Janus (Zombies versus Dinosaurs Book 2)

by James Livingood

  Paul bit deep into the zombie and tried to rip out flesh with his mouth as he threw his neck back. He did his best to cleave the skin and muscle from the bone. Paul wasn't quite a man anymore. He was a wild animal. He wasn't giving into instincts taking over. Instincts were a poor measure of his motivation. Only one thing pulsed in Paul's veins. That wasn't a desire to mate or build a family. He didn't care for safety or shelter. The desire for food had even completely melted away. All that flooded through his brain was the desire to kill.

  As the zombie eventually came conscious of what was going on, it pushed Paul off. Paul quickly moved to a nearby rock he had thrown previously and started smashing that against the zombie again and again. Janus decided to finally fight back and punched Paul in the head. As Paul started flying back, Janus grabbed him and flung his neck towards his mouth. The zombie bit Paul in the neck like a vampire. Paul could feel Janus's kiss pulse deep in his blood. Paul could feel Janus's will pushing out his own. He could feel his instinct pulse deep within him, begging him to hunt like a wolf. He was too far gone though to give in. He had a much greater desire. Paul wanted to simply kill this creature at any and all costs.

  Janus's kiss continued to batter at his will, but for the moment, he was his own man. Paul would not be subjugated to Janus's kiss. Paul pushed forward, with rock still in his fist. Paul pushed forward with his legs. Paul did everything in his power to destroy this foul creature from another place. Paul would have this world destroyed, even if he had to stand at the edge and watch.

  For a few moments it looked like Paul might actually win. He had actually started to injure the calm zombie. He had caused the other zombies to stop and stare at his wild approach. Paul had caused a small rift within them. However, that momentary lapse of shock wore off quickly. They began to hiss and howl at Paul. Several of them took swipes at Paul. He easily dodged around them. Paul didn't care about the other zombies. Paul didn't care if they tried to kill him. All Paul cared about was getting one more hit on that calm zombie. If he just kept getting one more hit on that zombie he would be happy. Anything it took to destroy this thing was worth it. Anything that Paul had to ensure to hit Janus was well worth it. He knew that there was no chance of survival. He knew that there was no way out. All he wanted to see what the blood of this zombie pool around on the ground. He wanted to see that glint of blood against the light of the day. Paul punched and hit and continued his assault. The zombie kept punching Paul away. Each time pale rider hit the ground, he jumped back up and continued forward with his assault. Paul was getting cut and slashed, bruised and broken. He had very little blood left in his body. When he slipped getting up, he grabbed a chunk of mud and threw it at the calm zombie. There was only the death of the zombie within him. That was what was sewn through the fabric of his nature. Nothing else was written in Paul's mind.

  Paul's muscles eventually gave out and he fell into the mud without being pushed. Normally this would be a death stroke. Zombies did not leave a downed man alone. However, the fact that he had not succumbed to Janus's kiss gave them pause. No one before had been able to do such a thing. Even the dinosaurs, who were genetically dis-positioned to be immune to Janus's kiss, were unable to overcome the disease. But this man, Paul the Pale Rider, would not be so easily beaten. That iron will made the zombies give him space as he laid in the mud and died. They gave him the space to bleed out and die. Perhaps it was not the way that a hero should die. That didn't matter though, as it was the method that Paul was dying. Even the sun shuttered at Paul's passing. A sudden shadow crossed over them. The creatures looked up to see the sky. Several of them howled at the heavens and ran. He didn't know what dwelt among the clouds that frightened the beasts. 'Why would zombies be afraid of clouds?' thought Paul as he gasped for breath. Perhaps something had come to help him out. He hoped that whatever came to help would destroy Janus first and not concentrate on the weaker ones. Death for the calm zombie was still the only thing he desired.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX:

  A Disappearing Sun

  Paul looked to the sky and was unsure of what he was seeing. At first it looked like some kind of bird. However, that wasn't the best way to describe it. The wingspan was just a little too long. The talons at the end of the wings was incorrect. The wings almost looked like that of a bat. The feathers were also wrong. They looked almost like scales. The neck was far too long for that of a bird. The tale was also way longer than that of a bird. It was a type of dinosaur alright, but one he had never seen. It wasn't until the flames burst from the creatures mouth that Paul knew exactly what he was seeing. It was a dragon.

  Hesh had been working on a dragon. He looked back and thought about the individual components she had been combining. He never fully anticipated this though. He just thought she was building some kind of delivery bird capable of protecting itself.

  As he looked up to the dragon swooping down, he saw two people on top riding it. He also saw a number of smaller bird revisions flocking around the dragon.

  The dragon was swooping down and grabbing zombies with its mouth. It popped them open then burnt others with its fire breath as it climbed back into the sky for another pass. Zombies ran in all directions, lit on fire. As it swooped down again, it's wings cut through buildings with ease. It took out the roof of the building full of corpses Paul had walked away from. As the building exploded Paul and Janus were knocked far away. Cinders and ashes flooded around Paul as he laid on there on the ground. Paul saw all the sudden destruction that was happening and regained his smile. Finally, something in this world was more destructive than his iron will. That thing was focused at the zombies.

  Hesh yelled at the zombies during each pass of the dragon. It was obvious that she was trying to direct the massive beast to clear space around him. Paul looked for the calm zombie but couldn't see it anywhere. The dragon swooped in near Paul and used its wings to quickly correct the momentum. As it swooped in, it stepped onto a building. Instead of perching at the top of the building like a regular bird, the mass was too much. It crushed through the building and the dragon topped to the side. Frustrated, the dragon swished its tail and quickly exploded the building. It apparently did not care what was destroyed. This dragon simply enjoyed the same pure destruction that Paul did. It's stomach grew red with flame and it bellowed fire into the streets near Paul. Shrieks of zombies trying to flee sprung up just moments before the crackling of fire consumed them. Paul could feel the heat and his own flesh starting to sizzle. For a moment, he thought about how his skin was roasting like a marshmallow under that intense combustion.

  Once the blinding light disappeared, Paul's heart stopped. He had seen two people on that dragon that landed nearby. He knew Hesh from the front, but he couldn't identify the hands that wrapped around her waist. Suddenly, the dragon was the smallest thing in the world to him. The arm wrapped around Hesh belonged to a ghost. Some feverish dream of another past life. A dream he had awoken from violently long ago. It didn't make sense at all. His daughter poked her head around the dragon. She was smiling widely, pale as ever.

  She jumped off and ran toward him. Paul didn't know what was happening. How could his daughter be alive and running to him? However, that's what appeared to be happening. He then was angry at Hesh for allowing his daughter to ride such a dangerous beast. After further thought, his smile grew wider. Perhaps his daughter hadn't given Hesh much of a choice.

  "You're muddy." was the first thing his daughter said.

  "Is that really you?" Paul asked, in a dazed state.

  He could see that it was her. There was no way to disguise that wide smile on that pale face. She was fully enjoying destroying the world with the dragons. Her and Hesh were enraptured with the rain of fire and blood they swept through the town. There probably wouldn't be a single building standing by the end of the day. The dragon bolted straight up with Hesh still on its back. Each time the dragon swept through town it used wings to destroy the buildings. It was hunting for zombies, popping them in its m
outh on each downturn. As Paul watched the creature, he saw the other smaller birds around it. They now looked like a miniature flock of dragons around the main one. That small army of flying beasts was destroying everything in sight. No zombie was escaping that destruction. Paul did not know what would have happened if there were still people alive in town. Would these dragons have consumed them just the same?

  A scary thought went through his mind. What if Janus's kiss could infect one of these things? Zombie dragons were something that boggled his mind for a moment. If the world wasn't already destroyed he would have been more worried. There was no way to regain the town or the lives already lost. Everything and everyone was already dead. They couldn't die again. Paul then thought about how the dragons did allow human riders. Perhaps they only desired to eat zombies? It certainly didn't look like the dragon was only looking to fill its belly. It cut buildings and zombies into pieces with its wings. Dragon fire lit through the skies and the sun blotted out in fire for a moment. A zombie would have to be out of its mind to try and infect one of these dinosaurs. Paul looked away from the beast and back at his daughter.

  He crawled to his daughter and held her. Mud squished underneath him and he got her ripped clothes dirty with his grasp. He held her as tight as he could. The desire to kill at all costs evaporated. He could now see the day for what it truly was. It was about a dream that he had been part of long ago. He would have family again. Even if this were some part of dying, he was okay with that. Paul didn't care if this were some kind of final part of dying. Even if this was a fantasy he had built for himself, he openly indulged in it. He hoped with all his breath that this was real. That it was really his daughters tiny arms that hugged him back. Screaming zombies and blood everywhere did not shake him out of this moment.

  Hesh seemed to be enjoying herself. Paul could hear her laughing as she destroyed and mangled the town. He could hear her wanting absolute destruction of the zombies. He could feel the wind whip through his hair at each pass of the dragon flock. As the town quickly faded into a lumber yard, she settled the beast near Paul. Hesh jumped off and walked up to Paul.

  "What do you think of my invention? Do you think it will help change the world?" Hesh said, pointing at the dragon.

  "If it doesn't burn the world first. Look at the town Hesh." Paul replied, gesturing around.

  Paul knew that there was one zombie that needed to be dealt with before all others. He didn't know where that one calm zombie, Janus, had fled. It wasn't until he heard screams from the dragon that they understood what was happening. The zombie head peaked over the dragon. Janus was grabbing onto the dragon and biting it over and over. It jumped into the sky and started twisting violently. It tried to get the intruder off its back. Other smaller dragons tried swooping in to cleanse the threat, but Janus was laying flat against the main dragon. The dragon then panicked. It plummeted for the ground, twisted its back to hit the ground first. It slammed the zombie into the ground and twisted back up. Janus was still whole. Paul worried that Janus would be successful in turning the dragon. As frightened as he felt, confusion quickly crossed his expression. He saw Hesh smiling.

  "He wont be able to convert it." she said, watching the flying battle.

  "Why is that?" Paul asked.

  Hesh explained that Hesh's illness works by manipulating base instincts. She didn't build these dragons with those same instincts. Furthermore, they had much more intellect than other dinosaurs. This meant that they could choose for themselves if they wanted to be infected or not. Since Janus was trying to force the beast into submission, the dragon would never submit.

  Paul knew that there was some truth to this, as he had not submitted to Janus's kiss. It was extremely difficult for him, as he was built with the base instincts. However, if he could resist, that meant other things could resist as well. He knew that for himself, it would be a constant addictive battle. If he gave way to basic drives of food and hunting, he would turn. He would always have this urge to convert to a zombie. However, he was able to overcome this urge with concentration and intellect. He now had another purpose and desire. Initially that purpose had been to kill at any cost. Now it was to protect his daughter. These dragons must have had a purpose as well. The way they swooped in it looked like that purpose was to destroy zombies. These dragons killed those that killed men. They killed those that destroyed worlds.

  Paul handed his daughter over to Hesh. He stepped toward the clearing in the town. When the dragon passed down again, Janus twisted off and fled into the woods. The dragon started licking its scales where the zombie had bit. Paul knew that his daughter would not be safe if this calm zombie lived. Paul crawled up on the flying dinosaur. Janus had many resources. However, Janus did not have wings or could breath fire. Janus was simply a man infected with a horrible disease. A disease that unlocked base desires and gave healing to near dead men. As Janus looked to escape, Paul took to the air. He would hunt down this zombie at all costs.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN:

  Prey

  Janus darted around several trees. He didn't know what these new flying dinosaurs were. His kiss didn't have any effect on them. Not only had the dinosaurs resisted becoming infected, but that other alpha had also discovered a way. Janus knew that such things should be impossible. However, he didn't know these creature's nature. Perhaps if he could dig into these creatures movements, he could understand their baser desires. Once he understood that, perhaps his kiss would have more weight. He could sink his teeth in and liberate those base wants for hunting and killing. Janus wanted to free everything; dinosaurs and humans alike. However, the new dinosaur and other alpha stood in his way. Janus allowed himself to escape only with the idea that he would be back. He would build this world without any covers. Everything and everyone would understand themselves. He would lead his pack to overcome all those who went against him. He knew that this moment was crucial to his success. If he could destroy that man and the flying dinosaur, the rest of the world would be easy.

  Destroying what was hunting you was not an easy feat. He could hear the wings of that dinosaur beast above him. He could hear Paul's voice challenging him and yelling his name. He could see the red fire swelling in the flying dinosaur's belly. He could see the shadow blocking out the sun. Even the trees bent in submission as the flying dinosaur passed over. Janus needed a plan to survive and destroy these two. This threat needed to be dealt with now if his plan was to succeed. They were trying to end everything that he had built. They meant to destroy Janus and the gift Janus would give others through his kiss. Janus knew that his kiss was a fantastic gift of freedom. It was a celebration of the instinct of hunting. He felt pride over clarifying that drive in man and beast both. He needed to find a way to continue forward, no matter what it cost.

  Janus darted around a tree and nearly slipped in the dirt. He knew that the tree canopy would hide his escape. He knew that the very winds would move against him. That his scent could flood the flying dinosaur's nostrils. When he snuck a glance, he did not see the nostrils like that of a dog. Perhaps the beast hunted by heat signature? Janus slowed down his heart and reduced his heat signature. That was one of the blessings he had given. He, and others like him, could nearly stop their own hearts. This allowed them to live in situations that most others could not. Perhaps this reduction in heat would confuse the dinosaur and allow Janus the upper hand.

  In response, the flying dinosaur lit the ground on fire. Soon a forest fire was blazing out of control. It was obvious that the flying dinosaur didn't care about the land. Destruction was something that this creature was used to. Janus did not want his kiss burned away though. He needed to preserve himself at all costs. He wasn't sure if the Beta was ready to lead the pack or not. The beta had been watching this dinosaur creator and Janus did not understand why. The beta should have been mastering its instincts, not focused on filling its belly with one woman.

  Janus did not want this flying dinosaur or other alpha to cleanse the land of his kiss.
Janus decided on a risky plan. Janus crept up to the edge of the cliff. He watched closely and then jumped off. He had timed it just right to get on the back of the flying dinosaur. Janus hoped that having the other alpha on its back would reduce the risk of the dinosaur flinging him off. Janus knew that the other alpha was dangerous though. Perhaps just as dangerous as the flying beast. The other alpha produced a knife and ran toward Janus. He could feel the base instincts of this man, being let free in waves. This other alpha would turn to his cause. All that Janus needed to do was to bring out that killer instinct to hunt.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT:

  Way of Life

  Janus quickly moved the right to try and stop Paul. Paul could see by the position of Janus's hands that the zombie was going to try and flip him off the dragon. Paul tried to twist the knife in another direction. Janus instantly changed his stance and grabbed the top of Paul's hand. He then jumped up in the middle of the air, on top of a dragon. The calm zombie used its weight in a downward motion to push the knife into the dragon. The knife skidded off the beasts hardened scales and was flung off into the forest. Janus cartwheeled and tried to use his downward kick to stamp Paul into the dragon. Paul rolled to his side and got up.