The Death of 1977 (Book 3)

Chapter 21

Before she could even open her sore eyes Lynnette heard something that sounded like water very nearby. She attempted to open her eyes, but it seemed that with every effort her eyelids couldn't or wouldn't crack apart. The more she heard the water that was all the more Lynnette wanted to see her surroundings. She precisely recalled what had taken place in her life minutes, hours or even days ago. The last thing she remembered was feeling tiny fish float all around her face right before she blacked out.

Lynnette once more tried in vain to open her eyes. But before she could even tear them open, a sudden burst of light caused her to shut them all over again. She gulped and opened them once more to see the sunshine all around her. To her left was the sand, and to her right was the crystal blue sea. In front of her, however, was something that caused her to believe that she was still in a state of delusion, or at the very least dead. For in front of her, kneeling and grinning, was none other than Arthur Bushard.

Lynnette opened her eyes all the way. The blazing sunlight was far from a detriment at that point. She tried to move but realized that something was holding her in place. Lynnette looked up to discover both of her hands tied upwards to a palm tree.

"Hello, mama," Arthur grinned so wickedly.

His facial features were swollen, along with the rest of his body which was covered only by a pair of torn, brown shorts. In her eyes, he looked as though he had been stung by a horde of bees.

"You are a tenacious one, I must say." He caressed her face.

Lynnette kicked and spat at the man until her arms began to wretch in pain. "Please, God!" She began to sob.

"No, no, no." Arthur waved his hands. "Dis has nuting to do wit him. How you know I still alive, mama?"

"Please...just kill me and get it over with!"

Arthur smiled and said, "When I was told dat you were here in my homeland I was quite surprised. I never imagined dat you would have such bravery. Do you know dat I was dere dat very night Isaac ate you out? I saw de whole ting."

Lynnette dropped her head in misery before looking back up and staring at the man with such contempt that it caused her to salivate.

"I fished you out of de water to show you someting, mama." Arthur stated. "You have never known a person like me, have you? I am a god; my master willed it."

"You're not a god." Lynnette sniveled.

Arthur just studied the young lady before asking, "Do you know why I killed my sister? Do not get me wrong, I loved my sister very, very much. But when one is...taken over, it's like being inside a racing car, and you cannot control it. All of dat blood dat was covering her; I couldn't help but to devour her. She tasted so good inside my stomach."

Lynnette squirmed and turned her head away from the man's ghastly face that wouldn't cease staring at her like she were next on the lunch menu.

"Look around you, mama." He turned his head. "Dis, and everyting in it, is all mine. My family is all but gone; all dat remains is me. Just de way it should be." Arthur then directed his attention back to Lynnette. "I want you to know exactly how dis feels." He grunted while forcefully grabbing her by the cheeks. "I took you out of dat water for one reason and one reason only." With his sharp right index finger Arthur made a tiny slit in Lynnette's throat until a sliver of blood began to trickle. "I will kill you, mama, but not yet. I want you to taste dis to its fullest extent. You will know a hunger de likes you have never experienced. Isaac felt it, too. It consumed him so much dat he killed four little girls, and nearly you and your bastard child."

Out of desperation, Lynnette turned her head from left to right in the hopes of evading the man's face.

"Den...when de hunger has completely consumed you, you shall beg me to kill you. I shall return, and when I get through with you, not even your Christ himself will recognize you."

Lynnette, gasping for air, looked up as Arthur stood to his feet and placed his hands on his hips. All she could see was the sun gleaming down upon his body; his entire face had all but been shaded out.

"And when I am through wit you, I shall dine on your child's bones. You should have never made it dis far." He reached down and slapped her across the face before turning and walking away. "I make you wish Isaac had killed you dat night!"

Something immediately took control of Lynnette. Her conscious mind stopped functioning at that moment. The final words that Arthur spoke right before leaving had all but vacated her thoughts. A sudden burst of intense energy struck her body like a bolt of lightning, so much so that it enraged her. She kicked, screamed and spat at the sand right before ripping her bound hands away from the tree.

Lynnette got to her feet as her vision began to blur. Instead of seeing a bright and luminous beach landscape her eyes gathered only darkness; it was like someone had placed a black film over her eyes. With an insufferable hunger inside her stomach Lynnette stalked the beach like a rampaging animal, frothing at the mouth. Her neck was bleeding but not to the point where she was gasping for oxygen. In the distance her ears could pick up the sounds of a barking dog. At the snap of a finger her attention was seized at red alert. Lynnette took off down the beach like a roadrunner after the dog. She couldn't tell what exactly she was chasing, all she could register was sound, a sound that was getting closer and closer to her the faster she ran.

Soon, she spotted a lone pit-bull frolicking against the waves. Lynnette's stomach went into overdrive at that instant, causing her to feel as if she hadn't eaten in months. Like a furious wind she bolted after the unsuspecting dog and tackled it to the sand before sinking her teeth into its neck. The dog wrestled and

brawled before finally coming to a rest in the woman's arms. She then tore into its stomach and proceeded to consume its innards.

Lynnette could have cared less about how the animal felt, she was still hungry.

***

The seething hunger inside Lynnette caused her to lurch across the beach like a crazed nomad. Her entire face was drenched in the blood of the dog she had consumed; and even though she had eaten nearly fifty percent of the animal, her stomach still couldn't help but to drag onward towards even more replenishment wherever she could find it.

The more she wandered on the more people came into sight. There were a couple of old men on the beach playing bongos and singing Reggae songs while some tourists stood around them and listened. There were children playing and swimming in the water while others just walked up and down the beach. In Lynnette's eyes they were all ripe with warm, smelly flesh and red flowing blood. She apparently didn't care that she herself was a mess of wet clothes and blood, all that mattered to her was the next meal, whether it was walking, swimming or flying above her with wings. Some people, as they strolled by her, managed to either gawk at her or keep their distance altogether.

Lynnette was groaning and growling like a raving lunatic fresh from a medieval asylum. She had no comprehension whatsoever of time, the past or even where she was. The further Lynnette lurked the more a familiar whiff seemed to seize her nose. Past one gawker after another she carried on until the smell of meat cooking filled her every sense to where her slow marching turned into rampant running. She raced down the beach, bumping into various people until she came face to face with The Kabal. Without any self-awareness at all, the woman barged her way inside through the front door and immediately went for the kitchen, making sure to knock a few tables over and disrupt the lunchtime rush.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

She crashed into the kitchen to see and smell all kinds of meat simmering and frying on the stove. Within the small expanse of four seconds her stomach went from enraged to downright explosive as she tore into the searing hot meat in one of the pans and engulfed the still cooking beef.

"Say dere, Lynn," one of the cooks jumped back amazed. "Whatha doin', girl?"

But Lynnette couldn't hear him; all she wanted was to rip into the burning meat with every tooth in her mouth until it all went down her gullet.

"Lynn, where ya been, girl?" Clea appeared from out of nowhere.

Once Lynn was done eating the meat she spun around and around until she spotted the refrigerator. Instantly, she ran over, flung open the door and began tossing out food that went spilling all onto the floor. The three people that were inside the kitchen all tried to stop her, but Lynn proved to be too strong as she muscled her way out of their grip on her way back out into the dining area.

"What's gwan on in here?" The owner of the restaurant came out ranting.

From one table to another Lynnette charged, grabbing anything that appeared appetizing and stuffing it into her mouth. Every patron inside all stood up from their tables in shock and watched the young lady demolish the establishment with such reckless abandon that one would have believed she was in the thralls of a drug induced rage, or, if one subscribed to such a notion, a possession of sorts.

When Lynnette wasn't able to spot anymore food in sight she stood back with wild eyes and viewed each and every person before her. All of the sweaty flesh, whether it was black or white, took on such a pungent aroma; it was hard for her to focus on just one individual. She heaved in and out like a raging bull before finding and focusing on a specific man and woman couple to her immediate right. The man picked up a chair in a defensive position while standing in front of his woman. Lynnette slowly prowled towards them both with her blood-stained teeth glaring at them.

"Lynn, what is de matter wit you?" Clea came running out of the kitchen screaming.

But Lynnette couldn't even hear her, she just continued on before gathering a load of energy in her hind legs, rearing back and proceeding to pounce on the frightened couple only to be approached by a large female from behind and struck across the back of the neck, sending her not only to the floor, but also into yet another bout of lifelessness.