Obligatory sequel time! If you recall, a few weeks back I released a short story called I, Zombie. My intention was always to continue with this story in one form or another, and that leads us to this point, the obligatory sequel.
Before anyone complains about the ending, there will be parts 3 and 4 over the coming weeks, and likely a few more beyond that, probably until I have a novel’s worth of content. I’ve got a few half decent ideas for which direction to take this in. Heck, I might even do a podcast version of the story for good measure.
If you read this and enjoy it, please share it across your social media platform of choice, and leave a comment letting me know what you think.
The sun hurt his eyes. Had it always been that bright? Instinctively he lifted his arm across his face, blocking the sunlight and giving himself a moment’s respite. He focused on his surroundings, trying to locate the source of the scream that had drawn him outside. He saw nobody. Looking left and right up and down the street, there was no movement at all.
How long had it taken him to get outside? Too long, apparently. Whoever had screamed before was long gone. He sniffed the air. Or were they?
He felt the hunger pangs building inside him. He would need to eat, and soon. The hunger was almost unbearable. He scoured the vicinity for fresh meat. There must be something for him to eat out here. While many of his senses had been dulled by the change, his sense of smell had improved considerably but in one respect only. The smell of flesh.
He let his sense of smell lead him forwards, each shuffling step bringing him closer to the source. He moved slowly around some burning rubble and then what he sought was in front of him.
Ahead lay the remains of… somebody. So much had been ripped away by hungry mouths that had left almost nothing. The remains were little more than a pile of bones and gristle. Had this been the one who had screamed? It didn’t matter now. What did matter was the hunger, and that this unfortunate soul would be his first meal.
He staggered towards the bundle of gore. The meat had not begun to turn, not like the bodies back in that room. Besides, right now the hunger had almost taken over everything. If he’d stayed in that room he would have probably ended up eating one or both of the bodies in there.
He practically stumbled over the body, such was the fog that had begun to obscure his already limited vision. The pain was almost unbearable. He tucked into what was left of the flesh until the bones had been completely picked clean. One of the bones had been cracked open, possibly when the person had fallen. The marrow within was there for the taking. He ate it gratefully, picking out what he could and stuffing the contents into his mouth.
Satisfied, for now, he climbed unsteadily back to his feet. He felt the hunger cloud recede, giving him greater control over his mind once more. The world around him became clearer, more focused. Something bad had happened here, but not recently. There was much destruction and damage to almost everything around him, as if a tornado had ripped through the town and upended anything and everything.
His thoughts were disturbed by yet another sound. A vehicle of some kind was approaching from the east. He watched it as it weaved through the crashed cars, slowly getting closer to his position. He felt no fear of this newcomer. Instead, curiosity over came him. He started walking towards the vehicle, keen to get a closer look.
In what was left of his pre-turn mind, he recognised it as a military jeep. As the jeep came to a stop thirty feet away a figure stood up from the passenger seat. He knew, somewhere within the fragments of memory left to him, that the camouflage outfit meant that this other person was a soldier.
He took a faltering step towards them, but stopped when the figure lifted their arms to chest height. They had an object in their hand. Images whirled through his mind until he recognised what it was. A gun.
The figure took aim directly at him and pulled the trigger.
