Apeshit (26 page)

a collection of shacks and run down cabins. The villagers

come out of their homes to greet them. They stagger slowly,

raising their arms out to the teenagers.

“They are like you,” Roy says. “They died in this

forest and can never leave.”

Kevin notices their flesh. All of them are mutilated.

They have had limbs severed and sewn back on. They have

missing pieces of meat. They are deformed and mangled,

like living road kill.

Jason and Kevin watch as the deranged freaks swarm

around them. They reach out their hands and caress the teen-

agers’ bodies. They moan and wheeze at the newcomers as

they feel them. The young men recoil from the villagers, as

if they are lepers.

The forest ranger pushes on their backs and cracks a smile.

“Welcome to your new home,” he says.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carlton Mellick III
is one of the leading authors

in the new
Bizarro
genre uprising. Since 2001,

his surreal counterculture novels have drawn

an international cult following despite the fact

that they have been shunned by most libraries

and corporate bookstores. He lives in Portland,

OR, where he is well-known for his DMing

(Dungeon Mastering) skills.

Visit him online at
www.avantpunk.com