It only took a moment for James to feel a sharp pain shoot through his hand. He looked toward the place that had been wrapped up, but there was no longer any sign of an arm—only a blurry mass of flesh and blood.
Confusion took hold of him before fear could.
If a gun muzzle or blade had been pointed at him, James would certainly have felt fear first, because he understood what such murder weapons meant. They could injure his body, take his life, and affect him in ways he could comprehend.
But now, the girlfriend lying in front of him, the cavity in her abdomen, those terrifying teeth, and the tentacles writhing among her internal organs were all beyond James's understanding. He could not imagine how these things would ravage him or wipe out his will.
It was like entering a command outside a computer program's database. The computer could not analyze it and simply crashed.
When faced with an enormous danger he could not understand, James likewise stopped thinking.
He could not even let out a scream. James stared blankly at his girlfriend.
"Darling, this way, we can be together forever."
The corners of Valerie's mouth lifted. They quickly split apart, becoming a huge opening that connected to her abdomen and formed a bloody maw beyond imagination. Countless tentacles extended from it, completely shrouding James.
His body's instincts and desire to survive finally took effect. James immediately struggled backward, trying to escape.
But behind him, a figure sat up.
"Wes, help me! Hurry, save me!"
James recognized his friend and hurriedly shouted.
But Wes remained unmoved.
"It itches so much. It itches so much."
He was scratching at the black patches covering his body. His flesh was rotting, and the blood flowing from it splattered across the