Just as they were about to descend the slope, the ground shook. It was a slight, almost imperceptible vibration beneath their feet, but it was enough to make them stop and look around. The demons along the walls and the ones attacking all stopped too. Some of them made a strange gesture of placing their right arms over their chest, like some kind of salute.
“Oh shit!” Hannah stumbled backwards, as something coming up the hill captured her attention.
Kamiyo turned and saw it too—a massive, flesh-patched skeleton the height of nearly two men. “W-What is that thing?”
“Bad news,” said Philip.
Hannah grunted and spat a mouthful of blood, then she sneered with bloody lips. “You can just tell he’s the kind of guy who borrows your biro and returns it with a chewed-up lid.”
Kamiyo frowned at her.
She shrugged. “Just saying, he looks like a knob.”
The massive demon stomped towards them. Hannah lifted her rifle to shoot, but Philip pushed it down. “Save the bullets to get you to the lake. Both of you get moving.”
Kamiyo grabbed Philip’s hand and pulled at him. “We can all make it if we run.”
“No, that thing walks faster than we can run. I’m finished. You two go do what you need to do to keep those kids safe.”
“Philip, what are you…?”
Philip shoved Kamiyo away. He collided with Hannah, and in their weakened state, they slid backwards down the slope.
Philip was insane. Instead of running away, he strode right towards the massive monster. Other demons broke from their stupor and surrounded him until it was impossible to see past them.
Philip shouted from amongst the demons. “Kids! On me!”
Arrows rained down on the demons. They fell in droves, and the massive demon caught three or four shafts itself, but they bounced off its exposed bones without causing any damage. It towered over Philip, unperturbed.
Philip managed to see through the carnage to where Kamiyo was struggling to keep his balance on the slope. The man gave a small nod, and Kamiyo returned it.
Hannah pulled Kamiyo backwards down the slope. “Come on. We either die with him or make use of his sacrifice.”
Reluctantly, Kamiyo allowed himself to turn his back on the horror, and they raced down the hill to the sound of Philip’s agonised screams.
51
TED
Frank wheeled back as Vamps sliced a canyon of blood across his forearm. His small stature aided him, though, because Vamps second attack went sailing over his head.
Ted rushed in to protect Frank. He shoved the man away and turned to face Vamps.
Vamps slashed Ted’s face.
Ted’s vision turned red. He clutched his face, moaning as the worst, most sickening pain he had ever experienced washed over him.
Blood spewed from his left eye, which now felt foreign and strange as he fingered it—too squidgy. His vision curled inwards like it was being folded in half.
Frank appeared over him and tried to drag him back to his feet. “Jesus, kidda. You still with me?”
Unbelievably, he was. This was a fight for survival, so there was no question of throwing in the towel. He made it back up to his feet, and Frank thrust a spear into his hands.
The teenagers above turned their attention into the courtyard and started firing arrows at Vamps. Ted’s bellows of pain must have captured their attention.
Vamps jarred and shook as shafts planted themselves in his body. The arrows jutted out of his thighs and torso, and one pierced the side of his neck. Blood squirted from him as though his body were a sprinkler.
But he didn’t go down. Methodically, he yanked out each arrow and tossed them to the floor.
Ted staggered, not towards Vamps but towards his hammer. He finally got his hands on it and no longer needed the spear, so he launched it into the air and buried it in Vamps shoulder. That was enough to drop the demon to its knees.
A few more arrows sailed through the air, but then stopped. Ted glanced up at the walls and knew the teens had finally run out. Their stockpiles were depleted.
“You need to die,” said Ted as he gripped his hammer and stalked Vamps. “This place is ours.”
Vamps bled from his mouth, which made it a grizzly thing when he smiled. “Over is the sprawl of mankind, the most self-important of creatures. Finished are the ants who think themselves gods. Extinct is the species that thinks itself immortal.”
Ted was weary, which was why he had very little to say as he lifted his hammer. “Shut up!”
He heaved the large copper mallet at Vamps’ skull, but the demon reached up and grabbed it. He ripped the hammer from Ted’s hands and snapped it in two like a twig. Ted crumbled as he watched the thing that had saved his life on several occasions fall to the ground in pieces.
Frank shouted. “Get back, Ted!”
But Ted was incensed. He bunched his fists and swung them like wrecking balls. Each blow landed, but Vamps absorbed them and then grabbed Ted by the throat. “Time to take your other eye.”
Ted spat in Vamps’ face.
Vamps roared.
Then there was another roar from somewhere close by. Aymun appeared wielding a chainsaw. “I hope you do not mind if I borrow this, Ted?”
Ted smiled. He had forgotten all about the two chainsaws he had brought up from the workshop.
Aymun whirled on Vamps and effortlessly sliced off a hand. Vamps actually cried out in agony and held up the stump of his left hand in panicked confusion.
“No!”
Ted broke free. Frank stood with him. Both men watched as Aymun and Vamps did battle. The demon was squealing and clutching his bleeding stump.
Aymun was quick, almost inhumanely so, and he managed to avoid every one of Vamps’ retaliatory blows.
Frank was pulling Ted away, but Ted shook free. “What are you doing?”
“Moving yow to safety.”
“There won’t be any safety left unless we kill every demon here. I have to fight, even if I lose both eyes.”
“Okay, kidda, then fight better because yow losing.”
“Thanks for the advice. Now
