Chapter 30

The shotgun’s roar was almost deafening in my own ears, the blast echoing from the silent walls and intensifying the thunderous noise. Immediately, a collective howl rose in its wake. It was all I could do not to let the shotgun slip from my nerveless fingers and clatter to the ground as I watched the massive horde of zombies come into frenzied life. My skin crawled as row upon row of bloody teeth and rotting fingernails were bared in my direction, then they all burst into motion seemingly at the same time, stampeding down the tunnel and away from the central intersection.

Well, that had worked. Maybe a little too well for comfort, but it was too late for regrets as I spun around and immediately used my Dash skill to get the hell away. I deftly negotiated the tricky footing of the tunnel, navigating its uneven floor with a combination of darkness-enhanced vision, surging adrenaline, and more than a little bit of luck.

It was the first time I dared to go flat out with my Dash down in these tunnels. Previously, I hadn’t needed to use it at full power to close the short distance from the zombies I was ambushing. I was now crossing entire spans of slick lichen and shit-stained stone in the blink of an eye, the wind a deafening roar in my ears.

Thankfully, I didn’t stumble or worse yet, fall. At such hair-rising speeds, I’d probably scrape every bit of skin from my skull before I could finally grind to a halt. The chorus of roars and howls rising at my back from the tunnel I’d just vacated provided ample encouragement to keep running like my ass had been lit on fire.

Far in the distance, I caught barest of flashes that told me how far my companions had progressed with their headstart. Even after Dash had worn off, it only took me a minute or so to catch up to them. I arrived just in time to catch a scene of chaos and mayhem. Not all of the zombies had diverted down the main tunnel. Some of them had come howling down this side tunnel. They were just stragglers, insignificant when compared to the seething mass of undead we’d just avoided. Still, they proved almost more than Victoria and Dexter could handle.

Victoria’s cheek rested upon the stock of her MP-5 submachine gun as she squeezed out burst after burst of bullets in a deadly hail that took down most of the zombies rushing at her with impeccable headshots. The few that managed to slip past her gunfire were dealt with by Dexter, whose impressive physique proved far more deadly than I could have imagined.

The man moved with the self-assurance of a prize fighter and the speed of a pouncing panther, striking out with a series of kicks, elbows, and punches that sent zombies reeling away with sundered flesh and splintered bones. Gone was the easy-going, nerdy grin, replaced by a cold efficiency that cleaved through the waves of incoming undead like the prow of a mighty ship parting the restless sea.

Still, there were just too many undead. Victoria’s gun suddenly clicked without any rapport from the smoking barrel, her magazine spent. Cold dread arose in my chest as I remembered the tragic scene from the trials, where I’d watched several policemen charged into the ground under the hungry claws of undead before they could load a fresh magazine into their guns. I forced myself to run faster still, but I was simply too far away. Two zombies finally managed to slip past Dexter and leapt at Victoria simultaneously while she released the spent magazine from her gun and reached for a fresh one.

“Vicky!” I cried out, reaching out in her direction but powerless to help.

Of course, she didn’t need any such help. She simply tucked her head down and rolled sideways, neatly avoiding the zombies and sending them sprawling as they crashed against each other. When she deftly sprang back to her feet six feet away, she immediately leveled her gun, a new magazine already in place. Its muzzle barked with muffled clicks as she double-tapped each of the dazed zombies, then continued to retreat while turning her fire in Dexter’s direction. The man seemed to know the exact moment this happened, as Victoria didn’t even need to call out before Dexter grasped one of the zombies he was facing by the arm, then leveraged it on his own shoulder and sent it tumbling through the air in an overhand throw. It crashed flailing against two other zombies, bringing them all to the ground.

That momentary respite was enough for Dexter to create enough distance for Victoria to eliminate another couple of zombies that had drawn dangerously close. Thankfully, the entire sewer system was filled with the rabid howling of the undead, so it didn’t matter how much noise they made now.

I finally reached Dexter’s side and used my parking meter to wade into the pack of zombies. I swung it with a vengeance, venting the panic I’d just felt and using it to fuel the seething rage in my chest. Each of my blows sent a zombie bouncing across the floor or crashing against the wall like broken puppets with their strings cut. Even the few times I when my swings missed their heads, bones would still crack and blood would fly in a ghastly spray. Within moments, the battle was over, with nearly two dozen zombies sprawled across the floor.

Before I could help myself, my hands were already all over Victoria, my worried eyes scanning for wounds. “Are you alright? Were you bitten?”

“Don’t worry, I-I’m fine.” Victoria pushed my hands back and I suddenly realized I’d been groping her all over, though she didn’t sound as angry I would have thought. “Is that how they spread?”

“I don’t know. It’s just what I’ve seen in the movies,” I murmured, looking away.

“Well, most films have you believing it spreads through bodily fluids," Dexter cut in, his voice as bright and chipper as always. He wasn't even breathing hard! It almost made me feel bad for the couple dozen zombies twitching on the ground. "Though more canonically accurate literature such as Mallus’ Necronomicon properly points to negative energy flow as the likely culprit for the spread of the undead plague. Most sources do agree that...”

I drowned the rest of it out as I quickly looted the bodies of the zombies. Over the course of this expedition, I’d already managed to loot three full mana orbs, though not much else. It was a matter of waving my hand over each of the corpses, then we quickly set off once again. Within moments we’d arrived at the intersection, only this time all the zombies were gone. The eerie glow of the runes etched upon the walls of the tunnel provided enough illumination that flashlights were no longer necessary. This meant the entire scene was bathed by an otherworldly green glow, however.

For once, Dexter had finally stopped his endless monologue of grievances. I led the way as we quietly made our way forward, keeping everyone as far away from the glowing walls as I could. I knew better than most just how dreadfully real magic was and I wasn’t keen to find out what these runes did.

The nexus formed by the intersection of tunnels was a rough circle spanning nearly 100 feet. Water dripped from the ceiling as condensation squeezed moisture from the fetid air. The floor was a sickening mixture of sewage and other unnameable material. Each of our steps either squished something underneath or clung to our heels as though reluctant to allow our passage. Only when we finally left the tunnel and entered the intersection proper, did we hear the first cracking noise. It was a different sound from what I’d come to expect, sharp and dry. I looked down with a puzzled frown, but what I saw made my gut churn and my blood run cold.

Crushed underneath my foot was the red-streaked ivory of bone. I shifted it with my toe and my stomach lurched as my suspicions proved correct. It was a human skull. Though some desiccated tendrils of flesh clung stubbornly to the surface, most of it had either been torn off or decayed away, revealing the pale white of bone underneath. Its hollow eye sockets stared back at me as I began to wonder just what sort of nightmare we’d stumbled into. This feeling was only further amplified when I took my second step and heard another cracking noise.

This time, I didn’t need to sift through the debris at my feet to recognize the bony joints of a human hand stripped of all its flesh. With a soundless gasp, I took in the floor all around me at a glance, only then realizing that the entire floor was littered with bones. They came in all sizes and shapes, but they were unmistakably human. The many leering skulls lying scattered and broken here and there only confirmed such conclusions.

We were treading upon a sea of the restless dead. The air was thick with an invisible miasma of corruption that had me gasping loudly for each breath. This wasn’t as simple as a mass graveyard, for evil most foul had taken place upon this place. I could tell from a brief glance at my companions that we were all aware of this somehow.

The magical glow from the runes along the walls intensified with each of our steps, leading us toward a low arch from which more light beckoned. I stalked forward with labored breaths, ignoring the unsettling crunch under each of my steps. Allie’s fading scent drew me forward inexorably. Unknowingly, a dull roar had begun to build in my ears, like the crashing of restless waves in a stormy sea. With each step, the roaring grew louder and my heart shrank further, but I couldn’t stop. Not now, not when my goal lay so close at hand.

Crossing under the arch, the flickering green flames from four large braziers leapt at my eyes, one burning at each of the corners of the chamber that lay beyond. Each sinuous wave of the flames seemed to spark more light across the glowing walls of the room, filled from top to bottom with row upon row of arcane script.

The most eye-catching object in the room, however, was the altar that had been erected at its center. It rose four or five feet from the ground, seemingly fashioned entirely out of bones. Skulls bordered all of its edges while long, narrow bones lined each of its sides. Skeletal hands seemed to stretch out from it in a macabre halo, like the plumage of a nefarious bird. Standing directly behind the altar stood a hooded figure, both hands emanating a blinding glow as they waved in intricate patterns upon the air.

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That’s where the muffled roar came from, I realized belatedly. The hooded figure’s lips were moving rapidly, each of the words inaudible over the hiss of the flames from the braziers and the crackling of energy coming from the altar. So consumed was the figure upon the ritual that the intruders hadn’t been detected. Given the frenzied nature of the gestures, the figure likely hadn’t even heard the shotgun blast or the incessant roars of the undead down the tunnel. There were no other guards posted, nor any other defensive measures. The room was awash with the coppery stench of the blood liberally drenching the maddening scrawl of magic runes pulsing with growing intensity all over the walls, the light slowly gathering toward the grotesque altar.

If I stood rooted on the spot for a few moments, it was because of the irreconcilable clash between what my eyes were seeing and my nose could smell. The hooded figure exuded an air of pure evil, yet at the same time my Allie could also be found within that same stream.

I hesitantly opened my mouth to call out her name, but a hand instantly clamped down on my lips. Twisting around, I met Victoria’s fierce stare and noted the slow shake of her head. Then she nodded toward the hooded figure’s back. Following her gaze, my own eyes flew wide as I saw a pair of saw-like appendages extending over the hooded figure’s shoulder blades, hanging limply at the sides. Impaled upon each of their tips lay a freshly severed human head, still dripping with crimson blood. Only then did I see a writhing mass of bodies lying behind the hooded figure. On the other side lay several rows of decapitated men and women littering the floor.

“This can’t be my Allie. It can’t!”

My hands tightened over the steel bar of my improvised club as I exchanged a wordless nod with Victoria. Whatever this horrible ritual was, it must be stopped before more innocent lives were sacrificed. I summoned my Cloak of Shadows and let the darkness envelop me as I stepped inside the room, hugging the right side of the room while I made my silent approach. I didn’t know what sort of powers this sorcerer had, but I was determined not to find out. I refused to believe a Critical Backstab couldn’t grievously injure the hooded figure, if not slay it outright. Would I be able to strike such a blow, however? Could I truly be certain this wasn’t my Allie? She couldn’t possibly carry out such an evil rite, yet who knew the full madness which true love could force upon us all?

Gritting my teeth, I watched Victoria as she lifted her gun and aimed down its sights, her movement mirrored by Dexter and his shotgun. Obviously, they didn’t hold the same reservations as I did. That meant I must strike swiftly enough to immediately incapacitate the hooded figure. I must find out if it was Allie before it was too late! Even now, the figure continued the ritual, the roaring in my ears growing in intensity until I felt as though it must finally crash. Something in my guts kept screaming at me to attack, to pounce upon the mysterious figure right now while I still could. I held my primal instincts in check by sheer power of will. I was only a few steps from circling around the hooded figure’s back. Just a moment longer, and I would leap at the enemy.

That’s when the ritual ended.

There was no final flourish of its hands, no warning climax in the incantation. One moment, the figure was waving its hands over the altar and feeding the freshly severed human heads into its light, then the next blazing green flames leapt from it to form a burning skull. It hovered in the air for a split second while every eye in the room gazed in sick expectation, then it whirled around and gave an ear-splitting howl as it dove straight at me.

This new development seemed to take even the hooded figure by surprise. It gave a start as it followed the burning skull’s flight. I lurched back in shock, feeling the cold stone of the wall behind me as I crashed into it and nearly lost my grip on my trusty parking meter, for good measure. Had I been detected this whole time? No, clearly the hooded figure was as surprised as I was. I stared at the rapidly approaching flaming skull with gape-mouthed astonishment, even as my Cloak of Shadows began to rapidly peel away from me.

That’s when I heard the familiar clatter of suppressed gunfire. It wasn’t the sound of the cool, composed short bursts from earlier, however. A frenzied barrage of bullets trailed the incoming skull, most missing the mark but some striking true. The few that did fly on target, however, simply sailed straight through the skull without any visible effect.

“Kai, run!”

The raw panic in Victoria’s scream finally jolted me into action. I swung the steel bar in my hand like I was the batter up aiming for the fences, but the ghastly skull only leered at me as the parking meter swept cleanly through, its advance not slowed down at all. Gasping, I tried to back away only to find the wall behind me pressing against my back. By the time I’d gathered enough wits about me to think about diving to one side, the time was up and the burning skull was upon me.

The green flames of the skull crashed upon me with a loud whoosh, instantly drowning my world in fire. I opened my mouth to scream but only belatedly realized that I couldn’t feel any pain. Pawing at my clothes with disbelieving hands, I stared at the rapidly vanishing flames as they were sucked straight into my chest. A strange surge of energy burst forth from my body and I could only gaze in mute disbelief as the green skull sailed high above and right through the ceiling, vanishing into the stone with a bright shower of ethereal flames.

Lowering my gaze from the ceiling, my bewildered eyes met the burning gaze of the hooded figure for a long moment of stunned silence that was only broken by the hollow, high-pitched laughter of a man. It took me a while to realize it was the hooded figure, who pulled back its hood to reveal the twisted visage of a bald middle-aged man with glowing red eyes.

“I see. I see. So that’s how it is,” the figure managed in between bouts of maniacal laughter. “How very clever, yet so foolish. How extraordinary, yet fitting. Long have we scoured the farthest corners of the world for you, yet here you are, delivering yourself to my very feet. We’ve shaken the very foundations of the world to unearth your secrets, yet a simple seeking spell reveals the truth.”

I slowly shook my head, unable to understand a word the man was saying. “Who are you? What are you talking about?”

“Yes, it is proper that you should know the name of the foe who has bested you,” the man drawled with an ugly sneer that reeked of self-satisfaction. He waved his sleeve with an exaggerated flourish, dipping his chin in my direction. “Know that I’m Marduk, Destroyer of Worlds, Avatar of Dread Shermak, and Harbinger of the Umbral Chimes. Know and despair, for the dread secrets of your boundless soul are mine!”

“You’re clearly bug-fucking-bananas,” I said slowly, spreading my arms to my sides. “Look, Marduk. All I want to know is why you smell like my girlfriend. Answer me that and no one else has to get hurt.”

“Your girlfriend? What do you-” The slight frown which had begun to crease Marduk’s forehead suddenly cleared away as an unsettling grin crept into the man’s ghost-pale lips. “Ah, you do not know. You do not know, even now.”

Suddenly, he threw his head back and began to cackle uncontrollably. In between his roaring laughter, a few words could be made out.

“.. The irony.. How far.. The mighty.. Have fallen..”

I could feel my eyes narrowed into tiny slits as I glared at this insufferable little man, but I needed my answers.

“Stop speaking in riddles and give me straight answers. Where is my girlfriend?”

“Your girlfriend?” The man echoed with a nasty grin.

“Yes, where is Alexia Fox?”

“The Angel of Death?”

I had to grind my teeth before I could force out an answer past the constriction in my throat. “Yes, where is she?”

“Why, right here, of course,” the man said, slowly lifting a hand to his own chest and tapping a finger against an ornate ebony amulet that hung suspended upon a gilded chain. “Where else?”

My heart pounded against my chest while I could barely hear my own words past the rumbling of my pulse in my own ears. “Let her go. Right now. Or else.”

“Or else what, puny fleshling? You dare threaten me, Marduk the Corruptor?”

“It’s not a threat, it’s a promise, you sack of shit.”

Marduk spread his palm open as he leered at me with naked contempt. “Then come and learn how easily such oaths are broken, fleshling. Learn and despair.”

“Alright, I’ve heard enough.” That’s all Victoria said before she pulled the trigger on the gun she’d trained on Marduk’s forehead the entire time. Sparks flew as her bullets struck an invisible barrier and bounced harmlessly away. Only instants later, I heard the roar of Dexter’s shotgun go off, only to be met with the same results.

By then, I’d already leapt forward and was soaring through the air, my trusty parking meter clutched so tightly in my hands, I could feel the steel bar creaking under the strain. The moment before I could bring it down upon the Marduk’s head, however, the bastard lifted a hand in my direction with an almost casual flick of his wrist. Just like that, I froze in mid-air, suspended in space in the clutches of a gigantic hand that had materialized out of thin air and held me within its steely grasp. Strain and twist as I might, I couldn’t budge a single inch.

Marduk watched me strain and struggle until my veins bulged out of my neck, before chuckling cruelly and making a fist with his hand. The magical hand that imprisoned me instantly followed suit, crushing my limbs and sending blood spurting wildly through the gaps in between its fingers. Red hot agony seared through my every muscle as all breath was squeezed out of my body along with any semblance of rational thought. All that was left was the terrible pain and the despair of knowing I’d come so close, yet still lay so far from my goal.

My bloodied lips twitched as they tried to shape a word, the only one that I could still think of, lost as I was within a crimson haze of pain.

“Allie..”

That’s when I finally heard the voices around me and the world flooded back into my conscious mind with startling contrast.

“Kai, hold on!”

“No! Victoria, come back!”

All I saw was Victoria rushing headlong toward Marduk while the latter gestured with his free hand and a roiling ball of incandescent green flame came into life within his grasp. All I could do in response was to writhe in helpless frustration. I couldn’t even gather enough breath to scream, though whether in fury or despair, I didn’t know.

“Puny mortals, know the depth of your folly and despair, for I am Marduk the Destroyer and the time for my ascension has come at long last!”

Then he gestured with the orb of fire in Victoria’s direction and that’s when I finally lost it. I felt something crack loudly both within my chest and all around me. Blood and fury was suddenly flowing through my ravaged limbs in equal measures, fueling a fire that tore its way out of my throat with a savage roar that rumbled like the distant thunder.

Minute fracture lines began to cascade all along the giant hand holding me prisoner, all the while shuddering from contending against raw power that simply could not be shackled. Marduk’s eyes barely had time to fly wide in disbelief before I gave one final roar and the entire construct shattered into a thousand pieces and I descended toward Marduk, Destroyer of Worlds, Avatar of Dread Shermak, and Harbinger of the Umbral Chimes with both hands clutched firmly around the steel haft of my parking meter. Only then did I notice the big red flag inside the now heavily cracked crystal display on the meter and read it out loud in a great battle cry like the kind, helpful citizen that I am.

“TIME EXPIRED, bitch!”