Snippet #1103152

(Just a warning, this contains strong violence/gore, some cursing, and inferred rape.)

He didn’t really know why he was going to Texas, only that he had to. He didn’t want to be alone anymore. He clung to the voice on the radio like a lifeline, reminding him every two hours that he was still alive and still sane, barely.

He’d spotted a gas station earlier that had a few gas cans sitting in the back of an empty truck, once he’d gotten out of the Navigator warily he plucked them out of the bed of the truck and put them in the very back of the large SUV, as far away from him as possible, he’d always hated the smell of gasoline. He’d counted three total when he spotted another peeking from the other side of the truck.

Must be my lucky day.

Rounding the truck he froze, and his eyes went wide with shock and horror. There was a blackened corpse on its knees with a death grip (literally) on the nozzle of the gas pump, holding in over the gas can. No hair or clothing was left on the grinning skeleton, only bits of burned flesh that had yet to fall off or be devoured by the white maggots he could see writhing all over the corpse. And the smell, god, the smell was overpowering. He could feel the bile rising in his throat and he wondered how he hadn’t smelled it before as he bent over a trashcan waiting for his stomach to release its contents into the dirty plastic can. Pausing for a few moments after a few dry heaves he blinked. When his stomach had settled and he was completely certain that he wasn’t going to vomit he reached over and pulled the gas can away from the body and ran back to the car. He drove away without even looking in his rearview mirror for hours; he’d been too disgusted to put the gas can in the back.

I’d take the smell of gasoline over that any day.

As he got further south there were increasingly more buildings that had survived whatever the hell had happened to destroy everything, at this point he didn’t care he just needed people. Sane living people that he could talk to, that could tell him what happened and why. Why Lucy was gone.

I need a cigarette. I haven’t smoked in almost six years but goddamn it I need one now.

Pulling into a parking space at an old motel just outside of San Antonio he’d locked the car and warily slinked in the front door, the pistol gripped tightly in his shaking fingers. As he entered the lobby, he heard the click of a shotgun and froze.

“You best be putting that gun away if you know what’s good for you.” A deep rumble echoed from the curving staircase.

Putting the pistol in his pocket and slowly turning he looked up into the piercing blue eyes that the voice belonged to.

“Derick?” He whispered incredulously, furrowing his brow.

“God damn Gabriel. You scared me half to death.” Derrick sighed lowering his shotgun and leaning against the failing.

“Don’t call me that. My mother didn’t even call me that.” He scowled at the big man hovering on the staircase above.

“Fine. Luke.” Derrick purred followed by a hearty laugh.

He couldn’t help but smile at his old friend; it had been years since they’d talked. Shit his mom had probably been alive last time they had spoken. What would she think of this mess? He was halfway through asking how Derrick had been when a bloodcurdling shriek came from one of the rooms down the hall.

Luke frowned and looked up at Derrick, “There are other people in here? Shit why didn’t you tell me. Your friend sounds like they’re in trouble. Shouldn’t we go help?” He grunted quickly, already headed for the stairs.

Derrick shook his head, a sad smile making its way to his lips, “Just because you’re an old friend I’m gonna tell you that you probably shouldn’t be here. It would upset your delicate sensibilities if I remember you correctly. You’ve been warned.”

“What are you talking about?” He asked curiously as he opened the door to the room that sounded like the screams were coming from.

Words could not describe how horrifying the scene in front of him was. Blood was everywhere, splashed on the curtains, on the walls, all over the bed. His eyes scanned the room until he found the source of the shrieks that had been reduced to sobbing and he almost vomited again. A young Asian girl, probably only a little older than sixteen lay tied down to a metal table that had been moved into the room, she had been stripped of her clothing and her innards were exposed and being scooped out with a metal tool wielded by a short bearded man with thick brown hair and an ugly troll-like face.

“Bet you want me now. Don’t you ya little cunt?” The goblin man growled scooping out what appeared to be a lung.

Catching his eye the girl breathed, a strangled wet cough made its way out of her throat and she whispered, “Help me?” Her big brown eyes gazed at him pleadingly before glossing over and losing the life she had been managing to hang onto.

Shifting his eyes away from her naked corpse, he found only a more distressing sight in the bathroom, the tiles and mirror were splattered with blood and the bathtub was full of an assortment of various organs. The goblin man turned and looked from Luke to Derrick.

“You gonna strap him down or am I gonna have to do it again? I don’t take kindly to getting kicked. Ain’t that right sugar? Lookie where you ended up.” The goblin man said absently patting the corpse’s thigh tenderly, as if he hadn’t just killed her and he was having a normal conversation with his grandmother.

Luke took a step back, the mans words confirming his suspicions. Cannibals. Christ I gotta get out of here.

Derrick placed a firm hand on Luke’s shoulder, grinning savagely at him, “Now where do you think you’re going?”

“Derrick you were my best friend.” Luke pleaded softly.

“I’m still your best friend. You understand, survival of the fittest and all that good crap.”

Not a second after the words escaped his lips Luke was out of his grasp and down the hallway listening to them growling as they thundered after him. There was no way he’d make it before they caught him. Thinking quickly he jumped over the railing and landed with a thump before scrambling up and out the motel door fumbling in his pocket for the keys.

Why did I lock the car? Why? Why? Why?

Finding the key he unlocked the car and dove into the drivers seat, slamming the door shut behind him and bringing his open palm down forcefully on the button to lock the doors before shoving the key in the ignition and taking off like a shot. Surprisingly the goblin man reached the door before Derrick, looking back into his rearview mirror he could see the troll shaking his fist angrily at the car.

No more pit stops until I find this Robert Parson.

Luke cruised through the streets of San Antonio searching for any signs of life in the semi-intact buildings.