6 Years Later

Present Day

The Undead Forest

2114 CDT

July 1, 2075

Li Wu's Point of View

Gasp! A gunshot from our six?! The peasants are using a pincer maneuver?!

“Impossible!” Commander Blackwood screams out in shock.

O-Oscar?! That was a fifty. caliber armor-piercing round! It fucking ripped through his helmet like nothing!

“Damn! Everyone get to cover! Protect the hostages!” Commander Blackwood orders.

H-how? We were prepared for Luke “Hercules” Miller, not a deadly sniper and… and…

“No!” Leroy screams out.

…a swarm of Behemoths. Leroy! His body’s been ripped in half! This cannot be happening! This was supposed to be a simple assassination mission, but we’re on the verge of extinction! No fuel, retreating isn’t an option, and reinforcements won’t be arriving until daybreak!

Another sniper bullet from our six. Another death.

“Li!” Commander Blackwood yells out to me as she shoots at a Behemoth. “Secure the hostages! Before… son of a bitch!”

The hostages are gone!

“Fuck!” Angela screams out in pain as she holds her cheek.

The commander’s been hit by a sniper bullet! Wait. Is that?

“Help!” A familiar voice loudly shouts above the gunfire.

Gasp! Forget the hostages! On the lower branches is Xiangjuan! What the heck you doing?! I need to use my grappling hook to get to her!

No! Too much speed! I’m falling too fast, but I have no choice but to keep going, she needs me!

I have to push her out of the way!

Too close! We narrowly dodged the Behemoth!

“Xiangjuan, why did you freeze?!” I ask. “You know better!”

Oh no…

“I… I can’t,” she struggles to say as she stares at her missing hands in shock.

A Behemoth just…

“Li?” She asks in pure confusion and horror.

Let go of her waist, monster! Let her… fucking go!

“Li, let her go!” Abbas yells as he rushes over to help me.

“I’m not letting her die, Abbas!” I yell.

“There’s three more Behemoths incoming! Xiangjuan is already…!” Abbas informs.

“Shut up! I can still save her!”

Xiangjuan?! She’s been ripped in half!

“Hold on tight!” Abbas yells as he grabs me by the waist and grapples away.

No…

Abbas, you were right. Three Behemoths have joined the bask. How gruesome. What…what am I going to tell her son? How do I tell my nephew that her mother’s body was ripped in half by a Behemoth, and the only thing I did was hold on to her and make her suffering even worse?!

“We need to regroup with the commander,” Abass says in a sad tone as he gently drops me off on a tree branch away from danger.

“I don’t care about Hercules anymore, Abass. Whoever the sniper was I’m… I’m going to make sure they suffer until they beg me to kill them.”

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Sniffle. Rest in Peace, Xiangjuan. You didn’t deserve this fate.

*

Angela Blackwood’s Point of View

Tsk. That bullet barely grazed my cheek. Had it been any further to my three, I would’ve been dead by now. Damn that Luke Miller for destroying my helmet, and damn that sniper for turning this mission into a living hell! How pathetic. We, the impregnable Royals, have been forced to scurry up this oversized tree to escape the Behemoth bask below. Li and Abass are waiting for us at the top; however, this is the largest tree in the vicinity, and the Behemoths have no intention of slowing down.

Disgraceful. We started with twenty Death Angels, and now only a mere five remain. Combating a Behemoth is suicidal; nonetheless, I absolutely refuse to die here. I am Angela Blackwood, the Royal’s elite enforcer, leader, and Commander of the noble Death Angels, and because of that, I shall not return to Mother Gaia without successfully completing my mission!

“Commander! What are your orders?!” Subordinate Kyle asks as we reunite with Li and Abass.

“Death Angels, you are all thoroughly aware of the illustrious decree that was set forth by our superiors,” I say. “Attempting to deceive a superior officer will emanate in an immediate, swift execution. I am reminding you of this because I must ask you all one relatively easy question. This inquiry will require absolute honesty and will determine how I proceed with my next action. So, show of hands… who’s been bitten?”

Gasp. Impressive! An immediate raise of three hands! Heh heh. I’ve trained you well. Sigh.

So, everyone except for Li and Abass is infected.

“My love and devotion for you all know no bounds!” I say.

Three gunshots from me.

“May you be reunited with your fallen comrades in the afterlife!” I say.

A weakness exists in the Death Angel’s suits. Their helmets contain a soft spot located directly in front of the glabella. An excellent and efficient way to allow a superior officer to deliver an immediate swift execution if faced with insubordination.

I heard their bodies hit the ground.

“I will make sure that your names are evoked for all eternity!” I say. “Your brave actions against humanity’s greatest threat shall never be forgotten, and your loved ones shall be forever compensated for your honorable sacrifice!”

“Commander?” Li asks in fear.

“Relax. We can make our leave now…”

Rest in peace, brave soldiers…

*

8 Hours Later

On a Beach Near the Gulf of Mexico

Li Wu’s Point of View

Eight hours. Eight hours of complete silence. We’ve successfully escaped, but at what cost? I wish… I wish every single earthling was dead! The Commander was right, there is simply no difference between a peasant and a zombie! They both mindlessly kill for no reason. That is why we have been blessed with the skills to punish peasants for their wrecked sins and bring an end to The Age of Zombies! I swear, anyone and I mean anyone, lower-class man, woman, or child will feel the might of the Royals, should they disobey us in my presence. And I’m going to rip that fucking sniper’s throat out the next time I see them! Xiangjuan didn’t deserve such a fate. For her life to end the way it did…

“Damn it!” The commander screams out to the heavens, as an abundance of tears rush down her face.

“Commander?” Abass and I ask in unison.

“Do not dare speak of my brief moment of weakness to anyone,” she says with a vicious glare as she wipes away her tears. “Losses are inevitable; however, I shall hold a proper funeral for our fallen comrades after we collect Luke Miller’s head as well as his friends’ in Squad Zeus.,” she says in her usual calm and collected tone as she inspects her nails. “I think of failure as a learning opportunity, and I’ve learned so much in this battle,” she says with a soft smile. “I admit, I’ve severely underestimated my opponents, but I am not someone who foolishly makes the same mistake twice. Hercules and Squad Zeus have revealed too much in their hand, which is precisely why they will suffer a devastating defeat the next time we cross paths.”

Gasp! It can’t be!

“Are… are you going to summon her?” I ask.

“No, because I fucking despise that bitch!” Commander Blackwood sharply clarifies.

“Still?” I ask.

“Fear not, Li, for these foolish fools have yet to feel the true might of the Royals!” She says with a grin. “This skirmish was the main course of our mission; however, Hercules and Squad Zeus will get their just desserts after I summon “The Seven Deadly Sins!” She says as an acacia skipper butterfly lands on her index butterfly and her cat, Artemis, begins to climb on her shoulder.

Commander Blackwood, despite the dominant and ominous presence you give off, you somehow maintain a natural ability to attract animals to your side.

“The sins? Are you sure they’re ready?” Abbas asks in surprise.

“Hmm. Envy is the most capable for this mission; however, he is too standoffish, always meddling with the Prometheans, and is too busy chasing ghosts. Sloth will be uninterested due to her lackadaisical personality. I do not trust Lust to be within 160 kilometers of me. Pride can be unnecessarily brash. Greed can be overconfident, stubborn, and reckless. Gluttony is still too green, and Wrath has yet to return from his extraordinarily thoughtless vacation. Nevertheless, they are all capable warriors who can complete any task given to them, should the need arise,” she calmly says as she observes the beautiful ocean horizon.

“So who will you summon for this mission, commander?” I ask.

“Heh heh. That will be a surprise, Li, but as the brilliant strategist I am, I have already chosen the ones who will be able to complete this mission without fail. Our foolish foes are currently unaware that their lengthy journey has reached its midst,” she says as she pets Artemis. “They shall be allowed to relax for now in their brief intermission, but they should know that fleeing is futile. Peasants are so easy to exploit,” she says with a grin. “They’ve been downloaded which has already ensured my superlative triumph, per contra another exasperating faux pass must be averted at any cost, henceforth why I’m summoning “The Seven Deadly Sins” as… the icing on the cake,” she says as she inspects and smiles at her katana.

*

End of Act 4: Angela “The Lioness” Blackwood