Link of the Dead II
Chapter 4:
Aryll and Mila sat outside on a bench near Windfall park waiting for Link to come back. There was a long, awkward silence, and Aryll grew tense as her brother had been gone for so long. It was now the evening. Suddenly, the two girls saw Link staggering towards them.
"Big Brother!" shouted Aryll, running towards him, "You're all bloody! What happened?"
Link did not say anything. He simply fell to the floor and began to cry again.
"It can't be," said Aryll.
"What?" asked Mila.
"She transfromed..." said Aryll.
"What?" asked Mila, "I don't get it. Can someone explain to me what's going on? Where's Tetra?"
"She's dead," said Link, sobbing, "The infection she had not only made her sick, but it turned her into a monster called a Redead. She infected everyone at the hospital and now they are Redeads as well."
Aryll and Mila stood watching Link in shock.
"I..." began Mila, "I don't believe this..."
"Well you better, because if we don't do anything soon, this town will be fucked."
"But," began Aryll, "Even if Tetra transformed just after we dropped her off at the hospital, how did the entire staff transform so quickly? Most Redeads take over a day to transform!"
"I don't know," said Link, "But I know what I saw, and I also know that these fuckers are running loose in this city."
"I have to find my dad," said Mila, "I have to make sure he's okay."
"Good idea," said Link.
"What are we supposed to do?" asked Aryll, "Should we call the police?"
"No," said Link, "We have to find the mayor. We have to warn him as soon as possible. Mila, can you show me the way to town hall?"
"Sure," said Mila.
The sky grew darker as nightfall approached. The sky was cloudy and the air was cool. On a dark, empty street stood Pompie and Vera, talking.
"I've been so busy these past few weeks," said Pompie, "A lot's been going on at the Joyous Volunteer Association."
"I know," said Vera, "By the way, do you know who is planning on quitting the association?"
"Who?"
"Sam!"
"You're kidding!"
"I heard him talking to Anton the other day, he doesn't seem so enthousiastic anymore and..."
"Did you hear that?" Pompied looked around.
"Probably just a cat," said Vera.
"I guess..."
"We better get going," said Vera, "It's getting late, and my husband will be home soon."
The two women began to walk to their home. Suddenly, they were jumped by a man.
"EEK!" screamed Pompie, "What do you want?"
The man said nothing. He merely smiled, revealing his sharp, deadly teeth. His red eyes glowed in the dark.
"Who are you?" demanded Vera. The creature did not reply. It simply approached them.
"GET AWAY FROM US!" shouted Pompie, "HELP! HELP!"
The monster suddenly leapt at Pompie and bit into her neck, causing a large amount of blood to pour out. As Pompie collapsed, Vera began to run, screaming for help. The Redead caught up and jumped on her as well, tearing out a chunk of her shoulder. Vera fell to the floor. Suddenly, a group of men appeared.
"What's going on here?' demanded one of them.
The Redead turned his attention towards them. As they gazed into the Redead's eyes, they became paralyzed with terror. The Redeads immediately attacked them as well. Before long, the Redeads from the hospital were crawling all over the city, attacking anyone in their path...
Link, Aryll and Mila arrived at City Hall very quickly and opened the front door. A group of guards stood in the main room, blocking the path.
"Listen," said Link, "We have to see the mayor. This is an emergency!"
"You can't see the mayor without an appointment!" said a guard.
"But..."
"What's going on here?" Link looked up and saw an old man burst through the doors and walk into the main room.
The man was short and pudgy and wore bright red overalls with a tall red, top hat. He walked with a small, wooden cane.
"Are you the mayor of Windfall?" asked Link.
"Yes, yes," said the old man, "Phillip is the name. What do you whippersnappers want over here?"
"There's a crisis!" replied Link, "The entire island of Windfall is in danger."
"How so?"
"I know it sounds ridiculous, but hear me out. There are monsters running rampid on the streets as we speak! If we don't do anything, many people will die!
"Monsters?" asked Phillip, "What kind of bull are you feeding me with?"
"You have to believe me!" said Link.
"No monster inhabits this island!" The mayor then slowly turned his head to Link, "Unless...You brought them here."
"Well," said Link, "They snuck aboard my ship, but..."
"AH-HA!" shouted the mayor, "You did bring them here! Terrorist! How dare you bring these creatures to my beautiful city!" The mayor gasped. "You must be in cahoots witht hose filthy postmen!"
"No, that's no what I meant..."
"Guards, hold them down! Make sure they do not escape!"
Before Link, Aryll, and Mila could move, the two guards surrounded them and pointed their spears at them. They did not know what to do now.
"Daddy!" shouted a voice, "Hear them out, please!" Link saw a short brown-haired girl in a big purple dress come down the stairs and walk into the main room.
"Maggie?" said Mila, "Your father's the mayor?"
"Listen, daddy," said Maggie, "I know this guy. He's the one who saved me from the forsaken fortress."
"No," said Phil, "It was those pirates who saved you."
"The pirates brought me home," began Maggie, "But it was Link here who freed me."
"Yeah," said Link, "And now all those pirates are dead thanks to these monsters!"
"Quiet you!" snapped Phil.
"Just listen to him," said Maggie, "Help the citizens of Windfall."
"Alright," said Phil, clapping his hand.
A guard quickly ran into the room.
"Gather up the Windfall police force," ordered Phil, "Send them into the city for an emergency inspection."
Mila suddenly gasped.
"What's wrong?" asked Phil.
"My daddy!" said Mila, "He's still out there! He's working late tonight at the café! I wa ssupposed to go see if he's alright! Please! Let me go!"
"Oh, alright," said Phil, "You can go. This guard is going along with you. Take care of the lady, okay?"
The guard nodded. He escorted Mila out of the front door. Link and Aryll stood helplessly in the main room as the other guard blocked their escape. Soon afterward, they heard a noise.
"What was that?" asked Maggie.
"It's them..." said Link.
They all looked at the nearby window and saw many tall, thin silhouettes clawing at the window. Their hands moved up and down slowly on the glass. Some began to strike the windows. The mayor gulped.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Can they get in?" asked Link, "How strong are these windows?"
"Um," said Phil, "Quite strong. Arrowproof, actually..."
"Don't you see?" said Link, "This is the safest place in town. We need to get as many people a spossible in here! Listen to me!"
Just then, there was a loud bang at the door.
"HELP!" screamed a voice from outside, "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! LET US IN!"
It sounded like there were at least ten people outside, and the knocking and screaming grew louder.
"Should we help them?" asked the guard.
"We can't let them in," said Phil, "It's too dangerous!"
"Well," said the guard, "I'm can't just stand here and do nothing!"
The guard ran to the door, depsite Phil's orders and began to open the door. Link followed. As soon as the door opened, several dead, bloody bodies fell to the floor.
"Oh my God!" shouted the guard.
"Watch out!" said Link.
Several Redeads began to approach the door. Link and the guard worked together to kill them all.
"Close the door!" ordered Phil.
Before the guard managed to close the door, Link successfully escaped from the city hall and ran into the city. He needed to save as many people as he possibly could, but more importantly, he needed to find Mila.
Mila and the guard walked down a dark, empty street that lead to the coffee shop. As they passed by Windfall park, screams could be heard in the distance. Despite that, Mila and the guard said abosoloutely nothing to each other during the trip. All of a sudden, a figure stumbled before them.
"Help me," said a girl, "Help! I've been attacked."
"Stay here," said the guard, as he approached the girl. She had a large bite on her shoulder and blood was pouring out.
"Are you okay?"
"I...I..." the girl tried to talk, but instantly fell unconscious in the guard's arms.
"I think she's dead," announced the guard to Mila, "Help me carry..."
Just then, the dead girl sprung up and bit into the guard's neck. Mila watched in horror as blood sprayed from his neck and he screamed in pain. Mila immediately began to run away. She found herself in the middle of the city, surrounded by a large crowd of people. Everybody was running. She wanted to find her father, but amidst the chaos, it was difficult to determine where she was going. As Mila looked up at the people around her, she noticed many of them had bite marks on them.
A man right next to Mila was suddenly dragged away by an unseen Redead. Mila screamed, but continued to run. She then tripped and fell to the floor. A Redead hovered above her and she desperately crawled away. Before the Redead could catch her, a soldier came and killed the Redead, though he soon found himself surrounded and eaten alive. Mila ran as far away from the carnage as possible. She was close to the café.
At the game shop, Salvatore sat behind his desk, doodling on a piece of paper. Ju
st then, there was a knock on the door.
"I'm closed today," said Slavatore in a bored tone, "Come tomorrow."
The door suddenly burst open, and a Redead entered.
"What the fuck is this thing?" asked Salvatore.
The Redead merely growled and began to approach the game shop owner. He tried to run from behind the counter, but the Redead knocked him down. The Redead threw itself to the floor and attempted to bite him.
"HELP! HELP!" screamed Sal.
Sal tried to hold off the Redead. Looking to his left, he saw a small fountain idol resting on a nearby pedestal. He reached out and grabbed it.
"Get off of me!" screamed Sal.
Sal swung the statue, striking the Redead in the head. Blood poured all over Sal's face as the creature fell dead to the floor next to him. He stood up and looked around. Just then, more Redeads entered the shop.
"What's going on here?" demanded Sal.
He ran up to the Redeads and began to whack them all down with the fountain idol before fleeing his shop.
Meanwhile, in another part of town, Lenzo was running down the street, looking for shelter from the Redeads. A group of them suddenly jumped in front of his path.
"Oh no!" said Lenzo.
Thinking quickly, Lenzo pulled the pictobox from around his neck and snapped a pictograph of the Redeads, who were blinded by the flash. Lenzo ran past them and headed towards town hall.
Mila slowly walked towards the Café, which stood above Zunari's stall. Still shaken from all that had happened to her before. All she wanted to do was find her father and get out of the city. Just then, a figure appeared in the distance.
"Zunari?" said Mila, "Is that you?'
"I don't think so," replied Link, who suddenly appeared behind Mila.
"Link!" said Mila, "Thank God you're here!"
She ran up to Link and hugged him.
"Watch out," said Link, "Zunari isn't human anymore..."
"What?"
Link suddenly ran up to the Redead shopkeeper and rammed his sword into his head. Mila screamed in terror.
"Come on," said Link, "Let's go to the café.
Link and Mila carefully made their way up the stairs and knocked on the café door. There was no answer. Link suddenly kicked open the door and the two entered. Link walked around the room, holding up his sword.
"No one here..." said Mila.
"Hold that thought," said Link.
Just then, a Redead Gossack appeared from behind a nearby table and went for Link.
"Get the fuck away from me!" shouted Link, before kicking Gossack into the wall.
Link then swung his sword, slashing the Redead in the face, causing a shower of blood to pour out from his face. He instantly collapsed.
"God," said he was Link, "He's fucking ugly."
"AAAAHH!" screamed Mila, "HELP!"
Link turned around and saw Gillian, the coffee shop owner, appear and go for Mila. She wrapped her arms around Mila and attempted to bite her. Without thinking, Link grabbed an empty coffee cup from a nearby table and whipped it across the room, striking Gillian in the face. Mila managed to break free before Link ran up to Gillian and slaughter her with his sword.
"My father's not here," said Mila.
"We better get moving to city hall," said Link.
The two ran out of the café and began to make their way down the street. In the distance, Mila could see her father approaching.
"Daddy?" said Mila, "Daddy? You're alright..."
"Careful," said Link.
Mila ignored Link and ran up to her father.
"Daddy!" shouted Mila, excitedly, "I love you!"
Mila's father suddenly let out a growl.
"What the..." Mila stopped running and began to back away.
"Mila, RUN!" shouted Link.
Mila stood there, shaking, as her Redead father slowly approached her. Link ran as fast as he could. With one might swing of his sword, Link chopped off the Redead's head. Mila fell to the floor and began to cry.
"MY FATHER!" screamed Mila, "You killed my father!"
"I had no choice," said Link, "He is no longer human.
Mila continued to cry.
"Listen," said Mila, "I know what it feels like to lose someone close to you. Earlier today, I had to kill my own fiancée because she had transformed. I know it's difficult, but if we work together, we'll get out of this."
Mila wiped her eyes and stood up.
"Alright," said Mila, "Thanks, Link..."
Mila took Link's hand and they began to run back to the city hall. On the way, however, they passed by the potion shop. There was something Link needed to know...
"Hold on, Mila," said Link, "There's something I gotta do here."
Link ran to the shop and opened the door. Inside, Link saw many Redead corpses on the floor.
"I'm too late," said Link.
"Actually," said Bandam, "You're not."
Bandam crawled to the spot where Link stood. His arm was bleeding.
"Doc," said Link, "You've been bitten. We gotta give you the potion..."
"It's too late for me," said Bandam, "Just save as many as you can."
"Why are they transforming so quickly?" asked Link.
"I've done some resarch on these corpses," said Link, "The medicine they gave Tetra while she was in the hospital did not help her at all...Ironically, it made things worse."
"How?"
"The bacteria in her body are multiplying almost three times as fast, and now, she spread it to the others. Originally, it took a few hours to transform, but now, it takes only a few minutes!"
Link rubbed his head.
"It's all my fault!" said Link, "It's all my fucking fault!"
"It's no one's fault," said Bandam, "We all did our part to stop this from happening. Now, there's nothing left to do except survive...You're a brave warrior, Link. I know you'll do well."
"Doc..."
"Good luck, and goodbye..."
Bandam then pulled out a knife and before Link could do anything, Bandam drove the knife into his heart, killing him before he could transform.
With nothing left to do there, Link and Mila continued their journey to town hall. When they finally got to the hall, they saw an enormous crowd of people pushing their way up the front steps. Hundreds of Redeads appeared and began to approach the crowd. Despite the combined efforts of Link, the police, and even several townspeople, they became overwhelmed.
"Fuck you all!" screamed Salvatore, as he beat down two more Redeads.
"There's too many!" said Link, "We need to get inside!"
'The door's locked," said a soldier.
Aryll, who was still inside the town hall, paced around the room, listening to the screams and knocks of the townspeople.
"Sir," she said, "We have to let them in! For God's sakes, my brother is still out there!"
"We can't let any of those creatures in!" snapped Phil.
Aryll ignored the mayor and approached the door.
"Don't you dare!" yelled Phil, "Guard!"
The guard, however, did not move. Instead, he pointed his spear at Phil.
"We're letting those people in!" he said.
The mayor glared at the guard, but accepted the decision. Aryll quickly opened the door, and people began to swarm into the main room. In the chaos, many people fell to the floor and were trampled to death. Many of the soldiers who were fighting the Redeads failed to get in, but Link and Mila managed to follow the crowd to safety. The Redeads were just inches away by the time Link and Mila made it inside. Once everyone was in, Aryll and the guard closed the door and locked the Redeads outside.