Chapter 2: It's A Delicacy

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I wander back into the streets following the majestic sound. It was drawing me in like I was in a trance. Some zombies who are closer to the location seem to have the same idea while others who are a bit further away are just mindlessly wandering. I guess I have a better hearing than them.

I can tell that it's not the same sound I make or the other zombies make. The pattern is like music to my ears while the sound these zombies make is similar to a war cry. It's as if a bunch of bloodthirsty monsters is captivated by a siren's song. As I got more closer, I started smelling it again. A delicious odor that is increasing the amount of saliva in my mouth. It smells good and it's strong enough to increase my hunger making me groan louder.

I try to move a bit faster dragging my feet as much as I can. Remembering the humans from before, they moved differently than us. I stood in place trying to remember how they moved. Rather than dragging, they raised each leg one after another. I copy what I remember but it didn't feel or look the same. it felt stiff as if I was missing something.

Ah, their upper body was swaying a bit. I did the same and it felt uncomfortable to move. Lessening my top body movement, it became more natural and soon after, I was able to do the same.

Walk. Walking? All of a sudden, another memory inserted itself into my mind and I knew what this movement was. It's called walking, a skill that was learned at a young age. It's a natural movement humans make to be able to travel for hours without exerting too much energy. I walked down the street and the pace I'm moving was a lot faster than before. Soon, I was passing one zombie after another and I felt empowered that I was able to do something they cant.

Am I a zombie? I was questioning the difference between us yet we all look the same with pale skins, dark veins and nails. I kept walking and soon my stomach was grumbling even louder. If I don't eat, I might go insane. Thinking about food, my rationale is slowly diminishing and my thoughts are being replaced by images of me biting an arm, ripping off chunks of the flesh using my teeth while my face and mouth get covered with blood. It was different from the memories I usually get when an item or location triggers it. It's more like an imagination coming from the darkness within me that I can't control it.

My stomach continue to growl as I walked through the street. I was starting to become impatient as the sound becomes louder and louder from a distance. The smell was getting stronger and stronger making me want to move faster. As soon as I got where the smell is coming from, I notice zombies huddled around something. By now, the sound has completely stopped and all that's left are crunching and ripping echoes as the zombies devour something on the ground. Blood was slowly creeping out under them creating a uddle and it smells like an expensive yet delicious drink. As I got closer, I can see what they're eating. It's a person.

People? Do zombies eat people? I was wondering why those humans yesterday smelled good. They were food. Those zombies didn't go to the store to gather food, they went there to eat those humans. I felt sad thinking about it since I did think that the girl named Lisa smelled delicious. If I have gotten a chance, I would have devoured her.

These humans are our food and it's up to us to hunt them. I got closer and pull one zombie who was too busy biting on a leg to notice me. As I look down at the corpse, his eyes were missing and half of his face was already gone. My mouth wouldn't stop salivating as I got on my knees to get a closer look. The leg that was ripped open violently. His bones were exposed and veins were spurting out blood everywhere. The flesh was torn off at random places and the skin was ripped apart violently.

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Wound. He's wounded? Another memory and in seconds, I understood this person was wounded.

Without much thought, I take a bite onto the exposed leg and the warm blood was heavenly. I used my teeth and pulled off a chunk of meat. I chewed and in a matter of seconds, I was in it for another bite. The sound of flesh ripping was enchanting. The warm blood was comforting to touch with my face. If I could, I wouldn't mind covering myself with it.

The fresh meat from the leg was like a delicacy I will never forget. I kept eating and eating until I felt full for the very first time. I stop and stand up looking at what I have done. Almost all the flesh around his leg was gone exposing most of his bones. Another zombie quickly replaced my position blocking my view and I step back as more started gathering. I noticed they didn't stop as they kept eating till the corpse was badly mutilated on all parts.

I look around and I notice something besides the body. It was black and full of pockets.

Bag. Backpack? More memory entered my mind and I figure out what it was. It's a backpack that is used to store stuff inside. I walk towards it and pick it up. I inspect the backpack like a curious kid only except, this kid has a face full of blood. I knew how to use it, there are these things called zipper which reminds me of teeth clamping on each other to close a mouth shut.

A section of it extends out from both sides so I can wear it letting it hang on my shoulders as it rests on my back. I slide one arm through the opening and slide the other pushing the straps over my shoulder. It almost made me fall backwards. I wasn't used to the shift of weight and after walking around a bit, I was able to get comfortable.

All of a sudden, the delicious smell disappeared and the dead human started convulsing. The zombies that were enjoying their meal soon stood up and started wandering. I watch the corpse convulse some more and in a few seconds, he became one of us. His groan was similar the the zombies that were eating him a few minutes ago. After dragging his feet around for a few seconds, the leg I was feasting on before, rips off his body and he stumbles to the ground.

Rather than trying to get up, he uses his arms and navigates himself to random positions. He left a trail of blood which now smells normal. I look down at my hands which were covered with blood and getting a closer whiff, the delicious odor was gone. I lick my hand and even the taste was different. It wasn't delicious any more. It tasted nothing.

Feeling full, I wander back towards the fancy building I have found earlier. My mind was being filled with random thoughts. What if I managed to find those four again. Will I eat them? Will I eat her? She smelled delicious but, would I want to eat her?

I walk non stop and soon I was back sitting on my favorite couch. I remove the backpack and opened up the zipper to see the contents inside. It was hard since gripping it felt abnormal and after a few tries on trying to get hold of the tiny tab, I was able to slide it to the side and it made a weird buzzing sound.

I look inside and so many memories came into my mind. Flashlight, water bottle, and a knife. These are basic items for survival. Now, what are these humans surviving from? I don't know. I haven't learned anything about the whole concept of the world enough to conclude a reasoning. But what I do know, is how to use them. I take out more items but these never gave me any memory. I have no idea what they are and it seems like not everything will trigger these memories in my mind.

But whose memories are these? Is it mine? Is it someone else? I couldn't understand it. No point in dwelling about it since there's a lot of things I don't know like my existence and how I came into this world. Why are there zombies or why are we eating humans. Maybe it was the rule of this world.

I question every detail as I inspect all the pockets of the bag. I found a tiny box and a memory came making me remember a chewable food called gum. I stop as I stare into space. The memories are getting more and more vivid. Before I'll just somehow know the word but now, I'm getting flashbacks and images in my mind. I put all the items back into the bag since I wasn't learning anything anymore. I lay back down closing my eyes trying to fall asleep. I wanted to see them. I didn't know who they were but their presence made me feel something I couldn't explain. I wanted to dream again since it gave me a nice feeling.

But my own body didn't listen to me again. I couldn't fall asleep. I just lay there for hours keeping my eyes closed shut. My hunger came back making me open them. I wander back outside to look for something to eat. I couldn't hear any more beautiful sounds or smell anything delicious so I opted to go back to the store where I first saw her. I arrived faster than before since I was able to walk now. I rummage through the shelves and I found a few old Twinkies and some cans.

Canned dog food? These are some types of food but I'll need to open them to eat the contents inside. Looking at these new things I didn't notice before was giving my inner self joy. But my face remains the same emotionless and pale. I try putting the cans in my pockets but they didn't fit. Remembering my backpack, I walked back towards the fancy building to fetch it. I quickly got back into the store and stored all the food that gave me memory. Even the ones that piqued my curiosity, I store until the bag has gotten too heavy.

It was difficult to carry it back but I manage to arrive without falling as I slowly walked the streets. As soon as I arrived, I suddenly smell a delicious odor. I quickly drop the backpack and headed out to follow the smell. If I get to the source of the smell. I know I'll find a human and when I do, I'll be able to eat delicious food again.