by A. Eggleston
The chain spun around in the air. As the demon quickly shortened the distance between it and Ash, he lowered his left arm, directing the chain toward the Deadite. The chain acted as a whip, clinking in the night air as it wrapped all the way around the Deadite's neck. While the metal chain was constricting the demon's airways, choking and suffocating it, the barbed wire intertwining it was stabbing the Deadite's neck.
The demon stopped in its tracks and dropped to its knees. It screeched once again, this time in agony. The barbed wire cut through the demon's skin, causing blood to pour from its neck. The demon grabbed the chain and used its talons in attempt to break free from the tight hold, but the chain was wrapped so tightly that freedom was impossible.
Once more, Ash wrapped the chain around his hand, giving him a stronger grip. He pulled his arm back quickly and yanked the chain hard. The chain squeezed the Deadite's neck even tighter. Blood began spraying from the Deadite's neck, staining Ash's silver chain to a gooey red. Ash grunted as he pulled the chain one last time.
The Deadite's screams ceased. Its head rolled back, facing up to the red sky, and then further back so that it was now looking at the eleven demons behind it. The sound of bones snapping could be heard as the demon's neck broke.
SNAP!
And then, the wet, squishy sound of the demon's muscles and skin splitting came forth. As Ash continued to pull on the chain, the demon's head had been completely ripped off from its neck.
The head dropped to the ground and rolled on the rooftop. It left a trail of blood seeping from its neck as it traveled. The head finally stopped once it was in front of Ash's work boots. Ash, satisfied by his own kill, shouted, "Whoo! Damn, I'm good!"
The disembodied head still continued to howl and hiss at Ash, causing him to look down and look at it in the eye. He took a moment stare at its ugly features up close: Dark, rotted flesh. Sharp, sinister bone structure. An elongated jaw line, home to rows of fanged teeth. A bald head with long, pointed ears curving up, past the top of the head, resembling horns.
Ash placed his left foot on the top of the Deadite's head, and rolled it around for a second before bending his foot back. Ash then launched his foot forward, kicking his head, sending it flying into the crowd of Deadites.
Ash dropped the chain to the ground. He lifted both arms up straight into the air. His right arm was bent slightly due to the weight of his chainsaw, but he still managed to lift it up. Ash shouted, "GOOOAAAL!"
Angered at the death of two of their brethren, the remaining eleven Deadites simultaneously charged at Ash, Evelyn, Faith, and Steven at full speed. The shouted in their warbled, high-pitched tone, flapping their wings and raising their talons.
Evelyn steadied herself, pointing her revolver at the Deadite that was heading toward her. She bent her arm and raised her axe so that it was parallel to her left shoulder.
Ash reached for his Boomstick and spun it around with his thumb. The shotgun rotated halfway, stopping when the barrel was pointed toward the crowd of Deadites. He then raised his idling chainsaw, pointing the blades forward.
Steven tightened his grip on the Necronomicon with his left hand, making sure that it would not slip from his hands during battle. He spun his the handle of his axe with his right hand, turning the position of the blade so that it was facing forward.
Faith repositioned her stance. She looked through the sight of her rifle, locking on her, now moving, targets.
Two Deadites ran, side by side, toward Ash. They were determined to mutilate Ash from head to toe, and bring him to their Master as they promised.
Ash pointed his shotgun at the Deadite duo. He placed his hand on the trigger. He let them know that this would be their first and last attempt at trying to capture him. Coyly, Ash said, "Bye bye!" and squeezed the trigger.
BOOM!!! BOOM!!!
The heads of the Deadites on Ash's left and right exploded from the impact of the shotgun shells. They bled from the fresh holes in their necks, and fell dead on the ground.
Only nine winged Deadites remained.
One demon that had come from the far edge of the rooftop was now running towards Evelyn. It stood on two feet, standing upright as it charged at her. The demon's tongue hung outside its mouth. The slimy piece of muscle swung from side to side.
Evelyn pulled the hammer back, clicking it four times. It was now ready for action. Evelyn placed her index finger on the trigger and squeezed it.
BLAM!
The winged demon had stopped running. Its head whipped back, facing the sky. When the demon lowered its head, it was revealed that the bullet had merely grazed along the left side of its scalp. While there were large chunks of bone and muscle tissue missing, it was not enough to kill the monster.
Evelyn flared her nostrils and cursed herself for not hitting her target. "Damn it!" she sniped. She still needed some practice. She saw that the Deadite had picked ip where it had left off. The creature began running to her again.
Out of pure impulse, Evelyn raised her axe and began charging toward the Deadite. She screamed, as if letting out a battle cry. "Aaaah!" The dark-haired warrior-in-training swiftly lowered the axe. The quick motion had ceased once Evelyn's axe impacted against the Deadite's face.
The axe sliced across the demon's forehead. The blade cut through the skull and pierced its rotting brain. The Deadite screeched and dropped to its knees. Blood began pouring from the wound, spraying from the slash mark. The blood stained Evelyn's knuckles. The demon eventually fell to the ground, laying on its back.
Evelyn placed her left foot on the Deadite's chest. She pushed down and she attempted to pull the axe from the demon's skull. She grunted as the blade finally broke free. She took her blood-stained sneakers off of the Deadite and stepped back. She raised her revolver and aimed it in-between the demon's eyes, and squeezed the trigger.
BLAM!
More blood gushed from the Deadite's face. It was now dead. Evelyn felt a smile form on her lips. She shook the blood from her axe, feeling proud of herself for having killed her first Deadite.
Eight Deadites remained.
Over on the far side of the building, on Ash's right, Faith felt her arms begin to tense up as she spotted another demon charging toward them. She felt the palms of her hands begin to sweat. She hoped that her rifle wouldn't slip from her fingers as she looked through the sight and moved followed her target.
The winged menace began to flap its wings up and down. Soon after, the creature was lifted from the ground and propelled itself toward Ash. The demon raised its talons, preparing to sink its claws into Ash and take him with it.
Ash looked up and notice the Deadite was hovering above him. He quickly dropped down to grab his barbed chain. He stood up and swung the chain around above his head. Ash aimed the chain at the Deadite's neck.
The chain wrapped around the demon's neck, just as Ash had hoped it would. The demon howled in pain, but it did not accept defeat. The Deadite flew over Ash and curved its body to the side, turning counter-clockwise. It now flew away from them.
The demon was flying at such a high speed, that it began to drag Ash with him, as he was still holding on to the chain. Ash felt a brute force pulling him forward. His eyes widened and his brows lifted. He screamed, "Wh-Whoa!" as the Deadite flew across the sky. Ash felt the tips of his work boots getting hot due to the friction.
Steven shouted. "Oh my God!" He pointed to the sky there the demon was dragging Ash with his own chain.
Faith felt her heartbeat increasing, and her clammy sweat mixed with the cool night air on her forehead. She knew she had to act quickly, or the Deadites would kidnap Ash. She pointed her gun, aiming it at the demon’s head. She couldn't get a clear shot, the Deadite's flying pattern was too uneven to for her to aim properly.
She heard Steven's voice in her ear. "Faith, do something, they're gonna kill him!"
And then she remembered something that she learned from every shooter game that she had ever played. Every time there's a moving target
, shoot where they're going to be, not where they are. Faith aimed it just an inch ahead of the Deadite and pulled the trigger.
BLAM!
The rooftop rained blood from the Deadite's neck as it fell lifeless to the ground. The demon's body dropped in the middle of the crowd. The rest of them had parted, forming a circle of space as the corpse crushed to the ground. Its bones shattered and it organs collapsed. A pool of blood formed around the body.
Inertia had caused Ash to nearly fall on his face when the demon had stopped dragging him. Ash fell on his hands and knees. When he looked up, he noticed the remaining seven Deadites looking down at him in hunger. Ash let go of his chain and stood up.
His chainsaw still idled. The low hum was still audible over the rasps and hisses of the winged demons. Smoke came forth from the chainsaw as Ash raised it up. He leered at the Deadite that stood a couple of feet in front of him.
"What're you looking at?" Ash grabbed the handle with his left hand and rammed the chainsaw into the stomach of the Deadite in front of him. His chainsaw roared loudly as it sliced through the demon's ribcage and burst through its back. Ash could faintly hear the demon screaming in agony over the powerful roar of his chainsaw.
The demon's blood dripped down to the ground, staining the rooftop with a thick puddle of red. Ash directed his chainsaw upward, cutting the creature vertically. The saw sliced its ribs, to its neck, and to the top of its head. From its midsection, the demon had been cut in half. The two halves of its upper body were now separating, revealing the creature's inner organs, skull, and brain. The Deadite fell beside Ash's feet, dead.
Ash wasted no time in killing the next Deadite that was closest to him. Using a motion similar to swinging a baseball bat, Ash swung his chainsaw from right to left, cutting another demon at the hip area.
The monster's bones snapped and crushed at the touch of Ash's blades. It shook and convulsed uncontrollably as it was being sliced in two. Thick, dark, blood drenched from its lower body. Its legs were now red and wet from its own blood. The demon began to choke and spit up mouthfuls of blood, dripping down from its mouth to its chest.
Ash had finally sawed the demon in half, like the trunk of a tree. Once his chainsaw had come forth from the other side of the demon's body, Ash lowered his arm and reached for his pump shotgun. He pulled it from his holster, held it by the pump, and shook it down, loading it. He then held it properly, with his finger on the trigger, pointed it at the demon's head, and shot it.
BLAM!
The demon's head exploded as its upper half slid off from the lower half of its body. The upper half landed on the ground, its intestines and organs spilled out on the ground. As for the lower half of the body, the demon's legs bent, dropping to its knees, finally landing on the ground. The air was now foul with the smell of rotting Deadite flesh amid the night air.
"Yeah." Ash said coolly as he put his shotgun back in the holster. "That's what I thought."
Five Deadites were left.
Two winged Deadites in the far corner charged at Steven and Faith. The one that ran toward Steven was on all fours, while the one charging Faith was standing on its back legs. The both released a powerfully loud screech.
Faith and Steven noticed the attack, and began running in different directions. Faith ran to the other side of the roof, joining Evelyn. Steven side-stepped just a few feet in front of the door where they had entered.
Steven shakily raised his axe above his head. Fear had washed over his face. He began sweating profusely, and could barely breathe. Steven held in his breath as he saw one of the ugly creatures running faster toward him. Oh God, I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! He was frozen in place. He knew he should do something, but his body wouldn't let him move. He was paralyzed by fear. He couldn't bring himself to kill something so big and menacing. He truly thought that he was going to die horribly at that moment. All Steven could do was whimper, "Oooohhh..." and shut his eyes, not wanting to see the monster up close when it killed him. He heard the demon screech loudly, and then--
BLAM!
Steven opened his eyes to find a bloodied demon standing four feet from him. There was a hole about one inch in diameter on both the left and right side of its head. The demon was not moving, only letting quiet hisses leave its mouth.
He looked to his left, to see smoke coming from the barrel of a rifle. His eyes grazed along the length of the barrel, and at the very end, saw Faith lifting her head and smiling at him. Steven laughed awkwardly, "Ha ha ha ha..." and smiled back at her.
Faith lowered her rifle, pointing the barrel to the ground. "Steven!" she shouted at him. "It's not moving, kill it now!" She pointed at the demon.
Out of the corner of her eye, Faith saw the Deadite that was running toward her, getting closer. Without hesitation, Faith raised her rifle again, and squeezed the trigger in a hurry.
BLAM!
She hit the winged monster in the chest. The demon was halted, but not dead. Faith reached in her pants pocket for another bullet. She hastily grabbed one, reloaded it, and pulled the hammer back. Faith aimed more accurately and shot the Deadite in the head.
BLAM!
The monster was now dead and fell lifeless to the ground. It left a pool of blood, forming from the gunshot wounds on its chest and forehead.
Faith lowered her rifle again and turned to Evelyn. They smiled at each other and shared a high-five.
Steven was so lost in Faith's cat-like eyes, that for a moment, he had forgotten that they were fighting a Deadite army. He turned his head back to face the Deadite. Now filled with confidence, Steven raised his axe and hit it across the demon's head. He spilt the skull open. Steven lifted the axe again as the demon fell to the ground, screaming. He lowered the axe, again and again. The Deadite's blood splattered on Steven's jeans, his black shirt, and his face. Steven finally stood up straight once he saw that the demon was now thoroughly chopped and dismembered. He wiped the blood from the top of his lip, and laughed again, this time in relief. "Ha ha ha ha!"
Three Deadites remained.
Evelyn was busy reloading her revolver when she noticed another Deadite charging at her. She lifted her head to see that it was approximately twenty feet from her. Evelyn gasped and inserted the last bullet in her gun, closed the chamber, and pulled the hammer back all the way. When Evelyn looked back up, the demon was now only seven feet away from her. Oh God, no...
Faith stepped in between them. Faith grunted, "Ugh!" and hit the demon hard with the butt of her rifle. The demon was halted. Faith stepped out of the way and smiled at Evelyn. "He's all yours."
Evelyn chuckled and smiled. "Thanks." She raised her revolver, aiming it at the Deadite's head. She shot it three times: in the forehead, in-between the eyes, and the mouth.
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
Blood and brain matter sprayed from the back of the demon's head as it fell to the ground. It landed with a loud thud, finally dead.
Evelyn lowered her revolver, pointing the barrel to the ground. She looked over to her right, and saw Faith, with her back to her. She had her rifle laid down to the ground. Evelyn leaned over so she could see what was in front of Faith. She had her arms wrapped around Steven. He had dropped his axe to the ground, but kept the book in his hand. He returned her hug.
They were both so happy to be alive, and with each other. Both Faith and Steven were smiling from ear to ear and hugging each other so tight, it looked like they were trying to squeeze the life out of each other. Steven picked her up off of her feet and began spinning her around. Evelyn could hear them talking to each other.
Evelyn smiled meekly for them, trying to be as happy as they were. But she couldn't. Seeing them together reminded her of Cooper. She remembered how happy she was when she was with him. He would meet her at work every morning and greet her with a hug not unlike the one Steven and Faith were sharing. They spent most of the day together, whether it be at work on the weekdays, or playing video games and watching movies on the weekends.
&n
bsp; And then Freddy took him away from her. The bastard killed the only man she ever really loved. She will never have those precious moments with Cooper ever again, because of him.
Evelyn felt her eyes begin to strain from emerging tears. She fought them back as hard as she could. She didn't want tears clouding her vision at a time like this.
And at that moment, Evelyn heard that ear-piercing screech again. She looked up to see another winged Deadite flying in the air, hovering above Steven and Faith. It was propelling toward them. "Guys, move!" shouted Evelyn.
Faith and Steven simultaneously lifted their heads up to see the demon flying over them. Their hug was broken and they both backed up as far as they could.
The demon closed in on Steven and lifted its clawed hands above its head. The demon used its talons to grab a hold of Steven's shoulders, and then flapped its wings, lifting him off of the ground.
Steven screamed at the top of his lungs. He wondered why the Deadite was trying to capture him. I thought these guys wanted Ash. Why me? And then he remembered. He was still holding the book. Freddy wanted the Necronomicon more than anything.
He could hear Faith shouting. "Steven, no!"
Steven began to whimper again, when he felt a hand grab him by his ankle. "Wha--?" Steven muttered. He looked down below him to see Ash holding on to Steven's ankle.
"I got ya!" shouted Ash.
Steven looked back up at the Deadite holding him captive. The demon was straining to keep flapping its wings. The weight of having both Steven and Ash to carry was too much for it. It began to slow its flight and lower down.
Ash pulled out his Boomstick from the holster across his back. He shouted at Steven. "Don't move!" Ash aimed the double-barrels at the demon's head, and squeezed the trigger.
BLAM!
The demon's head exploded from the close range of the shotgun shells. Its body, along with Steven and Ash, fell on the ground.
They both fell on their backs, landing on the rooftop. Their bodies were sore and their bones were vibrating from the fall. Faith ran over to Steven and held her hand out, offering to lift Steven up.
