The Spooky Bloodspread

Chapter 3: No Leftovers

Skid and Pump were no longer in their neighborhood after about an hour of walking.

Eventually, they got hungry, but fortunately for them, there was a restaurant nearby.

Skid browsed his menu once they were seated. "Hmmmm... the macaroni and cheese looks a little gross, but that's probably because it has a lot more cheese than macaroni," he said.

Pump had already ordered the mac n cheese, so that left Skid to order the kids' meal burger.

But when their food arrived and Pump ate the mac n cheese, he felt something crunchy in his mouth. He pulled it out, and it was... a human tooth.

"AAAAAAAUGH!!!" Pump screamed. "I ALMOST ATE A TOOTH AND IT'S NOT MY OWN!!!"

Skid also found a human hair in the patty of his burger and gagged. "Who's even cooking these?!" he asked.

The two boys really didn't want to pay for such gross food, but because it was illegal to leave without paying, they had no other choice.

As they left, Pump suddenly had to use the bathroom. Going back into the restaurant, he immediately ran out once he stepped foot into the men's room.

Not only did it smell unclean, but it looked it too, fecal matter staining the walls and parts of the floor, forcing Pump to have to take care of business in a bush.

After that, they saw another figure that kind of resembled Kevin, the candy store owner. He didn't seem to look like a disgusting monster.

Thank goodness it truly was Kevin.

Skid and Pump asked Kevin what was going on and why everyone was getting murdered and mutated and mutilated.

"Well, you see, there's an infection going around called the Bloodspread," Kevin told them. "It pretty much mutates people after they died, and it's contagious. Sometimes it affects them even when they're alive."

"How did it start?" Pump asked.

"Nobody knows how it came around, but some people assume it's a parasite. I personally believe it's just a-"

Kevin was interrupted when he was slashed open by presumably a telekinetic force. His intestines, lungs and heart fell out, killing him.

Skid and Pump screamed in horror and tried to run away, but they were grabbed in chokehold by the mysterious force.

The figure responsible stepped out of the shadows, and it turned out to be the Candy Dealer... except below his trench coat were long, intestine-like tentacles.

"Oh, my god," he said in a grim tone. "This strange man's about to kill the kids. AND NOBODY CAN STOP THE MAN."

He took off his hat to reveal a long, fleshy neck with just a mouth sticking out, and the eyes at the base ended up being socket-like nostrils stuffed with brown mucus, and the mouth licked its rotted lips with a dry, corpse-green tongue. This made Skid and Pump very nauseous.

"I'll just take a quick bite... or maybe swallow you whole," the Candy Dealer beamed. "Or maybe... turn you into some sugar... yes... that will be it..."

Skid and Pump tried to escape the psychic grip on their necks as they were dragged closer to the Candy Dealer's mouth.

He extended his tongue...

Only for it to get burned off after a hooded figure leaped on top of him and cauterized it.

The Candy Dealer let out a disturbing roar as the two boys were finally released from the psychic grip, then he melted into a pile of organs, mucus and saliva.

Skid was okay, but Pump seemed to have fallen unconscious from the former choking. The skeleton boy weakly crawled over to him and laid next to him, tearfully trying to bring him back.

"Pump... no... n-not like this..." Skid shakily muttered.

The figure who saved the kids walked up to Skid, who quickly noticed them.

"Th-this... is how... we... die...?" Skid asked, his voice trembling and whimpering as the figure loomed over him. "N-no... no... I-I'm not... dying..." he inched closer to Pump. "And you're... not... leaving me..."

Just as Skid held Pump's hand supposedly one last time...

The figure extended their own hand towards Skid.

"Come with me," the figure said in a whispering tone.

Skid, who had now regained a little more air from his horrified gasp, backed away fearfully.

The figure stopped him by gently holding his hand and gesturing to take Pump along.

"Wh-where are we going?" asked Skid.

"Somewhere... safe," the figure responded.

"But how can Pump and I know whether or not to trust you?"

"You've known me for a while," the figure smirked. "I'll take you to where I work."

Skid gulped. Somewhere safe? He wasn't so sure...