The End Has No End

3

... but it is not enough to just lay the potion and say the words. To see the process through, the subject must prove capable of walking under their own power. Any attempt at assisting them will interrupt the flow of magic, and thus render the subject incomplete. Unable to control their hunger, they will become a mindless creature of destruction, impervious to all damage and unstoppable until the magic- stored in the skull- is released.

Vera gulped as she finished reading the page of instructions. She remembered nearly falling back at the graveyard, but Zeke had caught her. Had those few steps she'd taken been enough? She didn't feel like a rampaging monster. And she wasn't particularly hungry... what did hunger have to do with anything anyway? Turning to the next page, she saw her question answered under the title of "Upon Success".

Once the spell is complete, the subject will be whole and healthy, of the same age as the time of death... It takes some time to recover from the rigors of the spell. After recovery, they will find their strength and senses greatly increased, a byproduct of the magic used to keep them animated... 

Both this form and the unwholesome one are known by the term of 'zombie'. Both are defined by one main characteristic, that being the consumption of raw flesh. The difference lies in the means of obtaining said flesh. The successfully raised zombie can make do with raw beef, pork, fish or poultry. In this way, they can keep their hunger abated, although the flesh of the living is a constant temptation... A failure, however, constantly seeks out living flesh, humans included... It will continue to tear at the victim until they succumb to their wounds, then move on to the next, never satisfied. The only method of stopping it is the destruction of the skull. 

"No..." The word came out louder than she had intended, and her eyes shot to the connecting door. There was no sound from the other side. Looking back at the page, she quickly scanned it, sure she had missed something. But it was all there- she was a monster, or one step away from being one. Now she wondered, was Zeke in a similar position? She flipped through the remaining pages, but there was nothing there on vampires. The rest of the pages seemed to be various 'zombie' cases Zeke had uncovered during his research.

With a sigh, Vera turned to the history textbook. It was from a high school course, and much thicker than anything she remembered from high school. She looked over the table of contents, then began to flip her way through until she reached the section just after World War II. There was still over half the book left. Had she really missed so much?

The light from the window was dimming when she heard a door open behind her. At some point during the day she had moved the chair by the window, opening the curtains to let in what little sunlight there was at the back of the building. Turning, she saw Zeke slowly shuffling towards her. "...Evenin'..." His voice had more of a drawl than usual, and he still appeared half-asleep. Instinctively, he paused just at the edge of the light, wincing slightly. Realizing it, she drew the curtain closest to her closed. "What's wrong with the light?" she asked, curious.

"I'm too old for it ta kill me, but I do getta bad burn. One of tha prices I pay for what I am." He said sleepily, coming up behind her. Leaning over, he folded a corner of one of the pages she was on and closed the book. "That's enough classroom time for one day. It's time for a field trip." "To where?" "Where there's others like us. I've made a few friends there, and hopefully you will too." He glanced up at the window. The sun was gradually setting towards the other side of the building. "We should be able to make it to the car without me gettin' toasted. Ready?" "As much as I'll ever be ready to see the future." She rose from the chair, setting the book on it before following him out into the parking lot.

Zeke led the way around the corner nearest them, where a small black car waited. It seemed more curved and fragile than anything she remembered. He touched a finger to a tiny panel above the handle and the two doors unlocked. Once inside, he helped her adjust the safety harness before touching another panel. The car came to life, a lighted display showing the time, temperature, and other bits of data about the car while it slowly rose a few feet into the air.

"This... this is different." Vera said weakly, watching as Zeke poked a button and pulled away from the parking spot, swiftly rising until a light marked 'cruise height" blinked on. The invention of such a craft had been mentioned briefly in her book, but she had considered it a minor curiosity. Experiencing it for herself, however, was giving her a vastly different opinion. 

Zeke maneuvered around the building and out to the street. The after-work traffic was dying down, but it was enough to make Vera gasp. A combination of sleek looking cars and cumbersome trucks crisscrossed the intersection in front of her. Yellow fencing separated one side of the road from the other while a single bright white wire separated the lanes, everyone zipping along ten to twelve feet in the air. Zeke couldn't help but smile at her awe-stricken face. "Don't worry, it's not as bad as it looks." An opening appearing in the line of traffic and he swung into it, quickly accelerating and moving down the street towards a cluster of tall buildings in the distance.