When The Dead Arise

Epilogue

"Fire!"

The ground shook as canons overhead sounded. The sirens blared in the air, mingled together with the shouts of those around. Even the boots of thousands of men stomping onto the ground did nothing to drown out the blaring.

With heavy breathing the bald man reloaded his gun. His chest mangled with sweat as his nimble finger went through the process they always had. He same simple motions and could end lives.

A girl with hair too dark to be seen in the frosty night air rolled beside him. She pushed herself up onto her palms and knees and gasped for breaths.

"How many of them are left?" The bald man shouted, his lips nearly blue from the small drops of black snow that fell from the sky.
The girl shook her head as she heaved another breath, "They- they-" she gave a loud gasp as she again attempted to shout over all the other noises of the night, "They've taken down- ugh- down most of- of our barriers."

The man patted her on the back, leaving a red slimy liquid on her back. He unzipped his jacket and tore his shirt, setting down his gun to do so. The girl crawled to the makeshift barricade of sand and placed her back against the packaged goods.

She examined his blood soaked hand, beginning at the thumb. His should, right beside his collarbone, was bleeding too.

"Got shot?" She managed to ask, placing her hand against her chest.

"Naw," the man said as he peered around the wall of bags before going back to his hand. Several men wearing matching coats with him ran past. Screams filled the air and the ground again rumbled. All around was chaos and a slight daze of unreal settled over everyone.

"Just a few cuts." The man said, shifting his knee to hide a certain wound.

The girl's head lolled downward before she forced it back up, "You've lost at least a pint."

The man smiled at her briefly, "Then I got a good two more to go before I pass out, don't I?"
The girl shook her head with as much energy as she could muster. Her eyes closed, and stayed closed for a second too long.

"Hey!" The man snapped, shaking her shoulder with his now bandages hand. He picked up his gun as he maintained eye contact with her,
"Don't you dare give up on me now!"

The girl forced out a laugh, "I have nothing to work towards."

The man barred his teeth, "Don't you say that to me now! We can still win this!"

The girl shook her head, her chest rising higher with each struggles breath, "It's hopeless."

The man lowered his head to her's, "Don't you say that to me." He screamed, "Don't you say that to me!"

The girl smiled in a way that showed no happiness, "It's over."

The man placed down his gun to shake her by both shoulders, "Nothing is over! It's never over!"

The girl's head laid back against the sand and she looked away towards the plains, snow coating her face as she grew colder, "Get her."

The man's eyes widened, understanding very well who she meant, "Get her? Now?!"

The girl slowly moved her head back to him, a tear trickling down her face, "I have nothing else to give. Nothing else to offer."

The man opened and closed his mouth, "But- no! Don't stop now!"

The girl watched as yet another soldier ran past her, his screams filling the air only a second later.

"They're getting- getting closer."

"We can stop them! We'll force them back!"
She shook her head, another tear slipping out, "We can't."

"Then next time! Even if they win this fight we'll win the battle."

"No... not-not with me... you won't."

The man allowed tears of his own mix with the black sweat against his cheeks. Both faces, colored with ash and soot beheld each other until the next bang sounded.

The man hugged the girl, "Canons..." She sighed into his ear painfully softly.

"We have canons too! We have tanks!" He shouted back, wanting to make sure she could hear every word.

The girl struggled to lift a hand and placed it on his back, "Go."

"I'm not leaving you." He felt her heart against his chest, pounding ever softer.

She took a few seconds to breath before speaking again, "Go. Go and find her."

The man pulled her into him harder, "No. not without you."

"Leave me here... I am- I'm no longer worthy."
The man pulled back, his cheeks smeared black and white, "Please!"

She only gazed at him, then pushed his gun closer to him, "Find her. New York..."

The man looked around him as more bangs and rumblings surrounded them, "Please!"
She only reached into her breast pocket. The man's breathing ceased as she pulled out a small red pill. He sobbed harder as he lifted his gun. The girl lifted the pill to her mouth, and the man turned away. He jumped to his feet and  sprinted off. He didn't watch as the the girl slowly convulsed and then laid down.

"I'll find her!" He screamed as he ran to the front line, "I'll find her!"

He gave Baroness a wicked smile, "Your time has come?"

"Time for What?" She spoke in a dead and weak voice.

He walked up to her, still smiling, "To go back out into the world. Hurry up, we got an appointment that we don't want to miss."