The Night of the Living Dead (Open to two)

The chill in the air was unnatural. A crisp bite in the wind that stung the core of warm blooded humans despite any protections they took. The very air seemed to dive into the lungs and corrupt the body from it's core. The moon was bright and blue, covering the outside of the shop with a blue ocean of illumination.

Out stepped Isabel, her eye patch missing and golden eye reflecting in the stiff night. The smell of decay was faintly breathing the air, and the strange silence suffocated the void of life on the streets. Isabel's eyes hardened in unusual seriousness as she started walking. The spirits were bustling, and she was less talented than Cain in matters like this but she knew something was off and was determined to figure out what. A bloodhound with a scent, she was. Her travels took her to the cemetery on the hill.

"Hello..?" She called to the seemingly empty night, eyes narrowed cautiously as fog seemed to rise from the graves. The headstones bathed in the mist still reflected the strange blue moonlight. "What are you?"

On the hill was the imposing silhouette of a horse that was out of place in this city. It's eyes glowed a steel blue matching the moonlight as it glared at Isabel. She stood her ground, waiting for its action. The aura surrounding the creature was familiar, and dark.

She hadn't realized what happened until it was already done. The large broadsword pointing out of her gut and suddenly her body was hoisted in the air, at the mercy of the moonlight. Behind her was a medieval knight, dressed in pure black and standing a towering 8 feet tall. He was holding the sword that had stabbed Isabel from behind and pointed her to the sky.

That wasn't all. Soon, a hand shot up from a grave. Hell was breaking loose.

Travel across America was so much easier than it had been in her region. That must be why so many Americans called it the best country in the world. Not only had she been able to get to the next city in no time at all (she was afraid the trip to New Jersey would be at least half a day on the bus), but she'd been able to buy an ice cream and a sweet drink along the way. A lot more convenient than hitch hiking.

Kiara had followed dire omens before. But none quite so subtle.

"The end is nigh!"

"Nigh?"

"Repent, girl! The world shall quiver and fall! And there shall rise a new age!"

"Erm. Can we stop it?"

"Yes! You must all do as I say! We must cleanse the nation of it's morbidly affluent and grotesquely decadent! The soul suckers of the majority! See the millionaires congregate in their base of New Jersey and push their oppressive capitalism! Sheeple, open your-"

"New where?"

"New Jersey!"

"What happened to the old one?"

"I don't know! Dead I s'pose! Come back-!"

The locals had informed her they called this place Steel City. One or two had asked her in return if the convention was in town but by the time she'd pulled her elaborate mask up to clarify, they'd walked on, chuckling to themselves. She spent much of the day hopping from bus station to bus station to hide from the dreary overcast, and then noting that the Sun had set before it should.

So she was looking for a convention. Of the grotesque and morbid kind. Which had its day in the dark. She just didn't understand where the sheeple fit in.

Beneath a lit lamppost wandered a restless spirit in circles, following the perimeter, as they did, thinking it was making progress. Kiara lifted herself with her magic and flew over to it.

"Hi. You're lost."

"Can't stop. Running. No time."

"Where are you going?"

"Away."

"Away... from?"

"Bed. Spent my whole life a wage slave. You think I'm going to spend my afterlife as one? No, no, no."

Kiara scratched her head. The jewellery along her arm rattled, "Okay. Thank you. Don't try to kill the living, please."

"No promises, no promises."

They had to have graveyards in Steel City. People still died here. It was a matter of finding one. She chewed on the straw she'd saved from her drink as she continued to fly.

Roxanna and her partner were doing their regular patrol during what some took literally as the graveyard shift- contrary to the logic that it wasn't a good idea to be trying to pull off any heists or crime. It was a common misconception that you'd be less likely to get spotted under the cover of night, but this was also the busiest time for cops who were usually out and about more frequently. It was unusually cold, and there was just something in the air besides the smell of decay that was getting under her skin. It was the kind of thing to make her wanna drink, and so she did- just enough to help stave off the chill. "You know you shouldn't be doing that on duty Roxy," her partner remarked as he drove them.

"Feels like Donkey's Years since I had some'uh the blackstuff. Just havin'somethin to warm up anyhow," she didn't say he was wrong, and that she knew that but was cordially telling him to shut up and mind his own business. After a couple sips from her flask, she slipped it back into a pocket and looked up at the eerie moon. How long had it been since Steel was able to clearly see the feckin'moon? But this quiet, eerie evening was soon ruined when a report started coming in over the radio. Something about some people being attacked, some odd descriptions that made her immediately think someone was playing a Halloween Prank- was passed that time of year. "Well les crack on then, Rick. These chancers ain'gonna disperse on their own," and so the pair were off toward the disturbance.


MEANWHILE...

Diana was bundled up nice and snug, but somehow still felt cold. She was sure there weren't any holes in her clothes but didn't have any idea why it just felt like she was chilled to the bone. But she did love how the moon looked, even if she didn't get to see it too often in this city. She was actually on her way to Sconehenge to start her nightshift- yes the place was open at this time of night. It was a rare business practice that could be pulled off these days to be open twenty four seven without any major consequences. So it was only natural as a creature of the night, she try to get a job in the evening to avoid her nemesis the sun from making her feel like shit.

Along the way she noticed something rather strange, coming from the direction of the graveyard. What were people doing visiting the cemetary this late? Why did they also look like walking corpses? Whether or not this was some kind of elaborate prank or stunt for one reason or another, Diana took her phone out and snapped a picture of the shamblers walking out. "Actually wish I wasn't working tonight, oh well," Diana shrugged to no one and continued off toward work as a cop car sped passed her along the way...

The upside down world, basking in the light of a blue moon... it really gave a different perspective on life. Isabel's body was limp to the painful sword in her chest as the knight carelessly threw her to the side like a sack of discarded potatoes. It took heavy steps forward that made Isabel wonder how it had stealthily approached earlier. It had pronounced her dead, clearly.

"And I heard, as it were..." she started, sitting up as the creature looked back with confusion, "the noise of thunder."

She reached a hand forward and chains shot at the beast, clanging loudly against it's metal armor as it wrapped around him. Isabel stood, blood not dripping from her wound. No, blood didn't run through her veins like it did to humans. She was much more durable than that. Her hand clenched to a fist and with a loud shatter, the black knight seemed to explode in her grasp. It let a wail of death out that echoed across even the further stations of the city.

"One of the four beasts said to me: Come, and see."

She looked to the rider, who shrugged off her words and turned away. Like dust in the wind, the figure faded away. Gone from the rest but leaving in it's wake the living dead mindless. Some were zombies, others were complete skeletons. They all seemed mindless as they moved to the city.

"And I saw."

She grunted out, chains dropping the knight and forming a black blade as she ran towards the zombies. She'd be slashing and cutting as many as she could to put them to a more final rest.

From out of the moonlit fog a masked effigy descended, having been brought by the terrible scream. She landed in the middle the undead horde and surveyed the situation. The mindless droves turned towards the sense of warm blood, but lost their interest just as quickly when the toothy and fiendish leer of the mask turned their way. Spooks could be such dummies.

Only one overcame its shyness and tried to take a bite out of her. Kiara kept it at arms reach with her faux-skull topped staff. Then she channelled a piece of astral energy through the staff and knocked the ghostly spirit from the corpse, sending it crashing to the ground.

Once more taking stock, the Benighted One feared this swarming of the undead could be related to her omens. She'd never seen such a quantity before. Outside of Hell. The living and the dead never mixed well, which was fair. The living weren't always very considerate. What with the lack of religious service.

Kiara levitated to step off a skeleton's head and came to the source of the lone voice that she heard. She observed a small girl with a sword jabbing it into several foes. Her vision showed her that the girl too was a zombie, despite her relatively light state of decay. The large font of magic power she possessed was probably the cause of that.

The shaman decided she would engage, "I don't mean to pry, but," She sidestepped a femur as it came rolling, "Is this a family dispute? Because I'll leave if it's like that."

Roxxy and her partner were enroute, listening into some radio chatter as more officers were on their way. Seemed most of it seemed to be coming from the cemetary- didn't take a genius to figure that one out. She still didn't buy into the whole prospect that they were undead up until they actually arrived. "It's... actual fucking undead," Rick swore grabbing his pistol and hopping out.

"Of course there's a bad reason fer the moon bein'out. Can'never just enjoy the scenery withou'some dosser makin'bags of it. You've seen movies right? Aim for their heads, keep yer ass covered," Roxxy replied climbing out and pulling out hers. Frankly, she didn't know how effective they'd be against actual undead. Ballistics were on the decline as more "cost effective" energy weapons became the norm, and Roxxy had gotten shot by one before- they hurt. But that probably didn't mean squat to something which didn't even feel pain. "Right, so I migh'have to get my hands dirty- literally. No doubt my fists can get us through and there's less flesh on me. Just be careful," Roxxy holstered her pistol again, raised her arms up, and charged.

With her partner taking shots from the back, Roxxy proceeded to just punch her way through. She was right about her fists being useful, and also about the energy weapons being less effective than they were meant to be- although a head or two did come off from a shot. So they had that going for them as Roxxy didn't go too far from Rick, trying to keep the horde's eyes on her as backup started to arrive in the form of a helicopter with officers armed with rifles.

"Holy shit, there's actual zombies."

"Glad we're up here and- is crome arms boxing their heads off?"

"Oi! Less talkin'more blastin'ya dossers. Help us clear a way to the cemetary," Roxxy barked over the radio. With the added fire support, they'd get to the cemetary shortly.

Isabel was at least slightly distracted when the new mage joined the fray. Well, not so much joined but landed near the fray. Isabel had just cleanly carved the head off a vicious looking skeleton, then shot an offended glare at the stranger. "Family- what- are you trying to say you think all zombies are related?! That's more than a little offensive, y'know!"

Her dropped guard was an opening for a rotted flesh monster to take a sizable bite out of Isabel's shoulder. "Ow! You bastard!"

She elbowed it back, spinning quickly and slashing out at the beast to end it's unlife. She looked at the strange masked intruder, pouting a bit still. "I am not related to these zombies. You're free to help whenever you'd like. We should try to stop them before they get to the city. And all Hell breaks loose."

Not to mention the missing rider. She was hopeful that he was retreating from the scene, but it was hard to tell. The moon was still a creepy blue. That was a death knight she'd killed at the start. One of the most powerful undead available to summon. If he was summoning more like that... there would be real problems.

"The more we destroy, the more likely it is that the summoner will run out of magical power. If we can track him down we might be able to end this quickly. Do you have any tracking abilities? Or maybe the magic energy inside the zombies could be a breadcrumb trail..."

"It's a family plot!" Okay. Maybe the zombie had a point. She might not even be with the rest of them. What with being the only revenant not going "uuurrrggghhh" right now.

The shaman took the invitation to help by walking over to a zombo that had gotten stuck trying to crawl out of its own grave and was now scrabbling uselessly buried up to its waist in dirt. She bonked it with her staff and shocked the spirit right out of it. That was one. One of... she looked around them. None of the rest seemed to be helpfully wedged in their coffins.

This could take a bit.

The Benighted One retreated into a tree as the talking zombie made her suggestions for ending the crisis quickly. She took a moment to balance on the shifting branch before considering it, "No. Nothing like that." The shambling hordes largely continued to move out of the graveyard. Some climbing over fences, with a thud collapsing to the other side, "Oh! Hang on. Maybe... No. I can do exactly the thing you just said."

Kiara could see the invisible bonds which united otherwise disparate things. Theoretically the link between a spiritualist and their creations would be strong. And there it was. Several faint spectral lines trailing back from their source of influence.

"Their energy is leading this wayyy-" Kiara said, keeping the end of the word trailing until her waving finger had completed a circuit of the graveyard, "This way. Kinda. There's a lot of lines. It's a mess out here." She told the gore-spattered combatant.

There came the sound of gunshots. "Where did the undead get a gun from?" She flew out to get an eagle eye on the situation through the fog, leaving Isabel behind shortly. She soon came to the edge of the forming police line, the sea of undead before them, "Be careful! I think they're armed!"

"We sure it's zombies?"

"Yes! They're moaning and groaning and look like corpses- and they don't go down to the energy pistols unless you shoot em in the head!"

"Holy shit... how many were in the cemetary?" Radio chatter as Roxxy arrived on scene at the police line.

"Oh Roxxy! Here, get yerself armed!" A Steel Swat Officer pointed to a truck. The line was holding purely because there were things in the way of the zombies, but as they reached the vehicular roadblocks, the line was moving- sensible if you wanted to avoid being nibbled on by a ghoulish ghoul.

"Crack on then," Roxxy hurried into the back, quickly debated on whether or not to grab the "gorilla arms" or the blasters... Gorilla Arms were overkill but were longer which gave her needed reach without having to worry about maybe overheating. So after a short minute, and the line retreating back even further, Roxxy hopped out with a heavy thud. The only drawback with these was the weight, but the zombies were even slower than regular people so that in theory should balance it out. "Clear the way! I'm comin'through!" Roxxy barked, charging forward and hopping over the line onto one zombie that had the brain power to almost sprint- it no longer was. "Come on then ya mankey, gammy lookin'asses!" Roxxy started swinging, basically just using her reach and arms to club and send zombies flying backward and away from her people while the firing line started moving up behind her with fire support.

"Damn this fog... hard to hit anything from up here!"

"Ain't much better down here if not for chrome arms."

"I heard that Bill, ya old dosser!"

Isabel paid attention to the strange shaman's words, making a disappointed "awww" when the girl said she had no power of the sort. Quickly followed by a please "ohhhh?" when she claimed she could actually do exactly that. This was an emotional roller coaster, and Isabel waited with bated breath as her new companion searched for the source. "Ah. That... actually makes a lot of sense doesn't it? Heh. Well, we'll just have to rid the area of some of this magic then!"

Gunshots rang out and Isabel made a yelp. A few bullets hit the dirt by her. "Gah, the extras always suck at shooting don't they? Unless they're shooting at me, weirdly enough. I wonder if it's that magnet I swallowed in the third gr-"

A bullet tore through Isabel's belly, making her grunt. Yeah, not the time to be day dreaming. She followed her companion, appearing out by the police line and waving her hands like a crazy person. "I'm a good guy! I swear! Shoot the bad zombies!"

Before the shooting resumed a lady with giant robot arms jumped out and started punching the zombies to death. Isabel stopped in her tracks, watching with a slacked jaw as the beast of a woman did God's work diligently. "That might be the coolest thing I've ever seen in my entire life. Hey! Punchy arms! Keep up the good work! If we dwindle their numbers my weird masked friend might be able to find the summoner."

Isabel's sword became the black chains she preferred, wrapping up two nearby zombies and crushing the magic from their bones.

With the dwindling numbers, and the fact that the greater horde was now spreading out, the lines became more distinct and easier to read. Kiara followed sections back and forth until multiple converged in one direction. She identified the single structure and retreated back to the people invested in getting this reanimation put down.

"It's the house over there." Kiara broadcasted. She was glad to see police take an interest in the supernatural. She just hoped they didn't insist on writing a report afterwards. A partial understanding of events was enough for anyone. Take her for example. She wasn't questioning the sword. She didn't know anyone who used a sword. Swords were very niche. And yet here was one.

Kiara left the police and Isabel to their fight and returned to the structure in question. The trail seemed to lead slightly into the ground, suggesting a lower level once passed the inconvenient slab set before the entranceway. Everything was cast in marble with lines of gibberish (Latin) inscribed across its arches. The mausoleum awaited.

Roxxy despite the sheer size of her swapped arms, wasn't having too much trouble adjusting and moving with the momentum of her punches. A big part of that was her boxing experience- also a couple cybernetic features that came standard with the spine didn't hurt. "Oh god, there's little girl zombies too!" Someone remarked over the radio as Roxxy sent another zombie- head and all, flying. Isabel wasn't the only one catching some flak, but Roxxy's giant metal arms didn't seem too phased by the odd bullet that accidentally hit them; they were big targets so it was to be expected. Roxxy only had a brief moment to see what they were talking about as Isabel pretty much told her... that her friend would be able to find the source if they kept clearing zombies. Roxxy mentally concluded she was not getting paid nearly enough. "I could keep this up all nigh'kid, but yer friend better leg it. Also you alrigh'there? Yer got a feckin'hole in yer stomach," Roxxy asked with concern before clobbering timing another zombie.

"Oi! Don'ya eejits shoot the cutie or her weird mask frien," Roxxy mentally blared over the radio as more bullets did seem to whizz by in her direction. Roxxy soon spotted her friend soon enough as she claimed to know where the source was. "Alrigh'then, go bust some ghosts or watever the feckin'hell is makin'bags of my nigh!" Roxxy said grabbing a zombie in one of her big meaty mitts, pulled back and hurled the zombie at a zombie in the distance between Kiara and Isabel. The horde seemed to be dwindling in this part of the city atleast... could probably leave the rest of clean up to the rest of Steel's "finest."

Isabel was also one that never asked more questions than were necessary. Not that she wasn't the one that had the most answers this time around. She was here first. When the shaman who's name she didn't yet know pointed out where the energy was coming from, Isabel smiled wide. "Ke he he he~ we've got our ace in the hole, then, big hands! Let's crack some skulls."

A skeleton pun for sure. Isabel finished off a couple zombies before dashing away after the shaman. The 'house' looked more like a mausoleum to the zombie. One with a lower level, it seemed. They would need to investigate for sure. "Oi, oi, masked gal. What's your name? I'm Isabel. This is Big Hands. I'm thinking we need a plan. If we go in slowly we might get the drop on the summoner. Get me? I'll take the lead. Sneaky beaky like. And remember- no Russian."

Isabel would take cautious steps towards the building, crouched low. She walked like sly cooper, on her tip toes easing into it. Yes, any step could be a-

ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!!!!

A fierce rumble as from the ground under Isabel burst a GIANT-- is that a worm? It's a worm. With an oversized mouth that he currently had wrapped around Isabel. In a moment, it bit down on Isabel, taking her left arm and shoulder completely off before hurling her violently towards the other two. She hit the ground hard, rolling several times roughly before stopping right at Big Hands feet.

"...ow." She whispered weakly, eyes half shut.

If Kiara was well educated, she might know this beast as the Devouring Worm. A powerful summon that ate and ate, never ceasing to grow until it was slaughtered.

"I've no idea what that is!!!" The shaman shouted over the tremorous vocalisations of the worm. She'd no clue worms got so big. New Jersey was a dangerous place. Another question was as to why they'd bury it in a human graveyard. Back home the dogs had their own area of burial.

Its coffin alone must have been ridiculous.

And only moments before she had been calm as anything, answering the polite inquiry to her name. "The Benighted One." It was the name she preferred to go by when engaging in business. This probably counted. Her real name being superfluous at current.

The worm turned its attentions to Kiara. It had no eyes, but when she shifted left, it tilted slightly in that direction. Right - the same. It knew where she was. A moment later it came for her. She shrieked and allowed her flight to stop, giving her the speed necessary to avoid it. Before striking the ground she caught herself, somersaulting over a gravestone and shedding a trinket or two.

She flew out to a more comfortable circumference of the creature and zapped it with an astral blast. If the resulting lethargy slowed it any, it didn't show any visible signs. It made a burbling sound as its muscles spasmed. Kiara put the mausoleum between herself and the resultant acid reflux. The marble of the construction sizzled as its roof melted down.

"Think you lot should be able to handle yerselves- a couple of metas thin'they found the source of the mankey ghouls, so I'mma go break someone's facein," Roxxy sent over the radio as she sent another few zombies to the moon! Well, not that far- but it was definitely close to the capability of a Skyrim Giant.

"Copy that- but make it fast, the other barricades are struggling," a voice replied as Roxxy followed after Isabel, smacking another zed or two back to the afterlife along the way. She couldn't help but wonder if there wasn't some kind of bad luck for disturbing and probably breaking stuff in a crypt or whatever. Isabel decided to sneak in first, and that made Roxxy aware that she'd have to be even extra quiet- or make the effort to be with her "giant hands." But she had a name to call her now.

But then everything went to shit in a hand basket in no time flat, and may have confirmed that it WAS bad luck- and that was before they went in! Was that... a feckin'dune worm? Roxxy's eyes widened as it had a hold of Isabel for a moment before losing grip on her, and sending her flying- then it went after the masked girl who likewise introduced herself. She went from panic to calm at the flip of a coin... but for now the thing wasn't looking at her right now which meant she could do a sneak attack! Right, acid that could melt marble was bad all around as she found a tree. With her cybernetics, she uprooted it, and hurled it straight at the giant worm as hard as she could in hopes of maybe doing something to it. Unfortunately her hands were too big for her pistol, so if this didn't do anything... she'd have to get physical- she was not looking forward to that.