by SD Tanner
Jacob was sitting in his wheelchair about ten feet to his left and twenty feet ahead of him, facing the hunters. Wondering why Jacob had wheeled himself between the troops and the hunters, he shouted, “Jacob! What the hell are you doin’?”
He kicked his horse with his heels to spur it forward, but it refused to move and frustrated, he called again, “Jacob!”
Jacob seemed to hear him, and to his surprise, the man stood up out of his chair and turned to face him wearing a wide smile. He didn’t think Jacob could walk, but the slender, dark haired man proved him wrong, and he walked towards him until he was standing in front of his disobedient horse. Having never seen Jacob on his feet before, the man was taller than he expected. Dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt, despite the chaos around him, he looked calm and reassured. The hunters and demon super hunters appeared equally transfixed, and they stood as if they too were waiting for Jacob to make his intentions known.
Utterly confused, he leaned forward on his horse. “What the hell is goin’ on?”
Continuing to smile, Jacob performed a slow and respectful salute. “You’ve done a fine job, War.”
Jacob was clearly not the man he thought he was. “Who are ya?”
“I’m a friend, War, and my father told me to say hello.”
He understood what he was implying, but he didn’t believe him. “Tell him I said hi too, but I’m kinda busy right now.”
“Oh, whatever you have to do will wait for a few minutes. I have another message to deliver.”
Turning and walking back to his wheelchair, Jacob faced the rows of shooters. “My father wants you to know he hasn’t forgotten you. He’s been watching over you all, and he’s proud of what you’ve done.”
Behind him, there were the sounds of confused voices and people asking what was going on. He didn’t know either, and looking past Jacob at the hunters, he was surprised their heads were no longer vibrating. For once they were quiet and still.
He didn’t understand what was happening, but decided whatever Jacob was doing wasn’t going to help. “Jacob! Get outta of the goddamn way, or you’re gonna be mowed down.”
Jacob waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t be so impatient, War. I’ve got a job to do.”
His horse was growing impatient and it skittered slightly. “And what job is that, Jacob?”
“My father told me to bring his children home.”
He had no idea what Jacob meant, but it did make him wonder if he really was from the other side. Any help was better than none. “Do what you’ve gotta do, but make it snappy.”
Nodding to him, Jacob turned to face the line of hunters, who all seemed to be staring at him. Spreading his arms wide, and in a powerful voice that seemed to penetrate more than his ears, Jacob boomed.
“My father calls you home!”
Jacob slowly dropped to his knees, and then tipped on his side, until he was lying sprawled and clearly dead on the dusty land between them and the hunters. A sharp ripple of wind blew across the flat land, and Jacob’s hair moved slightly as the breeze ran across his body. Time seemed to stand still, and then he heard a loud layered thudding noise that started from his right and moved across the plain. While the sound continued unabated, it went past him and to his left. Dust burst into the air, and once it settled, hunters were lying still and clearly dead. Like a domino effect, they dropped one by one, until there was nothing left, but a tan colored sea of unmoving hunter corpses. In less than a minute, every hunter had dropped dead to the ground, and he guessed they’d gone to wherever Jacob called home.
Cutting through the stunned silence, Pax shouted, “What the hell…?’
At the sound of Pax’s shocked voice, his horse reared slightly, and he pulled it back under control. “Woah, easy boy.”
Turning to look across at Pax and TL, he shouted, “I dunno what just happened either.”
Ip speaks: He was the gift that God did send and his golden star brought a fitting end.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: Call to War (Gears)
The death of the hunters changed the dynamic for the better, and he was trying to process the implications of what had just happened. Still reeling from their suddenly improved situation, it occurred to him Ruler had stupidly chased the babies thinking they were the golden star, and he chuckled.
Still sitting on his horse facing the battlefield, Pax looked across at him. “It ain’t funny, bro’.”
As if to emphasize Pax’s point, he heard the bang and whistle of airborne bombs. Instinctively ducking his head, there was an explosion behind him and clearly Ruler’s army could still use their armaments. Even without their hunters, there was a very good chance they could lose the battle to his demon army. Unfortunately he’d only anticipated a war against hunters and grouped his troops tightly, but now that formation only made them vulnerable to a more conventional attack. He’d made yet another mistake, and a deep anger began to burn within him. The anger became a white streak of rage as his patience for their continual failure finally exploded. Once again, he was presented with one problem he managed to avoid, only to be immediately confronted by the next. It was an endless cycle of playing catch up, and hearing the cries of pain and panic from his people, he felt something break deep inside him. A rage like one he’d never known before, seemed to erupt like a fire inside his gut, and it spread its fury through every fiber and cell of his being. His body began to burn, and his mind became focused on nothing, but his intense anger. Cleared of any thought and only filled with feelings, he felt his mind sharpen, and he needed to find a way to express his fury before it consumed him.
He lifted his machete in the air, threw back his head, and howled a battle cry that seemed to come from the soul he was told he didn’t have.
“WAAAR!”
Casting his head down again, he was breathing hard, with his brow furrowed while he glowered at his enemies. Kicking his heels into his horse, he was ready to lead mankind into its final battle with all the fury that fueled him, but his horse refused his command. Now confused and frustrated, he felt more than saw the huge ripple that began to buckle the earth. Starting from his right where their flanking troops stood, the earth undulated. It set in motion a wave of rising and crumbling dirt that spread all the way to his left, to where the other flanking troops were waiting. The dry earth cracked and burst, lifting three feet into the air, but instead of settling, it took a life of its own, and small eruptions continued to bubble in the gritty dirt. In the wake of the wave, the ground continued to churn, and he wondered what was beneath it. It didn’t stop moving, but continued to rumble and tear, forming into clumps that were growing taller. To his disbelief, the earthy lumps shivered and shook, as they gained height and began to take form. Finally standing well over six feet tall, the dirty, brown and earthy lumps became the shapes of huge men, who stood shaking their arms so that large chunks of earth dropped from their bodies. Their enemy was as distracted as they were by the sight. There were no more explosions, while slowly a long line of heavyset men grew from the ground, and stood silently in front of them, facing their enemy.
With their shoulders heaving at the strain of being born, they seemed to be panting. Standing still, with their feet planted sturdily on the ground from which they’d come, they were a filthy brown color. They held their arms by their sides, with their hands clenched in huge mud colored fists. Even with their backs turned to him, he could almost feel the rage emanating from their thickset bodies. They filled the length of the divide between his frontline and their enemies, and stood row upon row in a rough formation like they were guardians.
“You have got be shittin’ me!” Pax shouted loudly, sounding as stunned as he felt.
Not understanding, he shouted, “What the hell is this?”
Ip speaks: Stupid you! You never know. It is yourself that is born and grows!
“She’s right,” Pax shouted, as his horse skittered at the disruption around it. “And now there’s thousands of ya!”
Look
ing at the long line of men in front of him, he recognized their awkward bulk. They were muddy versions of himself. It was as if the thousands of generations before him were born again to join them in battle. He supposed if the babies could be here while they still walked the earth, then why couldn’t all his previous selves be here too? His guide told him to call to war, and in a sense he had, but it wasn’t what he’d meant. The rage and frustration that exploded inside him ebbed away, and he finally understood the power he’d been granted. He was a force, not a life, and he could exist on earth as many times as he needed to.
While his horse continued to rear and skitter at the moving earth around it, he finally understood. “We are a force, not a life. I called to War and all my Wars have joined me.”
He drove his horse forward, and cantered into the line of ten thousand silent Wars. The heaving muddy soldiers didn’t acknowledge his presence, but continued to wait for his orders. He flung back his arm and then threw it forward with a guttural cry.
“WAR!”
On his command, the ten thousand Wars launched forward, and each picked up the dead body of a hunter. Using the lean hunter bodies like shields, they advanced into the line of super hunters. Finally Ruler’s army reacted and gunfire erupted. Bombs were exploding around him and his war began. He knew his immortal army couldn’t die, and riding with them, they were hit again and again by gunfire. Their earthy bodies absorbed the bullets, barely leaving a visible impact. Their troops followed behind his line of immortal men, and the bodies of the now deceased hunters were crushed under the feet of tens of thousands of people surging forward. His immortal army reached the first line of demons, and having no weapons, they used the hunter bodies like bludgeons, slamming them into the demon super hunters. The impact of their blows exploded the hunter bodies, black goo mixed with the blood of the demons, and was flung high into the air. The ground became slick with goo, body parts and blood. Behind him he could still hear the loud bang of explosions, and the enemy artillery was still working. His troops couldn’t defend themselves from the bombs, and Ruler’s demons didn’t care if they killed their own.
Seeing Pax still on his right, he pointed with his machete to the left and roared, “Kill their arty!”
Pax didn’t answer, but he and TL split away, one going to the left, and the other to the right. Looking behind him, he saw the front line troops were still surging forward. The air around him was becoming colder, which meant the demons and ghosts were clustering around them.
Ip was still tucked into his lap, but he needed to be able to move freely, and he growled, “Kill ‘em all, honey.”
Understanding his intent, she swung her leg over the horse’s neck and slipped to the oily ground. Without even glancing at him, she snarled and drew her sword, and he lost her in the crowd. Now free to fight, kicking his horse with both feet, it cantered forward and he became part of the frenetic movement. To his right was a truck with a demon super hunter standing in the back, firing an M249 SAW machine gun that rested on the roof. Again digging his heels into his horse, it bucked and began to charge. The demon super hunter lifted the gun, and swung it around until it was trained on him. He kicked his horse again and rode at a fast gallop directly into the line of fire. The super hunter fired, but the rounds went wild. Now only a few feet away, with a powerful motion of his arm and the forward movement of the horse, he slammed his machete deep into its chest. The super hunter toppled backward with the force of his blow, and he yanked the machete out from its chest, while looking for his next target. The enemy vehicles that had been slowly moving forward were now stopped. Demon super hunters manned guns on top of the trucks and armored vehicles, and he estimated there were at least five hundred of them. Next to the gunners were more demon super hunters, firing their personal weapons almost carelessly into the crowd of fighters, clearly willing to kill anything in their path. His troops fought alongside his immortal army, and together he believed they made a formidable force.
Gradually, step by slow step, they were moving forward and overwhelming each vehicle. As his troops fell, his immortal army retrieved their weapons, and now armed with blades, they were cornering and hacking down super hunters. The super hunters were bleeding bright red blood, and his immortal army, originally brown as the earth they were born from, were becoming streaked with the blood of their enemy. He continued to hear the whumping sound of exploding ordnance and he cursed. Every time a bomb landed, it created a flattened hole in their surging troops, and even over the sounds of howling and grunting, there were sharp cries of pain. With the hunters gone and the support of his immortal army, he believed they could win the battle, but now he wanted to win at less cost to his loyal troops. These people joined him in what looked like a hopeless battle, and he wanted to do right by their trust in him.
He needed Pax and TL to wipe out Ruler’s artillery, but he also needed to find him. Searching the crowd, he looked for Ip and couldn’t see her. Where are ya, honey, he thought, but he got no reply to his question.
Hoping his earpiece might work, he shouted, “Pax! TL!”
There was no answer, and he assumed their radio equipment was still out of order. Ip appeared at his side covered in blood and oily black goo. Her filthy face stared up at him impatiently, and she clearly wanted to return to the battle.
“Where’s Pax and TL?”
Ip speaks: They follow your orders and are fighting hell. Whatever else is there to tell?
“You never say anythin’ helpful. Tell ‘em to bring Ruler’s arty down.”
Ip speaks: They know to do what you have said. It is not so easy to break through the undead.
He assumed Ruler’s super hunters were mounting a good defense, and he cursed Hull for training his army well enough. Deciding he needed to gather his own intel, he flicked his head at Ip. “Go kill.”
She disappeared into the crowd again and, in his mind, he felt her delight at joining his immortal army, while they continued to fight side by side with his troops. He supposed war gave her the perfect opportunity to do the one thing she existed for, which was to bring death. Pulling back from the front of the battle, he knew Captain Ted and Cutter were out there somewhere leading their soldiers, and he rode to the back of the line and towards his reserve troops.
He saw Nelson waiting with the reserves, and pulling alongside him, he asked, “Did you see what happened?”
Nelson looked mildly amused. “Good trick, Gears, but you could’ve told us your plan.”
“It wasn’t a plan, Nelson.” Noticing Isaac was not with him, he asked, “Where’s Isaac?”
Smiling sadly, Nelson shrugged. “He went home with all the other undead. Logan’s gone too.”
Being infected with a strain of the hunter virus, it made sense Isaac and Logan would die when Jacob called the hunters home. Suddenly he wondered where BD and Mackenzie were. “What about BD and Mackenzie?”
Nelson shook his head. “They didn’t die. Last I saw, they each joined the left and right flanks.”
“Why didn’t they die with the hunters?”
“For the same reason Jacob could call the hunters home.”
It finally dawned on him the other side had always been with them. “Did you always know what they were?”
“No, none of us knew what we were any more than you did, but I think Ip told you long ago, and you should have believed her.”
When he’d died for seven seconds, Ip told him BD, Nelson and Captain Ted were archangels. At the time he’d assumed it was a dream, but now he knew she had spoken to him, and everything she’d said was true.
Not feeling like he wanted to admit yet another mistake, he snorted. “Yeah, well she ain’t been credible.”
“The battle isn’t over, Gears. What do you want us to do?”
He looked at the battle still raging in front of him. “Wait here. If we can get our weapons workin’ again, we’ll need fresh troops. Spread ‘em out, so Ruler’s arty can’t do too much damage if you get hit.”
&
nbsp; “You need to get rid of the demons and ghosts to get the weapons working.”
“I know. But first we need to get rid of their arty. It’s doin’ too much damage.”
Nelson shook his head firmly. “Don’t split your loyalties, Gears. You need to kill Ruler. That’ll close the gates to hell, and get rid of the demons and ghosts, then we can use our own weapons to deal with what’s left.”
He sighed and thought, my loyalties are divided. He wanted to save his troops, but Ruler was their true enemy. If he cornered him then he could send him straight back to hell. Nodding to Nelson, he kicked his horse with both heels and headed to the right flank to find Pax. While he rode, he thought, honey, go get TL and meet me behind enemy lines.
Ip speaks: The devil’s day is almost done. It has taken too long to end his run.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: A battle to win (Survivors)
Mary (from the Marine supply base)
“You’re gonna die,” her father sang happily.
Gritting her teeth, she ignored him and focused on pushing forward with the crowd of troops pressing against her. Jim was by her side while they’d waited in formation, but once Gears ordered them forward, she’d lost track of everyone. In front of her was a huge man who seemed to be made of dirt, and he was wielding the torn body of a hunter like a bludgeon. She was gripping her machete so tightly it was bruising her hands, and she felt her body being pushed forward again.
She didn’t have any idea what was going on. One minute they were staring at a line of fierce and angry hunters, and in the next, all the hunters seemed to die. If that wasn’t strange enough, the earth exploded in front of her, and huge identical looking and muddy men emerged. She thought of them as mud men. They seemed to be on her side, so she followed them into the battle, while they took the brunt of the gunfire. Being shot repeatedly didn’t seem to bother the mud men, and eager for their cover, she’d tucked herself behind them.