26.
Lance left the partner
of his and made his way to the store. He had pushed open the door and stepped
in. He was met by the hanging corpse that was by its feet. The corpse was not
one but it moved on the approach of Lance. It dropped down head down and landed
on its feet.
“I am Corpus, the
faithful servant of the White Doctor.” The figure introduced his name. “Your
presence had interrupted the rest of mine.”
The figure was dressed
only in the loin cloth and his body was covered in inklings of the darker
continent. He was short and dark satin shade on the skin. His head was covered
with the short stringy cropped close to the scalp. He held a spear and its
blade was half the full length with a full height narrow shield made of the
buffalo skin. The spear was named the Assegai famed by the Congo warriors.
“Brother of the plains,
why do you hunt for the demon?” Lance spoke in the sound of the darker
continent. “I am from the plains and yet I do not serve the demon.”
“He is a demon to you
but to me he is the demi-god.” Corpus replied. “I was once a slave to be sent
here and then the White Doctor had me treated well. I have in return served
him.”
“Does the buffalo feed
with the lions?” Lance asked the other. “When hunger strikes, it will feed on
you like any lions.”
“True but if I keep it
fed the feast on me may not be there.” Corpus stood with his legs spread and
the spear. “You may be the feast the lion desired.”
With that, Corpus
charged at Lance. The later side stepped and cracked his palm across the satin
shaded face. It was not a punch but a slap. It was an insult on the other to be
slapped. Corpus fell back on the flooring and then rolled over with the shield
raised. Lance moved in with his guns leveled at the fallen foe.
“Yield and we end the
fight now.” Lance spoke to the other.
Corpus pushed himself up before standing upright. He looked to the man
who had insulted him.
“I cannot change my
vow. I am marked.” Corpus showed him the mark on the chest. It was the sign of the
devil; the three hexagon design. “He has my soul. We are the undead.”
From the rear of
Corpus, three more appeared in the same form. They spread out and leveled their
spears at Lance.
“You can’t see us for
we have the spell to merge and hide. We are of the same continent and our
spells are shared there.” Corpus replied. We will fight you not with the spells
but with the way of the warrior. I will challenge you alone and in the old
ways.”
The Assegai and shield
was tossed over to Lance’s feet. The three other warriors then disappeared back
into Corpus. Lance unbuckled his gun belt and then picked up the spear with the
shield. He had used it in the hunts before but his the skill levels were way
below that of the experienced warrior. He weighed the spear in his right hand
to test the weight. It lighter than the pike he once held at London Tower. He
shifted his weight back and balanced on his soles. Just when he was getting
ready, Corpus attacked him with a feigned thrust and then withdrew. Lance was
startled and had retreated. He looked at the warrior and then planned his
moves. His mentor then of the hunts was the Chieftain’s son.
“The way to kill the
lion is not to maim but to kill with the single thrust.”
Lance used his shield
to block the attacks while he moved freely along the sides. He skirted the
stack of crates and supplies while evading the sharp attacks. He saw his move
and used the assegai to push the other’s spear to the side while he leveled the
shield to punch through at Corpus. The edge of the shield cut into the
warrior’s chest and with a flap of the hand the shield slapped the warrior in
the face. Corpus retreated back on the second insult to his warrior way.
“You insult me once
more, white one.” Corpus rubbed at the blood on his lower lips.
“I do not wish to kill
you.” Lance replied. “There must be another way.”
“If there was, do you
think I would have not saved myself and friends? We are cursed and until the
final death shall we endure this curse.” Corpus stood upright and faced Lance.
“End our curse.”
“I can do so with the
silver bullets.” Lance motioned to his guns but Corpus shook his head.
“We are the warriors of
the plains. We will die with honor by the blade of the plains. The one you hold
have the silver dust coated on it. We cannot use it on ourselves for it will be
a dishonor to the Spirits but you can wield it.”
“Please do it, brother.
Give us the warrior death.” Corpus glared at Lance and yet his eyes pleaded for
the swift death. Without hesitation, Lance thrust the Assegai into the other’s
heart and then from there out of the spine. The thrust had pierced the
dimension of the spirits and killed the other three warriors. Lance then knelt
by the dead warrior and recited the prayers of safe passage to the spirits. It
was then he saw the storage of the store. He saw the white slab there but it
was empty. Whoever was inside had been removed. He saw then the explosives that
were lined up there. They were placed there as a trap to be sprung or to cover
the true purpose of the slab.
“If that was what he
desired, then I will deliver the desires.” Lance muttered to himself. He turned
to look at the dead warrior. “Your body will not be picked by the scavengers
but delivered to the Gods with a clean spirit freed of the physical body.”
Lance sought the
detonators and then set the timing. He then press the detonators before he
escape the store. The explosions came hard and loud when Lance had cleared the
store. He was thrown to the ground by the yard and then rolled over. He laid
his eyes on the fire that was blazing at the store and soon spread to the other
structures. The fort was soon in flame and it was time to leave.
“Kemo-Sabe, you are a
noisy devil in the making.” Tonto remarked to this partner.
It was then the explosives
were heard from the river dam. It was followed by the noise of the wooden
timbers that was used to hold the river water shaken by the loosen explosions
slowly moved by the water pressure. The wooden timbers gave way and the river
current held back then once more found its own flow. It spurted out and then
poured in force. The river water out in force crashed into the wooden structure
there and swept it off the foundation. The river released with its vengeance
continued with its fury. The flood water then was over the head swept the
structure debris in its flow. With the original path of the river that once ran
past the town, the flood water soon reclaimed its right once more.
The flood water slammed
into the wooden structures there and reinforced by the earlier debris, it was
akin to a train in slamming into it. The wooden structures gave way and its
inhabitants of many which were not warned in time drowned in the water.
Survivors were seen struggling to float on the flooded water and some had
succumbed to the current. The lucky ones were seen holding onto some floating
debris or stubborn structures. Many were caught in between the iron clads and
served as grim reminder of the repercussion of the mother nature.
The flood water surged
on and tore down the standing structures before it reached the train wagons.
The iron clad foundation of the train withstood the flood water but its wooden
wagons and carriages structures gave way when impacted. It would have held on
with the combined network of trains lined in parallel lines but the debris of
the flood soon moved the iron juggernauts. It was the first line that falters
in holding onto the tracks and with the ground beneath the tracks eroded by the
water it was soon weakened in its hold. The tracks gave way and it was then the
juggernauts of iron clashed. There were no overturned iron wagons but they
formed a platform with the impact. Despite all the carnage there, the steam
rollers still stood tall with their stoves above the water levels.
The flat terrain
assisted the flood on its damages. Even the army fort was swept by it but the
duo who had prevailed in the fight had sought safety on an overturned wagon.
They stood high there and watched the flood water surged on. They had found
salvation on a holding chimney stack made from the fire bricks. It previous
owner had constructed a solid wall to hold the chimney. The duo had held onto
the structure with half their body in the water.
It was then Lance
caught the sight of the demon.
“Tonto, I see the demon
but who stands by his side.”
No comments:
Post a Comment