They stopped their convulsive pace. Turning to their right,
the pair stood in front of the Pittsburgh Pleasure Palace, where Maalik said
Evelyn was alive and well. They started to make their way towards the building.
Step by labored step, they drew closer, approaching the school bus that sat in
front of the shop. Nathan stopped and regarded the bloody remains of a fellow
zombie that Maalik or Bataviah must have dealt with. He grunted to Ronnie, who
also stopped and looked at the remains of the ghoul.
“Maaaaaaalik…” Nathan said, with some difficulty.
Ronnie grunted back and nodded. He then looked around and let
out another long grunt. Nathan looked in the direction that his friend was and
in the distance, saw other members of the dead legion that had been hunting
them all the previous night. They too were in the Dead Sleep, moving about in
the same haphazard manner.
Nathan continued towards the front of the bus with Ronnie
close behind. They made the turn around the front of the vehicle and headed
towards the only visible door to the building. Finally, they had made it.
Nathan stood staring at the door glass, the blinds on the other side closed
tight. Staring back at him was his reflection. He was in disbelief; just when
he didn’t think he could look any worse, life’s cruelty laughed at him yet
again. His skin was dry, leathery, and cracking. His hair was matted to his
scalp. Large dark circles framed his blood-red eyes. The cute panda shirt he
was wearing was torn and covered in blood. He looked horrific. This was not the
way he wanted to be reunited with his soul mate. Through the fog of his mind he
could already see the tears streaking down Evelyn’s cheek.
With a long, labored sigh, he raised his hand and knocked.
****************
All heads turned to the front door.
"Our guests have arrived," Maalik said, addressing
the group. "What you are about to see will be upsetting, but under no
circumstance are you to attack."
Bataviah walked to the door and turned the lock and opened
it. The two zombies entered the porn shop, staggering past Bataviah and into
the broad sex-toy-laden entryway. Theresa and Alison screamed as they bolted to
the opposite side of the store, with Daniel, Pete, and Carlos hot on their
heels. Sam and Chatty just stayed where they were; the shock and disbelief that
these two strangers allowed these creatures to enter had hit them like a
freight train.
Evelyn was paralyzed; her heart had seized into an engorged
lump in her throat. Her brain could not reconcile what her eyes showed her.
That
CAN’T be him,
she thought. Boomer trotted over and walked figure eights
around the legs of the two ghouls, nuzzling each of them before laying down
next to them. The zombie nearest to her took a step forward. Its face contorted
into an expression of pain and heartache as bloody tears trailed down from
demonic eyes.
“Eeeeeeeeve…” the thing uttered.
She lost it. Evelyn broke down into uncontrollable sobs as
she gazed at her fiancé. He was barely recognizable. His body had contorted
into this hideous form which stood before her. She could only imagine the pain
that he had gone through. The picturesque life that she had envisioned for them
shattered. No longer would there be a “happy ever after” for them. There would
be no children. No growing old together. At that moment, she made a decision.
She was not going to lose the only person in this world whom she loved. Not
again.
“Nate!” she cried as she ran to her dead lover.
Unfazed by the potential danger, she threw her arms around
Nathan in an ironclad embrace. Maalik and Bataviah exchanged a quick glance
between each other in surprise, which paled in comparison to the bewilderment
that the humans exhibited. Confusion washed over Nathan. The crying he
expected, but he didn’t expect this. He was positive that one look at him would
repulse her, but instead, she embraced the man with whom she fell in love with.
The scent of her body sent The Hunger into overdrive. Primal urges were ebbing
at the threshold of his control. He reached up and pulled her off of him.
“Waaaaait,” he said with as much concern as he could convey.
Pulling away from her, he held up his right hand, pointing to the bony talons
with the other index finger. “Daaaanger.”
She stared at him through her flowing tears. Despite how much
he had changed, she could still see the person that she loved inside. He was in
there. The soul that looked out through these strange, alien eyes was the same
one that she had fallen so completely in love with. She looked at his raised
hand and gently grabbed his wrist. Her eyes poured over the mutated hand. The
skin matched the alabaster color of his face. She noticed the long, thin poison
groove that ran along the top of his protruding bone-claws. The dark green
toxin glistened within each channel. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. The
wedding was only four months away. The start of their new life together had
been quenched before it even had a chance to begin.
Nathan looked upon his wife-to-be, her sobs stabbing him in
his undead heart like a red-hot knife with each labored gasp. It was almost too
much to bear. Hungry… Despite the mental fog of the Dead Sleep, his emotions
were still razor sharp. He was aware that he too was crying, although he had no
idea that the tears which he shed were black as pitch.
So hungry…
That
was for the best, as his appearance was only made more horrific by the black spider
web of sorrow that streamed across his face. He wanted to touch her like he
used to. The thought of her lips upon his resonated in his memories.
You
look so delicious…
Knowing that a future with her was no longer possible
made him long for it all the more.
I’m going to grind your bones…
Nathan
shut his eyes tight, hoping to drive the hunger thoughts from his mind.
Evelyn saw Nathan clench his eyes shut; the heartache was so
clear on his face; she couldn’t begin to imagine what this had been like for
him. She knew that she couldn’t live a life without him in it. At that moment
her decision solidified in her heart and mind.
“Forgive me,” she said in a whisper.
Without hesitation, she clasped Nathan’s wrist and dropped
her other hand onto the long bony claw of his middle finger, impaling it
completely. She let out a cry as the pain seared along her nerves. The toxin
entered her bloodstream and began its work rebuilding her DNA. Nathan’s eyes
shot open and stared at his lover’s hand skewered on his talon. His expression
of shock was shared with every other person in the shop. They all stared at
Evelyn with gaping mouths.
“Whyyyy!!!???” Nathan asked, as fresh streaks of black tar
flowed from his eyes.
Her expression immediately softened, the pain in her hand the
farthest thing from her mind.
“Because I love you,” she replied with a smile as she gently
brushed his matted hair off his face with her uninjured hand.
“Jesus Christ Eve!” Sam exclaimed. “What the hell?!”
“It’s okay, Sam, I know what I’m doing,” she said; her eyes
never leaving Nathan’s gaze.
“So you know you’re going to die then, right?” Daniel asked.
“I mean, seeing as how you have it all figured out and all.”
Evelyn took a slow, deep breath as her hand began to throb.
“Yes, I know,” she said with a little cough; beads of sweat formed on her
forehead.
Nobody knew what to do next. Evelyn’s unexpected decision
took everybody by complete surprise. Even Maalik and Bataviah didn’t see this
twist of events coming. Evelyn coughed again, this time more forcefully. Nathan
still stood there in disbelief; his claw still wielding his lover’s impaled
hand.
Snapping out of his own astonishment, he clasped her wrist
and in one quick jerk, slid his malformed finger from her flesh. Evelyn cried
out in pain and then went into a fit of labored coughing, a red mist of blood
sprayed from her mouth.
“It has begun,” Bataviah stated.
Nathan helped Evelyn to the ground and leaned her up against
the long display counter. He knew what she was about to endure and it broke his
heart. He was about to bear witness to the death of his beloved, and then watch
as she was reborn into the same hellish existence that he endured. Despite the
weight in his heart and the haze in his mind, he knew that the other humans she
was with were in danger as he saw their astonished and terrified faces. He
looked at Maalik and Bataviah with desperation.
“Sheee neeeds fooooood…” he pleaded.
The two exchanged a quick glance and Bataviah was out the
front door. Maalik moved towards the survivors.
“My friends, for your safety, I ask that you please stay
towards the far side of the building and remain calm. Despite these turn of
events, I assure you that you are safe and no harm will come to you. As I said
before, we are here to help. My companion has left to fetch some necessary
items and will return shortly.”
“Have you gone completely bat-shit crazy?” Sam exclaimed,
taking a step towards Maalik. “You waltz in here with Morticia and your two
zombie pets, one of our own is going to be a walking corpse any minute, and you
want us to remain calm? You can go fuck yourself six ways ‘til Tuesday!”
Maalik’s expression remained unflinching. "Mr. Lusce,
you are currently surrounded by no less than ten thousand bloodthirsty
creatures who are hell-bent on devouring every shred of flesh from your bones.
Bataviah and I are the only ones who can keep you alive. You and your people
can either cooperate or die. The choice is yours."
"How the hell do you know my name?" Sam asked
through clenched teeth.
"You will find, Sam, that I am quite knowledgeable about
a great many things," Maalik replied.
Without waiting to witness Sam's confused reaction, the large
man in black addressed the group. Due to the ensuing drama, he already had
their undivided attention.
"Things you need to know: First, the daylight is your
friend. During the day, the creatures are weak and at their most vulnerable.
They are not able to coordinate with each other, nor do their bodies retain
their regenerative abilities. Their coordination is poor, at best, and they are
slow moving, making them easy to outrun. However, do not hold to the delusion that
you are safe. They are still remarkably strong and driven to feed; stopping at
nothing to devour you."
The humans listened as Maalik educated them on their foes
outside. They knew nothing about the man before them, but he seemed to know
what he was talking about. His calculated tone and lack of hesitation with his
words provided some assurance that the information he was relaying to them was
the truth. Daniel raised his hand, interrupting the crash course on zombie
survival.
"Uh, excuse me sir," he said, peering around Maalik
to glimpse Evelyn, Nathan, and Ronnie on the far side of the store. "But what's
going to happen to Eve?"
Maalik's expression softened. "I'm afraid Ms. Gray is
going to die, my young friend."
"Oh, right," Daniel replied. "So what's going
to happen once she wakes up as one of those...things?"
"She will continue to be the Evelyn you know, although
she will no longer be human. She will still keep all her memories, personality,
and feelings that she had as a mortal—provided she doesn’t consume human flesh.
I do recommend that you keep your distance. She will need some time to adjust
to her new body, as well as the insatiable hunger that accompanies it."
"I'm sorry, but I don't understand," Carlos
interjected, his scientific curiosity getting the better of him. "One of
our companions turned and he attacked us almost immediately after
changing."
"That's because you didn't give him alternative food to
eat," Maalik replied. "When a human becomes infected, they do not
fully turn until they have feasted on human flesh. This is how Nathan and his
friend are here with us now. By feeding on animals, they have managed to sate
The Hunger and as a result, they have retained their cognitive independence
from The Horde."
"Interesting..." Carlos began, but Evelyn
interrupted by crying out.
"Nathan…!" was all she could get out before choking
on the thick dark sludge that she kept regurgitating.
“Resssst baaaby,” Nathan replied, holding her tighter against
him. “Almoooost overrrr…”
Jet black tears ran anew down his alabaster skin as his one
true love fell into convulsions. The humans on the far side of the store stared
at the scene unfolding before them. Pete, Daniel and Sam inched a little closer
to get a better look, although they stayed behind the counter to keep a buffer
between them and Evelyn. They watched the heartbreaking scene unfold before
them. The zombie-creature known as Nathan sat on the floor, cradling Evelyn in
his arms. The blackness of his tears streaked his face as he tried to comfort
his fiancé during her last moments. Finally, with a sputtering cough, Evelyn’s
last breath escaped from her mouth. She lay in Nathan’s arms, lifeless; her
eyes still gazing up to his. Nathan didn’t move. He sat motionless and waited.
Maalik approached the couple. “Bataviah should return soon
with food,” he said.
“Thaaaank youuu…” Nathan replied without looking up, his eyes
still transfixed on Evelyn’s.
Her body changed at an exponential rate. Bones crunched as
they shifted and hardened. Skin tore and stretched; the long, bony talons
ripping through her fingertips. Her eyes began to cloud red as her heightened
vision evolved. Carlos watched in fascination. He couldn't contain his
excitement. He caught himself inching closer to the couple and stopped,
remembering when Bill awoke as one of these terrifying specimens. He watched in
amazement as her skin paled to the same snow-white complexion as her partner.
Never before had he seen this kind of accelerated metamorphosis, not even in
the lab.