Shoulders slumping, he glanced over at the mechanical beasts. A shiver ran up his spine as Jack envisioned Natasha's head dangling by its hair from the saddle of the closest one. How am I ever going to climb onto one of those abominations if they continue causing me to see visions of my dead wife? "I don't think I can," he replied, hanging his head sadly.
"They're really not that bad," Katie said softly in an encouraging tone.
Another voice invaded Jack's head, causing him to not hear a word Katie had said. Looking around nervously, he tried to figure out where the sound was coming from.
Listen to her, my love. Think of these creatures, not as the harbingers of doom, but as a means to travel more swiftly to bring justice to those who brought about my demise.
Spinning around in a circle, Jack looked for the source of the soothing voice, which sounded eerily like that of his dead wife. Am I imagining this? He half expected to see Natasha as a glowing ghostly form resembling Amber, but instead was greeted by darkness. "Natasha?"
I am here, my dear husband, and will always be watching over you. Now go! Gather the courage I know beats in your heart and avenge me, my love. One day we will be together again, but for now you must do this so my soul may find peace.
Tears streamed down his face as her voice trailed off. Even though he couldn't see the others clearly because of the blur of his moistened eyes, one of the moons was beginning to peek out through the clouds. Jack could feel their stares burning into him. "No, I haven't lost my mind," he announced. "I've just been visited by my dead wife and given a huge shot of conviction." Strolling over to where Katie sat upon her metallic steed, he leapt up with amazing agility and landed behind the saddle she sat in. "If it's all the same to you, let's get going," he urged, his voice laced with a determination Katie hadn't heard in quite some time.
***
Cooperating for the remainder of the night, the moons of Desolace shined down upon them and lit the area well enough for them to make significant progress. By the time the first rays of sun began to breach the sky, announcing the start of a new day, they were ready to take a break anyway.
For one thing, Edward's horse was nearly to the point of exhaustion, but Brian had also urged them to stop when he had begun to get warning signs from his senses. They weren't the overwhelming, debilitating feelings he'd had back when they were dealing with the zombie hordes, but it was definitely a stronger sensation than that which the mechanical horses were causing. It was kind of like being tickled by an unseen hand, raising the hairs on his arms and giving him the chills.
As the group dismounted to get some much needed rest, the others began to notice something as well. "I don't know why, maybe everything is just blurring together these days, but I can't help feeling like this place is somehow familiar. Do you feel that way, too?" Katie asked in a hushed tone.
"It does, doesn't it." Edward frowned. Glancing up from the patch of ground he was clearing to make a fire, he suddenly realized exactly where they were and sat down hard on the grass.
"What's wrong?" Katie inquired after witnessing the slack-jawed expression on his face.
Instead of speaking, Edward merely pointed to a nearby fallen tree.
Following his finger, Katie glanced over her shoulder. "It's a tree, what's the big deal?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"It's not just any old tree, Katie. It's the one that crushed the three headed monstrosity from Haven. This is the place where we lost Mike," he told her sadly.
Looking again, she realized he could be right, but if this was indeed the place he suspected, then where was the mechanical wolf they had left pinned beneath the tree? Surely it didn't get up and walk away after they had left. "Are you sure?" Katie asked skeptically.
"Very much so," he replied, rising to his feet again and motioning for her to follow. "If I'm right, there should be some raised dirt not far from the fallen tree."
"You mean Mike's grave, don't you?" She hastened her pace to keep up with him as he quickly wove his way through the undergrowth. After chasing Edward for a couple of minutes, they came to a small clearing and saw that his assumption had been correct. Scrawny weeds were coming up all over it, but there, before them, was the unmistakable mound of Mike's grave.
Footfalls approached from behind them and they turned to see Jack entering the small clearing. "Is this the place you suspected?" he asked, stepping over to join them.
"Yes," Edward managed, his voice cracking with emotion.
"Then we must be close to Haven. Do you think we could stop by my homestead? There may still be some things lying around that we could use," Jack informed them.
"I think we could manage that. Right, Edward?"
"Sure," he replied absently. "Not before paying our respects to Mike though." Edward knelt down beside the grave and placed a gentle hand upon it, closing his eyes. Joining him, Jack and Katie crouched near the mound of dirt.
Katie tried to remember all the good times, though there weren't many, which they had shared while he was alive. She could still recall the day they had met on Earth and she had convinced him, with Amber's help, to come through the portal with her. At times Katie blamed herself for his death because she felt that if it weren't for her intervention, he never would have come to Desolace and would likely be living out a normal life on Earth. I wonder, can vampires become ghosts like Amber? She wished it could be that way, but somehow Katie didn't think the rules of the dead bent in that direction.
Meanwhile, Jack was reminiscing about his short time with Mike. Though they hadn't always seen eye to eye, he had felt a strange connection to the man. Perhaps this was due to them both being supernatural creatures, allowing an unspoken kinship of sorts to develop between them. He didn't feel as strongly about Mike's death as Edward and Katie, but was still saddened by the loss of a valuable ally.
Speaking softly, Edward stood, "Farewell my friend. I will not allow your death to be in vain. This is my solemn vow to you."
Chapter 14
Stomping through his chamber, the Black Knight lashed out, backhanding anyone who dared to cross his path, angered by the most recent news from one of his minions. Ever since the troublesome wizard and his friends had managed to escape the world he thought he had trapped them in, things seemed to be falling apart all around him.
The monitoring system he had in place was useless to him right now. Since their return to Desolace, the Black Knight had witnessed the destruction of the portal within Outpost 13 and somehow the group had managed to avoid places where he had his cameras tactfully hidden from view. He felt blind and helpless, which fueled his rage to new heights.
His once loyal servant, George, punished for his insubordination, was now dead. One of the Black Knight's minions was transporting his bones to him now, and he hoped to be able to control his wayward follower from the afterlife. If this plan didn't work out, he would have to find an alternate solution to his dilemma. The slaves he had installed on Cemetery Hill were beginning to grow too old to be of good use to him anymore. Their bodies, drained of their life force to power his army of cyborgs, were growing fragile and weak. Many of them had died recently because the stress on their internal organs had become too great.
Casting them aside like used up batteries, the Black Knight had them taken to an abandoned town near the base of the mountain. There, his minions dumped their corpses like bags of trash, littering the dusty streets with bodies, which were shriveled like dried prunes. At the rate things were progressing, he needed to do something quickly, before he ran out of his human power source. Without their minds to give life to his creations, they would become nothing more than useless scraps of metal.
Growling as he paced through his chamber, the Black Knight was tempted to consider outside help. Perhaps a trip to Earth was in store for him, to obtain another individual or two, similar to George. Although, not too similar. He had no desire to go through the aggravation George had caused him again.
First things first though
. If he could use his servant's bones to his advantage there would be no need of making a trip to Earth.
Chapter 15
Rushing headlong to the south, George sped through the darkness unsure of where he was going or why. For quite some time now he'd had the feeling that someone or something was following him, but for now he didn't care. He was too intent on finding out what, or who, was behind the irresistible pull southward. Part of him hoped the Black Knight was behind it, but deep in his mind he wondered if he would be a match for his power. Most likely not.
Hulking shapes approached rapidly in the near blackness of the night. Slowing to see what they were, George realized a small town lay before him in silent darkness. His first impression was of people sleeping peacefully inside their homes, but as he slowly moved through the town and between the houses he made a gruesome discovery.
Tucked in the spaces that separated many of the buildings were corpses, mostly female and nude, some of which were stacked against the side of a dwelling like firewood. While George admired the crude display of bodies, reminding himself of a time not so long ago, he was forced to ask himself ... How did the bodies get here? What happened to them to make them look desiccated like mummies? How long have they been here? And who did this to them? Has the Black Knight found a replacement for me? George's mind swirled with unfocused questions.
As he rounded the corner of the dilapidated structure something caught his eye. Tiny sparks appeared to be dancing near one of the corpses. Upon closer inspection he noticed the body wasn't human at all, just dressed in a suit of flesh to look like one. Underneath the skin-like substance was a metal skeleton, reminding him of a movie he'd once seen called The Terminator.
Cocking his head curiously, George contemplated the possibilities. Knowing in his current state that he could possess a living being he had to wonder, could he inhabit inanimate objects as well? Maybe even bring the robotic shell before him to life once again? It would be the perfect vessel to exact his vengeance upon any who considered opposing him, especially since it was one of the few male corpses he'd found. There was only one way to find out.
Not sure how to go about attempting to inhabit the machine, George acted as if he were going to lie down on top of it and allowed himself to sink inside. Within moments he was consumed by darkness. After a few minutes he started to grow irritated when he couldn't figure out how to join his consciousness with that of the defunct machine. This was not even remotely similar to what he'd expected possessing a human body would be like. He almost felt as if he were lying inside a coffin.
Thinking he might have just trapped himself inside of the metal shell, George began to panic. He tried to force his spirit to sit up, but found himself still engulfed in total darkness. Beating his ghostly fists against the void before him like a child throwing a temper tantrum, something happened. He wasn't sure exactly what he'd done, but a loud whirring sound began filling the air, making him wish he had hands to clamp over his ears to muffle the deafening sound.
All around him tiny, intermittent lights began to flicker with new life, gears started to creak, grinding slowly into motion. Sighing with relief, George couldn't help but laugh about the panic he had been feeling. Adapting to life as a spirit definitely had its ups and downs, and now he was forced to consider how to control the machine since he had finally managed to breathe life into it. If it worked like the mechanical horse he used to ride, George was screwed.
Studying the flickering lights for a moment, he looked for a joystick-like apparatus and found nothing of the sort. How the hell do I control this thing? His mind worked furiously, attempting to figure it out, when he happened to glance down and notice that his ghostly legs were inside the limbs of the machine, but his arms were still pinned by his sides as if he were a vampire resting in his coffin. Could it be something so simple? Raising his arms George stretched them into the hollow appendages as if he were putting on a costume and moved his head forward so it was touching the faceplate of the machine, much like putting on a Halloween mask. The eyelids fluttered and opened, allowing him to see the outside world once again. Everything seemed to have a reddish hue to it now, as if he were viewing the world through a haze of blood. Perfect!
Wearing a crooked smile on his face, which would have looked even more ominous had he seen the way it looked on the synthetic outer flesh of the machine, George pushed his new body up with his hands to a sitting position and then stood. It teetered briefly as he tried to gain his bearings and balance, but within minutes George was stomping through the abandoned streets in his new toy, determined to test out its capabilities.
Chapter 16
After scouring the area around Mike's grave for the missing mechanical wolf, Edward led the group further south into the town of Haven at Jack's request.
The brief search of his former residence was not very fruitful. They had to hold their noses just to make it into the house without vomiting, the suffocating stench of the decomposing cattle scattered in the fields around the barn hanging in the still morning air like a shroud. Once inside, they found the interior of the dwelling wasn't much better, just different. The cloying smell of decaying vegetables overpowering the underlying musty scent that saturated every inch of the place.
"If you don't mind, I think we will wait out front for you," Edward gagged and wove his way through the debris on the floorboards. To him, the search of the premises seemed pointless. What belongings that remained in the home were scattered about as if someone had ransacked the place, probably searching for the same types of things Jack was determined to scavenge.
Opening the front door, all of them except Jack stumbled out into the morning sunlight. Gasping, Katie gulped in the much less pungent air after holding her breath for the better part of the last few minutes. Grabbing the back of Edward's cloak and startling him, she pawed at her tongue with it as if she could somehow scrape the foul taste from her mouth.
"Stay here for a minute." He laughed, pulling the cloak from Katie's grip. "Let me see if I can find something a bit more useful for you." Edward disappeared around the side of the house leaving her with a baffled look on her face.
"I hope he's going to conjure up some mouthwash," she coughed.
Brian laughed heartily. "Somehow I don't think it's his plan."
After a couple of minutes they heard the steady clop of hooves. Edward appeared again, walking in front of the animal, leading it by the reins. "Check the saddlebags," he told Katie as he stopped in front of her.
Wasting no time, she flipped one open and dug through its contents, pulling out a strip of dried meat. Quickly stuffing it into her mouth she began to suck on the salty stick of beef as if it were a lollipop. "Thank you." She grinned, her voice muffled.
Brian couldn't help but chuckle as he followed Edward's lead and went around back to retrieve the mechanical horses. When he returned with the first one he snorted at the sight of Katie, no longer sucking the salt from the meat but instead seemingly with the entire piece stuffed into her mouth, puffing out her cheeks like a squirrel with a prized nut.
The door to the house opened and Jack sauntered outside as if the smell hadn't affected him in the slightest, carrying an armload of clothing. "Do we have room in one of the saddlebags for these?" he asked, directing the question to Edward.
Glancing at the large bundle in Jack's hands, he shook his head. "I doubt it, but I believe Jasper gave us some twine." Turning away, he began digging through the opposite bag. The one Katie had searched only carried food, but the other had miscellaneous, smaller supply items. "Here it is," he stated, removing a spool of twine from the bag. "Hold your arms out and I'll wrap them together into a bundle. It may not fit into a saddlebag, but we can lash it in place behind the saddle with the twine once we're sure the bundle will hold together."
Holding out his arms like Edward instructed, Jack watched him grimace while he lashed the clothes together, presuming his facial expression was due to the musty odor wafting up from them.
"Are we ready to head out again?" Edward asked as he tossed the bundle onto the horse's back and secured it in place.
"The sooner, the better," Katie replied with a smirk.
"Maybe we can stop by the stream near the old man's hut south of here, take a quick dip in it to get the smell out of our clothes, and say hello," Edward smiled, trying to boost the morale of the group.
"That sounds enticing," Brian added after taking a quick whiff of his armpits, causing the rest of them to burst out in laughter.
"This may be an odd request, but do you think we could stop by the cave near there and see if the portal we brought Mike through is still active? Maybe I can go through if it's still there and bring someone back to replace him," Katie pleaded.
A sad frown creased Edward's pale face. "I don't think it would be worth the time or effort," he replied, his eyes growing moist at the mere thought of his fallen friend. "I believe the portal was intended to unite us with Mike and Mike only. Its purpose has already been served, so it's unlikely the portal is still there. Besides, I don't think there is a man or woman alive who could replace him anyway."
Even though she was angry that Edward didn't want to at least check on the possibility, Katie nodded and quietly mounted her metallic steed with tears forming in her eyes.
Chapter 17
Turning in his throne, the Black Knight rubbed his long, skeletal hands together in greedy anticipation as the dark haired woman entered his chamber. "It's about time!" Baring his long, sharp teeth he grinned wickedly, saliva dripping from their tips as if he were about to indulge in a great feast.
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