David Presley - Rise of the Undead 1943

“Forward!” Monte screams and pushes everyone forward as Johnson, Krugger, and Yusif beat the attackers back behind him. He looks back to see Oddball and Vanessa still on the ground looking at each other, “Come on!”

Oddball pulls her up, and they run down the corridor. Monte sees the 400-pound monster moving alongside them in the side tunnels, “Faster!”

The 400-pound man emerges from a hole with both axes swinging down in flight, and with a crunch and a scream, a German is cut to pieces.

“Must move faster!” Monte screams and stops and lets the other pass. The axe-wielding monster steps out in front of him, and he calmly shoots him in the head; his body falls with a thud.

“Grenades!” Monte yells.

Pilch stops and pulls a grenade as Oddball and Vanessa pass.

Johnson and a German battle several warriors, holding them back.

“Johnson, run,” Monte yells.

The German is run through with two spears, and unable to move, he flails in desperation as he is stabbed again and again.

“Do it!” Johnson yells to Monte as he takes a spear in the chest.

“We gotta save him,” Pilch yells and starts back.

Johnson struggles to hold the undead back, “For God’s sake, do it!” he screams as he’s run through again.

Monte snatches the grenade from Pilch and then throws him to the ground, stopping him from running back to Johnson. He looks down to Pilch and shakes his head and then tosses the grenade, landing it at Johnson’s feet, “Cover!” he screams diving to the ground.

The explosion brings down the tunnel in a thundering avalanche of earth and stone, cutting them off from the attackers. Dust fills the air and rubble has fallen all around them. Monte and Pilch are on the ground breathing heavily.

Oddball walks up to help them, “You’re a god damn hero, Sarge.”

Pilch looks over to him, “I think he should get one of those medals.”

Oddball smiles, “And a flag.”

Pilch agrees, “Definitely a flag.”

“For your coffin, of course,” Oddball smirks.

Muller pulls Monte up, ”Thanks.”

Oddball pulls Pilch up, “My hero.”

“Fuck off,” Pilch dusts himself off and then looks back to the rubble, “Johnson.”

Monte nods, “He did his duty.”

Vanessa looks back at the rubble, “Amazon, Russian steppes 4th century B.C.”

Monte glares at her, “Thanks, Professor.”

“Only rumor, never been any real evidence, until now…”

“Hey, hey, look at that!” Oddball yells interrupting her.

The roof has collapsed from the explosion and daylight streams into the tunnel. Pilch runs to the hole. Sand pours down a break in the rock and Pilch cups it in his hands like water, “We’re out!”

The rest of them look up.

“So long Romans, so long priests, so long undead,” Oddball cries out.

“And so long little Arab bastard,” Pilch adds.

Pilch tips his helmet toward Yusif.

“Come on, Pilch. Give me a hand up,” Oddball says.

Monte looks to Yusif, “Listen up.”

Oddball and Pilch look back.

“Yusif can’t do this alone. If any of you yellow-bellied bastards want to go home and wait for these things to come knocking on your door… well you go ahead and get,” he looks over the men. “Rest of us got work to do.”

Muller nods, “We will stay.”

Muller, Karl, and Krugger walk behind Monte to join Vanessa, leaving Oddball and Pilch standing alone under the light.

Pilch looks to the Germans and nods, “Well, why not. You think I’m gonna let some Kraut steal all the glory,” he looks up to the light and then joins the others.

Monte looks to Oddball, “Well, what’s it going to be?”

Oddball looks to Vanessa, who stands behind Monte with her arms crossed. He sighs, “I’m going to regret this. Ain’t I?” and he joins the rest.

The band travels wearily down a narrow passage as it drops down and levels out.

Vanessa smiles to Oddball, “Been in the army long?”

“A year.”

“And what did you do before that?”

“Watch repair, with my grandfather.”

“Ever work on antiques?”

Oddball smiles, “They’re the best. They’re old and kind of have a life of their own.”

“I know what you mean,” and she smiles at him.

Monte talks with Yusif as they march.

“How much farther we got?” Monte asks.

“Not far,” he looks to Monte, “It will not be pleasant.”

“Ain’t exactly been a day at the beach so far, pal.”

They emerge from the tight passageway and into a large natural cavern. The ceiling, hundreds of feet above them, is a translucent white, giving off a soft glow. Strange plants grow on the cavern floor, and crystal stalactites reach from the ceiling toward the ground.

“Look!” Muller exclaims.

Pilch looks around amazed, “Okay. Things just got officially fuckin’ bizarre.”

“Looks like it’s from heaven,” Oddball says.

Yusif shakes his head, “No. Not heaven.”

Vanessa looks up, “Quartz, a vein must run to the surface and refract the light down.”

Monte scans the strange cavern. In the center sits a large iron cage, “Jesus.”

Two men sit inside the cage, one banging his head against the bars. Aged, bleached human bones litter the floor. The second man is Clint.

“Holy shit!” Pilch cries out as they rush to him. Monte looks at Clint’s wounds.

Clint smiles at Oddball, “Hey buddy. Bum a smoke?”

“Sure thing, Clinty,” and he pulls out a cigarette.

“You’re going to give him one?” Pilch asks.

“Sure, you know Clinty. He’s never got his own.”

Oddball lights the smoke and hands it over. Muller approaches the cage and tries to talk to the other man inside, a German soldier banging his head on the bars. His throat is shredded, and the man has lost his mind.

“What’s the score?” Monte asks him.

Clint sucks in on the smoke, “We wouldn’t do what he wanted.”

“Belial?”

Clint nods.

“Have you seen him?” Yusif asks alarmed.

“No,” Clint taps the side of his head, “His touch, we can all feel it.”

“We? There’s more?” Monte asks.

Clint nods, “Harris is leading them.”

“Son-of-a-bitch,” Monte says.

“All of them?” Pilch asks alarmed.

“Matty and some others freed themselves.”

“Well, we gotta find him,” Pilch says.

Clint shakes his head, “They blew their own heads off.”

“But…”

“It’s hard; he has power. I can feel it now, the push to kill you.”

Monte looks at Clint clenching his fists and obviously fighting a battle in his mind, “Alright, Clinty. You done good.”

Clint nods in thanks and then throws the half smoked cigarette away, “Sarge?” Clint looks up to him.

“Yeah.”

“You think you could…”

Vanessa takes in a sharp breath, knowing what he’s asking for, and turns away.

Monte and Clint share a look, “Sure thing, buddy.”

Vanessa walks away from the cage.

Oddball watches her go and realizes what Clint wants, “You’re not… I mean, come on, Sarge.”

Monte looks at Oddball, “I’d do the same for you, son.”

Oddball turns and follows after Vanessa.

“Sorry, Clinty,” Monte looks to Muller, who has drawn his pistol and stands ready in front of his man, “You ready Captain?”

Muller nods, and Monte takes aim at Clint’s head.

Oddball walks with his head hung low.

“I’m so sorry,” Vanessa tells him.

Two gun blasts echo through the tunnel, and Oddball stifles a cry. Vanessa reaches out and puts an arm around his shoulder to comfort him.

Pilch looks at the motionless corpse of Clint as Monte and Muller walk away, “Damn,” he looks to Yusif, “If I buy it, promise me you’ll take my head off.”