Dead Bones - Six Pack. The Ultimate Zombie Collection

by Ian Woodhead

  “You fucker! Aren't you a sneaky little shit?” Noah took off his belt and smiled as the old man winced at the sight of the worn leather. He wrapped the belt around the old man’s chest and playfully tapped the end of his nose. “You weren’t supposed to do that.”

  He tightened the belt one more notch, grinning as the leather dug deeper into the flesh on the old man’s bare chest. He knew full well that there was no need to restrain the man. This fool was going nowhere, but Noah really just wanted to hurt the old bastard.

  His silent scream blew through Noah’s mind. He began to lose himself on the waves of desire that threatened to overwhelm him. No. He needed to focus, to stay sharp. He clenched his teeth and glanced over at his partner. The old man’s silent mind screams had certainly affected Abel. His eyes were shut tight and he gave out a little moan as his body swayed side to side.

  Good. He needed Abel to be intoxicated with the man's pain. To make sure that Abel's ecstasy was incapacitating, Noah grabbed the man’s scrotum and squeezed tight. He let out a hearty laugh as the two fleshy orbs inside the sac burst like two flattened grapes. Abel writhed about like a man in a fit.

  Noah couldn't stop grinning as he walked around to the back of the old man’s chair and placed both hands on his victim’s shoulders. It troubled Noah that he had to go to such extreme lengths to hide his thoughts from Abel. He should be able to discuss his troubling experience with his friend both verbally and mentally, but it was so confusing and unbelievable.

  Noah was fully aware that he had been wrong sneaking into the apartment next door. That wasn’t the real issue that weighed so heavily on his mind. His problem lay in the fact that, even though he had a perfect opportunity, he had not ripped into that child's sweet tender flesh in a frenzy of crazed blood lust.

  Instead, he had held the child as tenderly as the little brat's mother would have to comfort it when it got a boo-boo. Even the thought of holding the baby against his chest, feeling its warm skin and hearing its soft breathing brought back the feelings of tenderness and compassion. He was sure that he was going mad.

  Abel was still in the grip of ecstasy. Noah could see his erection obscenely bulging against the dingy fabric of his trousers. Noah turned away, wondering if this condition might only be temporary and if all the hunters would eventually revert to their old human existence. Good God, that was the last thing he wanted to happen.

  Noah felt a familiar tingling and turned around to see Abel staring suspiciously at him.

  “Noah, what is the last thing you want to happen?” Abel asked, no longer in the grip of his bloodlust.

  He ignored his companion's question and turned back to the old man with the crushed testicles. Noah effortlessly punched his fingers through the old man’s flesh and wrapped his wet digits around the clavicle. Noah was pleased that although he had already caused an unbelievable amount of damage to the old man, there was still enough left for him to feel this not so tender caress. His quick thinking also put paid to Abel's suspicions. He pulled back his lips in a grimace that could be described as nothing less than horrific, and opened his own mind to bathe in the old man’s agony. He jerked his hands up with little effort, ripping the man’s bones from his shoulders.

  Noah cried out in pure pleasure as his victim’s heart rattled a few ragged dying beats and then gave out. He dropped the bones onto the floor with a thump and greedily licked the lumps of flesh and blood off his stained hands. The sweet flesh tasted like a feast fit for a king instead of the withered muscle of an old man.

  “Are you ready to tell me what is troubling you?”

  Noah looked up, watching Abel approach him with what Noah thought might be concern.

  “I know you better then I know myself, Noah. We are forever connected my friend. No amount of distraction can stop me from knowing that you are troubled. So, are you ready to explain what happened in that apartment?"

  Noah looked at him with disbelief.

  “No, I did not pluck that from your thoughts, Noah. Your distraction was actually most effective in blocking the specifics of your unease.”

  Abel bent over the corpse and pushed his left hand deep into the shoulder wounds. The wet sucking sound that the extraction made caused a shiver of delight to course through Noah's body.

  “I took the thoughts from the woman.” Abel continued as he brought his blood-drenched hand to his lips. His blackened tongue snaked from between his teeth as he sensually licked his fingers. The gesture reminded Noah of the tender licks of a lover nestled between his beloved's thighs. “You made quite an impression on the young woman, you know."

  Noah watched him peel off a strip of the gore that had once been a man and push it greedily into his mouth. Abel growled as he chewed the muscle, and then eagerly scooped out another handful of the old man’s insides.

  “Come on, join me," he chided Noah. "We can investigate the situation once we have dined. You went to so much trouble to procure this fine meal. Or are you not hungry?”

  “Did you pluck that thought from Aliza as well?” Noah asked, feeling a bit petulant.

  “No, that thought was broadcast directly from you. Your guard is down.”

  Noah backed away cautiously, attempting to clear his mind and replace the wall he had let slip.

  Abel sighed, dropping any pretence that he had been attempting in order to amuse Noah.

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake, will you stop that? You are a hunter, and a bloody good one at that. There is nothing wrong with you and you sure as fuck are not changing back to a human. That is ludicrous, at best.”

  Abel placed his bloody hands on Noah's shoulders, making sure that the lad was getting the point of what he was trying to say. He turned Noah to face the corpse strapped in the chair. Abel walked around and playfully fingered the dead man's wispy grey hair, pulling the head back.

  “Look at that, Noah.” he said, pointing at the corpse’s blood filled mouth. “You, my friend, pulled this fucker’s tongue out as he screamed for mercy while gargling his own blood, and then you ate it directly in front of his eyes. I felt the ridiculous amount of joy running through your mind when our food popped his clogs.”

  “I suppose,” Noah muttered, looking down at his feet. “So, you’re not pissed that I tried to hide the episode?”

  “Of course, I’m fucking pissed,” Abel growled, unconvincingly. “But I do understand your reasons.”

  Abel placed his thumb and forefinger over the old man’s nipple and jerked down, ripping the skin off in a thin sheet.

  “The girl is young, pretty, and she’s fertile." He gazed at Noah with a lascivious smile. “I’ve felt what you felt when you held that brat. There is something fucking odd going on here and I don’t think it has to do with you, Noah. I say we stuff our faces with our take-out here, and then we go and rip that baby girl into bite-sized chunks of meat."

  Noah took a single step back and slowly shook his head. “No, I can’t wait. We have to do this now.”

  “Okay, we go now, then. They are both in there and…” Abel suddenly shivered.

  “What’s the matter?”

  He looked straight at Noah, his playful demeanour completely gone now.

  “The bitch has worked out what we are.”

  “We need to kill her and that freaky fucking baby. We can’t allow her to tell the others,” Noah said, dangerously close to panic.

  “Fuck the others, Noah. They do not matter. She and the brat are the real prize.” Abel grabbed his coat and put it on.

  “What are we going to do?”

  “What you are going to do is listen to me. You wanted to change back to Mr. Fucking Meek, well here is your chance. You are going to do a lot of staring at your feet. You are going to vomit out more I'm sorry and mea culpas then you ever thought possible.” He grabbed Noah’s chin and pulled it up, again making sure that Noah grasped the gravity of his statements. “We are in deep shit, laddie. She’s knows what we are, and we have to nip this in the bud before it gets completely out
of hand.”

  When they arrived at the apartment next door, neither man was exactly sure what to expect. Abel knocked on the door as politely as possible. He examined his hand and quickly stuck his finger into his mouth after he noticed a small bit of the old man's innards stuck under his fingernail. They could feel the anxiety emanating from the woman before she even opened the door. Noah was doing exactly as he had been instructed. His eyes were cast down at his feet, and he had what he hoped was a look of total submissiveness on his face. He hated putting on this act for this cow. She was nothing but food for him, and he was having to placate and coddle her. It made Noah fucking sick to his stomach.

  When she opened the door and saw her neighbours standing there, she immediately began trembling with fear. Noah felt a slight tingle inside of his trousers as her terror washed over him. That pleasure dissipated the second he saw the brat in her arms. He experienced the same effect as before. Just the thought of harming a single hair on her little head sent him into a rage.

  With much effort, Noah was able to calm down enough to play his role. He listened to Abel pile on the humility, telling the bitch that he was so sorry. Normally, if Abel had to interact with humans on any level, Noah could feel a host of emotions coming from him. Anything ranging from disgust to ravenous hunger. This time was different. The only thing he felt from Abel was something foreign and disturbing. Noah could not quite categorize it at first, but then it hit him. The emotion he felt from Abel was something he did not even know the man was capable of feeling. Love.

  Even fighting through this rancid outpouring of warm and fuzzy feelings, Abel managed to convince this numb cunt that they were not the monsters that she thought they were. She had put up quite the mental struggle, but Abel had won her over in the end. They all said their pleasantries, and the pair headed out the door.

  “Noah, I need to speak to the boss, urgently. That fucking thing is a monster. I actually felt the urge to hold the fucking thing and make all of those ridiculous baby noises that people make when they see those pink hairless rats. What the fuck is going on?” Abel ranted as soon as they got back into their apartment. He was obviously just as confused as Noah had been earlier.

  “So, it isn’t just me?” Noah asked with marked relief. Abel shook his head.

  “I’m telling you now, even if the boss demands that we let that little shit live, I don’t think I’ll be able to. If I have to, I will drop the little fucker out of the window." Abel was still fuming as he prepared to deliver the latest news.

  Chapter Ten

  From his hiding place Ernest heard the howl of agony, and it all but turned his bones to jelly. He knew that he ought to be ecstatic, maybe even jumping up and down, knowing that he had managed to hurt one of those monsters, maybe even killed it.

  Not that he could jump up and down in here whether he wanted to or not. Squashed behind the walls of one of the huge walk-in freezers in the warehouse, Ernest was having enough trouble just trying to squeeze his way through the confined space. Apparently, I have been indulging in a few too many chocolate puddings, he thought and had to stifle a chuckle.

  Ernest stopped struggling to climb through the narrow space and took several deep calming breaths. He had to keep himself on point. The undamaged monster would have a rough idea of Ernest’s whereabouts, but if he didn’t chill the fuck out and stay calm, he’d stand out like a ten-inch dildo at a lesbian convention.

  Despite the dire circumstances and his efforts to the contrary, Ernest still found himself smiling. That phrase used to be one of Darren’s favourite phrases.

  At least there was no fear of the monster finding his son. The lad could look after himself. He was a tough little bastard. Darren would have already found somewhere to hide, of that, Ernest was sure.

  He also had the added bonus of having little or no brain activity, so the thing would have no chance of homing in on Darren’s thoughts.

  "Unlike you, Ernest," he said aloud, jumping a bit at the sound of his own voice. He knew that he had to get himself under control and quickly.

  The image of a lush green field peppered with bright purple flowers lunged to the front of his mind; ancient oak trees lined the perimeter. He smiled. This was not some random picture that he had concocted in his head. He remembered bringing Darren here when the boy was just a tot. Back when his lad was cute and innocent, two words that were hard to associate with the young man his son had become.

  He could still see Darren racing through the field, screaming and laughing, stopping every few minutes to ask Ernest to name another plant and tell him what those birds were called, or ask if rocks had feelings, or if the oak trees had elves living inside of them. His eyes were full of wonder and curiosity.

  Ernest had not had a clue what most of the stuff was called. Like most folk who lived in the Breakspear estate, his knowledge of the countryside was limited. It didn’t stop him though, Ernest just made up the names as he went along. It seemed to pacify the boy’s raging curiosity. Until, at least, he found something else to ask. It seemed in those days long passed, the lad had been sure that his Dad knew everything. This was another part of Darren that was long gone.

  Ernest suddenly stopped, holding his breath as he placed his ear against the wall. He could have sworn that he had heard one of them shuffling around in the freezer beyond this wall.

  "And you’ve just given away your location with your anxious thought, you fucking moron,” he said under his breath.

  He shook his head. It was probably just a couple of rats or maybe a wild cat. Stealthy was one thing that the monsters were not very good at doing.

  “It’s a good fucking job as well. Come on, Ernest, chill.” He chastised himself, and continued on.

  As he continued his journey through the narrow passageway, Ernest filled his head with thoughts of when he was a kid. The hills, woods and fields that surrounded his estate had been his own private playground. While the other kids his age ran riot through Breakspear, he spent his time building dams, climbing trees, and making up elaborate games.

  The other kids did, of course, venture into the woods from time to time, but only to start fires or shoot at squirrels and birds. Either that, or ride their motorbikes along the footpaths.

  “Just how you behaved as a teenager, Darren.” He sighed. “So much for wanting you to follow in my footsteps.”

  Ernest squeezed through another narrow opening, making sure to duck his head, and remembering at the last minute where he had installed one of the many of his deadfall trip wires a few months ago. He silently wished that one of those goons were right behind him. He would like to see another adult trying to climb through these walls without getting stuck. His Darren wouldn’t have a problem of course; the lad had no trouble in squeezing through tight spaces. He had demonstrated that skill many times.

  “Oh, Jesus,” he muttered, letting out a bitter laugh. His son had followed his example after all. Darren had already started housebreaking before the dead had started coming back to life. He just hoped that the lad would remember where all the traps were when he came out of his own hiding place. He very well should. The lad had been present when Ernest had set them all up, and he had been through the escape plan at least fifty times.

  “Yeah, right, like that would make a fucking difference.” Ernest balked. "Will the fool even remember their emergency rendezvous point?"

  He screwed up his resolve to not concern himself with the boy. It was every man for himself now. That was the way it had to be.

  “Bollocks. I’ll give him a few hours. If he doesn’t show up, then I’m leaving the little bastard.”

  He stopped again. Ernest got a strong feeling that a pair of eyes were drilling into the top of his head. He just knew that something was terribly wrong. For the tenth time he told himself that it was his over active imagination. He knew that he was alone in here. Even so, he whipped his head around to double check. Ernest could just about make out the dim outlines of the thick pipes that he had just cra
wled around but nothing else.

  "For fuck's sake! Will you give it up already, Mr Paranoia? No bugger could follow you in here. It's not fucking possible.” Ernest found himself getting as irritated with his own mind as he usually did with Darren's mouth.

  He turned back around to gauge his location in this darkened corridor. The exit was only a few metres from him. Once he was out, Ernest knew that he was as near as admit free. He only needed to scale the metal ladder, bolt to the passageway, make a quick dash along the rooftops, and a low drop onto the spare ground beyond the supermarket walls and he was out. He started to wonder about the reality of his plan. It certainly sounded easy, but he was afraid he would falter.

  “Come on, Ernest, don’t lose your nerve, you’re on the home run now, the hard bit is in the bag.”

  Despite his own hollow words of encouragement, Ernest could still swear that those eyes were burning into him.

  “What if he’s waiting for me to come out?” he whispered. His stomach slowly turned over at the gruesome thought of a pair of arms grabbing him as he left the passageway.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck, what am I going to do?” he said as he tapped his forehead on the concrete wall.

  There was no other choice. He would just have to allow the monster to come to him and hope that his traps would do their job.

  “No wait,” he whispered. “What about Darren? I just can’t…” He suddenly felt as if he might start crying.

  Ernest yelped when he felt something brush against the top of his head. He jerked his eyes up and saw the arms from his nightmare reaching down towards him. The lantern jawed face of one of the monsters snarled at him. He thought he might vomit when a string of spittle fell from the thing's mouth landed on his cheek, just below his eye.

  He dropped to the ground, trying not to piss his trousers as he wiped the goo from his face. The thing howled in frustration and tried to climb further inside, only to discover his large body was just too big to fit into the narrow crevice.