Eva’s first thought was that she was gazing at the human debris of some massacre by an armed force. But that theory was quickly discarded in her mind as it didn’t explain the positioning of the skulls or the flayed skin. Something happened here that went far beyond atrocities committed by bloodthirsty soldiers or desert bandits. That much became apparent when she knelt down and picked up a bone, recognizing it as a humerus, the long bone of the upper arm. A chill coursed through her blood as she discovered that it was indented and chipped by what she correctly identified as human teeth marks.

“Cannibalism,” she whispered in shock.

For some reason, the buzzing of the flies and the revelation uttered by Eva only served to heighten the deathly stillness of the village. Grimes gently took the bone from her hand and studied it.

“She’s right,” he said to Hopper. “Some bestial maniacs have eaten all these poor devils.”

“Judging from the stink,” said Hopper, wrinkling his nose, “there’s still some who haven’t turned to skeletons yet. You and Eva wait here. I’ll check the houses and see if I can find a live one.”

“Doesn’t look to me like they take to strangers,” Grimes resisted. “I suggest we beat a hasty retreat back to the plane before we wind up on the local menu.”

“Nonsense,” Hopper scoffed. “We’re looking at an extreme case of abnormal behavior. It might very well be caused by the toxic contaminant we’re searching for, and I’m not about to run away until I get to the bottom of it.”

“I’ll go with you,” Eva said resolutely.

Grimes shrugged. He was from the old school and not about to be out-braved by a woman. “All right, we’ll search together.”

Hopper slapped him on the back. “Good show, Grimes. I’d be honored to be an ingredient with you in the same soup du jour.”

The first house they entered, the walls little more than stacked rocks held together with dried mud, contained two bodies, a man and a woman, dead at least a week, the heat already having dried out their tissue and shriveled and tightened their skin. Death had not been swift but agonizingly slow, Hopper determined after a cursory examination of the shocking remains. Theirs had not been the death of a fast-acting poison. It had been the death of people who suffered excruciating torment until they were released.

“Can’t tell much without a pathological examination,” said Hopper.

Grimes looked down, his face calm and unperturbed. “These people have been dead for some time. I’d stand a better chance of finding solid answers from a fresh victim.”

It sounded so cold and clinical to Eva. She shuddered, not from the cadavers but from recognizing a pile of small bones and skulls heaped in one corner of the darkened house. She could not help wondering if the couple had killed and eaten the flesh of their own children. The thought was too abhorrent to dwell on and she pushed it aside and struck out on her own, entering a house directly across the street.