Chapter 6
Marcus flew for a solid hour before he reached the source of the noise. He came across an orange Siberian tiger with a torso the size of a school bus. It fought against three undead behemoths and over a hundred smaller forms. The smaller undead hampered him and tried to slow him down as their larger compatriots attempted to imprison him in their combined flesh.
Marcus landed behind a vacant house and blew a flame over it. One of the behemoths changed targets and charged him. Marcus grabbed it with the talons of his wings and bit off its head. Gore sprayed everywhere as the over pressurized infected blood was released from the beast’s blood vessels. Marcus pressed through the building and used another flame to kill off the rest of them. The tiger was now black with burnt blood. It shook, and the caked blood fell off; the creature looked as if it was pampered its entire life and never had the blood on its coat.
It said in a slight Russian accent, “My name is Dragoon. Who the hell are you, and why did you kill my sport?”
“I am Marcus, and you are Ihram. If there is anyone on the face of this planet that deserves a name like Dragoon, then it’s me. But no, I’m stuck with Marcus until I get a cool name like you guys.”
“You do not deserve the name Dragoon because you suck. And you did not introduce the young child on your back.”
Marcus turned to look at his back and expected to see one of the boys. He was not expecting the angry glare of his sibling. She said, “You forgot about me? Wow, some protector you’ve come out to be!”
Dragoon was lying on his back; he did not try to hide his amusement. Marcus said, “Well it’s not my fault you weigh as much as Lindsay Lohan. Trying to feel your presence is like trying to feel a moth on an elephant.”
Liz jumped off of his back and walked to his front. Marcus lowered his head and playfully nudged her side. She yelled, “Feel this!” and punched his eye. Marcus could tell that she was angry. If he was human, he would have been on the ground with a bloody nose. Marcus barred his teeth, and Liz fell back in fear.
Their bickering was put to an end when Dragoon said, “Marcus, I hate to interrupt, but have you seen Mish on your travels?”
“I don’t think so. Is she still human?”
“No, she changed before me, and she protected me for a day before I found my own stone.”
“I’m sorry, but I seem to forget what she looks like.”
“That armored plate must be thicker than I thought. She takes the form of a tiger not unlike me, but a bit bigger and she is white as the drugs Dem used to do during his lunch break. We were separated yesterday afternoon. I do not fear for her safety, but I want to be with her.”
“I’ll go looking for her. Head for the city of London; that is where the rest of our group is supposed to go. Go with him, Liz.”
Marcus turned to where he thought Liz was standing, but she was not there. He felt a presence on his back, and he turned to find Liz with her arms crossed.
“Liz, go with Dragoon. He will keep you safe.”
“And you won’t?”
“I’m going into a very dangerous area and I don’t want you to-”
“Slow you down?”
“It isn’t like that.”
“Marcus, you’re the last of my family. Mom and Dad are God knows where, I don’t know anyone in the caravan, I don’t fully trust Dem, and you Dragoon, I’ll only slow down. I’m staying with you, Marcus; it will take a lot more than a few teeth to get me down.”
“As you wish, little one.”
Liz stared at him with angry eyes as he took flight. Marcus only just contemplated what he called her, and he chose to keep the name. Liz, however, was not so happy. She yelled, “I don’t care how big you get, I’m still your older sister! Don’t let your new size get to your head.”
“Firstly, it already has. Secondly, when I slept the night after I changed, I removed some of my memories. The pornography, the video games, the childhood dreams, and all the other trash that separates children from true adults has been gone for a day, and that has been enough to change me into something different than what I was. I used to be a child. Now I am an elder that is ancient beyond compare in the workings of the mind.”
“So you’re no longer my brother. I’m alone in the world!”
“No, you’re not. I may be but a shell of who I was, but you are still my sister at least in memory. I do not have the future luxury of a lover, so I will give my heart to what family my memories give me. Besides, since I grew taller than you at the age of thirteen, you have always been ‘little one’ to me. Calling you Elizabeth now would be like calling an exotic bird by its scientific name; the title does not change the fact that it is a bird. Accept the name; I will not be changing it any time soon.”
Marcus landed behind a vacant house and blew a flame over it. One of the behemoths changed targets and charged him. Marcus grabbed it with the talons of his wings and bit off its head. Gore sprayed everywhere as the over pressurized infected blood was released from the beast’s blood vessels. Marcus pressed through the building and used another flame to kill off the rest of them. The tiger was now black with burnt blood. It shook, and the caked blood fell off; the creature looked as if it was pampered its entire life and never had the blood on its coat.
It said in a slight Russian accent, “My name is Dragoon. Who the hell are you, and why did you kill my sport?”
“I am Marcus, and you are Ihram. If there is anyone on the face of this planet that deserves a name like Dragoon, then it’s me. But no, I’m stuck with Marcus until I get a cool name like you guys.”
“You do not deserve the name Dragoon because you suck. And you did not introduce the young child on your back.”
Marcus turned to look at his back and expected to see one of the boys. He was not expecting the angry glare of his sibling. She said, “You forgot about me? Wow, some protector you’ve come out to be!”
Dragoon was lying on his back; he did not try to hide his amusement. Marcus said, “Well it’s not my fault you weigh as much as Lindsay Lohan. Trying to feel your presence is like trying to feel a moth on an elephant.”
Liz jumped off of his back and walked to his front. Marcus lowered his head and playfully nudged her side. She yelled, “Feel this!” and punched his eye. Marcus could tell that she was angry. If he was human, he would have been on the ground with a bloody nose. Marcus barred his teeth, and Liz fell back in fear.
Their bickering was put to an end when Dragoon said, “Marcus, I hate to interrupt, but have you seen Mish on your travels?”
“I don’t think so. Is she still human?”
“No, she changed before me, and she protected me for a day before I found my own stone.”
“I’m sorry, but I seem to forget what she looks like.”
“That armored plate must be thicker than I thought. She takes the form of a tiger not unlike me, but a bit bigger and she is white as the drugs Dem used to do during his lunch break. We were separated yesterday afternoon. I do not fear for her safety, but I want to be with her.”
“I’ll go looking for her. Head for the city of London; that is where the rest of our group is supposed to go. Go with him, Liz.”
Marcus turned to where he thought Liz was standing, but she was not there. He felt a presence on his back, and he turned to find Liz with her arms crossed.
“Liz, go with Dragoon. He will keep you safe.”
“And you won’t?”
“I’m going into a very dangerous area and I don’t want you to-”
“Slow you down?”
“It isn’t like that.”
“Marcus, you’re the last of my family. Mom and Dad are God knows where, I don’t know anyone in the caravan, I don’t fully trust Dem, and you Dragoon, I’ll only slow down. I’m staying with you, Marcus; it will take a lot more than a few teeth to get me down.”
“As you wish, little one.”
Liz stared at him with angry eyes as he took flight. Marcus only just contemplated what he called her, and he chose to keep the name. Liz, however, was not so happy. She yelled, “I don’t care how big you get, I’m still your older sister! Don’t let your new size get to your head.”
“Firstly, it already has. Secondly, when I slept the night after I changed, I removed some of my memories. The pornography, the video games, the childhood dreams, and all the other trash that separates children from true adults has been gone for a day, and that has been enough to change me into something different than what I was. I used to be a child. Now I am an elder that is ancient beyond compare in the workings of the mind.”
“So you’re no longer my brother. I’m alone in the world!”
“No, you’re not. I may be but a shell of who I was, but you are still my sister at least in memory. I do not have the future luxury of a lover, so I will give my heart to what family my memories give me. Besides, since I grew taller than you at the age of thirteen, you have always been ‘little one’ to me. Calling you Elizabeth now would be like calling an exotic bird by its scientific name; the title does not change the fact that it is a bird. Accept the name; I will not be changing it any time soon.”