Hungry Series: Tomes 1 & 2

by Tide, Lawrence Herbert

  Downhill toward the Community!

  He caught a glimpse at the speedometer.

  Thirty-five miles per hour... thirty-six... thirty seven...

  "Yeeees... momentum, momentum, momentum!" he laughed enthusiastically while the truck was accelerating with the help of gravity, beginning to roll on a narrow road.

  And at the end of that road, he saw the giant, but closed double doors.

  He wiped sweat from his forehead before a drop stuck to one of his eyebrows, and began to daydream while he saw the huge dome beginning to completely fill his field of view as he was approaching it.

  "The Community... a refuge, a safe haven asset for the living human beings wanting to thrive separated from the dead..."

  That pretty kitsch slogan that he had heard numerous times, on the radio "Community's Birth”, which was the only radio station anyone could receive in the country, that slogan made him smile. But after all the things he had done to arrive here, he didn't dare to be difficult.

  Suddenly the truck began to slow down despite the fact that he was going down a steeper hill.

  Surprised, he opened wide eyes while seeing, through the left and right windows, clouds of dust appearing on both sides. They were vaguely illuminated by the powerful highlights but clearly visible.

  While being careful to stay on the narrow road he bent a bit while his face approached the half-opened left window and observed, astonished, the dust whipped up as he drove along.

  "What the fu..."

  He squeaked in surprise when a grimacing skull-like face appeared and roared at the upper opening of the window. This made him steer violently and the trajectory of the vehicle was deflected, quitting the road.

  "Noooooo, I was so cloooose!!!" he shouted, the truck emitting plaintive metallic sounds as he tried to control it, bumping on rocks and shaving the branches of nearby trees.

  The creature clinging to the door growled and tried to crawl through the half-opened window near him, extending a white and bony arm toward him.

  "What's happening? I was so close, it's a real nightmare!" yelled the man, moving as far away as possible to the right to avoid being touched by the phalanges of the thing. Despite his efforts, it was clear that he would be seized by the zombie in a few seconds, his safety belt blocking his efforts to get out of reach.

  "Aaaarrr!" cried the bald man, fighting uselessly with the belt buckle in order to free himself.

  He felt something sharp on the left of his prominent belly and looked down.

  The dirty index finger of the living dead was sinking into his fat flesh, through his T-shirt. Then two more bony and brownish decaying fingers touched the same zone.

  Alarmed, he had now the confirmation that the zombie was slowly, but surely, continuing to crawl inside the cabin through the opening of the window, and would soon be inside with him.

  Suddenly he saw a big mass in front of him and steered the wheel, missing in extremis a big tree. Glancing to the left, he saw that, now, he could no longer approach the window, because the creature, half inside, was already over the side power button controlling it. The thing squeezed painlessly the fat of his belly through his T-shirt and his skin.

  Elmer felt fear invade his mind, which was quickly followed by anger.

  That's enough!

  He shouted and this completely freed his mind of fear.

  The man lifted the bag near him, the protruding blades visible at the bottom of it slicing through the passenger's seat in the process, making impressive ripping sounds while ruining it. He threw it from his right to his left side and dodged his head back, a set of blades almost trimming his face, contrary to the upper part of the steering wheel. It was neatly cut by one of them, falling at his feet and he banged it on the head of the zombie with its gaping mouth, just on his left.

  Some of the protruding, glistening blades passed through the head of the zombie like through butter. The creature kind of froze instantly, its mouth remaining immobile.

  Elmer pressed the corpse against the driver's door, opening it. What remained of the creature slid along the door, as Elmer held back the bag, freeing the blades from the skull before the bag was carried out. The immobile and now slack zombie fell on the dirty road like a ragged doll, amid the cloud of dust, and that's when the man understood where the clouds were coming from.

  He winced because of the rising dirt that he received in his face, and was finally able to see what was happening.

  He squeaked when he saw dozens of zombies being dragged along with the truck. They were clinging to it while they raised dust with their body in the dirt of the path, thus creating the brown cloud. Many had their attention concentrated on the underside of the vehicle and on the road, making efforts to remain hanging. Others were crawling on the backs of those clinging. They were climbing along the side of the truck toward the cabin.

  That's when they saw Elmer.

  They growled and showed their rotten teeth like animals and leapt toward him.

  Elmer shut the driver's door just in time to see two of the creatures hit the window, having pulled the door with all his strength. The two grimacing faces, distorted by the window against which they were pressing, impressed him.

  They were contemplating him with so much avidity.

  Finally, after a few more bumps on the road they both fell in the dust, engulfed in the brown cloud.

  Pressing a button which closed the central locking with a reassuring click, Elmer then laughed as he watched in the left mirror the grimacing creatures roll away and disappear out of his view.

  A roar startled him and he saw another living dead's ugly face through the right window and, his eyes wide with fear, he saw the door's handle move.

  But it remained closed. He sighed.

  The handle was violently shaken, making him shiver while the thing outside growled, clearly frustrated. Luckily for him it was well closed and locked, making the zombie’s effort to open it useless.

  A loud hitting sound coming from the windshield frightened him, through which he could only see a dark green maelstrom, and that's when he realized that he was hitting the low branches of a tree. He saw its huge trunk kind of leap toward him and steered to the left, narrowly avoiding it.

  A deafening metallic sound made him jump and he saw on the right where it had come from

  The zombie had smashed into the trunk and disappeared behind him while the rough wooden mass was noisily scraping the side of the truck. Its right side emitted a plaintive metallic noise even worse than before, while the bald man tried to regain control of it.

  At last his view was no longer obstructed by the branches and he yelled "Noooo!" when he saw that he was arriving at top speed in front of one of the cyclopean walls of the Community. He crushed the brake but had the odd feeling that it would not be sufficient.

  He then had the surprise of seeing zombies flying everywhere around and in front of him. The driver understood immediately that because of the hard braking they couldn't hold anymore to the truck and were swept along. Like a flock of birds, they were thrown in the air and flew in front of him toward the wall.

  They hit it violently and were literally disintegrated into dust from the collision.

  The shock when the front of the truck hit the wall was also terrible and he was violently thrown against the windshield. His head approached the glassy surface and bumped into it, but it was more a pressure than a collision. An intense pain surged in his shoulder and over his abdominal area when the safety belt stopped his movement, saving him from having his skull crushed against the window.

  The belt threw him briskly back toward the driver's seat the back of his neck knocking into his seat's head restraint and making him emit a cry of pain. The front of the truck crushed against the thick concrete wall and its windshield was smashed into smithereens, forcing Elmer to close his eyes and protect his face with his arms crossed in front of it.

  Brutally shaken as the vehicle became completely immobile Elmer Hoffnung saw the
world become completely dark and lost consciousness.

  ***

  Paradise

  He felt dizzy, perceiving light through his closed eyelids.

  Opening his eyes, he was blinded by a bright light and quickly shut them.

  Many seconds passed by and then, again, he opened just slightly his eyes. He saw that he was illuminated by giant spotlights positioned on high towers. High above him, the towers were distributed all along the protective wall.

  He smelled a powerful smell of gas.

  His throat irritated, he coughed, wincing. He suddenly realized that he was in an unusual position, and understood that the truck was leaning to the side. Turning around he had a shock.

  He had realized that the safety belt of his seat restrained him, preventing his fall on the right door, a few meters below. Looking at his left, he saw that the bag had flown through the windshield and was now immobile against the wall. His head spinning, he thought that the bag pressed against the wall was an odd sight, as if it was an ugly, black wart.

  He then looked at the dashboard which had been ruined by the collision. It was a mess of broken plastic, glass, electronic circuits now apparent, and of electric cables hanging everywhere.

  A little blue flash attracted his eye but disappeared as suddenly as it had arrived.

  He looked more closely, but nothing appeared.

  Then he saw it again, an electric spark in the middle of one of the bunch of cables.

  In his educated mind, the recall of the well-known effects of the combination of oil plus electric spark was suddenly stressful for Elmer. And he decided that he had to quit the truck... and quick!

  He tried to release his seat-belt but it remained blocked. It seemed to have been damaged because of the strike. Elmer swore, but then restrained himself immediately. After all, the seat-belt had done its job – saving his head and, so, his life – but it had been pushed beyond its limits…

  He saw and heard a big spark now, his head snapping in the direction of the bunch of cables, his heart pounding hard in his chest. And he felt really bad, felt pain in his whole body, a thing which wasn't astonishing, after what he had been through.

  Doubt began to pervade his mind.

  Did the belt actually save me? Perhaps I'm not so OK… Am I hemorrhaging internally?

  A new electric burst which illuminated with a flashing blue light what remained of the driving position put him under real stress. He fought again with the belt buckle to free himself out of the driver's seat, making a huge physical effort.

  Nothing happened. The belt remained blocked and he had to stop, panting. All of a sudden, he wasn't proud about his obesity and his lack of fitness. But he was as he was, having always preferred to eat a chocolate bar, instead of working hard to have beautiful abdominals.

  He heard new electric shocks and saw a series of more impressive sparks among the cables. Finally, what he was worried about happened and he saw a little fire beginning to consume the cables.

  Consumed by fear he fought once more, his short, fat fingers fiddling with the buckle again. He was sweating and moaning under the effort, his bald head and his fleshy cheeks turning red in the process.

  The buckle opened at last without any warning and he fell heavily on the right door with his right shoulder and temple hitting it, making a huge thump which resonated in the cabin of the truck.

  Exhausted by the effort and half unconscious, his eyelids heavy, he sensed that he was going to fall asleep. The sound of sparks continued, and now he felt more than he saw the heat of the fire, which began to race inside.

  No... no, I'm going to burn so near my destination!

  But he couldn't move anymore.

  I'm dead!

  Suddenly the door opened and he fell outside on the dirty ground.

  He then heard an emergency alarm, obviously broadcast through loudspeakers above him. A deafening sound which rang in his head, for many seconds.

  Then it stopped, replaced by a hard, male voice.

  "Alert, alert, there was a collision against the northern part of the wall. Send guards and an emergency team for assistance in the zone."

  Silence came back, and then Hoffnung relaxed and smiled.

  They're coming... thank you, my God...

  Fatigue got the upper hand, making him feel as if he had the burden of the world laid upon him. He then immediately fell asleep.

  He slowly regained consciousness, his eyes remaining closed. He felt that he was manipulated by careful hands, which moved him cautiously.

  At last, help is present.

  Comforted, he smiled, no longer feeling any pain. Apparently, what he had lived through seemed to have brought him to a kind of catharsis... he felt light, as if on a cloud.

  And he smelled something, now.

  A scent... a peculiar scent, something undefinable... A woman's fragrance, probably... yes, one like only a gorgeous woman could use... He finally opened his eyes, timidly at first, and was actually delighted by what he saw.

  A beautiful blonde woman, who reminded him of Marilyn Monroe.

  She was a nurse wearing working clothes, with a recognizable red cross in front of her white cap. She was kneeling on the ground near him, as he lay on his back in the dirt. He saw other adorable faces around them, many beautiful women.

  Caucasians, Africans, Asians, and they were all smiling at him.

  He grinned from ear to ear, frothing at his mouth and beard.

  A wonderful female, part of the rescue team, who has come just for me!

  The smile which put him the most into a trance was the one on the face of Marilyn, on his right side. She came nearer to him and, extending her right arm, touched his groin area, arousing him sexually.

  He saw that she had felt it through his trousers because she chuckled, her smile becoming even wider.

  "Hello beauty, what's your name?" asked Elmer, answering with the smile of a simpleton.

  She didn't answer, looking at him with the most wonderful blue eyes he had ever seen. He was surprised when she pressed her right hand harder on his crotch, and also pressed with her left hand on his chest. Her face neared his, watching him lovingly.

  This made him even more excited, and he guffawed, before saying, "You're so mischievous!"

  He slipped his hands under her skirt and all of a sudden, his smile became wider. He raised her skirt and, without any more hesitation, he took her at the level of her pelvis with his fat hands, lifting her over him.

  She laughed, in a wonderful, musical way, and he added, "You're so light, honey, it's really astonishing… and I don't even feel panties, you little bitch!"

  Looking toward his feet, he had the visual and proud confirmation of his own sexual arousal under his trousers. And panting like a horny dog, he took a peek to discover in detail the beautiful thighs of the blonde beauty and, more interesting, her little hairy vulva…

  His stupid smile faded away when he saw two bony legs extending from her pelvis that he was grabbing with both hands, while continuing to hold her over him. He opened wide surprised eyes when he saw, between his thick hands, the bony, white, cold surface of her pelvis. Frightened, his gaze wandered over the vertebrae extending from it toward the rib cage, saw the ribs protruding out of it, and finally, over everything, the beautiful face of Marilyn, who was watching him in awe.

  Her wonderful blue eyes darkened and putrefied in a second, shriveling to become like dried gapes. What remained of the eyes finally disappeared inside the empty orbits of the zombie. Instead of the beautiful face of the deceased actress, it was a skull which was approaching, opening its jaws, its rotten teeth ready to tear his right jugular into pieces.

  He lifted higher the skeleton which was still wearing the remnants of a nurse's dress and yelled.

  This made the creature roar, unhappy to be repelled.

  He tried to throw away the growling monster but it gripped tightly on his crouch and his torso under his T-shirt, making him cry with pain. The thing didn't hav
e a very firm grip, but despite its light weight, his bad physical condition made its lifting harder every second.

  He coughed because of its horrible rotten odor, mixed with a strange sugary scent and heard a liquid noise, near him. Looking around, he finally saw where the source of the odd sound was coming from.

  He observed that many chemical liquids of various colors were slowly seeping drop by drop from the back of the trailer, which had been damaged by the collision. A strange cocktail of odors was coming from the liquids, confirming that this "Beauty" he was fighting with hadn't used a fragrance for a long time...

  He was horrified by the situation, which was illuminated by the huge projectors, up on the walls. Frightened, he shouted louder and the creature roared even more, continuing to maintain its prey as a prisoner.

  Gowlings came from everywhere, paralyzing Elmer. This sudden immobilization seemed to calm down the creature over him which remained immobile. He looked in those empty orbits, in that strange darkness… He felt astonished that the thing was watching him without eyeballs. How did those creatures do that? Like living humans who become blind, did these things find new senses to compensate the missing ones?

  He stopped shouting out and remarked that the zombie seemed to become as immobile as a statue, remaining on him. The man looked around and realized that the spotlights had been switched off, high above him.

  He was alone in the darkness.

  Many sets of red dots were glowing around him. He couldn't see clearly those creatures to whom those reddish eyes belonged, but he sensed their presence.

  The zombie above him growled making him quit his thoughts and become tense. It opened its gaping mouth, as his arms were beginning to give away, fear beginning to paralyze him.

  Elmer yelled to give himself strength and threw the creature a few meters away.

  The thing fell in the middle of one of the groups of sets of red dots which avoided it by scattering everywhere, the bunch emitting animal-like cries as he almost discerned swift fighting movements in the shadows.