Rima nodded, “I’m so exhausted Yara.”
“I know dearie, but I think one more good push and you’ll be done.”
Rima looked down at her husband and saw his open eyes, “Bless the Lord our God, you’re awake, and just in time!”
Hadad smiled up at her, “I don’t know which one of us is getting it worse today.”
Rima chuckled, “You only had a sword in your body.” She patted herself on the belly, “Nothing like this. No competition at all!”
Hadad smiled up at her weakly. A huge wave of pain washed over Rima, “That’s it, Rima, push!” Yara exclaimed.
Rima stifled a scream and pushed as hard as she could, “I can see the head. Keep pushing.”
Hadad reached over and took Rima’s hand, “Together love.”
Rima smiled and nodded, “Together.” As she said the word, her face contorted in agony once again as a contraction slammed into her.
“This is it. Push!” Yara demanded.
With a grunt of determination Rima pushed as hard as she could, and a moment later Yara exclaimed, “It’s a girl!”
Yara turned away from Rima and tried to clear the babies’ mouth, “She’s not breathing.”
“Give her to me!” Rima demanded.
Yara handed the child, still connected to the umbilical cord, to Rima. Rima took the infant into her arms and pleaded, “Please God, let my child live!”
The child’s eyes snapped open, “Praise God!” Rima exclaimed.
Instead of crying the child bared its single tooth at Rima and growled, “Baby girl you have a tooth!” With surprising strength and speed, the baby flung itself at Rima’s neck and bit her.
Rima screamed in pain as the child pulled a small piece of her neck flesh away in its mouth. Yara grabbed the child from Rima’s arms and yelled, “Demon spawn!” The baby, face now covered in blood, wriggled out of her grip and bit down into Yara’s arm. Yara screamed and threw the child as hard as she could against the wall.
The child hit the wall with a dull splat. Yara screamed horrified at what she had just done. She felt a hand tug on her shoulder, and she turned. Rima growled at her, “I’m so sorry!” For a moment Yara thought Rima was smiling when she bared her teeth. Rima lunged, and Yara screamed. As she felt her throat being ripped out by Rima, she looked over at Hadad as he raised himself off the bed and joined the feast. She was on the menu for dinner it seemed.
Outside the city in the moat amongst the slain bodies of her horde, Fonda’s eyes snapped open, “My children feed!”
Chapter 39
Mid-Morning September 29th 636, Damascus, Syria Province, Byzantium
The Dungeon
Baltazar froze. He looked over at Nasir and implored with his eyes, don’t move. Letting out his breath slowly, he raised up his sandal with his hand. Sitting within arm’s reach was a giant cock roach. Oblivious to the danger, the insect’s dark reddish-brown antenna twitched back and forth, as it nibbled on a crumb.
Baltazar had set out the half-rotten crumb sized morsel in the hopes of attracting one of the many insects that infested Damascus’ small dungeon. He had gotten lucky and attracted the top specimen on the insect food chain, a mighty two-inch-long roach.
As the insect munched on the unsavory tidbit, Baltazar slowly brought his sandal down. He was careful not to cause the chains attached to his manacled wrists to clink as his sandal slowly drew ever nearer to the feasting insect. The roach continued eating, heedless of the danger now looming above it. With a blur Baltazar brought his chosen weapon down upon the insect smashing it.
“Got you!” Baltazar exclaimed.
Nasir, with an excited look on his face added, “Well done!”
Baltazar peeled the smashed insect off the bottom of his sandal. Careful not to waste any, he cautiously divided the remains in half. Nasir held out his open hand with his palm facing upward toward the ceiling of their cell. As he did so, the chains fastened to his manacled wrist clinked faintly. Baltazar used a finger to scrape Nasir’s half of the insect off of his sandal. The goopy mess dropped into Nasir’s palm with a faint splat noise. Nasir smiled as the roach’s remains smeared his palm.
Both men then slurped up the smashed remains of the insect. With a sigh of contentment Baltazar said, “I wonder how long it will take the hunger to come back?”
Nasir’s face darkened, “It won’t be long.”
Baltazar’s shoulders slumped as he replied, “I wonder if this is how the damned feel all the time?”
Nasir felt an itch under his arm. He reached into the tuft of hair there, and pinched a louse from his armpit. Smiling, he popped it into his mouth, “It’s no wonder they want to feast upon us with such fervor. This feeling of emptiness in my gut is enough to drive one mad.”
Baltazar nodded in agreement, “Aye.”
Footsteps in the room above caused the aged wooden planks of the ceiling to groan in protest. Little pieces of dirt, disturbed by the commotion fluttered down to the damp moldy floor beneath their feet. A man screamed somewhere above them. The door at the top of the stone staircase that lead to Baltazar’s and Nasir’s dank prison was suddenly flung open so hard that it hit the stone wall with a dull thud. The noise caused Legion to stir from his deep slumber in the cell across from Baltazar and Nasir.
Unexpectedly Farid, whom they hadn’t seen since their initial capture and imprisonment, ran down the stairs. Desperate, he looked around the dank chamber. His eyes settled on a pair of manacles laying atop the only piece of furniture in the cell block, an old wooden stool cracked and pitted with age. As he ran toward the stool, a damned stumbled down the stairs after him.
The damned looked like he had just turned. He wore the uniform of the city guard. The uniform, unlike the gore covered attire typical of the damned, was relatively clean. At least as clean as a uniform could be that was laundered but once a week and then filled with a sweaty body far too fond of cheap wine. The moment Legion caught site of the damned, he went mad with rage. He grasped the iron lattice work of his cell door and began pulling at it violently. Despite his best efforts, the door did not yield.
Farid, grabbed the pair of manacles off the stool. He held, the metal rings separated by two feet of chain by the chain link halfway between the two round iron manacles. Thus armed, he turned to face the damned jailer who had just reached the bottom of the stairs.
The former jailer let out a groan when he spotted Farid down the hall. He broke into a lurching style run and came barreling down the hallway past Baltazar and Nasir’s cell. The damned ignored the two men and Legion as it ran past their cells. Baltazar attempted to distract it by yelling, “Hey! Don’t you want me instead?”
The creature ignored Baltazar and continued running down the hall toward Farid. Legion’s fingertips brushed the damned but he couldn’t get a firm grip on the former guard. Confused, Nasir turned to Baltazar and asked, “Why did you try to distract him?”
“In the hopes that bastard Farid would be grateful and release us.” Baltazar replied.
Nasir shook his head, “More chance of the Emperor coming down those stairs and offering to kiss my arse I think.”
Before Baltazar could fire back a retort the hungry jailer reached Farid. With a well-timed blow, he brought the iron rings of the manacles down onto the damned’s head. Bone crunched under the impact of the manacles and the creature’s head jerked back. Farid tried to bring the manacles up for another swing as the undead stood there for a moment, dazed.
Recovering from the blow, the damned snarled in seeming rage, grabbed the manacles with its hands, and jerked them toward itself. Surprised, Farid lost his balance and fell forward. As he did so, he knocked the wooden stool over with his legs and lost his balance. The damned jailer lunged at Farid, and sank its teeth into his shoulder.
Farid screamed, as the beast bit through his shirt and into his left shoulder. The former jailer’s milky white eyes blazed, as it pulled a piece of flesh free with its teeth. Farid tried to pull himself a
way from the damned, but he was once again tripped up by the wooden stool. As his posterior struck the cold hard stone of the dungeon floor, his hands grabbed the stool. Angry at the interruption to its meal, and still hungry. The former jailer lunged at Farid.
From his sitting position on the cold stone floor, Farid brought the stool up in an arc as he stood. The seat portion of the stool smashed into the damned’s lower jaw with a sickening crunch of flesh and bone. The mighty blow caused the jailer’s mouth to snap shut severing its tongue. The creature was once again stunned.
Before it could recover Farid brought the stool down onto the top of its skull smashing it. The edge of the seat crushed the cranium and made a sickening noise as it sank into the damned’s brain. The jailer, now forever dead, collapsed to the ground in a heap.
Farid took a deep breath, glanced at his bleeding shoulder, and sighed. He looked over at Baltazar and Nasir’s cell and opened his mouth to attempt to speak. Instead of the intended words, the sounds came out as a guttural grunt. A moment later awareness left him. There was nothing but hunger in his eyes now.
Baltazar pointed at Farid, “Look there are keys attached to his belt.”
Nasir, “Aye, how do we get them off him without becoming his first meal?”
Baltazar pondered the question. Not thinking, he walked up to the bars of the cell. As he did so the chains attached to his manacles rattled causing noise. Farid’s eyes instantly locked onto Baltazar’s. Aroused by the noise, he snarled and ran toward Baltazar smashing into the bars. His arm reached through and grab Baltazar’s arm. Legion bellowed with rage and tried to grasp Farid from behind. Despite his long reach, the hallway that separated the two cells proved to wide and he failed to reach him.
With strength born from his unholy condition, Farid pulled Baltazar toward him. Weakened by many weeks of malnutrition Baltazar didn’t have the strength to resist the merciless force drawing him in. Nasir used his own chains, to wrap Farid’s arm and he pulled with all his strength.
This act caused Farid’s grip to loosen just enough that Baltazar was able to slip from his grasp. The two men retreated to the back of the cell panting from their exertion.
“Now what?” Nasir asked.
“Let me think,” Baltazar responded.
Baltazar watched Farid as he growled and hissed in frustration at not being able to feed on the two men. Baltazar pointed to the ring of keys hanging from Farid’s belt, “We need to get those keys, without being bit.”
“Obviously.” Nasir muttered impatiently.
“We have manacled hands, some rotting hay, and our slop bucket to accomplish this.”
Nasir glanced longingly at the stool still stuck in the jailer’s head, “If only we had that stool.”
Baltazar responded sharply, “We don’t, so focus on what we do have.”
Nasir’s eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared but he remained silent. Baltazar snapped his fingers, “Could we break up the slop bucket and sharpen a piece of wood?”
Nasir thought about the idea for a moment and then responded glumly, “With what?”
Baltazar ran his finger along the edge of his left manacle. Too dull, he thought. Frustrated he responded, “I don’t know.”
As the two men stood there deep in thought, an orange glow began to shine through the cracks in the floor above them, “Uh oh, that can’t be good.” Nasir observed.
“The building is on fire!” Baltazar exclaimed. His voice laced with desperation.
Both men began banging their manacles on the bars trying to make as much noise as possible and screamed. As they did this, the damned formerly known as Farid reached through the bars trying to grasp them. Both Nasir and Baltazar took the opportunity Farid presented and grabbed an arm.
Farid hissed in rage and frustration as he tried to grasp each man with his arms and pull them toward him. Farid ignored Nasir’s feeble attempt at holding his arm, and grasped Baltazar with both of his arms. Baltazar, unable to resist Farid’s superior strength, was pulled toward his hungry maw. The teeth in Farid’s mouth clicked together rapidly, as it anticipated its first meal of living flesh.
Taking the opportunity presented, Nasir reached out and grabbed the keys off of Farid’s belt, “I’ve got the keys.”
“Great, help me before this bastard takes a bite out of me.” Baltazar said.
Nasir’s eyes widened as he looked up and saw Baltazar in the grasp of both of Farid’s arms. Baltazar was mere inches away from Farid’s maw, which was trying to push its way in-between the bars.
“Put both of your feet up against the bars and push it toward Legion. I’ll help.” Nasir commanded.
Baltazar placed his right foot on the bar and began pushing. Instead of pulling back, he lost his balance as Farid yanked him hard toward the bar. Startled, he yelped as his left forearm, was pushed steadily toward Farid’s clicking teeth. Nasir grasped Baltazar’s left arm and tried to pull it away from the hungry damned.
It was no use. Thanks to their imprisonment, neither man had the strength to stop Farid’s unholy strength, “I can’t believe this is how it’s going to end for me.”
“Don’t give up. Remember the angel that saved you before.” Nasir reminded him.
“I doubt Maarika is going to appear in this dank place and save me from this putrid bastard.”
Nasir didn’t reply. Instead he started kicking at Farid’s shins trying to knock him off balance. Farid’s legs, like two mighty tree trunks deeply rooted in the ground, remained fixed to the stone floor despite Nasir’s efforts. Burning embers began to rain down onto the trio as the fire above raged. Several of the embers landed on Farid’s head and his hair began to smolder.
“We’re running out of time!” Nasir exclaimed.
Baltazar, his arm now less than an inch from Farid’s hungry maw, replied, “I’m out of time.”
Baltazar strained against Farid’s strength, but it was no use. Even in death this bastard wins. Baltazar closed his eyes, bracing himself for the feel of sharp teeth on the soft flesh of his forearm. Suddenly Farid’s iron grip released his arms. Am I dreaming? Taking a deep breath Baltazar opened his eyes and saw the tip of a blade emerge through Farid’s open mouth.
As Farid’s forever dead corpse slid to the stone floor Baltazar gazed upon his savior, “Maarika!”
Desperate to escape, Nasir used the keys to first unlock their manacles. He then went to the door of their cell with the keys in hand. Fumbling through them, he tried several of them until he found the one that, unlocked their cell. He quickly swung the door open and embraced Maarika. She smiled up at him and said, “Save it for later luv, we’ve got to get out of this pit before the whole place comes down upon us.”
Maarika lithely snatched the keys out of the pair’s open cell door, and quickly unlocked the door to Legion’s cell. The big man snatched her up into a bear hug. Gasping for breath Maarika said, “Put me down, we’ve got to go.”
Nodding, Legion lowered her to the ground. Maarika then unlocked Legion’s manacles. Pausing to yank her gladius out of Farid’s head, Maarika turned toward the stairs, looked back at them over her left shoulder, smiled, and said, “Follow me boys.”
Without waiting for a reply, she bounded up the stairs. The three men didn’t hesitate and tried to follow all at once. Baltazar being the quickest of the three slipped past the other two and ran up the stairs. Legion followed, and finally Nasir.
As Baltazar emerged at the top of the stairs he stepped into a smoke-filled passageway. Breathing hard from his recent exertions he took a deep breath and coughed. He couldn’t see beyond the length of his arm. Off to his left Maarika called out to him, “This way.”
Baltazar turned toward the sound of her voice and ran down the hallway. Legion and Nasir quickly fell in behind him. Turning the corner Baltazar gasped. Flames covered the ceiling of the hallway. Burning embers lazily floated down from the disintegrating ceiling. Baltazar saw Maarika gesturing, “This way.”
The three quickly f
ollowed Maarika. As she approached another intersection, a flaming damned grasped at her from a doorway. She deftly avoided its burning hands by dropping to her knees and then stabbed upward at the boiling monstrosity with her gladius. The sword point pierced the bottom of its jaw, in the soft flesh just behind the chin. As the blade penetrated the unfortunate’s brain, it collapsed to the floor.
Maarika yanked her gladius out of the corpse and turned to continue down the hall. As she reached the smoke-filled intersection she once again turned to her left. As she did so, the three men following her leaped over the flaming remains of her kill.
The four of them found themselves in a long hallway that ended in a stout oaken door, “That must be the exit.” Maarika said.
“You don’t know for certain?” Baltazar asked.
“I’ve been locked up in this place as long as you have.” Maarika said.
Nasir looked her up and down and admired her curves, “You look healthy enough.”
“Now is not the time to have this discussion.” Maarika admonished.
As if on cue another flaming damned came down the hallway and jumped onto Legion’s back. The big man screamed at the touch of the flames. Reaching behind himself with his beefy arms, he grabbed the damned. The damned, had managed to bite him where his neck joined his shoulder. His hands closed around the damned’s shoulders and flung it on the ground in front of him. As the damned attempted to rise Legion put an end to it by smashing its skull with his foot. He then ripped his smoldering shirt off of his body and flung it to the ground.
Enraged, Legion smashed both of his fists into the walls of the hallway opposite each other. Despite their captivity, he seemed to have lost none of his strength as his hands burst through the walls to the sounds of cracking wood. His eyes narrowed as they focused on the door at the end of the hallway and he remembered what Maarika had said a few moments before, That must be the exit.
Legion bellowed loudly and began running down the hallway. The trio, used to Legion’s sudden fits of rage, pushed themselves up against the walls to let him by. Legion’s bare feet pounded on the wooden floor as he reached top speed. The boards groaned in protest from the immense pressure his advance placed upon them. As he reached the door, he raised his arms and folded them in front of his face to protect it. His massive body smashed into the door. The hinges of the door groaned in protest from the impact and the door gave way.
Byzantium Infected Box Set Page 54