Calcivore, Part Iii

III. Christine began crying, Zack vomited, Klaus couldn’t move as he stared at the mess, only stammering,“W-what could do this?” Surely no beat to which they could attest. Then came a rustling up above the falls, and their horror transformed into pure fear, they fled from the creek, behind some thick brush, trying to stay quiet and disappear. Heavy footfalls came to where they had been, a sharp smell that was both sterile and death, Zack found himself peering out through the leaves, willing himself to keep quiet his breath. His eyes widened at the creature he saw, ’twas vaguely human, but just barely so, it stood on two legs, had arms and a head, but was a horror none ever should know. Its skin was light gray, mottled and scaly, covered ropy muscle running throughout, ridges on its spine poked right through the skin, giving the beast a three-inch row of spikes. It wore no clothing, was covered in scars, and scraggly tufts of greasy black hair, its boned seemed too thick, pressed against the skin, as if trying to burst right out of there. The fingers were claws, three inches in length, except for the thumb, Zack could clearly see a back-curving claw, half-again bigger, like it was desired to slice open meat. The head was too large, jaws protruding out, oversized muscle ran to a skull crest, when its mouth opened the teeth were too large, three times bigger than a man’s were, at best. And they glinted with a metallic sheen, what kind of monster did he look upon? From the way it walked, to the smell it gave, everything about this beast just seemed wrong. It crouched low over Mohinder’s remains, began throwing aside sliced bits of flesh, looking for something,vthen found it and whooped, pulled out a piece of sternum from the breast. Then, to Zack’s shock, he plunked it in his mouth, and quite happily began to crunch, in horror he realized it all made sense, Mohinder’s bones had been this monster’s lunch! He bit back the urge to vomit again, but Christine did not have the same success, the sound a man’s bones being eaten caused he to lose it all over her dress. The sound caught the monster’s attention quick, and it cried out in a shrill, raspy call, then they heard more feet pounding through the brush, more monsters converging towards the falls! Klaus leapt to his feet, and just shouted,“Run!” and they all did so,not stopping to think, hearing creatures bull their way though jungle, this was their home, they had no need to slink. CONTINUES PART IV