Ghost recognized the slight look of awe in Amber’s eyes as she tried to picture the places in her mind. He smiled to himself. They really were amazing places. The trick was keeping your wits about and not looking like a gawping tourist when you were there. Tourist, now that was a word he hadn’t used in a long time. The idea of just visiting a place for no other reason than to see it. He shook his head.
“So I figure we wait until the snow’s melted a bit. Then head back. I need to make some enquiries about getting you a passable id and that’s going to take some time anyway,” he suggested.
Amber nodded her agreement.
***
A few week’s later and they set out. The snow still fell in occasional flurries, but underfoot it was turning into icy slush. They were still careful as they walked, but it was much easier than trudging through several feet of snow. There had been no word or sign of the Necromancer. Ghost wasn’t surprised. If they’d continued to explore the Mall, then they probably would have run into each other again, or been able to determine if he actually was dead this time. Ghost doubted it.
He’d sent the Harlequins to Chorus and the Capital to make discrete enquiries. Now he found himself looking forward to seeing Gideon again. He liked the warmth and comfort of the Theatre and in his heart, their place at the graveyard wasn’t really home. But it was familiar and in a changing world, that meant a lot.
It was mid afternoon when they finally walked into the old Church. As Ghost had expected, Gideon was standing off to one side, quietly adjusting some flowers in a vase. As Ghost and Amber walked over to him, he turned and greeted them, speaking softly.
“Welcome back. It’s good to see you both.”
“Hi Gideon,” Amber smiled.
Ghost shook his hand warmly and looked around the church. There were a few people kneeling quietly in the old pews, lost in prayer. The faint smell of incense lingered in the air. “All is well here?” he asked.
Gideon smiled, “Always. He looked up reverently at the wooden cross suspended from the middle of the ceiling.”
Ghost carefully didn’t follow his gaze. He’d seen to much death in his time and the carefully sculpted image of a man dying a painful death was not something he found any peace in. Instead he looked at the flowers Gideon had been arranging.
“So is there anything I can help you with?” Gideon asked.
“We’re heading back out to the old school again. Any thoughts?” Ghost asked simply.
“Sounds like a good idea. I haven’t heard anything unusual going on in the wastelands.” Gideon replied. “As to the place itself, my advice is just use it to get clearer recollections of memories further back in time. At least for now.”
Next
Monday 28 February 2011
Saturday 26 February 2011
44
“And the Capital?” she prompted
“It’s huge, deceptively so. You look at a map of the place and think it’s not so big. But then when you get there…” he paused.
“Yes?” she nudged him from his reverie
“Well it’s not really one place. It’s like several places all occupying the same space. What you see depends a lot on what you expect to see and what you’re looking for. So there’s everything you see at street view. But then there’s this whole underground Labyrinthe beneath it all. You hear strange stories from there.” He smiled “I used to think they made them up to keep people away, but nowadays I’m not so sure any more. Then there’s the Above. Years ago people started experimenting with climbing up buildings without ropes; a lot of it was inspired by kung-fu movies and old ninja legends. But people discovered there was a surprising amount you could actually do.”
“Climbing buildings? For real?” Amber looked at him incredulously.
“Climbing them, jumping off them, rooftop to rooftop, classic movie stuff. Indeed quite a few movies ended up adding it in. I remember the French government got in quite a state about the whole thing. Anyway in the Capital, they first worked out ways of climbing everything and getting around way up in the rooftops. And then it occurred to someone who’s going to notice if you carve the odd handhold 13 stories up? Or build in a small ledge. And so gradually the Above grew. Some people have gotten quite inventive, in some places you need an electronic key to cause something to temporarily move so you can either use it to keep going, or stop it from blocking you. And then there’s the Dead Ends. They’re real trouble.”
“Literally?” she asked.
“Can be. They’re routes that take to a place where you realised too late you can’t get back from, usually due to gravity. Then you need to get someone to come and get you before you get too tired to hang on.”
“Oh.”
“Yup, some people object to them climbing all over the place, even 13 stories up. There’s a constant battle going on over the routes in some places. In some parts they’re in constant flux. In others nobody cares and they stay the same. A lot of people have no idea they’re even there. Like I said, what you see depends a lot on what you expect to see.” He paused “Although people refer to it as one place, in a lot of ways it’s like a lot of little places stuck together. Most wouldn’t admit it, but it’s pretty tribal. Course some of those tribes wear suits and ties.”
Next
“It’s huge, deceptively so. You look at a map of the place and think it’s not so big. But then when you get there…” he paused.
“Yes?” she nudged him from his reverie
“Well it’s not really one place. It’s like several places all occupying the same space. What you see depends a lot on what you expect to see and what you’re looking for. So there’s everything you see at street view. But then there’s this whole underground Labyrinthe beneath it all. You hear strange stories from there.” He smiled “I used to think they made them up to keep people away, but nowadays I’m not so sure any more. Then there’s the Above. Years ago people started experimenting with climbing up buildings without ropes; a lot of it was inspired by kung-fu movies and old ninja legends. But people discovered there was a surprising amount you could actually do.”
“Climbing buildings? For real?” Amber looked at him incredulously.
“Climbing them, jumping off them, rooftop to rooftop, classic movie stuff. Indeed quite a few movies ended up adding it in. I remember the French government got in quite a state about the whole thing. Anyway in the Capital, they first worked out ways of climbing everything and getting around way up in the rooftops. And then it occurred to someone who’s going to notice if you carve the odd handhold 13 stories up? Or build in a small ledge. And so gradually the Above grew. Some people have gotten quite inventive, in some places you need an electronic key to cause something to temporarily move so you can either use it to keep going, or stop it from blocking you. And then there’s the Dead Ends. They’re real trouble.”
“Literally?” she asked.
“Can be. They’re routes that take to a place where you realised too late you can’t get back from, usually due to gravity. Then you need to get someone to come and get you before you get too tired to hang on.”
“Oh.”
“Yup, some people object to them climbing all over the place, even 13 stories up. There’s a constant battle going on over the routes in some places. In some parts they’re in constant flux. In others nobody cares and they stay the same. A lot of people have no idea they’re even there. Like I said, what you see depends a lot on what you expect to see.” He paused “Although people refer to it as one place, in a lot of ways it’s like a lot of little places stuck together. Most wouldn’t admit it, but it’s pretty tribal. Course some of those tribes wear suits and ties.”
Next
Tuesday 22 February 2011
43
“Thanks,” Ghost shook Daniel’s hand warmly. Now assuming there isn’t an angry horde outside, we’ll head for home I think.”
“Of course,” Daniel smiled. “You’re welcome here. And I trust we help each other in the future.”
Ghost smiled and after checking that the coast was clear, left with Amber and headed back to the Park. The mood changed as they entered the Park. Despite the deep snow, small animals still skittered and flew about. Birds chirped. They relaxed, feeling the safety of the place as they trudged along the old pathways.
“So what now?” Amber linked her arm through his as they walked, keeping a wary eye out for patches of ice.
“Well, despite the snow, I’d like to go back to the school. Maybe see Gideon first, see if he has any more cryptic ideas for us.”
Amber rolled her eyes. “It would be easier if he just came out and told you. Do you think he actually knows, or is he just guessing?”
“Hard to say. I trust him and I think he trusts me, but well these are difficult times. I’m not either of us is really certain what the effects of my developing my skills further would be, though I suspect he has a better idea of the bigger picture than I do,” Ghost mused.
“You’ve thought about this a lot haven’t you?” Amber replied
“Ah, you know me. Always thinking. It’s just the way I am,” he smiled. “We should probably consider a trip into one of the Conclaves too, especially as you now have some decent clothes to wear.”
Amber looked up at him with surprise in her eyes. “A Conclave? Really?”
Ghost could see the possibilities glittering in her head like a child on Christmas Eve considering what the next day might bring.
“We could use some more supplies,” he said “and the way things are going possibly some more specialized hardware. It depends a lot on what happens at the school. I’d quite like some more information too, but I think the Harlequins and maybe the Librarians could be a better way to go. I don’t want to leave trails for people to follow us.”
“Which Conclave were you thinking of?” Amber asked.
“Probably either Chorus, the Evangelist Conclave, or possibly the Capital. Pros and cons to both,” he replied. “You’ve never been to either have you?”
She shook her head.
“Hmm, an id for you is going to be an issue then.”
Her face fell slightly.
“Oh don’t worry, I can sort something out,” he smiled reassuringly. “They’re both very different places. Chorus is much smaller, and crowded. There’s a surprisingly large black market scattered around it that everyone turns a blind eye to. The overwhelming thing is the noise. People talking, shouting, singing, arguing everywhere,” he paused “and the smells. So many smells. “ He looked around at the snow laden Park and sniffed the crisp air. “Very different to this, takes some getting used to.”
Next
“Of course,” Daniel smiled. “You’re welcome here. And I trust we help each other in the future.”
Ghost smiled and after checking that the coast was clear, left with Amber and headed back to the Park. The mood changed as they entered the Park. Despite the deep snow, small animals still skittered and flew about. Birds chirped. They relaxed, feeling the safety of the place as they trudged along the old pathways.
“So what now?” Amber linked her arm through his as they walked, keeping a wary eye out for patches of ice.
“Well, despite the snow, I’d like to go back to the school. Maybe see Gideon first, see if he has any more cryptic ideas for us.”
Amber rolled her eyes. “It would be easier if he just came out and told you. Do you think he actually knows, or is he just guessing?”
“Hard to say. I trust him and I think he trusts me, but well these are difficult times. I’m not either of us is really certain what the effects of my developing my skills further would be, though I suspect he has a better idea of the bigger picture than I do,” Ghost mused.
“You’ve thought about this a lot haven’t you?” Amber replied
“Ah, you know me. Always thinking. It’s just the way I am,” he smiled. “We should probably consider a trip into one of the Conclaves too, especially as you now have some decent clothes to wear.”
Amber looked up at him with surprise in her eyes. “A Conclave? Really?”
Ghost could see the possibilities glittering in her head like a child on Christmas Eve considering what the next day might bring.
“We could use some more supplies,” he said “and the way things are going possibly some more specialized hardware. It depends a lot on what happens at the school. I’d quite like some more information too, but I think the Harlequins and maybe the Librarians could be a better way to go. I don’t want to leave trails for people to follow us.”
“Which Conclave were you thinking of?” Amber asked.
“Probably either Chorus, the Evangelist Conclave, or possibly the Capital. Pros and cons to both,” he replied. “You’ve never been to either have you?”
She shook her head.
“Hmm, an id for you is going to be an issue then.”
Her face fell slightly.
“Oh don’t worry, I can sort something out,” he smiled reassuringly. “They’re both very different places. Chorus is much smaller, and crowded. There’s a surprisingly large black market scattered around it that everyone turns a blind eye to. The overwhelming thing is the noise. People talking, shouting, singing, arguing everywhere,” he paused “and the smells. So many smells. “ He looked around at the snow laden Park and sniffed the crisp air. “Very different to this, takes some getting used to.”
Next
Saturday 19 February 2011
42
Amber had to almost crawl up the stairs. She cautiously popped her head up at the top, her shotgun still pointing mainly at the ceiling. The store appeared to be deserted. In fact, she realised that really it was just a medium sized room with a lot of shelves in the middle. She climbed the rest of the stairs and quickly checked that no-one was lurking behind any of the shelves. Ghost joined her and when she nodded, he called for the monks to come up.
He looked around the store carefully as they made their way up. It was had a good range of artists supplies. That was useful to know. He looked behind the till and quickly found the keys to unlock the front door. The windows were covered with frost so he accepted they’d just have to go and hope for the best. He unlocked the door and they flooded out of the cramped shop back into the deep snow of the main street. He could hear the zombies yells in the distance as he relocked the door and pocketed the keys, but nothing seemed to be nearby.
Daniel led the monks back the Library while Ghost locked up the shop. Amber stood pensively next to him, her shotgun sweeping the area. Ghost looked at the tracks the monks had left. Pulling out a knife, he prised open the crate of cleaning alcohol and took out one of the bottles. Walking backwards through the jumbled tracks the monks had left he liberally sprinkled it on them and the surrounding snow. After he’d used three bottles he took out his lighter and held the one the remaining bottles over it until finally the vapour caught alight. He threw into the tracks and watched in satisfaction as the tracks melted enough to confuse someone as it what had actually happened. With a nod to Amber, they headed after the monks to the Library.
Once in the Library, they joined the monks in stamping the snow of their boots. The monks headed off in different directions, presumably to catalogue their haul of books.
“Well that was successful,” Daniel beamed at them.
Ghost nodded and put the crate down.
Daniel beckoned to a monk who handed him a small electronic device.
“A list of what we have. Anything in blue is actually here. Anything in green is on loan to someone but will eventually come back here. Anything in red is elsewhere, but we can make arrangements to get it,” Gideon said with distinct pride.
Ghost switched the device on and tried a few terms in its search engine. It was fairly rudimentary, but the number of listings was extraordinary. Ghost wisely chose not to hide his surprise, before turning the device off and putting it into an inside pocket.
Next
He looked around the store carefully as they made their way up. It was had a good range of artists supplies. That was useful to know. He looked behind the till and quickly found the keys to unlock the front door. The windows were covered with frost so he accepted they’d just have to go and hope for the best. He unlocked the door and they flooded out of the cramped shop back into the deep snow of the main street. He could hear the zombies yells in the distance as he relocked the door and pocketed the keys, but nothing seemed to be nearby.
Daniel led the monks back the Library while Ghost locked up the shop. Amber stood pensively next to him, her shotgun sweeping the area. Ghost looked at the tracks the monks had left. Pulling out a knife, he prised open the crate of cleaning alcohol and took out one of the bottles. Walking backwards through the jumbled tracks the monks had left he liberally sprinkled it on them and the surrounding snow. After he’d used three bottles he took out his lighter and held the one the remaining bottles over it until finally the vapour caught alight. He threw into the tracks and watched in satisfaction as the tracks melted enough to confuse someone as it what had actually happened. With a nod to Amber, they headed after the monks to the Library.
Once in the Library, they joined the monks in stamping the snow of their boots. The monks headed off in different directions, presumably to catalogue their haul of books.
“Well that was successful,” Daniel beamed at them.
Ghost nodded and put the crate down.
Daniel beckoned to a monk who handed him a small electronic device.
“A list of what we have. Anything in blue is actually here. Anything in green is on loan to someone but will eventually come back here. Anything in red is elsewhere, but we can make arrangements to get it,” Gideon said with distinct pride.
Ghost switched the device on and tried a few terms in its search engine. It was fairly rudimentary, but the number of listings was extraordinary. Ghost wisely chose not to hide his surprise, before turning the device off and putting it into an inside pocket.
Next
Wednesday 16 February 2011
41
“The snow. There’s tracks of us coming here but not leaving. The fire will have melted them around the first entrance, but it’s not going to be too hard for him to figure out where we are. We need to get out of here quickly.”
“But how, they’re still out there?” one of the monks asked.
Ghost nodded to the darkness outside the lantern’s light. “We need to go up through the shops and out that way while they’re still focused on the outside. Then we can come back cause a little chaos from a safe distance and he’ll think we managed to make it. He won’t go looking for footprints if he thinks he knows what happened. And the zombies crashing around in the snow will do a good job of covering up our tracks too.”
He walked over to the lantern and pulled out the leaflet of the Mall. “We just have to decide which shop is easiest to get out of.” After a few moments consideration he pointed to a small art store. “It’s the shortest distance from there to the library.” He paused, “I’d rather not turn the lights on and then have to leave the lights on behind us.”
In reply various lanterns were switched on creating a much larger pool of light around them. They headed into the darkness until they reached the far wall. After a few minutes searching they found the stairs that led to the art store.
“I don’t suppose you know anything about picking locks?” Ghost asked.
When no-one replied he walked over to the lock and sorted through the realities until he found one where it was both unlocked and no-one had thought to leave any kind of alarm or trap either. The door opened smoothly in his hand. Amber went up first, shotgun ready, her keen elven vision easily piercing the darkness. Ghost followed her, not wanting any of the monks to accidentally shoot her if there was any trouble waiting for them. Amber listened intently are she climbed the stairs. He could hear the whispering of the monks robes against the floor and the skittering of a mouse somewhere above, but nothing else.
At the top of the stairs was a stock room. The monk’s lanterns lit it up easily. Ghost paused and looked around. He picked up a case of cleaning alcohol. Only a fool would drink it, but it was highly flammable and in a pinch, a source of fuel. The stairs leading up to the store itself were small and cramped and seemed almost to have been an afterthought, as if the architect had suddenly realised that the store owner might occasionally like to re-stock his store after all.
Next
“But how, they’re still out there?” one of the monks asked.
Ghost nodded to the darkness outside the lantern’s light. “We need to go up through the shops and out that way while they’re still focused on the outside. Then we can come back cause a little chaos from a safe distance and he’ll think we managed to make it. He won’t go looking for footprints if he thinks he knows what happened. And the zombies crashing around in the snow will do a good job of covering up our tracks too.”
He walked over to the lantern and pulled out the leaflet of the Mall. “We just have to decide which shop is easiest to get out of.” After a few moments consideration he pointed to a small art store. “It’s the shortest distance from there to the library.” He paused, “I’d rather not turn the lights on and then have to leave the lights on behind us.”
In reply various lanterns were switched on creating a much larger pool of light around them. They headed into the darkness until they reached the far wall. After a few minutes searching they found the stairs that led to the art store.
“I don’t suppose you know anything about picking locks?” Ghost asked.
When no-one replied he walked over to the lock and sorted through the realities until he found one where it was both unlocked and no-one had thought to leave any kind of alarm or trap either. The door opened smoothly in his hand. Amber went up first, shotgun ready, her keen elven vision easily piercing the darkness. Ghost followed her, not wanting any of the monks to accidentally shoot her if there was any trouble waiting for them. Amber listened intently are she climbed the stairs. He could hear the whispering of the monks robes against the floor and the skittering of a mouse somewhere above, but nothing else.
At the top of the stairs was a stock room. The monk’s lanterns lit it up easily. Ghost paused and looked around. He picked up a case of cleaning alcohol. Only a fool would drink it, but it was highly flammable and in a pinch, a source of fuel. The stairs leading up to the store itself were small and cramped and seemed almost to have been an afterthought, as if the architect had suddenly realised that the store owner might occasionally like to re-stock his store after all.
Next
Monday 14 February 2011
40
He slung the shotgun back over his shoulder and reached into one of the pockets of his coat, searching for the reality where he’d put a cigarette lighter and a flask of napalm in there. Finding them he pulled them out, dowsed the nearby fallen zombies with the napalm and retreated back to Amber. As more rampaging zombies crashed their way over the makeshift pyre, he lit the flask and threw it at them. The napalm caught instantly sending fire dancing crazily throughout the bodies. Ghost turned towards the shutters and ran with Amber to them. The smell of burning bodies wasn’t something he wanted lingering on his clothes or his mind.
The monks were already inside the loading bay when they got there. He cast a quick look around. Sure enough, he could see zombies beginning to fill up the end of the street. The headed in.
“Close it,” he said.
“What?” one of the monks replied
“Close it, now, quickly. Amber can see in the dark. Right now, we need to get the shutters closed before the zombies get here and certainly before anything more intelligent gets here,” Ghost said simply.
Reluctantly one of the monks pressed a button and the shutters began to close. The light dwindled as they steel came down until there was nothing but darkness and the muted howling of the zombies.
The mind plays strange tricks sometimes. Ghost knew the loading bay was huge, and yet the darkness felt claustrophobic. He paused. On the one hand Amber could see perfectly well in the darkness and she’d tell him if there was a problem. If it was just the two of them, he’d be content to just wait patiently. He wasn’t so sure what the monks would do if left to their own devices in the pitch black and as they still had guns, he eventually decided light would be a good idea.
“Can you see any way of getting light?” he asked her.
“There do seem to be light switches,” she replied after a moment.
Ghost frowned “Anything else? I don’t want to alert anyone that we’re down here.”
“Well there’s probably quite a few things we could burn,” she replied.
There was a click and then light spilled out from a lantern from one of the nearby monks.
“I’d prefer if we didn’t burn anything until these books are safely back in the library,” Daniel remarked with a gentle smile. “How long do you think we need to wait?”
“People get bored easily,” Ghost replied, “Especially people in charge. My guess is he’ll keep watch for an hour or so and then decide that we must have managed to get away….” He paused “Oh dear.”
“What?” Amber asked urgently.
Next
The monks were already inside the loading bay when they got there. He cast a quick look around. Sure enough, he could see zombies beginning to fill up the end of the street. The headed in.
“Close it,” he said.
“What?” one of the monks replied
“Close it, now, quickly. Amber can see in the dark. Right now, we need to get the shutters closed before the zombies get here and certainly before anything more intelligent gets here,” Ghost said simply.
Reluctantly one of the monks pressed a button and the shutters began to close. The light dwindled as they steel came down until there was nothing but darkness and the muted howling of the zombies.
The mind plays strange tricks sometimes. Ghost knew the loading bay was huge, and yet the darkness felt claustrophobic. He paused. On the one hand Amber could see perfectly well in the darkness and she’d tell him if there was a problem. If it was just the two of them, he’d be content to just wait patiently. He wasn’t so sure what the monks would do if left to their own devices in the pitch black and as they still had guns, he eventually decided light would be a good idea.
“Can you see any way of getting light?” he asked her.
“There do seem to be light switches,” she replied after a moment.
Ghost frowned “Anything else? I don’t want to alert anyone that we’re down here.”
“Well there’s probably quite a few things we could burn,” she replied.
There was a click and then light spilled out from a lantern from one of the nearby monks.
“I’d prefer if we didn’t burn anything until these books are safely back in the library,” Daniel remarked with a gentle smile. “How long do you think we need to wait?”
“People get bored easily,” Ghost replied, “Especially people in charge. My guess is he’ll keep watch for an hour or so and then decide that we must have managed to get away….” He paused “Oh dear.”
“What?” Amber asked urgently.
Next
Wednesday 9 February 2011
39
Ghost helped Amber stand and they ran to the side of the entrance and back around the corner. Looking back they could see the zombies tearing into each other. It wasn’t anything that could be described as martial arts or even fighting. It was pure unthinking violence. A meaningless orgy of destruction.
Unfortunately the monks seemed to be of the belief that shooting a zombie would kill it. The book they’d read must have missed out the part that where you shot something was rather important too. The zombies were literally ripping each other apart. Being shot in the arm was a fairly minor wound by comparison.
Ghost looked for the Necromancer in the confusion of bodies, but couldn’t see anything. There was no way to tell whether he had been trampled to the ground beneath the heaving sea of blood and bodies of if he’d managed to retreat. What Ghost did know was that the zombies were beginning to turn their attention to what little remained of the doors and the monks.
Cautiously Ghost started going up behind the monks and shaking them. They almost seemed to be in a haze, caught up in their gunfire. Slowly, one-by-one he brought those nearest to him back to reality.
“We need to get out of here,” he told Daniel.
Daniel nodded and called at the monks to retreat. Something in his voice seemed to pierce through their haze and although they continued firing at the zombies, they started to retreat.
“We’ve got a problem,” Amber appeared at his side.
“I know,” he nodded.
“No, I mean we’ve got another problem,” she turned in the direction of the front of the mall. “someone’s opened the doors down there, they’re coming and they’re going to cut us off.”
Ghost weighed up his options quickly. It was tempting to try to make a run for it. The zombies were slow and the snow would help. However the snow would also slow the monks down a lot and if they got surrounded he didn’t think they had anywhere near enough bullets to deal with the zombies, let alone the skill to use them.
“Back to the loading bay,” he said softly to Daniel.
He didn’t like it, but right now it was better than any of the alternatives he could think of.
“Cover me,” he said to Amber as the monks headed back towards the steel shutters. He hefted the fire axe and strode towards the nearest zombies. He swung it low, tearing apart the creature’s knee and sending it sprawling to the ground. He stepped back out of the reach of it’s arms and swung again at another zombie’s legs again bringing it crashing down. He heard Amber’s shotgun fire twice behind him and the heads of two more zombie’s exploded. He brought his own shotgun to bear one-handed and fired into the legs of two more zombies. The surrounding snow was becoming slick with blood and gore.
Next
Unfortunately the monks seemed to be of the belief that shooting a zombie would kill it. The book they’d read must have missed out the part that where you shot something was rather important too. The zombies were literally ripping each other apart. Being shot in the arm was a fairly minor wound by comparison.
Ghost looked for the Necromancer in the confusion of bodies, but couldn’t see anything. There was no way to tell whether he had been trampled to the ground beneath the heaving sea of blood and bodies of if he’d managed to retreat. What Ghost did know was that the zombies were beginning to turn their attention to what little remained of the doors and the monks.
Cautiously Ghost started going up behind the monks and shaking them. They almost seemed to be in a haze, caught up in their gunfire. Slowly, one-by-one he brought those nearest to him back to reality.
“We need to get out of here,” he told Daniel.
Daniel nodded and called at the monks to retreat. Something in his voice seemed to pierce through their haze and although they continued firing at the zombies, they started to retreat.
“We’ve got a problem,” Amber appeared at his side.
“I know,” he nodded.
“No, I mean we’ve got another problem,” she turned in the direction of the front of the mall. “someone’s opened the doors down there, they’re coming and they’re going to cut us off.”
Ghost weighed up his options quickly. It was tempting to try to make a run for it. The zombies were slow and the snow would help. However the snow would also slow the monks down a lot and if they got surrounded he didn’t think they had anywhere near enough bullets to deal with the zombies, let alone the skill to use them.
“Back to the loading bay,” he said softly to Daniel.
He didn’t like it, but right now it was better than any of the alternatives he could think of.
“Cover me,” he said to Amber as the monks headed back towards the steel shutters. He hefted the fire axe and strode towards the nearest zombies. He swung it low, tearing apart the creature’s knee and sending it sprawling to the ground. He stepped back out of the reach of it’s arms and swung again at another zombie’s legs again bringing it crashing down. He heard Amber’s shotgun fire twice behind him and the heads of two more zombie’s exploded. He brought his own shotgun to bear one-handed and fired into the legs of two more zombies. The surrounding snow was becoming slick with blood and gore.
Next
Thursday 3 February 2011
38
It took far too long to get all the books out in Ghost’s opinion, but finally they were ready to leave. They did so in much the same manner that they’d gotten to the crates and by the time they reached the relative safety of the exit Ghost had decided that either the loading bay actually was completely empty or that anyone who was in it wasn’t interested in seeing if they could survive a random hail of fire long enough to kill them.
Cautiously they stepped out into the sunlight, blinking to re-adjust. Ghost looked to Amber, but she shook her head, the nearby area was quiet even to her elven hearing. They closed and relocked the steel shutters and started to head back to the library. As they walked passed the glass doors with the milling zombies, Ghost did a double-take. Staring at them was a hooded figure who bore a remarkable resemblance to the Necromancer, including the staff he was holding. The hood didn’t bode well. Ghost wasn’t sure what being hit on the head with falling masonry had done to the Necromancer or indeed what on earth he’d attempted to try and fix the damage. The one thing he was sure of though was that he wasn’t going to thank them for it.
There was a moment of stillness. Ghost couldn’t see the eye under the hood, but he could almost feel their malice.
Amber turned, tracking Ghost’s gaze. “Him!” she shouted.
A chain reaction spread through the monks. Those who were facing in the right direction opened fire, followed by the other monks who first fired in the direction they happened to be facing and then tracked around to fire in the right direction. Ghost blurred, sifting through realities, pushing monks aside, moving their weapons high and low and even tripping a few of them up so that they didn’t hit each other. He snapped back to reality, face first in the snow, holding Amber protectively under his right arm.
The glass doors were a mess of bullet-holes and crazy cobwebbed fractures. Although a few pieces had fallen out it was now remarkably hard to see through them. The zombies had erupted into violence, but from what Ghost could tell, so far it was random violence against each other. So far there was no sound of the Necromancer’s staff summoning the rest of the undead. Some of the more enthusiastic monks were advancing towards the remains of the glass doors.
“No, retreat, let’s get out of here!” Ghost shouted at them, but to no avail.
Booted feet and the butts of rifles smashed apart the remains of the doors. Glass fell like rain, splashing apart on the floor.
Next
Cautiously they stepped out into the sunlight, blinking to re-adjust. Ghost looked to Amber, but she shook her head, the nearby area was quiet even to her elven hearing. They closed and relocked the steel shutters and started to head back to the library. As they walked passed the glass doors with the milling zombies, Ghost did a double-take. Staring at them was a hooded figure who bore a remarkable resemblance to the Necromancer, including the staff he was holding. The hood didn’t bode well. Ghost wasn’t sure what being hit on the head with falling masonry had done to the Necromancer or indeed what on earth he’d attempted to try and fix the damage. The one thing he was sure of though was that he wasn’t going to thank them for it.
There was a moment of stillness. Ghost couldn’t see the eye under the hood, but he could almost feel their malice.
Amber turned, tracking Ghost’s gaze. “Him!” she shouted.
A chain reaction spread through the monks. Those who were facing in the right direction opened fire, followed by the other monks who first fired in the direction they happened to be facing and then tracked around to fire in the right direction. Ghost blurred, sifting through realities, pushing monks aside, moving their weapons high and low and even tripping a few of them up so that they didn’t hit each other. He snapped back to reality, face first in the snow, holding Amber protectively under his right arm.
The glass doors were a mess of bullet-holes and crazy cobwebbed fractures. Although a few pieces had fallen out it was now remarkably hard to see through them. The zombies had erupted into violence, but from what Ghost could tell, so far it was random violence against each other. So far there was no sound of the Necromancer’s staff summoning the rest of the undead. Some of the more enthusiastic monks were advancing towards the remains of the glass doors.
“No, retreat, let’s get out of here!” Ghost shouted at them, but to no avail.
Booted feet and the butts of rifles smashed apart the remains of the doors. Glass fell like rain, splashing apart on the floor.
Next
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)