In the Willows

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Are You Washed in the Blood

Three Months Later, Kai's POV:

The town of Paradise reeks of burnt hair and charred bodies. You stop noticing the smell after the first week, but with lack of sleep you feel like a walker. Constantly on guard since the raging war has attracted many walker hordes to the area. The war effort has improved since Curtain Falls and Serenity have joined the fight, bringing up the two flanks as you move towards the stronghold of Paradise. Your team returns to your forward operating base to try and catch your breath before the final push to Paradise High School.

You start taking off your armor and weapons and sit on your makeshift bed. You start picking out the teeth from the Gluttony soldiers you faced earlier today.

"Kai, you good?" Alec says taking a seat across from you.

You nod, "Yeah, they were everywhere today."

"We did get ambushed in that church today." says Emory.

You shudder when you think back to that place. Maybe the rumors were right about the New Salem leadership being fallen angles. Headless bodies bowing to a upside-down cross with the remains of the preacher crucified to it. Who the hell are these people?

Two royal guards of the King enter your quarters, "Rise, all of you." says one of the guards.

They both wear heavy looking armor and adorn deer masks like the King. Just as you all stand the King of Misery walks in. She also has heavy looking armor and adorning her mask and crown.

"King Seraphina." you all say bowing yourselves to her.

"Please, take a seat. Relax yourselves." says the King, "I've heard great things from you all."

She walks up to you, "Especially you Kai."

Her emerald eyes pierce through the mask looking into your soul.

"Thank you, King Seraphina." you say.

She smiles and turns away from you, "Alec, I want your team in the initial push of the school. Green Squad will support you since the rest of Blue Squad was killed."

You remember what happened to team three in the beginning and Tyler's team was pretty much wiped out a week ago.

"You can count on us King Seraphina." says Alec.

"You have two hours; I'll see you on the battlefield."

You all bow again as the King leaves. You all take a seat once more.

"The King has a fondness for you Kai." says Alec.

"I'm just doing my job." you say continuing to take teeth out of your armor.

"Aren't we all." says Emory laying down.

A few hours later:

You and the team stand at the edge of no man's land. The surrounding area of the school is littered with barricades, barbed wire, and dead bodies. Makeshift mortars have shelled most of the resistance outside the school, but Gluttony soldiers have been known to play dead to ambush their enemies. Heads of fallen Misery conscripts are impaled on spikes protruding from the ground. You cringe at the debauchery of the Gluttony soldiers.

You and your team look back at the King addressing the army.

"Soldiers of Misery, I give you the stronghold of Gluttony. We've fought hard and taken most of the city because of your hard work. I ask for one more battle, one last push to take out our enemy. We win today, we give Misery and her allies one more day of freedom!"

One conscript raises their fist, "Death to Gluttony! Hail King Seraphina!"

All of Misery's army cheers for their King.

King Seraphina takes out her sword and raises the tip to the sky, "Death to Gluttony!"

What comes next was a blur. Conscripts of Misery run blindly into the fight getting ambushed by groups of Gluttony soldiers. Blood splatters onto your face as you try to follow your team into the front entrance of the school. The next thing you know you fall onto the ground inside of the school. Some of Green Squad is there with Alec and Emory trying to catch their breath.

"Jesus that was fucking nuts!" exclaims Emory, "What the fuck was even that!"

You get up leaning on an empty concrete fountain, "We still made it."

"Yeah, somehow." Emory scoffs.

"All that matters is that we made it, just like Kai said." says Alec.

You look around your surroundings. Everything is either locked up with a metal security gate or sealed with debris.

"Maybe we took the wrong way." says one of the Green Squad members.

"No, there has to be some- " Alec begins before being cut off.

Just then the concrete fountain you were leaning on begins to shift exposing a pristine white hatch with a lock wheel.

"Absolutely not." says Emory looking at the hatch.

You start opening the hatch and it swings open revealing a ladder leading down.

"Kai, you're fucking crazy if you go down there."

You hear the battle raging still outside, "I'll take my chances, let's end this nightmare."

"Right behind you Kai." says Alec approaching the ladder.

"Fucking hell." says Emory following you both.

You start descending the mysterious ladder finally reaching the bottom. You turn around and the lights flicker on revealing a clean white interior. You haven't seen such a clean environment since the beginning of the walkers.

"What the hell is this?" asks Emory.

"Looks like a research center, like the CDC." says Alec.

You move cautiously through the hallway until you hear obnoxiously loud chewing and slurping. You look at the sign next to an open doorway.

Cafeteria

Gluttony, that's where he'd be most likely.

"Is that music?" asks Alec.

You now hear the faint sound of music past the disgusting eating sounds.

"I know that song, I've heard it in church."

You investigate the open doorway seeing a huge grotesque man with a bunch of Gluttony soldiers surrounding him. They're celebrating, eating the remains of Misery soldiers or their own people.

"That's him, Gluttony." says Emory.

"Instead of gawking, maybe you should join us." says Gluttony looking at us.

The Gluttony soldiers stop what they are doing and get their weapons.

"Join us for the awakening." he says with a wave of his hand.

You all walk slowly inside. Gluttony is massive, six foot seven at the very least and must weigh close to 800 pounds. He has two dead women stripped bear in his lap. Their faces ripped off showing the muscle.

"I love this song." he says closing his eyes and smiling, "Are you washed in the blood of the lamb?"

"What the hell even is this?" you ask a loud.

"Awakening." he says snapping his fingers.

The Gluttony soldiers begin slitting their throats one by one. You are confused as well as the other Misery soldiers.

He starts to shake and twitch, "You will all bear witness."

You can't even describe it. Gluttony is transforming into something you can't comprehend. Two long horns sprout from his head, he grows to about eight feet, sharp claws sprout from his hands.

"Awakening......... begins." 

Another chapter upload, I'll update as I can. I hope you enjoy!