David Presley - Rise of the Undead 1943

“It is the way,” Yusif informs them.

Monte spins on him and points an accusing finger at his face, “I want some straight fuckin’ answers out of you!”

Yusif looks to Camir and then over the dirty, bloody, sweat stained faces of the men before him.

He nods, “We have been given a much larger task than the petty war your countries are fighting.”

“Petty?” Monte asks.

Yusif nods, thinking.

Vanessa helps, “This place holds a gate.”

“Uh-huh,” Oddball says.

Vanessa looks to him, “It must be closed, or the undead will flood the earth.”

Yusif nods, “It is our duty to see that this does not happen.”

“The curse of Belial,” Vanessa tells them.

Monte looks to Vanessa, “This ‘gate.’ Where’s it lead to?”

She shrugs, “You would call it hell.”

“But that was just a story,” Johnson objects.

Vanessa turns to him, “So is the Bible.”

Johnson genuflects.

Monte looks to her and Yusif, “You’re saying the gate to hell is opening, and we’ve got to close it.”

“Yes,” Yusif says.

Muller nods, “So the French, the Romans, all of them, they came in to close the gate,” Muller guesses.

“My ancestors, they could not do it alone,” Yusif informs them.

“They needed soldiers, protectors.” Vanessa says.

Oddball indicates the dead Romans, “And got turned into them Zombie thingies for their trouble!”

Muller looks around, “And we will suffer this horror now.”

“A small taste of the evil the world will suffer if we do not succeed,” Yusif says.

Johnson nods. Pilch points a finger at Yusif, “So you picked the first bunch of dumb-asses that would follow you in.”

“No, the second,” Muller looks to Yusif, “You ambushed us and then drove us like cattle to this place. Didn’t you?”

Yusif shakes his head, “Not I. You were chosen.”

Monte scoffs, “By who?”

Yusif looks at him and points to the ceiling. All eyes look up.

“You gotta be kiddin’ me,” Monte exclaims.

“If we don’t close the portal, the undead will crawl from the sand and fall upon the world.”

“Well then, I say we find a way out, come back with four fuckin’ divisions, and blow this whole place back to hell,” Oddball suggests.

Yusif shakes his head, “There is no time.”

Pilch grabs him by the collar, “Bullshit! You’re lying!”

Yusif throws him off, “There is no way out. Not until the portal is closed.”

“How long?” Monte asks.

“A few hours.”

Pilch looks to Monte, “You’re buying this load of shit?”

Monte looks to Muller and nods, “Yeah, I’m buying.”

Pilch watches as Muller nods in agreement, and he shakes his head, “Come on this is bullshit.”

“If you got a better explanation for the walking dead, then by all means… enlighten me Pilch,” Monte demands.

Pilch looks around the room to the dead Romans and then up to his dirt covered, blood stained comrades and then to Monte.

Monte nods, “Good, move out!”

The men start for the tunnel that leads them deeper inside.

The group walks down a long, dimly lit, sagging tunnel. Creaking stanchions barely hold the earth in place. Yusif looks back to see Johnson and Oddball shove each other in a petty squabble.

Camir and Yusif talk in Arabic.

“These fools are who were picked for our protectors?” Camir complains.

Yusif shrugs apologetically.

“I expected more from the Americans, they are so…”

“Yes?” Yusif asks.

“Petty.”

Vanessa chimes in with perfect Arabic, “Judge not, lest ye be judged.”

Oddball looks over, “What’re you guys talking about?”

“It does not translate,” Yusif tells him.

Vanessa giggles while Monte looks irked at being left out of the conversation.

He turns to Yusif, “What did you know about this place before?”

“Much, my family has been closing the gate for a millenium.”

Camir says something in Arabic.

Yusif points ahead, “A door.”

“Johnson, check it…”

“Hey, wait up!” Smith calls from behind them.

Everyone turns to see him walking up, uniform torn, face bloody and dirt stained.

Pilch smiles, “Smith! You’re alive?”

Smith smiles back to him, “You know it.”

Pilch gives him a bear hug lifting him off the ground. Smith takes no notice, staring past everyone to Yusif and Camir.

“Is the exit open?” Oddball asks.

Pilch lets him go.

“Exit? Oh, no. It’s filled with water. Shit almost drowned.”

Muller eyes Smith suspiciously.

Smith notices Vanessa, “Hey! Who’s the dame?”

“Lewis make it out?” Johnson asks.

Smith ignores him, looking Vanessa up and down.

“Smith!” Monte barks.

Smith looks from Vanessa to Monte, “Yeah, what?”

“Did Lewis make it?”

Smith shakes his head, “Say, I lost my weapon. Any spares?”

Oddball steps up and hands him Matty’s Luger, “Sure.”

Smith smiles at Oddball, “See you on the other side,” Smith raises the pistol and fires past Oddball and into Camir’s face. Oddball falls back to the ground, and Yusif steps over him, and with a lightning fast slice severs Smith’s hand.

Smith isn’t fazed by the loss of his hand; he looks down to it on the ground, “Well fuck.”

“Filthy traitor,” Monte says and he and Johnson fire bursts from there Thompson’s into his chest. Smith looks down at the holes in his chest and then looks up to Monte and shrugs.

“Sorry,” Smith chides and grabs for Monte’s throat, but Monte throws him to the ground. Johnson steps up and pins him down with a boot to the chest.

“The same thing happened to my men,” Muller tells them.

“What?”

Muller points to Smith’s broken body. His torn pants reveals his whole leg is bone, “They turned on us.”

Monte looks down at Smith.

Pilch is dumbstruck, “Buddy, no.”

“Why?” Monte asks Smith.

“Had to, death, I need death.”

“But you’re already dead,” Oddball whines.

Smith looks at his severed hand, “Do I look dead?”

“Uh…”

“I mean, Jesus Christ, Oddball, look at me.”

“I…”

Yusif kneels next to Camir and begins a prayer in Arabic. Smith looks over.

“Why?” Monte barks.

“Belial said he would let me pass if I helped kill the A-rab.”

“I thought you were a better man than…”

“Fuck you!” he interrupts and struggles to get free, “Come on guys, just kill him for me, please.”

Pilch is in shock, “Smith, no.”

“You hate ’em, I know you do, Pilch. Just shoot him.”

Yusif looks up to Pilch.

“Kill him, Pilch! Kill him!”

Pilch turns his back on Smith.

“No!”

Monte kicks Smith in the head, “Hey!”

Smith looks from Pilch to Monte.

“I heard enough outta’ you,” Monte says.

“I can feel it, on the edge of perception,” Smith whines.

“Heaven?” Johnson asks, hopeful.

“I don’t know, but I need to get there and I can’t. Please.”

“I can help you,” Monte says.

Smith looks to him, “Yeah, kill ’em, Sarge, kill ’em.”

Monte takes aim at Smith.

He gives Monte a demonic smile, “You’ll never make it out of here alive.”

“You don’t have to worry about that now,” Monte says as he fires.

The men watch the ball of light float into the ceiling and then look at the corpse of their friend, stunned.

Monte looks to Johnson, “Johnson.”

Johnson stares at Smith.

“Johnson!”

He looks to Monte.

“Check the door.”