by Chu, Wesley
She met them halfway and threw her arms around him. “Thank the Lord you’re all right, Wenzhu. I was afraid you weren’t going to get here in time.”
“I’m here now.” He scanned the familiar faces. Most of his students were gone. “How much longer?”
“We’ve made four trips so far,” she replied. “Three more to go. The seniors insisted we send the younger ones first.”
Shenyang ran up to them and spoke with Meili. The girl visibly flinched when Elena looked her way. Her hands moved up to cover the long red gashes on her cheeks. “The next group is ready.”
Meili moved to the cable transport as it docked. She slid the door open and herded ten villagers inside. Once they had all shuffled in, she checked the space and sent in three more. It made for a tight fit, but no one complained. “Squeeze in,” she ordered. “Hug your neighbors.”
Zhu watched the cable car lurch from the platform and struggle on the wires. He counted the villagers still waiting. One more trip, and they would be free of the Beacon forever. He turned his attention away from the platform. His vision was still hazy, but he could just make out silhouettes running along the top of the southern parapet. The loudspeakers were continually blaring, and there were screams in the air, a chorus of a thousand people yelling out of tune. There was now a steady stream of people on the ground fleeing north. Things were getting really bad.
Huangyi shouted a warning, and several villagers moved to confront a small group coming up the catwalk. The windrunners stopped at the top of the stairs and drew their weapons as they eyed the villagers.
“Get out of our way,” shouted a familiar voice. Its owner had just killed his best friend.
“We were here first,” Meili retorted. “You can use this once we are through.”
“You’re just a bunch of vultures. We’re getting on next.” The group pressed forward.
The villagers closed ranks, their clubs, staves, and knives drawn. “When we’re through.” Meili was unwavering, her voice cold.
Burning rage filled Zhu’s soul. It was all he could do to stay in control and not to attack Wangfa and push him off the parapet. At that moment, he wouldn’t even mind if they both went over the side. Every nerve of his being begged for him to avenge Bo. He nearly succumbed to his instincts, but the sight of Huangyi standing next to him tempered his anger. The boy was terrified but still defiant, ready to help and fight for his sister and his village. Zhu closed his eyes. As much as he hungered for revenge, his priority should be to the living, his village and his people and his loved ones, not to the dead.
Zhu pushed himself in between the groups. “Listen, murderer, enough bloodshed. If we fight, we’re as good as dead. There’s only six of you. Just let us go first, and then you can follow. Would you rather wait a few minutes or die on these steps?”
Wangfa spat. “I should have known you were behind this, traitor. Get out of the way. We have guns.” The guard standing at his flank aimed a hunting rifle at him.
“You have a gun,” said Zhu, softly. “We outnumber you two to one.”
He stepped forward until the muzzle of the gun touched his chest. He’d much prefer to take the bullet than let it hit any of the villagers. No one moved. The guard’s fingers twitched. For a second, it looked as if Wangfa and his people were going to call his bluff.
“Stop it, all of you!” shouted Elena, getting between them and pushing the barrel up. She shoved Zhu back. “You don’t get to survive this far only to die like an idiot.” She turned to Wangfa. “You six can cram in with the next group. We’ll just do two trips.” She shook her head, disgusted.
The cable car was returning. Zhu reluctantly stepped aside as Wangfa sneered and led his people past the villagers. They insisted on going inside first and were soon joined by seven villagers.
Zhu scowled as the cable car pulled away, slowly shrinking in size as it crossed the Charred Fields. There were only a few people left on the platform. If more trouble came, he doubted they would be able to do anything about it. The round trip was only about ten minutes, but the wait was excruciating.
Meili was scolding Huangyi for not being part of the group, but the boy crossed his arms stubbornly. “You’re my sister. I won’t leave you behind.”
She poked him hard on the head. “You have to live to take care of Huangmang if something happens to me.”
“You take care of Huangmang yourself,” he shot back. His face fell. “Besides, we’ve already been gone for so long. A lot can happen in so little time in this world. I have to stay close to the only family I have who is still alive.” Meili looked as if she were about to scold him again, and then threw her arms around him and buried his face in her chest.
“Zhu, where’s Bo?” Elena asked.
He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head.
“No.” A choked sob escaped her lips.
A commotion erupted near the center of the Beacon. There would be time to grieve later. Zhu scanned the platform and held her arm. To his horror, he saw a wave of jiāngshī, hundreds of them, washing over the ground. The few people down there who were still trying to flee were quickly engulfed by the dead pouncing on their bodies. Within seconds, the typhoon had flooded into the entire settlement.
Zhu stared at the approaching cable transport with renewed urgency, willing it to move faster. It was still halfway, rolling at a slow, meandering pace. The seconds ticked by as the number of jiāngshī on the ground continued to increase. A few—as in several dozen—saw the humans on top of the parapet and began to stumble up the catwalk. While the dead weren’t great with stairs, they were slowly making their way up.
Elena cried out in alarm and pointed further down the parapet. Another stream of jiāngshī was approaching them from that direction as well. She drew her short spear while Zhu picked up a discarded metal pipe. He pointed at the console. “Meili, as soon as the car gets here, slide the door open, then hit the yellow button. The car won’t start moving until the door is closed. We’ll buy everyone time.”
The first jiāngshī reached them a few seconds later. It was a boy, probably no older than ten. He was still wearing his pajamas. Zhu swung his pipe, connecting solidly with the skinny boy’s chest and sending him flying over the side. The next jiāngshī was a soldier wearing riot gear. His first two blows bounced ineffectually off its head. His next one went low, cracking its kneecap. As soon as he jabbed with the pipe, the jiāngshī topped over.
Elena was a one-woman killing machine, impaling the dead left and right with her spear. She stabbed one in the chest and pushed, forcing it back until it fell into the Charred Fields. There was a heightened desperation to this melee. Zhu snuck a peek at the catwalk; the jiāngshī climbing up were turning the last corner. Once they reached the top of the parapet, there was little he and Elena could do to stop the platform from being overwhelmed.
The momentary distraction proved costly. A jiāngshī lunged for him. Zhu swung his pipe blindly but missed, and a jiāngshī in scrubs tripped over the soldier and plowed into his legs. Zhu’s balance was already precarious. He fell over easily, and it crawled on top of him. Zhu flailed his arms, but could not fight it off. Huangyi charged in, kicking the jiāngshī in the head. It bought Zhu enough time to scramble back to his feet while Huangyi stomped on it.
Before he got too carried away, Zhu grabbed the boy and pushed him back toward the platform. “Stay with Meili.”
“But I want to help!”
“Help by staying with your sister and getting that door open.” Zhu snuck another look at the cable car and was relieved to find it finally pulling into the platform. He grabbed Elena by the collar and shoved her toward the car. “Everyone get in. Go.”
She shook her head. “I’m not leaving your side.”
Instead of wasting what little energy he had left arguing, Zhu charged the first jiāngshī who reached the top of the catwalk, putting the sole of his foot on its chest and giving it a hard kick. It toppled back down the stairs, arms flailing, bowling
over several of its fellow deceased. The screech of the cable car’s metal door opening was a welcome relief as Zhu continued swinging his bat in wide arcs, knocking two more jiāngshī over the side.
“Hurry, Zhu!”
By now, everyone else had moved inside the cable car. They were frantically waving for him. There was not a second to spare. The jiāngshī on the stairs had picked themselves up while the main body on the parapet were almost within arm’s reach. Fingers grasped at him. Zhu dropped his pipe and noted with satisfaction one of the jiāngshī stepping on it and taking a tumble. He sprinted to the cable car, hurdling over the soldier on his way up the platform, just staying out of reach of the half-dozen jiāngshī grasping at him.
Zhu should have paid more attention. He landed awkwardly, and his already poor balance did him no favors as he found himself losing control. He gasped, pushing himself up and struggling to get to his feet. A shadow passed over him, followed by a groan. Before he could turn around, Elena was there, her spear thrusting into the dead man’s stomach. Meili appeared an instant later, helping him to his feet. Together the three scrambled into the car and slid the door closed behind them. The jiāngshī surrounded the car and began to pound on the metal grating. More appeared, crawling over each other, desperate to claw or gnaw their way through to the living. Then, just when he thought nothing was happening, the cable car shuddered and lifted off the platform.
Several jiāngshī continued after them, pitching forward into the Charred Fields. The ground beneath the cable car was a sea of claws and groans, but for the first time, they finally felt safe. Zhu didn’t take his eyes off the parapet. He subconsciously reached for Elena and found her waiting hand. They laced fingers and watched together as the Beacon of Light was snuffed out.
Elena squeezed his hand. “We did it. We made it out.”
“What did we do exactly?” he said, bitterly. “What have we accomplished? Thousands of people died today.”
“You survived. Your village survived. I call that a victory.”
Zhu looked unconvinced as he continued to stare hauntedly back toward the Beacon. He turned toward her. “The villagers found a safe place up near the Precipitous Pillars. I’m going with them. Will you come with us?”
She hesitated. “I don’t know. After what I did, I don’t think I can. Your people hate me.”
“Yes, well, you have to earn their trust.”
“What about you?” she asked. “Do you trust me?”
He squeezed her hand back. “No, but, to be honest, I think we both have some work to do. I’m sorry I lied about the hidden village. I just wanted to keep them safe from the Beacon.”
She pursed her lips and nodded. “It’s okay. I understand. The one thing I have wanted more than anything else is to see my family and friends again. You want the exact same; how can I find fault with that?” She swallowed, and continued, “I think the least I can do is prove—”
The cable car squealed, and then shook to a violent stop. Meili pointed back to the platform. The mass of jiāngshī had now covered it, like ants on a mound. One of the jiāngshī had gotten caught in the chains, and its body was slowly getting torn in two as the gears ground its bones.
The car shook again. Metal tore and screamed. One of the chains holding the cable car snapped, and it tilted sharply toward one side. Zhu managed to hold on to Elena while Meili and her brother did the same, all four of them sliding across the carriage, bouncing off the walls and seats until they smacked against the far end. They were fortunate the grating held and they didn’t plummet through and down to the seemingly endless number of jiāngshī below.
“Zhu, what do we do now?” asked Elena, digging her nails into his flesh.
He looked up. “Maybe we can get out and move along the line.”
A moment later, a solution was forced upon them. Another harsh squeal of metal pierced the air, and then they were falling. They became weightless as gravity momentarily abandoned them. It returned with a vengeance a moment later as they crashed down onto the Charred Fields.
Zhu’s head smashed into the metal roof, and stars flashed across his field of vision, followed by a deep darkness. When he came to again, a bloodied Elena was hovering over him. Next to her, Meili was cradling her brother’s head, but the boy’s eyes stared off, lifeless. The other two villagers with them weren’t moving. One was lying facedown and the other was sitting against the wall with her neck turned unnaturally. All around, the jiāngshī just outside in the field were hammering at the gates and the door.
A roar filled his ears. Elena was mouthing silently to him. When he tried to sit up, he felt a sharp pain at his side, and his left arm gave out. He grimaced as she helped him up. Meili finally accepted that her brother was dead and broke down. Elena hesitated and moved to comfort her, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. Meili sobbed in her embrace.
Zhu struggled to his feet and stared out at their new dilemma. The cable car had fallen onto its side in the middle of the Charred Fields, crushing several jiāngshī. As far as he knew, their bodies had cushioned the car’s fall and saved them. Just outside the car on all sides were snarling faces and hands pressed against the metal, a wallpaper of horrors. The hatred on their faces was palpable. There was no escape. Perhaps it would have been better if they had all died from the fall.
“You have to stay strong,” Elena was saying to Meili. “The rest of your family needs you. What’s your brother’s name?”
“Huangmang,” sobbed Meili, after some gentle urging.
“You need to stay alive for him,” Elena continued. “My brother’s name is Robbie. Every day I fight with the hope of seeing my family again.”
“There’s no use. We’re trapped here,” Meili sobbed. “Promise me you won’t let me turn into one of them.” She stared at her brother and pulled out her knife.
Elena, who was staring at him, grabbed her wrist. “Wait. Let him turn.”
Meili’s mouth fell. “What? What sort of monster are you?”
“I have an idea,” said Elena. “You’re going to have to trust me. Zhu, remember how I escaped from that garage?”
He pointed at the sliding door above their heads. “Escaping this cage isn’t the problem. It’s what we to do after we get out.”
“No, I mean how I was able to hide from the jiāngshī.”
He brightened. “Do you think that will work again?”
“Only one way to find out,” she shrugged. “What do we have to lose?”
It took some convincing before Meili signed on to their plan. The three waited until Huangyi and the other two bodies in the car began to stir, then put the three new jiāngshī out of their misery.
Then the butchering started.
Meili couldn’t do it, so Zhu urged her to close her eyes as he and Elena cut open the three corpses and smeared the blood and entrails over their faces, arms, and bodies. They looked like a horror show. Elena even had intestines wrapped around her neck, which was a step too far for Zhu. Meili was still sitting off to the side balled up with her arms wrapped around her knees, her eyes squeezed shut tightly. Zhu stripped the clothes off one of the other dead and laid them over Huangyi’s body.
He touched Meili’s hand and helped her to her feet. “Keep your eyes closed. Follow me.” He led her to the bodies and sat her back down. Elena got to work, smearing thick, red blood on her face.
“It’s just like putting on makeup,” she said soothingly. “Keep your eyes closed.”
After a few minutes, Wenzhu, Elena, and Meili emerged from the cable car covered in the blood, guts and entrails of their fellow villagers. Zhu slid the door open on the now roof of the car and pushed Elena up, followed by Meili. They pulled him up together. He grimaced as pain rippled all over his body, and scowled with each step as he limped to the edge of the car.
To his relief, the camouflage appeared to be working. The jiāngshī surrounding the car paid them no attention. One jiāngshī stared at Meili curiously, but then ambled off in search
of a meal. Zhu climbed down first, half expecting the mob around him to pounce. He exhaled in relief when he realized he was still alive a few seconds later, then helped the other two down. The three held hands and slowly threaded their way through the sea of jiāngshī. Zhu’s hands were slippery with blood, but he held onto Elena in front and Meili behind him.
They kept their heads low. Everywhere he looked, the dead’s faces stared back: old, young, strong, weak. There was a businessman, a nurse, a student. He passed by a woman with an infant still strapped to her back. A hunched-over grandfather still holding a cane. A woman in a traditional red wedding dress. A convict with his wrists shackled. Everywhere he looked, he saw people, people who once had had families and loved ones. Many lives now twisted into this ugly tableau of who they had once been.
A precious life once lived within each of these rotting and decaying bodies, one filled with laughter, love, and angst. Whatever this twisted visage, this shadow of the beauty that once lived was trapped inside. The curse of being undead, and unable to pass through death’s final door. As their countrymen, as their fellow human, it should be their noble calling to help shepherd them through to heaven. For the first time, he understood what drove the Heaven Monks’ crusade.
It took longer than he would have liked for them to finally climb up the small ridge that marked the end of the Charred Fields. The jiāngshī here were sparser, scattered. They were able to weave through them to the platform.
There was no one there.
“How could they not wait for us?” said Meili.
“It took us a long time to get here,” replied Zhu. “They probably thought we were dead.”
“We know where they’re going,” Elena added. “It shouldn’t be hard to catch up.”
“Wait, over there.” Meili pointed up the ridge. Several small silhouettes were waving their hands, jumping up and down, trying to get their attention. All three broke into grins as they hurried off the platform. It was a straight shot up the path to the rest of the villagers.
