The Zombie Reaper

The place that they had been called to was a park. It was hard for Lynuel to see it being used as a bright place for families and friends to gather and laugh. Someone had decided it was a good idea to cut off the lights in the area and that absolutely unnerved the young man. He could barely see anything as they stepped from light into utter darkness. He took a deep breath as he looked around, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the lack of light around them. As he moved forward slowly, he was glad that he had taken Silence's advice about stretching. Even now he could feel the pull especially at his ankle as he moved forward. He bit his lip hard to keep back the occasional groan as he put weight on it that the ankle didn't want. It didn't matter that it had been two weeks since his fight. His ankle didn't seem to be the same. It didn't matter how hard he worked it or how many normal things he attempted.

The ankle simply didn't seem to want to heal properly.

Shaking his head, he pushed the thought of his ankle from his mind. "Marcus, you will go with Silence and Lynuel and take the area from the bridge to the western border of the park. We have been told that there are two assailants so don't let your guard down. If you do, it might not be your life, but the life of someone with you and if that happens, I will have your head," Father Marcio warned in a soft hiss.

It was clear to everyone but Marcus himself that the hiss was directed at him. Lynuel shook his head as he moved off with Silence and Marcus. Marcus was visible only because of his blonde hair whereas Silence seemed to fade in and out of the sight. The only thing that marked him was the red that bordered his neck and even that, they knew, would likely vanish if the man really wanted to disappear. The thought was more than a little unnerving. Lynuel was just glad that the man was on their side. He would hate to have to face someone like Silence in a fight, especially since he had seen the man in a fight before. Even if it had only been a sparring match it had been enough to give Lynuel a healthy respect of the man's ability. And that of Father Marcio's as well.

"Where do you think they are?" Marcus asked as they moved further into the park, the light of the moon sometimes peeking through the trees to dance along the concrete and the dead lamp posts.

Lynuel cut the boy a sharp look. "Be quiet," he snapped gripping his cane tightly. He desperately wanted to use the thing to smack the boy but he hesitated. After all, if he couldn't use it to walk at the moment, he probably shouldn't use it as a weapon either. Of course if he were to accidentally hit Marcus in the course of a battle... He looked over at Silence and he had a feeling that the man wouldn't interfere even if he did see the attack going in Marcus's direction. The thought made Lynuel smile as he continued down the path, just a touch happier than he had been only moments before.

The trees sometimes whispered, creaking in the wind. The sound unnerved both Marcus and Lynuel. Lynuel was almost certain that Silence was immune to fear. He had to be from the way the man continued to walk no matter what sound drifted towards them. Then again, why would one have to be afraid when one was far scarier than anything that the trees around them were likely to throw in their direction. Lynuel felt a surge of jealousy for a moment. He wondered what it would be like to have that kind of pride and ability. It was probably nice. No, it was likely more than nice. It was likely exhilarating. But that was not the fortune of all men and Lynuel had to accept that. For there to be those with skills, there had to be those who lacked.

Lynuel generally lacked in his own humble opinion.

Silence froze before them and Lynuel found himself straightening. His grip on the black cane tightened once more as he began to look around. Ht tried to hear or see whatever it was that had Silence's attention but he honestly couldn't tell and that made him a little more anxious than it probably should have. He was half-tempted to ask them man about it, but he was glad when Marcus beat him to that stupidity.

Silence turned and if it weren't for the mask, Lynuel would have sworn that the priest was actually glaring at the initiate. "Wait," he ordered quietly before slipping his robe off and vanishing into the trees. Lynuel stared after Silence trying to spot the man but he had simply vanished. It was as if he had literally faded into nothing. The thought sent a thrill down Lynuel's spine. To have such a skill was both daunting and utterly awesome. His respect for Silence continued to increase with each moment such as this.

Marcus turned to Lynuel frowning. "Where did he go?" the boy demanded in a rather loud voice.
Lynuel flinched and gritted his teeth before glaring up at Marcus. "Shut up," he snapped. "We're on a mission. Everything can't just be exp-"

Lynuel felt something, or someone, slam into him and felt something bit down on his arm hard. A scream, more of surprise than actual pain, flew from his lips as his other hand tightened into a fist and slammed into his enemies jaw as he extracted himself from the grip and rolled away. Marcus stood staring on in shock, utterly frozen in something like terror or surprise. Lynuel didn't really care which. It was probably better if Marcus stayed out of the way. As much as Lynuel would never admit it to anyone else, Marcus would be more likely to cause trouble if he moved than anything else.

The thing before him had once been a Nzombiy. The only thing that marked it (or had it once been a him?) as such were the brightly colored eyes and the dark skin. Lynuel felt a moment of sympathy stir within him before it faded as the thing lunged at him again, it's teeth stained a nasty yellow. It was so desperate. Lynuel could feel it. Jumping to the side, Lynuel brought his cane down hard. His heart skip a beat when he heard a sickening crunch and he realized exactly where he had hit the being before him. The thing fell limp to the ground, it's neck resting at an awkward angle. The already dead eyes stared up at the moon, the trail of a tear evident on it's dirty cheek.

Lynuel fell to his knees, the cane falling from his grasp as he stared at the shell of what had once been a man with a name and a family. A man with a life.

A life he had taken.

"Oh my God," Marcus breathed. "You killed it," the younger male breathed in awe. "Lynuel killed the Zombie!" he cried at the top of his lungs as if the news were the greatest victory that he had ever heard in his life.

Lynuel felt sick to his stomach and dizzy as he began to slowly sway from side to side. He had just killed another living being. It didn't matter the reason why. There was no excuse in his mind. He had killed someone and he could never take that back. "How did you do that?" he could hear Marcus asking. But the question didn't matter now. Nothing could take back what he had done.