Liam's bat came down hard on the zombie's head and it split open. Again, zombie goo found its place all over the front of Caleb. He still had his poncho on, but didn't have time to put on the goggles, so his face was covered in red muck.
"Every single time." Caleb wiped his face. "Are y'all just gonna stand around and watch, or can ya give a brother a hand?"
"Oh, sorry." Using his foot, Liam pushed the zombie off of Caleb. He offered his hand to help up his friend.
"Thanks." Caleb caught his breath and said, "Man, they really upped the ante with the sequel. These zoms are legit."
"Did you see their eyes?"
"Yeah, man, they look possessed."
Before they could discuss the actions of the crazed zombies any more, a thunderous sound swelled from the jungle.
Looking around, Rhonda asked, "What is that?"
"Oh no." The expression on Liam's face was enough to send anyone into panic. The cause of the sound had just reared its hundreds of heads as a zombie horde was rushing towards them.
"Run!"
The threesome took off down the mountain trail in the opposite direction. Vines smacked them in the face as they ran. Faster and faster down the hillside. Over downed logs and under fallen trees that still had their roots attached.
"Over there!" yelled Liam as he pointed toward a cave.
The horde was gaining on them and fast. They were like no zombies they'd seen before outside of movies about infected people, who may or may not truly be considered zombies.
"Why are we running into a cave? They'll just follow us!" Caleb called back. He was taller and faster than Liam, and his long stride made it easy for him to cover quick ground.
"Trust me!"
"We're not gonna make it!"
Liam glanced back at Rhonda, the thunderous noise of footsteps growing louder and louder. "Faster! Come on!"
If Caleb didn't do something, his friends weren't going to make it. He slowed his pace. "Grab my hand!"
Liam grabbed hold.
"Now grab hers!"
The moment he did, Caleb ran with all his might, pulling his friends faster down the hill. "Hang on!"
Liam yelled, "Jump into the cave!"
"What?"
"Just do it!"
The threesome reached the area directly in front of the cave, and Caleb leapt forward into the darkness. Just like before, Liam felt himself being pulled through a portal to another place.
6
The three friends landed with a thud on the hard cave floor. Liam's face was pressed against the bottom of Caleb's sneaker. He winced when he brushed the dirt from his forehead.
"Is everybody okay?" asked Liam as he stood, thankful to not have the sounds of a horde of zombies pounding in his ears. They seemed to be safe. For now.
Rhonda stood up and stretched. "Yeah, I think so."
Caleb dusted himself off while looking around the dimly lit cave. "Dude, how did you know that would work?"
Liam shrugged. "Lucky guess."
"What? We were almost zombie meat and you threw us into a cave on a wild guess?"
Liam didn't back down. "Well, yeah. We're in a game, right? And usually whenever it's an open world game and there's a cave, it triggers another area when you enter it."
"How did you know the zombies couldn't follow us?"
He tried to hide his sheepish expression. "I didn't."
Rhonda grabbed Caleb's arm as he stepped toward Liam. "So, where do you think we landed?" she asked.
Liam looked around at the walls of the cave. Light, emitting from an unknown source, offered enough luminance to reveal what appeared to be drawings on the cave walls. Liam dug into his backpack for a flashlight.
Etching in the cave wall read: EMERALD CAVE.
Caleb asked, "You think it's full of jewels?"
Rhonda shot him a look. "I doubt it."
Warrior-like figures armed with swords and shields appeared to be moving down the length of the wall. 'Where are they going?' Liam wondered. He traced the drawings with his hand further down the wall. He cocked his head to the side at the white colored ground.
Rhonda stood behind him looking over his shoulder. "Ice?"
His hand continued to trace the carvings until it reached a massive lake colored in red. On the other side of the red lake stood a fire-breathing dragon.
"Whoa."
Caleb smirked at the drawing, "Let's hope we didn't just walk into that thing's den."
"Maybe it's trying to tell us something," whispered Liam.
"A warning?" asked Rhonda.
Liam shined the flashlight farther down the wall, but it appeared the drawings ended with the dragon. When he lowered the light, Rhonda said, "Footprints!"
In the dirt of the cave floor were footprints. Modern shoes, not from warriors or dragons. He knelt down to get a closer look. "Two sets." He stood up again. "We're on the right track. I can feel it."
He shined the light in the direction of the footprints. The darkness was so thick, the flashlight just disappeared in the vastness. Using the wall as the guide, Liam slowly moved forward.
They walked for several minutes in silence, concentrating more on not running out of ground to step on or walking nose first into a dead end. Or worse, a dead end with a cave beast waiting to sink its sharp teeth into the flesh of three teenagers.
Barely audible sounds from dripping water echoed around them the deeper into the cave they walked, and a coolness hung in the air. Liam had played many games where his hero had to traverse through dank, dark caves. Sometimes it was for a side-quest, where if the player took the time to do it, he would be rewarded with a bag of gold or a shiny new weapon. Often times, in order to get said treasure, there was usually a big, bad boss at the end waiting for the chance to send the hero to the Game Over screen.
He swallowed hard. He knew what game over meant for him and his friends if that happened in the game world, and he vowed to himself that saving Katie from the clutches of digital eternity was too important to screw up.
A faint but guttural moan from the deep darkness of the cave rumbled in Liam's ears. He stopped in his tracks. Rhonda, followed by Caleb, bumped into him. "Please tell me that was Caleb's stomach," he said, barely above a whisper.
"Not me, dude."
He hoped it was just his imagination, or was somehow a shared imagination between the three of them due to the darkness. He knew the darkness could play tricks on his mind. Not being able to see beyond the length of his arm brought all sorts of creepy images to mind.
Were there zombies lurking in the depths of the cave just waiting for Liam to notice them before they attacked? Were there some other creatures, tentacled and slimy, waiting for the most opportune moment to wrap their long arms around each of them to be offered up as a sacrifice to some sort of otherworldly god?
Liam squeezed his eyes shut for a second to force the thoughts from his mind. 'Baseball. Hitting a home run. Playing fetch with Shadow. Birthday parties and swimming.' He tried anything he could to think more positively.
GROAAAAANNNN!
That was no imagination. That groan was real and it vibrated Liam's insides like sitting next to a loud speaker listening to a bass-heavy rock song.
"Do you think it's a zombie?" Rhonda asked.
That sound was too big for a mere zombie. "If it is, I hate to see how big it is."
The rocky path suddenly sloped downward under their feet. A few more steps and the path turned to the right. As it did, the source of the light came into view.
They were high on a ridge inside the cave. Breath caught in Liam's throat as he moved a little closer to the cave wall. Below was a shimmering river. Reflections made the emerald-green water shine with a phosphorescent glow, living up to its name. The water was still. Light danced on it like a magical light show. Luckily, it did not appear to be filled with flesh-hungry creatures. Liam was grateful for the little things.
"You okay?" asked Rhonda. An acrophobic panic attack would not be good a
t that moment.
He nodded as he replied an uneasy yet confident, "Yeah."
Then, the groan again. This time much louder. They were inching closer and closer to its source with every step.
Caleb said aloud what the others were thinking. "Maybe the zombies have thinned out by now. If we go back, we can take 'em."
But they all knew that wasn't possible. The footprints, and more importantly, Liam's own gut instincts, were leading them further into the belly of the beast.
They rounded another corner and the emerald green lake opened up into view. It was breathtaking. From high above the water it looked like it was only a foot deep, but in reality it was bottomless.
Then, he saw it. On the edge of the water were Katie and Thomas, sitting on a blanket with their feet dangling in the pool of water. A basket sat beside them. A make-shift picnic in the depths of a cave. How sweet. Liam covered his mouth, fighting the urge to puke.
"I'm gonna kill him." Liam said through gritted teeth.
"Liam, wait." Rhonda tried to grab for him, but it was too late.
He had already picked up speed when he called out, "Katie!"
Thomas jumped to his feet, ready to defend what he felt was his.
Liam pulled out his nail bat. "Surprised to see us, Thomas?"
Thomas laughed. "You think you can survive with that?"
Rhonda and Caleb caught up to Liam in time to hear Thomas' tease. They shared a look that meant they were wondering if there was more to his comment than they realized.
"Katie!" Liam called out to his friend. Confusion set in. "Katie?" Earlier when she and Thomas went through the portal, she called out for him like she wanted to be rescued. But now she was in some sort of trance-like state void of any emotion. Surely she wasn't enjoying their little picnic.
No way. Thomas was controlling her. Granted, Liam wouldn't consider him and New Katie friends, but she had to have recognized that Thomas was a threat. She would have taken help from anyone; Liam just happened to be the one doing the rescuing.
"What have you done to her?"
Thomas took Katie by the hand and turned to walk up a set of stone steps that led to an upper platform. On it was also what appeared to be a dark passage leading further into the cave, or perhaps an exit.
"Now, now, peewee. Best not get too cocky with that weapon of yours." He continued to make his way toward the mouth of the dark passage. "Don't think it will hold up to my pet over there."
Thomas snapped his fingers and a chain clanked. It sounded like a heavy iron gate was being lifted. Then, another low groan reverberated through the cave.
"Liam, look."
Off to the side of the stone floor where they stood was a large iron cage. In it was a gigantic, bulging, mutated zombie! It was four stories tall and when it took its first step, the vibration traveled through the cave floor.
"Have fun, suckers!"
"Katie, wait!"
But it was too late. Thomas disappeared with Katie into the darkness. Best Liam could figure was that it was another portal, or doorway, leading to another in-game setting. He took off after them. As he tried to run through the doorway, he slammed into an invisible force field. He bounced back, landing on his butt.
A red force field glimmered in front of the door. No way out. Liam turned and looked up at the giant zombie. He knew what they had to do.
He hopped to his feet, and drew his bat. "Attack!"
The three of them ran toward the monstrosity and swung their weapons with all their might against its legs. Their weapons just rebounded off the tough flesh of the zombie causing it no harm.
"Dude, it's not working!"
"There has to be a weak spot!" yelled Liam. He ran to the edge of the stone floor next to the picnic blanket to get a better view of the giant.
A huge, beastly arm swiped at Rhonda throwing her back several feet. "Ouch!" She skidded across the hard rock, but fortunately it wasn't enough to take her out of the fight.
"There! The base of its neck!" Liam pointed to a glowing yellow and red spot on the zombie's flesh. A lucky break. At that moment, Liam was thankful that this game was following the same rules of other traditionally developed games. Most enemies, especially the big ones, had a weak spot.
Only trouble was, he had no way of reaching it. There were no ropes or vines to swing from and no ledges to gain additional height. Throwing his bat up there would be an exercise in frustration and likely waste much needed energy.
He quickly removed Katie's backpack from his shoulders. Her hockey stick! He had forgotten all about carrying that around. He snatched it from the bag. Gazing up at the overgrown zombie, he had an idea.
Liam snapped the hockey stick in half, then broke off the bladed end, leaving two equal sized pieces. He dug around in the backpack for what he could only hope was there. "Ah-ha!" He pulled a small spool of string and began wrapping it around the two pieces of wood in a crisscross fashion.
"I've got it!" Liam jumped to his feet and held up a makeshift cross-shaped boomerang.
"Liam, look out!"
Before he could get steady footing, a powerful blow slammed into him knocking him hard against the cave floor.
"Liam!"
7
The giant zombie's fist had made direct contact with Liam and had knocked him out cold. The zombie advanced on its prey.
Rhonda yelled, "Liam! Wake up!"
"Aim for his heel!" Caleb rushed up behind the zombie's foot and commenced to hitting its Achilles with his nail bat.
Rhonda joined in with her saw bladed bat, and after a few swings finally broke the skin.
Zombie goo landed on Caleb. Wiping his goggles clean, he then swung harder and faster into the zombie's heel. "Yeah, that's right!" More and more landed on Caleb's poncho, and the zombie slowed its progression.
"It's working! I've never been happier to be splattered with this gunk!"
"Here! Take mine!" Rhonda tossed her bat to Caleb and then she rushed to Liam. She slapped him on the face a few times. "Wake up!"
Caleb, now brandishing dual deadly bats, mimicked every fighting movie he'd ever seen and continued to bash the zombie's Achilles heel over and over again, zombie blood splashing all over Caleb and the cave floor.
Liam finally opened his eyes.
"Are you okay?" Rhonda asked. "Come on, you've gotta get up."
He saw the huge zombie beast coming toward him and scrambled to his feet. He tried to raise the boomerang to throw it, but he instantly grabbed his right shoulder and hunched over in pain.
"Take it. Throw it at its neck!" Liam picked up his bat with his left hand and ran up to the zombie.
Rhonda grabbed the boomerang and ran off in the opposite direction.
Liam dodged and danced around in front of the creature hoping to keep it distracted while she aimed for the weak spot. "Throw it!" he said as he hopped out of the way just in time to avoid another shoulder pounding.
Rhonda reared back and let go of the boomerang in a side armed throw. It flopped into the zombie's back and fell to the cave floor.
"Like a baseball! And flick your wrist!"
She quickly rolled between the zombie's feet and retrieved the boomerang. Readying herself for another try, she raised her arm, this time at a ninety degree angle by her head and let her rip.
The boomerang flew up and up and skimmed the yellowish-red spot on the zombie's neck causing the beast to stumble forward.
"Woohoo! It's working!"
The boomerang fell a few feet away from her, and she took off after it. Caleb and Liam continued to play their parts while she took aim once again.
This time the boomerang made a direct hit on the weak spot, and the zombie's knees buckled. The ground shook when the beast hit the stone floor.
"That's it! All out attack!"
Caleb was the tallest one, so he yelled at Liam to get on his shoulders. Using his weaker arm, Liam pounded his bat into the zombie's neck over and over until it finally fell forward onto the cave f
loor dead.
"Die, you zombie scum!"
The threesome celebrated by hugging and high-fiving.
"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!"
"Awesome toss of the boomerang!"
Liam turned his attention to the doorway, and sure enough, the red force field vanished. "Yes! It worked!"
Without wasting any time, and especially not wanting to wait around for the giant zombie to regain health, Liam and his friends made a run for the doorway. As they stepped through, it felt as if their limbs were being pulled and tugged in different directions. Another portal. The feeling was becoming more familiar, and while it seemed like it lasted several minutes, in reality, or rather, digital reality, it was only a few seconds.
Another thud. Another hard landing. Liam silently cursed not landing on his feet and decided to make a concerted effort to do so if they must travel through another portal. It was dark except for the full moon hanging high in the sky. Liam dusted himself off the best he could with a bum shoulder and took stock of his surroundings.
Tall trees devoid of leaves stood silhouetted in the night. Their long scraggly branches stretched into the sky like creepy arms waiting to swoop down and grab them. In the distance, a crow cawed. Other than the crow and the crunch of the leaves underfoot, it was eerily silent.
"Where are we?" As soon as he asked, they stepped into a clearing where an arched wrought iron sign stood below. It read: BLOODRIVER CEMETERY. "Sorry I asked."
"What? You're not scared of a little graveyard, are ya?" Caleb teased.
Standing on a hill overlooking the cemetery, they saw hundreds of weathered tombstones littering the landscape below. Tall statues stood guard over some of the graves. Graveyards never made Liam uneasy. While he wouldn't go so far as to call himself a taphophile, assuming he knew what that word meant, he saw them as peaceful places, where bodies go to rest for eternity. But it was just that, bodies, not souls.
"It's what comes up out of the graves that I don't like." Reader of horror comics and admirer of all things zombie, Liam had seen enough undead to last several lifetimes.
Rhonda was first down the hill. When she reached the entrance, she looked up at the arched sign. "Wonder why it's called Bloodriver?"
Zombie Boy 2: Level Up (Adventures of Zombie Boy) Page 4
