Pursuit of the Zodiacs (76 page)

“You bastard. You’re too incompetent to run this campaign!” Zacharia shouted. While their men still fought for their lives against the hungry beasts that cursed this Dimension, they wrestled near the damaged communications system, unaware that their campaign had already ended.

Zacharia held both of Grenad’s arms, using all of his strength to keep the touch of death from gaining contact. But the ex-Pursuer’s experience trumped Zacharia’s defense. Despite his betrayal, Grenad had learned from the best during countless sparring and training rounds with top Master Archangels. He head-butted Zachariah, and delivered a combination of punches to his exposed flesh. Moments after, everything he touched on Zachariah’s body exploded.

The soldiers ordered to stay outside came crashing in upon hearing all the commotion. “What’s happened here?” one asked.

“He’s a traitor to our covenant, he made an attempt on my life!” Grenad answered.

“What the Hell have you done?” Another soldier shouted while heading towards the broken communications device. They saw pieces of Zachariah everywhere. Shocked, they foolishly dropped their guard, and more treachery and death followed. Grenad placed his hands upon their necks, marking them for death.

“You bastard!” One soldier shouted after horrifically watching his comrade’s head explode. He charged towards Grenad, but his head detonated as well.

“And that’s that,” Grenad confirmed as he wiped splattered blood from his face. He attained the craft’s Super weapon, which sacrificed a few more of his men. The beasts fled before the excessive firepower. He ordered those who remained to return to the craft with the injured.

“Looks like the Dark Graduates developed a change of heart.” The Watchers stood behind the shadows continuing their active duties as Bookkeepers. They analyzed and recorded everything they’d witnessed. They wrote in their Scrolls and authenticated their record accounts with their seals.

“There was a time when gods held their disputes in the shadows, as we are. Mortals have lost the city. The end seems to have come ahead of schedule,” one remarked as they all gazed upon the blood-covered Moon.

“Indeed, how will they be able to grasp all of this reality? I’m afraid it’s too much to comprehend. Countless lives have been lost to hide this supernatural content, and it’s been brought to the fore.”

“As things progress, we’ll see if the Mortals know how to handle the existence of unnatural things. Most still cower in their homes with paralyzing glares of curiosity.”

“I think they are taking it quite well. It will take some getting used to; but nonetheless, they will have something in common with their neighboring Planets. Therefore, it will open many opportunities that can bring forth either good fortune or peril. This will be their New World; and in time, nothing will ever amuse them. And that might become troubling to those observing from the outside.”

“So you say … so you say. Maybe a Representative of Earth will be welcomed amongst the Dark Graduates?”

“Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. If they still feud over the pigmentation of the flesh, what chance do interstellar forces from other Worlds have? Once they rid themselves of this obliviousness, maybe someday they’ll share a seat there. But first, let’s see how well they treat their uninvited alien guests.”

They had been to all corners of the Earth … corners undiscovered by man. Yet, the Pursuit took a toll on everything that existed, and everything yet to exist. Despite its new form, the Earth still had a void; but only the Mortals were qualified to complete its very existence, either through more blood or peace.

“I see the only end to this Pursuit and coming wars is the death or exile of all the Zodiacs.”

“Come again?”

“Yes, the first Pursuit nearly caused a universal war, a near extinction of all living things. We are not too far away from the recurrence of those same tragic events.”

“You are right. However, it is not up to us to come to terms with what must be done. Our job is only to observe and record.”

“Maybe rules must be broken again in order to save the Universe? Rules were broken in the past.”

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying? Our assumption alone to what you’re implying could very well get us killed. Please choose your words carefully.”

“Eventually our end will come. If we continue to stand here and watch the Universe crumble, our end will come sooner than we think. If everything ends, what good are we?”

“You have a point, and my approval has already broken a few oaths as a Watcher. But carrying out the deed is another matter.”

“So what?”

“Therein lies the question.”

Aquarius’s great flood scattered The Pursuers along the streets of Rome.

The water drained into the sewage systems along with all classes of blood. Natenal pinned down and beheaded two Demons. The Zodiacs had fled.

Irisan heard moaning, bones crushed and flesh ripped. She investigated. She found a pile of Demons partaking of someone’s flesh. She shot laser fire at them. As they cleared, she uncovered the Bookkeeper. Only his head and the parts they didn’t like remained. Angrily she ran down the small group of fleeing Devils and emptied out everything her laser weapon had.

“We’ve failed him,” she said to herself. She picked up a sheet from the rubble and covered what was left of his body. “Pursuers!” She saw thousands more being led by Oseem, the Demon Master Archangel.

She headed back to the other street to warn the others; but laser fire streamed past her, one finding its mark through her arm. She rolled on the ground and got back up.

Timius heard her warning as she staggered at the corner holding her injured arm. He ran over to pick her up while yelling to the others at the same time. “We must move!”

They could hear the ominous pounding footfalls of the Devils. They ran down the street into an abandoned church.

“If this must be the end, let it be in a church of God,” Natenal said, clearly disappointed in the outcome of the whole campaign.

They went through their inventory and equipped themselves with more advanced laser weapons. The Demons arrived, and they riddled the front of the church
with laser fire. They took cover while the lasers punctured the walls. They barricaded the front door with anything within reach: benches, chairs, altars and statues. Some Demons came crashing through the glass roof of the tabernacle, but were punished for being impatient. The Pursuers weren’t going to hold up for too long within the diminishing structure. Simeon rebooted the communications device. He expected nothing, but gazed upon a missed signal.

“Pursuers, Pursuers, can you read me?” It was Raphael. He brought hundreds of Mosqidou Warships.

Simeon responded, “You must come now! We are overrun with Demons outside of a church. We are inside, barely holding them off. Look for a church surrounded by over a thousand Demons. You can’t miss it!”

To their surprise, they received an immediate response. “Affirmative. Hold them off as long as you can until we get there,” Raphael ended the message.

Irisan tended to her wounds using her healing ability. Both her entry and exit wound closed moments after her touch. Simeon stood right by her side returning heavy fire out of a window. As he reloaded, she gave him covering fire.

Downstairs, Natenal and Timius moved back and forth from window to window, trying to cover as much ground as possible. Unfortunately, too many Demons challenged the front door of the church.

The Demons continued to pound at the barricaded door. Natenal and Timius heard the wood cracking with each blow. The Demons breached the door.

Simeon saw the door caving inwards. He tapped Irisan on the shoulder, and they both ran towards the church’s basement while firing at the pursuing Demons.

The Pursuers trod down a lengthy hall downstairs and passed a metal door. After making it safely inside, they secured the metal door, holding the Demons at bay for the time being. However, with their increasing numbers, the door grew weak.

“God give us strength. Everyone stand behind me and prepare yourselves,” Natenal said as he stood up after a brief moment of prayer. He braced himself to unveil his face of God, which to him would be his last act of service to his campaign.

The door violently shuddered, followed by an ominous silence. The Pursuers readied themselves for the worst.

“The Devils are in sight. There goes the church! Tell all ships to open fire.” The order came from Raphael. He prayed time hadn’t become his Demon.

Archangels from different classes of origin resided in the Mosqidou Warships. All were cloaked in similar suits of armor, like their predecessors. The firepower from their custom Mosquito ships threatened all opposition. They ripped apart Demons and everything in their path, opening craters in the Earth.

Oseem remained on the ground, ordering his craft to meet the Mosqidou Warships in the air. They stood no chance against their unorthodox flying capabilities. Demon spacecraft returned to the Earth, plummeting while engulfed in flames, crashing into structures and fixtures. Demons scattered and ran for their lives, as did Oseem.

Once the threat was over, Raphael’s ship landed, and he deployed hundreds of soldiers to pursue the fleeing Demons. “Check the church for any survivors. Let’s hope we’ve made it in time.”

DAMN! WATCH THE SKIES, EVERYONE!

Goliath shouted while engaging with the Zodiac. In addition to the blood-smothered Moon, crushed Demon war craft from Raphael’s deadly assault fell in their direction. One ricocheted off a building into another and crashed into the street. Another transport sheared off a roof and disappeared in a lake.

Luck embraced Capricorn. His ticket to the Dark Graduates’ headquarters arrived without notice. A craft underwent a rough but safe landing one street over.

His observation nearly cost him his life as Goliath forcefully swung his sledgehammer, just missing him. He grabbed Goliath, and his weapon and tossed him over into a horde of Dead Rising minions. As Goliath took time fending them off, the Dead Rising seized a terrified Lucille and brought her aboard the crashed Demon craft.

“They’ve taken her!” an occupied Abdeen shouted while fighting off a beast from Hell.

Capricorn’s monsters infected the Demons that came pouring out of the crashed craft. Abdeen’s Lions of Fire moved in on the Zodiac, but were consumed by Capricorn’s flash-generated sinkhole. His Special Gem pulsated, and he staggered to the ground in agonizing pain. “Another Zodiac is dead? Damn!”

Daniel moved in towards the fallen Zodiac, but Demons intercepted his route. Adam chased down the Dead Rising that held Lucille hostage onboard the craft, but there were too many for him to fight alone. Dead Rising retrieved the distressed Zodiac.

“You will take me to your Dark Graduate base at once!” Capricorn commanded while fighting the pain.

Forced against her will, Lucille sat in the cockpit of the Demon craft and journeyed into the Universe.