Chapter 18
Marcus landed with a loud crash on the baseball field where the map of Angel Island was placed. A group of over eight hundred soldiers were aligned in boxes of ten by ten. Katherine was at the head of the group with Colson at her side. Marcus’s landing warned the men and women of his presence and they all turned to him with startled looks. Marcus said, “What is the meaning of this?”
Katherine said to him, “The refugees told us of an army of undead heading this way. I figured these men could use some action, so we will move out to meet them at the airfield where we can pick them off at a distance.”
“Has madness consumed you? Do you not know the size of the force arrayed against you?”
“It stretches off into the horizon, as some of the refugees told us. We eight hundred are marching out to face those impossible odds.”
“You march to your deaths! You know as well as I that your idea of glory is pure suicide. Will the price for your stupidity be the eight hundred souls that will be cast into the void?”
“Come now, they’re just a bunch of walking corpses, what can they do to us? We have guns.”
“No, you have ammo stores. After you run out of ammo, you are all going to die. I tell every man woman and child that if he wishes to live another day and not bear witness to the violence you wish to create drop your weapons and come to me. Everyone else, I hope for my own sake you kill ten thousand times your number.”
Fifty men and women dropped their arms and walked over to Marcus. Colson looked concerned, but at least he kept his cool. Katherine, however, lost all control and drew her pistol. Before she could fire it, Liz jumped from Marcus in front of her and said, “Be careful, you may not like the consequences of what you are doing. Marcus will not stop your march, but do not expect to return to his good graces should you change your mind.”
Katherine placed her weapon back in its holster and turned to Colson. Liz jumped to Marcus’s back and said, “Marcus, you will not stop them? Even though they march to their deaths?”
“Little one, all of the seven hundred and fifty that swear allegiance to her will die on their own free will. They wish to fight and they wish to die fighting. They are lost to us. We redeemed but a fraction of their number, yet these fifty will remain loyal to us until the end of time. Should they survive their encounter, they will follow the fifty.”
Marcus looked in the ranks and saw Zack at the front of the march. He was one of the only soldiers to stay at attention. Marcus wondered just how close he was to losing it and decided it was better for him to die in slaughter than in bloody murder. The procession marched on with the refugees, Colson’s soldiers, and two hundred others. Marcus and the fifty of his flock watched with cheerless faces as their loved ones marched off to their imminent doom. Tears were shed, hearts were broken, and Marcus began to regret his decision.
Still, he held firm. The only way they would learn the folly of their ways was to experience the violence they wish to breed upon first hand. When they reached the bridge, Marcus addressed his followers. He said, “Any who do not know of this happening, tell them immediately. Parents, friends, elders, children, lovers, all must know. If any more lives can be spared, you must reach out to them. I fear that no man on the march will make it back alive.”
Every man and woman in his fifty ran off into the camp and searched every house and every apartment for the family and friends of those leaving. Many ran out after their loved ones. By midday, only a few had returned and usually alone. Marcus feared he may have bolstered their numbers and tried not to think of the bloodshed. He also realized that almost half of the workforce and the entire organizing branch were in the army as well. Marcus understood now that Katherine used it as a tactic to force Marcus to save them.
As he pondered on these thoughts, Marcus and Liz spoke to Thomas, Mitch, Marcus’s father, Isaac, and Karen about how to run the island should the group never return.
Karen said, “We aren’t going to just leave them there, are we?”
“What choice do we have,” said Liz, “if we go to help them now, all they will do is mock us for trying to take charge and remain rebellious. I say we let them burn.”
“Do not be so quick to let your once-friends perish,” Marcus warned.
Thomas said, “There were a lot of good men and women in that army, we need them alive one way or another. I say you kill Katherine and take charge like you should have when you first met the bitch.”
Isaac remained speechless until he heard these words. He looked to Marcus and said, “How long until they reach the airfield?”
“They would have gotten there about five minutes ago if they did not stop. After all, there were a few shuttle busses parked just past the bridge.”
Isaac was silent for ten seconds before saying, “Marcus, you need to choose now; will you let them die for their stupidity and let the ones who live take the blame, or will you save them and grant your forgiveness?”
Katherine said to him, “The refugees told us of an army of undead heading this way. I figured these men could use some action, so we will move out to meet them at the airfield where we can pick them off at a distance.”
“Has madness consumed you? Do you not know the size of the force arrayed against you?”
“It stretches off into the horizon, as some of the refugees told us. We eight hundred are marching out to face those impossible odds.”
“You march to your deaths! You know as well as I that your idea of glory is pure suicide. Will the price for your stupidity be the eight hundred souls that will be cast into the void?”
“Come now, they’re just a bunch of walking corpses, what can they do to us? We have guns.”
“No, you have ammo stores. After you run out of ammo, you are all going to die. I tell every man woman and child that if he wishes to live another day and not bear witness to the violence you wish to create drop your weapons and come to me. Everyone else, I hope for my own sake you kill ten thousand times your number.”
Fifty men and women dropped their arms and walked over to Marcus. Colson looked concerned, but at least he kept his cool. Katherine, however, lost all control and drew her pistol. Before she could fire it, Liz jumped from Marcus in front of her and said, “Be careful, you may not like the consequences of what you are doing. Marcus will not stop your march, but do not expect to return to his good graces should you change your mind.”
Katherine placed her weapon back in its holster and turned to Colson. Liz jumped to Marcus’s back and said, “Marcus, you will not stop them? Even though they march to their deaths?”
“Little one, all of the seven hundred and fifty that swear allegiance to her will die on their own free will. They wish to fight and they wish to die fighting. They are lost to us. We redeemed but a fraction of their number, yet these fifty will remain loyal to us until the end of time. Should they survive their encounter, they will follow the fifty.”
Marcus looked in the ranks and saw Zack at the front of the march. He was one of the only soldiers to stay at attention. Marcus wondered just how close he was to losing it and decided it was better for him to die in slaughter than in bloody murder. The procession marched on with the refugees, Colson’s soldiers, and two hundred others. Marcus and the fifty of his flock watched with cheerless faces as their loved ones marched off to their imminent doom. Tears were shed, hearts were broken, and Marcus began to regret his decision.
Still, he held firm. The only way they would learn the folly of their ways was to experience the violence they wish to breed upon first hand. When they reached the bridge, Marcus addressed his followers. He said, “Any who do not know of this happening, tell them immediately. Parents, friends, elders, children, lovers, all must know. If any more lives can be spared, you must reach out to them. I fear that no man on the march will make it back alive.”
Every man and woman in his fifty ran off into the camp and searched every house and every apartment for the family and friends of those leaving. Many ran out after their loved ones. By midday, only a few had returned and usually alone. Marcus feared he may have bolstered their numbers and tried not to think of the bloodshed. He also realized that almost half of the workforce and the entire organizing branch were in the army as well. Marcus understood now that Katherine used it as a tactic to force Marcus to save them.
As he pondered on these thoughts, Marcus and Liz spoke to Thomas, Mitch, Marcus’s father, Isaac, and Karen about how to run the island should the group never return.
Karen said, “We aren’t going to just leave them there, are we?”
“What choice do we have,” said Liz, “if we go to help them now, all they will do is mock us for trying to take charge and remain rebellious. I say we let them burn.”
“Do not be so quick to let your once-friends perish,” Marcus warned.
Thomas said, “There were a lot of good men and women in that army, we need them alive one way or another. I say you kill Katherine and take charge like you should have when you first met the bitch.”
Isaac remained speechless until he heard these words. He looked to Marcus and said, “How long until they reach the airfield?”
“They would have gotten there about five minutes ago if they did not stop. After all, there were a few shuttle busses parked just past the bridge.”
Isaac was silent for ten seconds before saying, “Marcus, you need to choose now; will you let them die for their stupidity and let the ones who live take the blame, or will you save them and grant your forgiveness?”
Chapter 19: Her Army
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