Tales of the Scarecrow

Starvation

[READ AT YOUR OWN RISK]

It's been three weeks since it started. The catastrophic event spread like wildfire causing a pandemic worldwide. People are dying from hunger everyday. We don't know how it started, it suddenly appeared and cast a curse on our land.

It was a strange occurrence. All sources of food started to wither from unknown causes. Crops, vegetables, livestock– they all started decaying with unexplained reason. People are getting hungry, and so are we.

I've been stuck in my house for a week already. Ever since the people outside started to act like crazy zombies begging for food everywhere. The disorder began last week, when one of my neighbors started suffering from the effects of starvation.

He was kneeling down clenching his stomach from pain. I came over to him and tried to give him some help. That's when I noticed the strange change in him.

He was muttering something.

I couldn't understand what he was saying, but I wanted to help. Everyone is in a state of pandemic and I don't want anyone else to die from hunger anymore. As I reached my hand closer, he swiftly jumped at me. I rolled down as I struggled to get away from his grasp.

"Hey, what's the matter with you?!" I shouted at his cannibalistic face, blood was pouring down from his mouth onto my cheeks.

As his face inched closer to mine, I could almost hear death greeting me. The damn idiot was trying to eat me.

As I found an opening, I kicked him hard in his stomach and I scrambled away. I was running swiftly to my house as I noticed that everyone in the surroundings have also been under the effects of cannibalism. People were eating each other, tearing up limb to limb. Some were eating their dogs, their faces bloody and gruesome.

It was like a movie, a damn zombie apocalypse movie.

As I turned around, I noticed a few were chasing after me. Their faces full of hunger. Could the starvation have caused this?

I ran faster, home was only a few sprinting steps away. They were fast as well. As I was about fifty meters closer, I stumbled. The people – or more like zombies – were jumping at me. I quickly raised back up, only to find one of them already holding my feet. Fear suddenly washed over my body, I thought it was the end.

Then two of them grab hold of me. I screamed, I tried to find a way out. I kicked them harder, and by a little stroke of luck, I escaped. I ran quickly to my house and I quickly as I could, I closed the door.

My body was sweating, my breath was panting, and my heart was beating wildly. I quickly barricaded the door, and held my breath. They were violently knocking on it. After a moment of violent shouting, they started to become silent. Fear was pulling my soul in and out of my body, then after what seems like forever.

They spoke.

"Please, we're very hungry. We need food." Their pleading voices echoed inside my head.

"Please, open the door." Their voices were slow, which only made my fear rise.

I did not respond. I don't want to respond. After a brief moment of pleading, they finally stopped. I stayed in my place and I didn't know that I already fell asleep.

I woke up at midnight. And I noticed that everyone has become completely quiet. The room was dark and the only light that supported me was the small ray of moonlight at my window. I slowly traversed inside to my house searching for food. As I was closing in, I took a small peek at my window.

The moon was bright, and I could see how the zombies slept like normal people. Some were lying on the ground, some were on the middle of the road, and there was one who was eating a chunk of flesh. As my eyes adjusted, I saw that it was eating a torn arm. I vomited at the sight as I did not take another look again.

—

And now it's been a week since it all began. The cannibalism now silent on the streets outside my house. Blood was painted on every corner, and dead bodies were lying everywhere. I noticed that there was no zombie around my vicinity anymore. I don't know if I survived, I don't know if I ever will survive. I'm dying from starvation and I don't have any food left around me.

There's a little girl walking all alone outside. Carrying an umbrella and a little backpack. I don't know where she came from, but she is walking on the other side of the road all by herself. She looks delicious, I think I must go outside, I think this is the perfect time to eat.

After all, I'm so hungry.