When I woke up and got to pulling the cart along Richard stopped me. He looked pissed.
"I read what you posted."
"...okay?"
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Tell you what?"
"About Terri?"
"About wh..." Then I recognized the name. Terri told me about her brother. He helped survivors get supplies. He travelled in a group. His name was Richard Stone. "...oh..."
"Yeah. Oh."
Thankfully, the tension was cut mercifully short. Damien was keeping a lookout from the covered wagon from binoculars and suddenly he shouted, "There! Grocery store! Only half decimated!"
Richard looked up at Damien, then into the distance where a large two story building was placed, dogflesh packing in around it but not yet taking over the building yet. Large poles that were once most likely light fixtures were now replaced by large columns of dogflesh with two heads facing opposite directions at the top. We headed out towards the area as quickly as possible. The wheels crunched flesh and bone as we moved along the steadily thickening mass of dogflesh. There were some speakers near the top of the building, right outside.
Richard looked up at Damien, then into the distance where a large two story building was placed, dogflesh packing in around it but not yet taking over the building yet. Large poles that were once most likely light fixtures were now replaced by large columns of dogflesh with two heads facing opposite directions at the top. We headed out towards the area as quickly as possible. The wheels crunched flesh and bone as we moved along the steadily thickening mass of dogflesh. There were some speakers near the top of the building, right outside.
Damien motioned for Richard and I to stop pulling the cart and get into the store. Kimberly and ... what's his name... are going to keep watch over the cart and begin pulling on it if the flesh starts trying to assimilate the cart. I was given an SMG, of which the cart had a fairly surprising number, and moved out with Damien and Richard into the building.
The walls inside were mostly empty of dogflesh, save a little which was bubbling through cracks in the walls and mewling like newborn puppies. However, blood stained the walls everywhere, and in some places there were impaled dead bodies, maybe 10 in total. Some were fresh, but the majority were black and rotting. We looked around in the grocery store, but aside from some tuna, some juices, some water and some Armour sausages and spam (which are okay when on the road, I guess), there was nothing.
"Psst, new guy. Check the pharmacy for meds. I hope it's not cleaned out." He motioned for me to head over to the back part of the store. I did so, pointing my gun at blind spots, trying my best not to be caught off guard. I finally made it to the pharmaceuticals section. I looked around for medications. I found aspirin medicine painkillers, antibiotics, and andtidepressents. I also found adhesive bandages, sutures, and syringes. Among these I found a doctor's medical journal, with a strange symbol on the front cover. It had a large vertical line with a smaller, snake-like line overlapping it at points. I tossed it away. When I headed back I saw Damien and Richard motioning for me to follow, but I suddenly heard the sound of toppling cans. Rich and Damien heard it too.
We headed toward the source of the noise. When we got to the center we found an open hole in the floor of the grocery store, dogflesh already bubbling its way through. There was a message below the hole, scrawled in disgustingly brownish red liquid.. "THE PACK SHALL HUNT." We looked at the message for a while, then, thinking to head back before any trouble arose, started to turn back. The minute we did so, a loud, creepy distorted laugh echoed throughout the store, emanating from the intercom itself. It reminded me of something... first, it sounded like the psychotic laugh of a hyena ripping into their prey. Secondly, I could swear I heard that laugh before...
It wasn't until the barbarians ambushed me that I remembered that the laugh was present in the first barbarian ambush, right before the Dogmother emerged and chased me. They were all wielding clubs, bats, and axes this time. No ranged weapons and, thank God, none with vicious dog heads on the ends of them. We drew our weapons and fired on them. They swung at us, but never got close enough to attack with melee weapons. Some drew throwing knives and aimed them at us. Some hit us in painful, yet nonvital spots, like a graze on the shoulder or the arm. Soon, after the rattling of gunfire and the thick, pungent smell of smoke cleared the air, there were no barbarians left alive.
We continued on our way back when the laugh erupted again, causing me to shudder. Then I heard the pounding. It sounded like it was coming from our right, but slowly getting closer...
and closer...
and closer.
We were running out of the store, our bags filled with supplies, our guns empty, as the giant half-human creature burst through the glass sliding panes of the door with a crash. Its inhuman eyes also brought back memories from that encounter. It began to leap towards us, its wild eyes darting towards us, its tongue lobbing saliva wherever it could. It started gurgling, then said, "YOU WON'T ESCAPE, HUMANS." With that, the giant hyena-like beast pulled out a giant club... with spikes made of claws and a large dog head on the end. So much for what I said earlier.
I trained my pistol onto the Hyena Man, as it kept leaping towards us. I knew there was one way to stop it. There were cars in the parking lots still, covered in dogflesh but still there somewhere. If only I could get a precise hit. The underbelly near the exhaust pipe might work, but then again, it's too small.
Thankfully the Hyena Man landed on something that made my job much easier: a sixteen wheeler. I remembered in time that the gas pipe was below the front end of the chassis, so I took careful aim and fired while it was in mid-laugh. The dogflesh exploded in a burst of fire, and a psychotically maddening laugh soon grew large hints of a horrific wail, with a high C harmonic that could shatter glass. We moved on as quickly as possible, Kimberly and Damien taking the shift this time. I had a nasty cut on my arm and was tending to it with one of the sutures.
Rich came over and helped with it. "Hey, nice shooting."
"Yeah. Hey, I'm sorry about not talking about... her..."
"I know. I mean, she gave you some clues as to who I was, but still, idiocy and violence can also help a man survive in the Dogscape." He shot me a humorous look.
We were on better terms, and I thought the sailing would at least be a little more smooth from this point on. However, when I looked out of the cart, I saw it. The Hyena Man I flame broiled a while ago. It was accompanied by a new creature, what, as opposed to the shadowy silhouette of the Hyena Man, was a bright glow, like a small flame. I stared wide eyed, then turned back to my compatriots in the cart. It's not over. It's not the last I'd see of that laughing freak.
