Snippet #2357271

Her vision snapped back into focus, and she immediately wished it hadn't. The thing - Delaney couldn't believe real people could look and act that way - was grey-skinned and anything resembling humanity had been forced from its eyes by blank single-minded hunger. Three deep lines, possibly fingernail scratches, rent its cheek; dark ichor welled up in the cuts. Blood and viscera dripped from its jaws as it bent towards her. Incongruously, Delaney noticed it was wearing a Grateful Dead T-shirt. Had this thing once been human? An innocent festival fan? What could have happened? 'No no no no, please please please,' she whispered frantically, backing away until her back bumped into a car behind her. She held up her guitar as a shield against its grasping hands.

There was a crack like a whip, and the creature's eye exploded in a fountain of pus and sticky, black blood, and it thumped to the ground next to her, its head resting on her leather-clad thigh. It lay still as stone, as if it had never been alive. Delaney stared at it, open mouthed, then let out a short, high-pitched scream, shrugged out of her guitar strap and sprang to her feet. Whipping her head round, she saw what she thought was her band's van off to the left, another two of the creatures stumbling through the gate in front of her and, finally, Barney staring at her dumbly from the queue of cars at the parking lot exit. 'Barney, come on,' she yelled. She took a step towards the van, then hesitated. Thoughts flashed through her head - it might not be the right van, we don't have the keys, stick close to Barney - and she turned on her heel and dashed over to Barney. The creatures clumsily changed direction as she sped past them. She stared down at the gun in his hand, then grabbed him by the arm. The dazed look snapped off his face.

'Come on, do something,' she urged, looking back at the approaching creatures. 'We've got to get out of here.' She drew her own handgun from the back of her waistband. Her hands were shaking and her ragged breath and thumping heart were making her tremble, she doubted she'd ever hit anything with it, but it was comforting to hold. She began to feel the learned confidence of the gun range flow from the gun down her arms. 'Any smart ideas, Barney?'