"The door!!! Lord Lu Bu, block the door now!!!"
The man known through out the land as the mightiest of warriors shot a dark look to his master strategist. "Liu Bei and Gao Shun are still out there Chen Gong! We might need them later on if we are going to survive this."
As if on cue, two shadows appeared on the edge of the woods were Lu Bu and Chen Gong had just ran from. The figure in the lead was no doubt the man that many had thought would save the land and its people. That was before four fifths of the people of China had died; unfortunately those that died did not stay dead. Now the same virtuous man was running for his life from creatures that were once the very people that were so supportive of him. In the dim evening light, Lu Bu began to make out the figure that he had assumed was fleeing along with Liu Bei. It soon became apparent that nothing could have been farther from the truth. As the pair got closer he realized that the creature tailing Liu Bei was none other than Yuan Shu, or at least what was once Yuan Shu.
Despite all that Lu Bu had been through, a smirk briefly appeared upon his face. "I'll be right back Chen Gong." With that Lu Bu stepped out of the door way into the last of the day's light. Liu Bei's face could now be seen, even in the dim lighting. His face was red with exhaustion and his clothes were tattered and torn form the almost constant battles that he had faced in the last day alone. Close behind him, his pursuer showed no sign of slowing down. He, if the corpse of a man that was following could still be called he, showed no signs of slowing down let alone stopping. Bits of his robes and flesh were scratched and scraped. Where his cheek was, now only the deathly gray tint of his skin and the crimson blood of some poor soul he had caught earlier in the day.
Liu Bei's eyes had a difficult time adjusting to the near darkness surrounding. He had barely been able to make out the general direction that Lu Bu had gone. Now there was a titan figure charging straight at him with more creatures hot on his tail. Liu Bei could do nothing be hope and pray that it was Lu Bu charging toward him now, for if it was anything else, he did not have enough left in him to do anything but accept his fate. Charging forward with everything he had in left, he was relieved to find the titan figure race by him toward his pursuer. Liu Bei did not want care to see what was happening behind him. He pounded his bleeding feet straight to the doorway that Lu Bu had emerged from.
Behind him Lu Bu charged for his former ally. He lifted his halberd high in the air and swiftly brought it down on Yuan Shu's head. The minor war lord's body continued to run forward despite half its head being left behind. After a couple more staggered steps, it could no longer fight the reality that it was dead, this time it would no longer be able to get back up. Even as what remained of Yuan Shu's body collapsed to the dirt, countless more became visible to Lu Bu. All had the same dead look in their eyes, that glaze that could no longer belong with anything that still had a soul. Lu Bu's brief moment of joy was quickly cut short and he once more felt the death of the world weighing like lead upon him. Without hesitation, he pivoted on his toes and sprinted for the sanction of the house. With almost practiced timing, Lu Bu dove through the door just as Liu Bei slammed the door shut with such force that Chen Gong jump into the air.
A few moments after the door slammed shut, a thunderous crash came from the other side. Chen Gong and Liu Bei quickly flipped over the wooden table that still had the last meal of the former residences of the house on top. With water and food now scattered on the floor, the two shoved the table against the door with the hope that it would give some addition protection for themselves. The two slumped against their makeshift barricade. It was only now that the pair saw Lu Bu on the floor; he had remained in the same position since he had leaped through the doorway. His head remained facing down at the floor; his eyes had lost the brief spark that he had when he saw his chance to kill Yuan Shu, even if Shu had already been killed once. His eyes were now glazed over once more, more closely resembling the creatures that were desperately trying to gain access to the house.
The three were deadly silent, only their labored breathing and the constant banging from the outside were audible.
"Liu Bei, where is Gao Shun," asked Lu Bu, his voice was barely above a whisper. "The two of you were supposed to keep up with me."
Liu Bei did not dare look his rescuer in those hopeless eyes. Liu Bei thought back to when it all began. After he was separated from his sworn brothers and the rest of his loyal forces, he was lucky enough to fall in with one of the few people he though would be able to keep him safe, Lu Bu. Lu Bu and his small entourage let Liu Bei join them with little hesitation. Liu Bei felt relatively safe for the first couple of days. Lu Bu, Zhang Liao, and Gao Shun, three of the mightiest warriors in China easily took care of the few creatures that they ran into, and Liu Bei even helped out Chen Gong with the planning of the army. It seemed like Liu Bei would be able to get through this experience with little difficulty. That was until about the third day. Everything had happened so fast. A horde of at least three hundred of those demon creatures stormed the camp in the dead of night. They began to devour Lu Bu's forces with out mercy. Liu Bei was in Lu Bu's tent drinking and discussing their good fortune when they realized that they were under attack and Diao Chan had left minutes earlier for a walk around the camp. Lu Bu quickly cut down two creatures that had ripped through the cloth of the tent and burst into the night air with only one intend on his mind: finding Diao Chan. With Liu Bei close in tow, Lu Bu ran with the worry and furry that only a lover can feel. Both Lu Bu and Liu Bei spotted Diao Chan in time to witness her soft white skin and stunning pink dress be ripped apart by a mob of the attacking creatures. Lu Bu let out a roar of pain that seemed to make even the undead creatures jump. With reckless rage, he charged straight at what remained of his true love's murderers. With the force of a mighty dragon, Lu Bu mercilessly slew any creature within his reach.
By then Gao Shun and Zhang Liao had arrived to aid their lord, but they found themselves awe struck at the pure fury that they were witnessing before them. This trance was soon broken by the continuous hordes that had begun to gather near them, growing ever closer. With no more creatures within striking distance, Lu Bu stood in place, his eyes a mixture of pain and fury that none of the other's had witnessed before. "Lord Lu Bu, we must get out while we can. There is nothing more that we can do here. You must live, if not for us or yourself, then for her sake." Upon Zhang Liao finishing his request Lu Bu let out one more deafening roar before his eyes made contact with his small band of loyal followers.
"No…no no NO!!'' Lu Bu's eyes began to fade, were fury had once been was now dark and gray.
"Gao Shun, Liu Bei, Chen Gong, get our lord out of here. I will hold them off as long as can." With a faint smile of a man that had chosen his fate, Zhang Liao charged toward the creatures and slashed left and right. In waning day light, Zhang Liao fought with the same vigor and fury as his lord. Liu Bei turned toward the stationary Lu Bu and began to drag him away from the camp. After a while Lu Bu began to run on his own, but his eyes still held the same lifeless look since. It was just luck that the four of them had this house.
Gao Shun knew that Lu Bu would not be able to make it to the shelter in his current state. Yelling ahead to Chen Gong, "Go on ahead, Liu Bei and I will hold them off until you two make it." Gao Shun turned to Liu Bei, whose wide eyes betrayed his fear, despite this he weakly nodded. Chen Gong and Lu Bu had already gone out of sight when Liu Bei and Gao Shun had turned to see the horde that had followed them since the camp. Gao Shun widened his stance and raised his sword glistened with the blood of those he had recently slew, hungry for those that were yet to come.
Liu Bei's worried glance went from the heroic Gao Shun to the monstrous oncoming enemy. The creatures were no more than a few running steps away from him. His grip on his sword briefly tightened, sweat streaming down his face. He looked once more at the oncoming horde and threw his sword to the ground. "I will not die here, I can not." Liu Bei swung around and sprinted in the direction that Lu Bu had gone.
With utter disbelief, Gao Shun witnessed the famed man of virtue retreat out of the woods. He did not have much time to ponder on this, for a creature wrapped his claws around Gao Shun's unprotected arm. Teeth tore into Gao Shun's flesh. Desperate he swung his sword to and fro, always connecting but having little success in stopping them.
Liu Bei had just reached the edge of the trees when he heard the ghostly yell that had become all too familiar in the last couple of days. Liu Bei now had to face the once mighty Lu Bu asking where one of his few remaining followers was.
"We were fighting off our pursuers when more of those…things flanked us. I called to him that we must retreat. But it was too late. He was already lost. I tried to help him, but there was nothing I could do but try and save myself. I tried but there was nothing I could do…"
Lu Bu gave the same indifferent look he that seem to define him since the camp. "It makes little difference now. He's dead now." He slowly sat up and began walking to the back room of the small house. "You two stay here. I will barricade the back and keep watch tonight. You two try to get some sleep while you can…" His voice trailed off as he merged with the shadow of the back room.
Liu Bei and Chen Gong exchanged worried glances. They both realized that Lu Bu was no longer the mighty man he once was. He no longer had the same vigor for life, the same ambition for greatness. He was truly a broken man. With Lu Bu broken the way he was, Liu Bei began to wonder how much longer Lu Bu would be useful to him after all…