“You! Have you seen Lucha Dora?”
The staffer didn't answer. He just ran. Karina continued her search as the gunfire and explosions continued in the distance. She walked a path littered with injured and dying people. Some called for help. Some called for their mothers. Some called for God. It was like something out of her worst nightmares.
She spotted a wrestler by the name of Luke Cassidy. He was standing at the entrance to a corridor, glancing from side to side, restless.
“Hey!” Karina called to him. His eyes went wide at the sight of her as she ran towards his position. “Do you know where Dora is?”
“You don't want to go back there, Karina.”
Her eyes darted to the closed door at the end of the corridor. She moved past Luke without a word, but he roughly seized her by the arm.
“I said, you don't want to go back there.”
Karina punched him with her free hand, and he fell back in stunned surprise. She chopped him in the throat when he moved for her again, and he dropped with a choked gargle. She pressed on towards the door that he had been guarding. Her hand reached the handle when she heard a voice off to the side.
“Karina... I tried...”
It was Todd Jones. He was a beaten and bloody mess on the floor, his nose like something out of a Picasso painting. Panic started to creep in. She needed to see what was on the other side of that door. She could briefly hear the sounds of violence, and then there were no sounds at all. She burst into the room, and she was not prepared for what she saw.
Lucha Dora was dead. Her corpse naked and defiled. Standing over her was Killer Rex, pulling his pants back up with a smug look of satisfaction on his face. He was accompanied by his usual flunkies, Mike Hammer on his left and The Great Giant on his right. Killer Rex's eyes fell on Karina as she entered the room.
“I had my first conversation with an angel today,” Rex began as Karina stood frozen in place, trying to get over her shock. “Uriel was his name. He doesn't like you, Karina. Not one bit. I've never really liked you either. I did always kind of have a thing for Dora though. She declined my offer for some end of the world sex, but I don't really like hearing the word 'No'. So, Uriel tells me that man was created first and that woman was made to please him. He also told me everything that was about to happen here tonight. That sound in the distance? The people screaming? Let's just say that the rules don't apply anymore and we can do whatever we like. I knew that you'd come looking for Dora. Uriel wants you to join her. Like I said, he really doesn't like you. So, how bout it, Karina? Are you ready for the real main event?”
The rage was evident on Karina's face. The bastards had raped and murdered Dora. She would never get to see her family again. Karina wanted to rip Rex's head off right then and there, but she was conscious of the other two men in the room. The Great Giant alone was over seven feet tall.
“Sure, Rex. You and me for the title, one on one. What do you say?”
“Don't be ridiculous.”
“What's the matter, afraid of a girl?”
He sneered at her and laughed derisively.
“What was your record as a fighter again?”
“8-0”
“Eight girls. Eight bitches. Anyone can beat a bitch. Just ask my ex-wife. You're looking at a man now. This man is going to hurt you before he fucks you, and then he is going to hurt you again. If you're lucky, you might get to die before I pass you off to The Giant.”
Mike Hammer and The Great Giant took a step back leaving just Karina and Rex in the centre of the room. Rex took off his fur covered waistcoat and tossed it to the side. He was going to fight this one bare-chested. He was an impressive physical specimen with a body sculpted by the finest gym equipment. The aesthetic was maximised with full body waxing and many hours on the tanning bed. Karina looked at all of this in front of her, and she wasn't afraid. Everything she saw was aesthetic without function. Nothing but body image masturbation.
If Rex had been a smart man, he would have used his numbers advantage, but he was not a smart man. He was dumb enough to have forgotten who Karina was, or dumb enough to just not care. Time away from the cage had dulled her threat in the minds of others. Arrogance made Rex think of her as just a girl, but she was a girl who could fight better than most men. In her mind, she could beat anyone put in front of her because she was willing to run through brick walls in order to win, and to kill Rex, she'd run through tanks.
“Alright,” said Rex. “Let's see what you...”
Her left jab shot out like a piston, so fast that Rex's eyes couldn't track it. His head was moving from the impact before his brain realised a punch had been thrown. Unlike Rex, Karina's body was not for show. Every muscle was built for a purpose. At that moment, her purpose was destruction.
An overhand right followed the jab before Rex could get his guard up. Her fist smashed against his jaw, and he fell against the wall, defenceless. Karina saw her opening, and she took it. She soccer kicked her downed opponent right in the head. The force of the kick drove his skull into the wall. She kicked him in the head again and didn't stop. A head shaped splotch of blood stained the wall, and still, she kept going. It took just 19 seconds for Karina Katana to kill Killer Rex. It was her fastest ever knockout - 'And STILL undefeated!'
The rage loosened its grip on her and brought her back to the present moment. Mike Hammer and The Great Giant were stunned. Their friend's skull was caved in, and all it took was 19 seconds.
“You're so fucking dead,” said Mike Hammer when the shock wore off. The Great Giant gave a terrifying roar and lunged for Karina with a fist the size of a Christmas ham.
Karina made a run for it, sparing one last look for her friend Lucha Dora. Her defiled corpse would forever haunt Karina's dreams. She wished that she had the power to kill all of the people responsible, but killing Rex would have to do. Mike Hammer outpaced the lumbering Giant, but Karina outpaced them both. She barged past a recovering Luke Cassidy and ran for the nearest exit. She heard the shout of another wrestler as she ran past.
“What's going on?”
She ignored him and lost herself in the chaos of the fleeing crowd. It was Mike Hammer who answered.
“Get everyone you can find! The bitch killed Rex and Dora!”
Bastard. Karina vowed that she would make him pay for that, but his death would have to wait until things were more in her favour. All Karina focused on doing right then was running out into the New Orleans night with a group of angry wrestlers in pursuit. Revenge would have to come later.
6 DAYS
CHAPTER SEVEN
The weapons were stacked on fold-out tables in the open air as Gary Chambers strolled up on a fine Louisiana morning. People lined up in an orderly manner to get the weapon of their choice and made neighbourly conversation as they raised up guns, felt the weight in their hand, and looked down the sights.
“Hi, I'm Gary Chambers,” said Gary as he introduced himself to people along the line and shook hands like a politician with a looming election. The people in the line shook hands with him, but they weren’t a very conversational bunch when it came to strangers. He almost got that feeling of when you walk into a room where two people are in the middle of an intensely private conversation, and they stop the moment you walk in. He had a feeling very much like that, but it was somehow with an entire community. Everywhere he walked, a hush fell around him like he was a walking library. Gary made sure not to take up too much of anyone's time. He was determined not to spoil his welcome after the good impression he had made yesterday by saving Remy’s life. As he moved along the queue, he spotted Cormac dispensing weapons from behind one of the tables.
“Hi, Cormac. There sure are a lot of people out here. Another supply run?”
“Nah, we wouldn't be taking this many people on a supply run. Officer Greg talked, so now we're going to kill all of his friends. It's a bonding experience really. Better than paintball.”
Gary's eyes showed genuine surprise.
�
�He talked? That was fast. I thought that it would take at least a couple of days.”
“Yeah, just the thought of Raimond getting his hands on me would be enough to get me to talk. Lucky that I'm on his side. At least I think I am. You never really know where you stand with him. Fancy joining us, Gary? You seem like you are more than capable with a gun in your hand. We could use a capable man out there.”
“You really think I can help?”
“Sure.”
“Then I'd be happy to. It would be a good way for me to show my gratitude to this wonderful community. I'll show them all that Gary Chambers is not a man who sits on his keister.”
“Well, I'm sure that Remy is already plenty grateful to you. Not even voodoo magic can stop a bullet to the back of the head.”
“I've had some dealings with the people you're facing. They're bad news.”
“We are well aware. Today it is us hurting them, but it all started with them hurting us when the world was still sort of in one piece. They violated the trust that people placed in them, and now payback is coming. So, what’s your poison, Gary? We can’t have you rushing into battle unarmed.”
Cormac waved his hand over the fold-out table. There was a spread of assault rifles, handguns, grenades, knives and all sorts of other explosive goodies. Gary helped himself to a rifle, a handgun, and a knife.
“I can see that you’re a man who likes to be prepared for all occasions,” said Cormac with a nod of approval. “Are you as good with a knife as you are with a gun?”
“I don't have any problems with knives,” said Gary as he looked down the edge of the steel.
“You're just full of surprises, Gary. I love it. The Governor's men won't know what hit them.”
“Do I have enough time to go check on Wanda? I want to make sure she has enough to eat and drink while I'm gone.”
“Sure, but don't take too long. We'll be leaving soon enough.”
Gary loaded himself up with weapons and went on his way with the rifle bouncing happily from the strap over his shoulder. It didn't take long at all for him to get to the house they had provided him with. He never would have been able to afford anything like it in his previous life, but in New Sodom, they gave out houses like candy. Gary found Wanda on his bedside table, just where he left her. She already had plenty of food. She already had plenty of water. But of course, he knew that.
“Don't worry, my dear. Everything will all be over soon, and we'll be together again. Just like they promised.”
Gary found a piece of paper and wrote on it a short, but clear message.
THEY'RE COMING
He rolled the message up nice and tight and used a rubber band to carefully attach it to Wanda's leg as she cooed softly. He held out his arm, and she flew onto it as he walked her over to the open window.
“You know what to do, my love. Just like we practiced.”
Wanda flew out the window, high into the air and above the walls of New Sodom. Gary Chambers allowed himself a moment to appreciate her majestic soaring before getting back to the task at hand. There was still much to be done, and very little time to do it.
He stepped outside and walked with a purpose. His steps were as fast as he could make them without drawing attention to himself. Gary walked until he found a garage that he had scouted from the night before. It was the only building he saw that had an armed guard placed out front. It was a clear indication that what he was looking for was inside. Gary approached at a leisurely pace as the seated guard assessed his threat level from a distance.
“No further, friend,” said the guard as Gary got closer. Gary kept walking, unperturbed.
“Hi, I don't think we've met. Name's Gary. Gary Chambers.”
“I don't care who you are. You'll be nobody if you don't stop walking.”
Gary walked a little more with a broad, disarming smile on his face.
“Remy wanted me to take over. He wants you to go with the convoy and kill those swamp bastards.”
“Bullshit,” said the guard, but his face was uncertain. A moment of uncertainty was all that Gary needed. He closed the last few feet at a sprint and slashed the guard across the throat with his knife before the guard had a chance to get out of his chair and aim. As the guard clutched at his own throat, Gary stabbed him in the heart, just to make sure that his death was certain.
Gary hooked the body under the armpits and dragged it into the garage behind him, keeping it out of sight. He heard a strained voice call out to him from the corner of the room as he entered.
“Huh-huh-help muh-muh-me p-please.”
Poor old Greg was chained to a pillar. His shirt had been stripped from him as well as the flesh from his back. Strips of skin dangled loosely, covered in sticky, red gore. It looked like a falling plate of spaghetti coming from his back. Even the caress of a gentle breeze was enough to cause him pain. The nails that Raimond had driven through his hands and feet were still there. The other two were embedded into his skull through the forehead. He very much reminded Gary of the character Pinhead from the Hellraiser movies. Greg was a Clive Barker creation in the flesh - at least what flesh was left intact.
“Wow. They really did a number on you,” said Gary as he grabbed a key from the fallen guard. “I'm not here to help you. I'm here so that you can help yourself. The Lord likes when we do that, does he not?”
Gary unlocked the handcuffs that kept Greg bound to the chain.
“Kuh-kill muh-me.”
“No,” said Gary with a harsh coldness. “You had your chance to die for the cause, but you let them take you alive. Your work is not yet done. We all have a part to play, and this is yours.”
Gary handed the guard's sidearm to Greg.
“Can you walk on that leg of yours?”
“I thu-think so.”
“Wait a half hour until their fighting people are gone. After that, you know what to do.”
Greg nodded as he started to cry. Gary gently placed a hand on the part of Greg’s shoulder that still had skin.
“This is the chance we've been waiting for.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Remy Laveau walked the length of the convoy and inspected its readiness. At the front and back of the column were a pair of military Humvees that they had liberated from an abandoned military base. Both Humvees had large .50 calibre turrets mounted on top that would make short work of anyone that tried to sneak up on them. Sandwiched in between were a number of high-performance V8 engine cars from Darnell's personal collection, as well as troop carrier trucks, and Jeeps towing airboats with large propeller fans behind them. Every person in every vehicle was armed to the teeth with as much firepower and ammunition as they could carry.
Beth sorrowfully shook her head as she stepped in beside Remy. A life in politics had given her the gift of always being able to remember a face, and she could remember the first time she met all of the faces that were now armed to fight. They started this endeavour together as strangers, but now they were family, and she counted each and every one of them as brother and sister. It always hurt to see your family in danger. Beth wished that she couldn't remember all of their faces. It would make it so much easier to let them go when she never saw them again. Even in death, those faces were likely to haunt her dreams.
“150 men and women,” she said to Remy. “I wonder how many of them will come home.”
A frown was briefly visible on Remy’s face, but he quickly tucked it away behind a mask of stone.
“As many as are able. We only go because it's necessary.”
“I sometimes wonder if it is. Leave them to their swamp, Remy. It's what they deserve. We are safe behind our walls. We have the numbers to hold off anything they could throw at us. We are strong now. Stronger than they are.”
Remy stopped his walk and raised an eyebrow in Beth's direction.
“You remember the bodies that we had to clean out of the arena. A lot of them were children. That is what they are capable of, and yet they still draw breath right
on our doorstep. You would let them off the hook? After all the things they’ve done to us?”
“Yes. If letting them off the hook means that more people live to see tomorrow. Rebuilding a civilisation requires civilised people. They're in short supply these days.”
“We don't have the numbers, Beth. They do. Maybe not in the swamp, but everywhere else they outnumber us. The deadline that caused all of this is close. I don't think the rapture is coming, but I know that something is. I want to be prepared for whatever comes for us. We will have to fight on that day too, probably harder than we have ever fought before. I would like to go into that fight secure in the knowledge that God has no allies left in Louisiana.”
Beth sighed and looked down the line of friends and neighbours.
“It just doesn't sit well with me.”
“You think it sits well with me? I know that a lot of our friends won't be coming back, but these are the choices that we have to make if we want to survive. It does no good to second guess once the decision has been made. We must be decisive, or the other side will decide for us.”
“Forget I said anything.”
“We'll be leaving soon. While I'm gone, you and Raimond will be in charge of things here.”
Beth noticeably grimaced at the mention of Raimond.
“Something wrong?” Remy asked.
“I don't like that man. He doesn't fit in here.”
“The world needs civilised people, and the world also needs Raimond. He's done more for this community than people will ever know. You should go easy on him. I share in your vision for rebuilding from the ashes of this world, but sometimes you need a devil to get to paradise.”
Beth nodded reluctantly and clanked off to see to her other duties.
“Beth?” he called after her as she walked.
“Yes, Remy?”
“We will win.”
Her smile was a sad one.
“I know we will, but sometimes winning is also losing.”
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