Relic and Ruin

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The captain grinned and threw the bloodied shirt to the ground, then people started to scream and run. One by one zombies emerged from the shadows to stand along the tree line: sailors, pilgrims, elderly people, and others without any remnants of clothing, some so old they were mere skeletons. They quickly surrounded the house.

Through the chaos, the captain's yellow eyes found Nyx. The corner of his lip twitched, rising to a grin. He bent at the knees, hands growing claws as he roared. His teeth became fangs and his yellow eyes flashed milky white.

They charged.

"Everybody run!" Eris screamed to the humans still standing there, watching the oncoming swarm "Nyx!" she yelled. "What are we going to do?"

Nyx felt a rush of heat and looked over at Alice—hood gone, and a pair of folded war fans pulled from the folds of it. With a flick of her wrists, the fans opened and ignited. The flames traveled up her arms and engulfed her entire body. Within seconds she was walking fire. She began to dance the way she'd been taught in battle strategy—to jump and flip and spin toward the enemy, making a show, distracting them while others readied their weapons. She flipped and landed atop one of the tables, right in front of the enemy line. She flung the fans at the ground, in front of the monsters. Small sparks and slivers of flame erupted, forming a thick barrier in front of the zombies.

Those who didn't halt quick enough ran into the flames and disintegrated. The captain snarled and shielded his milky eyes from the light.

Alice brought an arm down in an arc. The sound of fire rose, becoming an incredible cacophony. She danced alongside the barrier, sometimes within the flames. The arc followed her movements, obliterating countless monsters in her wake.

"Nyx, this isn't going to last long!" Eris yelled. "They're going to find a way around. And what about the others?" She was talking about the horde of zombies still surrounding the house.

Before she could answer, someone yelled Nyx's name from across the house. She turned and saw the boy with the dark hair Erebus had been talking to earlier in the kitchen ripping through drawers and cupboards.

"Come on!" he yelled, and waved them over. Eris and Nyx dug through the drawers, pulling out knives and scissors, and anything sharp or heavy that they could find.

Nyx turned to the boy. "Who are you?"

He kept his eyes trained on Alice as she danced outside. "My name's Cole. Where's Erebus?"

Alice screamed, "Eris!" She continued to bend the fire, but her voice was strained, eyes fixed on the tree line. The zombies had found a way around by backtracking through the forest—one in particular, who happened to look like a paramedic, had pulled a fire blanket from his soggy bag and was dousing a section of the barrier. They were coming now from two points.

Alice continued, bending multiple arcs of fire, setting most of the monsters ablaze. But they soon closed in and her flame was dying out. Nyx was busy shoving knives into her pockets when Cole threw her an iron chair leg that he'd taken off one of the pool chairs. He passed another to Eris, then, when Alice retreated to their position, he handed her a meat cleaver.

"What the hell are these going to do?" Eris whispered. "We need Reaper Iron."

Nyx's heart was thumping. "I know."

The zombies were dawdling now, slowly closing in. The captain watched the Necromancers, mouth slack, green saliva dripping down his chin. His eyes were clouded and hungry.

It was the first time in her life that Nyx had feared monsters. She'd hunted and killed thousands. But never had she feared them. She glared at the captain. Smashed the iron chair leg down on one of the other chairs in front of her.

"Come on!" she screamed. He snarled in response and charged, closing the space between them.

Suddenly, something barreled past them. Blurred shapes shot out from behind the group and tackled the oncoming zombies. The entire front line was taken to the ground, halting the ones behind them.

Dogs. Growling, yelping when the monsters clawed at them. The one nearest to Nyx ripped a zombie's throat out with its teeth.

"Shit!" Eris yelled.

It was only then that she noticed the patchy skin and fur of the dogs. Wolves. The white, glazed, orb-like eyes. Visible rib cages and femurs. These were dead wolves. Zombie wolves.

A second wave of dogs shot out from behind them and took down the next line of zombies. Nyx scanned the pack's tracks through the house to the front door, which had been knocked off its hinges and thrown into the lounge.

Nyx spun back around as a black blur thumped to the ground in front of them. Blond hair and a long black coat, tall wooden scepter in hand. A glowing green stone was embedded at the top. A single blue-black feather floated down in front of Nyx's face.

Ravens.

The man in the trench coat turned, spinning the staff in his hands. The world seemed to stop as, using all his strength, he slammed the butt of the staff to the ground.

A shock rolled over the yard, rippling into the distance. The stone in the man's scepter flared a bright lime green. The earth churned and another wave of animals burst forth from the tree line, crawling up from the ground.

The Necromancer faced the Laheys and Cole while his creations ravaged the marauding monsters. A splay of freckles across his nose, dark eyes contrasting starkly with his pale skin and blond hair. He broke out in a smile and bowed. "Nice to meet you lot."

"Who are you?" Alice shouted, but he ignored her and was off.

To the right, a group of zombies fell, their skin sizzling. Another boy in a dark coat stood behind them. Shaved hair and a long, dark scythe in hand, its blade glowing orange and dripping with zombie gunk.

A Reaper. No, Nyx said to herself, look at his eyes. They were golden.

The second boy gave a wicked, bloodlust-ish smile and disappeared into the swarm of monsters. The backyard and surrounding forest were now completely packed with zombies. The noise was an incredible thing—growls, screams, ripping flesh, clashes, moaning, and heavy thumps. The army was overwhelming.

And now two Necromancers were running around, weapons out, while Nyx just stood there. She growled and yanked her jacket off. "I'm not just standing here all night."

"Nyx, there's nothing we can do, we have no proper weapons," Alice said.

"Nyx," Eris warned.

Erebus appeared then, chest heaving, and tossed a duffel bag to the ground. He pointed to it with a blade of his own. Inside, Nyx caught the glint of weaponry.

"Take your pick."