Chapter Ten:
It's a Thriller
Benjamin clasped his hands in front of him. "Sweet Divine, deliver us from this unholy torment." His voice was nothing more than a mutter but the fear in his eyes reflected the terrible thoughts running through his mind.
Peter, or the shadow of Peter, shambled closer. His arms outstretched as if he were reaching for them. The wound in his stomach started tearing under the weight of his guts sloshing around inside of him. The pupils in his eyes were gone; all that remained was the blood-red sclera. His mouth opened and closed as if he were anticipating a meal he was about to eat. Behind him was the king, his longer stride brought him close enough to bump against the rabbit. The remains of Olivinder and Torvin were not far behind, snapping their teeth loud enough to hear over their low moans.
"So, Bard, why don't you tell me where the Sunburst Stone is? I might actually let you go. Of course your survival will just be a waiting game anyway but you know, it should be fun to watch your precious Zootopia fall to ruin." Bellwether descended the stairs, using her staff for support.
"No!" Nicholas smirked taking a step back, purposefully pushing the group towards the door.
"What did you say?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I said...NO!" The fox shook his head. "I can see a greedy glint in your eyes and it's telling me a whole lot of truths. You need that stone; ergo it's important to...whatever it does, ergo-"
A cruel laugh rattled the sheep's frail looking body. "I've always had a soft spot for Bards, they seem to be the only ones that can make me laugh. But that won't be.-"
"Oh, for Mordith's sake, let's go!" Aza grabbed the fox by the collar of his vest and pulled him away.
Benjamin had the door open already, bracing it with his shoulder. "This way, we have to get out of here."
"I...I can help you, if you'll have me." Judy pleaded, her purple eyes searching for any sign of mercy.
Finn scaled the baker fox's body to perch on his shoulder. "What? Why would we invite that torment?"
"I can get you out of the castle; there is no one that would dare to stand against me." Pride was thick in the bunny's voice.
"I hate to point this out, ma'am, but I don't think your faithful followers are gonna be up for a pleasant chat, if you get my drift?" Gideon pointed down the hall.
Judy followed his gesture down the corridor to the main hall, the green fog thick throughout. Bodies of the guards and visitors shambled around aimlessly, all transformed by the fog. A single gasp echoed through the hollow corridor. The shambling corpses stopped and turned towards the source; a lone bunny guard at the other end of the hall. They started towards the sound, slow at first, the closer they got the more desperate their steps got. Judy's heart sunk into her stomach at the sound of their armor clanking and wanton moans echoing from inside the guard's helmets.
"Oh my goddess, Bellwether took the all." Her hand cupped her small muzzle.
"Milady," Buja began, her voice strained through gritted teeth. "How about we strike a deal, fox? If you take us with you, I'll keep you shielded from this horrible green fog that will otherwise turn you into one of them?"
"Huh? That's a good point." Finn added.
Nicholas didn't respond. Buja wasn't even sure if he heard the offer. Instead he was focused on the bunny captain, tears welled in her eyes. Nicholas was struck by her empathy for the loss of those that served under her. It was a sign of true leadership. Nicholas touched her shoulders bringing her eyes up to meet his.
"Listen to me, Carrots. We need you to focus up right now. I swear to you, when we get out of this, you can cry your pretty little eyes out and I promise, I'll only make fun of you a little bit, deal?" Nicholas gave her a comforting smile.
"It's a deal." Judy whispered, wiping her eyes.
"Good, where's our stuff?" Nicholas looked to see how close the shamblers were.
"In the courtyard, there's a chest on the cart we brought you in on. You'll find your weapons there." Judy followed his gaze, counting ten or more of the zombies.
"To the courtyard?" Buja grunted.
"To the courtyard." Nicholas agreed.
"Alright, y'all. If we're doing something, we need to do it. We're drawing a crowd here." Gideon said moving closer to Aza.
The hyena was looking throughout the corridor for a way around the shamblers. Despite the large width of the hallway, the zombies were spread out. They were going to have to go right through them if they wanted to escape. Gideon could hear the grinding of the leather wrap around the hilt of her sword under the flexing of her hand.
"Alright, follow me," Judy drew her sword. "And if you can spare them-"
"I think we may be beyond that, bunny." Aza took a deep breath.
Judy gave a stiff nod, a grim look washing over her face. She touched the cool blade to her forehead before charging down the hall. Buja gave chase to keep her shielded within the blue sphere. The rest of the group fell in line behind her in an arrowhead shape. To the captain's left was Aza, wielding her sword. To the right was Nicholas giving a few practice swings before he was ready to engage.
"Try not to let them touch you!" Judy order as she stepped in on the first of the zombies.
One of her soldiers, clad in the ornamental platemail, was built to take heavy damage from an untrained soldier. However, to those who knew where to strike, the platemail was riddled with entry points easy to spot. Judy was one such a soldier, her sword moved through a gap in the plates finding its mark. Viscous red blood spilled out from between the sections.
A wolf in tribal attire moved in, faster than the others to close the gap. Nicholas, who wore light armor, was even lighter on his feet making him faster for sure. A clean slice took off the zombies head and arms, its body falling to the floor and sliding to a halt. The baker fox had to jump over the body or risk stumbling.
"Goddess, deliver them from their torment," Judy grunted.
With a low slash of her sword, it severed the feet of another oncoming zombie. There was a sickly crack from its head hitting the floor. Benjamin, spurred by the bunny's uttered prayers pushed him to move faster.
"Forgive them for their trespasses and bring them to the arms of your flock," Judy and Benjamin stated in unison.
Judy threw her shoulder hard into the hulking wall of platemail before her. It barely staggered the soldier but it was enough for her to pierce the soft flesh beneath the face plate. Aza managed to snag a zombie that was reaching for the bunny. With a crude flick of her wrist she managed to sever the thing's head before hurling the rest of the body at the wall of platemail that was still teetering on its dead feet.
"Ease their souls into the afterlife and grant me a steady hand to carry out your will." Judy's words heaved in her chest, choked by tears.
Nicholas saw her falter out of the corner of his eyes but he was there to help her. He wrapped an arm across her back and hefted her up.
His whispered voice sounded in her sensitive ear. "Ah, ah, ah! You made me a promise, Carrots.
Don't make me think you're untrustworthy."
She shot the fox a glance through tear stained eyes. "Save me from a weary heart, forever in your name..." She uttered, Nicholas felt her weight lifted from him as she was on her feet once again.
"Amen." Nicholas finished for her as they surged on.
Before they knew it, they trotted through the large open door stopping at the top of the stairs. There, in the center of the courtyard was the cart that Judy spoke of. The green mist was thinner now that they were in the open air but Buja wasn't comfortable dropping the shield just yet. Benjamin limped close to the Captain, resting his hand on her shoulder as much for support as for adoration. Finn was still clutching Gideon's shirt, holding on for dear life. Aza was the last one to step though, pulling the door closed behind her. She wasn't sure if the shamblers could operate doors but wasn't taking any chances. The hyena started down the stairs counting the handful of zombies that milled around the courtyard. They had managed not to draw too much attention to themselves and with a little finesse they could pass through unnoticed.
All of them remind quiet as they hunkered down next to the carriage. The only noise was the rattling of the Captain's plate armor but there was nothing she could do about it. Benjamin poked his head around the side of the cart keeping an eye on the shamblers that, by the divine's fate, still hadn't noticed them. Aza stabbed her blood soak sword into the ground at her feet before hefting the chest down from under the seat.
"Do you have the key?" Finn whispered, his voice was barely lower than his normal tone.
Judy, who was still breathing hard and working to control her emotions, reached into the pouch at her hip pulling out an old rusty key. Nicholas smiled and plucked it from her fingers unlocking the chest. His old bow and lute had never seemed so welcoming. He was quick to recover all of his things before moving so one of the others could do the same. Judy's gaze followed him as he re-position himself on the other side of her.
"Thank you, fox." Judy whispered in the most sincere voice that he'd ever heard from her.
"Anytime. You did good, Carrots." Nicholas whispered back.
"Now that you're free of the castle, do we split company?" She asked wiping her blade off on the grass.
The rest of the group exchanged glaces. Searching to see if anyone had any misgivings about them continuing their escape together. When no one spoke, it became a silent agreement, they were allies. For how long remained to be seen and that would have to be enough for the time being.
Once everyone was finished retrieving their items, they gathered at the edge of the cart preparing to make a run for it. Aza gripped Gideon's shoulder, thrusting the hilt of her borrowed sword into his hand. Now that she had her battleaxe back, she no longer needed the much smaller weapon. Gideon still knew nothing about swords, hefted the blade giving it a few practice swings. He'd already forgotten how heavy it was.
"This," Aza pointed at the sword tip. "Is the dangerous end. If you cut them as you would a loaf of bread, baker fox, then you shall live to bake another day."
Gideon blushed under the hyena's scrutiny, even her large smile didn't sway the embarrassment. The rest of the group chuckled quietly at the joke. A new air washed over them. Hope came in many forms, this time it came as a joke to lighten the mood. The blue sphere shuddered and threatened to drop altogether admits the buffalo's laughter.
"We must hurry, I can't keep this concentration for much longer." Buja warned, clutching the side of her head with her free hand.
"You heard the mage, let's get a move on." Nicholas fell in behind the Captain.
On a quiet count of three, the group burst out from behind the cart. It only took a second for the rest of the zombies to zero in on them and start their approach. The small group was faster for sure as they headed towards the drawbridge that lead them to surrounding hamlet. Gideon knew that once there, they would have to figure out a new strategy on how to get out of the keep. Unfortunately, that was going to be a problem for future them to deal with.