Aika drew back her katana, tears streaming down her eyes as she fought to stop herself from bringing her blade down and killing Reece. It was a losing battle, and they all knew it. Chippo chose that moment to appear near Reece, more solid than Reece had ever seen him. The tiny Furdian’s eyes were wide. He tugged worriedly on Reece’s pant leg.

“This seems pretty bad, boss,” said Chippo.

“Yeah, it does, Chip,” mumbled Reece. But then he looked down at the Furdian with narrowed eyes, discreetly winking at the last moment.

Reece returned his gaze to Aika while she slowly lost the struggle to behead him, then over at the commander who was about to destroy the nightcore’s only means of activation. Reece’s smile stretched across his face.

“Hey, Rogers… or should I call you Abel Hargrove?” he called out to the man fidgeting with the nightcore. “I’ve just got one last question before I die.”

“What is it now?” grumbled Hargrove in irritation. He looked up from the nightcore.

“And why aren’t you dead yet?” he added, frowning. Then he looked at Aika, his displeasure evident. “Hold a moment.”

Aika’s shoulders slumped in exhaustion and relief. She gladly lowered the katana. Despite or perhaps because of the fatigue she was feeling from her internal struggle, she turned and faced Hargrove with pure hatred. Beads of sweat covered her forehead, evidence of the battle of wills she had been fighting with the former commander. Aika’s look softened considerably when she finally looked back down at Reece.

“Reece, I’m so sorry,” she whispered, breathing deeply from her efforts. “I’m trying to fight him, but he’s so powerful. I don’t think I can keep it up.”

Reece gave Aika a nod in understanding. He turned his eyes back on the man he had once served, Commander Rogers. Or rather, Abel Hargrove. This was a man who was both a megalomaniac and a malignant narcissist. Reece planned on using that against him.

“What would you like to know before you die?” asked Hargrove, a wicked gleam in his eye after witnessing their exchange. “Why I’ve imprisoned Sora? Or why I’m dumping Pasha into the deepest, darkest part of the ocean instead of turning them to my cause? Or perhaps what magical moments I’ve shared with Aika? You did well there, Reece. She’s lovely and quite talented.”

“He’s full of shit,” spat Aika in disgust. “He tried, but he couldn’t finish the deed.”

“Don’t worry. I believe you,” replied Reece. To Hargrove, he said, “Not you, however. She’s right. You are full of shit. Always have been.”

Reece figured that Hargrove would take the bait. When he was known as Commander Rogers, the man always seemed like a sadist. Having another opportunity to torture Reece psychologically would give the man great pleasure. Reece was buying himself some time to flesh out his plan, no matter how unlikely their victory or survival might be. He could only play the hand he was dealt. That and the mysterious ace up his sleeve. He hoped it wouldn’t disappoint. After all, every second showed more and more of the Order’s forces showing up to surround them. The only reason they were still alive was that Hargrove willed it. The whole horde would be upon them with a snap of his fingers.

“But hey, humor me. I want to know how you expect all of this to end?” asked Reece, further clarifying. “Do you really think the world will roll over and let you win? And for what reason? Why? What’s the point in turning the world into a graveyard?”

“Hah, why not?” answered Hargrove. “It’s simple. Across the world, in every society, the peasantry has simply gotten out of hand. They wanted more land, food, everything… more, more, more… like they deserved any of it. And those of us who spent the money, did the research, and found the opportunities for progress… what were we supposed to do? Just hand it all to them? No, thank you. They needed to be put back in their place, permanently this time. With the nightcore, I will crush what’s left of the old world soon enough.”

Hargrove stopped, and his face darkened at an unpleasant thought.

“I had a plan. I had armies in development for decades. Everything was going perfectly,” he snarled. “Then mistakes were made. First, you refused to join us, then Angel caused the blasted shuttle crash and kicked off our plague before it was ready. It’s his fault the world is covered by flesh-eating creatures instead of a compliant workforce and willing servants. We were working on a solution to the setbacks when everything started falling apart.”

Reece stopped listening to Hargrove’s tirade and reached out with his mind. “Chippo, I thought you were tied to the nightcore,” replied Reece. “Why are you still talking to me?”

“Well… sure, I am…,” answered the weresquirrel. “But I also know which side needs to win this war. I dislike the idea of becoming a slave.”

“In that case, I need you to do something while Mr. Big Mouth is monologuing,” replied Reece, the basis of a plan forming in his mind. “First, I need you to free Sora.”

Still on his knees with Aika holding her katana over him, Reece gave Chippo his leave and mentally contacted Sora to start the impromptu plan. He couldn’t help but keep glancing at Aika, trying to discern the look on her face. He needed to know how long he had before she lost the struggle and cut him down once Hargrove gave her the word. Despite that, he continued with the tasks of laying the groundwork for a plan. Once he finished his mind link with Sora, he returned to Hargrove’s meandering monologue.

“…so, we just picked up the pieces,” continued Hargrove. “It’s your fault the world is as it is.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a load of bullshit to me. More victim blaming,” said Reece, eyeing Aika again. “Since you don’t want to spill the real reason that you’ve done all this, I have only one thing left to say to you.”

“Oh, please,” scoffed Hargrove. “Do tell.”

“Inanna says hello,” stated Reece loudly and firmly. Looking around, he waited. Nothing happened.

“What? That’s all you’ve got?” laughed the man once known as Commander Rogers. Then he narrowed his eyes at Reece. “The one that started the Order, my Order, took care of all the aspects pretending to be gods millennia ago. These aspects of the so-called ‘natural order’ have no power here. That old goddess you’ve just evoked no longer matters now that I finally have the completed nightcore. I’ll be the sole emperor of this world. It will be remade entirely for myself, those loyal to me, and my god. Unlike yours, he is very real.”

Reece didn’t have time to consider what the former Commander meant by my god. He was far too busy putting his plan into motion. But first, he was waiting for some sign that the words that Karina had once told him to say would have some effect. Looking up at Aika, he could see that something had changed. Her face softened, and she turned toward Hargrove. Reece looked back at Karina. She was experiencing a change of heart as well.

Hargrove noticed this too. Reece saw confusion and something else in his eyes, fear perhaps. Losing his supreme confidence, Commander Rogers, aka Abel Hargrove, returned to permanently deactivating the nightcore. While he worked on the device, he absently said, “Aika, kill…”

But before he could finish the command, several things happened. Chippo, perched invisibly in Sora’s arms, became visible and launched his hybrid squirrel form at Hargrove’s face. The feisty Furdian scratched and bit the startled man several times before he could even register what was happening. The surprise attack momentarily kept Hargrove from finishing deactivating the nightcore. It also cut off his command to Aika. At the same time, Reece gave Hargrove a mental “shove” with everything he had left. He hoped it would be enough.

Hargrove reeled backward, his focus broken. He let go of the nightcore with his left hand and swatted at Chippo. He almost immediately knocked the Furdian away, but the dual distractions gave Karina enough time to break his hold over her mind and recover her wits. She swiftly backed away from Hargrove and used her spear to smack the nightcore from his grasp. The obsidian object went flying into the midst of several rows of zombies. Rows that had steadily been getting deeper as more zombies had been showing up over the last few minutes.

Seeing her opening, Sora launched her fire attack just as her chains fell away and her full nine tails unfolded behind her. The fireballs struck the undead in the area of the bouncing nightcore, incinerating them instantly. Sora sent another ball of fire streaking through the sky for nearly a kilometer to strike the undead harpy-like creature carrying Pasha’s body away. The pitiful creature shrieked in pain and fell out of the sky in a ball of fire, her living torment finally over. The fireball consumed both forms, and they hit the sand together in a fiery blaze. Reece couldn’t help but smile when he saw Pasha sit up from the pile of ashes, shaking ash and sand from her hair and naked torso.

Nephi and Masika were also freed from the commander’s control. The twins ran towards Reece, renewed hope in their eyes. Reece looked at Hargrove. The man’s face was a mix of frustration and confusion. He attempted to control Karina, but it didn’t work. Picking an easier target, he tried attacking Nephi. It was clear that it didn’t work either. Reece realized that after he had distracted Hargrove, the man’s mind control ability was rendered ineffectual. Reece smiled at that.

Changing tactics, Hargrove yelled, “Fine! Join the losing team and die then. Now, my followers, destroy them!”

Hargrove’s command caused an instant change in the zombie force. Those standing at attention readied their weapons, turned towards Reece’s small band, and charged. The incoming zombies and other unnatural horrors seemed to pick up their pace as they closed in on the group. Once the twins reached Reece, they turned to defend him from the oncoming undead masses. There was another silver lining to the situation. There were so many incoming zombies that the Order troops had no clear lines of fire. They were rendered ineffectual, which suited Reece just fine.

“Welcome back to the good guys,” quipped Reece once the twins joined him in their small defensive circle. “Although I don’t love our chances, they just got much better.”

“Better to die free than live as a slave,” stated Nephi, holding his head high as his skin hardened and darkened.

Masika merely nodded, her downcast eyes and pale complexion betraying her disgust at being made a puppet, even for a few days. With a look of pure hatred at Hargrove, Masika changed as well. Now in their obsidian forms, the twins brought up walls of sand around the small group to ward off the tide of zombies and any fire from the Order troopers. That would buy Reece some much-needed time to do… something.

That’s when he noticed the Order troops were also under attack by the undead. The zombies weren’t following Hargrove’s orders anymore. They were following their instincts. They were attacking anything alive and feeding on them. It didn’t take the troopers long to realize their plight and turn their fire on the zombies, dividing Hargrove’s forces against themselves.

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” thought Reece. Still, even with the remaining Order members, the zombies were all but countless. They stood little hope of victory.

“It’s time,” said Masika, looking over at Nephi. “They’ve waited millennia. They shouldn’t have to wait any longer.”

Nephi raised his eyebrows in shock. “Are you sure?”

“Of course,” answered Masika. “The fate of the world hangs in the balance. What better time than now.”

“Okay, sis. Let’s summon them,” replied Nephi, sounding unsure.

In short order, the twins began to chant, a low guttural sound emanating from their throats. Reece watched as the first zombies arrived, breaking against the sand walls and working to tear them down. By now, the flying monsters had arrived and had zombies and ghouls clutched in their talons. Once there, the winged creatures delivered their cargo. Zombies and ghouls literally rained down on the small group. Ciera shot the first dozen out of the sky, but the zombies poured forth too quickly to stop them all.

Before they could attack the group in force, the remaining lead bat-like creatures smashed into an invisible barrier and bounced back, a couple dropping to the sand with broken necks. The raining zombies and ghouls also bounced harmlessly off the shimmering energy field to land outside. Reece looked behind him and saw Cyrene smiling. “Hey, a girl has to have her secrets. I haven’t been able to do that for an age. I blame you, Reece Danielson. Now focus. I can only keep it up for a short time.”

Reece nodded at her before scanning the battlefield again. It would be a mistake to turn his back on the battle for more than a few seconds. Even that could be costly. The flying monsters shrieked in frustration, still sacrificing themselves by ramming the barrier with their bodies to drop dead in the sand below. The zombies at the walls were slowly making progress in tearing them down while more of their undead brethren piled on top of them to climb over the roughly five-meter-tall walls. He knew that time was running out. Still, he smiled when he caught sight of the lilitu and the vampire battling outside of the barrier.

After spending so much time fighting together and sparring, Karina and Aika formed a near-perfect fighting team. Karina used her spear to poke at Hargrove, keeping her movements small. Bigger movements took longer to execute and would expose her to Hargrove’s counterattacks. Aika used her katanas in tandem, launching a flurry of attacks to keep Hargrove on guard. Hargrove had pulled a pair of thick daggers from his belt and was surprisingly good at fending off all their attacks.

Before long, they were pressing Hargrove on both sides, Karina with her spear and Aika with her katanas. His eyes blazed red in anger and determination. Reece saw that his girls were in trouble when the overly muscled man and the pair of vampires flanked them, creating a triangle around the trio of combatants. With opponents on both sides, Karina and Aika each took minor hits from Hargrove’s daggers.

Nisha and Rik, who had also gone with the Phoenix crew, had just fought their way through the zombie horde and moved to attack the trio of vampires supporting Hargrove. They must have also been controlled and held in reserve. Nisha moved with feline grace and feminine beauty while Rik used newly acquired prosthetic limbs to defeat the overdressed vampire he was battling. While the two groups fought, a dozen behemoths trudged through the horde of zombies to join the battle, the smaller undead being squished beneath their feet.

“Ugh, the barrier won’t hold,” grunted Cyrene. “It’s coming down.”

Suddenly, the flyers were launching themselves at the small group. Ciera dropped them as fast as they dive-bombed the group, but it only bought them seconds. Nephi and Masika must have finished their chant because they quickly worked to bring the walls of sand to greater heights, further slowing the zombies trying to climb over or through the obstructions. ‘Click-click-click’. The ominous sound of Ciera’s guns running out of ammo sent a sense of doom through Reece’s psyche.

The feeling didn’t last. However, it intensified. A deep rumbling followed by explosions of sand all around them announced the arrival of something else. To Reece’s surprise, that something turned out to be hundreds of sphinxes. Made of sand and stone, the creatures were the size of a car, three meters long by a couple of meters tall. They used their stylized feather wings to launch themselves into the air. They soon engaged the attacking gargoyles and other flying undead. Reece looked to the twins, raising his eyebrow questioningly.

Masika caught his gaze. “The sphinxes exist to defend against evil. This seemed more than appropriate.”

“Heh, you’ll get no argument from me,” said Reece. “I’m feeling a bit better about our chances.”

Still, zombies were everywhere. They swarmed down from the surrounding dunes in numbers too great to count. Numerous behemoths were moving in as well. He saw that Karina and Aika were hard-pressed between Hargrove, the enemy vampires, and the numerous zombies. Nisha and Rik were helping, but the battle was a stalemate. Not liking those odds for his companions, Reece decided to end the stalemate. Reaching out with his consciousness, he grabbed the absurdly muscular man’s mind. Due to his fatigue, Reece was barely able to establish the connection. However, Reece’s mind was still far superior and better trained than the muscle-bound hulk’s. Once the battle in the battlespace was joined, it was over almost before it began.

Reece used his new puppet to grab the two distracted vampires by their heads and squeezed them both before they could attempt an escape. The strength possessed by the muscular man was incredible. Both vampires’ heads were crushed like eggs in his grasp, their yoke-like brains oozing from their eggshell skulls and through his fingers to drip onto the sand below.

Wincing in disgust, Reece continued to use the creature. Reece hoped to end things quickly by using the muscle man to tackle Hargrove. Unfortunately, the puppet wasn’t up to the task, and Reece found himself back in his own body, Hargrove having eviscerated the hulk with nothing but his daggers. Reece just had to hope that would be enough to ensure Aika and Karina’s victory over the former commander.

Karina winked at Reece before turning back to face Hargrove.

“So, you’re an Inanna-din AND a vampire,” spat Karina. “It’ll be my pleasure ending an abomination like you.”

“Do your best,” sneered Hargrove while he easily deflected Karina and Aika’s simultaneous attacks. “I’m no mere clone of my human form. You have no idea of my power.”

“Oh, I think we’re getting an idea,” rebutted Aika, systematically testing Hargrove’s defenses with practiced swings of her katanas.

The two women took the battle in stride and continued their attacks, poking and prodding at Hargrove in search of a weakness. With both of them busy with the former commander, that unfortunately left the rest of them to take on everything else. That included the army of behemoths, troops, mechanical units, ghouls, gargoyles, dread wolves, and zombies continuously flowing over the dunes. With so many enemies moving in, they needed to regroup fast. First, they needed to retrieve the nightcore and rescue Pasha, who was nearly surrounded by zombies and wouldn’t survive long without weapons or even the flimsy protection of any clothes. The only reason she was still alive was that she hid under the dead bat-thing’s corpse.

It didn’t take long for the two women to split their offense between Hargrove and the behemoths. Ciera tried helping by taking out a couple with powerful headshots, but more behemoths moved in. She had to sling her Spear rifle over her back and use a newly acquired AK-47 to mow down the encroaching zombies and a couple of dread wolves before they reached her position. A wall of dead flesh was accumulating around the small group of desperate fighters.

The sphinxes continued engaging in an aerial battle with the ever-increasing multitude of gargoyles, nightmares, and other assorted flying undead monstrosities that dominated the skies. Despite being outnumbered, the sphinxes were vicious, tough, and agile. One-on-one, the undead were no match for the ancient guardians. Still, many sphinxes fell from the skies in pieces, torn apart by their more numerous foes.

Sora floated a few meters behind Reece. She lobbed balls of lightning, fire, water, and earth at any undead that sought to flank the small group. A pack of ghouls exploded in a ball of her fire. A line of dread wolves was scorched by a lightning bolt from another of her tails. Despite her power, she barely kept up with the never-ending flow of zombies, dread wolves, and the occasional gargoyle. A pair of dread wolves managed to flank the woman and nipped at her feet while she floated above most of the carnage.

Reece saw one of the wolves manage to latch onto her leg with its maw and drag her down to the ground. The rest of the dread wolf pack and a slew of zombies piled onto the area while Sora cried out in pain. There was nothing Reece could do but watch in horror as the mound grew. Oddly, a strange whooshing sound erupted from the growing pile of flesh-eating monsters.

Suddenly, a sand tornado burst from the mound, growing wider and ripping into the rotting flesh of zombies and dread wolves alike. Soon, Reece saw Sora stand up, limping but very much alive. The sand tornado sandblasted the flesh off every undead creature in the area. Nothing but blood, viscera, and pitted bone remained in its wake. As quickly as it had appeared, it was gone, leaving Sora standing in an open area. She immediately resumed her position floating above the group, cautiously bringing herself closer. Breathing a sigh of relief, Reece was glad she was on their side again. Smiling, he nodded at the powerful woman as she resumed her attacks on the undead already filling the opening made by the tornado. He was glad she was alive, but Reece knew she was too busy to help.

Weakened as he was, Reece searched the battle for anyone who could help with Pasha’s rapidly deteriorating situation. Warm arms grabbed him from behind and held him in a gentle embrace. Turning his head, Reece saw that it was Cyrene, and she was using her gift to recharge his own. Still, it would take a bit of time. It was time that Reece wasn’t sure that they had. While she held him, Reece quickly noted that the battle’s dynamic had changed abruptly.

The Beckers were using the assault rifles they had brought to the battle to start taking out every undead abomination that went after them while they backed themselves toward Reece’s small group. A few other folks Reece didn’t recognize, once under Hargrove’s authority, were doing the same. Many of the commander’s top generals had only been used as his puppets. Their actions went against their will. With his mind control abilities gone, Hargrove’s sentient followers were turning on him.

Now finally freed, they had no desire to return to a life of slavery and servitude to the cruel man. Some undoubtedly harbored deep animosity towards Hargrove and his twisted vision. Still, none were close enough to Pasha to help in time, and there were too many zombies in between. Besides, just because they were fighting the zombies didn’t mean they would assist Reece and his friends. They had their own problems to deal with.

Despite Hargrove’s many sudden defections and the help of the summoned sphinxes, Reece’s growing group of potential allies was still vastly outnumbered by the former commander’s army of creations, mutated undead beasts, and monsters without minds of their own. And even though Hargrove no longer controlled them, the undead continued to stream in as if possessed by a herd mentality. He also noticed that roughly a third of the more intelligent folks in Hargrove’s army stuck by him. Reece guessed it was probably out of misplaced loyalty and fear, or perhaps they just wanted to be on the still obviously winning side.

Reece watched as the undead factions tore into the Order’s troops with a mindlessness that seemed more machine than animal. The artificial alliance had melted away with Hargrove’s waning influence. The troopers fought back with their mechs and heavy weapons. However, the sheer number of undead forced them into a small knot of survivors, and they could be of little help to Pasha or anyone else. A shiver ran down Reece’s spine. The thought of just how powerful his own abilities could be, especially if used without restraint as Hargrove had done, was hard to fathom.

Through the chaos, there wasn’t anyone in any position to help Pasha. Granted, they could probably revive him if they survived, but Reece needed everyone fighting this battle to maximize their frighteningly small chance of success. Pasha was no exception. Reece could have attempted something himself if he hadn’t used so much power during his mental scuffle with Hargrove. As much as he’d like to think the cavalry was about to arrive, he had no illusions that such a thing was likely to occur. Instead, he reached inside himself to bring forth his power even though it had been almost drained.

Luckily, Cyrene’s touch had helped Reece recover from his bout with Hargrove, and he felt enough power to try something. He focused his ability on the entire mass of zombies around Pasha. Through sheer force of will, Reece commanded over a hundred of them. A large group of ghouls was waiting behind the zombies. Whether for a command or an opportunity, Reece couldn’t tell. Regardless, Reece directed the zombies to attack the ghouls, keeping both groups busy and allowing Pasha to run back to the group through roughly a kilometer of battling undead.

Each time a zombie, ghoul, or dread wolf got close to Pasha, a headshot took it out of the battle. Even with their metal helmets, they didn’t stand a chance. With every shot, a spurt of blood or spray of flesh erupted out of one of the zombie soldier’s eye-holes. Reece looked over his shoulder and nodded a ‘thanks’ to Ciera. Reece pulled a pair of cargo shorts and a t-shirt from one of his interdimensional pockets and tossed them onto the sand, then deposited a pistol and a couple of clips on them for Pasha’s use once she arrived.

Wading through the smaller zombies, Reece saw dozens of behemoths approaching them. Aika and Karina had managed to destroy the first wave, but this one was much bigger, and they were still busy with Hargrove. While they had all scored numerous hits on each other, their healing and recovery abilities drew the fight out much longer than they had time for. Neither Hargrove nor the girls were making much progress in the battle.

Meanwhile, the sky was filled with numerous undead vultures, gargoyles, and massive decayed bats. These were dive-bombing Reece’s friends and the Order’s living combatants alike. Sora was hard-pressed to keep them all at bay with her explosive attacks. The kitsune was quickly tiring. Hargrove had lost control of his army, and they attacked any living thing they could find, even those that hadn’t switched sides. Ciera continued shooting everything in the immediate vicinity with small arms fire and the occasional grenade, creating just enough room to breathe for the small group in grave danger of being overrun. Cyrene and the Beckers were going through ammo at a rate that couldn’t be sustained for long. The twins were throwing up walls of sand to slow the zombies and ghouls. The move bought precious time for Reece to enact a new plan and for Pasha to finally reach the protection of her friends.

Reece’s gambit had paid off, and his controlled zombies created a corridor for the naked lady to run through. Once she finally reached them, she was sucking wind. Her naked breasts heaved as she gulped in air after the long sprint. Things were getting more desperate every second, but at least they were all together again.