The Ruins

Chapter 65

Mal had nothing when she landed in hell, a shirt and jeans and shoes. The ground on which she lay is hard-packed dirt. Cold and damp. She looks up at the light of the run, but around her was shadowy and gloomy. The walls were about fifteen feet tall of metal frames, no ladder, handholds, or rope. There were also wooden frame panels in sections like a crop dust maze, knowing nothing on what corner is there.

She looks everywhere to find something, anything to protect her. Then she stood up and sees four people: Glory, Simon, Calvin, and Charlie, standing together in the front stage. Hard faces with hard eyes and mouths that smiled with icy cruelty.

"Welcome to KillGames," said Charlie.

Then turning around the corner Mal yelped in fear and back-pedalled away as the Infected moaned at her; she wasn't scared at any Infected, it was how it's structured. On the head is a metal helmet with sharp knives sticking out, spikes trough the sternum, chest, and stomach. She can't piece through the head and getting under the jaw could get herself stabbed in the heart if the Infected moves forward.

She racked her leg to kick it back, a spike thrashes at her leg, screaming at the sharp bite in her leg. Then another Infected comes in, moaning at her.

She wanted to run, but she was in a fifteen foot wide pit. Running were not a option and also now she can't run, only limp her way through. She racked her brain to decide how to survive this. The moment needed action. What was the smart thing to do?

She launched onto the panels, kicking it as it breaks. Pulling a board out the Infected lunges at her. She uses her hand, and contacting at it's head a long nail through its head pierces through her palm. Gritting her teeth, ignore the pain soaring in her hand she uses her other, shoving it away, raised the board over her head, and brought it down with all her force on the Infected's head.

Crunch!

The creature dropped to the ground. She didn't stop slashing as another Infected's come in, the spikey Infected stayed behind since it can't see where it's going but will eventually from her grunts. Mal backed to a wall, corner and a Runner comes in. This Runner was massive. Burly, like a bull. Huge chest and stomach, massive arms, almost no neck, and eyes that blazed with dark smoke. His skin showed skin peeled, flapping around, muscles bulging out.

She surged forward, but before her first step touched down she was struck by a pull to the hair. Infected's mouth bites down only the air when she pushes it away, bashing the head. Soon the massive Runner uttered a moan of hunger and sprinted and lunged for Mal as other Infected follow the fresh meat.

She flung herself to one side as the big Runner lunged. It turned, much faster than Mal though it could, and instead a inhuman moan, the creature hissed at her. Hatred was emotion. Runners didn't have any. But she could see the menace and malevolence etched into the snarling face of the living dead. Her foot struck him in the left hip. Instead of knocking the Runner backward, it spun his mass, and with his weight already unstable it toppled off balance and fell.

With sparks still flashing in her eyes, she roared as Charlie cheered, and she swung the board. It struck the big creature's forehead hard enough to send a jarring vibration down through the wood and into Mal's hands.

But the Infected did not let go.

But with the next swung of the board the Runner staggered backwards, its eyes becoming dull with confusion. The front of the skull had a grooved look where the board had hammered it.

Mal went crazy. She rushed trough the Infected, slashing them quickly before rushing to the Infected, swinging with so much force that she could feel her own muscles pulling and tearing. The Runner fell against the wall and Mal back-pedalled on the wall, and there's so many more coming.

She can't keep doing this, fighting until she's breathes and tired. Blood is pouring down on her leg.

Suddenly a sound as loud as thunder banged on the side of the walls. Charlie and the group looked over to see what's the commotion and she listens and hears a familiar voice yelling at confident yet very petrified Charlie and her heart warms when she knows that booming voice.

The Saviors are here.

Negan is here.

-:-:-:-:-

Vix, Lugh, and Lalon head inside the camp to find the kids. The Saviors and them went up the mountains to scout the whole camp, seeing and planning on what to do.

Vix and Lugh faded back into the forest and circled, running fast. They reached the last of the paths that led into the camp and skidded to a muddy stop between a pair of dead trees. There was a guard. A big man with a shotgun, the big double barrels pointed at the ground. They crouch as Lugh signals them as he crept forward to the trunk of the large of the two dead trees. Old branches littered the ground, and Lugh has to be careful where he stepped. If the branch was old enough, then breaking it would sound like a gunshot. They might not hear that from the camp, but this man certainly would.

The man stepped closer to the cliff wall and began fishing in his pockets. He brought out a pipe and some matches and leaned into a cleft to light it, turning completely away for a few seconds. Lugh used those seconds. He brings out his long steel throwing ax from his back strap. He held it as he crept catfooted through the dirt, and he heart within striking range when the turned, his pipe lit, smoke funnelling out from under his hood.

He saw Lugh.

The man was fast. He dropped the pipe and swung the shotgun, the deadly weapon sliding easily on his shoulder sling at the same moment as Lugh jumped forward and threw the ax.

The blow slammed the guard back against the cliff wall. The strike from the ax. The ax positioned between his eyes, deep into the skull.

He drew his ax out of the head. He took a breath to steady his nerves, turned, and ran as fast as he can. He signals the rest to come. They come as they wormed their way to the outside of a tent that was at the very edge of the camp.

Vix cut open to the side of the tent and crawled quickly inside. The pen was just outside, and she knelt, bow in hand, and peered outs the twelve-year-old that had the other kids clustered together, and they were as calm as they could be under circumstances. She must have told them about what she'd seen, because they were not wailing. Each of the stared into the sky with huge eyes that were filled with tears.

One of the guards walked past, and Lugh watched as the guard went several paces down the centre path of the camp and stretched his head to try and catch what was going on in ones tent. She'd hoped he would have gone all the over, but he stayed relatively close to his post.

"Here goes," Vix whispered to the boys and then crept out of the tent and crabbed sideways in a low crouch, until her shoulder bumped up against the pen rails. The kids gasped, but Vix shushed them. She reached through the wood slats of the pen and touched several of them, assuring them of her reality. Vix slid along the pen rail to the back corner and Lalon watched the guard. He was still craning to look over a similar spot.

Vix straightened and then climbed quickly and quietly over the rail. She dropped down and then huddled next to the crowd of kids. Vix showed her knife to the kids, their eyes widen but understood. Vix gritted her teeth and attacked the bundle of ropes, and in less than a minute the whole bundles of ropes was cut.

Lalon scrambled over to the edge of the pen and reached out to pull the first of the children over. "Who are you?"

"The RK's. The Saviors are here as well." Vix answered.

Then the tent open before the guy notices the kids. He's about to open his mouth when he gurgles, blood seeping on his mouth and fell forward with Lugh behind him, flicking the blood off his ax.

Grabbing the radio that Negan gave to her she calls him. "Got the kids."

"Alright then, I'm about to blow this shit apart."

Then at the circular wall pit, a thundering sound cannons on one of the walls.