Mitch turned away as another explosion, from down the street, rocked the ground.
People were screaming and dying.
No one… Mitch picked up his rifle and went back inside The Ocean Center, gathering the backpack he’d left.
He’d need to find Tosha and get her to either talk sense into The Lich Lord and get him to stop this blitzkrieg of the people or run away with him to find a hiding place far away.
Mitch had no idea where she could be but he’d need to start at her house.
Chapter Thirty Three
This felt right to The Lich Lord. He’d been fighting his instincts for too long.
A group of men and women with rifles were setting up down the block to make their stand.
How cute, The Lich Lord thought.
He sent magic missiles from his fingertips all at once and marveled at how well they worked, each person dropping at the same time as their brethren.
A group was trying to charge him from behind. He put up an invisible wall in their path and heard them crashing into it. The Lich Lord smiled. This was too easy. Why had he worried so much about them for so long? His original plan, to enslave the humans, had been a simpler and more efficient way to do things.
He decided, once he’d ripped apart their city and they had no place to hide, he’d have them build him an obscenely huge temple so they could worship him.
Why had he denied himself for so long? It felt freeing to do what he wanted to do with no restraint. He was, after all, the dominant species on the planet.
The Lich Lord didn’t bother to turn around when he heard a large group approaching. He flipped his hands over his shoulders and shot small fireballs from them.
He smiled when he heard the screams as the humans were set on fire.
The Lich Lord couldn’t remember the last time he’d had this much fun, as a zombie or a human.
What the fuck are you doing?
It was Darlene, screaming in his head.
I’m doing what I should’ve done in the first place, The Lich Lord said back.
He swept his hands out and motioned them down to the road, where a crack erupted and travelled down the street, the sudden crevasse opening and swallowing anyone in its wake. Buildings on either side began to topple.
You’re destroying everything you swore to protect. Everything you’ve built, Darlene said.
He could hear the frustration in her words and he stopped and put his hands down, keeping his shield up as bullets bounced harmlessly away.
The Lich Lord sighed. He was being consumed by animal instinct and anger. How could they have turned on him so easily? It wasn’t just a handful of conspirators, either. Now it was the entire population.
What do you expect them to do? It’s only a couple of assholes. They’re just fighting back. You’re destroying the city, Darlene said.
The Lich Lord set fire to anything flammable in his immediate area, watching trees and wooden structures begin to burn.
As a woman tried to run across the street to safety, he snapped his fingers and she was launched into the air and disappeared into the vast crevasse.
This is my city to destroy, The Lich Lord thought. I built it and I can tear it down.
If you continue on this path, I will have no choice but to stop you, Darlene said.
The Lich Lord laughed and pulled a hotel down on his right, the top levels sliding onto the street and crushing anything in its path. A billow of smoke covered the area.
You can give it your best shot to stop me, Darlene, but I’m on a roll right now. I think momentum is in my favor.
A woman holding a small child or a dog sprinted across the road and tried to jump over a thinner part of the crack in the road. The Lich Lord waited until she was airborne to force her to fall with a startled yell, gone into the abyss.
Meet me at the bridge, Darlene said.
Ahh. I almost forgot about the bridges. Thanks for reminding me, The Lich Lord said and leapt into the air. He’d need to blast the escape routes so not as many could get out. He wanted to contain the humans. Once he’d done enough damage, he’d stop and round them up like cattle.
The closest bridge was on the western side of Main Street. It wasn’t easily accessible for the humans to come and go but they were trying. A swarm of them, like frightened ants, were pushing and shoving to get across.
The Lich Lord tossed three fireballs, one on either end and one in the middle of the bridge, killing everyone, either with the flames or when they fell into the river and the bridge collapsed on top of them.
He sped off to the northern bridge, which was filled with refugees. Because of the single-file cage walkway they’d set up, it was almost unfair to kill them.
The Lich Lord made quick work of the higher bridge, using a slicing ray from his hand to take out the bridge supports and plunge the humans into the river. Even if they survived the fall and managed not to drown and swam to shore, he’d catch them before they got far.
He needed to cut off the other means of escape. Not only the bridges but the boats docked to the south. No one was going anywhere.
The Lich Lord tossed a few fireballs onto the shore whenever he saw humans trying to escape into the river. He figured it was enough to keep them from leaving en mass. They’d try to find somewhere safe inside The Promised Land to hide and he’d take his time blowing down their straw houses. Dragging them out one at a time like little pigs.
He was getting a kick out of the analogy as he rushed to the next bridge, the smaller one just south of Main Street. He’d need to destroy the baseball stadium and courthouse on the other side, too. Likewise the school where everyone started this journey. Nothing could be left.
The Lich Lord only needed to destroy the last bridge, the one used to come and go on supply runs.
He felt Darlene’s presence and smiled.
It had to come to this.
The Lich Lord landed in the center of the road on the bridge, at its highest peak.
I fucking told you to stop, Darlene said and stepped onto the bridge, holding the zombie sword.
The Lich Lord stopped smiling. In all the excitement, he’d forgotten his own sword in The Ocean Center. It didn’t matter. He was going to kill The Zombie Killer.
Chapter Thirty Four
“Why are you smiling? I’m going to shoot and then rape you. Are you into crazy shit like that, too?” Terry asked. He slowly pulled her weapon with his free hand, making sure his own weapon kept contact with her head.
“You don’t want to kill me. I know what you’re trying to do and it won’t work,” Tosha said. “The Lich Lord is going to fuck you up something fierce. You’ll need me to talk some sense into the fucker when he pulls your balls through your nose. If I remember correctly, it won’t be so hard since your package wasn’t too big, from what I remember.”
Terry pulled the pistol back to hit Tosha and she ducked, punching him in the stomach.
“You fucking bitch,” Terry grunted, whipping the weapon around and pulling the trigger.
Tosha was already on the run, into the fragile building, chunks of rotting wood exploding around her head as Terry missed by only a few inches.
She hoped April was lining up her shot to kill Terry so she didn’t have to go into the dark water, where there could be gators or zombies nearby.
“Get back here. You’re only making this worse,” Terry said before shooting twice more.
She doubted this could get any worse than an asshole like Terry getting the jump on her and shooting her before doing disgusting things with her body. As much as she wanted April to kill him, she hoped she’d get her own chance to do the honors.
Maybe April was in position nearby but unable to get a clean shot. She was just using her eyes and it was pretty dark in the area with all of the tall, full trees casting shadows. Not to mention she was now running through a building.
The floor was creaking and cracking under her feet as she moved, making this a very precarious escap
e route.
In the darkness she couldn’t see much of anything. The roof had begun to collapse, leaving the ceiling only inches from her head and making it even darker in the building.
She could hear Terry in pursuit as floorboards cracked behind her.
Where the fuck are you, April? Tosha silently asked. She nearly ran into what was left of the bar counter, on its side and sticking up at an angle. Her hip scraped against it as she crashed into it, making enough noise to wake the dead.
A shot rang out and she heard the bullet skip across the spot where she’d just been.
“I don’t suppose we can talk about this,” Tosha yelled before stopping short and moving to her left behind a wall.
“I don’t think we have anything to talk about,” Terry yelled and shot again, hitting close to where she’d just been standing.
Tosha began to crawl on the ground slowly, trying to keep her weight spread out enough so she wouldn’t cause the floorboards, which were warped all around her, to creak,.
Something black and creepy scurried past her face and she covered her mouth so she didn’t cry out. It had scared her and she was glad she didn’t piss herself.
Whether he was drawn to the vermin running across the floor or Tosha’s movements, Terry’s next shot chipped the wood inches from her face.
“You better kill me, you dumb fuck,” Tosha yelled and ran-crawled-scurried across the restaurant floor, looking for an exit or something to dive behind.
The roof in this area had caved in and too much moonlight was illuminating the room. She had nothing to hide behind.
“I’ll ask you again nicely to stop trying to run. I’d hate to have you fall through the floor and drown or die before I had a chance to kill you,” Terry said and shot at her again. She felt the bullet whiz past her left ear.
He’s either a really bad shot or he’s messing with me, Tosha thought.
Tosha saw an opening in the wall and went for it but she tripped over something in the shadows at her feet and went down hard.
She rolled onto her back, hoping Terry was unsure exactly where she’d ended up.
Terry stood over Tosha, aiming at her face and smiling.
“I’ve waited a long time for this,” he said.
“Bullshit. We haven’t even known each other that long.” Tosha knew she was going to die but wouldn’t give this fucker the satisfaction of hearing her beg for her life. It was better to go out holding your head up high, even if you were currently on the ground of an abandoned building, where they’d never find your body.
“I’m killing not only you but every hot bitch I’ve ever known in my life who fucked me over,” Terry said. Spit flew from his mouth. Tosha could see the anger on his face.
“You think I’m hot? Thanks,” Tosha said. She was smiling now and slowly sat up.
She’d seen the movement from behind Terry. It was either April coming to put a bullet in this loser’s head or a zombie to bite Terry on his ass. Either way, she was fine with it.
“No… no… I didn’t mean you were hot. I meant…” Terry pulled the trigger but nothing happened.
Tosha kept the smile on her face; although, she thought her heart had stopped. Terry had just tried and failed to kill her. He’d pulled the fucking trigger and, if he hadn’t run out of bullets, she’d be dead right now.
“Freeze, asshole,” April said from behind Terry.
Tosha got up.
Terry kept pulling the trigger, as if a magic bullet was going to find its way into the pistol.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Tosha asked before kicking Terry in the balls and kneeing him in the face when he doubled over.
“I lost sight of you a block away. I circled around but didn’t hear anything. It’s really quiet but, with the wind blowing through the trees, it took me awhile,” April said. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry? Seriously?” Tosha kicked Terry in the chest as he tried to get up. She put her hand out to April. “Give me your gun.”
“Why?”
Tosha flipped Terry onto his back with her foot. “Give me the fucking gun.”
“He’s down. He’s not a threat,” April said.
“And he won’t be a continuing threat once you give me the gun,” Tosha said.
“I can’t let you kill him in cold blood.”
Tosha laughed. “You know what? You’re right. I’ll just wait until he pulls my weapon from his waistband, where he put it when he took it from me. It has at least two rounds. One for my head and one for yours.”
April was still pointing her weapon at Terry. “If he makes a sudden move, I’ll kill him. I swear.”
“Don’t kill me. How about that? I can help you once The Lich Lord is dead,” Terry said.
“There is no chance in Hell whoever you set up to take the fall to kill The Lich Lord will do it,” Tosha said.
Terry chuckled. “You don’t think Mitch can do the trick?”
Mitch? Sonofabitch. I didn’t think he had it in him. I completely underestimated the bastard, she thought.
Tosha lifted her foot to kick Terry but at the last second stopped, jumped at April and yanked the gun from her hand.
Terry was up on one knee and reaching for his hidden weapon.
Tosha slapped Terry across the face with the gun and, when he didn’t fall back right away, she clubbed him in the eye, drawing blood and knocking him out.
“Happy? I didn’t kill him. I should’ve put a bullet in his head. He’s now your problem,” Tosha said and handed April back her gun and took her own off of Terry. “Find some rope and tie him up. We’ll leave him here and roundup Bernie and get everyone in place. I think we have a long night ahead of us.”
When Tosha stepped outside the restaurant and saw the flames and the faint screams, she knew she was really in for a long night.
Chapter Thirty Five
The Lich Lord was barely recognizable. His gray eyes burned like they were on fire, his chest heaved despite not having to actually breathe. He was like a berserker.
“You need to stop this. Either let them go or you’ll have to deal with me,” Darlene said.
“So let it be written so let it be done,” The Lich Lord said and laughed. “If you want your people, Moses, come and take them over my dead body.”
Darlene swung the sword in front of her and grinned when she felt the force of The Lich Lord trying to pull it from her grip with his powers.
“You’re weak. You’ve expended too much energy. Surrender and I won’t slay you,” Darlene said. She knew he wasn’t going out without a fight but it was worth a shot. She knew, even weakened, he was a formidable foe. Much worse than the half dozen zombie assassins combined.
“Maybe now you’ll have a fighting chance. Are you going to talk me to death or come at me with your magical anti-undead blade, Zombie Killer?” The Lich Lord asked.
Her instinct was to charge him and try to cut his head off as quickly as possible, but she knew he was too smart for that. He was up to something.
Darlene took a second to create an invisible barrier around herself before taking a step forward. As soon as she moved, a chunk of the bridge under her feet detached and fell to the water below.
She’d been prepared and simply levitated a few feet forward and back on solid ground. As soon as that part of the bridge began to disconnect, she slid closer to The Lich Lord.
“If you want me to come closer, just ask nicely,” Darlene said.
The Lich Lord motioned with a finger, which turned white hot and a fireball shot from it.
Darlene ducked but her shield held, dissipating the blast, damaging the bridge on either side of where she stood.
Before she could go on the offensive, The Lich Lord began to throw more energy blasts at her, destroying the road and the bridge around her. She had to use some of her power to hover in the air or fall.
The Lich Lord began lifting the rubble he’d created with the blasts, spinning the chunks in the air.
&n
bsp; Darlene shot forward, using her own blasts to shatter the obstacles in the air. She instinctively blocked a couple of bigger pieces with the sword and saw The Lich Lord smile.
He was trying to get her to ruin or break the blade.
“It will give me great pleasure to use the sword on you,” he said to Darlene. He spun in place and rained glowing green orbs down on her shield, denting it in places only Darlene could see.
She hoped only she could see because her power was waning and he was almost inside her defenses.
He was still too far away to get a clean slice at. She needed to get inside his defenses but knew he had his own shield up.
Darlene dropped back to the bridge, where it was still safe to stand, and waited for the attack she knew was coming.
As soon as The Lich Lord aimed another blast at the bridge itself, she jumped forward, spinning the blade to block the few clumps of debris in the air, and managed to get within inches of The Lich Lord, taking him by surprise.
He threw up his arms and an explosion rang out between them, blinding Darlene and slamming her to the ground. The sword bounced out of her hand and landed a few feet away.
Darlene’s head was spinning. He’d rung her bell and she felt blood trickling from her ears. It would take a few minutes for her eardrums to heal.
Her shield had been dropped in the attack and now she was exposed.
Darlene decided the best defense was a killer offense. She pulled energy from deep within her reserves and began tossing random blasts of energy at The Lich Lord, some shots purposely going past him and doubling back.
As she’d guessed, he was defending his front with what little he had left.
Several blasts struck his back and dropped him to his knees. His back was on fire.
The Lich Lord wasn’t done yet, though.
Darlene could see he was struggling but he was still tossing attacks.
Six magic missiles hit her in the torso, ripping holes in her body.
She fell to the pavement but kept her eyes on The Lich Lord as she scrambled to get up.
“Die already,” The Lich Lord moaned.
Dying Days 7 Page 16
