Them: Battle of Reveresburg. Part 1.
"We're Zombies! All we want is to eat your brains.
We're not unreasonable. I mean, no one's going to eat your eyes."
'Re: Your Brains.' By Jonathan Coulton
The sky was bright, only the morning star was visible when Brooklyn and Broadway returned from their search to find Lexington.
"Nothing," Brooklyn reported. "We found the helicopter Lex took out, it was down for repairs. But we could not find Lexington. I have no idea where he is."
Goliath gave a desperate look to the bright horizon, wondering if he could mount a search during the last few seconds before his involuntary sleep.
"Don't worry, Goliath," Xanatos said. "Demona, Angela, and I will look for Lexington during the day."
Demona gave Xanatos a look as if to ask him if he was crazy.
Goliath could not question, he and his clan were stone a second later.
******(Break)
When Golaith woke the horizon was still bright, but only in spots. Spots where it seemed as if massive fires were raging, casting great orange glares into the sky.
Xanatos grabbed Goliath's shoulders and shook him, "wake up!"
"What's going on," Brooklyn asked
"They hit," Xanatos replied. "Not long after you went to sleep all the zombies gathering to the north launched an offensive. The fires you see now are burning towns."
"By the Dragon," Hudson growled.
"We have to do something," Brooklyn commented.
"We will do nothing," Angela said, the others looked at her in surprise.
"What about Reveresburg," Goliath asked Xanatos.
"They just started their assault on the town," Xanatos answered.
From the hotel they could hear shouts, screams, and gunfire carried over the night air from the doomed town; a thump shook the ground from an artillery hit.
"Let's get our stuff and get out of here," Demona said.
"We can't leave all those refugees to suffer and die," Broadway commented. "What about Lexington?"
"Eye," Hudson added.
"If you go you are going to die," Angela added.
"Why are you on Demona's side," Broadway demanded.
"Tell them," Demona commanded Angela.
Angela was silent for a moment.
"Well," Goliath demanded.
She opened her mouth and said, "IT wants you, Goliath."
"Why," Goliath demanded.
"IT knows you were on Avalon and a Child of Oberon can end this infection," Angela said. "All the zombies in the region will be coming here because they know you will be around."
"When were you planning to tell me this," Goliath demanded.
"I did not know until today," Angela said.
Goliath growled, "will Elisa or Puck be there?"
"Does it matter," Angela demanded.
"YES!" Goliath barked.
"They will be there," Angela replied. "But only to lure you to a place of execution."
Goliath showed his teeth, "we are going back!"
"Goliath, listen to her," Demona said. "What are we going to do if you are infected? We must withdraw…"
Goliath roared! "I keep being told that I am being baited into a trap, that our enemy is too powerful to fight. Then how will we fight IT in the future? Perhaps this is our only chance to win. If our enemy wants a confrontation then I will give it to them."
Angela sighed, "Goliath…"
"You will stay here," Goliath said. "Demona, Xanatos, Bronx, will stay with you. You will run until it is right to fight back. For the rest, I am looking for volunteers to go with me to Reveresburg and save Elisa, Lexington, and Puck!"
"I'll go," Brooklyn said and stepped to Goliath's side.
"Eye, I have experience in fighting these ghoulies," Hudson said and stepped forward.
Broadway appeared conflicted.
"Broadway," Angela asked.
"He's my leader," Broadway said and took a step forward.
"You are all fools and I will see you in hell," Demona said.
"I'll keep a seat warm for you," Goliath replied.
******(Break)
The west bank of Reveresburg was quiet, the massive traffic rushing the hell out of the area. The east bank was a different story…
The zombie hordes were roaring in from the north, looking to sweep away the small town in a great tsunami. The army was fighting to keep the highway, bridge, and refugee Camp Zulu secure for evacuation; but the situation was falling apart.
The gliding Gargoyles took in the sight from the sky, banked one last time before charging into the fray. Brooklyn and Broadway shook hands, possibly for the last time.
The army had placed machineguns and infantry on the roofs of every building in the town's center and they were shooting everything that moved. Including Gargoyles the moment they flew over the river.
Like Xanatos's helicopter before they found themselves trying to fly through walls of lead, the Wyvern Clan was separated in moments.
"Brooklyn!" Broadway cried moments before rifle rounds obliterated his left wing.
Teeth gritting he tumbled out of the sky, grabbing onto roof tops, trying to slow himself as he bounced off them. He hit the street outside the army perimeter with a bone jarring thud. He was stunned, but only for a second.
He couldn't remember climbing to his feet but as soon as his senses returned he could see the guns on the rooftop. They pivoted to point at him and fired.
******(Break)
"Hey! Same team! Same team!" Brooklyn cried as rounds sailed so close they singed his ear hair.
He was surprised when he found himself in silence and alone.
He had overshot the town and found himself over the lines of traffic leading into Reveresburg. People were abandoning their vehicles as the army perimeter collapsed and all were running in the direction of the bridge.
Brooklyn watched as a foolish family tried to duck into a car for safety. A mob of undead descended on them and tore the car apart in seconds and got at the sweet meat inside.
The situation seemed hopeless as Brooklyn turned back toward the town.
******(Break)
Goliath smashed through a window and into an apartment to find relief from the gunfire. Below, the zombies were surrounding the building's base, looking for a way inside.
Goliath looked out the window, searching for his lost clan but could see nothing. He could see that the situation in the town was falling apart quickly and this rescue mission was doomed.
The door to the apartment was locked fast, but he could hear windows smash downstairs; presumably undead feet were pounding up the stairs. He slipped out the window to glide away.
A moment later he saw a four story brick building with another heavy machine gun nest at its roof. As the gun roared the building was coated with thousands of them, swarming the walls like ants.
As Goliath watched, the building collapsed and the mobs of zombies began eating the survivors.
Goliath knew it was time to pull out, to retreat; Angela was right.
That was, until a bright light interrupted is thoughts. He looked down at the endless lines of zombies below and saw something that made him gasp. The zombies had opened a hole in their masses and there was Elisa, she was floating a few feet off the ground while emitting a bright ethereal light.
Goliath was distracted and did not see the half dead soldier aiming his rifle at him. He fired, hitting Goliath and in the back. The big Gargoyle plummeted to the lethal streets below.
******(Break)
Broadway wasn't sure how many times he had been shot as he crawled along the rubble. His body was numb and his vision constantly broke into red and white spots. He focused on the river and the lights of the town on the other side and its promise of safety.
His strength gave out and he fell, rolling to his back to look at the sky spattered with stars. He looked left and right and found the neighborhood he had crawled into was quiet, his only company was the dead and dying. The power flickered, a nearby orange sodium streetlight died for a moment, then blazed on again.
Broadway's eyes felt heavy as a peaceful feeling swept over his body. He saw strange vivid memories of his childhood, he and those who would be named much later in life running about the palisades of the castle in forgotten childish games.
He heard something moving in the rubble and raised his head. "Lexington?"
The little bald silhouette slithered along the ruins toward the big gargoyle. Broadway was absolutely helpless, too weak to hold up his head for long.
"Lexington, are you okay," Broadway asked. "We're very worried about you."
The shadow stopped just feet away, "I can save your life." The voice was Lexington's, but the character was all wrong, as if someone was speaking through him as a puppet.
"Are you infected," Broadway asked.
******(Break)
Goliath was stunned for a moment as he plummeted, but regained himself. He drove for Elisa but seemed to hit an invisible wall that deflected him away.
He hit the street hard, wing instantly shattered, and rolled through crowds of zombies.
He jumped to his feet, throwing one aside. Another charged and he punched it, the zombie flew backwards.
A pair of Rage Zombies attacked. Goliath tore the face off of one and grabbed the other by its ankles and smashed its head off on the street.
Goliath grabbed a nearby parked car and threw it into the crowds of undead.
"Stop this fighting!" Goliath was shocked that it was Elisa's voice, he whirled around to face her.
She was floating toward him to touch down on the street, "Do not attack. Goliath must choose to become one of us, and he will."