The Cure, стр. 20

Chapter Nine

As they got closer, they could see that it was a person walking closer towards them. Still some hundred yards away they could make out that it was a man, or what was once a man but now a skeleton wearing skin. The sagging empty flesh hung from his half naked body; his modesty only covered by some oversized briefs like a diaper. The man’s head was lowered, and he hadn’t lifted it since Brad had alerted them that he was there.

The closer they got to him the more they noticed how he resembled a corpse rather than a living, breathing, person. His arms swung either side of his body as if they no longer had any use and his legs on the verge of breaking, but somehow, he moved forward getting ever closer to the group. Logan lifted his hand and made a fist indicating the others to stop, though Brad was still out in front, smiling at the fact that this was the first contact they had had with the outside world since leaving the base.

‘Brad. Step back. Let me handle this,’ Logan shouted out.

Brad just stopped in his tracks, mouth gaping at the man who appeared not to even notice them. Logan raised his gun towards the man suspicious of who he was and where he had come from. They were still some way from the city limits, and they hadn’t heard any vehicles approaching. There was wilderness in pretty much every direction. It was like the man had appeared out of thin air.

‘Hey you. Stop,’ he shouted. But again, the man kept walking and was now within ten yards of Brad. ‘Stop.’ Finally, the man cocked his head slightly, acknowledging Logan, but still staring at the ground in front of him and came to a standstill.

‘Sir, hello. My name is Logan Mathers. Who are you? What is your name?’ he spoke slowly, concisely and loud enough that the man would hear. ‘We are heading into the city. Do you know how much further it is? Would you like some water?’

The man stood completely still as if he was a statue. No sign that he had heard what Logan had said and no indication as to what his next move might be. Zack chuckled ‘freaking Zombie.’

Logan looked back at him and scowled taking a few steps forward towards Brad and the man. ‘Look, we have water, we can help you. What is your name?’

The eerie silence of no-one speaking made the fact the man wasn’t moving extremely unnerving for everyone except Brad, who was a buzz of nervous excitement.

‘I’m Brad,’ he chirped. ‘From Texas,’ he held out his hand and shuffled forward. ‘We’re here to help you. Well everyone really.’

‘Brad,’ Chuck worriedly spoke up. His voice more croaky than normal.

The man looked to try and raise his head, which looked like too much effort on his part. But Brad heard something. A whisper.

‘Guys, he spoke. Hey, don’t be scared man. What did you say?’

The man’s lips were now visible, although his face was not. His wispy hair was blowing in the very slight desert air and a noise, almost a very quiet whistle came from his mouth.

‘What?’ Brad said again, edging ever closer to the man. Logan followed, moving closer to Brad but keeping his distance and position away from the stranger. Again, the man tried to talk but the dryness of his throat just made a noise. ‘What?’ Brad was in touching distance now and along with the man everyone else was frozen, all with their guns aimed directly at him.

‘Food,’ the man said.

Brad’s eyes lit up. ‘He just wants food,’ he said smiling and turning around to the others.

In a split second the man reached for Brad and raised his head to reveal two dark sunken pits where his eyes should have been. The glimmer of the sun caught on the man’s mouth full of sharp razor teeth like a shark and his head jolted to the side. ‘My, you’re a fleshy one aren’t you,’ he growled, and the teeth cut into Brad neck ripping skin away from his throat, blood spurting everywhere.

Logan’s heart was racing, and he fell backwards onto the ground, away from Brad and the man, horror on his face and for only the second time in his life he was scared. So, this was one of the monsters that he had heard about in rumors around the base from the other soldiers. He had laughed it off like a firepit ghost story. Brad’s face was contorted, still smiling and looking at the others as if nothing had happened, meanwhile he had fallen to his knees and the man had straddled him and was eating into him as if he was prime rib.

Faye was the first one to fire, spraying bullets towards the man which she half expected to bounce off this sub-human being feasting on their friend. This shocked the others into action and soon bullets were coming from everywhere cutting the predator almost in half. Logan was horizontal on the floor but had regained his composure, lined up his shot and pulled the trigger on his handgun watching his bullet in slow motion as it cracked through the man’s forehead.

The sound of shells hitting the ground stopped, and again there was silence, apart from a spluttering gurgling sound which was coming from Brad. Logan stood up, looked around at the others and moved forward to Brad and the man who was now just parts of a body scattered on the earth. Xander retched and then puked, then lit up a cigarette.

‘What the Hell was that?’ said Seth, which gave permission for everyone to start talking at once, looking at each other for reassurance that this wasn’t a nightmare and that they were