Power Struggle

I could feel the wet ground beneath my feet as I crept through the forest. The grove that we sent Ruben too was close. I could smell the blood from the fight. I looked around me. Just behind me was Archer, who had a hand on Ruben's shoulder, helping him along. Behind them was another five of us. I had sent Frederick around to check the camp, while my small group approached the clearing with the dead Shifter and Vick. I would go alone, but I was too valuable to be left alone. So I was tasked with a bodyguard. They were usually a burden, but they have saved my life before, and I was thankful none the less.

Suddenly Archer put a hand on my shoulder, stopping me. I turned to him, noting the worry on his face. "The smell is way too strong, James"

I had already noticed that the smell was stronger than it should be. I turned forward again, my hand drifting to my hip where my sword hung. "I know, I smell it too. Way to many bodies for just the two. And I smell some human blood in there too. Something is off."

As the clearing came into sight, blood and rotting flesh flooded my nostrils. Pausing, I motioned for the bodyguard behind me to check for Mesrit's in the woods. As they dispersed, I took a deep breath and strolled into the clearing.

The ground was covered in bones and dead bodies, blood staining the ground. The ground couldn't even be seen under the mounds of dead. The sight of dead bodies didn't even phase me. I had seen whole battlefields worth of bodies before. This was nothing new. I took a step forward and my foot sank down. Looking down, I noticed a cracked skull. Reaching to pick it up, I held it out, studying it. It's brain matter was leaking out of a massive gash in the head.

"These Mesrit's are pretty violent," I remarked as I looked around. "There has to be fifty bodies here, and they are all mutilated horribly.

"These Mesrits are monsters!" Archer exclaimed, waist deep in what seem to be the remains of a wolf. You couldn't really tell, it was more like ground beef.

I started to walk out into the field, wading through the rotting meat slowly. As I approached the center of the clearing I climbed on top of the bodies, using an unfortunate women's head as a stepping stone, cracking it in half.

"What are you doing James?" Archers worried voice came from behind me.

"The Mesrit's wanted us to come here. And when we got here, There are bodies piled up to our knees. There has to be a reason." I looked around the clearing, and noticed a few of the trees had marks on them. I slowly made my way to one of the marks as my bodyguards entered the clearing, their faces paler than normal.

"What is this?" One of them asked. I ignored him, studying the mark on the tree. It looked familiar. I just couldn't place it. Turning around, I studied the bodies.
Skull cracked open. Intestines spilling out. Missing an arm. Skin peeling off. Shish-ka-bobbed. These bodies were mutilated beyond even the savagery of the Mesrit's. I looked at another batch of the bodies. Flayed skin. Bound in barbwire. Decapitated. Twitching fingers. Bloated skin. Wait, twitching fingers?

I spun around looking at the symbol. I knew where I saw it from. In Tibet, on tombstones in a graveyard. Right before the graveyard came to life...

"Draw your weapons. The dead will walk again." I yelled, my sword flashing out as I drew my shotgun in my other hand. I heard the weapons of my bodyguard being drawn at once, the rasping steel and creaking leather doing nothing to cover the moans as the bodies shifted beneath our feet. I aimed my shotgun down at the mass of bodies and pulled the trigger. A deafening bang sounded out as I spun, shooting again. Blood sprayed up at me, as I slashed my sword at one of the bodies as it climbed to it's feet.

One of the creatures rose in front of me, staggering slightly as it lunged at me. Stepping to the side quickly, my sword travelled through it, severing it's head from it's body. I could hear Archer and the others around me, their guns going of quickly and cutting through the horde. I made my way towards Archer, intending to fight beside him, when something caught on my ankle. looking down, I saw one of the zombies grabbing at my foot. Taking aim with my shotgun casually, I blew it's arm off.

I approached Archer slowly, pausing occasionally to fire my shotgun or stab a zombie. When I reached him I stood behind him, back to back, and sheathed my sword, taking the shotgun in both hands and firing it at all of the dead I could.

"I don't think we can do this one, James. There's too many." Archer called to me over the din, reloading his two pistols. "And I'm down to my last two clips."

I swore loudly as I pulled the trigger again on my shotgun, only to hear the barrel click empty. Turning the gun around I swung it like a baseball bat, taking out the zombie in front of me. Dropping it, I drew my sword again. "None of the other guards are still alive. We're screwed. But we might as well kill as many we can." I said, slashing my blade across the nearest zombies chest.

Suddenly I heard a loud bang, and the firing of machine guns. The horde in front of me collapsed, and I heard whoops. Looking towards the forests edge, I saw groups of Sun Warriors firing at the remaining zombies. As the last of them collapsed I sheathed my bloody sword, picked up my shotgun, and walked over to Frederick, who was leaning against a tree, smoking a cigar casually. He stomped it into the ground, grinding it down as he looked at me and smiled. "There we go, James," he said in his thick French accent. "We are even."

I laughed and clasped his wrist, smiling broadly. "No, I think you still owe me one." Turning around to look at my bloody comrades I realized we were missing someone.

"Where's Ruben?"