He had never hit anyone before and not wanting to chance a strike that was too light he decided that if he got the chance he would just have to hit the axe wielding guard as hard as he could.
He waited a few more swings trying to time his defense right. He grabbed the handle of the axe with his left hand stopping it cold and swung his other fist straight at the startled man’s face. It hit hard enough to shatter the guard’s jaw and send him snapping into the ground hard enough to break more bones.
Standing over the crumpled guard still holding the axe he whispered, “Sorry.”
Trying to scoot back but with nowhere to go Tommy tried to gather his thoughts and think of something, anything he could do to defend himself as the mud-covered zombie shambled towards him.
Suddenly there was more movement as what looked like another body flew over the edge of the pit. He tried to follow it with his eyes, perhaps somehow if he could divert the zombie’s attention to the new body he might buy himself some time… but the body didn’t hit the ground uselessly. As he watched the body span and twisted in mid air and landed gracefully.
Taking two steps to slow and redirect his momentum, Lucas span and without wasting any time or effort cleaved through the neck of the ghoul approaching Tommy and in the same movement did a spinning back kick hard enough to knock its body clear out from under its head and sailing into Walter’s back, knocking him into the zombie attacking him.
Mute, Tommy watched the head hit the ground at his feet and continue to twitch and move its jaw. He looked up at Lucas who was holding out a hand to help him to his feet.
“Thanks.”
“No problem.” Lucas replied not even breathing heavily.
Fallon and Baudoin fought together like they were dancing, one pushing or pulling the other out of the way of a thrown punch or swung club and then using them for leverage to kick with both feet.
One of the guards swung his axe straight down, Baudoin stepped clear and avoided being cut in half. He stomped down on the handle yanking it from the guards grasp and grabbing Fallon - swung her over his back so that she brought her foot down onto the back of the axeman’s skull.
Spinning around to find another assailant, one of the women with Roach’s group ran at them brandishing a large hunting knife. Fallon stepped back and let the woman start to lunge though then stepped forward so that they were too close together for a reverse slash. She punched the woman in the throat with one hand and then followed it up with a reverse to the jaw. Before the woman hit the floor she was already flying at someone else.
Greene watched as that fool Sterns fell into the zombie pit taking Walter with him.
One of Roach’s women was the closest to him when the melee broke out, she seemed confused at first, unsure of what to do and then ran at him with her claw hammer raised, screaming.
Before she got a chance to bring the hammer down he punched her square in the nose spreading blood splashing across her face and dropping her instantly to the floor. He snatched up her hammer and looked around trying to get his bearings.
Across the tangle of bodies he caught sight of Howard pummeling his attacker on the floor – maybe he did have a little fight in him, he would have to keep that in mind.
There was a yell as someone rushed him, he glanced over and without thinking threw the hammer. It struck the on rushing goon in the eye, his neck jarred to an odd angle and he collapsed first to his knees then his face.
Stooping quickly he grabbed up the fallen man’s weapon, a small sword, and reviewed the skirmish again. Howard was getting to his feet and was watching something… he followed his gaze just in time to see the crazy monk actually jumping into the pit of his own volition. He was surrounded by cretins and fools!
One of the half naked acolytes of Erebos charged at him, her large breasts bouncing with every step. She tried to bring down her club on his head but he caught her arms with one hand and ran her through with the sword he had in the other.
Not dying right away she screeched in his face, so he twisted the sword – that shut her up - and let her fall backwards, gravity slipped her from his blade.
Once more turning back to the fray he watched as Howard ran over to the edge of the pit, the idiot wasn’t paying attention so he didn’t see his own naked death stalking up behind him. Greene watched and smiled as Robert was about to be stabbed in the back with a ceremonial dagger.
Looking around the pit Lucas thought and acted quickly, starting with the ghoul currently tearing at and eating Mr. White’s chest he calmly cut off its head with a single painless strike. Then he ended White’s own suffering.
Two more clean beheadings later he and Tommy were the only living souls in the slaughter pit. He looked around for some way to get them out, there were no ladders and the walls were at least ten feet high, he might be able to get out of here but not carrying Tommy.
Just then Robert came into view at the mouth of the pit.
“Robert! Can you throw down a rope?”
“Wait a second, let me – ”
“ - LOOK OUT!”
Robert turned, behind him a naked woman was holding a double edged dagger in two hands high over her head and was about to plunge it into his back. She adjusted her aim with him as he moved and was about to drive the knife down into his chest when the curved katana sword flew like an arrow out of the pit, stabbing her through the chest with enough force it came out her back. Staggering backwards she collapsed.
“Tommy, wait here.” Lucas said calmly as he ran at the wall.
Robert turned to look at the surreal scene as the woman fell, then back to the pit. Lucas was hauling himself up having just run up the wall as if it was as simple stroll up a hill.
“You find a rope, I’ll try to find us a way out of here.”
Lucas said stooping and gently slipping the sword from the woman’s body. With a flick of his wrist he cleaned the blood from the blade and in a blur of motion he was gone.
Stepping back over to the pit Robert called down. “Hang on Tommy I’m gonna find a rope, I’ll be right back”
As he turned he saw Greene standing there looking at him, he was holding a short sword, flexing it in his grip and was wearing a crooked smile. Behind him one of the temple guards was walking forward raising a sledgehammer in two hands.
“Behind you!” he yelled.
Greene turned just in time, he raised the sword and stabbed the onrushing guard in the throat. Stepping out of the way Greene let the dying man’s own momentum carrying forward and turned to look at Robert again.
He didn’t know what he look on Greene’s face was, he had never seen it before, whatever it was he would have to deal with it later.
Running inside to escape the chaos he looked around for anything to lower into the pit to help retrieve Tommy… a rope, a ladder, anything.
He looked at the statue of Erebos the Hermaphrodite God of Khaos, it had to be held suspended somehow. He ran behind it, hard to see from the other side he found that it was held aloft using some hooks and synthetic white rope.
Rushing he found where one of the ends of the rope was tied to the wall, he tried to undo the knot but it was too hard, the weight of the deity had pulled it impossibly tight. Looking around for a knife to just cut it he couldn’t find one, they must have all been taken outside to the fight.
He thought about the ceremonial dagger that had been destined for his heart, with no time to waste he ran back outside to retrieve it.
Outside he glanced around the yard to make sure he had a clear path, There were bodies strewn everywhere, the hail of arrows and bullets had slowed but not stopped. Dashing out he saw Ramirez, Jackson, Fallon and Baudoin all fighting off the last of the guards and cultists. He didn’t see Greene… where had he slipped off to?
He grabbed the dagger and started back towards the house, there was still no sign of Greene.
Back inside he run to the statue and cut one of the ends of the rope. Instantly the weight whipped the rope away and the
metal Goddess crashed to the floor, first its feet and then face as she smashed through a low table.
Cutting the other end free he gathered up the rope and started for the door, there was a sound behind him as someone started to descend the stairs.
“What th’ fuckin’ ‘ell!?” Roach exclaimed as he came into view. Not waiting for an answer he caught sight of Robert and without aiming fired his shotgun.
The huge glass door next to him exploded and he flinched as a shower of fragments rained down around him. Momentarily startled he looked back at Roach just in time to see him aim this time and pull the trigger.
The gun clicked quietly. Cursing Roach started to rush down the stairs, he made it about half way before his foot slipped in a pool of the rancid filth from the exploding toilet and he fell - hitting several steps on his way down with his arms, legs and head, coming to a dead stop when he hit the floor at the bottom.
Finally able to breathe Robert snapped back to reality and sprinted from the house trying not to slip on the blanket of shattered glass.
When he got outside Fallon was already heading for the house “What happened?”
“Nothing, I’m okay.” he answered quickly.
“You’re bleeding.”
He looked down at himself, he hadn’t felt anything, he didn’t know if it was the shower in glass or if he had caught some of the buckshot but he had his jacket on the right side was peppered with little cuts and blood.
“I don’t know, it’s nothing – help me get Tommy out of the pit.”
They rushed over to the edge and dropped one side of the rope down. “Grab on and we’ll pull you up!” he called down.
They both strained and pulled, the rope cut into their hands and they braced so that they wouldn’t lose any of the progress they had made.
Suddenly Jackson strode over and grabbed the rope too, with one hand heaved Tommy up close enough to grab onto the rim of the hole, then reaching down he gently grabbed Tommy under the shoulders and lifted him all the way out.
“Are you okay.” Jackson asked and he helped steady Tommy so that he didn’t fall back into the pit.
“Yeah I’m okay.”
They all gathered now, their captors laying dead, dying or unconscious around them.
“Where is Lucas?” Baudoin asked.
“I don’t know, he said he was going to try and find us way out of here”
“Hey, what about Greene?” Ramirez asked, looking around.
“I don’t know, nobody saw anything?” Robert asked. They all shook their heads.
“The snake probably left us.” Tommy added.
“I don’t know, he couldn’t have gotten far. Let’s find Lucas first.”
As a group they headed back into the house everybody armed and carefully watching their flanks.
They stopped and took turns taking the lead as they went through every door and at every blind turn, as they passed near the stairs they could still hear movement on the second floor. Quietly stepping over and around the debris at the foot - including the body of Roach, they made their way back to the hallway that would lead them back out through the garage.
Without their guns it would be difficult to take out an enemy at a distance but trying to sneak out of there would be safer than trying to take on several armed assailants upstairs just to retrieve them and any limited ammo that may be left.
They cleared the hallway and the kitchen without seeing anyone and then started down the narrow staircase with Ramirez in the lead.
At the bottom he waited off to the other side of the door with Baudoin on the other, everyone else waited crowded into the cramped stairwell.
He whispered the prep countdown and on one he grabbed the handle and opened the door. There was a sound like thunder and suddenly Ramirez didn’t have a head.
XX
Blood sprayed across Baudoin’s face and chest, he staggered back into Jackson.
“Up-up-up!” he yelled.
They stumbled and stepped on each other in shock as they backpedaled to get up the stairs.
They rushed back through the kitchen all protocol forgotten and into the living room. Their options were limited, there wasn’t much they could do to make a stand here, the alternatives were upstairs or outside. They chose outside.
Heading back out into the yard maybe they could find a place to hide or slip away… but already members of the rival gang were starting to scale the walls.
Looking around there was nowhere really to go, the backyard was sparsely decorated, there were very few corners in which they could hide… there was always the pit but that would put them as fish in a barrel.
They started to move back inside but there were shadows and noises coming from the hallway, they would be there at any moment and if they saw movement they might shoot first and ask questions later. Thinking quickly Robert turned to Baudoin.
“Baudoin, those stories you and Lucas told me before about them keeping people here as slaves, do you think they still do that?”
“I don’t know.”
“I think it’s our best chance right now, everyone drop your weapons and raise your hands.”
Reluctantly they did so. The men scaling the walls came down inside the grounds and drew weapons when they saw the expedition team. Inside the house the group that had come up from the garage was filling the living room, splitting off some men to take the upstairs and the rest came outside to help clear up any final resistance.
Two waves of men came at them back and front, weapons raised in suspicion.
“Look’t the cowards.” One of them said laughing.
“On your knees!” yelled another. “All of ya, now!”
They complied but men came forwards anyway to push them down faster, get a kick or a slap in just to ad insult to injury.
“Where is he!?” a voice said from inside the house. None of them could see the man at first their backs were all turned towards the house. He strode out into view wearing a long sleeveless jacket, a pair of leather pants and boots and not much else. He was overweight to the point that his gut threatened to overhang his belt and his short beard covered most of his face before continuing on down he neck chest and stomach without really stopping.
“Where is that skinny, junky, he-she sodomite?” He asked loudly and looked around awaiting an answer.
“I think who you’re looking for is in the pit” Robert said calmly.
The man looked around confused that the answer hadn’t come from one of his own men.
Studying Robert for a second he marched over to the edge of the pit and peered in.
“Well would you look at that shit!” the man exclaimed in surprise. Walking back over he addressed Robert directly but no less loudly.
“What the fuck happn’ta him?”
“He got knocked into the pit and one of my friends killed him.”
“Oh yeah, which one?” he eyed them all suspiciously.
“He’s not here, he left to find a way out during the fight and I never saw him again.”
Chuckling the man turned to his men “Yeah probably found his way out and took it!”
They all laughed at that.
“Now why would your friend want to kill ol’ Whitey? Ain’t you his men?”
“No sir, they caught us today and were holding us captive.”
“Huh, really?” He looked at Robert slyly. “Well if you’re telling the truth and you were his, then that means now you’re mine” Turning to his men he said “To the victor goes the spoils!” and they all cheered.
“Okay round ‘um all up and throw ‘um in the bus. But keep these ones close, I’m gonna wanna ask ‘um some more questions later.”
The leader – Skell - Robert now thought, strode back into the house leaving his men to roust them to their feet and lead them out into the street.
All of the gun fire had stopped. The whooshing sounds from arrows were gone. The only sound that remained was the raucous roar of victory. There were far more of the
invading horde than there had been at the house, it had only been a matter of time before they were overrun.
Looking at the faces of the Greutungi, if that was in fact who they were, they looked no different from the followers of Erebos, dirty faces and clothes torn in shreds, how they identified themselves form their enemy in battle was beyond comprehension. Perhaps it didn’t matter and they just killed anyone in front of them.
The team was pushed along through a human corridor in the rabble filling the street. The stench was terrible, burning bodies were left to burn, most of the unwashed men and women had smelled like rotten fish when they were alive, they smelled even worse dead. The fuel used to fire their torches smelled so strong it cut through everything else and burned their nostrils with a reek of harsh, acidic chemicals.
Both horse and human excrement littered the street and they had to try to keep their balance as they slipped through it. If one of them did lose their balance and reached out to grab at someone for support they were only pushed roughly back in line.
The path from the house led downhill along a serpentine road, slowly the prisoner buses came into view. They were large and were once a bright yellow. Now they were charred black where metal mesh was welded over all of the windows and stained brown with streaks of what was a mixture of rust, dirt and any number of bodily fluids.
They were herded to the door at the front of the bus and shoved aboard. Inside there was a metal mesh wall dividing the driver from his living cargo, its entry door stood wide open and blocked the driver from attack.
Past the door there were already dozens of people inside. There was no place to sit but the floor and they crowded people in so thick that there was no room even for that.
There was some crying here and there, from the pain of untreated wounds, of pent up anger or the frustration and despair of defeat.
After they were pushed inside, the door was closed and locked. Looking out of the window Robert searched the crowd, he didn’t know why he just looked around at all of the smiling jeering faces. As he looked he saw one face that wasn’t smiling, it was somber and torn with emotion. Lucas looked up at him, dressed in rags and smeared with dirt he blended in perfectly. Their eyes met and Lucas nodded slowly and clenched a fist in front of his chest. Returning the nod Robert knew that Lucas would try to follow them, try to do something, anything to get them out they just had to try and hang on.
Long Live The Dead Page 11