Reek, page 29
He walked around to face the man, cautious enough to keep at least a little bit of distance. “Smoke? You got any, 'cause my parents are rich and I-”
Billy saw the intestines first. They looked like fat sausages in the light, sliding off the man as he stood up. More organs fell out of the stomach cavity. Plip-plop-plop. Billy looked up in fear, screaming at the man. He was Asian, his head squashed into a long slope that only just resembled a face.
The man jumped at him, teeth burrowing into Billy's chest while hands tore into his groin. Billy felt a stab of intense pain, a scream lodged in his throat that would never have the chance to escape. He fell to the ground, seeing the edge of the apartment building through the trees. His parents would be there, waiting for him. Billy shit his pants as the man dove into his stomach, skin ripping open to reveal the shiny, steaming organs inside. Billy died, the reek of the man the last sense he had.
Kojima ate the boy. Ate and ate, the meat going down, spilling out of his open stomach, so difficult to get anything in his trampled mouth. He was so hungry, could not get enough. He had so much to do, he remembered. The project, it had to be completed. Must be. But first, he would eat.
He was so hungry.
AFTERTHOUGHTS
Pokere Island is based on Quail Island, a gorgeous wildlife sanctuary located just inside Lyttelton Harbor, New Zealand.
While I've stolen the geography and elements of the island's history, I took a great many fictional liberties left, right and center. In fact, it would be fair and easier to say that anything contained in the book is complete fiction with no bearing on Quail Island itself. The actual place is amazing and supported through the efforts of volunteers to maintain its ecological footprint on the local history. If you ever are near Christchurch, NZ, I'd recommend a ferry trip out there for a day. I'll tell you though, it's my personal advice as a writer that if you ever do come across a remote island with a tainted history involving slaughter and taniwhas, I'd advise you to stay clear.
I'd like to thank Tina Saunders for reading this book in its draft stages. She offered equal amounts of ego stroking and blunt trauma critiquing, just the way I like it.
Thanks to Corran Lindsay, my partner in crime for all things horror. We started making scary films together in high school and he always steered the course, keeping it ruthless and true.
Also, thank you to the horror directors: Craven, Wan, Romero, Nakata, Carpenter, Shimizu, Raimi, Marshall, the list goes on. Continued scaring is continued storytelling by the campfire.
Finally, thank you, friend, for reading this book. I hope it scared you, made you cuddle closer to your loved ones, be they human or pug.
At the end of the day, I guess we all need a few ghosts in our life.
Take care, see you for the next one.
Bradley Freeman
Tokyo, Japan
August 15th, 2013–September 16th, 2014
MUSIC
This book was written to the soundtracks of Poltergeist by Jerry Goldsmith, Ravenous by Damon Albarn and Michael Nyman and The Shining by Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind, among others.
You could do worse.
End credit music: No music this time, not for REEK. Just the sounds of a forest at night.
THE AUTHOR
Bradley Freeman is a writer living in Tokyo, Japan. Born in New Zealand, he lives with his wife, son, and cuddly pug dog. He spends his free time watching movies and TV shows. He is also known to eat too much pizza and ride roller coasters though not at the same time, thankfully.
Official Website: www.freemanbradley.com
On Twitter: @Brad_Is_Writing
On Instagram at: brad_is_writing
Thank you for reading this book.
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Bradley Freeman, Reek
