Chapter 8
Marcus was awakened by Dem, who turned Marcus over with his muzzle and licked him when he finally woke. He said, “Now I need a bath. But I suppose that will have to wait. Lets go back to the camp; they may need our help.”
Dem swept his tail over Marcus and twirled it around, effectively holding him in place. Dem picked him up and placed him between his shoulders. Marcus grabbed on and tried to stay still as Dem sprinted back to the base. When the church was in sight, Marcus was afraid because a crowd of two thousand undead stood at the front gate. These undead seemed different from before, as they were running at full speed and jumping at the gates. Their groaning and hissing was replaced by screaming and yelling.
These new undead were much more violent; on of the soldiers who did not make it from the last patrol was systematically dismembered and turned into bite sized chunks. Marcus and Dem were about to move forward when a behemoth as tall as Dem tackled the beast. Marcus was thrown free and fell into an in-ground pool. Marcus ran at the horde of undead and many of them turned to him. He pulled Paladin off of his back and pulled on a small hole in the‘d’ of the name. The blade split down the middle into two smaller swords, and Marcus charged them. Dem’s tail swooshed over his head and inadvertently took out a hundred of them as he battled the giant. The dueling titans rolled around throwing punches and trying to outmaneuver the other. Marcus did not care for their struggle, all he wanted was to not die.
Marcus looked into the sky as a large helicopter flew by overhead. Marcus could make out the faces of his parents as the copter turned to head west. Marcus could not see his sister, and the sad realization that the base could be lost gripped his stomach.
Marcus finally made contact with the horde, and both arms refused to stop moving. The world turned into a torrent of slashing, cutting, and blood. His vision blurred when an undead’s heart was ripped out by Marcus’s blade. He was surrounded on all sides by arms that wanted to subdue him; they wanted their meat to be warm and fresh. Marcus’s blades flew around him and soon he lost control. Instinct guided his hand; as if his body understood his destiny should he fall. It did not allow pain to slow him down. Marcus blacked out in mid swing, and he knew what he was to become as a mouthful of teeth came into view as his vision started to fade.
The child leaned over his queen as she wept. She prayed and begged for both the child’s forgiveness and the forgiveness of the gods. The child lifted an iron dagger and wept himself until he could hold it no longer. He dropped the blade and pressed his hand to his mother’s head. She screamed as he demented her soul into his loyal undead servant.
Marcus awoke with a large maw coming away from his head. He could see a gold body attached to the maw, and felt at ease when his sister looked over his body. She was alive, and in good health. Marcus lifted his head to look over his body. He had bite marks, scrapes, cuts, bruises, and chunks missing all over his torso. Marcus was given hell in a hand basket when he saw the test that his team developed for checking for the cure for cancer. It tested 100% positive, and Marcus said, “Kill me, or at least give me a gun to kill myself.”
“Don’t think that way, there must be some kind of remedy for it,” said Liz. Marcus said, “The only thing that can save me is my Titanstone, and it’s probably hundreds of miles away.” Liz ran off and came back a minute later with a computer from the church. Marcus turned it on and scanned through the files. His project name came up and Marcus clicked. Files flashed on screen, showing pictures of each of the team members. Marcus found his file and again clicked on it. He told Liz, “I have no sence of direction at all. Could you please go find me a GPS somewhere?”
Liz ran off again and returned with a small black box. It held a large screen and a small clip on the back for attaching it to a windshield. Marcus found the coordinates for his titanstone’s radiation signature. He found the address and typed it into the GPS. Marcus stood and said aloud, “”Everyone get any supplies, ammo, weapons, and gas you can carry and stuff it into the vehicles left behind by the soldiers. Demmy will be in charge of getting you guys out of here. Head north or west, either one will hold fewer large settlements and fewer undead.”
Nobody questioned his request. Marcus went into the first aid camp and swallowed a high-but-not-too-high dose of pain killers. He needed to suppress the pain as long as possible to complete his mission. Marcus grabbed an entire bottle of the pills and took them with him. He walked over to his father’s car, which was parked next to the hummers and tanks. As he closed the door shut, Dem approached him and asked, “So, where’s the GPS taking us?”
“Not this time, Demmy.”
“But I-”
“No means no. I’m gonna die anyway, and I would much rather die facing near victory rather than knowing I don’t have a chance. I don’t have much of a chance whether you come or not, but these people have better odds than me with life. That chance is only real if you give it to them! Please, let me go.”
Marcus turned the key and the car hummed to life. Marcus stepped on the gas, but the car wouldn’t move. Dem said, “No, you will ride me there and we will face it together, like always.” Marcus loved Dem like a brother, but he needed to let go. Marcus needed to let go of Dem, and he needed to let go of the car. Marcus gave him one last warning, “Stay with these people, or I will make you.”
There were tears in both their eyes as Marcus pulled out his handgun and pulled the trigger. Dem fell over and Marcus sped off, but Dem was soon on his feet and chasing the car through the gate and to the highway. Marcus yelled out, “I’m sorry!” as he used the last bullet of the weapon. He threw the useless gun out of the car as Dem gave up the chase. He turned around and headed back to the base with his head down and his tail between his legs. Marcus continued to drive toward his final destination; Boston.
Dem swept his tail over Marcus and twirled it around, effectively holding him in place. Dem picked him up and placed him between his shoulders. Marcus grabbed on and tried to stay still as Dem sprinted back to the base. When the church was in sight, Marcus was afraid because a crowd of two thousand undead stood at the front gate. These undead seemed different from before, as they were running at full speed and jumping at the gates. Their groaning and hissing was replaced by screaming and yelling.
These new undead were much more violent; on of the soldiers who did not make it from the last patrol was systematically dismembered and turned into bite sized chunks. Marcus and Dem were about to move forward when a behemoth as tall as Dem tackled the beast. Marcus was thrown free and fell into an in-ground pool. Marcus ran at the horde of undead and many of them turned to him. He pulled Paladin off of his back and pulled on a small hole in the‘d’ of the name. The blade split down the middle into two smaller swords, and Marcus charged them. Dem’s tail swooshed over his head and inadvertently took out a hundred of them as he battled the giant. The dueling titans rolled around throwing punches and trying to outmaneuver the other. Marcus did not care for their struggle, all he wanted was to not die.
Marcus looked into the sky as a large helicopter flew by overhead. Marcus could make out the faces of his parents as the copter turned to head west. Marcus could not see his sister, and the sad realization that the base could be lost gripped his stomach.
Marcus finally made contact with the horde, and both arms refused to stop moving. The world turned into a torrent of slashing, cutting, and blood. His vision blurred when an undead’s heart was ripped out by Marcus’s blade. He was surrounded on all sides by arms that wanted to subdue him; they wanted their meat to be warm and fresh. Marcus’s blades flew around him and soon he lost control. Instinct guided his hand; as if his body understood his destiny should he fall. It did not allow pain to slow him down. Marcus blacked out in mid swing, and he knew what he was to become as a mouthful of teeth came into view as his vision started to fade.
The child leaned over his queen as she wept. She prayed and begged for both the child’s forgiveness and the forgiveness of the gods. The child lifted an iron dagger and wept himself until he could hold it no longer. He dropped the blade and pressed his hand to his mother’s head. She screamed as he demented her soul into his loyal undead servant.
Marcus awoke with a large maw coming away from his head. He could see a gold body attached to the maw, and felt at ease when his sister looked over his body. She was alive, and in good health. Marcus lifted his head to look over his body. He had bite marks, scrapes, cuts, bruises, and chunks missing all over his torso. Marcus was given hell in a hand basket when he saw the test that his team developed for checking for the cure for cancer. It tested 100% positive, and Marcus said, “Kill me, or at least give me a gun to kill myself.”
“Don’t think that way, there must be some kind of remedy for it,” said Liz. Marcus said, “The only thing that can save me is my Titanstone, and it’s probably hundreds of miles away.” Liz ran off and came back a minute later with a computer from the church. Marcus turned it on and scanned through the files. His project name came up and Marcus clicked. Files flashed on screen, showing pictures of each of the team members. Marcus found his file and again clicked on it. He told Liz, “I have no sence of direction at all. Could you please go find me a GPS somewhere?”
Liz ran off again and returned with a small black box. It held a large screen and a small clip on the back for attaching it to a windshield. Marcus found the coordinates for his titanstone’s radiation signature. He found the address and typed it into the GPS. Marcus stood and said aloud, “”Everyone get any supplies, ammo, weapons, and gas you can carry and stuff it into the vehicles left behind by the soldiers. Demmy will be in charge of getting you guys out of here. Head north or west, either one will hold fewer large settlements and fewer undead.”
Nobody questioned his request. Marcus went into the first aid camp and swallowed a high-but-not-too-high dose of pain killers. He needed to suppress the pain as long as possible to complete his mission. Marcus grabbed an entire bottle of the pills and took them with him. He walked over to his father’s car, which was parked next to the hummers and tanks. As he closed the door shut, Dem approached him and asked, “So, where’s the GPS taking us?”
“Not this time, Demmy.”
“But I-”
“No means no. I’m gonna die anyway, and I would much rather die facing near victory rather than knowing I don’t have a chance. I don’t have much of a chance whether you come or not, but these people have better odds than me with life. That chance is only real if you give it to them! Please, let me go.”
Marcus turned the key and the car hummed to life. Marcus stepped on the gas, but the car wouldn’t move. Dem said, “No, you will ride me there and we will face it together, like always.” Marcus loved Dem like a brother, but he needed to let go. Marcus needed to let go of Dem, and he needed to let go of the car. Marcus gave him one last warning, “Stay with these people, or I will make you.”
There were tears in both their eyes as Marcus pulled out his handgun and pulled the trigger. Dem fell over and Marcus sped off, but Dem was soon on his feet and chasing the car through the gate and to the highway. Marcus yelled out, “I’m sorry!” as he used the last bullet of the weapon. He threw the useless gun out of the car as Dem gave up the chase. He turned around and headed back to the base with his head down and his tail between his legs. Marcus continued to drive toward his final destination; Boston.