Cellar Sheep

Chapter 8

Ever since I'd made it to the lobby five days ago I hadn't seen a single sign of an infectee (as everyone called the monsters now) since and I liked it that way. But I should've known the military was hiding secrets from us.

With no weapon in hand and the loud voice that kept trying to "help" me and that itch that was unbearable now, I slowly made my way down those steps.

I knew if I gave in I'd turn into one of those hideous monsters and hurt everyone here. I didn't want to do that. There were kids here, and nice people too who deserved to live and go without seeing such horrors.

I didn't want to hurt Yale.

When I reached the bottom I couldn't see much since it was so dark down here but there was the most horrid smell that would've made any human vomit.

Except I wasn't human anymore and that smell enticed me.

Without even thinking, my mind going completely blank at the thought of food for the first time in a whole week, I followed the smell until I was upon a few dead bodies all piled up in the corner, each one sucked dry again. 

Something washed over me and I felt my hand involuntarily reach out touch one.

Hungry... so hungry I could eat them all.

I snapped, clamping my hand over my mouth and scrambling to get as far away as possible. Did I really just think it eat them?! What's wrong with me?!

"Eat." The voice edged on. "Eat, it's for you."

I violently shook my head, trying to block out the smell but it was useless. Through my clamped hand saliva drooled down and I would catch myself slowly crawling toward them again.

I raked my nails down my face, drawing blood, and trying to find any sense to keep me from doing something so horrible.

"They're waiting for you, go eat." It kept saying. "Go on, it's ok."

"No, no no no no no no no no!" I cried through my hand. "Leave me alone!"

But the voice wasn't the only thing keeping me company. The scuttling I had heard earlier belonged to something alive down here. And I hadn't noticed because they'd stayed silent and hidden in a corner. But when they did come out to greet me I completely forgot about eating decomposing bodies and went still with fear.

Ah, so that's where the infectee was.

Out came a smaller infectee than the ones I'd seen before, but not any less terrifying. Think of a centaur, then instead of a horse add the beady, black body of a very large spider with extremely pointy legs. Make the top just as dark and give them lots of glowing red eyes.

Every spider-haters worst nightmare.

Luckily for me, I wasn't all that afraid of spiders, except this was no normal spider and I was definitely afraid.

I scrambled back, frantically trying to find a weapon of some kind.

"Let me help. Let me help."

I hit a cart that knocked off useless extra trays and plastic utensils for eating. But, even in my panicked state to get away, the monster never came closer. It just watched me with its red eyes, not daring to make a move.

So I stopped, breathing rapidly and never straying from its eyes. And for the rest of my time in quarantine, neither of us made a move.

I laid down in the corner, rocking and holding my stomach painfully as the voice kept screaming for me to eat and I refused. Though, I don't know how much longer I'd last. I'd stripped off my jacket and rolled my pant legs up to my thigh, soaking up the cold concrete that made a bit of a difference. There were no heaters down here and I was perfectly fine with that. 

And I now no longer had the strength to move, only listen to the voice that kept telling me to eat. And I was losing the strength to battle it out.

And that's whenever the infectee did something that made me very confused.

I heard its pointy legs moving on the hard concrete below and then a wet slice. My eyes immediately opened at the fresh scent of blood but I didn't move. That's whenever it threw something over to me that landed with a thud.

An arm. A human arm.

I stared at it, not questioning whose it was nor anything more than if it would taste amazing.

"Eat."

I looked up at the spider, drool already forming quicker than I could swallow. Its red eyes stared unblinkingly at me, almost agreeing with the voice.

I reached out and dabbed my fingers in it, the warm and sticky substance coating them. I took it to my lips and that's when I lost control.

Never and I mean never in my life had anything tasted so amazing. I wanted more, needed more.

Taking the arm in my hands, I sunk sharp teeth down into the soft flesh, sucking and drawing out every drop of blood I could. I took it in with fast gulps, some spilling down my chin.

More, more! I need more!

I tossed the shriveled arm aside and dragged my tongue against the ground where the arm had laid, a small pool of blood.

"Eat. Eat!"

I didn't miss a single drop, getting everything I could. I licked my fingers clean once there was nothing left but I was still left unsatisfied. Hungry, I was still so hungry.

And I knew that juicy arm came from more.

I glanced up at the spider, no thoughts in my head except more. I walked carefully over to it, hoping I could just squeeze past and suck what full corpse it had behind it dry.

But I guess that arm was my fair share because it shot its pointy leg down right in front of me, making it clear that I didn't get anymore.

And that's when I got angry.

I growled at it, challenging the fully weaponed and armored infectee to fight me, who had literally nothing to use.

"More. Eat more!"

I tried to lunge past it but I was quickly shot down as the tip of its leg was right at the underside of my chin, a ready path to my brain.

"Blood." The voice whispered to me. "Blood!"

I need it! I need it now!

Blood. I need blood.

I snarled, grabbing the pointed leg and yanking it aside. But before I could take another step a different leg buried itself deep in my chest cavity.