Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Mechanical Affection ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Mechanical Affection- Chapter 1

Doubled over and my mouth hanging open, my muscles did their uncoordinated dance and forced the black ooze from my gut. How I could possibly have anything left in there, I had no idea. Maybe that was what remained of my meal from yesterday, since zombies don't particularly need to use the bathroom… Like ever.

When the stream grew thin, I hauled my body back up and wobbled in place just a moment. I kept my mouth open, not wanting to swallow the congealing sludge back down, and let out a gurgled groan of distaste. If I could have been sick, I would have puked but I guess I kinda already did that. A couple of flies seemed to take to the putrid gut muck and darted around my face before landing in my mouth or on my chin. They were too small to tell and, hell, it's not like I gave a shit. I was currently particularly enthralled by a manikin on the other side of a broken department store display window. I could say that I was pretending to have a conversation with it, but that would be a lie. I think I was just being lonely again and got confused that it wasn't a real person.

Off in the distance, the loud claps of gunfire rang out and echoed through the abandoned suburbs. The sound broke my concentration and I moved, startling the flies from my face. Turning slowly to the noise, I considered it. The living were a dangerous bunch but I'd probably just spent the better half of six hours staring at a manikin that refused to acknowledge my existence… And I had the munchies again. Always with the hunger.

I was the first on the scene at the border of the city and suburb. There was a military green hummer in the street. Its engine rumbled quietly but the noise wasn't what caught my attention. Stumbling towards it faster, I slammed into the bumper and flopped onto the hood. Its warmth radiated up into my body, the vibration rattling my bones. Oh god… It was so warm.

Drunkedly, I rubbed my face against the warm metal, moaning with delight. Yup, I had a boner all right and I wasn't sure if a zombie could orgasm but I was pretty sure I could get close. Even if not, wallowing over the car seemed like a good enough heaven.

Opening my mouth, I licked the metal. It didn't taste like anything but it felt good on my tongue so I pulled my lips back and tried to chew the damn thing up. If I could just get a piece of that warmth into my body, I'd be one happy son of bitch. It was impossible, of course, but you try telling that to a zombie or yourself when you're having an enchanting time trying.

I could have done that forever, but alas it would not be so. I was in the middle of rubbing my forehead into the grungy vehicle when I sensed more warmth and heard a crunch behind me. Stumbling back away from the car, I looked around dazedly. I was super high off the heat and it took a while for me to decide on what I was looking for. I probably looked over the girl with the gun three times before my gaze settled on her.

In my cloudy eyes, she looked generically human but definitely frightened. Damn, it was probably her car and the braindead gang was probably on its way. And I definitely had the munchies… Bad. She'd be tasty enough, but was I stupid enough to tangle with a gun? I'd like to say no, but...

I gave a small stagger towards her and the gun raised and went off. I stopped. Bewildered, I looked down at myself and stared… And stared… And stared… I forgot what I was looking for and looked back up. The gun was pointed at me and I was confused. What had just happened? I raised a hand to check my face and practically punched my own eye trying to do so. Nope, no hole there either. That's what I was looking for before, by the way.

Bad shot, babe. I gave another stumble forward and she pulled the trigger again. We both paused, surprised when it didn't go off. That fear on her face tripled and it was her turn to stumble about like an idiot. I didn't pursue her.

Somewhere off to my right, or maybe left, I don't know. Some side. I heard something and turned my head. Too late to grab a bite, the cavalry was on the way. Turning away from their footsteps, I stumbled away towards safety. I was almost hidden away in an alley when I stopped. I turned around and stared at the vehicle. I longed for it and let out some sort of noise that was supposed to express my dismay at probably never being able to touch it again… I wasn't so hot at the whole verbal communication thing anymore. It probably sounded like dying whimper.

The generic living girl might have been surprised or confused. I would be too if I was her. I was the smartest zombie I knew, and now she probably knew it a little too. Mind blowing… But not literally so. That would be my role in a moment if I stuck around any longer. The living, so `shoot now ask questions later'… Bummer. I coulda used the company.

I hadn't gotten far when I stumbled across another bunch. My lucky day, breathers were crawling out of the woodwork!

I searched them. There was a cluster and I wasn't so good at the counting thing anymore either. Two walked closely together, a couple, how sweet. I wasn't much for breaking up lovebirds, I really wasn't a dick. A tiny thing, I guessed a child… Not worth the trouble. I know, lovebirds a no go but kids okay if I could catch them? Okay so maybe I was a dick, but I'd never liked kids before. Why should I like `em anymore once I was dead? I didn't see the reason.

I spotted tall one. Mm… Looked good, I'd eat him up in a heart beat. Ya know, if I had one. Normally I went after the women folk, they were weaker, but I was particularly hyped up from the hummer. Damn I missed that car. I wouldn't in about three minutes when I forgot how the hell I'd gotten from point A to point B this morning… If I even remembered point A? I vaguely recalled some woman standing stock still and not saying anything to me. It was kind of a blur.

I stood back against a dumpster and watched. Maybe I was stupid enough to go up against a gun, but not a crowd, not yet. Besides, I kind of enjoyed my solitude when I ate- Queue the braindead gang. My guess, hoard mentality reduced brain functioning by 200% because there they went lurching forward with purpose as they caught sight of the group I had my eyes on. Maybe they'd get away?

A cascade of bullets unleashed onto the dozens of zombies. They dropped like rocks and the ones behind the fallen tripped and struggled to get up. During their plight the group rushed off into the city and I followed in silence, trying not to give myself away by bumping into too much while keeping up with them.

At some point I lost sight of them and stopped in the middle of the road. I lost interest in whatever it was I'd been doing and tipped my head back. Mouth hanging open without a care, I swayed and enjoyed the heat of the evening sun on my face. Mm… I do love warm things. My eyes closed and I probably took a nap because when I opened my eyes again it was dark and chilly. Damn. Did I mention zombies nap? It's kind of important. It's not like human sleep, it's a little more like blacking out. No dreams, not being refreshed when you wake, just an empty darkness that leaves you confused at where the hell you are.

Stumbling around in the dark, I followed any noise I heard, any light I saw. Zombies aren't superhuman. If anything we're subhuman. Anything a person's got, we've got less. Eyesight, smell, hearing… Probably all worse, except one thing. It wasn't touch per say, but the ability to sense heat. Since we were so cold already, any radiating heat was like a beacon of hope in the otherwise muddled sensory world.

Only when the moon hung high could I effectively wander. I made good time, possibly, and found my way into a desiccated building. It might have had a glass roof at some point, but that was no longer the case. Inside, the glass sectioned stores stood silent and dark. I got about four stores in when I saw something walking with me. I stopped and turned towards it and stared…. And stared… And stared…

I walked forward and bumped into it before realizing that it was my reflection. Glass… It's mind-boggling to a zombie and I was appropriately boggled. I looked like shit. I think another few months and I wouldn't have clothes anymore, but damn if I'd be able to maneuver into some new clothes ever again. What did I care anyway? There was no saving these looks. Skin ragged and off colored, dirty blonde hair matted, green eyes half glazed, and mouth stained by the black slime. I guess I could attempt fixing my hair…

I tried. Raising my hand, I slapped myself in the face and dragged my arm up awkwardly. Fingers curved, I tore them through my three inch long hair, some of it came out. I dunno, it looked a little better. Oh…

Another person shape in front of me moved and I stepped forward. Knocking into the glass, I remembered that it was there and tested it with a hand. I suddenly didn't remember what I had been looking at and turned away to do something else.

Eventually I wound up standing in front of a nonfunctional fountain staring at a statue. The guy was naked and striking some heroic pose. I gurgled a little at him, made some groaning noise, but he didn't make any back. I couldn't quite decide if he was really ignoring me or if he really wasn't real. The concept of statues and manikins is hard for me to wrap my head around most days. I must have been unique in this fact because other zombies I knew didn't give a shit about these human shaped things that didn't move at all. Another zombie? No… I could tell a zombie.

Then it said something and I was so surprised I fell forward into the water. Actually, that didn't make sense, if it had said something to me, I probably should have fallen back. As I stood up and found that I could easily get closer, I touched the grey skin that looked a little like mine. It didn't feel like mine and I bit it to make sure. Nope… Not living, or dying, or undying, or any combination thereof.

Then the something that had said something before said something again. I have a hard time keeping up. I'm slow.

Carefully, I lifted my leg out of the water and stepped out to find whatever it was. It kept making sounds, maybe talking. I'm not so good with the words either. Okay, I wasn't good with much of anything, but I didn't need to know that.

Oh man, and I had the munchies… So hungry… Hungry…

The sound, I found, was coming from an underground floor that I could look down on because the middle of the floor had been constructed to be open. Some multi-level mall thing, I'm not expert on buildings but it was probably to let that natural light in from the nonexistent glass ceiling. I couldn't see much, but there was a group down there. Two of them were yelling at each other. Oh good, a distraction…

While they argued, I found stairs and almost fell down them. When I made it to the bottom in one piece, they were still arguing but now I saw that one had a gun drawn. They were talking too fast for me to quite understand but I caught words here and there. Something about women, a facility, and resources… It was about then that I realized the one with a gun looked different, clothing-wise. We already covered that I was slow right?

Mm… Camouflage. Military? If so, not the kind of military I'd joined. This guy didn't look like he was doing anyone any favors. The rest of the people he had his gun pointed out looked scared even in the dim light. I was probably close enough for them to see me but the gun guy; he had his back to me… I could feel his warmth. Mm… I was so hungry and he seemed like jerk.

Then he shot one, the guy he was arguing with, in the leg. I staggered closer and stopped because I thought he heard me. The group he had at gunpoint were unarmed, I hoped, because my stomach told me to eat him up and if they had any sense they'd blow my head off before I was done.

He grabbed one of the women and pulled her forcibly by the hair. Yup, he was goner.

I practically lunged at him. Groping his hair with my hands, I yanked his head back and sank my teeth into his tender cheek. I felt his flesh part like butter between my incisors and he screamed as I ripped half his face of. I gobbled it down like a greedy snake, swallowing whole without a thought to chew. The explosion of warmth in my mouth put my body in hyper drive.

When he hit me in the face, I stumbled back and fell. Before even I knew it, I was crawling on my hands and knees toward his staggering form. He was making yowling noises and clutching his face, gun lost somewhere to the floor. Could he have been more of a target? I don't think so.

Flinging my arms around his legs, he tumbled down and I scrambled on top. He was struggling but he was losing blood fast. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping him kicking and I put a stop to that pretty quickly. Sinking my blunt teeth into his neck, I shook my head like a dog and tore a good hole in it. Oh god, he was good! I writhed on top him, enjoying the warm of his body against mine, enjoying even more the way his flesh warmed me inside when I swallowed him down.

I looked up to see if the small group was still there and I had sort of an `oh crap' moment because one of them now had a gun. I don't know if the gun was any of theirs or not but it kind of didn't matter now that it was pointed at my head. Damn me for being such a nice guy… And hungry, mostly this since I might've walked away to save my own skin. I'm not a dick, but I'm certainly no hero either.

Hell, if I was going to die. Ya know, again. I was gonna do it doing something I loved, like eating.

Lowering my head carefully, I kept my eyes on that gun trained on my head as if he might pull the trigger if I looked away. Grasp firm on my victim's arm, I sank my teeth into the lower part of the extremity. The upper arm tended to have a thicker layer of fat and I wanted meat.

This was weird, even for me. Them watching me watch them and none of them doing anything. Run, shoot me, scream, thank God I killed guy before he raped your ass or blew another hole in you… But they just kept staring.

“It's… Like it's watching us.” Said one of them from the group, feminine. Oh good, slow speak. I could understand that.

“Looking for its next meal.” Said another. I'm not sure how many there were, a handful maybe?

“Jusotanlego-“ That was someone not talking slow and I didn't catch a word of it, but the urgency told me it wasn't anything good. The arm still in my jaws, I carefully crawled off the still warm body and began to drag it away on all fours. The one with the gun followed me, “Hurry!” It was fast talk but I was good with single words, except I didn't know who was hurrying or with what. So I stopped.

A woman moved to join him and placed a hand on his arm, lovebirds maybe? And she said something slow, “Don't waste the bullet. We need to find Matt.” The man said something fast in return but kept his gun pointed at me, “Matt!” Queue the return of their missing guy who came running down the stairs just about as fast as his skinny legs could carry him. When I tried to watch him, he was just a blur and I went back to staring down the barrel.

Matt said things so fast that I wasn't sure he said anything at all by the time he was done. The group went tense and the guy with the gun kicked me in the face, jerk, and raided the downed guy for anything. He kicked me again when I tried to sit up, fuck! Stop kicking me in the face!

When I was finally allowed up, my victim was mostly stripped of everything. In his haste, the raider had practically ripped his clothes off. Worked for me and I went right on back to eating briefly before I heard the reason for their haste.

The hoard, or rather some hoard, stumbled into view. I wanted to yell at them to get their own meatbag happy meal, but they weren't much for listening and I certainly wasn't much of a talker. Instead, I made an angry gargling hiss and moved away from the kill. Frenzy feeding, not my cup of tea. So I turned in the direction the group had run off and, well, I followed them. What else did I have to do? The bleeding one made things easy for my simple zombie brain. Like a game of connect the dots, except with blood.

I'd gotten about three blocks away when I heard something behind me. Turning around, I paused in my pursuit to watch a bright flash light up the dark city. Shit, I didn't know what it was but I was enchanted by the brightness. A chorus of zombie screams rang out. Might sound like a bunch of moaning to anyone else but zombies have a particular noise they make when in distress and they were making a lot of that. The noises died down and I spotted a few flaming zombies fumbling around the streets not knowing what to do with themselves. I'd never been on fire, but it didn't look like a walk in the park to me. Oh well, not like I could coordinate a rescue. I let them be to continue with my pursuit of the group I had my sights set on.