Prince Zuko: Zombie Slayer
"And what business have you been up to today Zuko?"
"I found more of them Uncle. Lying in the streets, cursing the name of the Cabbage Slug Plague. At least, the ones who could still speak were. The others... I'd rather not speak about. At least the skin isn't contagious when cooked."
At this, the young Prince Zuko held up his basket, half-filled with singed and bloodied grain. It would feed them for the day, but not much more. The small and decayed shack they had resided in for the past week had barely contained enough tea leaves for two cups. The man once known General Iroh was tiredly brewing this dilute tea over a small and dim fire. This fire casted dark shadow throughout the hut, forcing both of the men to remember the night that the plague was unleashed upon Ba Sing Se. Over their tea they discussed that dark and vile night.
"I remember," Iroh said with a sad voice, "the large fire that was started in the Lower Ring. They thought it was needed to contain the victims at the time."
"It would have been worth it," Zuko said with a slightly angry tone, "if it would have worked. Instead all we gained from that is their ability to survive fire so long as the head isn't licked by the flames. And none of this would have ever happened if they didn't let that cabbage merchant into the city." With this, they both took a long sip of tea and sighed.
"We must remember," the former general responded, "is that it is no one's fault that this happened. The merchant could not have known about the slug in his produce, and neither could have the guards." At this, Zuko nodded and went to sleep. It was his uncle's turn for first guard of the night.
The prince awoke when sunlight reached his eyes. He knew something was wrong. Iroh was supposed to wake him up at midnight for his turn. Zuko looked around the shack hurriedly for a sign of what had happened. He found a note written in careful script.
"Zuko, you must leave immediately. They started rising in this section of the city. I write this note shortly before I leave to distract the victims. It will keep them away from the hut for a few hours if you are lucky. They will most certainly overrun me, and will eventually find you again. You must leave the Middle Ring and go to the Council's War Room. It is there that a way to combat the dead is found. You can end this plague, but you must act quickly. The room has a safety mechanism that closes the door after three cycles of the moon. It has been two cycles so far. Go, before it is too late!"
Upon reading the last line, Zuko quietly spoke. "I will avenge you Uncle, and these monsters will not survive another day." He started walking towards the Upper Ring, starting the last leg of his long journey.
He was about half way to the wall surrounding the Upper Ring when he encountered the first victim he had seen that morning. It was decayed, with grey and green flesh that was covered in crimson dots of blood. It faced away from him, and was slowly shambaling towards a food cart that had miraculously survived the raids of Zuko in the past. The creature did not survive for long once the prince attacked with a long tongue of fire.
Zuko reached the wall at noon that day. He climbed the formidable structure using decayed ropes that hung periodically along the wall. It took him the rest of the day to do this, and decided to sleep that night in the closet guard tower. When he woke the next morning, he looked over the edge of the wall towards the Upper Ring. He was not greeted with a happy sight.
The prince saw hundreds of them; all as decayed and rotten as the last. They walked through the streets, moving in no particular direction. They moaned to each other as they passed, telling each other that they weren't potential food.
Zuko sighed and started his way down the wall. It was much easier to climb down than it was to climb up. He managed to get down in just an hour. At the ground, he tried to sneak around the ghastly victims. He was successful most of the time by jumping from building to building. He this failed, he had to resort to more... unfavorable measures. He disliked greatly the smell and sight of decayed and burnt flesh. He went to sleep on stable rooftops. After one half-cycle, he made it to the door of the War Room.
In the center of the room, the map had been ripped and damaged by water and time. It was on top of the map that a sealed envelope was placed. In it, there was a note and a key.
"Zuko, I instructed the council to place this envelope here if the plague ever were to break out on the city. If you are reading this, then it has. The dead walk the streets, trying to keep their hosts alive. But you know all of this already. What matters now is the key in this letter. Take it and place it into the lock underneath the map. Turn it twice. A device outside will then launch into the sky and activate. The doors to this room will shut and will remain shut for two hours. After this, the plague will be gone. You must try to find survivors."
The note was signed by Iroh. Zuko turned the key, launching the bomb into the air. The door closed, and the room shook with the force of a large earthquake. After two hours, the door opened, and the prince saw red skies. He walked outside and took a deep breath. It was over. The dead were truly dead. And now he could live.