Part 1
Ghosts of the Past
1
Earlier
Shade dived through the forest effortlessly. He dodged the branches and leaves. Suddenly, a tree loomed in front of him. Shade closed his eyes and dived towards the tree. As he passed through the tree, he became the tree. He felt old and worn. He felt his branches stretched out and leaves blowing in the wind. The feeling passed as he left the tree.
Shade was a ghost. He was dead. But he felt alive. Free. Gliding through the forest. Reaching places he would never have reached if he were alive. But he also felt loneliness. Everyone he saw was alive. His mate Marina and son Griffin were alive. But no one could see him. It crossed his mind why there weren't other ghosts around. Simple, they were all in the realm of the god Cama Zotz. In the land of the undead. Shade would have been there, too, but he had escaped with Griffin after his son had been trapped there. Shade could still remember the endless changing desert.
Shade flew back to where his colony lived. He landed on a tree and could see his family down below. He sighed. How he longed to be with them. Maybe he could, someday.
"Awaken." The voice sounded through endless echoes and space.
"You have been called upon to serve." Once again, the echoes passed through the spherical room.
Lance Corporal Franck Graywing's eyes fluttered. His vision was blurred. He closed his eyes again. He thought he had heard a voice. He was tired. Why? Franck tried to remember what had happened. Suddenly, he bolted up. He didn't why, but it felt like someone had pricked him with a needle. He was in an enormous room. The ceiling was rounded. There was no light source, yet the ceiling seemed to glow. All around him were members from his regiment.
Then it all came back to him. His regiment had been deployed in northern France to destroy a human base, but they were caught in a storm and they had all died. They all awoke in this same room. The realm of the god Fleesh. Then he heard God's voice. He told them to sleep. Then, after the sleep, he thought he had heard it again.
"Awaken," the voice said.
Franck stood. His bones cracked. He had no clue of how long he had slept. But he was dead and that didn't matter. The rest of the regiment stirred.
Next to Franck was Sergeant Alain. He sat up and tapped his helmet.
"Hey, Boss," said Franck, "Didja hear that voice?"
"Oui," grumbled the sergeant, "Why do you think we're all awake?"
Franck looked down. His metal helmet lay on the ground, next to his belt. He put both on. Through the helmet's visor, he could see the body heat of every bat in the room. Franck noticed that the bats were all restless. He couldn't blame them. They had been sleeping in the room for who knows how long. He could remember the voice of Fleesh saying something about sleeping until they were called for. Now they had been called for.
Already, officers were grouping the bats.
"Archer Company, fall in!" shouted a lieutenant.
"That's us," said Alain.
"Gear up," said the lieutenant, who was named Roland, "We're moving out, but who knows how?"
I am life, I am peace. You have been called upon to serve.
Those were the words that had been circulating in Dusk's head forever. Like an eternal dream, for he had been hearing those words in his head for eternity.
"Awaken."
Dusk shook his head in his sleep. He thought he was sleeping. Everything seemed like a dream. Perhaps it was a dream. Then he woke. The dim light was blinding for one who had not opened his eyes for millions of years. Dusk squinted. He could barely see. He heard groaning next to him. Suddenly, everything came into focus in a second. Dusk jolted. He shook his head. His neck cracked. He heard the groaning again and he groaned himself. He was sore. Then he remembered everything. The Tree Bark Regiment, the Warriors of the Gods, the flash and bang, and the heat.
Dusk looked around. The members of the regiment were scattered in the round room. Dusk assumed that they had all died in the heat and this was the afterlife the regiment had been talking about. Afterlife was sure boring.
"Rise, my warriors," said the voice. It was the same voice that had spoke before and was stuck in his head. Most of the regiment was awake. The regiment's leader, Lord Shadow, was already standing a little further down from where Dusk was.
"Who's there?" he demanded.
"I am life, I am peace," said the voice, "I am you god Fleesh!" The voice got very loud.
The God. Dusk shuddered. So this was the one the regiment believed the Warriors of the Gods were commanded by.
Shadow looked embarrassed.
"My apologies, my Lord," he quickly said.
"Gather your troops," said Fleesh's voice, "You have been called upon to serve."
"Yes, sir," said Shadow. Then he turned around and looked at the many chiropters watching him anxiously.
"Lieutenants, gather your troops. We're moving out."