In an old derelict apartment, designed like the final stop for an old lady, a young man sat cross legged on a carpet, his eyes closed and his breathing even and slow. The air around him quivered, and shook softly as he released a potent aura.
He'd been like that for four minutes in total, seemingly meditating. His aura was not so potent before though, and had been more faint, like a small scent barely clinging to the wind. It was on the thirtieth second that it doubled in potency, and on the third minute that it grew more dense. It hung over the boy like a shroud, a vestige that sizzled the life from the air around him.
Lesley took a long breath and opened his eyes," Woah. Cool."
"Les, you're awake." Mel's voice sounded from behind him.
"Yeah, I...what are you wearing?" Lesley asked as he turned around to look at Mel, who had changed his clothes in the last five minutes.
Mel wore an old ebony t-shirt, with a ripped collar and once previously cream vest, that was now close to brown. He had on some dirty brown jeans, which had long ago been black. His hands were wrapped in his bloody bandages, and he held a cracked bucket, with a dusty bath towel.
"I went upstairs, to get these, for you." Mel presented them to Lesley," You...we were going to bath remember?"
"Bath? What are you- oh!" Lesley snapped his finger as he remembered," When we left on that day, to go and bath. You remember that?"
"I don't forget anything since we met." Mel replied and Lesley gave a smirk," What is it?"
"Nothing, it's just good to know." Lesley got up and stretched," Did you get clothes for me?"
"I tried, but only found this" Mel showed a blue tunic, faded green scarf and sneakers with holes.
"I'll take the tunic and scarf, throws those shoes in the corner." Lesley looked at the scarf and then the one he was wearing, " This one is darker, I'll keep them both though. Thanks, now let's go. I need a soak."
"Alright," Mel opened the door and they started on their way.
They passed a few battered zombies but Lesley just gave them a glance, thinking about how he'd get rid of them. They would stink up the place, well not that the place didn't stink enough, but rotting zombies smell worse than rotten human bodies. Lesley wondered if that was due to Aether, before his eyes trailed to Mel infront of him.
If he remembered correctly, Mel never stank like the maggot ridden undead he'd seen. He was no bed of roses but he didn't ooze nauseous fumes like a dead donkey. Lesley took a small whiff of Mel, but conspicuously, so as not to alert him.
He failed.
"What are you doing?" Mel asked him as they reached the lobby.
"Nothing, just checking if that stain is dirt or blood." Lesley tapped one of the stains on Mel's vest, leaning close to get a good whiff." Huh...smells like stale bread and dirt."
"I barely smell it." Mel said as he looked at his vest thoughtfully.
"If it's not alive, your senses are muffled right?" Lesley said with a tilt of his head.
"Yes, I can smell life but... everything else seems less clear." Mel looked around them," I can see colours but they are grey, smell things far away, feel little to nothing, sense the small and everything."
"Hey! That sounded really good." Lesley smiled as he hopped over a dry skull," You seem to be getting more sane, or humane."
"I like that you said humane but not alive." Mel replied after a moment of thought," If i was alive, I wouldn't be Mel anymore."
"It's okay, I think I get it. Living, Dead or Undead," Lesley sighed," You're not the same when you are in these stages."
"Did...I make you sad? We can talk about something else." Mel said nervously making Lesley roll his eyes.
"I can't get sad, not over this. I've got too much on my mind to get sad about." Lesley gazed at the grey clouded sky," It's getting late, is where where we're going far?"
"No." Mel replied softly.
The two of them walked on the street, amidst a throng of bloodthirsty zombies who didn't even look at the duo. But, in the shadows, two pairs of eyes gazed at them with anger and the other with frustration.
...
"WHO DID THIS!?" Mama V's voice screeched across the warehouse as she raced toward an approaching zombie and with a slash, decapitated it.
"We don't know Mama," A guard answered as he bashed another zombie with a blunt club," We just heard one of the people screaming."
"Ahhhh!" A guard screamed as he was overwhelmed by two zombies, and feasted upon.
Mama V stood with seven, now six guards, in the corner of the Shelter, where an open doorway, was letting zombies through. One would think that she would have sealed off a door like that one, but she hadn't. It was one of three emergency escapes across the warehouse incase of an outbreak or a breach. Apparently someone had used it, left the door open behind them, only for stray zombies to wander into the Shelter. She'd had to kill eleven bitten people when she arrived, and now, even her guard was bitten.
"Mama!" Yur shouted as he arrived on the scene breathlessly.
"Yur, I thought I told you-"
"Miss V is gone Mama." Yur said and Mama V's body grew rigid momentarily and then continued to hack away at zombies.
"What happened?" She asked Yur as her nails impaled a female zombie through the eye socket.
"I went to her room, but she wasn't there. I searched everywhere, asked the guards but nobody saw her. Last place anyone saw her was by the Blood Baths." Yur said as he watched Mama V's face grow darker.
"On my count, we charge fast and furious, whoever gets near the door first, shut it!" Mama V shouted and her men nodded their heads," One. Two. Three. Go!"
The guards drew all their strength and increased their assault on the undead going through. Mama V's vicious slashes grew more potent and psychotic, hacking limbs and gore. The zombies tried to resist but one guard reached the door and bashed it with his shoulder, shutting it and trapping the zombies behind it.
The remaining zombies inside the shelter were minced meat afterwards and after the butchering Mama V and her guards were covered in black blood and rancid viscera. Mama V's nails dripped undead juices, their talon like visage a testament to their lethality.
"I want ten men with me, we're going out, in five minutes." Mama V said as she gazed at her nails with an angry scowl," Veranda left through the emergency exit. I know it, so who's coming with me?"
A few men volunteered and Mama V gave a small smile. The men were obviously tired, and going out into the zombie infested city while tired would be risky, yet they still volunteered. That was true loyalty.
"I'll come too Mama." Yur said trying to get her approval too but, Mama V's smile grew sharp.
"Of course you're coming Yur," Mama V walked towards him and Yur felt a sense of danger.
Mama V gazed at him with wrath, her eyes filled with rage and barely suppressed bloodlust. She raised her nail and stroked his chin, like a knife on the man's throat.
"If anything has happened to her, I will gut you and turn you inside out," Mama V smiled sweetly," Understand sweetie?"
"Y-Yes, Mama." Yur quivered in fear and stammered. Mama V turned away with a humph.
"Alright, let's go." Mama V and paused," After I change from this."
The zombies hadn't all been unsuccessful when attacking her. She had scratches and her dress was torn in several places, and a lot of her bodice was exposed. None of the men, were embarassed though, since they had seen more than what was presently visible.
There was a reason she liked buff guards around her all the time.
...
"Seriously?" Ross folded his arms and frowned at Captain Rick," First it's one thing, then another and now this?"
"I don't know what to tell you," Rick said with a frustrated sigh," All I'm doing is relaying the message."
Martin shook his head as he put on his coat jacket," But this isn't right. They said two months, then a month, now it's two days?"
"Something is going on, besides the monster we're going to hunt." Ross looked at Liam who was reloading and unloading his gun again and again with a bored expression," You... have any thoughts Liam?"
"No, just gonna do my job and get paid. Nothing else really matters at the end, especially with the depression everyone's talking about." Liam replied and everyone gave saddened expressions.
Rumours had been circulating that a depression was going to hit the citadel and people were getting anxious. Especially Squad Fighters, since in the case of a depression, they would still have to work but for no pay or benefits. It was part of their contract, and personally, no one had ever thought the economy was at risk.
Little did they know of what was happening with the city council and the other citadels. No communication, external trade or aid had been happening for a long time, but few were aware of this. The citadel was on a ledge, and it was going to tip over if something didn't change.
"Well, we could always try it out as models." Martin chuckled," I've got quite the face for it, so my wife says."
"She's lying." Rick smirked," If anyone is model material, it's me. You see this face? I've got ladies lining up."
"Too bad for them." Liam muttered under his breath but Rick heard him.
"What was-"
"Liam do you want to go out for supper?" Ross intervened.
Liam turned his head and looked at him, his eyes slightly lucid and skin pale. Ross swallowed slowly, waiting for his reply, with rising apprehension. Martin was glancing at them from the corner of his eyes and Rick was seemingly looking at the report he'd read to them.
"Sure. What time should I pick you up?" Liam answered and Ross opened his mouth but was cut off.
"Well, hope you two have a good date." Rick said with a smirk," Knew it was gonna happen someday."
"Rick, too soon man." Martin said with a gesture saying 'be quiet.'
"8 pm, is that good? I'll send you my address on your communicator." Ross said flushed and smiling.
"Fine. See yah." Liam got up and left the room.
"Not exactly eager is he?" Rick asked with a raised brow.
"Rick, shut it. You know how long Ross has been-"
"It's fine. I'm just happy I got the nerve to ask... and he fucking said yes!" Ross jumped up and gave Martin a fist pump," You were right. Ask and you shall receive."
"Not what I said and not what I meant, but good for you." Martin chuckled softly," But, while you're out... keep an eye on him. He has been taking, and it's obviously heavy now."
"Huh... Yeah. I know. He told me a few weeks back, that he is not gonna be an addict. He was practically shaking as he reloaded his gun." Ross looked at Rick," Is he gonna get cut from the mission?"
"Nope. All squads are a go on this. Whether high, drunk or both. I think they think this thing out there, could be something big. I don't mean it's size."
"My mother used to me men would do anything for two things, love and power. I guess this is one of those times, it's a love for power. Going on a free for all mission, to hunt down an unknown target in the old city." Martin sighed," With a sizable paycheck being flaunted in our faces when we desperately need money."
"It sounds bad when you say it like that." Rick smirked as he got up and left.
"Do you really think things are that desperate?" Ross asked.
"Doesn't matter what I think, only matters what will happen. And, from the world we live in right now, I'd say yes." Martin smiled as he left the meeting room.
"Then... I gotta make it count." Ross looked down with determination and left.
...
In a dark alleyway, a figure walked with weak predatory steps.
The individual was tall with pale skin like paper, red eyes and bloody cuts all over his body. Adorned in tattered black jeans and shredded black shirt, the figure looked abysmally grim. His gait was slow, sluggish but not too much, infact for an undead he was very brisk.
Behind him were the sounds of groaning and moaning, and the unmistakable shuffling sound of zombie footsteps.
A small group of zombies were behind, following the bloody figure, like vultures. Before they had been his minions, but now, they were following him with equal measure loyalty and hunger.
For this was a High rank zombie, the same one Mel had faught to save Lesley and his Squad. After his defeat, he'd clawed his way out of the hospital, trudging the streets of old Greenhit. His strength had been swamped, his body heavily injured and like a wounded viper, he'd slithered into the darkness.
But, his troubles had only begun.
He was hunted by Survivors, weak mortals that he could have killed easily before, and to his frustration, he ran. He had been too weak to fight them, but the Survivors didn't care. They persuade him whenever they got the chance, so he was forced to hide further into the darkness of Old Greenhit.
He'd eaten some Low ranked zombies and two measly humans, but he still was not at full strength. The zombies that had been his underlings sensed weakness, and like typical creatures driven by instinct, they started seeing him as prey.
Which is why he was walking down the alley, looking for a place to hide again, now from his own kind.
The High rank zombie had never been more frustrated in its entire undead existence. Not that it had been undead for long, atleast it assumed so. It's mind was filled with broken fragments of memories, that it barely understood. The only thing that ever made sense was that it was Alpha and all others were weaker than itself.
It was an instinctual thought, a feeling like a faint memory of a dream. It is that feeling that had pushed it to evolve to be better than the Lower undeads. It was better, than all the other alley walking, groaning and mindless corpses around.
It had to be. Because if it wasn't, it would go insane.
So, with a cold as steel will and a hopeless sense of denial, it walked down the alley, looking for a safe spot. Just as it turned the corner, a voice spoke up, lustrous and inviting.
"Well, quite broken and bloody aren't you."
The zombie stopped and looked left and right, giving a warning growl that dribbled blood onto its lip. The voice sighed in disgust before a hand appeared from the shadows.
The hand was pale, even more than the High rank zombie. It's delicate structure showed it was from the fairer sex and a black lace fabric adorned it, along with minor sapphire jewelry.
"Come."
The High rank zombie instead took a step back, which made the voice chuckle.
Pitch black chains shot out from the darkness, as two ruby red eyes manifested in the shadows. An ethereal face, of beauty and deadly coldness appeared to match the eyes, who's depths were swirling with the vindication of the divine and the callous indifference of the powerful.
"That was not a request."
The chains wrapped around the zombie, grabbing his hands, arms, throat, legs, waist, head and wrapping him up in a black cocoon. Slowly, he was dragged into a pitch black void, while the red eyes looked on with calculative ambition.
"Mother, will this work?"
An innocent voice like angel bells rang out from the gloom, its owner unseen.
"It will. If your Eldest are still inclined to disobey and align with that Outsider, then a little bit of incentive will show them the error of their ways," The cold voice of Death said," Now go and bring 'It' to the place your Eldest was."
"Okay Mother." The innocent said and a tiny ball of light shot out from the gloom, vanishing from sight.
"It's time to see how badly you want to live, my children." Death said as the cocoon with the zombie faded into the void and the ruby red eyes shut and vanished.