Dead Dove Do Not Eat

Starvation

It had all ended in front of your eyes. The room, the people you loved, and the whole wide world.

The earth had truly, and finally meet it's befitting end. It has been a few years since then, and the memory of 'The End' had long left your brain.

As you drag your feet through the roughen terrain, past the explosions that had happened to Earth, your eyes gazed towards what remains of the surface.

Hundreds of corpses laid on the ground, their skin burnt and peeling off. Even to this day, the scent of scorching skin and flesh never left your nose, and now, it was mixed with the scent of rotting corpses.

As you walk slowly between the corpses, sometimes stepping on a few, you feel your feet dig and fall through the gooey flesh that was left behind of these corpses, revealing the maggots which were feasting beneath what's left of the burnt, rotting skin. Each step you could feel them, grinding, crawling, squishing underneath your boots. A brown substance stick to your booths and pants, it's rotting smell coming along with you, one which will never fade away.

Through the hurdles of corpses, all you were searching for was some food... Any food. Though the rotting stench of the corpses never made you feel comfortable to eat, the ever painful hunger and dehydration that you had were driving you to find may substance. The stores near your small shelter had long dried out, and now here you were, scrounging through the deserted road, through shops in search for any goods you could get your hands on

But nothing.

The stores were empty, dusty, and mossy. There was filth everywhere around the corners, dead bugs surrounded the ground and cobwebs hung in the ceilings. Nothing has been touched for awhile, yet the damn store was devoid of anything to eat nor drink.

Your stomach growls at the thought of food, oh does it crave to feast on anything you could set your eyes on that at desperate times those maggots that crawled through rotting corpses seemed tasty. Their fatty, juicy bodies seemed almost inviting to try and eat, but the repulsive smell of the corpses had long repulsed you from eating any back then.

Of course, now was a different time.

It's been 2 weeks since you've had any food, and a week since your clean water supply had dried out. Though the pandemic has passed for more than a few years, was this truly how you were going to die?

From dehydration and starvation, even after living this long?

As you walked outside, your eyes couldn't help but gaze at those corpses again... You know for a fact that you shouldn't be eating those things... Those grubby, worm-like animals. The chances for bacterial infections were high, and the possibility that you'll just throw up afterwards was similarly high...

Yet you couldn't help but salivate, as your stomach starts to growl once more. The ever growing hunger and thirst, they had long disorientated your thoughts, your emotions, your stability.

And even if it's for a mere second, you wanted to be free from this starvation

As you crouched down, your hands dug through the rotting flesh, easily ripping them apart and revealing those white, fatty worms. They wiggle and squirm under the sunlight that was suddenly exposed onto them, as if sensing danger from above. The rotting stench that you smelled was dulled out in your mind, as your hand dug through the rotting, slimy flesh, sticking onto your fingers and your nails as you were taking a handful of those grubby animals.

For a mere second, you stopped, gazing upon the small animals. As they squirmed, trying to fall off your hands, you rationalised for a bit

Was this truly what you've become?

Yet, as it holds, that thought barely lasted a second

Before you chomped down onto the grubs on your hands.

In almost an instant, you could taste the rotting flesh those worms had eaten, along with the exploding taste of oozing puss. Most were still alive, moving in your oral cavity, squirming even. Yet, even with that all... You didn't stop.

As you chewed through the grubs, the taste started to become unbearable, yet confusing. It tasted bitter, yet sweet. Nasty yet necessary. Soon, all that's left in your mouth was a smooshy, white, gooey substance, which you've soon swallowed down.

The rotten smell had long permeated your oral and naval cavity, yet your body didn't so much as flinch nor gag. Instead?

It dug straight in for seconds.

Though temporary, the starving feeling you've felt had started to become quenched.

And just that, was truly enough.