That same day...
Tian Shui Region
Keep running!
Jiang Wei's ears pulsed with each distinct pitches of moaning that emerged from torn throats. Crippled bodies relentlessly kept in pursuit, shoving past one another in a wild fury as they staggered after the retreating warrior.
Corridors and rooms merged together in a rapid blur of confusion, bordering the outer walls of his vision as he fled. Instances where the world seemed at a stand still, in a blink of an eye returned back to reality, pulled by the chords of the hungry chorus that followed. Heart pounding, Jiang Wei turned sharply at a corner that continued towards the Grand Hall, his rapid footsteps drowned out by those of shuffling ones.
His sense of direction became obscured only by the fleeting panic that rose within, erasing all reason from his mind as he felt true fear gripping hold to the edges of his sanity, choking him.
Out the gates! Get outside! The gates!
He ran clumsily on both feet, feeling the ground swaying as the walls began to close in around him. The claustrophobic affect only heightened Wei's adrenaline that willed him to run, to survive. Engulfed in darkness, he found himself losing balance constantly as he leapt to avoid the overturned furniture that lied scattered about. Only when he managed to regain his footing, did he dare to steal a glance back at the ghouls that chased him in this nightmare.
By now the corridor had become packed with even more of those people that still continued to appear from nowhere. Bodies followed more bodies with the quickest of the group coming ahead, leaving the sluggish to get trampled on. Their awkward movement kept out of sync with one another as they continued in their slow march towards the young strategist.
Stubborn denial turned to painful acceptance as Jiang Wei spotted what use to be his once lord, his face beyond recognition. A man whom he had come to serve for ten years, staggering among the rest. The calm eyes Wei once knew as Ma Zun's, had become frosted over with a savage blood lust he only witnessed in wild animals–a dangerous predator. Despite their oblivious state of death, a crazed desire pierced through those milky white pupils which sparked them to life.
Lingering in it's hypnotic gaze, Wei neglected to keep his attention forward and in an instant the world toppled over as he suddenly realized himself falling. A loud bang that reached his ears soon followed with a sharp pain that bit into left thigh as he came crashing to the floor. Wei grimaced as he rolled onto his side, gripping tightly to the tear in his pants which began to blossom in red. Looking behind, he noticed the jagged end of the table he had collided with, glistening wet with his own blood.
The pain went numb only by the unearthly cries that echoed throughout the air as he turned to see the undead quickening their pace towards him--their fallen prey. Finding new strength, Wei scrambled to his feet just as their bony fingers reached out for him. He uttered a weak cry as he felt a light touch graze the back of his neck, sending alarms through his mind, screaming for him to move or else...
They'll eat me.
With that thought repeating, he ran limping on his left side, the pain doubling from the applied pressure as he left a trail of blood behind him. Few of the dead veered from his direction to lick the crimson droplets that spilled onto the carpet, while the rest broke into a fast walk, growing more anxious at the spill of fresh blood. Veering left at a junction, he braced himself against the wall, daring to take only a few seconds to catch his breath before sprinting ahead.
The demand for air turned into an unbearable need as his lungs strained to gulp in the stench of rotting corpses. Despair lingered on the verge of defeating him as he felt the thin trail of blood running down his leg with each step. The adrenaline which fueled him with abundant energy began to diminish as it finally reached it's point of end. He was getting tired.
It was only when he looked ahead to see the corridor he followed opening into a much larger space, that his mind began spinning with relief. The Grand Hall.
He raced into the rush of open air that had yet to become contaminated with the stench of decay. Seeing the grand staircase, he pushed on with greater fortitude as his boots clicked on the hard stone floor, eyes desperately searching for their salvation.
The doors.
Spotting the two main doors ahead, a dizzy joy overwhelming him as he forced his aching body across the hall. Only when coming halfway did he soon hear the beating rhythm of footsteps enter into the Grand Hall with him. A few dead who wandered aimlessly nearby picked their heads up to notice the fleeing boy pass them and became interested.
Feeling the space between his enemies closing in dramatically, Jiang Wei shut his eyes as his arms outstretched for one of the doors. At impact, his body slammed hard against the massive weight while he drained away the last of his remaining strength to force the thick wood to move. His body propelled into an adrenaline rage as the moaning drew nearer, his own thoughts pleading for the door to budge. .just to budge. .even an inch!
It groaned loudly, opening only a little but enough. Anxiously he forced himself through the tight squeeze, breathing in the refreshing cool breeze coming from the outside as it brushed over his perspiring face.
Wriggling free, he stepped gratefully out into the grey sunlight of day. However, the victory was short-lived and immediately he began pushing his weak self against the entrance door, about to close it–
–until a thin arm reached out from the crack of an opening and with lightening speed latched onto his own arm. Wild panic spread as he began feeling himself being pulled back inside by an amazing strength which he expected from no human, especially a dead one. A new terror brewed within him as his arm became wedged between the two main doors, crushed. Looking through the crack, Wei caught sight of the rotting face of puss and boils peeking through at him.
Engaging in a death game of tug-and-war, Wei squirmed to evade its teeth, while using his free arm to pull one of the daggers from his belt; his back still pressed firmly against the door to prevent the others from getting out. Unsheathing the knife, he quickly plunged the sharp end into the creature's chest, a hollowed crunch reaching his ears when blade met bone. But the bloodied fingers refused to move except to only secure him in a painful death grip that he no longer had the stamina to fight off.
Helplessly he watched as more of the undead joined in with the struggle, reaching and snapping furiously at his trapped limp. A thousand piercing nails clawed away at his armor, tearing his sleeve apart. Blood began to run–exciting them even more. Kicking and punching only provoked the corpses to become more violent in their attempt to take a clean bite out of his arm. Growing weaker against their combined effort, he never noticed the crawler moving underneath the forming crowd, distracted more by the jaws of rotting teeth.
Until it grabbed his leg.
Looking down, a strangled cry escaped Jiang Wei as his eyes widened to see a man whose lower torso was completely missing. Bloodied strands of muscles hung exposed where the legs use to be. A man who shouldn't even be able to move–joined in with the fight to eat him alive.
With enough kicks to the head, its brittled skull exploded along with brain matter that leaked onto the floor, oozing an unbearable smell into the air.
Jiang Wei found his breath again, only to feel the hot beads of something moist fall incessantly onto his exposed skin. Frantically he shot his eyes upwards to determine its source–
–only in time to see saliva dripping from a groaning mouth that lunged for his other trapped limp.
He had forgotten his arm.
–Too late!– "No!"
Expecting to feel sharp teeth digging into him, he instead felt only a slight disturbance in the air as he blinked in time to see a speeding blur pass inches from his face. The tugging on his arm ceased and he looked anxiously over to see the body that nearly bit him slumping down, an arrow now stabbed between its eyes.
"Move away!"
He needed no warning, already pulling his beaten arm through. The young strategist turned instantly to see a middle-aged figure running towards him, his stern eyes greeting him with urgency. Coming closer, Jiang Wei noticed smoke emanating from the soldier's right hand.
Approaching the door, the stranger quickly jammed a lit bomb on the end of it's fuse through the opening and into the groping hands of the undead. A thunderous clang echoed as the door closed shut.
"Get down milord!" The rough voice commanded as the soldier fiercely pulled Jiang Wei to the ground. Once Wei's cheek hit stone, the earth beneath them shook violently as a muffled explosion sounded from behind the gate doors along with screaming. As multiple heat waves traveled through the air, Jiang Wei heard orders cried out amidst the blast,
"Move! Move! Get that barricade up!"
Feeling the ground settle, Jiang Wei looked through feverish eyes to finally notice himself lying on the flat surface of the bridge that connected the castle to the city. As the ringing began to die in his ears, whispers from around also caught his attention. Looking up, he found himself among a crowd of people that scattering in all directions. Citizens of every class collided as they shoved passed one another in wild hysteria, their eyes glazed over with the same sheer sign of panic and fear. Upon simple observation, he couldn't begin to estimate exactly how many had swarmed over him, the number too great to count.
–like the entire city has all decided to come out, and wander here somehow. What is going on?
Five soldiers appear through the crowd, carrying a wooden bolt to barricade the gates that had hushed from within. An enormous thud ripped through the air as the men set the bolt in place of it's supports. Able to finally feel his legs, Jiang Wei staggered awkwardly to his feet.
"General Luo gates are secured!" One of the young cadets announced.
"Good, at least they won't be coming out this way anytime soon." The broad-shouldered general turned his direction towards Jiang Wei who gave a quick nod of gratitude towards the man who had saved him.
"Thank you."
Wei only received a grim smile from the much taller man as he stepped forward, "You were lucky. Had you not come out right then–we would have barricaded this door with you inside." Whether the remark was made to reassure him, Jiang Wei only became more apprehensive–almost becoming trapped inside with those things was anything but comfort.
Chasing that thought away, Jiang Wei immediately focused his attention back on steady brown eyes, "General, please tell me, what is transpiring here?"
"Circumstances are dire." Speaking loudly above the countless voices which strung together in a deafening blare of noise, "It's not just inside. Whatever is in the castle is loose in the city as well." The space around them closed rapidly as more citizens gathered onto the bridge, a few rushing nearby soldiers who struggled to keep them settled.
"We had hoped to find shelter inside the castle," Luo continued, "but once we saw you come out, we know that's no longer an option now."
Jiang Wei found it harder to stand his ground, pulled by the wave of people that pushed through him. His shoulder clashed with another and Wei spun around to see a man pass him with the support of a woman. The feeling of something oddly wrong with the peasant's face took a moment to register before Wei felt the full blast of shock come over.
That man was missing an eye.
Looking back over, he saw the quarter of the face where the eye should've been only glisten brightly with red tissue–the section completely gnawed away. The moans of the injured flooded into his ears as he noticed a majority of the people staggering around with injuries. Others too hurt to stand, lied on the ground as a medic inspected them, his tired eyes disheartened by the count of so many wounded. One woman sitting with her husband wept uncontrollably, her face and arms suffering from third degree burns.
"These people need help." Jiang Wei swallowed down the aroma of human sweat and blood, "Have you done anything to assist them yet?"
The general looked helplessly at him, "There's only a few of us left alive sir. We can only do so much before—"
A sudden pounding overpowered all noise, startling everyone as they turned towards the direction of the sound. The gate doors groaned loudly as a powerful force began pushing them forward, stopped only by the wooden bolt that remained solidly in place.
Shouts of alarm came from each of the soldiers as they rushed for the door, placing themselves in front to enforce the barricade. The moaning from inside began.
Jiang Wei felt his muscles tighten and heart jump at the all too familiar chorus. Even after an explosion like that. . .
"Listen to me," the general's voice now stressing concern as an uneasiness rested in his eyes to stay, "We can't linger here for too long. I don't know how long that door will keep them in, and we still have the ones out here to worry about." He broke off, looking in directions as the people were sent into an uncontrollable madness at the cries of the dead.
"Dammit. We had them almost calm down too." Jiang Wei heard the general mutter angrily.
"Is there anywhere else we can take these people?"
"We came here to escape the fires, but instead it's managed to trap us. There is only a small part of the city that hasn't caught fire yet but I'm not sure it'll stay that way for long. All the water supply has been exhausted from trying to contain the fire but you see how good that did us." Trembling palms lifted the bloodied helmet off, wiping away at the sweat dripping off his sooted face.
"You're wounded." Jiang Wei stated as his gaze locked on the bloodied gash on the officer's forehead. Bite? The older man merely shook his head, contempt written in his features, "Down in city square—I was sent there along with the rest of my division." He placed his helmet back on, shielding the infected skin. "We managed to take up a position there before we were overrun. I lost more than half my men. They would've eaten me alive too if I wasn't quick enough."
A sympathy shot out for him as Jiang Wei now noticed the stains of blood on both his flesh and armor that had crusted over. Tattered sleeves hung loosely off muscular arms that suffered from severe scratching. Judging by the appearance, Wei could only assume that the general had seen far worse than him, if that was possible.
"How bad is the city?" Though he knew the question as rhetorical.
"Bad."
Jiang Wei let out an exasperated sigh, bowing his head in thought to retain calm. His mind strained to formulate some reasonable strategy despite all the unnerving events that had spawned out of control. During vital times, a strategist was key to representing composure and reason to where perspective went astray. And he was none of both. . or else failing miserably. Jiang Wei drew in a shaky breath, "Can we risk leading the survivors to the city gates?"
The general shook his head gravely, "Most of the streets have been sealed off–it was the only way to keep those things contained."
Jiang Wei's eyes sketched the city layout in his head, knowing enough to see where each of the streets intersected and at which point they ended. They needed to go east.
"How far have the flames spread exactly?"
"The eastern half of the city is as much lost. Last time I checked, the fires had finished consuming most of the city square."
Not much time. In order to reach the East Gate, they needed to travel a distance of roughly two miles. The quickest route out required for them to take the main road. But choosing to walk in the open with flesh-eating predators lurking about only ensured for an attack. And we have civilians with us. No, they couldn't afford any engagements at this point. With so few warriors at hand and a greater amount of wounded, it was imperative they escaped from here, alive. They would need to find another way out of here, which meant...
"Doesn't some of the remote streets lead directly to the East Gate?"
The general frowned, "Most of them do."
"So wouldn't it be less dangerous if we led the people through the districts than taking our chances at being seen on the main?"
The elder man's eyes went wide at the suggestion, "But milord, that would take us directly into the fire's path!"
"But also away from those creatures." Wei countered.
Luo's teeth bit in his lip, jaw in place as his rough features expressed deep worry. Seeing the uncertainty in his tired eyes, Jiang Wei continued, "General, either way we are at a great disadvantage. Our job now is to decide which of the two will be less worse for us."
He waited patiently, watching Luo as he seemed to listen to the frantic voices of the civilians moving around them, and in the background that constant pounding on the door.
"As you wish," Luo gave a reluctant bow although his low tone declaring submission, "But milord, while there are a few army factions remaining in the city, I do not know if they have already escaped or are even alive."
"What of the patrols stationed at the gates?"
"Can't be sure," Luo said with a solemn shake of his head.
Suspecting as much, Jiang Wei knew that they had to simply make do with what little information was given, no matter how imprecise or vague it may be. "General, how quickly do you think your men can rally up the people present?"
"Ten minutes sir, fifteen at the most."
Despite his own uneasiness, Jiang Wei willed his eyes to become stern, assuming the authoritative role given to him that day by Ma Zun–a lifetime ago he feared he could never return to anymore.
"Very well then," his voice hardening with command he never knew he possessed, "I want you to begin alerting everyone of our plan. We are to evacuate from the city immediately. Our priority is to get as many people out of here as we can."
"Yes sir!"
Jiang Wei watched Luo turn and disappear into the mass of peasants and aristocrats whom all had become increasingly frantic in their fray. Though Luo had promised him ten minutes, the dread of it becoming more had a weakening affect on Jiang Wei. They needed to get out of here now.
His eyes directed themselves towards the ground where he caught sight of his trident lying at his feet. Kneeling down, he seized the weapon, eyeing the three-bladed end now coated with blood that had long since dried. An exhaustion seized him in stroke of dizziness as he wavered to stand, feeling the muscles in his back stiffen with a fiery warmth that spread.
The stinging in his injured arm came as though thousands of tiny needles penetrated into his flesh all at once. Where his attacker's hand had grabbed for him, a purple and black imprint remained in it's place as the skin began to discolor.
Wiping his face with the back of a quivering hand, he only succeeded in smearing his no longer pale cheeks with more blood and grime than before. Through his fatigue, he made out the distant silhouettes of buildings. Through the thin line of mist rose a torrent of smog, thick with the blackened ashes of death and destruction that lay yonder in the city. Atop of the visible peaks of distant arched roofs, Jiang Wei noticed a small glint of yellow quickly spreading across.
A shudder ran through him, prickling every inch of his skin as he imagined seeing the devastation up close. Slowly, he averted his gaze upon the grand stone bridge where hundreds of people had gathered in hope of finding safety.
The stone-carved parapets of Chinese design bordered both sides, giving view to the icy waters of the Wei River that ran through the region. Although the heavy morning fog prevented Jiang Wei from actually seeing the fifty-foot wide stretch of river, the constant lapping against stone gave the indication of it's presence below.
The settling murmurs of citizens caught his attention as he watched the soldiers begin to help the wounded to their feet, covering the bodies of those less fortunate with blankets. A stab of dread filled him..
What other horrors awaited them inside the city?
He never had the chance to finish the thought.
For soon after, a bloodcurdling scream hit the air, followed by startled cries that came from those surrounding. Jiang Wei's breath hitched in his throat as he turned to see the sea of people frantically backing away at a certain point in the crowd.
To reveal none other then General Luo on the ground...a civilian on top of him.
Jiang Wei felt himself closing in on the two before even realizing his legs had moved from their frozen position.
"Get back!" He screamed, shoving past stricken faces whose bodies remained paralyzed at the sight, "Move out of the way!"
Jiang Wei came close enough to see that already blood was everywhere; it formed in a pool underneath the two struggling figures who had a considerably amount on them as well. Without even assessing whether or not it was safe enough to do so, Jiang Wei's hands automatically gripped onto the shoulder of the peasant, attempting to pry him off the screaming general. After several forceful tugs, he yanked the peasant away from Luo whose cries had gone silent, pinning him to the ground–
–to see a mouth smeared in blood. Bleeding lips pulled back to reveal glistening teeth as they chewed away at the large chunk of flesh in its mouth.
"Oh my god!" He exclaimed as he avoided the thrashing of arms whose hands groped exceedingly desperate for his face. The dry skin on the peasant had changed to a sickly yellow that accentuated the blue veins underneath. A vicious snarling erupted from within the man's throat with eyes glazed over by death. So much like...
"Get off!" A soldier announced, pushing Jiang Wei off.
Hitting the ground, Wei watched in a daze as the nightmare once again took a turn for the worst. The young cadet swiftly pulled his sword from his belt. The pointed end gleamed momentarily in the light, twirling around before forcing its way through the peasant's face, silencing the man for good.
Hyperventilating, Jiang Wei's eyes shot to General Luo whose eyes remained open. His gurgled attempts at speaking had ceased, his chest no longer rising; he was dead. Crawling to his feet, Jiang Wei clearly saw Luo's torn throat, vocal chords ripped out, hanging out from the bleeding hole.
Soldiers quickly moved for their fallen general, one kneeling to check his pulse in spite of the obvious fate that had claimed him. But they had no time for mourning.
Without warning, Luo's body began convulsing, his legs and arms twitching as his head moved vigorously from side to side. Confusion and shock soon made way for pure fear as suddenly the general's teeth connected with the face of the soldier kneeling beside him.
And chaos happened.
The brutal killing sent every one of the civilians on the bridge into paranoia that spread like an uncontrollable disease. The chances at restoring any order to the situation became obliterated once the cannibalistic attack came from the dead general. He was one of them.
But that soon became the least of their problems.
The splintering sound of breaking wood pierced louder than that of any other noise as Wei's heart constricted with fear he never knew existed. And turning towards the castle doors, he saw the hands of the dead, finally succeeding in their attempts, beginning to punch through.
Impossibly, the thick wooden doors began breaking apart, bowing from the raucous pounding that willed to free themselves from their stone prison. And protection became lost as a deafening snap pierced the air. And the wooden bolt that remained as their last pillar of strength, separated in two. A thunderous echo shook the ground beneath them as the two doors came crashing outward, revealing through dust and debris, an army of corpses staggering out.
And now the people were heading for the city, scattering in all directions in order to distance themselves away from the danger. Little did they know that going into the city meant the exact opposite.
Jiang Wei acted, pulling himself to his feet as the stampede of people rushed by him in wild hysteria. He watched miserably on as the remaining warriors hurried to bring up the rear, their swords and spears swirling in a vainful attempt to fend off the undead whose arms reached out hungrily for them.
Panicked civilians who stumbled in their desperation soon became victims of the undeads' endless famine, ambushed in overwhelming numbers. In horror, Jiang Wei watched as women and men alike got pulled down by rotting hands one by one, eaten alive.
Others took their chances by deciding to leap off the twenty-foot drop, disappearing into the dark depths of the river. Knowing the situation far from any points of authority, Jiang Wei pushed his way along with the rest of the terrified wave.
The distance closed between the living and the dead hoard following, who appeared to only move faster at the sight of the bountiful gathering of fresh meat. Hearing only his heartbeat reverberate in his ears, Wei turned east when coming to the end of the bridge.
He felt the intense heat before seeing the fire,choking on the thick clouds of smoke that came from the tops of burning buildings.
The dead sprawled in all directions after their prey, a few taking chase after the fleeing strategist. He cut a corner off the main street, disappearing into the darkened alleyways. A few people coming the opposite way shoved past him, unknowingly heading straight for his pursuers. Seconds later he heard their screams echo behind him.
Rounding a corner, an immediate hand shot out, grabbing hold of his shirt and pushing Jiang Wei against one of the surrounding houses. A sobbing man came into his sight, holding out his hand—a bloody stump that revealed the bone and marrow.
Jiang Wei's lips uttered a faint 'I'm so sorry' as he moved away along the wall, trembling at the gruesome sight. Hearing this, the wounded man backed against a house window, screaming out obscenities of rage, eyes of a man no longer sane going around in all directions.
And as though on cue, ghostly arms came crashing through the glass behind. Sparkling shard bits sprayed outward as skeletal hands appeared, grappling the man's face and pulling him in. His screams pierced the hot air as his hands gripped onto the window's edge, keeping himself from getting pulled in.
Jiang Wei stood there, frozen by the bone-chilling wails that became crazed with pain as the man's body began bending too far. The tearing of flesh and breaking of each bone caused the man's eyes to bulge wide as they bled, his cries becoming gurgled as he choked on his own blood.
Shutting his eyes, Jiang Wei only heard the sickening crunch as he only assumed the body got split in half, yet never daring to look as it disappeared into the darkness.
"Uuunnngh."
Jiang Wei immediately spun around to see three lean corpses limping their way to him. Going into panic, Jiang Wei opened the door he had stood against, stepping inside the peasant home and throwing the door closed, fumbling for the lock. He found it just as a fierce pounding from the other side sent him back pedaling away.
He stumbled back into the pile of debris that cluttered the wooden floor, the back of his head hitting against something sharp. White, hot, searing pain became noticeable before his eyes, blinding him as he tasted blood, feeling some begin to trickle down his neck.
And Jiang Wei's world went black.