Evolutionary

Ch 8. - Loss

"Would you care to explain why you accepted without even questioning why they can't get it themselves? After all they did say it wasn't far." James barked as they walked out of the hut and into the village.

"Because we have a truck, and a truck can carry more than they can not to mention I will not stop until I get into the city." Carlson replied.

After a brief silence a horrific scream emanated from inside one of the huts, it was that of a woman's. She burst out of the hut obviously in tremendous pain. She clutched her left arm, blood dripping behind her as she scrambled about calling for help. From just below her elbow to the tips of her fingers her flesh had been stripped to the bone. The guards turned to see what the commotion was about. From the hut then burst out a human-looking entity, it was covered in pale green fungi with mushroom colonies sticking out in various spots all over it. The creature, though it was shaped like a human, definitely was not. It leapt from the porch and landed on the woman who was trying to crawl away, too weak to stand. She began to scream and cry, frantically trying to get the creature off of her with no success. Millions of tiny tentacles extended from the monster, dissolving her quickly leaving nothing but a blood soaked skeleton behind.

"Oh my god." Liz muttered, with hands covering her mouth. Carlson held her, making sure she wouldn't watch.

The guards rushed back with a twelve-gauge and unloaded a shot point blank to the creatures head. Instantly it turned to a gelatinous blob on the floor.

"What the fuck was that!" Carlson shouted, for the first time he had found himself deeply disturbed.

"That was a fungal walker, outsider." The guard who shot the walker replied, wiping sweat from his brow. "A lot of our hunters come back with the stuff. If I were you I'd stay far away from that blob until it dries up or else you'll end up like it."

"What does it do, exactly?" James asked reluctantly.

"It's not pretty. If you step in it, or touch it roots itself in that area, eating your flesh and crawling its way up to your brain. Once it gets there you become that." The guard said as he pointed at the blob sitting in blood and bones. "Some people have it here; I'd watch yourself because once they turn only a bullet to the head will stop it."

"Right, thanks for the warning." Carlson replied, rubbing his chin. He couldn't help but stare at the blob amazed that it was still moving.

____________________________________________________________________________________

They piled into the truck, occupying the usual spots.

"Where did he say the supermarket was?" Liz shouted with her head sticking out of the window.

"Just go straight; it's about a five minute drive." Carlson shouted back.

"Thanks!"

The truck jolted into life and took off down the road. It hopped and bounced once again due to the increasing amount of vines and cracks that slithered across the pavement.

"I still don't know why they couldn't get it themselves. This doesn't sit well with me." James huffed.

"We'll be fine, get in get out, easy." Carlson replied.

"Ha! That's what you said about the mall, remember?"

"This is different, I promise."