The attack was immediate.

The worms seethed from the dirt, slithered with impossible speed toward Orc’s stone feet and threw themselves against his unnatural flesh.

Orc stopped. He gaped down at the creatures.

He turned with creaky slowness back toward Albert and Howard and said, “Kinda tickles.”

“Pick a cabbage,” Howard called out encouragingly.

Orc bent down and dug his stone fingers into the dirt and scooped up a cabbage. He looked at it for a minute, then tossed it toward the truck.

Albert opened the door of the truck and bent cautiously down toward the cabbage. He refused to step down. Not yet. Not until they were sure.

“Howard, I need a stick or something,” Albert said.

“What for?”

“I want to poke that cabbage, make sure there’s no worm in it.”

In the field the worms continued their assault on the creature whose rock flesh broke their teeth.

Hunger, Chapter 9