Link of the Dead
Chapter 5:
The party guests sat outside the cabana and gathered around a large campfire as they waited anxiously for Link and Tetra to return. After a few minutes, Link and Tetra finally showed up.
"So?" asked Beedle.
"Ho-Ho made off with my boat," replied Link coldly.
"He what?"
"You heard me..."
"But Manny is sick! He can't survive any longer here. None of us can!"
"Yeah," said Mako, "It's freezing out here! Can't we go inside?"
"We can't," replied Link, "Not with those things infesting the house."
"But we barricaded the door," said Nikko, "They can't get in!"
Link ignored Nikko and made his way into the circle of people. He approached Manny, who was lying sick on the ground. He was wrapped up in a blanket, but shivering. His face was extremely pale and he looked daze.
"Oh my God," said Tetra.
"How is he?" asked Link.
"Terrible," said Medli, "I don't know what that creature did when he bit him, but he's in really bad shape."
Tetra bent down and slowly removed the cloth that covered the wound. She did not realize how deep the cut was. The blood had now hardened into a goopy substance and the area around the bite was swollen and purple. Disgusted, Tetra grabbed a fresh cloth and wrapped it around the wound.
"How are you?" whispered Tetra.
"I-I-I d-d...I-I c-can't..." began Manny. He just lay there, taking deep breaths.
"We can't keep him outside anymore," said Komali, "He has to go inside! On a bed!"
"Alright..." said Link
Link unlocked the cabana door and several people made their way inside. Manny lay down on a couch as Tetra headed to the kitchen to prepare some tea for him.
"Now what are we supposed to do?" asked Nikko, "It will take weeks to repair that damage."
"We wait," said Link.
"Well," interrupted Tetra, "I'm tired of waiting. We have to find supplies, because we're running very low on food."
"And," included Gonzo, "We could probably find some wood to barricade ourselves."
"Alright then," said Link, "Give me my stuff..."
"Actually," said Gonzo, "We pirates should go. It's dark out and you don't know what's out there."
"But..." began Tetra.
"We pirates are experienced in this kinda stuff," said Nudge, "We need you, Link, to stay behind and protect these people. And we need Tetra to help Link and look after Manny."
"Okay," said Tetra, "Good luck. And please...Be careful!"
Gonzo nodded. With a wave of his hand, he lead the other pirates out the door and into the darkness. Link, Tetra and several other people stood outside and watched as they vanished into the woods.
"Rock, paper, scissors," said a random Rito girl, "Ha! Paper covers rock!"
"Damn," said a random Rito boy, "I gotta stop putting my faith in rock all the time."
The two Ritos were sitting on the floor in the cabana living room keeping themselves occupied.
"Uggghhh..."
"The hell was that?" said the boy.
"I don't know..." replied the girl.
The sound continued. It was coming from the couch.
"Manny?" said the girl.
The two approached the couch and looked stared at it. Manny was tossing and turning and making strange noises.
"Are you...alright?" asked the boy.
Manny turned his head to face the two Rito. Only, his face had changed-He had sharp, pointed teeth, and his eyes glowed a ghastly red. His face had turned a light blue colour, similar to the Redeads.
"Oh my..."
Manny then leapt at the girl and bit down into her neck. Blood ran down Manny's face and all over the carpet.
"Manny?" said the boy, "What...What are you doing?"
Manny then let go of the girl and pounced on the guy. He sank his pointy teeth into the boys face and ripped out a piece of his cheek. The boy screamed in agony as Manny bent down and took another bite, this time, ripping off his beak.
Just then, a group of people ran into the room.
"What the fuck?" said one of the men.
Manny then stood up and dropped the mutilated Rito boy. He stared at the group of people with an angry face. Blood ran down all over his chest.
"What's going on?" demanded another man.
Manny charged after the men, successfully biting one of them in the arm.
"AAAAHHHH!" he screamed.
Another man ran across the room and picked up a candle stick off the shelf, which he whacked Manny on the head with. Manny let go, but made an attempt at the other guy, forcing him to whack Manny repeatedly until he was practically lifeless on the floor.
"What have you done?" asked Medli, wo suddenly ran into the room.
"He bit my friend," said the man, "And then this fucker tried to bite me! I had no choice!"
Medli just stared in shock at the carnage that lay before her.
Meanwhile, Link sat outside on the cabana steps, staring at the calm sea. He felt someone approach him.
"Tetra?" asked Link.
"No, it's me," said Aryll, "How are ya, big brother?"
"Fine," said Link, "I guess."
"Listen, I'm sorry I got mad at you before. I was just caught up in the moment, I guess."
"I'm sorry I got mad at you. I'm just very concerned that's all. I'm your brother, and I have to protect you."
"And you're doing a great job." Aryll bent over and kissed Link on the cheek. Link smiled.
"Don't mean to interrupt the moment," said Makar, who just stepped out onto the porch, "But we have a major problem! Come inside!"
The pirates slowly made their way through the forest, searching for whatever they needed to survive. Chills ran down their spines as they walked down the dark and desolate forest.
"Hey!" said Senza, "I found some logs over here. We could use these as firewood."
"Great," said Gonzo, "Mako, get the axe."
"Yessir!" replied Mako.
As the pirates went about their buisiness, they heard a strange growl.
"Guys," said Nikko, "What was that?"
"I didn't hear nothin'," said Gonzo.
Just then, there was another growl.
"No wait," said Nudge, "I heard it too."
The pirates gathered up and stared at the spot where they thought the sound was coming from.
"Sh-show yourself!" ordered Gonzo.
Just then, three Redeads jumped out of a bush behind the pirates and grabbed Nikko.
"Nikko!" shouted the pirates.
The three Redeads began to tear Nikko apart with their bare hands.
Gonzo grabbed the axe from Mako and smacked one of the Redeads in the face. The other Redeads came after him.
"Shit!" said Gonzo, "We better get outta here!"
Just then, Senza backed up and was grabbed by another Redead. The Redead bit into Senza'a neck and began to eat him.
"Senza!" screamed Gonzo.
"Just go!" ordered Senza, "They're everywhere! There's no hope for me! Just get out of here now!"
The Redead continued to chew into Senza's neck, sending blood and gore everywhere and killing Senza. Reluctantly, Gonzo ordered the pirates to follow him out of the forest. Before they knew it, the entire area was surrounded by Redeads.
"But Nikko and Senza..." began Mako.
"There's nothing we can do," replied Nudge.
"How many of these fuckers are there?" asked Gonzo.
As they ran, Gonzo swung his axe and chopped down a couple of Redeads. All of a sudden, Zuko tripped and fell to the floor. Before the pirates could turn around to help him up, a Redead grabbed him by the legs and violently dragged him away.
"AAAAHHH!" screamed Zuko, "Help...Help...Me...Please!"
Realizing there was nothing they could do, the pirates continued to run for their lives. Their fear was their only driving force...
"Oh my God," said Link.
"He just woke up and bit me," said the Rito girl, "Then he ate my boyfriend's face off!"
"What could have caused this?" asked Link.
Tetra said nothing as she bent down and observed Manny's dead body.
"It's like..." she began, "It's like he became one of them."
"His bite," said Link, "These things are more than just monsters. They're a plague...A disease, and we'll all be victims if we don't get out soon."
"But," said the man, "I was bitten..."
Just then, there was a loud "Bang!" at the door. Everyone turned towards the door, terrified.
"Could it be?..." asked Link.
Tetra gulped and slowly made her way to the door.
"No!" said Link, "Let me go!"
Link ran to the door. When he opened it, he saw a blood-soacked Gonzo standing at the entrance, looking petrified.
"Gonzo!" said Tetra, "You were out for over an hour! What happened?"
"They're everywhere!" said Gonzo, as he staggered inside, "They somehow escaped the basement. There were like 10 of them, maybe more. They got all my pirates. I don't know if they're alive. I killed some of the Redeads, but I think they're still after me..."
"Are you okay?" asked a worried Tetra.
"I think so," said Gonzo, who then looked at his arm. There was a large gash.
"He's been bitten," said Beedle, who then pulled out a knife and pointed it at Gonzo.
"What the..."
"Put it down," ordered Link as he pointed his own sword at Beedle's throat.
"But don't you see?" asked Beedle, "He's bitten! He's become one of them!"
"Not yet!" shouted Link, "And as long as he's human, we're not killing anyone!"
Reluctantly, Beedle put down his knife.
"Thanks, Link," said Gonzo.
"No problem," replied Link, "Now, we better get these two bodies out of here."
"I'll see if I can find a way to treat your injuries, okay?" said Tetra.
As the people went about their buisiness, Medli suddenly stopped.
"G-G-Guys..." she said pointing at the window.
The gang turned their attention towards the window, where a Redead was staring inside the house. Its face was right up against the glass and it was slowly tapping the window with its long fingernails. The horrifying gaze of the Redead caused everone to stop and stare in shock.
"You," said Beedle, pointing at Gonzo, "You lead those things here!"
"Shut up, fucker," snapped Gonzo, "I'm fed up of your attitude."
Beedle and Gonzo began to fight as several other people tried to separate them.
"This is bad," said Loot, who backed up against the opposite wall.
Suddenly, a Redead appeared in the window on that side of the room. It broke through and grabbed the sailor.
"AAAHHH!" screamed Loot, "HELP ME!"
Loot struggled violently as Link darted to the kitched where he left his bow and arrows.
"Hang on," said Link.
The Redead instantly sank his teeth into Loot's arm. Link steadied his bow and fired an arrow straight into the Redead's mouth. Loot fell to the floor in pain. On the other side of the room, more Redeads appeared at the window and broke through.
"They're everywhere," said Makar, looking out the window, "Swarms of them! They have us surrounded!"
"We can't stay here anymore," said Komali, "It's not safe!"
"Wait," said Tetra, "We gotta stick together..."
Unfortunately, people ignored her and began charging out the front door. Some people got attacked by Redeads as they made their way out the front porch. Link grabbed both his sword and arrows and also left the cabana. He fired arrows at several Redeads.
"You have to hit them in the head," said Tetra, "It's their weak spot!"
"Thanks," said Link, sarcastically, "I figured that out already."
More people continued to leave the cabana and ran into the dark forest. Amidst the chaos, people fell to the floor and were trampled on, and one man even fell into the swimming pool. Link's first priority was to find his sister and make sure she was alright.
"Aryll!" shouted Link, "Aryll!"
Link ran down the front lawn and entered the forest, killing a couple more Redeads before he realized that he was all by himself. Even Tetra had dissappeared.
"Aryll?" called Link, "Tetra?"
Link continued to run, but tripped on a small rock. Link rolled down a small hill before crashing headfirst into a large rock and passing out.