Calcivore Poem by David Welch

I.
Zack stared out on the Indian Ocean
through which the adventure cruise made its way,
they were near the famed Andaman Islands,
and would probably reach them the next day.

He'd paid extra cash to come out this way,
to catch a glimpse of uncontacted tribes,
through field glasses though, they'd not go ashore,
since Zack had no real desire to die.

He'd heard tales of those strange islanders,
isolated here since the dang stone age,
it piqued his interest, how such folk must like,
and what outsiders filled them with such rage.

But offshore was the closest he would get,
Indian law forbade further contact,
at best he could hope to catch a mere glimpse,
but that would be a story to bring back!

What Zack didn't know, when he went to bed,
was that an earthquake was stirring westwards,
his first inkling that a rogue wave had come
was when it slammed his ship broadside, and hard.

It was midnight and he was thrown from his bed,
the whole of the ship was hurled on its side,
Zack scrambled out, still wearing his night clothes,
water sloshed through the halls in a great tide.

People panicked, and raced to get outside,
Zack made it to a door and leapt for it,
plunged into the ocean, thick with debris,
the ship groaned, into the depths it did slip.

He kicked hard against the vessel's suction,
clung to a deck chair just to stay afloat,
in darkness he scanned the whole horrid scene,
before he spotted a single life-boat.

He swam for the life-raft, rubber, yellow,
frantic hands grabbed him and pulled him onboard,
to once more feel something under his feet…
for a brief moment he forgot the horror.

There were three others onboard the life raft,
and the currents quickly took them away.
Were others alive? He couldn't see far,
and with no oars they had no way to stay.

They were now adrift, at the waves' mercy,
lost in the ocean, those pathetic four,
a man named Mohinder, German named Klaus,
a girl called Christine and poor Zack onboard.

But they would not be cast adrift for long,
since in the beating sun of the next day
they all saw the green hump of an island,
and towards it the current made its way.

"I hope there's somebody on that island, "
said Mohinder as they drew closer still,
they crested the breakers over the reef,
the ocean working its chaotic will.

The raft washed up slowly onto the sand,
they hesitated, not believing it,
then slowly stepped out onto the island,
from Christine's lips a small prayer then did slip.

II.
Zack supposed the some safety had been found,
hopefully they could find fresh water here,
but even so, the place looked deserted,
he doubted that they'd find a rescue near.

They'd probably have to signal somehow,
a fire or rock you'd see from the air,
he wondered if that just worked in movies,
but for now sighed and swallowed his despair.

There were more pressing things to focus on,
things they would need if they were to survive,
first water then food, fire, shelter,
secure the basics so they wouldn't die.

Mohinder was the first to get on up,
not surprising, he had that alpha look,
said, "I'm going to try to find water,
I think a long drink would do us all good."

He traipsed off into the great wall of green,
the jungle seemed to just close around him,
the other three dragged themselves to the shade,
none yet had the energy to go in.

But after an hour had passed away,
and Mohinder had not made his return,
Klaus was quite worried, said, "We should find him,
he could be injured, the man could be hurt! "

On top of this fact, they were quite thirsty,
and all three would need to drink before long,
so they decided to search as a group,
since not a once was feeling all that strong.

The jungle, they found, was filled with shadows,
not the bright beaches full of lush beauty,
a tangle of vines and thick undergrowth,
the steaming air made it so hard to see.

Trying to track anybody in this
was a task that would stymie an expert,
"Since we cannot see him, "Klaus reasoned then,
"We should see if we can find fresh water."

They figured Mohinder would be near that,
so they paid close attention to the land,
found a small creek and followed it upstream,
it lead to a waterfall, lush and grand.

Below is a pool, shimmering and bright,
in better times it would be quite the scene,
the type of thing you would put on a brochure
when you were trying to sell the serene.

But a sudden shriek from Christine went up,
he saw he point at something on the shore,
at first his mind didn't make sense of it,
then he felt himself seize by pure horror.

The object was just a pile of flesh,
a boneless heap made up of bloody meat,
as if the skeleton had been extracted,
what kind of creature could so such a deed? !

And worst still he saw blood-stained fabric there,
flashes of brown that were clearly the skin,
they no longer had to find Mohinder,
they were looking at what was left of him.

III.
Christine began crying, Zack vomited,
Klaus couldn't move as he stared at the mess,
only stammering, "Wha-what could do this? "
Surely no beat to which they could attest.

Then came a rustling up above the falls,
and their horror transformed into pure fear,
they fled from the creek, behind some thick brush,
trying to stay quiet and disappear.

Heavy footfalls came to where they had been,
a sharp smell that was both sterile and death,
Zack found himself peering out through the leaves,
willing himself to keep quiet his breath.

His eyes widened at the creature he saw,
'twas vaguely human, but just barely so,
it stood on two legs, had arms and a head,
but was a horror none ever should know.

Its skin was light gray, mottled and scaly,
covered ropy muscle running throughout,
ridges on its spine poked right through the skin,
giving the beast a three-inch row of spikes.

It wore no clothing, was covered in scars,
and scraggly tufts of greasy black hair,
its boned seemed too thick, pressed against the skin,
as if trying to burst right out of there.

The fingers were claws, three inches in length,
except for the thumb, Zack could clearly see
a back-curving claw, half-again bigger,
like it was desired to slice open meat.

The head was too large, jaws protruding out,
oversized muscle ran to a skull crest,
when its mouth opened the teeth were too large,
three times bigger than a man's were, at best.

And they glinted with a metallic sheen,
what kind of monster did he look upon?
From the way it walked, to the smell it gave,
everything about this beast just seemed wrong.

It crouched low over Mohinder's remains,
began throwing aside sliced bits of flesh,
looking for something…then found it and whooped,
pulled out a piece of sternum from the breast.

Then, to Zack's shock, he plunked it in his mouth,
and quite happily began to crunch,
in horror he realized it all made sense,
Mohinder's bones had been this monster's lunch!

He bit back the urge to vomit again,
but Christine did not have the same success,
the sound a man's bones being eaten
caused he to lose it all over her dress.

The sound caught the monster's attention quick,
and it cried out in a shrill, raspy call,
then they heard more feet pounding through the brush,
more monsters converging towards the falls!

Klaus leapt to his feet, and just shouted, "Run! "
and they all did so, not stopping to think,
hearing creatures bull their way though jungle,
this was their home, they had no need to slink.

IV.
Fronds whipped their faces, they dashed through the trees,
more shrill, raspy growls rose behind them,
creatures crashed through forest, giving them chase,
they weren't that fast, but came relentlessly.

Like piranhas swarming, they just appeared,
in Zack's peripheral vision more came,
he had no idea where they might run to,
just to keep going, since they were the game.

Across trickling streams and moss-covered stone,
through dark jungle that closed in on all side,
they ran, but kept hearing, close behind them
the hungry monsters with their heavy strides.

Then they heard a snap, followed by a shriek,
Christine went down, ankle turned on a root,
they turned to help her, but saw the monsters,
she fell beneath them, crushed by at least two.

They tore at her then, her screaming quite loud,
bones were cracking, nothing more could be done,
more creatures were coming, they ran again,
the screams stopped rising, poor Christine was gone.

In frantic running, they turned towards the sea,
Zack and Klaus breathless, pushed on by pure fear,
so scared they did not hear rhythmic thumping,
did not realize helicopters were near.

Until they emerged onto the white sands,
in the open their eyes could see the score,
could see the chopper twenty feet above,
the machinegun in the open side-door.

The two of them skidded to a dead stop,
neither could quite believe what they did see,
the symbols on the hull left little doubt,
they had come from the Indian Navy.

Behind them the monsters burst from the woods,
of this new player they seemed unafraid,
nine of them focused in on Zack and Klaus,
their jaws were slavering over their prey.

But then the gun spoke, a staccato roar,
big bullets piercing the flesh of their foe,
it took several bullets to kill each one,
but into bloody heaps they all did go.

A few retreated back to the jungle,
wounded and trailing a yellow-pink blood,
the two men gasped at this turn of events,
near them the chopper touched down with a thud.

Soldiers emerged, made a perimeter,
from the chopper came a middle-aged man,
he looked more like an academic type,
took the whole sight in, then simply said, "Damn."

He seemed disappointed, rather than shocked,
turned to Zack and said, "I am Dr. Singh.
I know you have questions, I will explain,
but more are out there, so please do get in! "

Neither of the men had to be told twice,
into the chopper they quickly did go,
the soldiers came back, so did the doctors,
they took off flying westwards, staying low.

V.
It was several minutes before Singh spoke,
said "There was a beacon on your life raft,
we saw here it went, after you ship sank,
knew if you reached ground then things would be bad."

At this Zack perked up, and said to the man,
"Do you mean you knew those monsters were there? "
Dr. Singh just nodded, "Yes, for some time,
we have treated that island with great care.

"For decades this island has been closed off,
illegal to sail within five miles,
though cast adrift, you had no choice in that,
and sadly met with these creatures vile."

"What the hell are they? " Klaus then inquired,
"What kind of creature feeds only on bone? "
Dr. Singh said, "We call them Calcivores,
and by very few people they are known.

"Normally they eat bones of wild pigs,
but when sailors have been shipwrecked ashore,
they're known to swarm them, as you saw first hand,
they're always starving, always wanting more."

But how does a man get like that? "asked Klaus,
"If men they even can still claim to be? "
"A limited population, "said Singh,
"Their numbers were small, so they did inbreed.

"Normally that would just weaken a line,
and deform it, like the royals of old,
but with a heightened chance of mutations
you never can tell which way things might do.

"In this place it went down a twisted path,
and bred those demons that butchered your friends."
Zack spoke up then, "So why don't you end this?
Why don't you burn that land 'till they're dead? "

Singh frowned and said, "The ground's shot through with caves,
we can't ensure that we'd get everything,
and many species are endemic here,
if we destroyed it, they'd all go extinct."

"The world has to know, " said Klaus fervently.
Said Singh, "Do you think that they'd believe this?
Say what you want, but none with back you up,
my own government says they ‘do not exist."

He learned forwards, said, "Such truths can't get out,
that's why we'll deny whatever you say.
It's not personal, just how nations work,
and I'm afraid it's a part I must play.

"You survived a sinking, only you two,
so go back to your lives and live them well,
know that this island does not go unwatched,
men like me keep secret this living hell."

With that he learned back as they neared a ship,
no more did the doctor see fit to share,
Klaus seemed annoyed, but no questions were asked,
and at this point Zack could no longer care.

He returned home with a new look on life,
no longer stirred by the world's mysteries,
he wore his everyday life like a shield...
but at night still heard the screams of Christine.