Chapter 8
Liz swam over to Marcus and said, “Let’s go get me some new cloths - again – and see what Isaac can make me. I’m dying to see what he sees as fashionable.”
“Little one, I have no idea what fashion is nor do I intend to find out. Let us leave here and get you some lesser cloths.”
Marcus swam to the tunnel’s edge and Liz followed suit. They swam side by side until Marcus reached the surface and tried to fly out of the water. All he did was get his upper half out of the water and fall back down. Liz came behind him and displayed a dazzling show of athletics. She flew over two hundred feet before landing flawlessly on Marcus’s outstretched muzzle.
Marcus swam back to the shoreline at maximum speed now that Liz could hold on. He leapt into the air and his wings were able to unfold. He flew around the island and then past to San Francesco. Marcus flew for another hour until he found Mish and Karen speaking to each other as they guarded a convoy of refugees taken from a small town near the other side of the mountain range. When he landed, all of the men and women hid behind their two guardians. Marcus asked, “What news?”
Karen said, “There’s an army of undead a thousand miles from front to rear. Their numbers are larger than any human army to ever have been massed. Apparently, there are over fifty groups like this coming to the island for protection.”
“Does Katherine know?”
“She will soon enough. Marcus, why are you here? Are you training Liz?”
Marcus turned to his back, but Liz was gone. He looked at the surrounding buildings and he saw Liz on the roof of a nearby apartment complex. Marcus said, “I will speak with her.”
He tuned and took flight. The edges of his wings took small stones out of the buildings to his left and right as he flew. Marcus landed at the edge of the complex and pressed his head above the four story building. Liz was standing at the edge, directly out of his view. She said, “I looked through every room in this building, but there’s nothing here. It’s as if everyone just packed their luggage and left.”
“It was what the military did. They asked for every resource possible from the people. It was effective, as you have just learned, but now they need other things as well. We may be going on supply runs in a few days time. Now come down off this rooftop; you are humiliating me.”
“But I’m nude! I don’t want them to see me.”
“Do I recall you saying you wished to be a love goddess when you were but thirteen, or was that a flawed memory?”
Liz let out a long, drawn out sigh. She said, “fine, but what will they think of me?”
“They will not think of it. And if they do and speak of it, then they are fools for announcing it in my presence. Come, I doubt they will notice you anyway.”
Liz jumped to his head and slid to his shoulder as he dropped from the building. Marcus walked back to the convoy and spoke to Mish and Karen. He said, “I would take this group out of your care and ensure their safe arrival if you would do me a small favor.”
Mish looked to Karen and Karen looked to Mish. Karen said, “What do you ask us?”
“Take the child on my back and find her some suitable cloths. Only one set, as she will get a permanent one after I speak to Isaac.”
Liz jumped down Marcus’s side and the crowd let out silent whispers. Liz walked to Mish and Mish said, “Hide in my fur if you want.”
Liz did as she wished and leapt into her sea of fur. It had to be the most comfortable piece of cloth she ever laid her hands upon. She held on tight as Mish ran off. Karen looked to Marcus and he said, “Go ahead, I can handle a few refugees on my own.”
Karen flew off after Mish. Marcus said to the frightened group, “Let’s start moving. We can probably reach the island before nightfall.”
They started walking, but Marcus said, “Where are you going? Do you honestly think I will have you walk all the way as they would have made you do?”
Marcus lowered his front half and stretched out his right claw to allow a steadier slope. The people were slow to approach him. When the first man was on his back, they slowly made their way up his side. When all fifty people were upon his back, he started walking. Seven teenagers were sitting directly behind his head, and they tried to make conversation with him. They said, “Is there any chance you could hook me up with the naked sweet you passed along?”
“Speak of her in the same manner again and I will have you walk to the island. Besides, she is way out of your league. She’d probably rip your arm off during foreplay.”
All of the other boys let out their own howls and bays. He built up some courage and said, “If I could just have five minutes with her…”
“Five minutes with her can easily become an eternity in my stomach. I will warn you one last time; do not speak of my sister again.”
All of the boys gasped at the same time. They were silently whispering to one another – all of which, Marcus could hear – until five minutes passed and one of them asked, “Hey, why don’t you just take flight?”
Another man asked the same question, but he was father down and had to yell. Everyone heard him and everyone had the same question. Marcus said, “If you all enjoy falling a hundred feet to your death, I would be happy to necessitate your request.”
They all went silent. Marcus said, “The only way my wings will unfurl all the way is if I leap a few hundred feet in the air. And so, without proper restraints, I cannot take flight with more than five or six of you at once.”
They stayed silent for a moment longer, but one of the boys on his head asked, “Say, you guys are massive. What does it take to feed you?”
“Oh, quite a lot of nothing. We are the closest things to deities you will ever lay your eyes upon. We need not food nor sleep nor air. Though a few hours rest is always useful to me.”
The questions continued until they reached the bridge, where thousands of rounds of massive caliber ammo pinged off Marcus’s scales. He lifted his wings to protect his passengers and walked behind a structure. He walked a quarter mile away and found a beachhead he could use. He dropped into the water and swam the rest of the way to the island. The trip was very uneventful, save for reaching the Yerba Buena shoreline and finding twenty soldiers off duty resting on the beach. He requested they take the refugees the rest of the way and he bid farewell to the men and women he gained the trust of.
One particular child cried as his dog and longtime companion was lost. Marcus remembered his own friend and felt sympathy for the boy. He ended his pain by licking him. He boy landed twenty feet away and stopped crying. Marcus felt proud of himself for the act.
“Little one, I have no idea what fashion is nor do I intend to find out. Let us leave here and get you some lesser cloths.”
Marcus swam to the tunnel’s edge and Liz followed suit. They swam side by side until Marcus reached the surface and tried to fly out of the water. All he did was get his upper half out of the water and fall back down. Liz came behind him and displayed a dazzling show of athletics. She flew over two hundred feet before landing flawlessly on Marcus’s outstretched muzzle.
Marcus swam back to the shoreline at maximum speed now that Liz could hold on. He leapt into the air and his wings were able to unfold. He flew around the island and then past to San Francesco. Marcus flew for another hour until he found Mish and Karen speaking to each other as they guarded a convoy of refugees taken from a small town near the other side of the mountain range. When he landed, all of the men and women hid behind their two guardians. Marcus asked, “What news?”
Karen said, “There’s an army of undead a thousand miles from front to rear. Their numbers are larger than any human army to ever have been massed. Apparently, there are over fifty groups like this coming to the island for protection.”
“Does Katherine know?”
“She will soon enough. Marcus, why are you here? Are you training Liz?”
Marcus turned to his back, but Liz was gone. He looked at the surrounding buildings and he saw Liz on the roof of a nearby apartment complex. Marcus said, “I will speak with her.”
He tuned and took flight. The edges of his wings took small stones out of the buildings to his left and right as he flew. Marcus landed at the edge of the complex and pressed his head above the four story building. Liz was standing at the edge, directly out of his view. She said, “I looked through every room in this building, but there’s nothing here. It’s as if everyone just packed their luggage and left.”
“It was what the military did. They asked for every resource possible from the people. It was effective, as you have just learned, but now they need other things as well. We may be going on supply runs in a few days time. Now come down off this rooftop; you are humiliating me.”
“But I’m nude! I don’t want them to see me.”
“Do I recall you saying you wished to be a love goddess when you were but thirteen, or was that a flawed memory?”
Liz let out a long, drawn out sigh. She said, “fine, but what will they think of me?”
“They will not think of it. And if they do and speak of it, then they are fools for announcing it in my presence. Come, I doubt they will notice you anyway.”
Liz jumped to his head and slid to his shoulder as he dropped from the building. Marcus walked back to the convoy and spoke to Mish and Karen. He said, “I would take this group out of your care and ensure their safe arrival if you would do me a small favor.”
Mish looked to Karen and Karen looked to Mish. Karen said, “What do you ask us?”
“Take the child on my back and find her some suitable cloths. Only one set, as she will get a permanent one after I speak to Isaac.”
Liz jumped down Marcus’s side and the crowd let out silent whispers. Liz walked to Mish and Mish said, “Hide in my fur if you want.”
Liz did as she wished and leapt into her sea of fur. It had to be the most comfortable piece of cloth she ever laid her hands upon. She held on tight as Mish ran off. Karen looked to Marcus and he said, “Go ahead, I can handle a few refugees on my own.”
Karen flew off after Mish. Marcus said to the frightened group, “Let’s start moving. We can probably reach the island before nightfall.”
They started walking, but Marcus said, “Where are you going? Do you honestly think I will have you walk all the way as they would have made you do?”
Marcus lowered his front half and stretched out his right claw to allow a steadier slope. The people were slow to approach him. When the first man was on his back, they slowly made their way up his side. When all fifty people were upon his back, he started walking. Seven teenagers were sitting directly behind his head, and they tried to make conversation with him. They said, “Is there any chance you could hook me up with the naked sweet you passed along?”
“Speak of her in the same manner again and I will have you walk to the island. Besides, she is way out of your league. She’d probably rip your arm off during foreplay.”
All of the other boys let out their own howls and bays. He built up some courage and said, “If I could just have five minutes with her…”
“Five minutes with her can easily become an eternity in my stomach. I will warn you one last time; do not speak of my sister again.”
All of the boys gasped at the same time. They were silently whispering to one another – all of which, Marcus could hear – until five minutes passed and one of them asked, “Hey, why don’t you just take flight?”
Another man asked the same question, but he was father down and had to yell. Everyone heard him and everyone had the same question. Marcus said, “If you all enjoy falling a hundred feet to your death, I would be happy to necessitate your request.”
They all went silent. Marcus said, “The only way my wings will unfurl all the way is if I leap a few hundred feet in the air. And so, without proper restraints, I cannot take flight with more than five or six of you at once.”
They stayed silent for a moment longer, but one of the boys on his head asked, “Say, you guys are massive. What does it take to feed you?”
“Oh, quite a lot of nothing. We are the closest things to deities you will ever lay your eyes upon. We need not food nor sleep nor air. Though a few hours rest is always useful to me.”
The questions continued until they reached the bridge, where thousands of rounds of massive caliber ammo pinged off Marcus’s scales. He lifted his wings to protect his passengers and walked behind a structure. He walked a quarter mile away and found a beachhead he could use. He dropped into the water and swam the rest of the way to the island. The trip was very uneventful, save for reaching the Yerba Buena shoreline and finding twenty soldiers off duty resting on the beach. He requested they take the refugees the rest of the way and he bid farewell to the men and women he gained the trust of.
One particular child cried as his dog and longtime companion was lost. Marcus remembered his own friend and felt sympathy for the boy. He ended his pain by licking him. He boy landed twenty feet away and stopped crying. Marcus felt proud of himself for the act.