Among the Fallen: Resurrection by Ross Shortall, Scott Beadle Page A

as their tiny paranoid eyes scanned the area; swiftly plunging their beaks in and guzzling down Alex’s innards as they lay scattered across the ground. As the crows feasted to their hearts content, wild dogs howled in the distance as the horizon shimmered with flames, the lonely road lit pathetically with distant light.
    Suddenly, one of the scavengers cried out and the others leapt into the sky, squawking as tendons and arteries lashed from the putrid mess, grabbing at the panicking bird as it stumbled. Its bones crunched and twisted as it struggled to break free, its wings flapping frenziedly as it slowly succumbed and faltered. Suddenly, the crow exploded into a cloud of black feathers and the gore began to curdle. The blood began to bubble and steam, threads of muscle started to wisp as the bones snapped back together slowly; the organs beginning to mould back into shape whilst the carnage slithered across the ground like water. The skull reformed as muscle and flesh twisted over the ivory within seconds, the cracks sealing and vanishing flawlessly. Strands of tendons, arteries and flesh whipped out and snared her pieces, dragging them through the mud and dirt, back to where they belonged.
    Moments later there was a skeleton stumbling on its feet in agony, flesh forming rapidly and blood pouring from every point in its body. Its muscles glimmered as light hit its glossy wet limbs, the skull crying out in indescribable agony. As its voice box reformed it squealed like a pig, its suffering made apparent by a muscle clad body missing its skin. The nightmarish and bleeding body stumbled and tripped, crying and screaming as the cold air chilled her wet exposed muscles. Strand upon strand of flesh lashed and whipped layers of sore red raw meat over bone as the macabre body fell and crawled along the floor, clawing at the dirt in deep despair. Suddenly, white fleshy spots appeared and bled over the muscle, skin as thick as glue warped and wrapped, quickly tightening as she clambered to her feet until suddenly, she stood upright, panting and coughing as her organs finally fell into place.
    Just moments later, Alex had reformed and was shaken off balance, shocked to the very core of her spine; she dropped to her knees shivering in fright as tears poured from her black soulless eyes. She sat for a few moments getting back her breath as she looked around cautiously, shivering in cold and terror as she stared blankly into the darkness before her.
    The main road into the city sat ahead of her, leading off into a slick and haunting darkness; the red sky almost hidden by the dense decaying trees and woodland that seemed like it went on forever.
    She stood up and turned, staring up at what seemed like a massive pillar of skulls and bone leading up to the now invisible graveyard above. Caskets extruded, all rotten and decayed and skeletons hung from the walls, gripping the Earth and frozen in pain. Around the bottom were cables and dead power lines where the awesome pillar obviously had shot from the ground at some point, burying itself into the thick sky miles above. The floor was littered with skulls, coffin pieces and bones; people with no identity, face nor respect as she merely glared over the macabre sight with thoughtless bewilderment.
    She stood shivering and cold as the trees stood around her like giants, the sky red and lit up on one side from the fires that burnt in Blackwater city. As she walked, her legs stumbled and gave way as if she had not used them before. Stumbling and crying, she crawled her way to the side of the road and just sat staring up at the atmosphere. Hundreds of thoughts were racing through her head, questions with nobody around to answer them.
    The clouds raced across the sky and the rain slowed down as if it were about to stop; the trees creaking and swaying and the silence broken only by crickets and the occasional wild dog far away; howling in the mountains as crows squawked at each other in amusement.