Undead Genesis: Zombie (7 page)

Marik debated climbing a tree but was not
sure he had the energy to do so or if the ankle would let him
physically climb at all. He asked his ancestors for help, but he
could not feel their comforting presence.

Ahead he noticed a clearing where the light
poured through the canopy. Heading towards it he was relieved to
see multiple huts around the perimeter. He had finally reached the
camp he had been searching for.

It was not until he burst into the clearing
that he realized there were no people. The small camp was
uninhabited. It must have been a temporary stop for the others on
the way to each battle. There was no telling how much further until
he found the people of the other tribe.

Heading toward what looked like the largest
hut Marik managed to climb the few stairs and closed the swinging
door behind him. He heard a collision and felt the floor under him
tremble as the creature slammed into the stairs and collapsed.

Marik’s body was rebelling. His lungs heaved
with great gasps and his now useless ankle pulsed brutally.

The temporary shelter’s door was made of
bamboo poles. Marik could see through the gaps and watched as the
monster crawled up towards him. It moaned louder as it got closer.
He limped over to the door and wedged his body up against it while
holding the edge tightly with both hands. The journey was done.
Marik sobbed with fear.

When the creature reached the door, the
pumping heart just inches away called to it. Hunger was a desire of
the past. It was not searching for a meal for sustenance. All that
was left now was the undeniable craving to consume the living
creature’s spirit that no longer existed in its ruined body. The
longing was as great as a drowning man’s need for air.

The creature attacked the door trying to tear
the barrier away and snapped at the bamboo relentlessly with its
jaws before noticing a single thumb pulsing thickly with blood
wrapped around one of the poles. The creature attacked savagely
tearing off a chunk of flesh and relishing the lifeblood as it ran
sweetly into its mouth.

Inside, Marik screamed with pain and quickly
pulled both hands in to his chest. The agony was more than a
physical wound; it was an intense sting. He felt it flow quickly up
his arm and explode into his chest. He suddenly struggled to pull
breath into savaged lungs and the stinging pain travelled up his
neck. It locked his jaws shut and moved into up his spine into his
brain. Mercifully, the pain ended quickly after that as Marik’s
spirit left his quickly perishing body.

Without Marik’s active resistance, the
creature outside was able to push open the door causing the now
limp body on the other side to fall on its back. The creature
pushed its way into the hut where it found the boy’s feet wedged
near the door. Sweet blood still flooded through the body’s veins.
Moaning, the creature tore large pieces of flesh from the blood
swollen ankle. It gorged with blessed pleasure.

Within minutes, the blood became dark,
tainted with the taste of death, and the creature lost interest. It
stood up just inside the door of the hut and felt no need to move.
There was no living creature close enough to enflame its
desire.

It briefly looked to the right minutes later
when the body on the floor stood up next to him, but disregarded
the other corpse as uninteresting.

It did not even flinch when hours later a
single larva fell from its neck to the floor, and then through a
crack to the ground below.

~ Epilogue 1
~

The shaman sat despondently beside the stream
just outside of camp. He and the warriors had been searching for
Marik for weeks and had called off the search the day before. Life
had returned to normal. All of his dreams recently had been evil
and foreboding, but they offered no answers.

A small boy splashed in the water while his
mother bathed a few feet away. Suddenly the boy screamed in pain
and ran into his mother’s arms. The shaman saw her slap the boy
harshly on the back and reach down in the water to retrieve
something.

She walked over to Tanis and held out her
hand. In it she had a large mature bondai fly.

Behind her, the boy fell into the water and
screamed again in agony.

~ Epilogue 2 ~

The warriors ventured eagerly into their war
camp. They were exhausted from the long journey, but anxious for
battle training the next day. It had been months since they had
last been here, and the bitterness of that loss had been replaced
by the anticipation of the next battle’s victory.

Everything looked just as they had last seen
it. They would spend the next few days repairing the handful of
huts, sharing stories, competing with each other and sharpening
their skills. It was a time every man in the tribe cherished.

Inside the main hut two head’s turned
simultaneously when the first of the men approached. Each moaned
softly in anticipation as the living spirits approached.

###END###

Author Notes

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