Chapter 8

How long had undead been hiding on the grounds? Had they been present this entire time? Sneaking around, gaining information to report back to Wickham? How had they not noticed? Were all the Black Guard undead?

Someone gasped, immediately breaking Darcy from his reverie.

He glanced at his sister from across the room. Her eyes were widened with fright but they quickly narrowed, turning into a look of fierce determination. She held a musket in hand and he saw her discretely pull the trigger back, readying to fight. Her other hand reached for a nearby dagger.

He glanced around the room and saw everyone else preparing. Miss Bingley held two daggers she had been sharpening, the Bennet sisters were surrounded by ammo, muskets and other weaponry, and Charles and Jane sat ready as well, Charles with his katana and Jane with her fighting stick. Ashton grasped the hilt of his katana at his hip. His aunt didn't have any weaponry nearby on the platform, but she could easily access something.

The next several moments moved in slow motion. The undead were unusually silent before one in the middle broke into a ferocious growl. They all then began running into the room, their blades high in the air, teeth bared. Darcy jumped up and began attacking from the side. His sisters-in-law created their regular formation, minus Elizabeth, and attacked the front. Georgiana and Ashton picked off any stray undead that managed to make it past their defenses, while his cousin cowered in the corner.

Darcy swiftly decapitated three undead before kicking a chair towards another, knocking it off balance. The undead fell overtop the chair towards Darcy, its head landing near his leg. Darcy raised his blade and thrust it downward into the undead's skull.

He pulled his katana out and turned around quickly, sensing something behind him. Another undead was within inches of him and Darcy plunged the blade upwards into their neck, the tip of his blade ejecting from the top of their head. The undead fell to the floor as he removed his blade with a kick to the undead's chest. He wiped the blood from his face with his sleeve and surveyed the room during his brief respite.

The sisters had surrounded a small group and his aunt had a pile of bodies at her feet. His eyes darted back towards the door in time to spot a stray zombie run out the door and escape into the hallway. Darcy gripped his katana tighter and took off in a run after him. After he quit the room he realized the precarious situation in which he found himself. No backup. His surroundings open, leaving him vulnerable to another unsuspecting attack, but it was too late to turn back. He found the undead by the main stairway waiting for him.

Darcy slowed his pace as he approached; walking carefully toward him, his katana in the air while his eyes quickly scanned the open room. The undead leaned casually against the bannister with his arms crossed. The stairway leading to the outside below was lowered and those leading to the higher levels where the undead stood were clear of any living or undead.

The undead smirked at Darcy and said, "The infamous Mr. Darcy. We meet at last."

Darcy remained silent and glared at the undead man. He wore the Black Guard robes but appeared younger than was normally permitted to become a member of his aunt's sentinel.

"I must say, you are not as tall as I thought you would be," the undead continued, sizing him up.

"What do you want?" Darcy asked. He knew Wickham had sent him but to what end? He had already rendered the Black Guard completely useless, as was his primary mission he supposed, but why? Was their objective to kill them all? What worried him most was the baiting, and the fact that the undead blocked the stairway leading towards the upper levels of Rosings. He was attempting to distract him once more. But why? To buy time? If so, for what? What did they have planned?

"I have already accomplished my mission," the undead said, ignoring Darcy's question. "I might be so inclined as you tell you Wickham's plans, but it would require some promises on your part."

"I don't negotiate with undead," Darcy said outright, his eyes narrowing.

"Suite yourself," responded the undead as he wielded his sword once more. "Wickham ordered for you to remain unharmed, but I think a few scrapes might pacify your ego."

The undead kicked off the first step and soared into the air. He landed in front of Darcy, their katanas thrashing against each other. The undead circled around and attempted another blow at Darcy's shoulder, but he managed to deflect it once more. The undead then pulled a dagger from his boot and began slashing it wildly through the air. Darcy took several steps back in an attempt to avoid the sharp blade. He felt the wall at his back, and the undead pulled his arm back, ready to stab Darcy in the heart.

"What Wickham doesn't know won't hurt him," the undead said smugly. As he drove it towards Darcy the undead's eyes grew wide, shock and frustration eminent in them, and his blade forcefully impacted the wall above Darcy's shoulder instead.

Darcy raised his katana in the air and made a swipe as to decapitate the undead but the undead ducked and swiped Darcy's feet out from under him. Darcy fell onto his side and quickly jumped back up. The undead had taken the opportunity to run into the opposite corridor.

Darcy wrenched the dagger from the wall and swiftly pursued the undead once more. He could see him running several yards ahead. Stopping, he drew the dagger back, aimed, and released the blade. It soared through the air, eventually connecting with the undead's head, and sending him tumbling to the ground.

He attempted to quiet his breathing as he stood in the now empty corridor. His warrior ears could make out the sound of large footsteps on the floors above and he knew more than those five and sixty had infiltrated Rosings. It was best to assume that all Black Guards, aside from Watters, had been turned.

He heard a scream from the rooms above and remembered that not all of the parties had been within the throne room during the initial attack. The servants, Mr. and Mrs. Collins, and his mother and father-in-law were all unaware of the situation they currently found themselves in.

Darcy went in the direction of the closest room- the library- his eyes and ears alert. He opened the door and walked into the room quietly, his katana at the ready. He kept his back to the wall and waited for his eyes to adjust in the dim light.

"What's going on?" a quiet voice asked.

Darcy sighed with relief.

"The Black Guard have been infiltrated," Darcy explained to his father-in-law. "We were just attacked by a swarm of them in the throne room. I expect another wave will come. Do you have any weapons?"

Mr. Bennet answered in the negative, and Darcy walked towards one of the many bookcases. He removed a book and a painting on the opposite wall opened, revealing a makeshift armory. He handed him a katana and spare dagger.

"Where are the others?' Mr. Bennet inquired.

"In the throne room last I saw but Parson and Mrs. Collins are still oblivious to the fact. I make for them next."

"I shall join you," Mr. Bennet said eagerly. "My wife has retired as well."

"Our best bet is to take the servant's stairs," said Darcy. "Follow me."

The men advanced into the hallway, Darcy taking the lead, his father-in-law covering their backs. The door was only a little ways down up the next hallway. Darcy pushed the door opened and listened. It appeared to be empty and the men entered, making for the next floor. He placed his ear against the door on the next landing. Nothing. He peaked it opened and again it was empty, which he did not expect. It seemed too easy.

Three doors away on the right was the room the Collins' were given. The door was cracked open and Darcy slowly opened it. He crept in and noticed the bedroom was empty. The sheets were all matted but otherwise the room appeared to be in order. He heard Mr. Bennet enter after him as he walked around to the other side of the bed. Darcy stopped in his tracks. On the floor rested the lifeless body of Charlotte Collins. Her face had been ripped opened and her brains were removed. Blood pooled around her head and splattered the side of the bed and washstand.

Darcy removed the white sheet from the bed and placed it over his wife's best friend. He offered a silent prayer for her soul before turning towards his father-in-law.

"We have to find Parson Collins," said Darcy, "and your wife." Mr. Bennet nodded in agreement but thought again.

"I think we should first find the rest of the group," Mr. Bennet voiced. Darcy glanced at him confused. Surely he would want to save his wife above anyone else. He thought of everything he would do for Elizabeth. This very moment he would gladly take her place to ensure her safety and Mr. Bennet was instead wiling to risk the safety of his own wife. "My wife may suffer from her nerves but she decided long ago that if it came down to it, my own safety was of more importance than her own. As much as it pains me to say, I must honor her wishes, and we have to get to my daughters first and then attempt a rescue. Despite what others may think, she knows when to remain silent when needed."

Darcy was about to protest but agreed it was the safer option than the two of them gallivanting through the house alone with so many more undead about. Besides, he was not about to defy his father-in-law.

They exited the room and made their way back to the servant stairs. Again, they met no resistance and entered the throne room in time to hear his aunt say, "I don't understand," as she glanced down at the bodies. Charles and Ashton stood near the doorway, ready for any additional attacks.

"Wickham had undead infiltrate the Black Guard and turn them all into his own subjects," Darcy explained, but his aunt did not seem to hear him.

His aunt began walking among the bodies, inspecting the faces of the undead. "I recognize them all," she said, "except for this one."

She pointed to a single undead, another one who had stood in front of the group before leading the charge inside. Darcy walked over and even though blood flowed from the crater in the male undead's head, he still recognized him. He flashed back to the day of their wedding. When he was surrounded on the road in his pursuit of Elizabeth with all the smiling undead faces staring back at him. Here was one of those undead. Why did he stand out to him now against all those other faces? Had he followed him back and been slowly changing over his aunt's guard since then?

"He attacked me on the road several days ago," Darcy said. "One of many others."

The others, he thought, remembering Mrs. Bennet, Parson Collins and the servants. They had so little time.

"We have to alert everyone else. Caroline and Georgiana, go down to the kitchens and tell the servants that Rosings has been taken over. Use the back exit. Georgiana, accompany them to the chapel to wait and Caroline, run to the stables and tell the remaining militia the Black Guard have been compromised," he ordered. "We will reconvene with you both in the chapel after the rest have been vanquished. Everyone else, come with me to find Parson Collins and Mrs. Bennet." He grabbed another dagger and began to walk towards the door once more.

"What about Charlotte?" asked Jane quietly.

Darcy stopped in his tracks and shot her a mournful glance. Jane crossed herself in understanding, and he noticed Charles squeeze her hand in an attempt to reassure her.

"Let's go," Darcy said gruffly as he turned around. He could feel the frustration rising in him. With the Black Guard now rendered useless they only had the few militia already on the grounds, the hundreds that would hopefully be arriving from The Canal, and those currently present in the room. Now they were hunting the very men that were supposed to be aiding them. Valuable time and resources were being wasted and he knew they had all but lost any advantage they once had.

Approaching the main stairway, they halted and stared down into the empty gardens below. No figure was within sight and it confirmed all the guards were inside Rosings. He motioned towards the lever at the side of the room and they made for it. Darcy began cranking the wooden beam around and around, closing the stairway. He heard a snarl and halted. Several undead guards approached and Mr. Bennet moved forward with the others, slicing them down with more grace than Darcy thought possible for his age. He noticed some similarities between his and Elizabeth's fighting styles. They both wore the same stern faces with narrowed eyebrows, eyes bright from the exertion. Mr. Bennet moved with equal fluidity, able to transition from one undead to the next without a break in his movements.

Three more entered into the lobby but Kitty and Lydia eliminated both with ease. Another tried to sneak from behind them, but Ashton sliced him to the floor with a grunt as Darcy finished raising the staircase. Now the undead guards were trapped inside and they soon would meet the Maker.

The party progressed towards the marbled stairway leading to the next floor. Upon hearing the snarls from the upper story, they broke off into two groups on the landing. The plan was for each to make for the outer stairways utilized by the servants and proceed up to the top floor in an attempt to surround the undead two stories above them. They reached the stairs with ease, everyone climbing silently. When they neared the door a shout pierced through the silence. Mr. Bennet pushed past Darcy and threw the door open with a loud grunt upon hearing his wife.

Mrs. Bennet was knelt in a defensive pose in the hallway, three undead Black Guards stood ready to pounce on her at any moment. Her cheerful demeanor was all but gone, and Darcy was surprised to see a severity about her quite unlike the usual gentility he had come to know. Mr. Bennet ran up the hallway, his katana shining in the firelight, and he rapidly sliced down all three surprised undead in one swift motion.

Mrs. Bennet gazed up affectionately at her husband. Despite her incessant bickering and Mr. Bennet's longing for isolation, Darcy could see they truly and deeply cared for one another. The moment was short-lived, however as Mrs. Bennet decided to reprimand her husband for risking himself at such a time when surely one of the younger warriors within the party could have stepped forward. Mr. Bennet promptly ignored his wife, and instead planted a chaste kiss on her mouth, silencing her needless chatter.

She then suddenly broke into another scream of terror. Behind her stood Parson Collins. His hands still grasped Mrs. Bennet's left arm. Blood trickled from his mouth, down his chin, and dripped onto the wooden floor below. He gazed up at the party and offered a sickening smile. His eyes did not yet hold the yellowish hue common of undead beings, so Darcy rationalized he had not been turned much before they came upon Charlotte previously.

Mr. Bennet yelled out in anger and ran his blade through Parson Collins' brains. His body dropped to the floor with a thump. Mr. Bennet reached out for his wife, but she held up her right hand, halting his movements. She began shaking her head in disbelief and tears began streaming down her face.

She glanced at Lydia and her face held all the adoration and love a daughter longs to see in the eyes of her mother. She then glanced at Darcy, her face changing, voicing silent questions and promises: save Elizabeth and protect her family, her most beloved treasures. He nodded in understanding. She offered a small smile of gratitude and then turned to her husband. Darcy could see silent tears streaming down his face now as well.

"You know what to do," she told her husband.

"No," he responded, his voice shaky.

"Don't you dare let me turn into one of them!" she chastised her husband. "We promised."

Mr. Bennet sighed roughly. Darcy knew all too well what he was about to do. Slaying his own father had made him cold and distant, and he did not want that same fate for this man. Mr. Bennet drew in a shaky breath and Darcy stepped forward, placing a hand on his father-in-law's shoulders.

Mr. Bennet broke from his wife's gaze and turned to face him. Darcy quietly asked him if he wished to pass the responsibility on to him, but Mr. Bennet refused. His respect grew even more for the older man, who seemed to stand taller now despite his slumped shoulders.

Darcy stepped back and Mr. Bennet raised his sword. He heard Lydia sobbing next to him and he placed an arm around her shoulders, much like he had done with his own sister throughout the years.

Mrs. Bennet offered him and everyone else one last loving smile before nodding at her husband and closing her eyes, accepting of her fate. Darcy always believed Elizabeth got all her strength from her father, but he could see that strength now echoed in her mother.

Darcy felt Lydia dig her face into his arm, not wanting to see, but he watched the blade rise up and strike her through the head, sending her body collapsing to the ground.

They stood there in silence for some time, each offering a prayer for her soul before Darcy took the lead once more. They resumed quietly up the hallway, and he knew the other undead surely heard Mrs. Bennet's cries and would be investigating. They reached the end of the first corridor and Darcy halted the group. Peeking around the corner, he saw a horde of undead Black Guards making for them. He turned back around and motioned for them to all hurry back the way they came. They needed more room to fight for a battle in a narrow hallway would put them in a severe disadvantage. He led them to one of the ballrooms they had just passed on the upper floor. Grasping the first doorknob, he pushed and sighed with relief when it opened.

His group flooded into the room and arranged themselves in fighting stances by the two entrances. The torches and candelabras were lit, showing the expanse of the room. The wooden floors would allow for easy movement and was open enough to permit the fighting that was about to commence. Darcy had once inquired after why his aunt placed a ballroom on one of the upper floors of her home as it was not traditional. She had looked at him those many years ago and responded, "My dear nephew, you never know when you'll be in need of the vast space within a ballroom. Besides, who wants to be traditional in such times?"

He turned towards where she stood next to him. She smiled, no doubt recalling this same memory as well and finally being able to be proven right. Mr. Bennet stood by the accompanying doorway, Lydia by his side, ready to eliminate the threat as soon as they tore through the entryway. He could see the pain radiating from their tense bodies. His cousin Anne was behind the rest. She was not as skilled as the others and he hoped, for his aunt's sake, that she would survive.

Darcy could hear the growls and footsteps of the undead as they approached.

"Make ready!" he yelled to his companions. He wished they had not separated for their five persons were no match against the some five and thirty descending upon them. Darcy prayed Charles, Ashton, and the rest of his sisters-in-law would not encounter any more obstacles to ensure their aid as quickly as possible for it was desperately needed.

The undead Black Guards broke into the room. Like the others, they all held swords and bared their teeth, threatening to turn or kill anyone within reach.

Unlike last time, they ran in and began a swift, planned attack. Some ran straight and others flocked towards the sides in an attempt to surround the few living beings within the room.

Darcy and his aunt fought back-to-back, and soon they had piles of bodies like a blockade around them. During a brief respite Darcy could see his aunt turn a concerned eye toward his cousin, who was struggling to stab a quick stepping undead. His aunt ran towards her, slicing down two more undead before stabbing the threat directly in front of her daughter. Darcy turned towards Lydia and his father-in-law. They too had bodies piled around them and seemed to be standing their own ground.

He turned back towards his side of the room and another rush of undead flocked into the room. Close on their tail were Charles and Jane, Ashton, and the other Bennet sisters. The room turned into complete chaos as the living fought off the well-trained and orderly guards. The floor was slippery from the blood and Darcy had more than once almost fallen to the ground after tripping over a lifeless body.

At one point, Darcy found two undead cornering him in one side of the room. An undead managed to lock his katana with Darcy's and force it up into the air, leaving Darcy defenseless. As he approached, he grasped the candelabra near him and set the undead on fire. They screamed in agony and he reached for his blade, which now lay abandoned on the floor. Using the hilt, he broke the glass of the window behind him and leapt to the other side of the undead. Grasping the candelabra once more, he shoved the burning undead out the window. Their screaming ceased once they hit the ground several stories below. The candelabra fell to the floor with a clang, and he examined the room once more. Undead were still scattered about but their numbers had dwindled significantly. His aunt had hundreds within the Black Guard, and, counting those they had slain earlier with those currently in the room, he expected another wave to arrive at any moment.

He turned around, preparing for his next victim, and paused upon seeing the Black Guard that had accompanied Watters standing before him.

No, he thought in agony.

The undead raised his sword and attempted to strike Darcy. Darcy hesitated and the blade cut deeply into his arm. He winced in pain and swung his katana in the air, decapitating the undead. He kicked the head across the floor, its mouth still sneering from its new place behind the door.

He glanced up and in the corner of the room he spotted an undead chocking one of the young females. He would have recognized the raven colored hair anywhere. Georgiana. No! No, he had told her to stay in the chapel. Darcy surveyed the ballroom, trying to determine a direct route to his sister, but there was still a wall of fighting undead between them. He would never make it to her on time. That's when he saw Ashton run towards the undead. His eyes were narrowed and his lips were pursed tightly together in anger. He dodged several undead who made to grab him but sliced off their hands as he ran. The undead before Georgiana was stunned at his speed and began lowering his mouth towards one of her shoulders. His teeth were hovering over her skin when Ashton's blade pierced through the undead's skull.

Darcy saw Georgiana throw herself into Ashton's arms before an undead blocked his vision of the two. He turned his attention to the new threat in front of him, and Darcy stepped back as the undead's katana sliced through the air, barely missing him. He raised his own katana in his right hand, pretending to make a strike, while his left hand rose up, dagger in hand, and pierced the brain of the undead guard.

Darcy looked about the room and saw his cousin surprisingly standing her ground, his aunt still within close proximity to her. His aunt had five undead around her and she fought angrily, striking all down within seconds. Despite knowing each man personally, her face remanded blank and indifferent. She had been forced to kill her husband after he turned and that event had turned her into the ferocious warrior famed throughout all of England.

Mr. Bennet and Lydia struck down the final ones on their side, with the help of Jane and Charles. Darcy noticed his father-in-law limping and Jane was at his side, helping him into one of the few chairs in the room.

Ashton was still by Georgiana's side, shielding her from as much danger as possible. He swiftly decapitated the last one before him. Kitty and Mary killed their remaining few and slumped against each other in exhaustion.

Darcy grasped his arm and inspected the cut he had received. It was beginning to ache and he had been fighting through the pain. Blood splattered his clothing and his black boots were almost completely red.

The next group he was expecting did not come. He knew there were at least fifty more Black Guards somewhere on the grounds and he glanced over at his aunt. He could tell she was thinking the same as she threw a worried look at the doors. Apart from their rapid breathing the house was silent. They needed to find them.

"We should leave," Darcy said. "Kill the rest now." All eyes fell upon him. "Is anyone hurt?" He eyed his father-in-law.

"No," Mr. Bennet responded as he rose from his chair. Their eyes met for a moment and upon seeing the determination in his eyes, Darcy moved on, scanning the faces of everyone else.

"Very well," Darcy responded after they all remained silent. "I don't know where the remaining undead are, but I want to get this over with as efficiently and safely as possible. Everyone wipe off your weapons and shoes and follow me, stay in formation. We shall continue down the main stairway. If they continue to follow the same pattern, they'll come to us."

"Brother?" Georgiana voiced after he had taken his first step towards the door. "What if they intercepted our plans? The rest could be enroute to Wickham with them right now."

Darcy looked at his sister and smiled, proud of her keen mind. "I hid the maps earlier," he assured her. "They wont find them."

He proceeded onward again and heard Jane inquire after their mother. He did not hear Lydia's reply and tried to ignore the soft sobs coming from the girls. There would be a time to grieve, he thought, but now is not the time.

They paused at the top of the main stairway that descended through the heart of the house. It was still silent.

Darcy stepped onto the marbled stairs and saw bloody tracks following him. At least the undead would find them. When they reached the second story landing the undead had them surrounded. They crept out from the now darkened hallways, and even blocked the path from whence they just came. The living all broke off into sections. Darcy ran down the steps, trying to disperse the undead, his Aunt Catherine, Georgiana, Ashton, and cousin Anne following close behind.

It worked. Half the undead had followed them to the lower level. Two undead jumped from the upper floor and landed to his left. He swung his katana towards the first, piercing it through the brain. He swiftly kicked the first off his blade and went to pierce the second, but the undead ducked from his path. The undead lurched towards him before he could attempt another strike. The undead's arms grasped his jacket and he pulled Darcy towards his bared teeth.

A blade pierced through the undead's skull and he saw Mr. Bennet kicking the undead to the floor.

"No undead will harm any son of mine," he said with a surprising amount of affection.

They continued eliminating the rest of the undead, being sure to pierce them through the brains. Darcy was making for another undead when a loud bang ricocheted through the house as his intended undead's head exploded mere paces away.

His face changed from shock to confusion as he glanced around the room. No one was armed with a pistol. Upon examining the room he saw the stairs had once again been lowered and that's when the intruder spoke.

"Well ye certainly found yerself in a situation, laddie."

Darcy smiled despite himself. An unexpected cavalry had arrived.