Cravings of the Dead

Diz: Thank you so much for reviewing. I did my best to shorten sentences a bit, don't think I succeeded much, but yeah ^-^;
Also thanks for the heads up on the perspective. I hadn't even noticed I switched to the first person in the fist chapter.
I'll be toggling back and forth now, though I'm not sure if it's a good idea and actually works =/

The sun was setting, sending low direct rays dancing over his bare back. Scorching his flesh; a feeble attempt at divine punishment.
He didn’t care though, barely noticed. Content he strolled back to his nest. A semi secluded den in an underground facility he shared with others of his kin.
Dried blood and gore, both fresh and old coated his skin, made his stench notable to any who cared to come within speaking distance of him.
None had been that close to him in months, unless they were to be eaten.

But blood lust was temporarily driven from his mind, or whatever was left of it.
He had feasted that day, came across a small band of living, fleeing away from the place he had made his den.
They had caught each other by surprise. Luckily for him, he had recovered first and made the reckless direct attack. Instead of latching on to one prey he attempted to cause as much damage to as many of them as he could.
It earned him a hail of bullets, and he went down. He stayed down.
Commotion, confusion, cussing and the delicious smell of fresh blood surrounded him.
The band’s leader quickly took charge and hastily shot down all protest, literally, with a few warning shots. They survived by a strict set of rules; those who get left behind, stay behind.
Those mobile and mildly mobile forced themselves up and followed as fast and graceless they could. A few glanced back in shame at the fallen who cried out piteously for help.
It was common knowledge that where there was one zombie, there were more soon to follow.

It was also a common misconception.
There were two types of zombies, those who hunted as a mindless mass. And those who stalked their prey solo. There were so few of these that humans barely know of their existence. And those who knew quite often didn’t live to retell.
If the solo hunter didn’t finish him, the mass drawn to the smell of struggle and prey most definitely would.

The figure raised him self from the ground, ignoring the itching of the bullets that had sunken shallowly into his skin. Staggering slightly he scanned for his prey.
A soft gasp alerted him to where it had hid; behind an iron sheet that might have been part of a roof once.
Violently he knocked away the flimsy shelter to reveal the living beneath.
There were two. One screamed in an annoying high pitch, and the other jumped up from its crouch; attempting to drive a small sharp metal object into his throat.
The weapon nicked his skin sending a slight burning sensation through his nerves which he didn’t notice at all. He grabbed the assailant and in one flowing motion slammed it against the rough brick wall.
A dull crack sounded as its scull broke under the sudden force and the other’s voice pitched another impossible notch.
Aggravated the zombie grasped the screeching kid and sank his adapted canines into the soft flesh of its throat. He was rewarded with a pleasant choking sound and the strong taste of fresh blood.
The child twitched as life quickly fled him and the monster gorged on its flesh.
Soft, warm, pliant. The child’s body sent him reeling, its taste coaxing a blood lust driven frenzy in him.
He clawed off the protective clothing and tore his teeth into the stomach beneath. Instinct helped him seek out the organs richest in blood; after having devoured its lives he forcefully cracked open its ribcage to reach the warm heart within.
After finishing the most nutritious of the organs he set his teeth to work on the softest flesh he could locate on the small body. And there was a lot of soft flesh to chose from, this one being a youngling; muscles not yet fully formed.

A delicious heat began to spread through his body, beginning from his belly. It gave him a pleasant feeling of drowsiness.
A subtle sound disturbance caused him to halt his feast. Sitting up he pinpointed its origin. He growled softly as he realized it was a small horde of zombies. Though he could stay and get dragged into a tiresome dispute over the remaining corpse, he’d rather preserve his energy.
He reached over to the child’s head which he had been ignoring till now and gouged its eyes out. Turning to the other body he preformed the same act, deforming it’s skull a bit more.
Pocketing three of them, he popped the forth into his mouth and strolled away while absently suckling on it.

~*~

I grasped the rope tightly as I worked my way up through the thin shaft. It was a slow and laborious job, but I could steadily see the exit come nearer.
The rope was wrought from iron, so I had no fear of it braking under my weight, but the rusty texture chaffed my hands. I knew I would be feeling the sting for days afterwards.
A sudden noise above me made me stiffen in fear.
I glanced up, to discover it was only a rat that shot out of one of the upper corridors into the shaft. I let out the breath I had been holding subconsciously and continued climbing.
I smiled as I realized that the exit was just two stories further. Just two more stories and I’d be out of this hole. I’d be able to breathe some fresh air again, I thought, leveling with the corridor the rat had fled from.

I screamed in surprise as something suddenly clamped down on my shoulder and dragged me into the corridor. The rancid smell of death assaulted my nose and I automatically screamed louder, realizing what had caught me. I was tipped onto my back and the monster wasted no time in attempting to tear my throat out.
Due to the thick layer of scarves I always had wrapped around it, it couldn’t get a good grip on its first try. Closing my eyes I waited for the finishing bite to come. Hoping it would be a quick death, but I feared it would not be. There are numerous accounts stating that these monsters prefer to eat their prey alive.

An animalistic growl sounded a split second before the body above me was torn away. I quickly scrambled away to hide in the darkest corner of the corridor.
Silhouetted against the light of the shaft I saw two human figures wrestling. But the sounds they emitted were anything but human.
Snarls and roars echoed through the small chamber.
The fight was quick and vicious, but the newcomer was stronger, faster and a much better fighter. A mute crack sounded as the taller zombie got a firm hold on the head of the other and broke its neck in a blink of an eye. The dead body was promptly thrown down the shaft.

I stiffened as I saw the figure stalk towards me.
Slowly, slowly, coming ever closer.
Suddenly it pounced, its large hands pressing down hard against my chest.
I couldn’t breath, fear once more sped up my heart. Blood pounded through my veins, deafening in my ears. Its face lowered towards mine, so close its unkempt oily hair brushed against my skin.
Its eyes fluttered a bit and it ...inhaled?!