by A. Eggleston
He prayed that it was just a delusion.
As the years have gone by, Ash had upped his artillery than just his trusty chainsaw and shotgun. Tonight, he brought with him yet another shotgun, this one manufactured by Beretta. This particular one was a pump action shotgun with a single eighteen-inch barrel, and a matte black finish. He had also kept a 9mm pistol in his shoulder strap, under his jacket. They were much sleeker than what he had been used to. Ash took his job seriously, which meant occasionally trading his bulky chainsaw for something lightweight.
His knuckles and his wrists grew numb from gripping the steering wheel for all that time. His back and neck became sore, and his eyes began to flutter from the sheer monotony of it all. Ash readjusted himself and wiggled his fingers to loosen himself up. Just then, it was only faintly, but Ash heard a low growl. It came from his left. His ear twitched at the sound of it. It sounded feral, but at the same time otherwordly.
He looked outside the windshield to see a tall, slender Deadite hiding near the gates beside the overpass. Even though it was dark outside, Ash's headlights permitted him to glance at his hideous facial features. The demon had a ripped and bloody T-shirt and jeans on. They were minor cuts, he'd probably gotten them from fighting off some other Deadite who had infected the poor man. He had long, ratty, black hair down to his elbows. The creases in his eyes were perversely deep and sunken, framing his dead, milky eyes. His jaw had elongated and hung open. Ash could see how his mouth had rotted from the inside out, his gums and tongue were black and slimy, while his teeth were yellow. His teeth were also large, misshapen, and stuck out in every direction, like a crocodile's.
Ash slowed his car down to about ten miles per hour. He quickly reached over to the passenger seat and grabbed his pump shotgun. He looked back to make sure the demon had not disappeared from view. He was still there, his gooey, salivating tongue sweeping side to side on the corners of his mouth, relishing the thought of eating Ash's soul, his pure and powerful soul. The undead menace sprinted forward towards Ash. With his right hand on the steering wheel, and the left holding the shotgun outside the window, the dark haired demon slayer pulled the trigger, and blasted a hole in the Deadite's head.
BLAM!
Blood, flesh, and brains shot out from the back of the demon's head like confetti. The demon's blood splattered in blotchy patches against the railing behind him. He instantly
dropped to the ground, permanently dead.
His arm still outside the window, Ash grabbed his shotgun by the pump, shook it down, cocking it. A coy grin surfaced on his face. He laughed to himself. "That's what I'm talkin' about!" he yelled. As he drove further, Ash spotted two more Deadites ahead of him, one on his left, and the other on his right. The one on Ash's left was a woman, brunette, probably in her twenties. She wore a purple silk nightgown that cut off just above her knee. Her skin was dark and her hair had soft curls that came down to her shoulders. You could tell that she had been a beautiful woman before she came across whatever vicious Deadite that poisoned her. If she hadn't been possessed, she would have been the perfect woman for him.
Too bad the good ones are always taken...or possessed.
Her face, however, had been mangled. The corners of her mouth were contorted, curving upward into a bloody, demented smile. She had cuts that went vertically across her eyes. They sliced away her eyelids and caused her to bleed black and green blood from her sockets. She stared at Ash, twisting and stroking her hair, smiling her perverted smile. Her hands were dirty, and her nails were rotted and covered in dried blood.
Ash aimed his shotgun at the flirtatious Deadite. "Sorry, babe." he said as he drove closer towards the demon. "I'm not that desperate." Ash pulled the trigger.
BLAM!
The demon woman's smiling face had now been obliterated. Her meaty flesh, skeleton fragments, and everything that had been contained inside it, sprayed everywhere. The impact from the blast caused her to be knocked back. She flipped over the metal railings and fell thirty feet on a boxcar, ricocheting onto the rocky ground.
Next, was the Deadite on his right. This one had rotted significantly. His skin had a blue-ish coloration all over him. He had no mouth, only gums and bloody teeth. The right side of his face had somehow been ripped or bitten off, allowing Ash to see part of his skull. He also had a large chunk of flesh removed from the right side of his chest, leaving his ribcage and lung exposed. Ash observed his lung expanding and contracting as the demon snarled furiously at him. The demon hissed in a low voice. "Coming for you!" he snarled.
"Hey, ugly!" Ash yelled out to the demon.
The Deadite snarled at him again, daring him.
Ash reached for the 9mm pistol in holster under his jacket, and aimed straight at the hideous monster. Ash grinned and cocked his chin upward. "How 'bout a little superior firepower?" he said. Ash shot out the passenger window, putting a bullet hole in the Deadite's forehead.
BLAM!
The demon dropped down to his knees, and finally flat on his face, dead.
Ash sped up and put the gun back in its holster. He didn't bother with discarding the bodies. As soon as the sun would rise, the corpses would immediately disintegrate to mere dust. No one would ever think to look twice at the scene. At least these Deadites did something that made Ash's job a little easier.
He eventually took the exit off the overpass, and was about to head home when he spotted something illuminated from the far edge of his headlights. It looked like a body,
or maybe two. Ash screeched his car to a halt and stared at the bodies. It was a woman hunched over the body of a man, who looked like he was dead. He couldn't see her face as her back was turned to him. As always, Ash expected the worse, so before he got out of the car, he made sure his 9mm was loaded and ready to go. He stepped out of the car, and slammed the door.
Ash walked slowly to the woman, his metal hand under his jacket ready to attack at any second. He could have been completely wrong.
Maybe these two are just innocent people. Ash thought. And, maybe this guy fell victim to a violent crime...or worse, a Deadite.
If that was the case, Ash needed to get the woman out of there quickly.
When he was just a few feet away from her, Ash stopped and planted his feet to the ground. He lowered his head, trying to catch a glimpse of her face, but she turned away whenever Ash looked at her. He tried to sound calm and reassuring for her. "Come on," he said, trying to lead her away from the dead body. "Miss, it's not safe for you to be out here. I know it's hard to leave him behind, but you have to get outta here before one of these things gets to you too."
Ash took another step forward and put his hand on her shoulder. He could now get a much better look at the young man. His eyes grazed past her and looked at the corpse. There wasn't a spot on him that wasn't covered in blood. His cadaver eyes looked up at the sky, lifeless and empty. His mouth was opened slightly, with streaks of his blood tracing from the corners. As Ash looked over to his midsection, he saw that the man's stomach and chest had been ripped open. His shredded flesh pointed up and out, like bark from a dead tree. His insides were empty, no bones, no lungs, and no heart. Ash was no stranger to this kind of image, but it still sometimes made his face stiffen in disgust. Ash was only human, after all.
The woman finally spoke, but her body stayed in the same crouched position. "I'm so glad that you found me." she said in a scared, timid voice. "I didn't know what I was going to do." Her hand moved slowly to meet Ash's, which still rested on her shoulder. Ash eyes darted at the woman's hand. He saw a gold band that resembled an engagement ring.
Yet another future ruined by those damned Deadites. Ash thought.
Ash felt a wetness on his hand. As he looked closer, he saw that the her hand was drenched in blood.
It was the man's blood.
The woman yelled in a scratchy, witch-like voice. "BECAUSE I'M HUNGRY FOR SECONDS!!!" She gripped Ash's hand tight like a vice and twisted it until the bone his wrist made a cracking noise.
Ash screamed in pain. The woman whipped around and revealed her face to him. She was indeed a Deadite. Her skin was a sickly green color and her eyes were as white as ping-pong balls. She had stringy, blue, pulsating veins streaked across her entire face. Bright, crimson blood was dripping from her mouth down to the bottom of her shirt.
The sharp pain in his wrist caused him to fall to his knees. The twisting agony raced up and down his forearm. These demons have been known to possess the strength of ten men. The woman stood up straight. "You grow weak." she bellowed. "And as your
strength slowly fades away, it only makes it easier for him to enter the world of the living." In the blink of an eye, the demonic entity hunched over Ash, making her close enough for him to smell the rotting flesh of her latest victim on her breath. "You are nothing but a vessel. A gateway!" she said. Blood spat out of her mouth as she spoke. "When the Dark One is free, the Chosen One..." she moaned at the thought of what she said next. "...shall DIE!"
Ash grimaced. He mentally blocked the stinging pain in his arm and reached for his gun with his metal hand. "Well, I got news for you, she-bitch." he said to the Deadite. "I don't go down without a fight." He pulled out the 9mm and shot the woman in the head. The impact from the bullet caused blood to spray out like a garden hose. Some of the blood splattered on Ash's face, on his jacket, and his white work shirt.
Ash stood back up and moved his wrist around. It still hurt, but he knew the pain would subside later on. He looked at the red spots on his shirt. He realized that maybe white wasn't a suitable color for Deadite slaying Ash turned around to go grab a rag in the car to wipe his face.
Suddenly, he felt something grab him by the ankle. Ash turned back around and saw that it was the young man who, only a minute ago, was cold and dead. The man howled, and in a chorus of voices said, "WE'LL SWALLOW YOUR SOUL!!"
"Yeah," Ash said as he pointed his gun at the Deadite. "like I haven't heard that before." Ash squeezed the trigger and...
BLAM!
It was "Game Over" for Steven when Cooper shot him to death during a "Call of Duty" multiplayer match. Steven was certain he was going to win that time. He had it all planned out. He was going to crouch beside the ruins of a broken down building and shoot an unsuspecting Cooper with a sniper, until he shot Steven in the back of the head before he could even hide.
Cooper raised his hands in victory. "Whoo!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. He stared at the television screen, completely oblivious to the dirty look Steven was giving him.
Steven threw his controller on the couch cushion beside him. "Dang it!" he said. His nostril's flared and his lips pursed like he had just eaten a lemon.
Cooper turned to his left to face Steven. "Ha ha!" he taunted him. "Got you that time, bitch!" Cooper started moving his hands, dancing on the couch. He started to sing to himself. "That's how I roll, that's how I get all the ladies. That's how I roll, that's how I get all the ladies..."
Evelyn, Jill, and Faith stood beside the entryway, watching the guys play their game, and look like idiots doing it. Evelyn nodded in disapproval as she watched Cooper taunt his friends. "Does he ever shut up?" Jill asked her.
"Not really, no." Evelyn said. She subtly pointed at Cooper, and said to both Jill and Faith. "You know, if this were a horror movie, he'd be the first one to die." The girls laughed at the thought of Cooper getting his comeuppance, all the while watching his victory dance.
Chapter Ten
Evelyn and Jill couldn't help but laugh the idiotic display of cheesy masculinity being shown before them. They both leaned back by the wall, acting as bystanders to the party going on around them. Evelyn kept her eyes locked on Cooper as he did his little dance.
Yeah, he's kind of hard to deal with sometimes. She thought, recalling back to the incident earlier that day. But, I know he's just trying to look out for me.
Evelyn looked over to Jill, who know was scrolling through messages on her phone.
I guess the entertainment around here didn't meet up to her standards. Evelyn thought.
As she turned to her right, Evelyn noticed that Faith was absent from the room.
That's funny. She thought. She was here a minute ago. She looked around, trying to spot her among the barrage of people. Evelyn looked around the living room, and she leaned over to peer in the hallway across from her. She had no such luck. Evelyn was about to lean over to Jill and ask where Faith might have gone, when she felt a slight push
on her shoulder. Evelyn quickly looked back to her right and saw that Faith had already made her way past Evelyn, and strode towards the couch where Cooper was finishing up his victory song.
"That's how I roll, that's how I get all the ladies. That's how I roll, that's how I get all the ladies..." Cooper danced in his seat, waving his arms in front of him.
Steven had become frustrated at this point. He desperately wanted Cooper to lose just once. He brushed his brown, choppy hair back with his hands. "Shut up!" he yelled at Cooper. "This happens every time we play, man!"
Kyle sat up from the couch cushion. “You two take this stuff way too seriously, you know that? It‘s getting kind of old.“ He leaned over to his girlfriend. “Come on, Meg.” They made their way out, and away from everyone else. They held hands as they walked through the hallway and up the stairs.
Faith now stood directly in front of them. She motioned her hands to Cooper and Steven, telling them to make a spot for her on the couch. "Move over, ladies!" she said, confidently. "Make room for someone who can play with dignity." Faith playfully grabbed the top of Cooper's head moved him out of the way. She landed on the cushion, while Steven handed her the controller.
The level started and they began to play. Cooper looked back and forth between Faith and the TV screen. "I'll have you know," he said, acting cocky. "that my record for beating someone is like two minutes and seventeen--" Cooper cut himself off when he felt his controller rattle. He saw a grin appear on Faith's lips. Cooper fell silent.
But, Cooper thought. “Call of Duty” is my thing.
"And, you're dead." Faith taunted him. She jumped up from the couch and stood up straight. She danced, mimicking Cooper. "That's how I roll, that's how I get all the ladies."
"Oh my God!" Steven exhaled. "Thank you for that! I thought he was gonna do that stupid dance all night." he said to Faith. He was impressed by Cooper's notable silence. Steven saw that Faith had extended her arm in front of Steven, offering the controller back to him. His fingers touched hers as he took it back.
“Anytime.” Faith bent over to cup Steven's face in her hands and kissed him.
God, I love this woman. Steven thought.
The kiss lingered for a few seconds, until she quickly let go of him. "Hmm, I like putting men in their place." she said. She turned around to walk off. The flannel shirt tied around her waist twirled as she swayed her hips and joined Evelyn and Jill.
There was a moment of silence between Cooper and Steven. Cooper stared with widened eyes at his friend. He was a bit surprised at what he had just witnessed.
"Dude," Cooper marveled. "I still don't understand how you got her." You're a nerd with emo hair, how did you do it? He wanted to ask him that question, but quickly retreated.
Then he realized that Faith was a bit of a nerd, too. Unlike Steven, who was as shy as a stray kitten when it came to women, she was just confident...and apparently they liked that about each other.
He slowly turned his head to look at Cooper, his face still fixed in an expression of shock and excitement. "That's how I roll," Steven said. "...bitch." He quickly turned back to face the screen as if it never happened.
Ash flung the front door wide open. The bright red, mahogany door slammed against the wall as Ash leaned against it for support.
I'm so tired. Ash thought. I can barely stand up.
All of his weapons, his chainsaw, shotguns, and pistol, were hidden away in a duffel bag he had slung across his left shoulder. The bag was worn with various dirt and blood stains from advent
ures past.
He slugged across the room, dragging his feet on the floor as he headed for the basement. Ash turned the doorknob and opened the basement door. He slowly descended down the stairs, his feet slammed against the steps as if they were made of concrete. The words the demon had spoken to him had resonated with him. In fact, it more than resonated, his own thoughts were clouded from the Deadite's words swirling around his head. It was like an echoing tornado around his head. The thing that he hated the most, was that she was right. He couldn't deny the fact that he was getting weaker by the day, and he just couldn't explain how.
Ash stepped in front of the workbench and set the duffel bag in the center. He unzipped it and laid out his weapons to wipe the blood off them. He reached for the gun cleaner on the shelf above the bench, and grabbed a old washrag from the corner. He was about to clean the blood from his shotgun barrels when--
CREAK!
What was that? Ash thought to himself.
Ash whipped his head in the direction where he thought the sound came from. He turned around and surveyed the basement. His eyes went towards the old furnace next to the stairs, in the far right corner of the basement.
CREAK!
He heard it again. This time he was certain that it came from the furnace. He decided to move towards it and find out what was causing the furnace to moan all of a sudden. It was so laden with rust that it seemed impossible for the thing to function properly. For the entire time that he'd been living in the house, he never paid close attention to most of the rusted and dusty items in the basement. If it wasn't right in front of him and didn't serve a purpose, it might as well have never existed. Ash stood in front of the furnace and kneeled down to get a closer look at it. Cobwebs surrounded it from the bottom. Ash stared at its rusted iron gate for only a second when the gate flew open in front of him. He was taken aback.
How in the hell...? Ash thought.
Ash looked closer until he could see the old furnace's interior. Immediately he saw that it was covered in ash, dust, and more cobwebs. He noticed something else buried beneath the dust, as if it was meant to be hidden away. Ash reached his hand inside to pull it out and see what it was. He brushed through the debris until he felt something.
