Why the Zombie Moans

*Disclaimer* The following story contains moments of violence, gore, and some strong language that may not be suitable for all readers. If it were a movie, I'd rate it PG13. If you enjoy zombie movies, none of this will phase you. If you do not, I recommend trying a different story. Thank you.

It was, in fact, a dark and stormy night. And I, I was in a tent. I've camped plenty of times in the rain. It was also normal for me to be alone on my ventures. Yet, somehow, this time felt more exposed. Call it a premonition or a hunch, but it's almost like my subconscious knew there was something lurking in the woods, something wrong. Thunder rolled over me and the rain, well, the rain made me really need to pee.

'The one thing I hate about camping.' I thought. As grim luck would have it, I wouldn't have to deal with such discomforts much longer.

The zipper snipped loudly as I opened the tent flap. I grabbed my boots from their protected space under the rain fly and clumsily shoved them onto my feet. I slipped my windbreaker on, too. It was the rainbow one my grandma had sent for Christmas last year. It was my favorite. Gran knew me well. Head lamp in place, I ventured into the downpour.

It was raining so hard that, despite my hood, droplets splattered into my eyes. It was colder than I expected, too. The early September thermometer doesn't usually dip this far. My breath formed a hazy fog in front of my face. Mud suctioned my feet as I squelched over to my preferred squatting tree.

Deafening thunder cracked overhead. The lightning that had caused it left me blind for a moment. Blind, except that it left a negative on the back of my eyelids. There was someone in the brush surrounding me. I could hear crackling steps as the thunder settled. Whoever was out there was...moaning? I held my breath, straining to see.

'Maybe it's a fellow camper also in need of relief? Probably has a stomach ache with all that moaning.' I silently reassured myself. But I didn't call out. I tried to shrink into the darkness around me. It didn't matter. Another crash of lightning illuminated the space again. They…it…was on me before the flash faded.

Do you know the scream a mountain lion lets out when it's attacking its prey? It's other worldly. It's the only way I can describe what I heard. The sound shocked me so much, it was a moment before I realized the searing pain. I stared in shock at the disfigured face tearing skin away from my arm. Half of the creature's right cheek was gone and an eye hung tenuously from its socket.

"What the fuck?!?" I screeched as I yanked myself away and attempted to sprint toward my truck. I slid in the muck, but so did the creature.

'My keys, where are my keys?' I panicked. Then, I remembered they were in the tent. There was no way I could safely get to them.

'Shit. Shit!'

All I could do was run. I found the dirt trail that led to the parking lot. I raced down it, almost as fast as my heart was pounding. Exposed roots caught my feet, sending me somersaulting. I sprung back up with the agility of a drunken acrobat. My side began to feel like it was being pulled apart. Adrenaline kept me moving.

I finally hit pavement and glanced behind me. The monstrosity was still crashing after me. I don't know how long I ran. Because this was when my reality began to distort.

The rain sounded like an echo in a cave. Less sharp, distant. My bitten arm was becoming stiff and cold. The feeling traveled up and into my shoulder, causing the whole thing to go uselessly limp. As I ran, I also began to feel less afraid. It was replaced with an irrepressible rage. I wanted to shred something. My chest felt hot, ready to burst into flame. The mountain lion shriek shattered the air around me once more. This time, though, it came from my own lungs.

"What was that?" I tried to say aloud as I stopped short. Nothing but a raspy hiss came out. My jaw fell slack. I wanted to close it. I TRIED to close it. It remained stubbornly agape. My vision became covered in a gossamer film. I could only make out rough edges.

Lights appeared on the road. I stutter-stepped as I turned toward the source. They slowed and came to a halt right in front of me. My head jerked up. A large, pudgy man got out of the driver's side door.

"Miss? Are you okay?" he asked with genuine concern.

I wanted to tell him to run, to leave this unholy place. I blinked and only managed to roughly turn my head. I was compelled by some force outside of myself to move toward him, shaky step after shaky step.

"Were you in an accident? What happened to your arm?" he persisted. The fool.

I kept shuffling. Suddenly, I became aware of the tangy scent of his flesh. I kept moving toward him, relishing the smell that filled my nose.

"I'm going to call 911." The man fumbled his phone out of his pocket. I was still inching toward him. He held his hand up at me.

"Now, now just stay there. We'll get you taken care of." He was trembling. As his fear heightened, so did my hunger. "Please, miss. Just, just, now STOP! STOP OR I'M GOING TO..."

I never did hear what he was going to do. The next moment, the glorious smell I'd been drawn to now filled my mouth. My jaw, no longer slack, but gnawing at the man's collar bone. The world surrounding completely faded away as I was consumed with exquisite delight. My limbs felt the rush as his blood revitalized them. I gorged on the succulent flesh with mad abandon.

'More, more' was all I could think. Then, just as suddenly as it had come, the exuberance left. My mouth could no longer taste the warmth of life pouring in. I dropped the collapsed, eviscerated thing in my hands.

'More, more," kept running through my mind. All that came out was, "mmmmm.......mmmmmm" as I stumbled toward lights in the distance.