Day 475

It was Saturday night and he had just woken up on a bench outside the town hall.
He sat up with a great deal of effort - the muggy air made it hard to breathe let alone move.
Head swimming, he looked around for any sign of the group he'd left home with.
His friends were nowhere to be seen, why had they abandoned him?

Last thing he remembered was heading to a bar called "The Leather Bottle".
He'd met someone, vaguely remembered their face and clearly remembered their words.
First there'll be a stench like burning pig. Don't trust the grey meat.
He'd been given this message before so he thought they were another strange drunk.

Taking a deep breath of musty, burning air it had never occurred to him that they'd be right.
He still had no idea what they had meant by gey meat, they all mentioned it.
Forcing himself to stand he began to stumble in the general direction of home.
As the air grew harder to breathe he began to notice the other people.

They wore some kind of grey uniform though details were too hard to make out as his vision swam.
He wasn't sure if they'd noticed him, every bone in his body screamed for them not to.
Something about the way they walked seemed predatory and not quite right.
Like if you described walking to someone who'd never seen it before and asked them to do it.

Their movements were jerky and fluid as they patrolled (for lack of a better word) the main street.
He hoped they weren't in the side roads as he turned into the dockside quarter.
The smell grew stronger as he headed for the bridge to the side of town where he lived.
When he reached the riverside he began to gag and heave, the stench so overwhelming.

Stumbling to the concrete railings beside the river he vomited over the edge.
He felt better afterwards and his vision began to clear.
The first thing he saw was the river, or what should have been the river.
Its' formerly murky brown waters were now greyish red and pulsating, tendrils were reaching for him.

The air was no longer breathable.
His entire body was stiff and ached something fierce.
As the meaty limbs grasped and pulled him down to the thick ooze of a river he saw familiar faces.
Countless familiar faces, all trying to scream as the grey poured from their gaping mouths.