Un-Dead World Book One: Dead Men's Game

Wild, Wild West

    I thundered into the stage room only a few moments after the door had swung closed from Branson's arrival. My clothing clung to me uncomfortably, where the water adhered it to my skin. This had better be important, because my body still felt all tingly from Branson's touch. I scanned the room to find the source of the commotion and my stomach dropped out from beneath me. 

    "Get it! Get it!" Sheila screamed as she pointed at the zombie in front of us, who used to be Josh. 

    "What happened?" Branson asked as he ran forward to join Scott where he stood between Sheila and Josh. 

    "I don't know Sarge! I went to take a leak and the kid was sleeping on the couch. Next thing I knew she's screaming bloody murder and I found this."  He gestured to Josh. The kid was looking between us all, not moving. Then his eyes met mine and it was like he came alive. He began moving towards me, faster than any of them had moved yet. I could see this strange light around him though. It was a dark purple, pulsating light. Almost like an aura, but behind him a black shape was beginning to take form. 

    All the hairs on my body stood upright and a tremor began in my legs. It felt as if he was draining all the energy from the room. I saw Branson and Scott drop to their knees, holding their heads and screaming. Sheila was lying in a heap on the ground, probably passed out. I felt like my legs were paralyzed. My mind was screaming at my legs to move and they stood still. I silently begged my body to do something, fire my gun, grab my blade, or scream. None of the options seemed to be working. I watched, mortified, as Josh stopped barely a breath away from me. 

    "You lisssstened." Josh rasped out in a voice that was not his own. It was almost snakelike how he said it. "I told him you wouldn't come, but here you are! You continue to sssurprisssse me! I said you would go East instead of West." The shadow behind him grew and began to solidify. Josh dropped to the ground and in his place stood a man. I gasped as I looked over his face. With high cheekbones and small lips, brought to life by almond shaped eyes and strong brows. He could have been my twin. The only difference was where he was dark, I was light. I had light blue eyes with tawny colored hair; He had jet black hair with eyes to match. He smiled and I saw that his smile could have been a reflection of mine. Why did he look like me?

    "I thought for sure that boy from the grocery store would get you. I marched him all the way to your front door!" The voice that came from him was the one I had just heard from Josh. Like Josh had been his puppet. His S sounds still drawn out like he had a severe lisp, he began to circle me while he spoke. "I thought it was almost....poetic. To witness that final betrayal from him as the light died in your eyes. You had to ruin all of my fun!." He glared at me. "Well, aren't you going to say anything?" He snapped his fingers at me and suddenly I could control my body again. 

    "Who are you?" I asked, backing away from him. Branson and Scott seemed to be unconscious now too, sprawled across the floor in two distinct heaps. He laughed.

    "Oh, you can think of me as family! For now, you may call me Levi." He had an almost childlike glee that accompanied everything he said. "I've been waiting for you to get here! I'm glad you arrived so quickly, we have much to do yet and time is of the essence." He had walked forward once again and I noticed that he had no footsteps following his movement. Looking down I could see that he wasn't walking, he was floating. Only about a foot off of the ground, he circled me like a lion before it pounces. 

    "What do you want?" I wanted all of this to be a bad dream, so badly. I needed answers though. 

    "Me? I don't want much. My fathers love, power, your horrible death, and then maybe a chocolate chip cookie!" He giggled as he said this.

    "Why do you want me dead? I don't even know you!" I shouted this as teared threatened to prick my eyes. This seemed to make him angry.

    "You do know me! You have always known me! When there was me, there was you. Always together but always apart." He stopped in front of me and stared deeply into my face. "Until today that is. Don't worry, it will all make sense with time. For now, he has decided you're useful so I can't hurt a single hair upon your head. Orders from downstairs. You understand." I didn't understand but I felt like he was speaking for the sake of speaking, rather than for any real reason. He had began to make his way towards Branson, Scott, and Sheila. 

    "Leave them alone!" I tried to run towards them, to protect them from whatever the hell this was. Man or monster, I wasn't sure. Maybe he was both. He snapped his fingers back at me, continuing in their direction without hesitation. Like before, my entire body stopped where it was. Paralyzed, I watched him stand in front of the only people I had anymore. My heart thundered in my ears as I tried futilely to break free from this strange power.

    "He never said anything about your little pets though, did he?" Levi was staring down at them on the floor intently. "This will be no fun, if they don't have a say." With another snap of his fingers, they were all awake and climbing to their feet. I could see them looking around in confusion, but once they stood they did not move.

    "Pl-Please." I barely forced the word out and he whirled on me with rage in his eyes. 

    "I said NO TALKING!" He held a hand out towards me and I was pulled across the floor to him. "Don't do that again, unless you want all of your friends to die. I don't like when my toys talk out of turn." With that he turned back to the others and with another hand gesture they seemed to regain the ability to speak. 

    "Oh no. No, no, no, no. Please don't. Please let me go. I promise I won't tell anybody what I saw. I promise. I'll do anything you want. Do you like women? We could have s*x if you let me go." Sheila began begging and screaming as soon as he let them speak. Branson stared stoically at the man in front of them, staying silent. He wasn't going to beg. 

    "Well, this ain't how I planned on goin out but I'm glad it's with you, sarge." I had expected a smart remark from Scott but I had to admire his words in what could be our last moments. 

    "Now, Laura. Who is going to die today? I'll leave it up to you so you can have some of the fun. Think of it like a reunion gift." The others glanced at me with accusing expressions. Levi loosened his hold over my voice once again. "It's your turn now, Laura." 

    "Just kill me. Don't hurt them. You're here for me." I was really hoping I could save them all, but I just knew that everything was going to change after today. So, I pleaded for salvation. Knowing he wasn't going to accept my answer and that I wasn't going to choose someone to die he turned to the rest of my group. 

    "What do you think? Which one of you deserves an eternity of torment with me as your guide? I can smell the sin on all of you. Whose sin smells the best?" Levi was grinning as he sniffed each of them in turn, not allowing them to move away. Sheila was still crying and begging to be let go, which was beginning to make Levi seem agitated. "You! Shut your w***e mouth! I can almost smell the s*x on you. Offering yourself to me like you're not repulsive. Packed inside of that pretty package is an empty husk." He ran his hand down Sheila's chest, over her heart. "You made your body available to any man that you met. You destroyed lives and homes." He paused and smiled at her. "Oh you really don't like Laura do you? I can feel it." He put his hands on either side of her head and closed his eyes. "So much hatred! So much betrayal! Oh it's delicious! You'll do just fine!" He released her head and clapped his hands together in joy. 

    "What are you going to do to her?!" I asked him, helplessly watching as he flung the men across the room with the flick of his fingers. Sheila stood in front of him, staring at me with abject terror in her eyes.     

    "Laura please!" She screamed to me but it was too late. Levi pulled something from himself. Digging a hand into his chest and emerging with a pulsating black orb. It seemed to contain some bright white light and it almost seemed as if smoke was spiraling around it. Without hesitation he shoved the mass into Shelia's mouth. 

    He held his hand over her mouth and nose, forcing her to keep it inside while she gagged and choked. I could see her body twitching and seizing up before her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed. She laid on the floor for a few moments, unmoving. In my mind I began to pray, not knowing what else to do. I begged God to save her.

    "Sheila?! Wake up!" I shouted. "What was that? What did you give her?" I fought against his hold and to my surprise, my right leg moved forward slightly. He had his back turned to me still, ignoring me as he watched Sheila and I kept pushing myself. I could feel his hold weakening.     

    "I made her better. She won't hurt anymore, she won't run around causing meaningless chaos. she has a purpose now. I've given her a gift." As Levi said this, Sheila arched off the ground with a great inhalation of breath. She staggered to her feet almost robotically.

    "Sheila! You're alive!" I exclaimed as relief filled me. I felt a surge of something inside myself as she turned to look at me and I saw that her eyes were entirely black. She had black webs of veins underneath her skin and I could have sworn I saw her teeth looking sharp, as her mouth gaped slightly open. 

    "It burns me master." Sheila said it, but it didn't quite sound like Sheila. Her S's were emphasized just like Levi's were. As she spoke, I saw why. Her tongue was forked now. What the hell did he do to her? She looked to Levi and threw hands over her nose, scrunching her face in disgust.     

    "I know, my pet. I know." Levi stroked her head as she nuzzled her face into the nape of his neck. "Her grace is nauseating. We won't have to stay long. I just needed to make a point." As he was speaking to Sheila like a child, a sudden calm overtook me.

     I felt like my chest was on fire as a blinding white light began to come from somewhere inside. So much heat began to pour forth from my skin, I wondered how I wasn't feeling pain. Sheila was screaming in agony and Levi was making some strange sound like the mix of a growl and a hiss. 

    "No! this isn't possible! He said you were human!" Levi shouted angrily. "He LIED to me!" With this, Levi's skin began to crackle and peel, like he was being burned alive. His lips peeled back to reveal a mouth filled with razor sharp teeth and a black forked tongue that was much longer than a normal tongue. He changed into some sort of monster right in front of me. "I will have them all. You won't get in the way next time. I only need you alive, not intact. Next time, I'll take an arm as my prize." 

    "f**k you." As I cursed him I ran forward with my knife, ready to plunge it into his black eyes. As I swung my hand towards him he seemed to implode on himself. Both he and Sheila, disappeared rights before my eyes. All that was left behind was a puff of black ooze where Sheila had been standing. I could could feel the heat receding and the light that shone from within me started to dim. I tried to understand what had just happened when a voice drew my attention to where the two men had been tossed. 

    "What the f**k are you?" It was Scott. He and Branson were standing and staring at me with strange expressions. Scott had his gun aimed on me uncertainly, looking to Branson like he was waiting for him to say something. A glint of light drew my gaze to the large vanity mirror that was exposed near the stage. I couldn't help but be completely shocked as I took in my appearance. 

    My hair floated around me like a halo but that's not all that was floating. My feet were hovering above the ground as a peaceful white light exuded from my very pores. My eyes seemed to glow and as the light began to fade quickly and I lowered down to the ground, I could have sworn I saw transparent wings on either side of my body. My feet touched beneath me and as the light died it felt like I had been hit by a truck. I glanced back to Branson, confused just like them.

    "I'd like to know the same thing, Laura." Branson said. "What are you? Cause I know you ain't human."