weeping for several more minutes but drew tremendous comfort from Maarika's embrace. During the exchange, they had become oblivious to the world around them. They didn't notice the creature until it snarled and leaped on them. The hungry one crashed into Nasir's back, wrapped its arms around him, and pulled his neck toward teeth eager to rip his flesh.
Maarika screamed in surprise at the sudden attack. Without thinking she grabbed the dagger off the ground and shoved it into the mouth of the plagued one a moment before its teeth would have sunk into the soft flesh of Nasir's neck, where it joined his right shoulder. Impaled, the creature let out a noise which rattled in its throat.
Nasir grabbed the undead and threw it on the ground in front of him. Before it had a chance to recover, he drew his Spatha and slid it into the plagued one's left eye socket, "Thank you for saving me once again." Nasir said.
Maarika smiled, pulled him close by placing both of her hands on his face and kissed him passionately, "You're welcome. The least I could do after reminding you what befell your men."
Nasir smiled, "Think nothing of it. I should be stronger than this."
Maarika replied, "My brave soldier, you are strong and mighty indeed, but at the end of the day you are still an imperfect being of flesh and blood."
"I know but-"
"Shhh, you couldn't have saved them. You would have simply died with them and where would that leave me? Steel yourself for battle soldier. I'll climb the wall and unbar the gate."
"Be careful, I know we just met two days ago, but I don't think I could bear to lose you too."
"I will be."
Maarika placed the dagger in her mouth and began scaling the wall. Nasir admired her posterior as she climbed. When she reached the top, she disappeared over the top. Then she screamed.
Nasir horrified that he was going to lose her, tried to climb the wall himself. He clawed at it uselessly trying to pull himself up the wall and yelled, "No!"
Maarika's head peaked over the top of the wall, "Sorry when I hopped over the wall I landed on a half-eaten soldier. It frightened me."
"For a moment I thought I had lost you. Please . . . " His voice trailed off, and he held back a sob.
Nasir struggled for several moments to bring his emotions back under control. During that time Maarika had found her way down to the ground. After a few more additional moments, she located the wooden bar that sealed the gate. She placed both of her hands on the bar and started pushing up. It didn't budge. The sounds of her efforts attracted the unwanted attention of one of the fort's residents.
Maarika continued trying to force the bar of the gate upward so that she could open it. Crazed by hunger, the creature, now only ten feet from her exposed back, let out a triumphant growl as the smell of her sweet living fleshed overpowered its senses. Upon hearing the noise, Maarika whirled around and saw the hungry one bearing down on her. The thing was in full chain mail, its lips stuck into a permanent leer, making the face all the more sinister as its teeth clicked together continuously.
Maarika lunged to her left just as the thing crashed into the door where she had just been a moment before. The abomination instantly recovered and turned swiftly to face her. Getting back to her feet, she grabbed the dagger Nasir had given her as it charged. A moment before its clutching hands grabbed her, she fell to her knees and slashed at its exposed knee. The slash partially severed the hungry one's leg.
She then rolled away again to her left as the creature reached for her as it toppled to the dirt. She came out of her lunge, regained her feet, moved behind it as it struggled to reach her, and stabbed it in the back of the head. The plagued one, now on its knees, fell forward making a crashing noise as its armor struck the ground.
Nasir called out, "Maarika!"
"I'm fine love. Shush now so you don't attract anymore."
Maarika looked around the fort to ensure that the commotion had drawn no more of the plagued ones. Finally able to look around she took a deep breath and let it out. The courtyard of the fort was a house of horrors. It was dotted with spots of dried blood that had turned black in the merciless Arabian sun. In addition to the blood, there were body parts in various states of decay, and empty suits of armor were everywhere. Some of the suits of armor still had the bones of the soldiers that wore them in life within.
As Maarika took in the courtyard, she gasped out loud at the horrors her eyes beheld. She closed her eyes just wishing it would all go away and that she was back in her families' tent. She imagined being a little girl again and being rocked gently to sleep by her mother.
The moment of reflection was interrupted by Nasir, "What's wrong, are you ok?"
"I'm fine. The site of this place frightened me is all."
Confirming that no other plagued ones wanted to make a meal of her, she turned back to the task at hand. Once again she pushed up against the bar that held the door fast with all her strength, she couldn't budge it, Ok now what? She turned around and leaned up against the door to catch her breath. As she did so, she looked around the courtyard for a solution. Her eyes settled on the gladius, still in its sheath, of the hungry one she had just slain.
Maarika slowly drew the weapon from its sheath so as not to make a noise. She then slid the blade between the bar and the iron latch of the right door that held it in place. It took her several minutes to work the blade into place slowly.
Growing impatient with the delay Nasir asked, "Is everything ok? What's going on?"
"I'm fine love. Just trying to get this bar off the thrice cursed door. It's stuck, and I can't seem to budge it," Maarika replied.
Nasir pondered for several moments, "You might be able to find an ax in the smithy."
"I've got a gladius up under the bar between it and the latch holding it in place. I'm going to try and use it as a lever."
"Clever girl."
Smiling at his compliment, she grabbed the pommel of the gladius with both hands and pushed up with all her strength. Nothing happened. She paused and took a minute to catch her breath after her unsuccessful effort. Again she put all of her strength into pushing up onto the pommel of the sword. The bar moved a quarter of an inch.
Exhausted, she leaned up against the door to rest. She glanced over her shoulder to ensure no hungry ones were trying to sneak up on her. There weren't.
"I think using the sword as a lever is going to work," Maarika stated.
"Good," Nasir replied with an edge of impatience in his voice.
Maarika pushed up on the pommel as hard as she could. Once again she felt the bar moving ever so slightly upward. Without warning, the blade loudly snapped in two and fell to the earth. The voice of a plagued one echoed off the fort's walls as the sound woke it up. She whirled around and saw it stumble out of the stables.
Maarika frantically looked for the dagger Nasir had given her. It was still embedded in the back of the creature's head that she had slain several minutes prior. As the hungry creature stumbled toward her, teeth clicking together rapidly in anticipation of the feast her juicy soft flesh would soon provide, she yanked on the dagger trying to pull it free. It was stuck fast in the skull.
She glanced up at the thing that was approaching her. It was dressed in the tattered remains of clothing typically worn by stable boys. She yanked again on the dagger. It didn't budge. The hungry one had drawn within ten feet of her as she glanced at it again. She had one final opportunity to pull on the dagger and get it out. Gripping the pommel of the blade as hard as she could, she pulled with all her might. Her strength, fueled by the adrenaline rushing through her system failed. It still didn't come out.
The hungry one crashed into her as she leaned over the corpse trying to pull the dagger out. The thing's knee struck her chest knocking the wind out of her. As she gasped for air, it grabbed her left arm and pulled it toward its mouth. Maarika, gasping for air, fell to her knees as the full weight of the creature pressed down on her back.
"Maarika!" Nasir yel
led.
Frantically she searched around for something, anything that would help. At that same moment, Nasir crashed into the gate with his shoulder; it didn't even move. Her fingers wrapped around the pommel of the broken sword. She raised the broken blade and plunged it into the foot of the plagued one on top of her, pinning it to the ground. She then yanked her left arm out of it's grasped and rolled free.
Nasir crashed into the gate again. The jolt from his effort caused the bar to slide back into place, nullifying the progress Maarika made with the sword. As she frantically looked around the courtyard for another weapon, a second hungry one emerged, this time from the smithy, drawn by the noise of Nasir efforts. The thing was wearing the thick brown leather apron of a blacksmith. She took off running in the opposite direction toward the stable, Maybe I can find a pitch fork there.
Maarika covered the distance to the stables in a few seconds with the former blacksmith in close pursuit. Without pausing, she ran into the stables. She had to come to an immediate halt as there was a long row of stalls in front of her. Looking to her left, she spotted a pitchfork hanging on the far wall. She accelerated into a sprint just as the blacksmith reached for her. Unable to correct in time, he crashed into the stall door just in front of him with a dull thump.
The blacksmith turned and spotted Maarika running away. Within its dim consciousness, it registered the fact that she was trapped and could
Nasir and Maarika Chronicles Episode II Page 2