| The first body we found little more than a dried up husk. |
| It hadn’t been there
|
| for long. |
| It still had a full kit, ammo, rifle, half pack of cigarettes in the
|
| chest pocket
|
| No visible wounds
|
| His uniform was unfamiliar, not one of ours. |
| Like us, he had no flag on his
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| sleeve. |
| I stuffed the cigarettes into my pocket and pulled its cap over its
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| face
|
| About as much ceremony as any of us deserved
|
| We got the signal to proceed and made our way deeper into the structure.
|
| In the maze of hallways we found more bodies, desiccated, no wounds.
|
| All dead without firing a shot
|
| We had no idea what we were dealing with
|
| And we weren’t the first to try. |
| I put my wristwatch to my ear to make sure it
|
| was still ticking. |
| It’s an old habit. |
| We hadn’t been told where we’re going or
|
| why. |
| We had no idea how big this thing was
|
| And we knew we weren’t alone
|
| O' body heat, caress thy wicked sense
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| Let man’s image penetrate the clouding lens
|
| May we see an end to our gnawing frustration
|
| From the stars to the cradle of creation
|
| We started back tracking our way though the structure. |
| Our pace steadily
|
| quickened, like we were being followed
|
| Our hurried footsteps echoed on the metal walk ways. |
| We should have been out of
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| there in just a few minutes, but instead we seemed to be going in circles
|
| I was breathing sharply, fighting feelings of panic, trying to remember the way
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| out. |
| That’s when I felt it
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| A penetrating cold in my chest. |
| I choked on my breath, unable to move,
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| suddenly paralyzed, held by some terrible force
|
| May the void bless this feast, may the bounty never cease
|
| May the fluid ever flow, may our young grow and grow
|
| We blessed few to become the crimson hue
|
| Shall make a paradise of this world anew
|
| The air filled with a plume of crimson. |
| A network of veins took shape around me,
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| the scarlet fluid outlining a bloated form floating in the air
|
| I could feel a cold gelatinous digit probe the inside of my mouth.
|
| My eyes were locked open, enslaved to the horror unfolding before me;
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| my blood curdled in its gut and flared throughout its tissue
|
| The tip of my finger brushed the hilt of my knife. |
| Rage boiled up from the
|
| depths of me and brought my last remaining strength with it
|
| I heard my watch tick
|
| I grit my teeth
|
| And lashed out with the blade
|
| Feel the spray from wound I had made
|
| Pushed the horror aside and rose to my feet
|
| I’m gonna take you with me!
|
| Others closed in with menacing glee
|
| Floating and bloated with eyes hungry
|
| I felt overwhelmed with the will to survive
|
| I roared like a lion and lunged with my knife
|
| Obedient ones to the old ones ways
|
| Drink to them to slow our prey
|
| To give us strength in the face of leaded sting
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| To the glorious hunt, may sustenance it bring |