Hanging on Bones

Chapter 3 Bony Dummies

The shock of it. I never thought something could be this scary in real life. All the movies I watched, games I played and books I read, never prepared me for looking the death in the face. I might have already died once, but that event was too sudden and too unreal for me to feel fear. The hysterical panic I experienced in the coffin paled in comparison since it was situational, without any single point to focus on. But this… This was horror incarnate crouching before me and deciding on my fate.

Logically thinking, there's not much it can do. No flesh to rip, no blood to spill, no nerves to shatter. It could only scatter my bones and extinguish my consciousness. I'm already dead after all… but still. The feelings are not prone to logic.

Luckily, the release of its gaze on me broke that feeling and I fallen to ground. Skidding few meters down slope I found myself in the midst of them. Completely ignored just like with my little pet-John. What a relief.

In daze, as if after adrenaline rush, I think to myself that this situation is sort of funny. Bones lying there dead in middle of cemetery surrounded by zombies, skeletons and a ghoul. I really do fit into this crowd don't I?

Picking myself up, I warily look around for any signs of reaction from them, but still nothing. Even ghoul now completely ignores me. Calming down a little I start looking for provisional knife that I dropped, but it's nowhere to be seen. Most likely it got stuck somewhere in the bushes.

One dry broken branch is sticking out of my ribcage so I try to pull on it. Hard going through since it has irregular shape, with hook like protrusions where other pieces used to grow out. It got stuck on my spine. I pushed instead, and it went out smoothly on the other side. God bless small distractions. At least I'm sure now there's no flesh left in my chest.

In order to get rid of any remains of the branch I am inspecting my insides for the first time, when something catches my attention. It’s quite hard to see because it’s far up, hanging in there near the spine but….

"HHHHEEEEEEEEYYYYYOOOOO" Suddenly deep loud prolonged shout echoes through the valley. As one all heads turn towards the direction the voice seems to be coming from. All sorts of things started happening at the same time. Zombies began to moan and moved in that direction. Ghoul dropped the piece of flesh it was eating and made quick, dog like dash for the drop-off. Using both legs and arms in a blur of a motion, it gained immense speed and leapt of the edge. It then caught the trunk of a tree. Not braking the speed even a bit, in circular motion, using it like some sort of huge friggin dance pole, it dropped down out of sight. Way to scary. No way in hell I could do anything against it with my little gardening spade.

All the zombies and skeletons are in process of nearing the edge now. Their movements several times quicker then what they usually are. Even I'm curious too look at what's happening from the safety of higher elevation, but I doubt that's their motivation. As I watch first of the skeletons simply stumbled over the small knee-high metal barrier and fell off the cliff-like drop. Before I reached the edge all of them were already down below. Looking at them I could not believe my eyes. They broke to pieces. Hands in one place, legs in other, even one skull was still spinning on top of a grave. But they still moved. As I watched legs started crawling back to the pelvis. Hands picked up missing ribs and put them back into the place. After few moments the one missing its head, stood up and shuffled little bit seemingly disoriented, but with bit of fumbling homed in on its target and put it back on the stump of the spine. They all looked as if nothing happened. Mirror image of themselves before the fall. I stared astounded. Guess I have nothing to worry about even if ghoul dismembers me.

The zombies on the other hand came out little bit worse for wear. They did not scatter about like the zombies did, because their flesh prevented it. But the damage shows. Arms that stayed at odd angles and strangely flat areas that used to be round. Splashes of rotten flesh where they landed. One of the two hit his head on the corner of the marble slab, making huge indent in its skull. But other than that, both didn't seem to be affected too much by the incident. What caught my attention through, was that one of them when standing up used headstone as support and kept its grip on it. The thick slab of a rock crumbled like a piece of styrofoam. I wouldn't like to be squeezed by that hand. Our, oh so fragile pieces of rotting flesh, seem to have strength of superman.

As I watch, the little herd of the five undead is already making their way down hill. No good. I’m too curious to leave it at that and I do not want to be left behind.

I approached the edge with caution and found the impossibly steep staircase. Carefully, as if I was using the ladder, I back into it and start to descend. Wouldn't want to fall now. I don't have the confidence in my puzzle solving skills.

Reaching the bottom I quickly turn around and follow. With my superior movement coordination it doesn't take long before I catch up to them. Matching their pace I take more care to scan my surroundings properly.

The slope is steadily getting gentler. Traversing it at an angle, we are changing the rows every dozen of graves or so. From what I can remember if we went directly downhill we would get out on one of the main paths, which in the direction we are heading, then leads to big circular clearing, with four more paths branching off in all directions. As it stands, me and my pack seem to be heading directly for that place using much more difficult path. Well, I don't really mind since all the trees and graves in the dark of the night are providing really good cover from the prying eyes. The biggest factor betraying our progress would be the noise the zombies started making.

The shout we heard was bit strange through. The distance we already covered is quite large and I would never suspect for someone's voice to carry that clearly, so far, in such densely overgrown environment. I'm sure the moans of brainiacs in my party are not reaching more than ten meters away. But as we get closer their groans start getting lauder and lauder, as if in anticipation. I slowed down to be on the furthest end of the pack. To my surprise I realize that there are nine of us. Without my noticing, one zombie and two skeletons joined our little happy family. Seems like the moans are not just for show.

I see a lot of light in the distance, so I let them get little ahead of me. Better safe than sorry. Closer scrutiny of the surroundings reveal that all the graves here are in pristine condition, with fresh flowers and candles that are still flickering, even though it's so late in the night. That is heart-warming but I don't suppose it's a good sign.

*gshh* *crash* "'re u go!" *swish*

The faint noises coming from up ahead are getting more distinct. Between the loud moans of my companions and cacophony of sounds up ahead, I can discern one or two words from time to time.

The area here is almost flat and I should be able to see the clearing by now, but the back of my companions and the two rows of graves between us, block my view.

Suddenly I hear the scream:

"Watch out! There comes another group of them!"

I stop at that instant. It's almost like I'm in a horror movie. The exception being that I'm not one of those heroes repelling hordes of monsters. I am a monster.

"Waahahaha!! Look at them come! This is FUN!"

"Don't toy with them Alex. We're here to train. Not to play."

"Come on Boss, let the girl have some fun. It's not like we're in any danger"

... well, that sure is an waking call for me. I quickly crouch behind some headstones and very slowly and quietly approach, as my brethren die en mase. When I'm close enough to the edge, I take a peak between two of the headstones that are quite elevated and obstructed behind dense foliage. From this spot I'm totally hidden and at the same time I have perfect view of what, I can now easily call a battlefield. The first thing I see, are the last two of my pack being engulfed in flames. Rest of them are either lying burnt to crisp closer to the trees, or broken into really small pieces at the feet of the towering figures.

But they are not the ones that draw my sight next. The thing that is most eye-catching is the huge three meter high and one meter wide blue portal in the middle of the clearing. As I'm staring at it, human figure clad in heavy duty plate armour is stepping out of it with unhurried stride. What the f**k!?

The circle of men and women dressed in different kinds of medieval looking armour, were fighting the hordes of zombies and skeletons coming from all sides of the clearing. Most of the humans in the first row had almost identical low quality leather armour with some kind of blue emblem visible on their chest. Only their weapons differed from one to another.

Interspersed among them at even distance are people of visibly better stature and armour. To the back were ones with similar looking long robes decorated by that blue design and carrying long staffs of varied shapes and sizes. In the middle of the circle however, stands a group of people clad from head to toe in plate armour, to the point I cannot discern their individual genders.

Though I cannot be sure of precise numbers, there seem to be at least one hundred of live humans gathered here.

If I had them, my eyes would start bulging out when above one of the robbed guys small ball of fire started forming. Soon after, it soared through the air. Lone zombie near the edge of the clearing was consumed by its inferno of flames.

This is freaking nuts! What the hell, did I wake up in some fantasy world or something!? But I know this place!! When I was nine on this very crossroad I lost some money and went around looking under all the pebbles and stones, crying for an hour until some old lady gave me sweets and kept me company until parents came!! There's no way in hell I got teleported somewhere else!! They are the invaders damn it!! This is my cemetery! I remember it! I remember where all the nine family members are buried!! And my friend! My best friend who died on motorbike accident few days after my 18th birthday!! Damn it!! Damn it!!! I know this cemetery like the back of my hand!!! Who are they to be disgracing it with their laughter while slaughtering and desecrating the dead!!

I boil with rage at them. Looking silently as they kill more and more dead emerging from the surrounding forest covered graveyard. But soon the amount slows to bare trickle. With sporadically lone marauders coming into the clearing here and there. Taking in the carnage of piles upon piles of bones and corpses lying all around, I realise that there was a pattern to their slaughter. First came the lone but agile and quick ghouls. They were dealt with by the more skilled and better equipped veterans, which then proceeded to disperse evenly between the lower ranks. Since they were too strong for the noobies, the mages picked off all the zombies from the distance. Sporadically lucky one that slipped through was dealt with by hardened killers. The easy skeletons were left to be trained on. The bastards. So I was to be the training dummy, huh?

The shout of someone in the heavily armoured group brought me back from my furious contemplations.

"Listen up! The main force will now proceed to the target destination! Trainee squads from one to eight will swipe the four sectors surrounding this square! Squads nine and ten will follow us into the sector five! Carry out!"

The circle disintegrated with people forming groups of eight. One veteran, one mage and six trainees in each. This cannot be good. As I watch, two of such groups are beginning to head in my direction. I quickly turn and start going the way I came, trying to be as quiet as possible.

*Crash* I look at my bony feet. Along the way, I seem to have knocked over one of the glass candle containers.

I practically feel their gazes on my back.

"Hey look! There's one, over there!"

I start running at full speed.

"What the-!? It's runner! It's f**ing runner! Burn it! Burn it before it gets away!'

"Too many trees!"

"Run you morons! We must catch it whatever it takes!"

It does not look good. They did not mistake me for a ghoul, zombie or regular skeleton. It seems I might not be the first one of my kind. If I don't get enough distance between me and the horde of 16 angry humans that are slowly gaining on me I doubt it will matter though.

I better think of something.

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