Chapter 63
Mid-Morning, October 19th 636, Jerusalem, Palestinia Province, Byzantium
The Gorilla
As Daisy’s howls matched Maarika’s screams of horror and anguish, Athos stood, both horrified and transfixed by what he just witnessed. The damned gorilla, with Nasir’s severed head in its mouth, snapped its mighty jaw shut. The sound of his skull could be heard fracturing in the beast’s mouth as Maarika screamed. For a brief moment the gorilla made eye contact with Athos. The lifeless orbs sent a shiver down his spine as the steely and soulless eye’s gaze bored into him. They conveyed a message, You’re next.
To Athos’ left, damned poured through the shattered doors and into the entryway of the foyer. They ignored the men and women of Athos’ command who were standing off to the side, and ran toward the corpses of Martun and Nasir in the courtyard. Oblivious to all around him, the gorilla dropped to its knees to feed. Athea reached out and held a hand over Maarika’s mouth to stifle her screaming.
“Shields up, form a line on either side of the hallway.” Athos yelled over the din of the damned.
The remaining men, without thinking, raised their shields and formed a line as instructed. On one side of the hallway, Baltazar, Jerry and a few other men stood shoulder to shoulder. On the other Athos, Sharven, Gor, Athea, and Liana stood. Liana, who had given up the sling in favor of a shield and her gladius held the large oval shield with an unsteady arm. She lacked the strength to use it effectively in battle.
Behind Athos’ group, Maarika sank to her knees and sobbed. The grief she felt at seeing the man she loved literally ripped to pieces wracked her body. Athea, her instincts to comfort Maarika overwhelming her senses, ignored them and continued to provide support with her sling as the two groups went to work butchering the damned as they entered the hallway.
Within a few moments the damned began ignoring the events that were transpiring in the courtyard beyond the foyer. They turned their attention to the two lines of living flesh that stood against them. Baltazar released his mind from conscious thought and let his instincts for battle take over. Block, swing, duck, block, turn, and swing. He appeared as a blur as he morphed into a human killing machine cutting down damned after damned.
Jerry, standing to Baltazar’s immediate left, did what he could to support the young Dekanos, but it was all he could do to stay out of the way, so Baltazar could accomplish his grisly work unimpeded. On Athos’ side of the hallway, the three men forming the line, worked together as a team to drop damned after damned. Daisy licked Maarika in the face trying to comfort the distraught woman.
Liana, struggling with the unwieldy shield slipped her gladius into its sheath and used both of her arms to hold it up. As the damned crashed into the oval barrier her shaking arms struggled to keep the metal barrier aloft. She gritted her teeth, ignored the screaming muscles in her arms, and somehow managed to keep the damned at bay.
From behind, Athea did what she could to support Liana, as damned after damned pounded on the shield, or tried to rip it from her grasp to get at her. Jerry, in-between kills, shouted over the din of battle to Athos, “Kentarches, we can’t stand here for long, the bodies are piling up and the floors are drenched in blood. I fear that sooner rather than later, someone is going to lose their footing and then we will be lost.”
Athos ducked under the arm of a tall damned that swung it at his head trying to knock him down. He brought his ax up into the bottom of the dead, yet very much alive, man’s chin. The sound of the skull being sliced in two from below reverberated off the stone walls of the villa’s foyer. The young Kentarches then brought his shield up to block the next attacker. Buying a moment, he replied to Jerry, “I agree. Somehow, we need to fight our way into the courtyard beyond and find an alternate route to escape. I think the gorilla’s roars attracted every damned in Jerusalem and the street is choked with them now.”
Jerry used his shield to push a damned back that tried to grasp him over the top of the oval shaped barrier. Using his ax, he brought it down onto the damned’s head with an overhead swing. The sounds of bone breaking echoed off the walls of the foyer as the corpse dropped to the ground in a spray of purple blood and brains, “Speaking of gorillas. The only thing keeping that bastard from dashing in here and ripping us limb from limb is the other damned in his way.”
Athos, facing two damned simultaneously, used his shield to block the one on the left. He turned to his side as the second one on his right lunged at him. As the putrid living corpse stumbled through the gap Athos created with the unexpected move, completely off balance, Athos swung his ax. The ax blade connected with the forehead of the off-balance damned penetrating bone and brain. He then closed the gap in the line he had just created, pulled his ax out of the skull in which it was embedded, and swung it at the other damned facing him.
As the gore encrusted ax smashed through the left side of the second damned’s head, buying him a precious moment, Athos said, “It sounds like we are fucked no matter what we do.”
Jerry, who had just finished supporting Baltazar, as the young Dekanos tore through three damned in as many seconds immediately replied, “I know one thing, sir, if we stay in this foyer much longer, we are just as fucked.”
Athos nodded in agreement toward Jerry, but the older man didn’t catch it as he was focusing on more immediate concerns, the unholy putrid living corpses trying to eat him. As Jerry slew the opponent in front of him, an immense obese woman came in off the street, and filled half the foyer with her bulk. She must have been the wife of a rich noble or merchant whose appetite in life rivaled that of her hunger in undeath. The blue silk wrap that covered her many folds of rotting flesh must have cost a year’s wages for a laborer. In addition to the silk wrap, she had adorned herself with a garish display of jewelry.
Jerry grunted as the woman brought her large meaty arms down upon his shield. The strength of the blow, forced him to take a step back to absorb it, before he could recover and bring his ax up to end her hunger forever. Baltazar moving in a blur, dropped her with a single well-placed ax blow to the side of her head.
As she collapsed to the ground, Baltazar sprang forward and blocked half of the doorway that led to the street. Athos, reacted quickly and fell into place beside Baltazar facing toward the street. Jerry and his two surviving men anchored off Baltazar’s right side and turned around, as Sharven and Gor moved to join the line behind Athos.
Before the two men could seal the gap, Liana, and Athea, who led Maarika by the arm moved into the center of the small circle the men had just formed. The ladies were followed by Daisy who scrambled through the legs of the damned and living alike to take her place at the center of the circle.
“Revig, and Sharven, fight your way forward into the courtyard. If we stay in this foyer, we’re dead.” Athos yelled over the din of combat.
The two men responded with, “Yes, sir.” Not quite in unison. Voice laced with anxiety Sharven added, “What about the gorilla?”
“One problem at a time.” Athos replied.
Turning back to the damned in front of him, and working in tandem with Baltazar, the two men began cutting down damned at a furious rate. As the victims of their teamwork fell to the cobblestone street, they kicked the bodies into the oncoming damned beyond. This served the dual purpose of keeping their immediate front clear of bodies and forcing the damned to become off-balance. The putrid attackers tripped over the falling corpses of their comrades as they tried to get at the two men.
On the other side of the line, Sharven and Gor, began to make forward progress against the lower number of damned in the courtyard. As they emerged into the sunlit open aired square they looked about in confusion and Gor said, “Where’s the gorilla?”
With a deafening roar and a loud thump as his huge feet hit the cobblestone surface, the gorilla landed on the street just a few paces shy of Athos and Baltazar. The huge beast, not wanting to miss out on more flesh, had climbed over the building to get around the damne
d surrounding the survivors. The sound of the gorilla’s fury echoed off the walls of the nearby villas.
The beast brought its two fists together causing the massive muscles of its chest to bulge and bared its fangs at the two men. It’s razor sharp teeth were stained red with the blood of Nasir and bits of flesh and bone fragments could be seen stuck in-between them.
“Found him.” Athos replied.
Chapter 64
An hour before dawn, October 19th 636, Joppa Road West of Jerusalem, Palestinia Province, Byzantium
Surrounded
Constan sat astride Viribus along with Tovig and his men. The group of mounted men occupied the center of the 5th Babylon’s much diminished line. Now commanding half the amount of men he started the night with, the middle aged Tourmarches, sighed in exhaustion.
Over the previous several hours, at a tremendous cost in the lives of his men, Constan had succeeded in pulling the line back in upon itself as the damned attempted to flank them. Now forming an unbroken circle centered on the Jerusalem Road, they were completely surrounded by Fonda’s horde. He watched with worry etched in his face as his men swung their axes and Spathas with leaden arms. The arms of the surviving men, were weighed down by the fatigue of many hours of fighting.
“I’ve got to figure out how to disengage from this lot or all will be lost soon.” Constan said.
“I don’t see how that is possible. Their numbers seem to be limitless.” Droungarios Hovig replied and that after a moment of further reflection added, “How did you escape from Yarmuk?”
“We were rescued by the surviving horsemen of the 8th Mesopotamian.” Constan replied.
Hovig threw a glance over to Tovig and his men, “I don’t imagine Tovig and his fifty riders is enough to rescue us from this situation.”
“No. Not yet anyhow. When the riders of the 8th Mesopotamian came to the 5th Parthica’s rescue at Yarmuk they numbered less than fifty, but then so did we. Thanks to their losses to the damned, they had enough spare mounts for those of us that had managed to survive the night.” Constan replied.
Hovig threw a glance at the eastern horizon and said, “I wonder if we’ll see another dawn before we lay at the bottom of a damned’s stomach.”
Constan whispering said, “The men mustn’t hear such talk. I too fear that a catalyst will emerge causing our lines to breech before we see the rays of light once again, but we must say nothing but encouraging words when in earshot of any of the men. If we say were going to die, I guarantee you within the space of a few minutes every man here, even the ones in battle, will have heard about it. Once hope is lost, we will be as well.”
Before Hovig could reply Constan yelled, “14th Kentarchia, look alive, here comes another wave. Stand fast!”
The men of the 14th Kentarchia squared their shoulders and raised their shields up to meet the charging damned. From beyond the line Fonda said, “Look how they tire. A few more waves of my children and their leader’s encouragement will matter for not.”
Legion nodded wearily in agreement, “It appears so, sister.”
Fonda turned and smiled at the large bearded warrior, “Why so glum, Leonidas? You won’t be dying with them.”
“Standing here with you, as soldiers of the Empire die is making me feeling dirty inside.” Leonidas replied.
“You’d rather be with them dying instead of standing here with me, your little sister?” Fonda asked.
Legion ignored the question and stared at the thin line of Skutatoi standing against the horde. One of the men fell as a damned wrapped its arms around his left leg and pulled him to the ground. As the damned fed on him, his screams echoed off the nearby hills.
“Leonidas?” Fonda asked.
“My name is not Leonidas. Leonidas died on that day that our parents were slain. That most horrible of days that you were slain. I’ve made a terrible mistake.” He finally said.
“Why? Because you are standing with your sister instead of with those fools dying over there?” Fonda placed a reassuring hand on Legion’s arm and said, “You stand here with me because we are family, Leonidas. I’m your little sister. We are of the same blood. We take care of each other. For many years you protected me, and now I protect you.”
Legion looked down at Fonda. He tried to see the sweet girl that his sister was before the infection consumed her. The memory of that girl faded and was replaced by the hate filled, and rotting living corpse that stood before him. As the recollection of what was faded, Legion’s nostrils flared, his fists clenched and his eyes filled with hatred of what she had become.
“Leonidas?” Fonda asked again. A tinge of concern had crept into her normally bile filled voice.
Legion, stood up straight and squared his shoulders as Fonda demanded a response, “Leonidas, why do you ignore the question?”
In a blur of motion Legion reached out wrapped up the smaller woman with his left arm. Surprised Fonda asked, “Leonidas, what are you doing?”
“What I should have done back in Damascus when I first saw you, putting an end to your blasphemous, unholy, demonic existence.” Legion said.
Fonda struggled against the vicelike grip of Legion’s left arm coiled around her waist. As the large man drew his gladius, she yelled, “My children, save me!”
All of the damned, whether they were within earshot of Fonda’s voice or not, turned away from the 5th Babylon and ran to their mistress. As Legion plunged the blade of his gladius into the back of Fonda’s head the nearest members of her horde wrapped their arms around his legs, and plunged their teeth into him. Ignoring the bites and the pieces of his flesh being ripped away, he slowly lowered the body of his sister to the ground as tears streamed down his eyes, “I’m sorry, sister. Please forgive me.”
The damned surrounding him completely covered the big man. Feeling the bites for the first time, his grief morphed into rage. As he tried to stand, his muscles bulged as they strained against the combined weight of the multitudes damned piled atop him trying to feed on his flesh.
“Something is happening, the damned have stopped attacking.” Hovig said.
Nodding in agreement Constan said, “Aye, they just disappeared into the darkness.”
“We should take this opportunity to break contact and try to get away.” Hovig said.
Constan, nodding, said, “Aye, right you are.” Sitting up a little straighter in the saddle he yelled, “Men of the 5th Babylon, break formation and double time it east up the Jerusalem road! Try to keep it quiet. We don’t want to attract them back in this direction.”
The surviving men of the 5th Babylon wearily turned and without any further orders abandoned their lines and ran toward the road. As the exhausted group of men came together on the road, they automatically fell into a column of six formation as they gathered and ran eastward toward Jerusalem. Constan turned to Tovig and said, “Can ye stay here for a time and cover our retreat? If the damned come back, try to lead them off into the countryside to the north or south.”
Tovig gave Constan a reassuring smile and said, “Yes, sir. We’ll cover the retreat.”
Tovig turned in his saddle looking left and right as he made eye contact with his men and said, “Look alive, you sluggards. We’ve been sitting back and watching the fun all night. Now it’s our time to shine. Our tired and exhausted brothers need us to cover their arses as they try to make their escape. We stand here. If the damned come for us, we will lead them off to the north to try and draw them away. Are you with me?”
Tovig’s fifty rider’s backs stiffen to a man, as they saluted him to a chorus of whispered, “We’re with you, sir.”
Constan sat on Viribus, as the last of his men ran past on foot, he turned the mighty mount around back toward the west by pulling on the left reign. The horse snorted in displeasure at the tug, eager to run, but obeyed the command. As Viribus turned, Constan saw Tovig and his fifty riders illuminated by the torchlight that marked the final position of their lines. Nearly simultaneously, they sat up stra
ight in their saddles and saluted Tovig, “Godspeed, Komes. May God and the angels above give you the strength to stand and survive.
Constan pulled on Viribus’ right reign and turned toward the east and Jerusalem. Looking ahead he saw the final man in the line fade into the darkness. He kicked the mount gently in the sides with both feet and said, “Let’s get going boy. I have a feeling Athos is going to need us.”
Chapter 65
Noon, October 19th 636, Jerusalem, Palestinia Province, Byzantium
Against the Monster
Before the damned gorilla had a chance to begin its attack, Baltazar leaped forward and smashed the creature’s left arm with his shield with all of the strength he could muster. The gorilla, grunted in surprise and took a step back. With the mighty beast now off-balance, Athos followed suit and smashed his shield into the right arm of the mighty beast. This nearly simultaneous one-two punch sent the creature onto its backside.
As the damned gorilla’s putrid posterior struck the cobblestone, Baltazar drew his Spatha and brought it down toward the gorilla’s head. The beast, seeing the danger, tried to scramble out of the way of the descending blade aimed at his head. Partially successful, Baltazar’s Spatha cleaved off the gorilla’s left ear and sank several inches into the beast’s shoulder. The impact less than an inch from where Nasir’s blade had sunk into flesh and bone, bit deeply.
Athos, following Baltazar’s example, in a blur of motion, sheathed his ax, and drew his Spatha as the gorilla dodged Baltazar’s blow by moving in his direction. With a savage war cry, Athos swung his Spatha at the gorilla’s head. Hemmed in by the other damned, and with nowhere to go to dodge Athos’ blow. The gorilla raised its right arm up in an attempt to grasp Athos’ blade.
Byzantium Infected Box Set Page 96