Shadow Sun Expansion

by Dave Willmarth

  This created a dilemma. They had no real way to know if any of these prisoners were actually Paul’s men unless Chris, Logan, or Lars recognized them. Amanda solved it by walking into the first room and saying, “You’re all going to be okay. We’ve killed all but the last few of these assholes. But we need to know if anyone in here is one of them. If so, speak up. They can’t hurt you now. They try anything, they’ll be dead in 2 seconds. So… any of Paul’s people in here?”

  As one, the frightened people on the floor shook their heads. “Thank you. Stay in here. Do not go outside, or we’ll assume you’re an enemy and fire. We’ll come back for you shortly.”

  They repeated this process through eight other rooms, someone asking the questions while others covered them. Every room denied any of Paul’s people hiding in there.

  As they reached the end and a big corner office, the door erupted with shots from inside. Amanda and Goodrich were both hit as rounds stitched their way across the corridor. Everyone fired back into the quickly dissolving door, the shots ceased, and they were rewarded with an experience gain.

  Lars kicked in the scrap of a door that was remaining, and was the first through. Logan was right behind him, followed by Allistor.

  “Paul. You cowardly son of a bitch.” Chris growled, stepping through right behind Allistor. The man stood in the back corner of the room, two women in front of him, effectively shielding him. He had a pistol in each hand, one pointed at each of the women’s heads. Allistor assumed the dead man on the floor was the lieutenant.

  “If you shoot me, they’re dead!”

  “Shoot!” one of the women screamed. “Shoot! Kill him!”

  Logan and Lars both had weapons raised, but they didn’t fire. Both turned to look at Allistor, then at Chris.

  Allistor nodded to Chris, who stepped forward. He held a Sig M4 semi-auto in his hands, and his face was dead blank. “You worthless piece of shit. You killed my wife. I vowed to end you, and I’m gonna do just that. You are not getting out of here alive. But you let the women go, I’ll give you a quick death. Harm them in any way, and I’ll feed you to the bear myself. After I shoot you in the arms, legs, and the gut.”

  While Chris was talking, Allistor keyed his radio. “Lars, Logan. I don’t want to risk Restraint, in case it fails. Are you good enough to shoot his hands?”

  “Oh, hell yes. At this range?” Lars replied. Logan just nodded slightly. Each man was only six or seven feet from Paul.

  “I’ll let you guys pick the time. Do it.”

  The two of them started whispering as Chris finished his threat. Paul looked at Chris, then at the rest of the group behind him. Chris stepped to the side to give his friends a clear shot, having heard Allistor on his earpiece.

  Paul shouted, “I swear to God, I’ll take them with me. You are gonna let me outta here! I’ll take them with me for ins-”

  Lars and Logan fired simultaneously. Both of Paul’s hands jerked, the guns flying from them. One of the women screamed as some shrapnel cut into her scalp, but it was drowned out by Paul’s outraged scream.

  The two women had the presence of mind to run forward away from Paul as he hugged his destroyed hands to his chest. “You assholes! You shot me! You’re just like the others! Everyone’s out to get me!”

  Allistor ignored the rant, watching as Amanda healed the injured woman and escorted her out as Dawn helped the other one. As soon as they were out of the room, Allistor looked at Paul, who was still raving about how the whole world had always been against him.

  “SHUT UP!” he roared at the man in the corner. Paul stopped rambling long enough to focus on him. “I gave you a chance to surrender, but you refused. Some of my people, and all of yours, are dead now. That’s on your head. I promised I’d kill you an inch at a time, but I’m not feeling that patient.”

  He turned to look at his friends. “Back up.”

  When they were all behind him, and it was just him and Paul in the room, he simply said, “Lunchtime, Fuzzy.”

  The bear roared, shoving aside a desk in his rush to get to Paul. Allistor turned his back and walked out as the man began to scream and beg. It lasted a full minute before he went silent. Another half minute elapsed before they all got experience from Fuzzy’s kill. He and the others only returned to loot the mangled body.

  Chapter 11

  Giant Goblins and Bears, Oh My

  Logan called for the teams downstairs to sweep the building again, and fifteen minutes later the all-clear was given. The prisoners were rounded up and given the news that their captors were all dead. Allistor had them walked through the lower level to see the devastation and ruined bodies of the men and women who’d taken and held them.

  Once outside in the street, he had them gathered together. There were a total of eighty-five of them. Standing back up in the pickup bed, he spoke to them.

  “You now know that your captors are dead. They can’t hurt you. And we won’t hurt you. But I’m going to ask you one more time. If anyone among you is one of Paul’s people, someone who either actively abused you, or supported Paul’s actions, point them out now. We’ll deal with them quickly, and we can all move on.”

  The entire group looked around at each other, no one saying anything. But Amanda noticed several of them looked at one man briefly before looking away. She hopped up on the truck next to Allistor.

  “You.” She pointed at the man. He was in his mid-thirties with a scruffy beard and greasy hair. “Why did so many people just look at you?”

  The man shrugged. “I’m handsome?”

  Allistor caught on, and cast Restraint on the man. Then he cast Levitate and floated him up several feet above the heads of the crowd. When the stun wore off, he started struggling and cursing. But his efforts got him nowhere.

  “Now, answer the question. Why did so many people look to you when I asked about people working for Paul?”

  “He’s a snitch!” one woman called out. Several others nodded their heads.

  “What do you mean, a snitch?” Amanda asked.

  “He would hang around and listen to us talking, then report to Paul’s people. A few of us were planning an escape. He informed on them, and they were caught and executed.” the man standing next to the woman who’d spoken first explained.

  “Is this true?” Allistor asked the floater. “Are you responsible for the deaths of prisoners who tried to escape?”

  The man kept struggling, wearing himself out. He didn’t say a word.

  “Alright, since you all were the ones harmed by his actions, we’ll have a trial. Anybody know his name?”

  “Simon.” half a dozen people called out at once.

  “Simon, you are charged with aiding the asshole Paul, and conspiring in the capture and execution of prisoners attempting escape. You will be judged by a jury of your peers, being the recently freed men and women you see before you. How do you respond to these charges?”

  The man stopped struggling, now hanging nearly upside down from his contortions. “I’m not guilty! You can’t prove I did any of it!”

  “So, you deny working with Paul, informing on your fellow prisoners?”

  “I deny everything!”

  Allistor looked to the crowd. “What evidence do you have to present to prove his guilt?”

  A second woman raised her hand. “I saw him go in and out of Paul’s office three times. My job was cleaning the guard’s quarters, including Paul’s. Simon went in there less than an hour before Paul caught Lydia and her family and killed them. Simon stood there smiling as it happened.”

  A man raised his hand. “The day after, Simon got a double ration of food. And actual bacon for breakfast.”

  “I earned that food! I… I did some scouting. So what?” Simon’s indignation looked silly with his feet kicking above his head.

  A kid pushed his way through the taller adults. Maybe ten or eleven years old, he was scrawny and dirty. He shyly raised his hand, and Allistor nodded at him. “Go ahead.”

&nb
sp; “Simon tried to get me to help him spy on people. He gave me a cupcake, and said if I bring him good secrets, I could have more. My mom told me he was bad, and I shouldn’t help him. When I told Simon I wasn’t allowed… the next day they took my mom away.” The boy had tears streaming down his face. “It was my fault. I shouldn’t have told him.”

  Allistor looked up at Simon, who’d gone quiet. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

  “That little bastard’s a liar!” Simon shouted. One of the women in the group took hold of the boy and gathered him into a hug. “He tried to blackmail me for a cupcake!”

  Allistor looked back at the crowd. “Anybody else have evidence they wish to put forth?”

  A young girl, maybe fifteen years old, raised her hand. “He’s always perving on me. Told me once he could get me double food rations if I let him… you know.”

  “Little slut! You came begging for it!” Simon’s last words sealed his fate. Of all people, Amanda was the last person Allistor expected to take a life. But she raised her shotgun and put a round through Simon’s face, sending him spinning away, spurting blood over the crowd and the street. Allistor canceled the Levitate spell once he was clear of everyone, and his dead body dropped to the pavement. The prisoners clapped and cheered.

  Amanda hopped off the truck and called out, “Anyone know what happened to this young man’s mom?”

  The looks she got back from the people in the front row made it clear what her fate had been. Several people looked down at the boy and shook their heads slightly.

  The boy himself said, “It’s okay. They won’t say it, cuz they think I don’t know. But Paul hurt her, then killed her. I waited outside his office, and I saw them take her away. It’s all my fault.”

  Amanda rushed forward and dropped to her knees, taking the little boy in her arms as he began to cry again. She patted his back and whispered to him. Finally, he nodded, and she let go. “None of this was your fault. You need to believe me on this. Simon and Paul were bad men, and they took advantage of you. It’s the truth, I swear. Ask anyone.”

  The little boy looked back at the prisoners, and every single one of them had a smile and a nod for him. A few muttered, “She’s right.” or, “It’s true.” Amanda took his hand and led him back to the truck.

  “You’re coming with me. We’ll get you some food, and have a little talk.” Pausing, she turned back to the others. “You all saw the announcement a while back about Allistor building the first Citadel? Well, this is Allistor. He’s about to invite you to join us. We’ll be clearing the dungeon and turning this place into a proper Stronghold. But that can wait. For today, you are welcome to join us at the Capitol. There’s meat, fresh vegetables, and a safe place to sleep where no monsters will spawn. I suggest you take him up on his offer to join us.”

  Picking up the child, she put him in the back seat of the Humvee. Meg fired it up, and Sam hopped in. Allistor knew they’d rush back to the Stronghold and start cooking. There were nearly a hundred new mouths to feed.

  Seeing Lars standing nearby, he motioned for the man to join him up on the truck. He quietly said, “You and your guys were instrumental in our success here. I was about to recruit all these people, but if you’d like to offer them the choice of joining you as well…”

  Lars snorted. “Are you kidding? I was about to ask you if you’d accept me and mine. I woke up this morning thinking we’d be allies. But after today… I can make sure my people survive, at least for a while. But you have a plan, resources, and skills that I just don’t have. Your people are well fed, leveling quickly, and based on that armor you’re wearing, leveling their skills as well. Much faster than any of my people, myself included. If you’ll leave me in charge of my Stronghold and my people, I think we’ll all swear your oath.”

  Allistor reached out a hand. “Not just in charge of your Stronghold. I want you to be one of my advisors. Logan too. And maybe a few more of your people.” They shook hands, and both turned to the crowd.

  “As Amanda said, my name is Allistor….” he began to give them the pitch. He made it the short version, as the people were tired and hungry. As he was talking, Bjurstrom and his guys led a procession of fighters carrying makeshift stretchers, atop which sat the bodies of their people lost in the fight. Each was covered in a blanket, and the sight made Allistor forget his words. The fighters set their burdens down, and Bjurstrom explained in a shaky voice.

  “We weren’t sure what you wanted us to do with them.”

  Allistor looked to the prisoners. “I’m sorry, I’ve been talking your ears off. We need to get you back and get you fed, and take our lost brothers and sisters home. It’s a short walk through the park, only a few blocks. If any of you need assistance, just raise a hand.”

  He motioned for Bjurstrom and the others to lift the bodies and head back, but a man stepped forward. “They died helping to free us?”

  Bjurstrom nodded, not trusting himself to speak. The man moved to stand next to one of the stretchers. “I’d like to help carry them, if you don’t mind? Least I can do. And if they have families, I’d like to be able to thank them.”

  One by one, more of the prisoners stepped forward and offered to help carry the load. Allistor nodded to his people, who stepped aside and quietly thanked them for their help. Bjurstrom detailed two groups to remain and secure the building, and soon enough the rest of the survivors were on their way, the bodies being carried by people they’d helped to free, with the rest of them walking alongside, in front, and behind as a sort of informal honor guard. When one of them tired, another took their place. A man near the back began to sing a slow, sad song that sounded vaguely Celtic. His voice was beautiful, and though Allistor couldn’t make out the words, the song brought tears to his eyes. He let them fall. There was no shame in mourning the dead. He felt much like the little boy had – these people were dead because he’d brought them here. They could have led long and healthy lives if he’d just left them alone at the Citadel or the Stadium, wherever they came from.

  He spent the walk back to the Capitol telling himself that these six died so that dozens or maybe hundreds more would never be victimized by Paul and his people.

  *****

  Back at the Capitol, they herded all the former prisoners through the gates and directly into the building. Allistor didn’t want to risk anyone spotting the teleport pad and asking questions. The newcomers waited as the bodies were gently set to one side in the rotunda. Amanda and several of the support volunteers took charge of them, and the prisoners were led to the dining area. Meg and Sam made sure they were all well fed, making more of the breakfast sandwiches that gave the Constitution buff. The meal wasn’t fancy, but their guests dug in like they hadn’t eaten for days.

  When they were all fed, Allistor gave them the longer version of his recruiting speech. Then Lars stood up and introduced himself. A few of the people had met him, or heard of him, and the crowd listened intently as he spoke of his plan to join his people with Allistor’s.

  Once they were through talking, about half of the prisoners wanted to pledge. The others had family they wanted to get back to at other Strongholds. Allistor offered them escorts to get them safely home, and they accepted gratefully. The ones who wished to take the oath did so, repeating after Helen as she fulfilled what was rapidly becoming her traditional role.

  “For those who want to return to your families, I ask that you be patient. Stay here for the night while my people and I make arrangements. I need to secure both this Stronghold and the mint while we clear the lower levels, and I need all my people to do that. In the morning we can break off groups to get you safely home. And hopefully we can form alliances with your respective Strongholds as well. I’ll be dropping by each one and asking to meet with their leaders.”

  The folks who wanted to leave agreed to wait, and all were asked to sit tight while Amanda worked her way through them. She’d called for two nurses from the Citadel to help her examine all the guests and ass
ess their health. Most just needed a few good meals to be back in normal shape. A few had suffered more than the others from lack of regular meals.

  When she was satisfied that the nurses had things under control, Amanda joined Allistor and the dungeon group, and they headed back to the mint along with fifty of the volunteer fighters to help defend the building if necessary. The others he left at the Stronghold to watch over their guests.

  Back at the mint he waited while Logan and the other vets assigned squads to various firing positions throughout the building. Broken furniture was piled high in the doorways, providing both a cover for their defenders, and a barrier to entry for any attackers. After an hour, they were ready to hit the dungeon. The group of twenty-five fighters were among the best of Allistor’s people, along with Lars, Logan, and Chris. Allistor had brought Amanda and Nancy along as his best healers, but also to level them up along with Sam, Meg, Ramon, Michael, Helen, Dawn, Nathan, Andrea and her four guys, Dean, and the leaders from Laramie.

  Mimicking the organization used in their fight upstairs, Bjurstrom had broken the raid into five sub-groups of five fighters each that could break off if necessary and fight separate groups or separate mobs. Every member had a radio with an earpiece, and was equipped with healing and mana potions as well as both healing and offensive spells. Not to mention being heavily armed. The BFG was too large and heavy to bring down, but Sam had brought two of the belt-fed 5.56 LMGs – one for him, and one for Logan, who made the large weapon look like a toy when he held it. Meg was carrying a supply of her own chemical grenades that she’d crafted, slightly improved from the originals, as well as a few of the manufactured grenades they’d claimed from the train wreck. Everyone else carried shotguns with various loads, a blade of some kind, at least one handgun, and a few carried bows or crossbows. Logan also carried a wicked looking axe on his back.