Her Boyfriends Back...

Samantha watched as her boyfriend Ryan walked off the plane. There was something different about him, he moved slower than what she remembered, he looked paler than when they had last seen each other. Everyone had warned her that war would change him but she didn't think it would change her beloved as much as it seemingly had. His pace used to be much faster, much more confident than what he currently exhibited. His black hair, use to shine and have bounce, now it was dull, and while still thick also seemed very stringy.

She fought the urge to run to him, but decided to wait, hoping that he would see her first. Hoping that would bring his life force back into him. His green eyes which had once blazed with life, were now dull, barely registering what was in front of him. To an outsider it might seem as if he were learning to walk for the first time, or that he was programmed to be more deliberate in his actions. When he finally lifted his head, noticing that she was there to greet him,a small, barely visible smile formed on his lips, which appeared to be a dull blue. Sam braced herself as he moved at a turtles pace towards her, maybe he just had jet lag, she tried to convince herself. While she had never traveled by plane, her father had and often he would go straight to bed after a flight. So it was not out of the question that Ryan could be experiencing the same thing.

When she felt he was close enough, she ran to him and threw her arms around his neck. His body odor hit her immediately, this was not something that she was accustomed to. It smelled as if he had used the bathroom on himself, and played in the dumpster for a few hours. The potent odor would not deter her from the reunion she had dreamed of with this man. She kissed on his lips, but he did not reciprocate right away, which was unusual for him. She leaned back and looked at him again, trying to determine if there was something she was missing. “Hi you, I missed you. I love you so much!”

He groaned, a high pitched groan that stopped people in their tracks. When Ryan noticed that people were staring at him, he took a deep breath and composed himself. He smiled again, this time it was bit more like the smile he had flashed at her all the time. His eyes began to shine again as he took her in, “I-I-I Misssssed you too. I--” He passed out before he was able to finish his sentence.

A paramedic immediately rushed to their aid. He was a younger guy, mid-twenties at the oldest. Sam wanted to ask for someone more experienced but knew that whatever was wrong with Ryan needed to be treated right away and could not be pushed off. “Ma'am is your boyfriend, friend whatever he is to you, does he use drugs?”

“No of course not!” Sam retorted angrily. Who did this jerk think he was, insinuating that a soldier, a veteran of this war would be a junkie? “He just got back from war, literally he just stepped off the plane. Why in the world would you jump to the conclusion that he was on drugs?”

The medic looked at Ryan, then back at same. He seemed to be debating something in his mind and then motioned her to join him by the lifeless body of her beau. He pointed to a very small hole, very easily missed if you weren't looking for it. “If he just came back from war that means they got him. I'm so sorry but you don't have much time with this guy,”

“What do you mean? Who got him? What are you talking about?” Samantha felt a panic rise up in her. There was something wrong and this medical professional was being very evasive with her. It was starting to anger her.

“They injected him with the Zombie vaccine. In just a matter of days, he will not be recognizable as a person.” As he was explaining things, Ryan's eyes flitted open. He looked around and a small blush formed on his cheek. “How you feeling champ?”

“Hot, and embarrassed,” Ryan looked at the man who had been treating him, and then at his girlfriend. He held out his hand to her. “Thanks bud, do you mind if I have a moment alone with my girl?”

Once the medic left, Ryan sat up and motioned for Sam to move closer to him,. When she was close enough, he hugged her tightly, taking a whiff of her hair. She felt him move his mouth on top of her head, it should have made her nervous she knew but it didn't, he used to do this all the time to her. The nibbling on her hair was new. She felt his scrape across her scalp, making her yelp out in pain.  “What are you doing?”

Ryans face was, he bared his teeth and jumped at the girl he loved once again. His teeth hit the top of her head once again, and this time the pain seared through her. She felt the blood trickle from the area, her survival instincts kicked in, and her feet pushed him away. He was stunned as he went flying away “B-b-baby, why did you do that?I just wanted to cuddle you,” He took a deep breath “B-b-rains. I need some brains. You have enough to feed me.”

Sam felt herself start to shake. The ravages of war had done more than make her beloved boyfriend more than just a little moody, it had made him into a literal monster. As she watched him, he seemed to be contemplating his next move. If nothing else, Her boyfriend was back......

Word Count 1000