Beyond the Rabbit Hole

Behind the Curtain of Dread

The next attack came without warning, and suddenly, a zombie's bony, decrepit fingers dug into Benard's throat, its gnashing jaws only held back by the dread metal sword wedged in its mouth. He winced, holding back a suppressed groan as the blood began trickling from his neck.

Serana braced herself as another undead blinked on top of her. She barely managed to stay on her feet as the corpse's weight threatened to overwhelm her. She used her gauntlet as a shield, allowing the monster to bite down on the golden steel plate. It was undeterred by the cracking of its teeth, focusing only on the meal in front of it. Her body shook as she struggled to balance herself, quickly lifting the dread metal saber with her free hand and piercing the zombie's skull with ease. The corpse went still, and she pushed it to the ground, sliding her blade out as easily as it went in. She let out a shaky breath and readied her sword as two more purple sparks disappeared from beyond the black haze.

Bjurrin cleaved the first one in half as it appeared, ignoring the scratches it left on his arm. The second one lunged for Serana, getting caught on her gauntlet again.

Benard gripped both ends of his sword and slid the blade until it sawed through the zombie's mouth, severing its head at the jaw. He pushed the corpse off him and moved his hand to his throat, wiping the blood away before looking toward the haze once more. Two final purple sparks disappeared from the darkness. Benard took a quick breath and aimed his sword toward the black wall. The purple flash appeared as predicted, and he quickly side-stepped the lunge, twisting his body to decapitate the monster, using its own momentum against it.

The last blinker attached itself to Bjurrin's shoulders as he used the shaft of his axe to keep the creature's jaws at bay. He roared and headbutted the monster. As its grip loosened and its balance faltered, Bjurrin twisted his body and charged toward the ledge, throwing the zombie into the abyss below, and letting loose a hearty laugh at its demise. He turned toward Serana, who was still struggling to keep her balance as a zombie with a heftier build shook her arm in its mouth. She grunted, her breath erratic, and used her free hand for balance, unable to find an opportunity to strike.

A pitch-black axe bore into the monster's skull with a crunch as Bjurrin unleashed another bellowing guffaw, bloodlust reddening his face.

Serana stumbled backward as the monster died right in front of her. Short of breath, she turned silently toward the berserker and clenched her fist over her sword's grip.

Bjurrin chuckled, raising his arms wide with a grin. "You're welcome."

"You want me to thank you?" She snapped. "You could've killed me!"

"But I didn't?" Bjurrin raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Serana let out a deep breath through her nose and turned away from the berserker. She approached Benard slowly from behind as she prepared for another attack.

Bjurrin shrugged and rolled his eyes.

"I think. . . that's the last of the blinkers," Benard spoke quietly through quickened breaths. "But I still hear something up ahead, so be on guard."

"You don't think we should regroup and rest some? I must admit that the battle wore on me more than expected," Serana replied.

"We're short on time as it is, and who knows when another group of blinkers might show up, or from where." Benard wiped the gore from his blade and caught his breath.

"Was that enough to frighten you, little inquisitor?" Bjurrin teased.

"In case you haven't noticed, you're covered in your own blood," Serana bit back. "You need the rest more than either of us."