Chapter Two *Strange Brew*
Chapter Two
*Strange Brew*
I’m not sure why or how I came to be reborn, so to speak, but I know that now I have a purpose in life, more driven and goal-oriented. I guess the need to consume brains has that effect on the dead. I cast my eyes to the sky and see angry dark clouds rolling, threatening to unleash a torrential downpour as lightning flashes and rumbles. Good, maybe the storm will wash the grave grime from my clothes. Screams to my left snaps me back into reality as the sound causes the hunger to ramp up at the mere suggestion of tender juicy flesh being render nearby. Where there’s flesh, there’s brains and if I had a pulse, I’m pretty sure it would be racing with excitement right now.
I suppose the closest thing to that would be the hunger. It’s hard to explain because I haven’t got a clue what’s going on with my body, only that when the hunger ramps up, my body moves like it’s being pulled along by some imaginary rope into the direction where my next meal is at. I do use my enhanced senses to find my prey but for whatever reason, the hunger takes over and forces me to move with more purpose. Was it an undead survival instinct? All I know is that it hurts no matter how fast I move or if I stand still. The pain is unbearable and makes me more vicious when I grab my next meal. I almost pity them because I’m never gentle when I eat a person but when I’ve finished gorging myself, the hunger subsides, taking with it the pain.
My thoughts wandered off to a scene from the classic 80’s zombie movie Return of the Living Dead where a group of people are hiding in a crematorium and have the upper body of a female zombie tied down on one of the autopsy tables. The mortician questions the zombie about why she has to eat people and she told him that she doesn’t eat people, just their brains because it makes the pain from being dead go away. The female zombie went on to say that she could feel herself rotting which contributed to the pain so does that mean I’m experiencing it too?
Hollywood got that one right because I was feeling pain everywhere. I lifted my hand up and watched my now bluish gray skin cracking and flaking off in spots. Wow, I look like a walking piece of jerky. It may have been a tiny patch on the back of my hand, but it felt I was being flayed alive by some sadistic torture expert. It’s weird that I can break a foot and feel nothing but can feel the pain of decay. No one ever said that being dead would be easy or painless. Mood fouled up, I stomp along the sidewalk hunting for someone to binge eat my pain away.
The street to my left is littered with my brothers and sisters as well as a plethora of abandoned and wreck vehicles. A downed power line snaked around the wind picked, sparks exploding as the exposed end slaps the ground. As a gust of wind blasts me in the face, my nostrils flare at the undeniable aroma of living flesh mixed in with something foul and rotting. I feel my body move towards the scent as the hunger demands me to become its willing slave to its will. I look down and see a set of concrete steps lead down to the entrance of a city park. There is exactly eight steps, I know this because my foot slipped on the first step down, sending me tumbling head over heels.
I lay on my back looking up at the sky as the dark storm clouds let loose its contents in a heavy downpour. As I sit up, I can tell that my right arm is twisted and out of place. At least there’s no pain from this injury as I wiggle and twist it back into place. A zombie needs to have the use of both its arms if it wants to catch and secure its meal. I sniff the air once again and though the scent in being obscured by the rain, I had no problem following it since I caught the whiff before the storm hit and now I let my hunger guide me. The park was set up with picnic tables all around and patches of trees scattered all around. There was a large playground with swings, a swirling slide and a large sandbox with fiberglass kiddie rides that swayed back and forth on large springs. Also there were paths, either natural or paved ones for joggers that crisscrossed throughout the park. In the center of the park was a large water fountain of a rainbow colored fish spitting water from its mouth into the circular pool beneath it and my ravenous hunger was being drawn in this direction.
Not a great spot to hide but then again, what do I care? Food is food and stupid people make for easy meals because they’re not bright enough to hide or run. Maybe that is why there are so many people dying at the hands and mouths of my brothers and sisters. All around me more zombies shuffle along aimlessly, some literally fall prey to the evil hedges and bushes that block their path. Hmm, maybe consuming stupid brains does that to a zombie. You are what you eat, right?
As I neared the large fountain, I spotted movement on just the other side of it. I wasn’t sure what it was or if the wind was shifting some litter around but my hunger moved me forward. I’m so glad for my zombie stealth, it works so well when I step over and slouch through the fountain. A young man shrieked as he threw a tarp off of his body and stumbled backwards as I reached for him. I grasped for him but the only thing in my view now was the guy’s tarp. The wind had manage to scoop it up and it flew in my face, blinding me.
I thrash and claw at my new enemy but it seems like its will to stop me was greater than mine. It didn’t help that the bottom of the fountain was slipperier than snot and left me spinning around in circles. That jerk’s brains are mine once I get free from his magical tarp of trapping that he has cast upon me! I felt my whole spinning as I lost my balance and went tumbling down as my feet run into the side of the fountain base. I bounce as my body hits the ground and now I’m completely encased by the tarp. Great! Just Great! I just became the world’s first zom-burrito!
I can hear the laughter from my would-be meal as he mocks me, shouting “Ha! I got that zombie under wraps!”
What a prick! I’m so eating him slowly, maybe feet first and then work my way up until I can eat the obvious smirk right off his face! I wiggle as I pound away at the tarp until I hear a ripping sound. Greedily, I reach for the hole that is at my waist and peel it apart, imagining that it was the laughing happy meal’s flesh. My hunger made me feel like a maniac as I freed myself from the tarp, snapping my mouth as I wormed my way towards my mocker.
Unfortunately for me, the guy wasn’t all that smart after all because he must’ve forgotten that there was more than one zombie in the park. I watched as several other zombies descended upon him. I’ll give him a little credit, he fought back, punching and kicking while shrieking like a scared child. To the man’s horror, a female zombie had grabbed him from behind and bit down onto the base of his skull. If I could cry, I would be doing it right now as I watched my prey’s brain getting eaten right before my eyes. I reached out my hand towards them in vain and sadly croaked out, “BRAINSSSS…”
I was robbed! Those should’ve been my bites on the back of that guy’s cranium, his succulent brains squishing around in my mouth and then slithering down my throat. The guy is brought down to the ground where the other zombies he was fighting dropped down on top of him, biting chunks of his flesh off with ease. Who’s laughing now, punk? I stood up and staggered towards the downed man. I bent down and got in the guy’s face and proceeded to bite off his lips. The female zombie glared at me as she possessively cradled the guy’s head to her mouth, eating her prize. I could see that the spark of life was fading from the guy’s eyes so I took a great deal of pride as I chewed on his lips, knowing that he saw his mocking lips removed before he died.
I raised back upright, feeling dejected since I couldn’t catch this meal and have his sweet brains all for myself. I shuffled past the buffet and moved further into the park, still on the prowl for more food. The guy’s lips helped take some of the hunger pain away, but not by much. I should have done like the others and feasted on the guy, but I wanted brains. Call me a picky eater if you want but they taste way sweeter than any other part of the human body and let’s face it, I have a sweet tooth.
Once again, I catch the whiff of something rotting and the unmistakable aroma of living flesh. Huh, I guess my heckler wasn’t the one I scented earlier before the rain started. But where was this person hiding out is another question all together. I wandered aimlessly throughout the park, looking for Mr. Stinky. My hunger was starting to grow ravenous once again, so either I was on the right track or it was demanding more than the lip service that I gave it a few minutes ago. As I neared the outer edge of the park, I spied a narrow water canal just a few feet away. It was littered with trash and a plethora of things that could have passed as edible at one time. With the downpour, the water in the canal was expanding and flowing rapidly. I’m not sure if I ever knew how to swim but I’m pretty sure couldn’t drown so I made my way down near the edge of the canal.
With my recent mishaps, I did my best to avoid the slick edges otherwise, I’d go into the drink and get swept away like a zombie turd down the toilet. Movement just within my peripheral vision catches my attention. There was a massive pile of garbage and somewhere on the other side of it I could hear someone swearing and see two legs wiggling around like a turtle stuck on its back. Lunch is served! My hunger pulls me along needlessly but right now I didn’t care. I was hungry and nothing was going to stop me from eating tonight. As I draw closer, I notice that this guy was not only swearing but slurring his words too. I hope that I’m not too late and pray that no one has tasted his brain yet, but it sure sounded like it.
I stepped around the massive garbage pile and the belligerent man lying on his back, still slurring his words and hadn’t noticed me at all. He had a bottle in one hand and a knife in the other and for the life of me I couldn’t discern why he was stabbing the garbage pile. I cock my head to the side as the man finally takes notice of me and shouts out, “Don’t just stand there gawking at me! Help me up or be on your way!”
How could I not help this poor soul out when he asked so nicely? I reached down with both my hands and pulled him up to his feet effortlessly. The man smiled as he shook the bottle in his hand, “Thanks for that, you care for a nip on this dark, stormy night? I got plenty to share with – OH FUCK NO!”
The man’s face contorted in fear as realization hit him about my true nature as he kept poking me in the chest. The poking came a lot faster as I held onto the man tightly so I looked down and could see that he was currently stabbing my body. Now that’s just rude! Here I stand, holding the guy up when he asked for help and now he wanted to kill me by stabbing me in the chest? Why must he do this sort of thing to me, it’s not like I was going to eat him or….oh wait, yeah I was. The man’s growls as he swings his bottle at my head, “Die you fucking monster! Have a nip on me!”
The bottle smacked the side of my head couple of times before it shattered, but it didn’t seem to faze me nor did it cause me to loosen my grip on the old sot. He hurt me more with his words than with his actions. I have feelings, you know, and right now I’m feeling hungry and hankering for this ungrateful prick’s brain. Feeling rather bold and pissed off, I glare at the drunk and force the words from my mouth in a guttural voice, “I’m…nipping…on your… BRAINSSSS…asshole…”
The smell that wafted up to my nostrils at the moment told me that the man had just soiled himself. Not so brave now are you? I pull the drunken man towards me with my salivating mouth wide open. He’s repeating the word “No!” over and over again but what do I care. He insulted me, called me names, and oh he tried to kill me. Your brains are all mine! I sank my jaws right into his large forehead and bit down hard, his skull made that satisfying popping sound. Yummy! The man’s brain tasted different than the blonde lady but I wasn’t going to complain.
Who knew that people had mystery flavor brains and that made me want to dive back into this man’s skull for more? The drunken man’s body shook violently as I bit down more into his new cranial cavity and then he went limp. With each bite I began to feel strange and I wasn’t sure what was happening either but I kept on eating away because I was sating the hunger and that’s the only thing that mattered at the moment.
Before I knew it, I had consumed all of the man’s brain and I seemed to crave more sustenance so I started to devour other parts of the body. It was like I couldn’t get enough of this man to make me happy and yet my ravenous hunger was dormant, not a peep out of it. How odd. I found myself rendering the smelly man’s clothes from his body and eating away at his flesh and muscles like he was a corn on the cob. Pass the butter, please! HE WAS DELISCIOUS! Before I knew it, the man was nothing more than a bloody, chewed up skeleton. Damn, I pigged out and ate the whole thing!
I gave the man’s body a cursory look to ensure I hadn’t missed any morsels and then realized that I hadn’t saved any of the man’s brain for later. Yes I was a ravenous piggy indeed, but why? As I stood up, I felt my body sway back and forth as the world appeared to be spinning all around me. Next thing I knew, I was sitting on my ass next to Red Skeleton with my mouth opening and closing for no good reason. Everything I could see was now blurry and sounds were muted. Is this what happens to a zombie when they consume too much at one time?
My eyes somewhat focus on the ground and my gaze fell on the pieces of the broken bottle that my now digesting meal smacked me in the head with and in that moment, clarity struck me hard. I’m drunk. The man was drunk off his ass and now that I’ve devoured him, I’m inebriated. Is that really a bad thing at this point? I’m dead so why not get shit-faced by eating a shit-faced human? I wonder if there’s a bar nearby or is it closing time already? One last call for alcohol so finish your whiskey or beer…intoxicated human that is.
I lifted myself up to a standing position and tried to walk but each step I took felt similar to when I first popped out of my grave, only worse. I got to go…go where? I need a place to go sober up, that’s what I needed. I wonder if anyone has started an A.A. meeting for zombies yet. Hmm, that’s what I will do! I will find the nearest available room and be the founding member, all zombie are welcome. Humans will be provided for refreshments of course. I stagger along and then I feel weightless as I fall off into the narrow water canal. The swift waters carry me down the channel and it feels so soothing and relaxing that I couldn’t help but fall asleep.