The streets of Redgate had been silent moments before, but that silence shattered the instant the first body moved. One man, pale and ragged, with blackened eyes and joints bent at unnatural angles, turned toward them. Then another. Then hundreds.
Alaric moved first, spear humming as he spun it in his hands. The weapon cut through air and bone alike, each strike sending black blood splattering across the cobblestones. He was a force of motion, a whirlwind of steel and intent, and Adam followed, clumsily but determinedly, trying to mimic the patterns of the deadly dance.
The undead pressed in from every alley, from rooftops, and from the cracks in the walls. Limbs jerked in impossible directions, heads twisted, mouths open, teeth bared, whispering names no living person should hear.
Alaric spun, rolled, ducked under a clawing hand, and thrust his spear upward, catching another in the chest. The creature went down, but was replaced instantly.
Adam stumbled, swinging a rusted rod at the nearest attacker.
It met nothing but air, and he nearly fell. Alaric caught his shoulder, yanking him back upright. "Stay close," he said, voice low and sharp. "Move where I move. Don't stop."
The second wave came in like a tide. One of the monstrosities lunged for Adam. Alaric didn't hesitate. He vaulted, using the creature's momentum against it, sending it crashing into its companions. Another grasped at his leg, but he twisted, slamming it against a wall with the flat of his spear.
They ran. The plaza opened ahead, and the church rose like a sanctuary in a city of horrors. Hundreds of undead followed. Alaric carved a path through them, spear swinging, spinning, piercing. He drove them back, step by step, until Adam reached the church doors and shoved against the wood.
The doors gave with a groan, and both of them stumbled inside.
Alaric yanked benches and heavy furniture to barricade the entrance. Outside, the Scourge pressed forward, claws scraping, heads snapping.
The roars grew louder, merging into a single, overwhelming chorus.
Adam collapsed against the door, panting, eyes wide.
Alaric leaned against the barricade, chest heaving, spear at the ready. "We've bought time," he said.
Through the stained glass, fractured sunlight fell across the interior in red and gold shards. Inside, dust hung heavy in the air.
Smoke mingled with the metallic scent of blackened blood. The church felt fragile, a thin sanctuary against the tide pressing at the doors.
Adam breathed heavily, he snapped his head back and suddenly started to open his bag.
"What are you looking for?" Alaric asked.
"There's... something inside it," Adam said. He searched for something inside and finally felt it, something moving.
"Arghh!!" A high pitched scream escaped from his mouth. He threw the thing that had clung to his hands. Alaric caught it.
He saw it and smiled. "You..." He showed it to Adam. "Nothing to fear, just a lizard."
Adam looked closer. A reptile, not very large, with sharp sand colored scales that almost seemed soft for some reason. Above all, it was really adorable.
"Must've snuck into your bag while we were resting,"
"Gek!" It peered it's head at Adam.
But that small moment of peace faltered quickly, the undead hammered at the door. The lizard jumped onto Adam's shoulder.
Alaric spinned the large spear, Adam got behind him.
Blue lightning sparked from the top of the spear and as soon as the door broke, a broad swooping slash enchanted with lighting cut through most of the horde. Alaric took Adam and dashed through the piles of bodies.
The door splintered under the weight of dozens of hands, sending shards flying. The Scourge poured in, a rolling tide of death, teeth gnashing, limbs twisting unnaturally.
Alaric pivoted on his heel, spear tracing arcs of crackling blue lightning through the air. Each swing felled two, three, four creatures at once, sparks dancing across the wet black blood on the stone.
Adam ducked behind him, swinging the rusted rod with wild precision, striking limbs just as they reached for his back.
Alaric vaulted over a fallen beam, landing on two undead sprawled across the floor. He slammed the spear downward, the tip cracking one skull while the other collapsed under the force of the impact. He twisted midair to shove Adam out of the path of another lunging monstrosity, catching him just before it sank its fangs into his shoulder.
They ran, sliding across the pews, knocking over heavy furniture as barricades to slow the relentless horde. The Scourge adapted quickly, leaping over obstacles, dragging themselves across broken wood and stone.
Alaric ducked beneath a swinging arm, spun, and thrust his spear through the chest of a towering, twisted figure whose mouth opened far wider than any human jaw should. Sparks hissed across the blood-soaked floor.
Adam found himself on the church balcony, ropes of debris forming a precarious path. Alaric shouted, "Careful! Follow my lead!" He spun the spear, striking a monstrous figure that had leapt for Adam, sending it tumbling into the pews below.
The boy barely kept his footing, but he pushed forward.
The undead pressed from every side. Alaric slammed the spear into the floor, raising a shockwave of electricity that threw back half a dozen attackers. Lightning arced across the walls, illuminating the grotesque forms of those advancing. One grabbed Adam's ankle, but Alaric slashed a precise diagonal, severing the limb with a thunderous crack. Adam yelped, stumbled, and Alaric caught him mid-fall.
Finally, they burst through the shattered side doors of the church, spilling into the empty streets of Redgate.
Piles of broken corpses and smoking rubble littered the avenue. The horde pursued, but Alaric's mastery of the spear and Adam's frantic swings kept them alive, weaving between overturned carts, broken fountains, and collapsed market stalls.
They dove into a narrow alley leading to the old Redgate school. The doors groaned under their weight as they pushed through, only to find the hallways dark and deserted. Dust hung in the air, and the distant moans of the Scourge echoed from the streets outside. Alaric gestured for Adam to follow, spear raised, every sense taut.
They reached the basement. A faint candle flickered in the corner, revealing a figure kneeling near an altar-like table. A man in priestly robes looked up, eyes wide with shock — and relief.
"Living… humans?" the priest whispered, voice trembling. His hands shook as he reached for the candle. "I thought… I thought I would not be saved..."
Alaric lowered his spear slightly, catching his breath. Adam's eyes widened, a mix of exhaustion and awe.