Last Chance
Down the dark, creaking passageway Faladon led the group. He held Sarah's hand in his own and had his weapon in the other. Sarah carried a quickly diminishing flashlight to show what lay before them.
They were in some utility tunnel of the park. Dark, menacing pipes loomed overhead, twisting and rolling about in webbing of metal. The small group marched on through the tunnel, for they had nowhere else to travel. Their faces showed that they might as well be cattle walking to the butcher's block.
The passage wound its way through the park's interior, down darkened corridors and vaulted rooms. The company continued to follow the path until, at last, it came to a halt. A large, steel door loomed ahead. Faladon stepped forward to open it.
He pivoted the heavy door open slowly and peered outside. Afflicted were milling about in the center, as though controlled by some outside force. As the door swung unrestricted, every one of the monsters in the park turned their ill-favored visages upon the company.
The night was growing lighter, turning the sky's color a steel gray. Gold was the eastern horizon as a young sun was vaulting itself joyously into the heavens. The sight of the new rays was enheartening to the troupe. That is, it was until it exposed something that wasn't so hopeful and uplifting.
Phoenix burned. Dark black smoke rose up from all around the park. It rose higher and higher into the sky until it dissipated somewhere high. Small embers leapt from building to building quickly.
A gas station had ignited, converting its liquid contents into torrential hellballs of flame. The fireballs fell like rain upon the drear city in the waking hours of the hopeless morning. They were now catching many a building ablaze.
Rendered dull by a lack of hope, made angered by the defiant dawn, enraged beyond all belief by the helplessness of the situation, the party of nigh a half hundred men and women, including Faladon, Sarah, and Dory charged forward without hesitation. They scrambled down the stairs that led to the railing that once had separated the fans from the field.
They vaulted this barricade and alighted in the deadly field. Ranks upon ranks of undead surged forward in an onrush of grasping claws and hungry mouths. The company halted after they triggered the Afflicted into action and stood their ground, ready to defend themselves.
The Afflicted rushed forward to meet the stalwart living beings. The zombies cut through their ranks like a hot knife upon butter. The humans turned and took flight over the railing once more and clambered to the uppermost bleachers.
Now, less than three dozen humans lived in the park. The men and women were afraid. Afraid of a horrible, vain deaths at the hands of the evil, killing undead they were. Faladon stood, as valiant as he could in this dark moment, near his lover, Sarah. They grasped onto one another, searching for some respite from the oncoming evil.
The eastern sky grew even more blanched.
A minute passed before the undead began climbing relentlessly up the stairs to their victims. They came like a crushing wall upon the pitiful human company.
The remaining men and women readied themselves for a last attempt, a final, inevitably fatal encounter. They brandished whatever weapons they could against the undead. But they knew, deep in their waning hearts, that their attempt at resistance was futile.
Zombies reached the first of the people willing to fight. They massacred these and proceeded to slaughter the nest line of fighters. They were losing members more frequently than the humans, but the undead cared not. They cared only for the total eradication of the humans.
It just then occurred to Faladon that someone had sent them, not by chance, to kill them. To cover up some accident. The zombies were an accident, not intended for the public. Someone was trying to destroy anything that could bear witness against him or her.
But this thought means nothing, Faladon considered. I'll be dead soon anyway. He hefted his weapon in front of him.
Faladon jabbed at an oncoming zombie and it collapsed in a husk of dead flesh. He swung violently upward to cleave an Afflicted's head from its shoulders.
Sarah was beside him, acting as he was. Many around fell to madness and panicked, dropping their weapons and crying aloud. Others less faint of heart fought to their life's end valiantly, fighting to stay alive and live to see the dawn.
Those who were awaiting the light didn't need to stay for long. Just at that moment, the sun came over the distant mountain, illuminating the battlefield. Many lie dead about him. All because of me, thought Faladon as he felled another monster.
Now, only he, Sarah, Dory, and a few strong men and women survived. They fought on longer, wishing to linger on. To escape this hell.
A gunshot rang out clear in the battle's hubbub. A zombie near Dory fell to its knees and died, again. More followed this first shot, some automatic fire. Men in camouflage uniforms took the field firing this way and that, slaying hordes of zombies by the second. Two hundreds were their numbers and they eliminated the Afflicted quickly leaving a few behind for Faladon and his company to finish.
* * * * * * * * * * *
The soldiers served the United States Army. They had manned the barricade around the city until reinforcements arrived thereafter. Then, they had traveled to the park, after seeing the lights turned on. A day later, they had arrived at the park. At dawn's awakening, they ventured within. The soldiers were members of the 108th Armored Division and their tanks awaited their return a few miles away. They were the company's saviors and many thank you's followed their rescue.
Down the dark, creaking passageway Faladon led the group. He held Sarah's hand in his own and had his weapon in the other. Sarah carried a quickly diminishing flashlight to show what lay before them.
They were in some utility tunnel of the park. Dark, menacing pipes loomed overhead, twisting and rolling about in webbing of metal. The small group marched on through the tunnel, for they had nowhere else to travel. Their faces showed that they might as well be cattle walking to the butcher's block.
The passage wound its way through the park's interior, down darkened corridors and vaulted rooms. The company continued to follow the path until, at last, it came to a halt. A large, steel door loomed ahead. Faladon stepped forward to open it.
He pivoted the heavy door open slowly and peered outside. Afflicted were milling about in the center, as though controlled by some outside force. As the door swung unrestricted, every one of the monsters in the park turned their ill-favored visages upon the company.
The night was growing lighter, turning the sky's color a steel gray. Gold was the eastern horizon as a young sun was vaulting itself joyously into the heavens. The sight of the new rays was enheartening to the troupe. That is, it was until it exposed something that wasn't so hopeful and uplifting.
Phoenix burned. Dark black smoke rose up from all around the park. It rose higher and higher into the sky until it dissipated somewhere high. Small embers leapt from building to building quickly.
A gas station had ignited, converting its liquid contents into torrential hellballs of flame. The fireballs fell like rain upon the drear city in the waking hours of the hopeless morning. They were now catching many a building ablaze.
Rendered dull by a lack of hope, made angered by the defiant dawn, enraged beyond all belief by the helplessness of the situation, the party of nigh a half hundred men and women, including Faladon, Sarah, and Dory charged forward without hesitation. They scrambled down the stairs that led to the railing that once had separated the fans from the field.
They vaulted this barricade and alighted in the deadly field. Ranks upon ranks of undead surged forward in an onrush of grasping claws and hungry mouths. The company halted after they triggered the Afflicted into action and stood their ground, ready to defend themselves.
The Afflicted rushed forward to meet the stalwart living beings. The zombies cut through their ranks like a hot knife upon butter. The humans turned and took flight over the railing once more and clambered to the uppermost bleachers.
Now, less than three dozen humans lived in the park. The men and women were afraid. Afraid of a horrible, vain deaths at the hands of the evil, killing undead they were. Faladon stood, as valiant as he could in this dark moment, near his lover, Sarah. They grasped onto one another, searching for some respite from the oncoming evil.
The eastern sky grew even more blanched.
A minute passed before the undead began climbing relentlessly up the stairs to their victims. They came like a crushing wall upon the pitiful human company.
The remaining men and women readied themselves for a last attempt, a final, inevitably fatal encounter. They brandished whatever weapons they could against the undead. But they knew, deep in their waning hearts, that their attempt at resistance was futile.
Zombies reached the first of the people willing to fight. They massacred these and proceeded to slaughter the nest line of fighters. They were losing members more frequently than the humans, but the undead cared not. They cared only for the total eradication of the humans.
It just then occurred to Faladon that someone had sent them, not by chance, to kill them. To cover up some accident. The zombies were an accident, not intended for the public. Someone was trying to destroy anything that could bear witness against him or her.
But this thought means nothing, Faladon considered. I'll be dead soon anyway. He hefted his weapon in front of him.
Faladon jabbed at an oncoming zombie and it collapsed in a husk of dead flesh. He swung violently upward to cleave an Afflicted's head from its shoulders.
Sarah was beside him, acting as he was. Many around fell to madness and panicked, dropping their weapons and crying aloud. Others less faint of heart fought to their life's end valiantly, fighting to stay alive and live to see the dawn.
Those who were awaiting the light didn't need to stay for long. Just at that moment, the sun came over the distant mountain, illuminating the battlefield. Many lie dead about him. All because of me, thought Faladon as he felled another monster.
Now, only he, Sarah, Dory, and a few strong men and women survived. They fought on longer, wishing to linger on. To escape this hell.
A gunshot rang out clear in the battle's hubbub. A zombie near Dory fell to its knees and died, again. More followed this first shot, some automatic fire. Men in camouflage uniforms took the field firing this way and that, slaying hordes of zombies by the second. Two hundreds were their numbers and they eliminated the Afflicted quickly leaving a few behind for Faladon and his company to finish.
* * * * * * * * * * *
The soldiers served the United States Army. They had manned the barricade around the city until reinforcements arrived thereafter. Then, they had traveled to the park, after seeing the lights turned on. A day later, they had arrived at the park. At dawn's awakening, they ventured within. The soldiers were members of the 108th Armored Division and their tanks awaited their return a few miles away. They were the company's saviors and many thank you's followed their rescue.