Saga of a New World - (Audiobook Available)

3. Claws of Death

Astrid follows the road, always on the lookout for other creatures this event might have spawned.

That is, until her stomach grumbles. If it were just a bit of noise it wouldn't be a problem, but the sound is accompanied by an intense craving for anything edible, and a dull burning sensation.

She's gone a few days without eating before, but this is something different. Every few minutes, a wave of hunger hits her. The first one comes right after she leaves the car behind. The second one while she's passing another broken-down vehicle.

The bursts themselves feel like her organs are twisting inside her, followed by the muscles in her abdomen cramping up from the sudden pain. It's not enough to make her double over, but impossible to ignore. The only silver lining is that the attacks keep her mind clear and her eyes focused on her surroundings. It pushes the confusion and fear away and leaves only bubbling anger and burning craving.

The third attack hits her as she passes a road sign that shows the black silhouette of a deer, warning drivers to watch out for animals running across the road.

Her hand moves to her stomach. She can feel her tense muscles through her shirt.

"Crap," she groans. 'We had dinner right before we started driving. Just leave me alone.' Another cramp tells her exactly what her intestines think about that idea.

Three sharp bangs pierce the quiet of the forest. Astrid's entire body tenses. While she's never heard a firearm in person before, she's sure that it's distant gunshots she is hearing. Either that or someone's celebrating an early new year.

Astrid stops dead in her tracks and considers whether she should head towards the sound or give it a wide berth. On the one hand, the armed people ahead might be able to help her. After all, the only people she can think of that would be running around with guns are police officers.

On the other hand, they might shoot her on sight. She's sure the second option is rather unlikely and decides to try her luck with whoever gave off those shots. After all, she still looks more or less human, and if they do shoot her, at least she won't have to worry about her stomach anymore.

She's not sure exactly where the gunshots came from, so she decides to just follow the road. Her long legs make running feel like flying over the ground, as every pace is more a leap than a step.

It doesn't take long for a gas station to appear on the road ahead. Astrid walks closer to the buildings. The station itself is a rather large one, with a store and café inside it. Dozens of cars and several trucks are parked on the truck stop around it, yet there's not a single person in sight.

'I don't want to spook someone with a gun,' she thinks and calls out, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

No one replies.

'Where is everyone?' Astrid wonders as she passes an abandoned truck. She stops the moment she sees that the sliding doors to the store have been ripped out of their frame. A trail of blood leads out of the storeroom.

Again, she calls out: "Is anyone there?" Again, there's no reply.

Her eyes scan the abandoned cars. One of the vehicles' trunks looks like it was blasted open from the inside. Astrid peers into the broken SUV as she passes it, to see the remains of different kinds of outdoor gear, and a dog crate. The metal of the crate is bent outwards, but there are no scorch marks or anything else that might indicate an explosion. There is no sign of the dog or its owners.

Another car is smaller and completely intact but was clearly abandoned in a hurry. The nozzle of the gas pump is still stuck inside it. The only unusual thing, aside from the fact that there is no one here, are four scratch marks on the vehicle's back.