The Survivor

The moon shines down upon a large city, casting the place into darkness. Men walk the streets, carrying torches and watching.

One such man looks down a stone road, pausing and drawing his sword as he sees a shadowy figure down it.

He walks down the road, his armor clinking against itself. He pauses about halfway down the road, “Show yourself. You are breaking curfew.”

The form slowly turns around, glowing a slight green light, “Centurion, thou art the one we seek. Lay down thine blade, and surrender, and it shalt be quick.”

The centurion looks at the figure, and holds his sword out, “Mars help me. You are not welcome here, barbarian!”

The figure laughs, “Thou know not what thine words mean. We don’t care. Keeser, eviscerate him.”

A dark mist comes out of nowhere, surrounding the centurion and snuffing out his torch.

The only light in this darkness are two red dots, staring into the soul of the centurion. The sound of breathing fills the air.

Keeeee...sssseeeeerrrrr

———

The galloping of a horse comes to a stop outside of a dark cave.

The armored knight on top of the horse slowly gets off, and pats the horse’s head, “Good job. Thou shalt wait for mine return.”

The horse whinnies in response.

The knight chuckles, “Thou shouldn’t worry, friend. ‘Tis but a drake, naught but a fly to a knight like myself. Thou might get some scale armor from this fight, but be ready to gallop.”

The horse paws at the ground.

The knight draws a longsword from his waist, and marches into the cave.

Inside of the cave is a giant red dragon, which glares down at the approaching man.

The knight holds his sword up, “Drake, thou shalt listen to mine command! Thou hath kidnapped mine wife, and art a villain to the King of England! Surrender thine life with peace, and thine death shall be quick.”

The dragon chuckles, filling the cave with black smoke, “Thou art a fool, Prince. Mine flames shalt roast thee in thine armor, and I shalt feast on thy flesh. Thou can flee, but thou nary stand a chance against me.”

A green glow fills the cavern, and the dragon’s chuckles slowly turn into gasps for air. The dragon reaches up to it’s throat, as it struggles to breathe. Before the minute’s end, the dragon collapses to the ground, not breathing anymore.

A woman slowly walks to the prince.

The prince looks at the dragon, and smiles, “Aha, I hath slain the drake!”

The woman points behind him, “Nay, you fool. It ‘twas him.”

The prince turns around, seeing the figure of a plauge doctor before him.

He smiles wider, “Ah, good doctor, I thank thee for thine assistance.”

The figure tilts his head, “Thou thank us? Thou art foolish indeed.”

The prince frowns, “He has insulted me!” He charges, swinging his sword down, “Take this, scoundrel!”

A curved sword comes out of nowhere, blocking the blow. Darkness begins to surround the prince, red eyes staring at him, as the sound of breathing fills the air.

Keeeee...sssseeeeerrrrr

———

Two men rush through a forest, coming to a stop right before a clearing.

The two men, wearing grey coats and carrying rifles, peek their head into the clearing.

Within, they see the remains of a camp. Bodies are laid everywhere, wearing blue jackets and caps. Horses are the only things left alive, trying to break from their posts.

One of the men look to the other, “It looks like we had a FOB here.”

The other nods, “Something killed all of them, and it certainly ain’t anything I’ve seen before. What do you think did it, John?”

John looks back to the clearing, “It looks like something precise, to be sure. Killed all the people without damaging the tents or anything. Fire is out, but that might just be time. I can’t say how old it is, though, so it might still be around.”

The other man frowns, “God protect us, and may he help them find place in Heaven. Looks like a demon went through there. Should we investigate?”

John pauses, “We need to report it back to Corporal, but we need to get a closer look.” He slowly stands up, “Keep an eye out, and watch my ass. Make sure your rifle is ready to fire in an instant.”

The man nods, clicking his rifle’s safety off.

John moves into the camp, and his presence seems to calm the horses down.

He walks up to one of the bodies, kneeling down and examining the damage to the body.

A slash through the back implies that the man was struck by a sword, struck hard enough to cut all the way through his pack.

John shakes his head, “God have mercy on your soul. I’ll come back, and make sure you get a proper Christian burial.”

He pauses as he hears the horses begin to panic again.

He quickly stands up, scanning the area with his rifle at the ready.

A shot rings out from behind him, followed by screams which are quickly cut off.

John looks back where his comrade was, only to see a head rolling on the ground. The body of the man collapses after a second, staining his grey coat with red.

He spins around, keeping his rifle trained on the woods.

A dark mist begins to seep out of the forest, eating the light the sun shines upon it. Red eyes stare out of the darkness.

John takes aim, and fires. His bullet disappears into the darkness, not doing anything.

John takes a step back, reaching up to his neck, grabbing the cross on his necklace. He mutters, “Lord God who looks down on me, grant me strength against this evil force so I may vanquish it in your name.”

The mist approaches ever closer, enveloping John as he continues to mutter his prayers. He begins to shout over the sound of breathing.

Keeeee...sssseeeeerrrrr

———

The door to a house bursts open, as a man rushes inside, “Eva! The Soviets are near!”

A bomb explodes outside, and a little girl rushes to the door. She has a bag in her hands, and looks at the man, “Where do I go, papa?”

He motions for her to follow, “The 12th Army is helping evacuate. Find Machenstien, he will smuggle you to America. We have family there, and I know you can find them.”

She nods, and follows him as he walks out into the streets, “Where will you go, papa?”

He draws his pistol, “I shall find you, Eva. Or I shall die before I can.”

He pauses as he hears Russian from down the street. He pulls the girl into an alley.

He kneels down, taking out a knife and placing it in her hands, “Eva, dear, listen to me. Take this knife, and run. Do not let the Soviets get you. If you must, you are to die before they get you. It is a more merciful fate then they would grant you.”

She takes the knife, and gives him a hug, “Okay, papa.”

He breaks up the hug, “Run, Eva, and don’t ever look back.”

The girl nods, and runs to a nearby alley, before disappearing into the darkness.

The man raises his pistol, peaking around the corner of the alley. A Soviet walks down the street towards him. He raises his pistol, and fires. The Soviet collapses, causing his comrades to begin to shout Russian.

The man takes cover in the alley as the Soviets begin to shoot at him. He shouts, “You Russian dogs shall not step down this street! The Reich might fall! Germany might fall! But Egbert Schmidt will not!”

The shooting suddenly stops, and Egbert pauses.

After a few seconds, he slowly peeks his head around the corner, his pistol at the ready. His eyes widen as he sees the dead bodies of the Soviets down the street.

Before he can celebrate his victory, he hears a whistling sound from next to him.

An artillery shell hits the alleyway, sending him flying out into the street. He coughs blood up onto the street, and barely manages to grab his pistol again.

He sees boots fill his vision, and mutters, “What happened to my legs?”

“What a cruel fate for thou. Keeser, surround him.”

Darkness begins to surround him, filling the air with the sound of breathing.

Keeeee...sssseeeeerrrrr