“So, what else we likely to have hunting us in this fog Ariel?”
Ariel peered out into the shrouded silhouettes of the trees that loomed over the roadside.
“Well Thom, if this Necromancer Fortune is as powerful as people keep telling us, we could be looking at Wights, Ghouls, Revenants, various kinds of Vampire. He’s been able to raise an entire army of these Carrion that are attacking us. I’d say he’s a heavy hitter.”
Jeter held up his laminated map and tapped Usher on the arm. “Major, there ought to be a bridge up ahead that leads into town. It’s over a pretty high gorge judging by this map. If Stromberg has brought most of his charges, it could slow those things down until they find a way across, do you not think?”
Usher looked at the map Jeter held up and nodded. “It could do yes, but the noise of the charges could bring more of them out. They look like they can climb and they’re fast. Will a gorge hold them back for long?”
Ariel leaned across and peered at the map.
“No, but once the bridge is gone, the river at the bottom of it might.”
“The river?”
Ariel nodded. “The magic from the Unseelie side is saturating this place, it’s as much their side as it is ours, so nearly every rule should apply. Those things are an extreme form of, and I apologize for using this word, Zombie. Like most undead, they won’t be able to cross running water.”
“Seriously? That’s their weakness?”
“Yup, if my research is accurate it’ll be like crossing a river of acid to their forms. If we can get to that bridge and take it out, we’ll have a barrier. Then we can see if anyone’s alive in that town. And we deal with whatever undead might already be there when we find them.”
Usher turned to Stromberg, who was already holding up a package of high explosive. “Sound like a plan Danny?”
Stromberg nodded. “As long as I get to blow stuff up I’m a happy surfer, boss.”
Usher nodded and they carried on the slow arduous walk along the deserted, mist shrouded highway.
After thirty minutes of agonized tabbing, a dark silhouette loomed high above them in the darkness. It stretched upwards like a skyscraper in the mist a hundred yards away. Usher stopped the team with a raised fist.
“That look like our bridge boys?”
Brock stood beside Usher, a full head taller than him and holding his big axe over his shoulder. “Ja, boss. But I tell you, in our line of work bridges usually have Trolls living underneath them.”
Usher patted the big man’s burly shoulder. “Well let’s go introduce that troll to this team of gruff old billy goats, shall we?”
The team started to move when suddenly Cavell shouted out from the rear.
“I think I see movement! In those trees!”
Usher spun and raised his Soulblade. They all heard it. A rustling in the mist shrouded trees hanging over the roadside. Cavell pointed his blade at a moving branch.
“There it is! I can see a shadow, it’s one of them!”
Usher crouched and strained into the gloom. He hissed across at Cavell.
“Keep your fucking voice down. Until you started shouting we haven’t been making enough noise to trigger one, and from what we’ve seen they don’t come in ones. Wait until you can confirm it.”
Empire One stood crouched in a loose group with an all-round awareness, blades readied. Only Cavell stood apart, fumbling with his torch and sweating.
Charlie shook his head and glanced at Jackson. “Think he took a bigger bump on his noggin that we thought. Tell me mate, how did that prick end up in charge of you two proper soldiers?”
Jackson kept his eyes scanning the trees but slightly shook his head. “Honestly buddy, I have no idea.”
Collins chipped in. “Nepotism I heard. His uncle is a general, pulled a lot of strings so people say.”
Usher raised a hand. “Cavell get in formation until we know what we’re dealing with.”
Cavell jumped at another movement in the trees. His eyes were darting wildly all over the roadside. “It’s them, fucking undead bastards. Contact! Take them out!”
Before anyone could stop him, Cavell had drawn his pistol and started waving it wildly into the trees. Usher saw what he was about to do and sprinted towards him waving his hand. “Cavell don’t. You’ll…”
It was too late. Cavell had squeezed off three rounds before Usher knocked the gun from his hand. He jabbed a short punch into the red haired major’s solar plexus and he dropped like a stone. The Usher spun and held his blade ready at the trees where Cavell had fired.
There was movement, a cracking of branches and a guttural moan.
Then a small deer staggered out of the trees, blood soaking into its matted fur. It tottered on its hooves and gave a mournful bellow then collapsed onto the road and exhaled a final puff of vapour.
Usher’s eyes slid right to regard Cavell. “You. Fucking. Idiot.”
Empire One crouched in a tense silence that seemed to stretch on forever. They were back to back, poised to repel an attack that could come from any direction. Their senses strained out into the mist for any sign of Carrion closing in on them. After thirty seconds of the sound of their own hearts thumping in their ears, they allowed themselves to take a breath.
Isaac relaxed onto his makeshift wooden crutch and lowered his blade a little. He seemed in great pain from his injured leg but was disguising it well.
He looked across at Cavell who was crouched on the road holding his stomach and breathing shallow. “Well Major, you’ve thinned the enemy’s crack troop of elite baby deer. We can probably handle it from here on in.”
Usher rushed over and grabbed Cavell by the collar, twisting his fist until Cavell’s face turned the colour of his hair. As the Major lay choking, Usher raised his Soulblade above his head and snarled. “You put this mission in even more danger, Cavell. But worse than that you risked the lives of my men. Unacceptable. I told you what I would do.”
Cavell grimaced and turned his head away from the fatal blow. Through the heat of his anger Usher heard Ariel call out to him.
“Major Usher, stop, please. Thom.”
Usher felt his grip tighten on the Soulblade. Cavell winced through constricted throat. Usher felt his blood rise.
How many good soldiers in how many wars have died because of inept cowardly leaders like this?
“Thom. He’s scared and he’s a fool, but he’s not one of them. He messed up but no one got hurt.”
Isaac flicked his head over to the dead deer by the roadside. “I dunno Ariel, I don’t think Bambi’s gonna make it.”
Ariel ignored Isaac’s attempt to diffuse the situation and kept his eyes focused on Usher, keeping his voice as level and calm as his fear would allow.
“Thom. We have a mission to complete, no matter what state we’re all in. We might need every pair of hands we can get.”
Brock grunted across at them and slapped the shaft of his axe against his fist. “Just take his hands with us then. Wouldn’t be the first time.”
Usher pulled Cavell’s sweating whimpering face in close. “It’s up to his men, he’s their burden to bear. Jackson. Collins. You feel responsible for this imbicile?”
Jackson stepped forward and looked down at Cavell. “He’s a shameful embarrassment Major Usher, no doubt about that. But unfortunately he’s our embarrassment, and we’re responsible for him. As far as Collins and I are concerned we follow you now, but we’d rather see him back home and answerable for his actions.”
Usher gripped Cavell’s collar until he could hardly breathe. “See that Cavell, you command a calibre of man far higher than yourself. I imagine that must feel pretty humbling.”
Usher let him go and Cavell collapsed choking to the ground.
“Ok, rest stop over, let’s get ready to bug out and get across that bridge.”
The team picked up their kit and began to move, when they began to hear the rustling in the trees. They froze and their senses heightened on
ce again.
Usher stood there with baited breath listening. Then the rustling came again, followed by the cracking of branches. Usher let his breath go when he heard the cacophony of low guttural moans.
Isaac sighed and rubbed the Dreamcatcher around his neck.
“Chaps, I think we may have counted our chickens…”
“Boys, I know we’re compromised, but we may have to move fast. Ready?”
Suddenly a group of filthy carrion burst from the treeline, crooked fangs flashing. Stromberg called out behind Usher.
“This side too boss! Contact!”
Spinning around, Usher saw at least thirty more undead predators burst from the woods on the other side of the road and lumber towards them.
“Across the bridge! Move move!”
Usher rushed to Isaac’s side and slung his arm over his friend’s shoulder. “We gotta move Isaac, fast as we can.”
Isaac grimaced in pain and nodded. “Don’t let me slow you down Thom. Don’t you fucking dare.”
Usher grinned grimly. “Normal you is enough of a pain in the arse Isaac, I’m not putting up with zombie you. Now limp!”
Empire One drew on their last reserves of adrenaline and moved as fast as they could towards the bridge. Their exhaustion and injuries slowed them down dramatically and the ever-increasing horde of Carrion behind them was gathering strength and speed.
Suddenly they could feel the hot fetid breath on their necks. Usher spun round and lopped off the head of the nearest undead. Two more immediately took its place. Beside him, Isaac jabbed his support branch outwards and impaled one of the creatures through its stomach. It hissed and started to draw itself up the branch towards him. Using Usher to balance himself, Isaac brought his blade downwards and sliced the creature’s head in two.
Usher called out. “Stealth trip’s over boys, give them the good news!”
The team moved as fast as they could towards the bridge, unslinging their carbines and firing short bursts into the advancing mob every few steps. Every time one of the creatures fell at least five more would crawl over the husk and take its place. With stealth no longer an option, the soldiers unclipped the grenades from their harnesses and threw them into the pursuing horde. The fragmentation and incendiary grenades took out swathes of ten or twenty Carrion at a time, but the creatures felt no fear and just kept on coming.
Soon their carbines were clicking empty as their final magazines emptied and the last grenade was thrown. The team dropped the useless firearms and once again unsheathed their blades, slashing and hacking at any limb or face that came within range.
Even Cavell had found some measure of fighting spirit and turned his terror into anger, cutting off any clawed fingers that grasped at him. Usher shouted across the road at Stromberg.
“Danny, get those charges ready, we won’t have much time.”
Stromberg nodded and took a deep breath.
“No worries, chief.”
With a final burst of energy Stromberg sprinted ahead of the group and vanished into the mist hanging over the bridge.
Usher looked around him and saw that his entire team were seriously compromised. Santiago, Brock, Jeter, Charlie, Collins, Jackson and Ariel were desperately fighting off at least five of the Carrion each. The creatures were gaining speed, attempting to horse-shoe and isolate each team member and overwhelm them. The Soulblades cut through the limbs of the creatures like they were dry old brushwood but the numbers of the enemy were too great.
Usher knew they were in a catch-22. They could not hope to win a stand up fight with that many undead, but they were not fast enough to simply turn and run, so they fight had become a downward spiral of hack, slash and sprint a few paces.
Need something to slow them down.
Usher would never admit it but the sheer weight of Isaac was making his legs start to tremble. He knew that he could not keep fighting for much longer but doubted that they could make the other side of the bridge in time. He gritted his teeth.
I guess we just take out as many as we can.
Usher heard a cry of pain from his right and looked over to see Jackson struggling with two Carrion. One of the creatures had clamped its foul jaws onto his forearm and was slowly dragging him down to the ground. Jackson had rushed in and was trying to prize the jaws apart with his blade whilst still fighting off those around him. Usher moved in to help but three undead got in his way, slashing at him with their broken talons.
Usher clove through them kicking and hacking off body parts, his snarl coming from pain as much as anger. When the corpses fell Usher saw that Collins had managed to free Jackson and was dragging him back further across the bridge. Looking over to his left, Usher noticed that Ariel had sheathed his blade and produced what looked like a small leather notebook from his jacket. He was fumbling through the pages and muttering under his breath.
No time to pray for salvation Ariel. Never saw you as the pious sort. However you wanna check out I guess, old pal. See you in Valhalla.
A sudden flash of light seemed to ignite upwards from the ground in front of Empire One. Usher shielded his eyes for a moment and when he lowered his hand he blinked in amazement. A low wall of ice had formed around the knees of the oncoming Carrion, stretching back several metres deep into the mob. They trapped creatures still slashed out with their claws and the ice was already starting to crack but it had slowed them up for valuable seconds. Ariel shouted out across the road.
“This might be a good time to run! It won’t last!”
As a single unit Empire One turned and moved as fast as their injured bodies could carry them into the mist that hung across the bridge. Though the gloom they could see the tower marking the far side and Stromberg desperately waving them encouragement. As they struggled on wards, Usher noticed the shaped charges planted at regular intervals on the walkway. He could hear the river crashing along far beneath them. Looking to his side Usher could see Ariel running along beside him.
“Well you’re full of surprises. You’re what, a wizard now?”
Ariel was panting heavily and his cut face was starting to bleed again. Through laboured breaths he spoke. “Researching magic is my job, Thom. Been wanting to try out a spell or two for a while now. Needed a strong magical field for there to even be a chance of it working. Like this place.”
Usher grinned. “Oh well you must be just loving it here then Ariel.”
“Oh yes, it’s a naturalist’s paradise.”
Behind them Empire One heard the ice finally crack and the creatures advance upon them once again. With a last desperate burst they reached the other side and collapsed on the ground beside Stromberg. He held a small device in his hand, trailing a thin wire across the bridge to the charges. He looked down at Usher with a worried expression.
“I don’t want to piss on your dinner boys, but with that weird EMP effect this fog has, I have no idea if even having these things hardwired up like this is gonna work. Could be a damp squib.”
Usher got to his knees and looked back through the fog at the shadows advancing through the mist across the bridge. “Do it, Danny.”
Stromberg pressed the button and the team waited, too exhausted to run further. Seconds passed with nothing happening. Usher’s heart began to sink, seeing their only hope come to nothing. He prepared himself for their last fight.
Suddenly there was a series of sharp explosions in regular intervals across the bridge.
The team felt the ground rumble beneath them, the fog was blown clear by the blast, showing hundreds of the undead predators crawling towards them on the bridge. Then, almost in slow motion, the concrete beneath them cracked and gave way. As a single writhing mass the Carrion fell, crashed by lumps of concrete and showered with dust as they plummeted down to land in the roaring river below. Usher leaned over and looked down at the carnage.
While the fog was still clear he could see that the river had started to bubble and hiss as if the water boiled. The carrion were slashing about and their
skin was dissolving like lithium dropped in water. Usher allowed himself an exhausted smile. “Looks like you were right about the running water Ariel.”
The middle section of the bridge had collapsed fully into the river, creating a forty foot gap in the span. On the far side some Carrion still hissed but they had no way across. Down below at least a hundred had perished.
Empire One finally let themselves collapse down onto the street, catching their breath and letting the adrenaline subside. Usher checked on them all one by one, making sure they all had their injuries under control. Then he let himself lean back against the railing of the broken bridge and sighed. He turned from the forest on the far side and looked ahead to where the faint silhouettes of buildings could be seen through the mist. A few feet ahead of him was a sign that read;
Welcome to Carnival.
18.
“Oh my God. What the hell could have done this?”
Usher stood in the main street of the town, in front of a makeshift barricade of police cars and overturned farm trucks. The rest of Empire One stood behind him, shocked by the carnage strewn all over the road. Ariel stepped up beside Usher, wiping pink condensation from his glasses. His hand was trembling.
“Thom. I’ve seen people killed like this before. Years ago.”
“Where?”
“Iraq.”
Usher turned to look at the diminutive scientist. His face was grey and his eyes feverish with fear. Usher sensed it was more than fatigue and injury taking its toll.
“What is it Ariel? What’s here?”
The Last Line Series One Page 49