Candy Pop Corpse

9. Fondue Fix

His neck's skin was nothing compared to its insides. Thick rivers of blood splashed out. I covered the hole with my mouth, yet some liquid still escaped through the gaps. My hands scrambled to catch it before it fell. It would've been a waste to lose it. Even so, drops escaped from the cracks between my fingers.

No matter, my hunger gradually sated with every gulp. It wasn't a chocolate parfait, but would do for now. I took another bite, this one having a bit more crunch than the last, then stood. After a stretch, I looked down. Dib wouldn't move.

A destroyed neck rested between his head and chest. Splatters of red and golden-tan stuck to his chin and shirt. His eyes stared off at the sunset, unblinking. I guess the silence was better than screams ticking me off. I glared at him. He didn't deserve to scream, anyways.

"Hey," I said, tapping his side with my foot, "your neck was―"

Distant calls interrupted my train of thought.

"Where's Dib?" one voice yelled.

"He was supposed to be around here," another one commented. Gravel crunched far behind me.

I turned to the barn, which was now burnt to the ground. Shit, while I fought with Dib, I completely forgot about the other savages! How close were they? Dammit, dammit, dammit. I bit my lip and scanned Dib's body. If I didn't leave soon, they'd find out I tasted him. That... wouldn't be good.

What if I hid in the grass? It was tall enough to cover my body if I crouched down. No, they'd smell me a mile away. As their voices grew louder, I stamped my feet in place. My widened gaze switched from the barn to the savage by my side. Sunlight glimmered on his bloodied machete, drawing my attention to it. With a lick of my lips, I snatched it from his chest, then sprinted.

Once I gained some distance from Dib's limp body, I dashed into the grassfield on my left. If I was lucky, my first plan would work in my favor and the strong scent of grass would hide my stench. If I wasn't... well, I didn't want to think about that. Instead, I pushed past endless grass blades in hopes of surviving long enough to eat my sorrows away.

Someone called Dib's name behind me. No, screamed it. Their voice shook with rage. Even if regret and guilt twisted my gut, I didn't look back to see who moarned him. My candy was waiting for me, after all.

**

Dead leaves and torn flyers crunched under my shoes. Each snap made my eyes dart at every staggering tree, broken window, and knocked-down door. After a rather eventful day, I was prepared for the worst that evening.

My voice shook every time I breathed. I ran until the sky faded from orange to indigo just to come back here. The buildings hadn't changed a bit. Paint still peeled off their walls as time battered them down. Not a civilian or undead in sight. I would've assumed the sector was completely abandoned if not for the moans up ahead. In the candy store's direction. Great.

I creeped further up the street, ready for some head-smashing. Wind howled in my ear and sent shivers done my spine. My feet led me the scent of sweet vanilla, regardless of the danger at its source. Deep down I knew my love would kill me. I just hoped that time wasn't coming soon.

A series of growls replaced the moaning. I glued my body to the moldy buildings, tiptoeing forward. The scent intensified the closer I got. I took a deep whiff and held back a groan. It sent my mind into a junk food frenzy. Was the slice of cake I never got to bite still there? Breath heavy, I tightened my trembling grip on Dib's machete and peeked around a corner. There stood Devil's Delectables, tucked at the end of the street. Just as Mary and I'd left it.

I headed for the entrance. More display shelves were tipped over than I remembered, but I didn't bother to think on it more. Vanilla held my rationality captive. It wouldn't be returned unless I devoured the pastry down to its last crumb. I chuckled before wiping drool from my lips.

Another snarl rumbled behind the metallic counter. Were Freddy and Guno still here? I took one step back, only for a glass shard to break under my foot. Fuck! My head whipped from the floor to the counter.

Someone chuckled. "Looks like we have a guest," a man said. Then, he rose. "Welcome home."

He wore a rabbit mask. The same black one that damned savage had on. Bonnie only fixed the holes in my limbs, not the ones in my heart. My knees buckled to the floor. What did I even come back for? "I-I'm sorry. I don't know what happened, but―"

He wrapped his arms around his stomach, laughing again. "Look at her face. She's scared shitless!" The man then lifted his mask up. His face had blotches of purple, swollen marks. What I didn't notice until now was how much his jaw swished from side to side as he spoke.

What was going on? I tilted my head, gaze narrowed at him. No words came out despite how hard I tried to form a sentence. It was as if my brain had been reduced to mush.

Two people stood, man and woman, one on each of Rabbit Man's sides. Once the woman spotted my blanched face, she frowned. "I told you not to put the mask on, idiot."

Rabbit Man laughed harder instead of responding. The guy next to him simply looked to the wall.

"And you," she started, "don't even think about stealing our meal."

At that point my shock simmered to a concoction of confusion and interest. "What? Aren't you guys savages?" I asked after getting back on my feet.

The three of them looked at each other, mouths hung agape. Although in Rabbit Man's case, it was hard to tell. His jaw rattled even when he didn't speak.

Yet he was the first to answer my question. "No, we're... munchers, abominations, undead, zomb―Ow!"

The other man grumbled, plucking Rabbit Man's head, "He means that we're walking corpses, just like you."

What was this, a welcome party? I sighed and shook my head. "Oh... I see." Pushing the blade in the tile floor, I used it to stand up. "Anyway, what are you guys eating?"

The woman raised a brow. "A meal. What else?"

"Sweets? I mean, you're in a bakery. Unless―" I glanced to my candy pile. Somehow it was still in tact. The more I stared at it however, the more it looked a little different. "―you touched my stash?"

It was her turn to head tilt. "What stas―oh! That's yours?" She pointed her thumb to my sweets. "We aren't interested in that."

Rabbit Man adjusted his jaw, then added, "Ah, but it's a little messy, so you probably shouldn't―"

"I don't care!" I'd had enough of people telling me what I should and shouldn't do. Running to the pile, I dropped to the floor and stuffed macarons in my mouth.

I crammed raspberry and earl grey flavored cookies down my throat. My lips puckered at the bittersweet taste. I thought back to Dib, who was now dead. I... I killed him, but i-it was his fault. All he had to do was let me go! The stab in my side was unnecessary. I looked to it, then to my treats with a sigh. At least food couldn't hurt me.

"Ahem."

I stopped mid-chew on a cream puff, glaring back to the trio. The sugary goodness was just about to coat my tongue. How dare they interrupt! "What?"

She jabbed Rabbit Man with her elbow. He cursed, then pretended to clear his throat. "Oh... Oh! Are you fresh meat?" Another jab. "Fuck, I mean, a newly deceased?"

The pastry dropped from my mouth and into my hand. I looked at its loose crumbs fall between my fingers. His careful words managed to break down the barricade around my heart. If I was dead, Mary and Bonnie wouldn't be. If I was dead, I wouldn't have wounds from the same savages who usually protected us civilians. Jack should've killed me himself if he wanted me gone. In the end we were both cowards.

After a moment, I turned back to them. They looked distorted in my vision; as if a painter decided to blur their colours together. I sniffed, a tear racing down my cheek. "I don't know."