Byzantium Infected Box Set

by James Mullins

  Constan took a deep breath and began to yell, “H-.” When Scarius’ shield smashed into the boy’s left side and sent him flying toward Athos. Athos, seeing movement out of the corner of his right eye. Swung his Spatha at the movement. The blade easily cleaved the boy’s head in two. The now lifeless body struck the floor at Athos’ feet.

  Jirair, feeling his transition, begged, “Kill me now, I don’t have much ti-.”

  His voice was cut off in mid-sentence as his breathing stopped. Moments later he began to move again. Constan finally reached his feet, and looked around desperately for his Spatha to slay Jirair before he could free himself from the pile. His eyes fell on his blade. Unfortunately, it lay several feet beyond the pile of slain bodies, unreachable.

  Scarius, who had just bought himself a respite, turned and saw Jirair, now damned, pulling his way out of the pile of corpses with his arms. His eyes, now beginning to cloud, were focused on Constan, who had just spotted his blade. Scarius brought his Spatha down onto the back of Jirair’s head. The blade, soaked in purple, easily penetrated the back of Jirair’s skull bringing an end to his second life.

  Unfortunately for Scarius, the few seconds he spent saving Constan’s life cost him his. A male damned, still wearing the armor of a Persian Cavalryman, grabbed him and pulled his neck close. Sharp teeth sank into the right side of Scarius’ neck and he screamed. Startled Constan, still without his blade, tripped on the pile of bodies and fell backward onto his back.

  With only Athos now opposing them, sensing victory, the damned charged forward to feed. Athos brought his shield up to block one as the man stiff armed the shield pushing Athos into the wall. With both arms pinned behind his shield, Athos could not bring his Spatha to bare on the four damned charging Constan.

  Striking the floor hard Constan’s back screamed in protest. The old warrior grunted and looked up at the eight sets of milky white eyes baring down on him. He desperately grabbed for his dagger and tried to stand and face the onslaught. He cursed as his left hand closed on empty space where his dagger should have been. At the same time his knees screamed in protest unable to respond to the commands his mind was giving.

  Defeated, Constan closed his eyes expecting to feel teeth rending into his flesh at any moment. Instead he heard frustrated growls and the sound of sword striking skull. Curious, he opened his eyes and beheld a most welcome sight. Baltazar and Nasir had slain the four damned, taken up the two shields and now stood in front of both Athos and Constan.

  Out of breath, Athos grinned down at Constan. He reached down with his hand and clasped Constan’s arm, “Come on you old fart, let’s get you back on your feet.”

  Constan nodded and said, “Thank ye.”

  As Baltazar and Nasir bought the pair precious seconds, Athos helped Constan into the Governor’s office and led him over to a couch. Constan, his entire body aching from the effort of fighting in the hallway for hours, gratefully collapsed into the couch completely exhausted. Two battles fought in less than twenty-four hours has taken a heavy toll on the middle-aged warrior. Heedless of the noise coming from the fighting in the hallway he drifted off to sleep.

  Baltazar, despite his malnourishment, slipped rapidly into his fighting routine. He quickly found his center with the Spatha in his hand. Like his incredible stand against the horde, the blade in his hand became an extension of his body. Using his shield, he blocked, dodged, stabbed, and swung at the seemingly endless horde of damned pushing up the hallway.

  Nasir, having seen Baltazar fight like this once before, used his experience to support him where possible. If it wasn’t possible, Nasir focused on simply staying out of Baltazar’s way as the man cut through the damned like a human saw. Maarika, supported the pair by standing in the doorway to the Governor’s office and occasionally using her sling to drop one of Fonda’s minions when she saw an opening.

  Fonda, a safe distance down the hallway, watched this display of martial prowess silently for a time. As she watched damned after damned get cut down with effortless ease by Baltazar, her frustration grew. Emotions welled up inside her as she stood so tantalizingly close to her goal of extinguishing all human life within the walls of Damascus. Maybe I should crush his spirit? She began to taunt Baltazar, “You might as well give up. You’re half dead and therefore nearly mine already.”

  Baltazar ignored the statement and within a few seconds cut two more of Fonda’s minions to ribbons. She tried again, “Is there a reason why you fight with such rage? A woman perhaps? Her flesh will feel divine sliding down my throat.”

  Baltazar paused his onslaught for a moment, made eye contact with Fonda, and yelled, “You will not lay a single rotting finger on Liana. I will kill every last one of you before that happens.”

  Fonda smiled, so predictable. She had found an opening into Baltazar’s head, “Please, already you tire and I have man-“

  Fonda was cut off as a sling bullet from Maarika cracked by her left ear and smacked into the skull of a damned immediately behind her. The blood shot out from the impact to the unfortunate’s forehead and dampened the back of her head. Fonda, startled and frightened by the nearly fatal attacked, crouched down and disappeared from Maarika’s sight.

  Once Athos had seen to Constan, he drank deeply from a water skin that Athea handed him. Quenching his thirst, he asked, “Where did you get the water skin from?”

  Athea replied, “We found several of them in the offices beyond the Governor’s, wine too. It seems the Governor’s underlings were a thirsty lot.”

  Governor Maurice joined the conversation, “I demanded much out of my employees. Secretaries and scribes mainly.” He chuckled and added, “Gave them so much work the poor bastards didn’t have time to use the latrine downstairs. They drank and took their meals at their desks and pissed into a bucket.”

  Athos replied to the Governor, “I see. No wonder they seemed happy to join the 5th Parthica in the final draft you conducted.”

  “Aye, as soon as they compiled the names, they added themselves to the bottom of the list and headed to the fort. Such devotion. Served Syria to the last.” Governor Maurice replied.

  Athos took a deep breath and let it out slowly. His heart rate had returned to normal, and he was feeling up to rejoining the fight. Turning to Athea he said, “I’ve got to get back in there and help Baltazar and Nasir. Neither one of them has eaten much lately so their endurance must be flagging.”

  Athea threw her arms around Athos, pulled him into an embrace, and kissed him passionately, “Be careful love. I don’t want to lose you.”

  Athos smiled down at Athea, “I will. I don’t want to be separated from you again. Not when I have just won you back.”

  As Athos turned to walk away Athea smacked him on his backside and said, “Just remember not to become that ass I couldn’t stand ever again.”

  Smiling, Athos turned around and blew her a kiss, “Of course love.”

  Liana was standing in the doorway watching Baltazar and Nasir fight. A few feet down the hall in the direction of the fighting, Maarika stood, her sling at the ready. She turned her head to see Athos emerging into the hallway, “You need to relieve Nasir he is tiring.”

  Before Athos could respond, Maarika saw an opening and hurled a lead sling bullet. The bullet penetrated the skull of a former merchant that was reaching for Nasir with a sickening smack. Athos stood with his mouth open at Maarika’s deadly use of the sling, “You’ll have to teach the rest of us how to do that sometime. I’ll relieve Nasir. If Baltazar begins flagging he may need to be relieved by one of the ladies in the office that have been trained to fight with the gladius. Can you see to it?”

  Maarika nodded, “Aye.”

  “Thank You,” Athos replied. He drew his Spatha and walked up behind Baltazar and Nasir. Baltazar’s movements were hard to follow with his eye. Nasir on the other hand stood back breathing heavily. Making the occasional attack, when Baltazar’s movements allowed. Seeing Baltazar begin an attack that would require the entire
width of the hallway Nasir took a step back.

  Athos placed his hand on Nasir’s right shoulder and spoke into his ear quietly, so as not to break Baltazar’s concentration, “Nasir, you’re relieved, go get some rest.”

  Nasir nodded and took a step back and then turned toward Maarika. Athos filled the void the Arabian had just occupied. He steadied Baltazar’s movements and when his longtime friend took a step back to take a breath, Athos saw his chance and jumped into the melee. It was as if the pair had never been separated. Baltazar looked over and smiled at Athos. Then they got down to business.

  The two men, had always trained together and now attacked as one. They cut the attacking damned down at such a furious pace that they began to advance down the hallway toward Fonda and the catatonic Legion.

  Smiling at the carnage the two friends were exacting upon the damned Baltazar said, “It’s good to fight with you again brother.”

  In-between kills Athos replied, “Indeed brother. You’ve been sorely missed.”

  Saving their breath, the pair fell silent and continued their brutal assault on Fonda’s faltering minions. Fonda watched the pair with growing dismay as her undead fell in droves to furious attacks. Blood, bone, and brains filled the air. It looked as if a giant saw was cutting her minions to pieces as it slowly advanced up the hall. How can we stop their advance? No one seems to be able to stand against them and my numbers matter for naught.

  Careful not to present herself as a target to Maarika’s sling. She looked between the heads of two of the damned she had mentally ordered to stand in place and provide some protection with their bodies. Then she came up with a solution, Let’s see how effective the pair is while being attacked from both sides.

  Fonda slipped behind one of her protectors, then closed her eyes, and withdrew into herself. She could sense her children all around her. The close proximity of living flesh and the smell of it in the air was torture to them. Allowing her mind to expand further she could sense the masses of the damned surrounding the palace. They too were drawn to the last bits of living flesh in the whole of Damascus.

  Fonda drew a picture in her mind of the second story window at the end of the hallway behind Athos and Baltazar, Come to me my children. Come to me and feed.

  Outside the damned milled about with no sense of purpose. Suddenly a group of them moved simultaneously. They positioned themselves underneath the second story window that Fonda had envisioned. They looked up at the window and clawed uselessly at the white washed walls. They moaned in frustration at not being able to reach the destination their master’s mental commands indicated. Within seconds additional undead pulled themselves onto the original group’s shoulders and began clawing at the walls.

  This process repeated itself quickly over the course of about a minute until a damned was able to reach the open window and pull itself into the hallway. This was quickly followed by several more, and then dozens. Athos and Baltazar were completely unaware of the danger that was building behind them as they continued their advance toward Fonda.

  Fonda, her eyes still closed in deep concentration, projected her commands to the damned in the hallway, Remain silent. Do not make any noise as you approach the backs of the living. If you do these things, you will soon feed. She inserted her consciousness into the mind of the lead damned as it silently padded down the hallway. She smiled as she saw Maarika’s back approaching.

  The lead damned, directly controlled by Fonda, kept quiet as he crept up on Maarika who was facing the other direction. As he and the rest of the damned closed the distance to ten feet Maarika sent a sling bullet hurtling down the hall. The bullet smashed into the head of one of the blockers Fonda was using to keep herself safe.

  Maarika looked down at her left side to reach for another lead sling bullet when she noticed the shadows on the floor shifting behind her. Drawing her dagger, she whirled around and thrust it into the first damned that had climbed through the window. This damned was dressed with the heavy leather apron favored by black smiths and fire tenders in the armory. Her dagger strike went into the creature’s mouth and it flopped to the floor, taking her dagger with it.

  Fonda’s consciousness returned to her own body and she staggered. The image of Maarika’s dagger penetrating into her mouth kept running over and over again in her mind. Is that what it feels like to die?

  Maarika darted away from the reaching arms of the damned, ducked into the Governor’s office and yelled, “I need help, they’re coming down the hallway behind Baltazar and Athos.”

  Both Liana and Athea ran toward the door into the hallway. Before they could reach it a snarling former Skutatoi, still in full armor, stepped into the office. Upon seeing the ladies, he charged toward them. Athea and Liana drew their gladiuses. Athea went right and Liana went left as the Skutatoi charged the spot the pair had just occupied.

  The lumbering damned tried to adjust his course to angel toward Athea. Liana, seeing an opening, darted in, yanked his helmet off with her left hand, and then stabbed him in the back of the head with her gladius. Purple blood ran down the now forever dead Skutatoi’s back as he crashed to the tiled floor with a loud clang.

  Neither of the ladies had stood by and watched this happen. Instead, they both immediately took two steps toward the door as another damned entered the room. The creature hissed as it saw Liana and reached for her. That was the last action the unholy being took as Athea’s gladius penetrated the side of its skull and it flopped to the ground dead.

  Operating in tandem, Liana and Athea, were able to hold the doorway. Neither had a shield so it was difficult to stand their ground in the manner of Skutatoi. During the darkest moments when it seemed that one would fall, Maarika intervened and dropped a damned with her sling. Using teamwork, and their quick nimble reflexes, they were able to hold the entrance to the Governor’s office.

  The Governor stood with his wife on the threshold between his office and the balcony that overlooked the forum. The Governor, faced with the possibility of his death for the first time, trembled in fear. His wife, Julia, looked up at him and said, “You are a Roman of noble blood. It shames me to see you stand there trembling, while women do your fighting.”

  The Governor snorted and laughed, “Really Julia? You didn’t seem to mind the fact that I wasn’t a warrior when you were draining my coffers dry on new dresses and jewelry.”

  “Pull yourself together you fat sack of shit, you are the Governor of Damascus. Instead of quaking and cowering you should be figuring out how to get us out of this situation.” Julia said.

  Governor Maurice grinned down at his wife, “It’s simple my love. There is only one way out of this situation. We die and become damned.”

  The color drained from Julia’s face and she fell silent. She looked over her left shoulder out into the city. The smoke from several fires could be seen marring the skyline of Damascus. Down below several hundred damned standing in the forum watched them. She made eye contact with one, a little girl. The girl returned her gaze and licked her lips. Julia shuddered.

  Eager to consume their living flesh the damned began to push toward them. As they did with the window the damned in the second row under the balcony tried to climb the first row of damned. Unlike the window, there was no wall to brace the first row of damned, so when the third damned tried to climb onto the first two, the undead in the front row staggered forward. This made it impossible for them to ascend the height that separated them from the living flesh they craved.

  Athos and Baltazar continued their attack. Their blades a virtual blur as they pushed forward down the hall toward Fonda. The two men were nearing a state of complete exhaustion. The fury of their attacks had taken a heavy toll on both of them, but especially Baltazar. He was breathing heavily and his movements were beginning to slow. As Athos pushed forward with his shield and brought his Spatha down on one of the few damned standing between them and Fonda. A hand reached out for Baltazar.

  Baltazar, on the verge of stepping forwar
d to attack, cried out when a hand from behind grasped his shoulder. As he turned around, fetid yellow teeth filled his vision. He jammed the point of his blade into the bottom of his chin and the leering damned dropped to the floor mere inches from Baltazar’s face. As the slain damned fell from sight, the scene before him sent a chill down his spine. Is this where I die?

  Moving up the hall toward them were dozens of damned. They consisted of former members of the 5th Parthica, men that worked in the armory, women, children, and the elderly. Baltazar also spied a group that was congregating around the door to Governor’s Maurice’s office.

  Baltazar could hear the sounds of swords striking bone emerging from the office. Liana! Not knowing what else to do, he raised his shield and blocked the next hungry one reaching for him. He slew the creature by bringing his Spatha down onto the damned’s unprotected head. He took a breath he said, “Athos, we’ve got a new problem.”

  “It had better be a big problem to get you to turn away now. We’ve almost reached the rotting bitch controlling the damned.” Athos replied.

  “Oh, it’s a pretty big problem indeed. We’re surrounded.” Baltazar said.

  “How in Hades did that happen? There is no way around us in this hallway.”

  “How should I know? I’m not a seer.” Baltazar said in a clipped tone in-between kills.

  With the pressure abating from their furious assault, and damned reinforcements running past Fonda, Athos was forced to take a step back. His posterior bumped into Baltazar as he did so and he said, “Umm this isn’t good, we have no room.”

  “Thanks for heralding the apparent.” Baltazar said.

  Athos ducked under a bite and pushed his latest attacker back with his shield. Seeing an opening, he swung his Spatha from right to left, and dropped his putrid foe with a blow to the head. Athos took a step forward and bashed the next opponent with his shield.

  Baltazar was forced to take a step back and he brought his shield up to block his foe. The damned, sensing victory, slammed into the shield. The strength of the blow forced Baltazar to take a step back and he bumped into Athos again, “I don’t have much fight left in me. I’m exhausted.” Baltazar said.