Genesis 2.0 (Monster Apocalypse Survival) Sci-Fi/DarkFan/Horror

Chapter Ten

“One day that foul mouth will get you into trouble you can’t get out of, little girl,” Aeriel warned, her voice low and filled with barely restrained anger.

“Maybe so,” I retorted, like the smartass teenager I am. “But at least I’ll have lived the way I wanted to instead of the way someone created me for.”

She made a move toward me – probably to beat my ass – but Daniel stepped between us, with his back to me. For a brief moment I felt arrogant that he trusted me enough to put me at his backside, but that superiority faded just as quickly when I saw a large sword materialize in his right hand. His back wasn’t to me because he trusted me; it was to me because he was ready to face down his fellow warrior.

“Okay, hold on guys,” I shouted and shouldered my way in between them. That was a struggle in itself because Daniel tried his damndest to keep himself between me and the soldier he saw a threat to his ward. “We have enough problems without fighting amongst ourselves,” I added and finally worked my torso completely in betwixt the towering pillars of celestial berserkers.

“You’re the one who keeps antagonizing Aeriel,” Daniel reminded me. I squashed the childish expression before it appeared on my face. Knowing the femme fetale like I already did, she’d probably take my snark as a red flag and squash my head with her ginormous breasts. I didn’t want to die like that any more than I wanted a zombie to eat my face. Just the thought of either gave me a full-body shiver.

“Alright, I’ll behave,” I relented. “She just irritates the crap out of me,” I added and tilted my head back so I could look her square in the eye.

“Believe me,” she purred. “The feeling is entirely mutual.”

And like the snap of fingers, her face went from blind fury to wide-eyed surprise. Before I had the chance to turn, Daniel’s back shoved into mine and I went face-first into Aeriel’s golden breastplate and I’m not kidding when I say that I was glad her breasts rested on top of my head.

Because in that moment, I realized there was no safer place to be than squished between two powerful giants, clad in head-to-toe armor.

I screeched when something snagged my short tresses, rending my head backwards with so much force, my teeth burned.

At first I blamed Daniel, until I heard the gurgling growl predominant in every walking corpse and then I almost peed my pants.

I brought my hand up to dislodge the bony phalanges from my hair and gasped when Ember materialized in my fist. I’d only given it a moment’s thought, wishing I’d had it available and then poof! it was there. Joe had said it would only appear whenever Daniel and Aeriel weren’t there to protect me – as a last resort.

But I quickly shoved my surprise and confusion aside and whirled to hack at the Deader trying to get at me.

Daniel’s sword had disappeared and he used both hands to push at the monster. Gray bits of skin and other equally gross tissue slid off the bones, landing in wet plops on the ground.
The more Daniel struggled with the zombie, the more goo the thing lost. I couldn’t understand why he didn’t just use his powers or sword to zap the thing to its final death. I opened my mouth to shout that obvious suggestion when the angel lost his grip and a fleshless skull came at me, exposed teeth chomping viciously.

Then I realized it was because he couldn’t get a good grip. The mush sloughing off left slippery bones in its wake. If he stopped struggling for even a brief moment, the reanimated corpse would be feasting on me within seconds.

“Don’t,” Aeriel warned, her breath hot against my ear. I shrugged off the freaky tingles her single word left behind and threw every one of my puny human pounds back against hers, successfully forcing her to take a step backwards. That was all the space I needed. I took full advantage of the fact that I was no longer under cover and stepped around Daniel; coming at the zombie’s ravaged back.

Through the jagged holes that rot and its struggle with Daniel had left behind, I saw the thing’s ribcage and from there it’s black, shriveled heart. I scrunched my face in disgust when I noted the engorged organ flopping loosely. A second look told me that it hung by one large artery. For a brief moment it almost looked like a clock pendulum, swinging with each lunge back and forth.

I shoved Ember’s tip through the exposed ribcage, penetrating the black, shiny heart and gasped when the sword grew seriously hot in my hands. I tried pulling it back out, but it merely made a nasty sucking sound and stayed buried in the thing’s chest.

“Let go!” Daniel and Aeriel shouted in unison and I didn’t take the time to wonder why, I merely took a nose dive at the sandy ground seconds after I saw a massive orange glow burst to life at the juncture where Ember connected with the dead organ. The light was so bright I covered my head with both hands and prepare to kiss my ass goodbye.

In what I can only explain as a searing hot shockwave burnt through the rough material of my shirt. I clamped my teeth down so hard; I almost severed my tongue in the process. I gritted and tried to keep from screaming, but in the end, I let loose a cry that would’ve shook Heaven.

And just like that, the light and the heat were gone. Moving slowly, I uncovered my head and gently rose to my feet, testing every inch of my body for possible broken bones. When satisfied there was no permanent damage, I whirled to look for Daniel and Aeriel. They stood over a pile of black sand, Ember protruding with her stone flaring brightly.

“What the hell?” I demanded breathlessly.

“You tell us,” Aeriel responded, her eyes wide with rapt awe. “Your sword just absorbed that walking, dead thing.”

“What?” I asked, my voice a tad too high for my liking.

“Your sword,” Daniel answered and gestured to Ember’s glowing stone. “It freed the creature’s soul and then sucked it into itself.” He waved his hand briskly at my sword, still standing on its own volition, tip buried in the sand.

“Then why is the sand black now?” I asked and cautiously approached my weapon.

“Ashes to ashes and dust to dust,” Aeriel murmured. “It returned the body to whence it came.”

“Well,” I drawled and reached out to take the pommel, which was still warm to the touch. “I guess I know what the stone does now.”

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