Diana smirked, “Do you have a better plan?”
Luke shrugged and then directed Jason to charge into the madness taking place in the oil field.
Chimera sent a backhand fist crashing into the featureless face of the Colossus once more sending bodies flying across the desert. Instead of pressing his attack, Chimera took a step back and inhaled another deep breath as more of the walking dead climbed the body of the decapitated Colossus to reform its head.
Jason rode up beside Chimera and Luke quickly lifted his hazmat hood off of his head and screamed through his speaking horn, “Chimera, pick it up.”
Chimera looked down at Luke for a brief minute and then the kaiju reached out, grabbed the Colossus, and lifted it over his head. The zombie horde was closing in on Luke and Diana when Luke pointed at the closest oil pump and screamed, “Chimera, throw!”
Chimera turned toward the oil pump and threw the Colossus at it. The Colossus flew through the air and crashed into the pump sending a geyser of oil shooting into the air. Luke urged Jason to back away from the oil field and called for Chimera to follow him. The exhausted Chimera turned and began to lumber after Jason. From the back of the horse, Diana turned around to see the oil drenched Colossus rising from the debris of the oil pump. She took aim with her rifle and fired at the abomination. The first shot failed to ignite the creature. Diana was not used to firing a rifle let alone doing it while riding a horse. She steadied her aim and focused her mind. When she felt that the Colossus was in her sights, she fired three more shots at the giant. One of the shots ignited the oil that the Colossus was soaked in, causing the giant to explode. The shockwave from the explosion knocked Jason to the ground and sent Luke and Diana crashing into the sand.
Luke dug himself out of the sand to see a fireball with the vague frame of the Colossus staggering after them. The burning giant took a few steps before it collapsed again. The giant no sooner hit the ground then dozens of the zombies that had been following it threw themselves into the fire in an attempt to reconstruct the Colossus. The Colossus tried to stand again and once more it fell to the ground as the flames consumed the new corpses that were trying to reform it. After another attempt to stand, the Colossus fell to the ground for the final time. Luke and Diana watched from a distance as the zombies that had been following the Colossus continued to throw their bodies into the inferno. After an hour of walking into the fire, the last of zombies had been reduce to ash and cinders.
Luke looked at the exhausted Chimera and said to Diana, “Let’s get Chimera back to the ship. I think we could all use a rest.”
Diana sighed, “Rest maybe, but I don’t know that I will ever be able to sleep again without having nightmares about that thing.”
Luke joked, “Just picture Toombs in the shower and all the thoughts of the Colossus will be forced out of your mind.”
Diana laughed, “And that is now an image that will be ingrained in my mind forever. Thanks a lot, Luke.”
Luke smiled, “Whatever it takes to help you out, my dear.” They both laughed, then Luke tossed Chimera another reward cube and directed the kaiju to follow him. A long and exhausting hour later, they had returned to the Argos.
Kurdistan
Akhkhazu’s eyes snapped open as she came out of the trance like state that she was in while she was controlling the Colossus. She looked down at the mass grave below her and lifted her arm in an upward motion. As her arm rose into the air, hundreds of more bodies began to pull themselves out of the ground. The bodies began to converge and weave their limbs together. Within seconds, the Colossus of Death had been reformed!
Akhkhazu opened her mouth and a hollow voice commanded the giant, “Follow me. We are going to Babylon. The time to seek Marduk has come.” Akhkhazu began to float over the sand and the Colossus of Death followed her spreading its plague to any human that they encountered.
Chapter 32
Euphrates River: The Argos
Toombs walked through the line in the cafeteria absent mindedly placing food onto his tray. He was grabbing his usual diet of burgers and fries with a donut and a few candy bars. One of the servers jokingly offered Toombs a salad. The portly scientist gave a sarcastic laugh to the man then moved on. He scanned the tables in the cafeteria to see where he could sit. He saw both Luke and Diana sitting by a window. As usual, they were surrounded by a large group of sailors eager to hear about their exploits from the previous day. Diana was telling the story about how Chimera was carried off by Anzu only to slay the beast. She went on to describe how she and Luke escaped an army of zombies to find Chimera and lead him back to the Colossus where she and Luke developed the plan that destroyed the undead giant.
Toombs found one of the many empty tables at the far side of the cafeteria from Luke and Diana where he sat down by himself. He took a bite of his burger and anger welled up inside of him as he saw how enthralled everyone was by Diana’s story. She and Luke were treated like they were Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania. Why were they so damned important? Luke did nothing more than point his creation in the right direction and sic him on a monster from far away. Diana didn’t even do that! She just rode along for fun. Toombs didn’t buy their friend act for a minute. He was sure that they were screwing each other on the side and just keeping it quiet so Luke’s wife wouldn’t find out.
Toombs was still staring at the two when the most perfect pair of breasts that he had ever beheld suddenly filled his view. He looked up to see the gorgeous blonde he had come across in the hallway a few days ago. He was still staring at her chest when she began talking to him, “It’s Dr. Toombs, isn’t it?”
Toombs smiled widely as he finally looked at the woman’s face, “Indeed it is, my dear.”
The woman slid into the seat next to him and Toombs immediately became aroused when her leg brushed up against his under the table. He smiled at her as he was sure that the casual contact was intentional on her part. She leaned forward and smiled slightly allowing her cleavage to show, “My name is Allison. Do you mind if I sit with you?”
Toombs shifted his plump leg so that it rubbed against hers. When she didn’t pull away, his heart began to race. He shrugged, “It’s pretty lonely on this side of the cafeteria and I am always willing to dine with a beautiful woman.”
Allison giggled and brushed her hand against his when she reached for her soda. She looked into Toombs’ eyes and immediately his eyes were locked with hers as she continued the conversation, “Word around the ship is that you created Chimera?”
Toombs sighed and pointed to Luke and Diana, “If you are looking to hear about his adventures you should join the unwashed masses over at that table.”
Allison pursed her lips and leaned in closer to Toombs, “A racecar driver may get the fame for winning a race but it’s really the man who designed the car that deserves the credit. “ She shrugged, “Anyone can drive a car,” she looked in the direction of Luke, “or ride a horse and point, but how many men can design and create one of the fastest cars in the world? There are not many of them.” She rubbed her hand on Toombs’ arm, “There is only one man in the world who can make a monster that can kill gods.” She whispered into Toombs’ ear, “Any man that is one of kind in the world is a man I that want to get know better.”
Toombs put his hand on top of Allison’s hand. He tried to sound cool as he spoke with a chunk of hamburger sticking out from between his teeth, “Exactly how well would you like to like to get to know me?”
Allison let her tongue touch the tip of his ear as she whispered into it, “Well, I bet someone who can make a giant monster knows all sorts of fun things about topics like chemistry, biology, and anatomy.”
Toombs felt a rush of heat surge through his body. He squeezed Allison’s hand, “If you would like to stop by my executive cabin when you are off duty, I can show you all kinds of things about anatomy.”
Allison was sweating when she suddenly stood up from the table. Toombs was surprised at how quickly she had pulled away until he real
ized that the heat he thought was his body’s reaction to Allison was actually affecting the entire ship. Everyone in the cafeteria was sweating and the windows around the room were quickly fogging up from steam. The ship’s alarm went off, calling all hands to their battle stations. Allison and all of the other sailors took off for their stations. Toombs, Luke, and Diana ran onto the deck to see steam rising out of the river itself. Toombs jogged over to the edge of the ship and looked down the side to see the river itself boiling. Dead fish were floating in the water as they were cooked alive in the river that had given them life.
Toombs looked back at the deck to see Luke and Diana sprinting across the ship toward the briefing room. He cursed his luck. The hottest woman on deck was coming onto him and some stupid god had to go and attack the Argos. Toombs ran as fast as his stubby legs could carry him to the briefing room. He was still trying to catch his breath as Diana was rushing to bring up a website and the face of the president was coming onto the screen at the head of the table.
Parsons quickly addressed the president, “Good morning, Mr. President. To make you aware of the situation, the Argos is making its way up the Euphrates River. We are heading to what was once the city of Babylon and is current day Hillah. Ms. Cain believes that the monarch of the Mesopotamian gods, Marduk, may be operating out of the city.” Parson’s paused for moment and brought up the camera feed from the river outside onto the President’s screen, “The Euphrates itself is currently boiling beneath us. Ms. Cain believes that this may be an attack from another of the Mesopotamian gods in an attempt to stop us from reaching Babylon.” Parson’s looked over to Diana to see her still typing frantically at her laptop. He looked back to the President, “Ms. Cain has a theory on the god who is behind this attack. She will have her data on the screen momentarily.”
Parsons sat down and a second later Diana finished typing. She hit the key that linked her laptop to the main screen. She didn’t bother with the proper protocol of addressing the President by name. She simply started filling everyone in on her thoughts, “Mesopotamian mythology has a shark god called Asag. According to legend, his presence will cause any body of water that he inhabits to boil.” She hit the page down button on her laptop and the image of a massive shark filled the screen, “There is very little information regarding Asag’s appearance. He is typically said to have the shape of a giant shark similar to that of the ancient megalodon.” She moved her presentation onto the next page showing the Thing from the Fantastic Four comic book. Diana sighed as she spoke, “I apologize, for the comic book character, but Asag is said to be accompanied by an army of rock monsters and this is the first image of one that I could find.” When no one commented on the image, she continued her presentation, “Asag is closely tied to Marduk in several mythological stories. So I would suggest that his appearance means that we are on the right track by heading to Babylon.”
Diana sat back allowing everyone to process the information that she had given them. The president looked to Parsons to answer the rest of his questions, “General, what is the plan when you reach Hillah?”
Parsons stood at attention, “The good news is that since Chimera has already slain their god of thunder, we should be able to take the Argos directly into the port of Hillah without fear of an EMP attack. At our current speed, we should enter the port in just under two hours. We will dispatch SEAL Team Sigma to search the area for Marduk. We will also monitor the river for any signs of Asag and his rock monsters.” Parsons voice became even more serious when he reviewed his contingency plan, “Mr. President, if Seal Team Sigma should fail to find Marduk, I would like to request permission to evacuate the city and then turn Chimera loose on it. Ms. Cain believes that Marduk is tied to Babylon and that a direct attack on the city may force him reveal himself.”
The president’s face lit up with surprise, “General, you want me to green light our kaiju to attack a foreign city in order to draw out an ancient god? Do you have an evacuation plan for Hillah before I send in Chimera to destroy it?”
Parsons was about to respond when an alert came up on his laptop. A look of fear flashed into Parson’s eyes, “I am sorry Mr. President, it seems that there will be no needed to evacuate Hillah. I have just received an alert that the Colossus of Death has returned and it has entered the city of Hillah. Our analyst project that entire population of the city will be deceased within the hour.”
The president shook his head in disbelief, “To make sure that I understand the situation correctly, we currently have a walking giant made up of dead people spreading a deadly plague, a giant shark that can make the river boil, a group of rock monsters, and Marduk the king of this sect of gods all converging in Hillah?”
Parsons nodded, “Yes Mr. President. That is correct.”
The president took a deep breath, “Very well then. General, you have the most powerful ship in the US Navy as well as a kaiju at your disposal. Let me make this perfectly clear. I want you to use those resources to put an end to this threat even if you have to raze Hillah to the ground. Do I make myself clear?”
Parsons saluted, “Yes, sir!” The president shut off his feed and Parsons immediately addressed his team. “Ms. Cain, I want everything you know about Asag and Marduk on my computer in a half an hour. Luke, join SEAL Team Sigma and outfit yourself in another hazmat suit. With the Colossus back, you are going to needed it.” Finally, he turned his attention to Toombs, “Doctor, I need you prepared to treat Chimera. I fear at the conclusion of this battle he may need serious medical attention.”
Toombs nodded and ran out of the briefing room to double check his inventory of medical supplies for Chimera. While his goal was to prepare to perform a medical examination on Chimera, his mind was focused on the examination that he was going to give Allison if they survived Babylon.
Chapter 33
Luke was dressed in his hazmat suit when he brought Jason up onto the deck as the Argos was closing in on the city that was once known as Babylon. Luke’s mind and his senses were overwhelmed by the circumstances that he currently found himself in. The rubber coating added to the Argos to protect it from EMPS was melting away in the boiling river that it floated on, resulting in the acrid smell of burning rubber wafting through the air. Luke could hear the water bubbling and boiling beneath him and as unsettling as that sound was, he glad to hear it because it covered the other sound that Luke knew was coming from the shoreline.
When Luke looked at the riverbank and the desert behind it, he could see the newly formed army of the dead who were following the Colossus of Death. He was well aware from previous experience that zombie disciples of the giant would be uttering a harrowing moaning sound from their dead lips. The fact that he could see the army but not the Colossus itself made Luke all too aware of how many corpses were following the giant. Each zombie was another life that the Colossus had taken, another soul that he had made his own. Luke shivered as the thought of facing the Colossus again crossed his mind. The cold shiver quickly faded in the brutal heat that was crushing Luke and everyone else on board. The desert itself was over one hundred and fifteen degrees and with the additional heat from the boiling river the temperature on deck was well over two hundred degrees.
Luke took in the environment in its entirety. A barren wasteland, sweltering heat, boiling rivers, the foul smell of things burning, and the bodies of the damned following after a demon. If someone had simply described this place to him and then asked him where it was Luke knew exactly what his answer would be: Hell. Everything around Luke fit the description of eternal suffering that he learned about in Sunday school as a kid. Hell itself had literally come to Earth and it was up to Luke and Chimera to send the demons that were causing this back to the pit from where they had come. Luke feared what would have happened to his family if the vortex generated by the Charybdis had reached them. Then their deaths would have been painful but at least it would have been quick. Luke almost cried as the thought crossed his mind again of the bodies of Melissa and the girl
s joining the ever growing parade of the dead waiting to become part of the Colossus. He knew that Virginia was a good distance away from their current position but Luke was determined to stop this insanity here and now. Luke had no shame in admitting that he was afraid to face the Colossus again but that fear was overridden by the sense of responsibility that he felt as a husband and a father. Luke spoke aloud to himself, “Yes I am afraid, but my family will give me the strength to overcome this fear and stop this monster.”
Jason whinnied in reply. Luke laughed, patted the horse on the head, then he gave Jason a carrot. Jason was just finishing up the carrot when, in the distance, Luke could see the outline of the city of Hillah. The buildings were relatively small and the low skyline allowed Luke to see the Colossus standing in the center of the city streets. The last time that Luke had seen the Colossus it was wandering around trying to spread its plague as quickly as it could. Luke and Chimera had to chase it down in order to engage it. This time however, the giant was waiting for them. It was looking for a fight. In Luke’s mind, the actions of the Colossus confirmed Diana’s theory. Why else would the Colossus remain stationary unless if he was looking to protect something? Luke reasoned that the only thing that the Colossus would protect was Marduk and his Tablets of Destiny. Luke stared out at the Colossus and felt his blood run cold. He was sure that the eyeless sockets of the ever shifting face of the Colossus were staring right back at him. Luke clenched his fists and gnashed his teeth, “All right you son of bitch, time for round two.
Luke looked to his left to see SEAL Team Sigma checking their hazmat suits. Luke led Jason over to them. The leader of the team introduced himself as Commander Ardan then he handed Luke a rifle, “I understand that you have recently taken basic fire arms training?” Luke nodded in reply. Ardan smiled, “Good. In about sixty seconds, the Argos is going to unleash hell on that army of zombies in an attempt to clear us a path to the city. The Argos should be able to take out the zombies walking toward Hillah but the ship won’t be able to target zombies in the city without fear of hitting us. Hillah is overrun with the dead. We are going to enter the city and make for a high building that you can direct Chimera from. We want you to get him to bring the Colossus as close to us as possible.” Ardan pointed to the men behind him, “We have flamethrowers and accelerant. We are going to try and replicate what you did in the desert. Soak the Colossus in accelerant and then cook his ass. Once the Colossus is destroyed, we are going to start searching the city for Marduk. If we find him or if he finds us, you send Chimera in to kick his ass too.” Commander Ardan looked at the horse, “We do not believe that EMPs are a threat. We are going to use Hummers to enter the city. Are you sure that still want to ride the horse?”
Chimera: Scourge of the Gods: A Kaiju Thriller Page 14
