“Stingie what is that?” Virgo asked her voice breaking as she took a step back.
“I have no idea,” she replied stepping in front of her.
“We just watched that guy die right?” Gemini asked staring at it.
Cancer nodded, “And he got right back up.”
Scorpio grit her teeth, “This is beyond us. We need to get the hell out of here. Now.”
She began to turn around but heard a loud bang at the wall behind them. A door was broken inward and she stared as three people forced their way in climbing over one another trying to drag themselves forward. One of them was wearing robes that would have belonged to a priest.
“I don’t think we can go out that way,” Gemini said shaking his head.
“No we can’t,” Cancer agreed and stepped back quickly. “We’re going to have to fight our way out at best. Alpha knows what’s happening outside of here.”
The groaning of the dead clawing their way forward was echoing in the church. One of the dead stumbled forward from the open door and fell against the ground. It got to its feet and sprinted at them with a roar.
Cancer stepped forward and grasped his weapons at his hips. A pair of black katars, the diamond edged blades glinting in the mild light. Sliding them out of their sheathes he darted forward. The dead man swung at him but his training kicked in. Avoiding the sloppy attack, he slashed and watched blood spurt from its throat.
A woman lunged at him groaning and he turned around stabbing through the chest feeling his weapon pass with no resistance. A weight fell onto his back and he shouted at the pain that exploded at his shoulder. The zombie tore away from his shoulder a hunk of flesh in its mouth and blood coating its face.
The zombie swallowed and lunged at his neck again. Before it could get close enough a black sword ran through its head driving it off Cancer’s back. Gemini stood in front of his brother yanking his sword back. Cancer winced holding his shoulder for a moment and meeting the worried gaze of his twin.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Let my guard down a little.”
Both brothers looked up and watched as the front door that the first zombie had broken through now had five more shoving and bursting through. They were eagerly trying to close the distance between themselves and Scorpio and Virgo. Scorpio drew her khopesh and snarled, “Stay behind me Virgo!”
She stepped forward swinging with her curved blade cutting down the zombies one by one. After the third, she took a step back and narrowed her eyes. She watched the zombies that she had cut down get back to their feet groaning even louder than before.
“They can’t die?” she whispered.
“Scorpio bring Virgo this way!” Cancer shouted waving them over to the wall as far away from the front and rear door. Scorpio grabbed her hand and dragged her along running to the side of the twins. On their heels were the zombies not disturbed by the fact that they’d been cut down seconds earlier.
Running through the pews she knocked them over to create some kind of obstacle. Virgo stumbled mid step and started to fall. Scorpio turned and scooped her off the ground continuing to run to the sides of the twins.
“You okay princess?” Cancer asked. She shook her head hesitantly and all of them could see the unease on her face. Beyond that, she looked pale, like she was going to be sick. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. Those things. They’re wrong. Not right,” she shook her head and regretted it getting dizzier. “I can’t be here.”
“That’s the plan,” Gemini told them taking his sword and pulled, splitting the weapon in two. Turning he threw the sword at the glass window and it shattered into colored glittering pieces. Jumping after the weapon he snatched it out of the air and stood in the now empty window. “Come on!”
Gemini hopped through the window to give them space and landed outside. The sky had grown dark, not just by clouds but because of something else. He could feel the power on the air, feel an unease that he couldn’t name but it made him sick. It was probably the same thing that was causing Virgo to feel the way she was.
As he looked around he froze as he watched more of the undead lumbering around. He gasped watching a trio of smaller zombies, one of them crawling across the ground. He realized they were children. They were chasing after a dog that barked in terror.
“This is a nightmare,” Gemini looked over his shoulder as the others joined him. His brother stood beside him and pointed. “The stables are over there. And there’s a whole lot of those dead in the way.”
“We don’t have any choice,” Scorpio mumbled. “We fight our way there and get the hell away from this place!”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Gemini brandished his swords taking a step forward.
“Wait,” Virgo touched her hand to her chest. “I’m going to help.”
“You’re going to help princess?” Gemini asked and then smirked. “Sweet. Maybe we really do have a shot at surviving this then.”
“I’ll need some time,” she pressed her hands together and shut her eyes. “This atmosphere feels toxic. I need to purify it before I can act.”
“Then we’ll make as much progress as we can until you’re ready,” Scorpio said raising her khopesh.
“Lead the way Scorpio. We’ll watch your back,” Cancer told her looking at his brother who nodded in confirmation.
Scorpio started forward moving watching as the zombies meandered about but the moment, they caught wind of the four of them they started running. She swung the curved blade slashing through the arms, hands, and legs of the zombies as they approached. They weren’t smart but every time she cut one down it just picked itself back up.
While she moved she kept looking over her shoulder and watched the others. Virgo was only a few feet away, her eyes closed and mouth moving in chant. Her hands were clasped together but she could see the glow around her form and start to grow. It wouldn’t be long until she was ready.
The twins behind her were working in tandem well watching each other’s back. When one went low the other went high. When one went left the other right. They may have goofy brats but, she knew she could rely on them.
Turning back toward the bridge she gasped as a zombie reached from below and grabbed her ankle. It yanked and she stumbled falling to her knees as it continued to pull. Snarling she turned around and stabbed, severing the zombie’s wrist. Looking up she watched as another zombie towered over her approaching with a groan.
Gritting her teeth together she felt the otherworldly energy inside her well up, the energy that denoted her as a Zodiac. Calling it to life, a constellation of stars appeared around her. Her constellation. She gnashed her teeth together and commanded, “Sting Scorpio.”
The belt around her waist uncoiled and darted over her shoulder. The belt buckle glinted with a diamond edged point and shot into the forehead of the zombie. It stumbled backward and the chain retracted back to her side as she got back to her feet. Now out in the open, the black dagger hidden in the buckle was revealed.
“You okay Scorpio?” Gemini asked as they finally joined her.
Shaking the hand off her ankle she nodded. She’d forgotten how radiant Virgo looked when her power manifested, like staring at the evening stars. Awe struck she stumbled back slightly and hid the blush and smile on her face. Tearing her gaze away to the next leg of their journey and she felt disgusted.
The zombies were there but many of them were huddled and crouched over together and on the air she could just barely hear the wet sound of flesh tearing and mouths chewing together. Like meal time. Scorpio stood directly in front of Virgo, blocking her gaze while the twins stared in horror.
“I didn’t think it could get worse. And somehow it has,” Cancer looked past the zombies chowing down and stared as a robed individual got to their feet slowly. Their face was covered in a deep hood hiding their face. They pulled a bone from their mouth that still had the hand attached. Flipping the bone around they bit a finger off and spat out some of the digits.
“Huh look at that. You’re still alive. Didn’t expect that,” they said biting another finger off and sucking on it. “Oh, you’re mages. No wonder you’re still alive. I bet Envy would love to have some of you in his collection. Stupid brat.”
“Who is that?” Gemini asked glancing at his companions.
“Let’s find out,” Cancer replied and pointed his weapons at it. “Are you the one who caused this?”
The stranger looked around at the undead, the broken windows and doors, and the blood splashed against the ground. Biting the last few fingers off they tossed the arm away and sucked on their fingers, “Yeah it is. Like it? Little bit of ordered chaos. The zombies spread way faster than I thought they would. Honestly I’m impressed by myself.”
“What kind of monster are you?!” Gemini shouted pointing a sword at them.
“A hungry one! Call me Gluttony” they replied slapping their stomach. “And I liked our talk but I gotta finish the job.” They clapped their hands together and it was like a bell ringing. They felt the energy rolling over them in the air and tensed. All of the zombies stopped what they were doing and turned to face them. They shook before sprinting at the zodiac.
The hoard of undead running at them like a wave, dozens deep. Scorpio took a step back her dagger tail flicking back and forth as she gripped her sword. A gentle touch of her shoulder and she looked back to see Virgo. Her eyes were open and filled with white light.
“Step back,” she said and there was a low echo to her voice. “Repent Virgo.”
The shockwave was head as it radiated over them. She stepped forward and thrust her hand outward blowing the zombies against the homes or flat against the ground. She turned and pointed behind them blowing over the zombies that were trying to approach them from behind with a brush of her hand.
“Let’s go,” she said motioning to the path.
They broke into a run stepping over as many zombies as they could but they were already shambling back to their feet. The robed figure was watching them with a tilt of their head and pointed at Virgo. “You. You’re powerful. Very powerful indeed. Gonna have to take care of you first.”
They raised their hands to the sky and clasped them together. The ground shook beneath their feet and then rumbled toward the four of them. The ground exploded beneath Virgo’s feet as hands grasped at her legs and torso. She let out a shout and held both hands in front of her sending a sphere of pure energy at them.
They were stripped of skin and clothing but the bones remained steadfast in their pursuit of her. Their bones weren’t the boney white of a proper skeleton but instead a harsh purple and black. They pulled and dragged at the Zodiac, pulling her back toward the waiting horde. She managed to blow away some of them with her power but more seemed to replace them, their tenacity unyielding.
“Princess!” the twins shouted.
“Virgo!”
Halting in their tracks they turned around swinging their weapons. They hacked at the skeletons chopping away at their arms and torsos, pulling her free. The moment she was free Virgo lifted her hands picking up clumps of zombies and threw them as far as she could. But where one was, two more took their places.
“There’s too many of them,” she said turning her glowing gaze onto the hooded necromancer. “We need to deal with them and this will end.”
“Perceptive,” they said raising a hand to their chin. “Maybe I underestimated you all.”
“Throw me in there, Virgo,” Gemini said. “That guy seems weak. No way he can take us.”
“You sure?” Virgo asked and he nodded. “Alright.”
She raised her hand and picked him up gently but flicked her fingers forward and he was launched to the sky. He stared down at the sheer amount of zombies that were surrounding them or making their way forward. Gritting his teeth together he launched himself forward.
Pointing his swords at them his eyes shifted one turning pale white and the other pitch black. Stars surrounded his form as he felt his constellation surround him, “Split Gemini.”
He shot in two halves landing on either side of the robed figure. Mirrored images of the twin, one with hair white as a dove and eyes to match while the other with hard black as pitch and eyes as deep. The two lunged at the robed figure with both swords brandished. The robed figure stepped back and lunged with their face catching both swords in their mouth.
The white Gemini asked, “You seeing this Umbra?”
“Sure am Luce.” The black Gemini replied. “What is with this guy’s teeth?”
“Huh these things are pretty solid. Can’t bite through em,” they mumbled against the swords. “But I can do the next best thing. Eating you two.”
Raising their head, they lifted the two of them off the ground. The twin shouted as they were whipped around and thrown into a waiting pit of zombies. They landed atop them but their swords moved in a flurry to cut through their landing. But they still ended up suffering bites for every zombie they felled.
After a few moments they merged into one body a sword in each hand. Gemini winced as the wounds compounded and he dropped to his knees. “Ow. That didn’t work itself out.”
The zombies rose, surrounding him, and ran at him their arms outstretched. Gemini stared at them and wondered if this was it but he wasn’t going to go down without a fight. “Come and get me you undead monsters!”
“Gemini!,” Cancer and Scorpio shouted trying to run forward.
“Gem!” Virgo threw her hands forward blowing the zombies back trying to race toward him but there were too many.
As the zombies came close he tried to stand but fell back to his knees. The moaning and groaning of the undead filled his ears and he readied himself to die. But a purple circle appeared around his feet and blew back the horde of the undead. The light blinded him but he felt someone nearby.
A man wearing a dark cloak and riding a grey horse was suddenly standing over him. His hair was blonde and skin very pale but he held a sword in hand and his other hand glowed with a similar light as the flash. It was bright enough to make Gemini squint.
“I don’t know who you kids are but this isn’t a battle you’ll want to remain in.”
Gluttony stared at the man and smirked behind their hood, “You. You must be Ryze’s pet lich.”
The Harlequin Library 