Another scream, another slash. This time the blade nicked Cristina on the forearm as she attempted to dodge. The pain made her wince, but she did not move, not wanting to set the unstable teenager off further.
“Listen to me,” Cristina said. “I know what it must feel like—”
“No, you don’t!”
Cristina paused, formulating a better response. “You’re right. I don’t. What I do know is the reaction this storm is giving people. They are being… transformed. First, they develop a cough, then they get the sweats, like they ran in the sweltering heat with a winter coat on for an hour.”
The teenager lowered her weapon an inch.
“After,” Cristina continued, “some kind of stomach issue causes people to vomit. Their skin dulls with a greenish color. Their eyes yellow.” Cristina hesitated on her next words, wondering if they would set the girl off, but decided to say them. “Then they lose their sense of self and go mad, attacking anything and everything.”
The girl’s hand trembled, her purple eyes obscured by tears. “I still killed him.”
“You destroyed a monster, not your father. You had to or else—”
Cristina stepped back. She had been so focused on trying to talk her way out of the situation, she had not realized. The girl had coughed. Sweat from her forehead dribbled down into her eyes, making them resemble tears. The tanned pigment of her skin started to dull with a green color.
Then she screeched, a shrill sound Cristina recognized. The teenager slashed with her knife, but Cristina hopped out of range. Another scream rose from behind and Cristina whirled around. Three more diseased stared at her and the young girl.
With no weapon on her—and no skill nor inclination to use one—Cristina stood surrounded by four people afflicted with the plague. There was no cover nearby, so the earlier tactic of allowing them to fight each other would not work.
The image of Cristina’s ten-year-old daughter popped up, with her oversized brown eyes and her tight, short curls. Karl wanted Lea to grow her hair out, but Cristina supported her child in making her own choices.
I need to get back to them.
The teenager leaped with the knife in her hand. Cristina stepped out of the girl’s way, toward the other three.
I need to. At whatever the cost.
Cristina acted on instinct despite knowing her best option could prove fatal. She jumped back, slipping behind one of the other three, then shoved one of the infected forward.
They are diseased, without a sense of self. They are dead.
The man Cristina pushed stepped into the path of the teenager, and her knife dug into his chest. Even though Cristina told herself the man had died before the blade stabbed his heart, she froze, torn that she had sent a man to die.
The diseased all focused their attention on Cristina, which knocked her out of her stupor. Thinking of Karl and Lea, the nurse turned and bolted away, running in the direction of her home, the last place she had seen her family. Frenzied footsteps followed her, urging her to greater speed
Then Cristina made a wrong turn.
Not being too familiar with the south side of Ostarin, she ended up at a dead end. With her back to the wall, she now faced six diseased.
I can’t not get back to them.
Shiny metal caught Cristina’s eye. A slain knight lay on the ground, with a sword next to her, unused.
I need to get home.
Cristina dove forward but landed with her fingers three inches shy of the weapon. The diseased got to her first. One pounced on top of Cristina, keeping her away from the blade, away from her one chance of getting out of this alive.
An elbow from Cristina knocked the diseased off, granting another opportunity at grabbing the weapon. Cristina scrambled forward in a futile attempt to reach the sword as she got pinned down again by another infected.
Cristina threw another elbow but failed to drive the heavier diseased off. A fist flew down toward her, but the man’s movement was sluggish and she jerked her head to the side, causing him to miss and hit the cobbled stone.
Memories of self-defense classes surfaced in Cristina’s mind from her youth. All men go down regardless of size with a targeted strike in a specific area.
As hard as possible, Cristina jammed her knee up between his legs. The man screeched—almost deafening Cristina—but rolled off.
Without wasting any time, knowing that pain may not register in his head, Cristina reached forward, grabbed the sword, and popped up before another diseased pounced on top of her.
Cristina stood surrounded by the diseased again, but this time with a weapon in her hand. “Are any of you there? Enough to see what you’re doing?” She got no response. “I’m sorry for what I have to do.”
An infected lunged. Cristina sidestepped and swung her sword, yet the blade never met its mark. Not because Cristina missed her attack, but because she forced herself to stop halfway. Despite believing the diseased had turned into walking corpses, Cristina could not bring herself to take someone’s life.
The halting of the swing caused Cristina to lose her balance and grip. The sword slipped out of her hand and clanked against the cobbled stone. Before she could pick it up, two of the diseased barreled into her and knocked her down.
Without a weapon to protect her, Cristina’s hopes of seeing Karl and Lea again dwindled in her mind. How could she fight off six diseased, or even one, when she could not—would not—kill?
A blade slipped through the body of a diseased from behind and impaled the stone next to Cristina. The sword pulled out and stabbed the other attacker that had Cristina pinned. Both infected rolled off Cristina, dead, and she stared up at her savior.
Elinor.
However, the two women were far from safe with four remaining infected—
Elinor’s sword danced through the air, killing each diseased with each stroke. In no time at all, the only ones left alive were Cristina and Elinor.
“Are you okay?” The knight extended her off-hand and lifted Cristina to her feet. “What are you doing on this side of town?”
Cristina nodded. “I’m glad you showed up.”
“I’ve been scouring the kingdom after this all started and spotted you with a blade, surrounded by these maddened ones. I know you. You wouldn’t swat a hornet away after it stung you, even if you knew it would sting you again. I figured you’d need the help.”
“You know me too well.” Cristina’s gaze drifted over to the red splotches on Elinor’s blade. “I don’t have the strength you do.”
“It’s training, not strength.” Elinor wiped the blood off on her chain mail. “I’m trained to dispatch the enemy before they kill me.”
“You see these people as the enemy? People of our kingdom?”
Elinor nodded. “I’ve seen their transformation. They’re gone way before I stick my sword into them.”
Cristina agreed and yet could not imagine herself thrusting a blade into any of them. Would she need to learn to do such a thing if she wished to see Karl or Lea again?
“Have you been around East Vanguard?” Cristina asked. “Have you seen Karl and Lea?”
“They weren’t with you?” Elinor’s shoulders sank when Cristina shook her head. “I was up there when it happened, but I rushed over to see Peggy and Angela.” Elinor frowned while staring at her sword. “They… they didn’t make it.”
Not willing to delve deeper, afraid of Elinor’s answer as to how her sisters had died, Cristina wrapped her arms around her friend. At the same time, Cristina wondered how many people throughout the kingdom remained unaffected by the plague.
“Did you come across anyone not affected by this?” Cristina asked.
“You are the first.”
Elinor’s last comment diminished Cristina’s hopes to see her family again. However, she refused to accept that possibility. Seeing her best friend alive provided optimism that others could survive this plague.
Cristina hugged Elinor again. “I’m grateful yo
u’re still alive. Now I need to go home—”
“What? Travel through this? Why?”
“Karl and Lea are out there. I need to see for myself whether they survived this.”
“Cristina. The odds of them surviving are—”
“I need to see. If we are fine, maybe they are as well. Maybe they are being helped by another knight. They could be hiding from the diseased. Either way, I need to see.”
Elinor sheathed her sword. “Okay, let’s go.”
3
Cristina welcomed Elinor’s company for two reasons. One, having someone with the ability to wield a sword and the willingness to use it would prove beneficial. Two, Cristina did not want to be alone if she found the worst when arriving home.
Because the plague had scared off all the horses, the two women were forced to walk across the kingdom capital. The one hour trip doubled because they took detours to avoid as many diseased as possible. Whenever they had stopped to fight, the sharpness of Elinor’s blade overcame any resistance. With their luck, they had not encountered more than three at a time, more than enough for Elinor to handle.
“Well, I am the second-highest-ranking official in the cavalry,” Elinor said.
“Thanks for being stubborn and coming with me. With your skills, we’ll reach East Vanguard in no time.”
Elinor stopped before a gated wall separating two districts: the markets they just exited and the one up ahead. The knight’s fingers twitched on her blade. The sign beside the gate formed a pit in Cristina’s throat.
In front of them lay the knight district, where the army lived, trained, and ate daily. The kingdom packed the military together to enhance their bonding, willing soldiers to die for each other instead of their country. The tactic worked, as the knights of Ostarin had yet to lose a battle inside their walls. In fact, the only time they had ever experienced defeat was when King Cecil, upset with Roswal’s declaration of independence, invaded the city in an attempt to retake it.
“Is there a way around?” Cristina asked.
She knew the answer before Elinor could shake her head. Ostarin was redesigned a century before, forcing people to pass through the knight district if they wanted to travel anywhere. The concept of isolating the civilian districts worked because overall crime had declined since the change.
The image of Karl and Lea surrounded by diseased made Cristina shiver. She needed to reach them as fast as possible. With resolve and a prayer to survive the knight district, she reached for the gate to open—
“Wait.” Elinor pulled Cristina’s hand back. “There’s a good chance we won’t get out of this alive. I’m with you no matter what you decide, but you need to be sure of your choice.”
“I must go. I need to. I’m not asking you to come with me. I’ll figure out a way.”
Elinor arched one of her eyebrows. “You need me. If you’re certain, then let’s go.”
“Why would you risk your life to come with me on this suicide mission?”
“Because it’s my duty to protect those in this kingdom. And also”—Elinor sniffled—“I don’t have a family anymore. You’re all I have left.”
Thoughts of the two women playing together as five-year-old kids warmed Cristina’s heart. “Thank you.”
Cristina opened the gate and followed Elinor into the knight district. Despite the many times the nurse had seen blood and guts throughout her career, the scene inside made her gag and almost throw up.
The knights acted similarly to the diseased in the markets. However, the soldiers used swords instead of teeth and nails. Dismembered bodies lay scattered around the streets as the knights fought among themselves, a complete reversal of all the training they undertook to protect each other.
Elinor led Cristina away from the main roads down a path few traversed, only needing to battle a few along the way. With Elinor’s outstanding ability, no knight bested her. On the few occasions when Elinor spotted a group of fellow knights, the two women hid and waited until the danger passed.
With skill and luck, the travelers arrived at the north-east gate, which led to East Vanguard, Cristina’s hometown.
We made it. Within an hour, Cristina would arrive at her house, hoping to see Karl and Lea alive and well—
Elinor pulled Cristina aside and they hid behind the corner of an armory. Three guards stood at the gate, blocking the way forward. They acted… different from the infected, who ran around in a frenzy. These three worked together with their weapons drawn, cutting down any opposition in their way. No, they did not act like diseased. They resembled real knights.
Elinor smiled and rushed across the street, with Cristina following behind, and the two met up with the guards. They had no green skin, no yellowed eyes. The disease did not afflict these knights. At least not yet.
“Elinor!” One of the guards waved. “We thought you weren’t going to make it. How did you survive?”
A second knight scoffed. “You thought our best swordster wasn’t going to cut these zombies down like nothing?”
“There are a lot of them out there—”
“It’s Elinor, I can’t believe you would even doubt—”
Elinor raised her hand to interrupt them. “What’s the status?”
“We’re holding at the lookout tower. It’s the best vantage point that helps us see who’s coming and going.”
“Great.” Elinor reached for the gate handle, but a guard stepped in the way. “What’s going on?”
“We don’t open that door to let anyone in or out.”
Elinor pointed south. “Your strategy is meant for the maddened, not two healthy people like us.”
“I’m sorry, but Bear’s orders forbid us to open the gate no matter what.”
The image of Karl and Lea making their way to the gate and attempting to enter the knight district but being denied crossed Cristina’s mind. Would the guards not let in unaffected people? Would knights pass up the opportunity to protect those in need?
“What if someone wasn’t sick?” Cristina asked. “Would you let them in?”
“I’m sorry,” the guard responded. “Orders are we don’t open the gate. No matter what.”
“But my husband and daughter are out there. I need to get to them.”
“No can do. I’m not opening up the gate so thousands of those zombies can start pouring in, all for two people that are probably dead—”
Elinor shoved the guard. “That’s her family you’re talking about, Justin. Show some respect.”
“I am showing respect.” Justin rubbed his shoulder. “I’m breaking the false dream that her family is still alive.”
“I’m still alive,” Cristina said.
“Well, you did bring Elinor with you—”
“Shut up, Sue.” Elinor pointed at the gate. “As your superior officer, I order you to open this up and let us through.”
The third guard shook his head. “Your rank means nothing anymore. Look at this. Our knights are killing each other. There won’t be anyone left to compare ranks. I saw King Cecil himself die before my eyes. The only chance you have to live is if you stay here, with the gate closed.”
Elinor crossed her arms. “That’s it, Mark? Where’s Bear, maybe I can convince him.”
Justin pointed up at the lookout tower. “He’s up there.”
Elinor stormed into the building, and Cristina followed. Inside, a spiral staircase decorated with dead bodies brought the two women up fifty feet. Halfway up the stairs, Elinor slipped her sword out of her sheath and tiptoed the rest of the way.
At the top, Elinor motioned for Cristina to wait while the knight approached the man staring out of the window. Standing at over six feet tall and weighing no less than three hundred pounds, with a full face of black hair, he matched his name better than the animal itself.
“Bear?”
The man’s demeanor did not match his gargantuan appearance. Elinor’s speaking caused him to twitch and jump back, despite her soft tone. Darting his eyes fro
m left to right, he searched for an enemy that did not appear to exist.
“Get back!” Bear yelled.
“It’s me, Elinor.”
“Get back, I will not go into the depths of hell where you beckon me. I will not, I will not, I will not!”
Cristina grabbed Elinor’s arm. “Do you think he’s diseased?”
Elinor shook her head. “I think he’s seen one too many deaths. Bear, it’s me, Elinor.”
“You’re dead.” Bear drew his sword. “You’re all dead, and you will not take me with you.”
Elinor placed her sword down, setting Cristina’s teeth on edge. Although Elinor possessed the combat skill to defeat each and every opponent she had faced along the way, including six at one time, this man outranked her. Yet at that moment, after seeming to have lost his mind, he was holding a weapon in his hand while Elinor stood unarmed.
“Bear, look at me. It’s me, Elinor.”
Bear twitched but kept his sword pointed up. Elinor better know what she’s doing. If not, Cristina would end up alone with four knights and no way to travel home.
“Listen, Bear,” Elinor said. “If I’d wanted to get the jump on you, I would have, and you know it. You broke your right ankle five years ago, and it never healed completely. If I jerked in that direction, your ankle would buckle, and you would lose your focus long enough for me to overtake you.”
Elinor rested both hands behind her head, placing herself at even more of a disadvantage. “I’m not going to do that because I’m still alive. I’m still me.”
Bear twitched again, but this time he lowered his sword. “It’s good to see a friendly face again. Especially in this hell.”
Cristina gestured downstairs. "What about the others outside?"
“They obey my commands, but that’s it. I don’t care for them any more than they care for me. I think they stay because they’re too scared of what’s out there to even think about overtaking me.”
“You still being in charge is why we're here,” Elinor said. “We need that gate opened—”
Bear shook his head.
“Hear me out. Cristina needs to get back to her family—”
The Kingdom's Destruction Page 2
