Belly of the Beast by Warren Thomas (story books for 5 year olds txt) 📕

Were members of his family, or friends from the village, among their attackers? What would he do if they were and he saw them? Was there a way to save them?

            A blood-curdling scream startled Tane out of his reverie. A great mass of zombies smashed into the front lines at a dead run. All were armed and armored. The soldiers were beginning to buckle in three places Tane could see.

            “Fox Company! To arms!” Captain Kenelm cried.

            Joelle suddenly barked out three strange words, then darted down the line and slapped each member of 3rd Section in the chest. Tane felt the spot burn with unnatural fire for a brief second. No one had time to question her about it, for the zombies broke through between two companies of heavy infantry to their right front.

            “Company! Forward, MARCH!”

            Fox Company lurched forward, bristling with swords. Everard Boarsbane began bellowing a fighting song, soon joined by other Tyrians and Jarlanders. Raven laughed. Quinn swore. And Armin eyed the zombies warily while Joelle’s chant changed once again.

            “Hello glory!” Raven cried. “Ashtar! Ashtar! Ashtar!”

            The Kestsaxian ranks evaporated before them. Scores of zombies rushed through, their faces, hands and bodies gory with splattered blood. Their dark eyes seemed to waver a moment, then fix on the advancing auxiliaries. Tane swallowed hard when he saw the dead eyes of a young boy, no more than thirteen or fourteen.

            The first rank met the zombies with a thunderclap of steel on steel. The zombies fought in eerie silent, but fell dead just as easily as any normal man. Their screams of pain and horror were just as unnerving as that of the Kestsaxian soldiers. The butchery was horrendous, but they kept coming and coming. There seemed to be no end of them.

~**~**~

            Cursing venomously, Nizar trotted after his command. There were no birds in the area, no doubt due to Arisen interference. Curse them!

            “How am I to find that damnable swordsmith?!” he demanded even as the first elements of his command broke through the Kestsaxian lines. “I cannot fail! I cannot, and will not!”

            Nizar couldn’t see the Fox Company standard anywhere he looked. Tane had to be there. He knew what road Fox had taken, so they had to be on this side of the battlefield. But knowing the wicked humor of the Arisen, he began to believe They had caused Fox Company to be shifted to the other side of the Kestsaxian battle lines.

            A flurry of bugle calls sounded within the Kestsaxian ranks. Standards and guidons were raised high in answer to the new orders. To the rear, over the heads of the forward elements, Nizar saw Fox Company’s standard. His heart began to hammer.

            Enhancing his voice, Nizar commanded, “Veer to the right, my fiends! Our prey is at hand!”

Chapter 31

            The Lelt in the first rank, two ranks in front of Tane, fell with a crude spear in the belly. Tane stepped up to the second rank, as that man took his fallen comrade’s place. A rock rang off Tane’s helmet before he got set, while the husky Amazon woman to Tane’s right skewered the zombie that crawled under the first rank to threaten him.

            “Let one get by you, Tane!” Raven called. “I want to get one up on Black-toof!”

            Tane was more than happy to let Raven do all of his killing, but the zombies wouldn’t cooperate. The Jarlander in front of the Amazon was pulled off her feet and jerked into the zombies, where she disappeared under a mass of bodies. Three zombies slipped in through the opening before the Amazon could close it.

            Tane slashed and hacked, knowing in the back of his mind he was fighting stupidly. Use the point! his subconscious screamed. But they were too close to wield his long sword like he was trained. Now, too late, he understood why they had been trained with short swords. Fortunately, Raven stepped forward and stabbed one and Tane managed to beat another to the ground. The Amazon slashed the third zombie’s throat and took her place in the first rank.

            “Ha! Look at me, Sergeant Black-toof!” Raven called, taking her place beside Tane. “I’m in the killing zone! All the woe to you!”

            She stepped forward and her sword flashed between the two soldiers in the first rank, taking a zombie in the lower belly.

            “That’s two for me!”

            Sergeant Marji in the first rank fell back with a knife in her throat. Sergeant Cade stepped up in her place, and was promptly dragged down and strangled. Sergeant Gareth took his place in the first rank, and promptly killed three zombies.

            Raven screamed in outrage.

            Tane thought the world was going mad. All Raven and Gareth cared about was their grisly head counts. Men and women were dying all around him, and a quick look showed thousands of zombies pressing in behind the ones engaging them. There seemed to be an unusual number of swords within the zombie horde. And the usual five ranks of Fox Company were down to three in some places.

            The man in front of Tane fell dead.

            Screaming in fear and rage, Tane stepped forward and began stabbing at anyone he saw. Whenever he noted zombies trying to crawl past, he’d slash down at their necks. Those he didn’t kill he had to trust the man behind him to kill.

            “Twelve, Raven!” Gareth cried. “How many do you have?”

            “Pig!” she cried. Turning to the Amazon in the first rank, “Sophie, I’ll relieve you. Fall back on the count of three. All right?”

            Tane didn’t hear her answer, and suddenly was beset by four cudgel wielding zombies girls. He slashed and kicked until they fell before him. He felt hot tears flowing, soul-sick to have cut down mere children no older than his cousin Jessy.

            “Ashtar! Ashtar! Ashtar!” Raven cried, taking the exhausted Amazon’s place and cutting down a zombie each time she cried