Chapter 1- The First One

"What do you make of it Rich?" We stared down at the lifeless body lying on the exam table."

"I dunno…I've never seen anything like it before. In all of my medical training and work over the years, I've never come across anything like this in all of my career." He flipped through the police report tacked down to a sturdy brown clipboard. He furrowed his brow as he read the perplexed story out loud once more. "It says he was wandering aimlessly and unaware outside the city around a country home out in the suburbs." He stopped reading out loud and continued silently. I read over his shoulder and gave my input.

"Do you think it was rabies?"

"No," he answered back laying the clipboard down, "not rabies. It says here that he was drooling a thick, almost glue like, saliva. He wasn't foaming at the mouth…When they found him, he wasn't irritable and hostile like most rabies victims would be. Instead he was incoherent; he had absolutely no idea what was going on, where he was, or merely what his own name was!"

"But it also says that when the police tried to grab him, got belligerent, violent, and sunk his teeth into the right arm of one of the deputies on the scene."

"And there's no telling what viruses and diseases this man was a host to. I would advise the sheriff's department that he should get examined by a proper medical staff."

We stood in silence, staring down at the purplish, white, bony corpse that lay before us.

"Well…" Rich spoke while taking a deep breath in from under his surgeons mask, "I guess there's nothing left but the autopsy. Kevin, scalpel please."

I reached over and grabbed the sterile tools and handed them to Rich. As he began to gently make and incision on the man's cold neck, there was a sudden groan.

--

The both of us stood in complete disbelief, and looked up at one another.

"What the hell was that?" I asked. My eyes were wide open, looking down at the body. Shivers began to radiate up and down my spine. I didn't even know how react, I just tried to maintain a proper head.He couldn'h have made a noise, I mean, he's dead… right?

Rich searched his mind as fast as he could for the most reasonable possible answer.

"Uh-well…once the body shuts off, it releases all of its internal gases. When exiting the cavity they can sometimes make sounds. I'm sure that was what that was, no reason to be spooked."

I was not at all convinced, "But..i-it sounded..like, like..a groan." Rich looked at me as if I was losing my mind.

Silence.

"Kevin…this man has been dead for three days. His heart stopped after setting into cardiac arrest. He was dead within a minute. There's no way this man groaned, let alone is alive."

"But, I know what I heard!"

"Kevin please, you're being totally irrational. Look, you don't believe me? Just feel his pulse."

I shook my head and stepped back from the table.

"Fine! Just to prove how stupid you're being, I'll feel!"

Rich stepped up next to the body and pressed his middle and pointer fingers firmly into the man's cold skin where you would normally find a pulse. "Look!" he shouted, "No pulse! Not one, single, heartb-"

Then, another groan. Rich and I froze still, there was no doubt now in both our minds that something unnatural and and frightening was happening. The man's head suddenly tilted up, his jaw dropped open and a blood curdling beastly scream threw itself from his mouth. He reached his head forward in a motion that happened within the blink of an eye and latched onto Rich's fingers like a bear trap. The razor teeth pierced strait through the skin and bone, taking the fingers from his shaking hand.

"Holy Shit! I managed so squeeze out through my narrow throat.. Rich's hand spurted blood in time with his rapid pulse from the previous places of were his fingers once resided. Rich fell to the floor clutching his mangled hand.

"Oh my God, oh my God!" he cried repetitively over and over again.

The risen corpse stood from the table and staggered forward a few steps. Blood dripped from a dismembered finger hanging from his mouth. He turned his head downward and stared at Rich with a thirst for more blood and flesh. The thing spoke one word, barely audible, but quite clear never the less.

"More…more…MORE!!"

"Please!" Rich cried and begged, "No, no, no…LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"GET AWAY FROM HIM YOU SON OF A BITCH!" I screamed in a rage. My hands grappled over the counter behind me trying to grab the nearest thing I could throw and possible inflict damage on the thing. At last I found a heavy glass jar filled to the brim with cotton balls and threw it as hard as I possible could.

I hit him in his shoulder and the jar fell to the ground into a large smash. Fractions and pieces of glass skidded all across the floor. He jolted back a few steps but I didn't stop him from proceeding. Instead, all I did was have him turn his complete attention towards me. Rich now passed out on the floor provided no help at all. I searched the room quickly with my shifting eyes and spotted a fire axe in a glass case next to the door. I knew it was my only chance of safety and escape. I flipped myself over the exam table only to slip and fall on the many little shards of glass. The thing grew near as it staggered around the table blood thirsty for more.

I swung my right leg over my head and broke the axe's glass confinements. It shattered over me, cutting my face and forcing a steady stream of blood from my cuts. Quickly, I jumped to my feet and grabbed the heavy axe from its holding place. I could feel the thing's cold breath against my neck and I knew that if I didn't react immediately, its sharp canine like teeth would sink into me.

TO BE CONTINUED!

Thanks to anyone who read. Hope you enjoyed my first chapter and I can ensure you that there is more to come. Leave you reviews and let me know what you thought.

-Fiery Ashes