Eternity's War (Books 1-3) (Eternity's War Boxsets)

by Ruben Stelliswolfe

  They started walking into the dark forest in single file. Within seconds, the headlights from the van were almost invisible, leaving only the bright diodes on the sides of their wrist comms to light the way ahead. They took one careful step after another, and remained alert to the possibility of a trap.

  “Skye, I can sense someone,” Juliet whispered.

  Everyone stopped walking. “Who is it?” Tango asked.

  “I ... I'm not sure,” she admitted. “I've never felt it before. But it feels very faint and weak.”

  “Are they far away?”

  Juliet closed her eyes and concentrated. “No, they're close. Very close. But they feel so faint. It's almost as though ...”

  A corpse lunged at Juliet from behind a tree, interrupting her thoughts. She screamed at the top of her lungs as decomposed flesh fell to the ground from the body. Skye removed his sword instinctively and sliced the creature in half with ease. Rotting organs protruded from its insides and spilt onto the grass. Juliet's scream turned into a horrified howl.

  “It's okay,” Skye whispered, trying to calm her down. It dawned on him that they weren't alone at all. He didn't want to lose the element of a surprise attack, although he knew that Tahlia and Nikolai would be well aware of their presence if they were inside the bunker. The thick metal walls might just be enough to stop Juliet from detecting them.

  Romeo gasped as he heard something behind him. He turned around and shone his comm in front of him, only to see another body standing lifelessly. Sierra saw it too, and fired a bolt straight through its head. It collapsed onto the ground roughly.

  Romeo let out a disgusted scream and then stood next to Skye for safety. Juliet bent over and started to retch. The smell of the rotting corpse made her violently nauseous.

  “Let's go back to the van,” Romeo begged, terrified. “I don't want to be out here.”

  “No,” Skye said, “we have to find that bunker. Just stay close and you'll be fine.”

  “We'll keep you safe,” Tango promised, although unable to hide his doubt. This was unlike anything he'd ever seen before.

  “Juliet, can you sense the corpses at all?” Skye asked.

  She shook her head. “No. I can still feel that faint presence though.”

  “What is it? What's happening?” Ren asked, desperate for an update.

  “We found more corpses,” Echo said. None of them could believe what was happening.

  Skye sighed angrily. “Ren, this must be the work of Night. He's obviously taking control of corpses.”

  “Impossible,” she rejected once again. “It defies all logic.”

  “No, it actually makes perfect sense,” he defended. “It's probably easier for Night to take control of something deceased than a living human.”

  They reluctantly started walking again with Juliet not far behind. Sierra led the way, walking ahead of the others. The comm light exposed a trail that had been recently used. The group crept along in silence.

  Skye stopped when he suddenly had a horrible realisation. “Don't touch the corpses,” he warned, his tone severe. “If they really are controlled by Night, he might be able to extend his control to you if you make contact.”

  Romeo's jaw dropped. “No. You've got to be kidding me,” he muttered to himself.

  Tango cursed under his breath. “Skye, I'm unarmed. If one of those things touches me, I'm done with.”

  “I'm unarmed too,” Echo added.

  Skye shook his head. He had told them countless times that they should arm themselves, but they insisted on traditional hand-to-hand combat. “Ask Sierra if you can use her blade.”

  “No,” she said from up ahead, denying the request before Tango even asked.

  They heard the crunching sound of a nearby branch. Skye shone his light to the left, but there was nothing to be seen. “Juliet, can you sense anyone else yet?”

  “No,” she whispered, “just the other presence. But it's still faint, and I can't tell which direction they're in.”

  Skye turned the light back to the path and nervously pressed onwards, hoping he wasn't leading the others to their deaths. If killing the president was not so imperative, he'd order their retreat at once.

  He continued onwards, following Sierra and the bright beam of her comm, which cast long shadows on the trees in the distance. The forest allowed very little light in, making it difficult to see where they were going.

  “Wait for me,” Juliet said. She was having a hard time keeping up.

  Skye turned around and pointed the light in her direction. He almost stumbled backward when he saw over a dozen corpses creeping inches behind Juliet. Romeo saw them too and let out a loud shrill.

  “Get down!” Skye shouted, removing his sword and charging at them. Sierra joined him, holding her blade and slicing wildly at the dead beings. It was almost impossible to see what they were doing, but they managed to cut and hack away at the bodies within mere seconds, stopping them in their path.

  Skye spun around and saw more bodies coming from the opposite direction. Tango and Echo panicked and ran back, hiding behind the only two in the group with weapons. Usually relatively fearless, Tango was terrified by the thought of Night possessing him.

  Skye held his bloodied blade up and leapt forward, swinging at the heads of the cadavers. He cut through their flesh effortlessly, dropping their heads to the ground. Romeo screamed and sank to his feet, frightened beyond belief.

  Sierra heard a strange grunt from behind her. She moved like a whirlwind, spinning around in a dance-like manoeuvre, slicing two corpses' heads off in one movement. The foul stench of rot became almost unbearable as it enveloped the small unit.

  Skye quickly shone his light back and forth, relieved to see they were alone once again. Juliet was shaking uncontrollably. Tango extended a hand downward and helped her up. Romeo was hyperventilating, petrified with fear.

  “We need to keep moving,” Skye ordered, beginning to march onwards.

  “Skye, let's leave!” Tango pressed. “We can't see where we're going, and these things have surrounded us.”

  “I agree—let's go home!” Romeo suggested, not making any attempt to hide his fear.

  “Out of the question! You're going to find that bunker!” Ren roared through their headsets.

  Skye's shoulders tensed. Once again he felt conflicted by the impossible decision they had to make. Ultimately, he sided with Ren and their obligation. “We can't; we need to find the president.”

  “And Tahlia,” Sierra added from the back of the group.

  “If we go any further, we're dead,” Tango warned. “I want to stop Nikolai as much as you do, Skye, but we need to act logically right now.”

  “We need to keep going,” Skye urged. “We're almost at the bunker.” He too was concerned they were making a mistake, but they couldn't afford to retreat. Not when they were so close.

  Skye turned around and continued walking, shining the light in front of him once again. Sierra followed, as did the others, who were averse to the idea of being left behind in the dark. They anxiously trudged onwards into the dim forest.

  “This is a mistake,” Tango warned.

  Thirty-three

  White Shadow was completely silent as they trekked through the trees. Skye led the way with Sierra, knowing the bunker must be close. He followed the trail of dead grass and holes where trees had been uprooted.

  “You need to leave,” a disturbing voice said.

  Skye and Sierra swung around and stared at the being, as did the others. It lunged at Juliet, but a bolt flew into its chest before it could reach her. It slumped to its knees, slowly falling to earth.

  “Leave,” the voice said again. The corpse lay on the ground, with no tissue rot. It looked to be only freshly deceased.

  “Why don't you show yourself, Night?” Skye demanded. “Come out here and fight us yourself. Stop hiding like a coward.”

  “Last chance,” the possessed body said again as its lifeless eyes stared upwards a
t the group.

  Romeo could barely compose himself. “This isn't happening,” he panted as he tried to fight back tears.

  The group heard nearby shuffling. Skye turned to his right and shone his comm, catching sight of movement in the trees. He spun back around and noticed that the body had shifted itself closer. Juliet backed away from it.

  “There are more of them coming,” she squeaked.

  “I'll go to the bunker and kill your president,” Sierra offered, “but then you need to help me find Tahlia. You stay here and fight them off.” She removed her curved blade from her belt again and handed it to Skye. Before he could even agree with the proposal, she was gone.

  “What do we do?” Tango asked, his heart rate escalating.

  Skye knew that the only way he'd be able to keep the others alive was to fight their way out. He passed Sierra's blade to Tango.

  “Juliet, Romeo, Echo, stay close and aim your comm lights outwards,” he ordered. “Tango, you and I will have to fight them off.”

  Romeo's breathing became even heavier as he shone his shaking light forward and saw the bodies close in. They were trapped.

  “Stay in between Tango and myself. Don't let them touch you,” Skye warned for a final time.

  In his shadow, Tango saw the talking corpse begin to pick itself up. Taking no chances, he stepped forward and sliced its head off.

  Skye gritted his teeth. He knew that if even one of the bodies touched them they might fall under Night's control, becoming completely possessed. He was the only one who might be regarded as safe, as Nikolai wouldn't hear of killing him. The others, however, were subject to execution at any time.

  A corpse approached Skye. He leaned forward and stabbed it through the chest, then spun to his left and sliced off the arm that was reaching for Juliet. He saw another coming from his right. He threw the sword, which pierced the body's face. Skye recalled the blade, slicing another's head off as it came back.

  Tango turned left and right, swinging the blade like a madman. He seldom used such a weapon, but he wielded it like a natural warrior, carving through stale flesh with ease. Limbs fell all around him as he sliced his way through the pack.

  “More are coming,” Echo warned.

  Skye glanced to his right to see that the horde was growing. He sped up his attacks, trying to leave as much space as he could between them and the never-ending army of carcasses.

  Romeo squatted even lower to the ground, hiding from the relentless onslaught. Juliet did the same. Echo watched on helplessly, desperate to aid his teammates in some way.

  “Skye, you need to get inside that bunker,” Ren reminded.

  “We're under attack, Ren!” he barked back as he continued swinging the blade at the rotting multitude. Their enemy was only slow and lumbering, but potentially very lethal if they got close enough.

  “You need to help Sierra in that bunker! What if Black Dawn's in there?”

  Skye growled, not appreciating the orders at such an inappropriate time. “Juliet, do you sense anyone else here?” He sliced another head off.

  “No, no one else,” she called from her crouched position. “Just the presence I could sense earlier.”

  “Skye, leave your sword with me and go on ahead,” Echo said. “I'll help Tango.”

  Skye swung again, determined to end the incursion. He wasn't overly fond of the idea, but agreed that it might be the best course of action. “Fine.”

  Echo stepped forward and grabbed Skye's sword, joining Tango in the defence. Skye launched himself high into the air and jumped over the corpses, careful not to touch any of them. He landed softly on his feet, and held his wrist up, lighting the way ahead.

  He started running, weaving in and out, dodging the last remaining bodies. Their speed was no match for his; they didn't even notice him run past.

  Skye raced down the dark dirt path. He was terrified for the group's well-being, but knew he had to get to that bunker immediately. Juliet told him that no one from Black Dawn was nearby, which meant the president might just be alone and unguarded in the bunker. With any luck, he'd be killed within minutes.

  Thirty-four

  Nikolai kept a watchful eye on the three Tianzu. As usual, they were huddled in the corner of the suite, not even remotely interested in engaging in conversation with the others. He slowly sipped his glass of whiskey, his suspicious mind asking itself one question after another.

  He had never trusted them from the moment they were temporarily assigned to Black Dawn. In the last few days he had feared an imminent mutiny, which could possibly result in the death of President Denning. Nikolai had gone to great lengths to keep the two parties separated, and had especially ensured they weren't privy to the location of the bunker he often kept Archie confined to for safekeeping. If they were to launch an attack, he would surely be able to sense their intent. But their odd social behaviour just frustrated him all the more. He began to suspect that the three warriors simply had no intent, and they were indeed just subservient to their respective leaders, which led Nikolai to believe that perhaps they were patiently awaiting the order to attack. Despite the Tianzu being a supposedly peaceful clan, he was not willing to take a chance in trusting them.

  The challenge of managing the president, the Tianzu, and White Shadow was almost overwhelming at times, but he refused to be defeated by any of them. Far too much research and planning had gone into his mission. Failure, to Nikolai, was incomprehensible.

  Kai glared back at Nikolai, and had hardly taken his gaze away from the man. It took an immense amount of willpower to keep himself restrained. The unjustified murder of the president's staff was nothing short of blasphemous for the Tianzu. Worse still, Nikolai had managed to restrain both Kai and Hana for the few seconds it took Black Dawn to eliminate the civilians.

  Kai held his fists clenched, infuriated that Nikolai had purposely kept him from defending the innocent. The three Tianzu had failed at their duties, but they were inhibited by Nikolai—he was solely to blame.

  Daye stared at the floor, his face one of melancholy. He tried to intervene when the altercation took place, but Black Dawn had wasted no time.

  Kai whispered something inaudible to Hana in Shizugo, all the while keeping his burning gaze on Nikolai.

  “What did you just say?” Nikolai boomed.

  Kai said nothing.

  Nikolai shifted his position in his chair. “My Shizugo isn't overly terrific,” he admitted, “but I thought I heard you mention something about killing me.”

  Again, Kai said nothing. He and Hana were powerful, perhaps strong enough to take on their four enemies in the room. But the last thing they wanted to do was underestimate Nikolai, as much as they wanted him dead. Their best course of action was to wait and meet up with Raien. Once their leader knew of Black Dawn's actions, he would surely give the order to eliminate the threat.

  The relationship between the three Tianzu and Black Dawn had been difficult at best. But after what had just taken place inside the villa, there was no mistaking that Black Dawn now had to be destroyed.

  A loud bang at the door startled the room, causing Nikolai to almost drop his glass. He could sense none that he knew of outside. He rose from his chair, wondering if another wave of the Presidential Guard was waiting for him. Intrigued, he walked across the bloodstained carpet.

  The door shuddered again before he arrived. He grabbed the handle and pulled it inward. Nikolai was surprised to see what was standing on the other side of the doorway. The others turned to see, curious as to who or what had interrupted the tense silence.

  Nikolai groaned. “What is it, Night?”

  The lone corpse from the beach stood in the hall, filling the room with the stench of rot once more.

  “What do you want?” he asked again, his impatience growing. “Were you not successful in ridding my home of the deceased members of the Guard?”

  The corpse maintained its stance, its body too decomposed to utter a word.

  Nikolai rais
ed his glass to his mouth, staring into the decaying eyes of the lifeless human, wondering why Night would bother sending it up to the suite. Unless otherwise instructed, the corpses were banished from the innards of the villa.

  A curious thought suddenly popped into his head. He lowered his glass and swirled the whiskey, pondering the possibility that Night had sent the corpse to attract his leader's attention. Night hadn't verbally communicated with him since earlier in the day, when the order had been given to guard the bunker until further notice.

  He turned around and faced the room. “Tahlia, have you been monitoring the forest?” he asked leerily. The likelihood of anyone actually uncovering his purchase of the bunker was slim, but the question needed to be asked.

  Tahlia stared back at him and shook her head.

  “What of Ren and Skye? Have you been monitoring them?”

  Tahlia froze, a shocked and guilty look spreading across her face. She shook her head again.

  Nikolai's jaw dropped, as did the glass in his hand. His heart skipped a beat. Tahlia had foolishly stopped monitoring the others, and the president was now most certainly in the company of White Shadow, who had probably discovered the bunker, and perhaps even already slain him.

  Without a second thought, Nikolai was gone.

  Thirty-five

  Sierra tapped the metal door, trying to find a way inside the bunker. It was the only entrance she could find. It was a small steel portal, which jutted out conspicuously from the forest floor, with the remainder of the stronghold buried underground. It had a solitary handle on the outside, which she grabbed onto, but the door wouldn't budge an itch.

  A moment later, she noticed a dim red light on the side of the wall. She looked closer, holding her light up to it and revealing a biometric lock.

  Skye came running up behind her, stopping in front of the door. “You found it,” he said, a little surprised to see the opening in plain sight. He had expected it to be completely buried. “The others are still fighting the corpses off. We need to get inside now!”