms was twisted in an unnatural way. An unearthly groan filled the air and a putrid smell reached her nostrils. It was all she could do not to wretch. She rammed him once again, but then the corpse on the floor began to twitch. It was moving. It was alive.
“Marla!”
She turned, trembling, to see her sister standing behind her with eyes as wide as saucers. Ellen was tugging her arm, but she had not even felt it. In that second she came to her senses. Grabbing her sister’s hand, Marla charged down the aisle. The place was filled with screaming shoppers, frozen to the spot in fright. “Run!” she shouted at them. “He killed a woman!” People turned to follow as they ran towards the exit of the shop. Marla did not dare to turn. She skidded as they turned the corner. “A woman’s been murdered!” she shouted at the cashiers, who glanced her way with blank expressions. “Get out!”
The exit sign glared, and Marla and Ellen charged outside into the bright glare of the sun. Without looking back, they kept running until they reached the jeep. Fumbling for her keys, Marla had to stop for breath and calm herself down. A glance back at the building showed the entrance spewing streams of people, all looking scared to death and half of the women were screaming. Opening the doors of the jeep, Marla motioned for Ellen to get in and then she slid into the driver’s seat, before locking the doors.
Without saying any thing, she reached into her bag, pulled out her mobile phone and dialled 999. “Police,” she said when asked the nature of the emergency. “There’s been a murder inside the supermarket off Beryl Street... Yes... A woman murdered by a man... He was eat...” She paused. “There was another woman being sick. She looked as if she had the flu that is being reported in the news... No, I’m serious... Yes, the woman is dead. Everyone is running out of the building now, and he’s still in there... Okay. Yes, I can make a statement... No, I don’t want to wait here. There is something wrong with the man. He doesn’t look... doesn’t look... nothing,” she added, realising that what she was about to say could put everyone at risk if the woman on the end of the phone thought she was a crazy prank caller. “Yes, I can make a statement later today. It’s Marla Hardy. Thanks. Bye.”
“Please just drive,” said Ellen, gripping her hands together in an effort to prevent them from shaking.
“’Kay,” mumbled Marla, sticking the key in the ignition and checking her rear-view mirror.
“Do you think everyone got out?”
“Yes, I hope so. Ellen, please don’t cry. I’m driving. We’ll be home soon. Well, we’ll be at Tommy’s soon. Try to forget what you saw. I know that’s hard. Think about something else – anything.”
“What was wrong with him?” her sister whispered while looking sideways at her.
“I don’t know, ” Marla replied.
“He didn’t look human.”
“I know.”
“But he was human.”
“Yes.”
“But he didn’t look alive. He looked like the man in my dream.”
Marla nodded, unable to speak. She glanced in the rear-view mirror again as they left the car park, half expecting the man to be running behind the car. Her nightmares were becoming real, but how? “You okay?” she asked, glancing at her sister after a
Marla blinked. What the hell is going on? Then she remembered her dream... Sinking its teeth into her neck and ripping... Shaking her head in disbelief, she rammed the trolley into the now standing man again. He moaned and sank to the ground. She noticed then how one of his ears was missing and the side of his head resembled a congealed mass of blood. The greying skin was hanging off and one of his arms was twisted in an unnatural way. An unearthly groan filled the air and a putrid smell reached her nostrils. It was all she could do not to wretch. She rammed him once again, but then the corpse on the floor began to twitch. It was moving. It was alive.
“Marla!”
She turned, trembling, to see her sister standing behind her with eyes as wide as saucers. Ellen was tugging her arm, but she had not even felt it. In that second she came to her senses. Grabbing her sister’s hand, Marla charged down the aisle. The place was filled with screaming shoppers, frozen to the spot in fright. “Run!” she shouted at them. “He killed a woman!” People turned to follow as they ran towards the exit of the shop. Marla did not dare to turn. She skidded as they turned the corner. “A woman’s been murdered!” she shouted at the cashiers, who glanced her way with blank expressions. “Get out!”
The exit sign glared, and Marla and Ellen charged outside into the bright glare of the sun. Without looking back, they kept running until they reached the jeep. Fumbling for her keys, Marla had to stop for breath and calm herself down. A glance back at the building showed the entrance spewing streams of people, all looking scared to death and half of the women were screaming. Opening the doors of the jeep, Marla motioned for Ellen to get in and then she slid into the driver’s seat, before locking the doors.
Without saying any thing, she reached into her bag, pulled out her mobile phone and dialled 999. “Police,” she said when asked the nature of the emergency. “There’s been a murder inside the supermarket off Beryl Street... Yes... A woman murdered by a man... He was eat...” She paused. “There was another woman being sick. She looked as if she had the flu that is being reported in the news... No, I’m serious... Yes, the woman is dead. Everyone is running out of the building now, and he’s still in there... Okay. Yes, I can make a statement... No, I don’t want to wait here. There is something wrong with the man. He doesn’t look... doesn’t look... nothing,” she added, realising that what she was about to say could put everyone at risk if the woman on the end of the phone thought she was a crazy prank caller. “Yes, I can make a statement later today. It’s Marla Hardy. Thanks. Bye.”
“Please just drive,” said Ellen, gripping her hands together in an effort to prevent them from shaking.
“’Kay,” mumbled Marla, sticking the key in the ignition and checking her rear-view mirror.
“Do you think everyone got out?”
“Yes, I hope so. Ellen, please don’t cry. I’m driving. We’ll be home soon. Well, we’ll be at Tommy’s soon. Try to forget what you saw. I know that’s hard. Think about something else – anything.”
“What was wrong with him?” her sister whispered while looking sideways at her.
“I don’t know, ” Marla replied.
“He didn’t look human.”
“I know.”
“But he was human.”
“Yes.”
“But he didn’t look alive. He looked like the man in my dream.”
Marla nodded, unable to speak. She glanced in the rear-view mirror again as they left the car park, half expecting the man to be running behind the car. Her nightmares were becoming real, but how? “You okay?” she asked, glancing at her sister after a
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