Nasir and Maarika Chronicles Episode II Page 3

not escape him. He thought of how good it would be to feel her soft flesh sliding down his throat, and he let out a noise of pure delight. To Maarika, the noise sounded like a cross between a growl and an attempt at speech.

  Reaching the pitchfork, Maarika grabbed it off the wall and spun around to face the charging blacksmith. As it drew close, she held the pitchfork over her head with both hands. The blacksmith closed to within five feet of her, and he lifted up his arms to grab her. She thrust the sharp tines of the pitchfork into his head. He came to an abrupt stop and fell to the ground yanking the pitchfork from her grasp.

  Sighing audibly with relief, she placed her foot onto the blacksmith's head and pulled the pitchfork out. As she did so, she noticed his leather belt; it appeared to be made out of goat skin. Holding her breath to minimize the putrid smell invading her nostrils, she undid the belt and pulled it off of the blacksmith's corpse. Sticking the pitchfork into the dirt floor, she held the supple leather strap in her hands and went through the motion of slinging a stone, "This will work great, I just need to find some rocks, and I'll be able to kill these bastards without getting my hands dirty."

 

  Maarika tied the goatskin belt around her waist and yanked the pitchfork out of the ground. Holding the pitchfork in front of her with both of her hands, she crept silently over to the smithy. As she entered the smithy, she looked around to see if any more of the blacksmith's friends wanted to turn her into a meal, she didn't see any, "Anyone home?" she asked.

  The only thing Maarika heard in response was the faint rustle of the wind. Satisfied, she was alone she searched around the smithy until she found what she was looking for, an ax. It was not the kind of ax used to chop wood. Instead, designed for war, it was meant chop down human opponents in armor, This should work nicely."

  Maarika set the pitchfork down on the dirt floor of the smithy, careful to be silent, and took the ax. Like the pitchfork, she held it with both hands, ready to use it on anything else that wanted to turn her into a meal. Exiting the smithy, she looked around for a stone. Finding what she was looking for, she bent over and picked it up. The stone was perfect for what she had in mind.

  As Maarika approached the gate the hungry one, she had stabbed with the broken gladius was still stuck fast to the ground. She took out the leather strap she had taken from the blacksmith with her right hand. With her left hand, she placed the stone onto the strap where it formed a natural u as she held it. She then twirled the belt over her head with all her strength and flung it at the hungry one. The stone sailed true and struck the thing right in the forehead easily piercing it, and the thing fell to the ground with a dull thump.

  Reaching the gate, she said, "I've found an ax."

  "Thank God," Nasir responded.

 

  Maarika stood in front of the gate with her legs spread apart to provide extra balance. With her right hand, she grasped the top portion of the ax handle, and with her left hand, she held the lower half of the ax handle. She swung the ax over her head and brought the head down upon the wood bar. It struck with a thunk sound and sank about two inches into the bar. She jerked the ax loose, turned around, and waited several seconds. Nothing but the sound of the wind rustling the sand on the ground.

  Satisfied that she wasn't going to be attacked, she kept swinging the ax at the bar until with a loud cracking sound it broke. The bar severed roughly in its middle fell to the ground in two separate pieces. Nasir hearing the bar break pushed on the gate from the outside. Maarika stepped back as the gate opened inwardly into the fort.

  Nasir saw her and with a smile ran to her and hugged her, "I thought I had lost you to those damned things several times."

  With a scoff, Maarika said, "Then who would be around to keep you alive?"

  Before Maarika could get anything else out, his lips met hers. Relishing the taste of his mouth, she kissed him back fervently and reached down. She felt his manhood stir at her touch. Stepping back from the embrace Nasir said, "Not yet love. Let us make sure the fort is secure. I'd hate to end up inside the stomach of one of the hungry. When we are joined, the rest of the world ceases to exist for me."

  Maarika pulled him close to her again and gave him a pouting look. Nasir tried to speak again, but she placed a finger on his lips. The pout changed to a smile, and she said, "That is quite a compliment."

 

  Nasir kissed her again for several more seconds. He then took a step back from her and looked around the fort, "What a mess."

  "Aye," Maarika responded.

  "Are there any of the hungry ones around that you know of?"

  "No, all of the ones I'm aware of are with Bismillah."

  "Stay behind me and lets clear this place. Hopefully, we can find someone alive that can tell us what happened here."

  One by one the pair checked the out buildings for the hungry. There were none left. They were disappointed to find that all of the horses had been eaten. Finally, Nasir's eyes settled on the main barracks building. The stout oak door was shut. Nasir yanked on the door handle while Maarika stood by ready to slay anything that emerged with the ax. The door didn't budge.

  "Let's circle around and see if there is another entrance that isn't barred from the inside," Nasir said.

  Maarika nodded in reply. Together they crept around the barracks building looking for a back door or a window that they could crawl through. They found the window shutters closed tight, locked, and no other doors.

  "I don't like the idea of using the ax on one of the shutters and then crawling through the window. Whoever goes first will be in a very vulnerable state until their eyes adjust to the darkness."

  Maarika nodded, "That sounds like a good precaution. I guess we can use the ax on the front door."

 

  The two returned to the front door. Maarika looked around for more stones in the courtyard. She found several good ones and also took a pouch from the body of a fallen soldier. Using the man's belt, she fastened it around her waist over her dress. She then dropped the stones into the pouch, handed Nasir his dagger back, and looted one from another fallen soldier nearby. She then positioned herself about twenty feet from the door. Satisfied she said, "Ok, I'm ready."

  "Good, if there is any inside, the sounds of the ax striking the door will cause them to gather. It is likely that they will push the door open."

  Maarika took a deep breath, "Let's get this over with."

  Nasir struck the door with the ax. The ax sank deeply into the door with a loud thunk. Instantly they could hear the sounds of several of the hungry ones call out. Nasir swung the ax again at the door and knocked a large chunk of wood loose.

  The door held fast as he continued to swing at it again and again, while those inside went berserk over the noise it created. They could hear the sounds of several of the undead clawing at the door from the other side. Finally, Nasir's efforts began to tell, and with a final blow, the hungry soldiers burst forth from the door.

  Nasir was swept to the side by the force of the group. They failed to notice him as the group of six charged straight toward Maarika. In the space it took them to run eight feet, she dropped one with a precisely placed shot to the head using her sling. In the second it took her to reload and fire, they had closed to within five feet of her. She killed the second of the six and turned to run.

 

  In those precious few seconds, Nasir recovered and gave chase. Just as Maarika dodged to the right to avoid the onslaught, he sank the ax into the back of the head of the last one in line. They were all wearing the armor of Roman Skutatoi heavy infantry. Luckily for the pair, none of them had helmets on.

  As the third hungry fell to Nasir's ax blade, Maarika dodged to her right to avoid their charge. Two of them were unable to correct in time for her change in position but the last soldier, a smaller more dexterous one, managed the turn despite his armor. He crashed into her and knocked her over. As he pulled her left leg toward his gaping, hungry maw, she smashed its face with her right fo
ot. The bottom of her sandaled foot smashed his teeth, and he spat several of them out. She kicked it again, and teeth went flying in multiple directions. Dazed for a moment, he lost his grip on her left calf.

  As the larger hungry turned around and ran toward Maarika, prone and vulnerable on the ground, Nasir bellowed, "Over here you hungry fucks!"

  The sounds of his scream caused them to change directions and charge toward him instead. As they reached him, he brought his ax down on the head of the first one killing it, but the second one knocked him over and tried to sink its teeth into his throat.

  Before Maarika could reach her feet and scramble away, the smaller soldier grabbed her calf again and bit her. She screamed in surprise. As she felt the pressure of the thing's jaws on her soft flesh, she drew her dagger and sank it, up to the hilt, in its head. Instantly, it stopped and collapsed on top of her leg.

  At the same time, Nasir held off the last of the hungry with his left arm. He could smell the thing's fetid breath as it crept ever closer to the flesh of his neck. With his right hand, he drew his gladius and shoved it into the side of the hungry's skull. It made a loud death rattle as it collapsed on top of him.

  Nasir pushed the corpse off of him and sat up. He looked over at Maarika and was horrified by what he saw; her left leg was covered in blood. Their eyes met, and she said, "I'm bit."

 

  Thank you for reading the second episode of the Nasir and Maarika Chronicles. I hope you are enjoying the story!

  The Nasir and Maarika Chronicles are based in the Byzantium Infected Universe which also includes the short story Jibreel's Curse, the full-length novel Scourge of Byzantium, and soon to include a second full-length novel, Damascus of the Damned.

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  Thanks for reading!

  James Mullins