EYEHEARTZOMBIES

God be for us, Silas thought. The drizzle that had sputtered the fires all night long had finally turned to a steady rain that would mask their progress through the trees. Cypher had given him a good lead on their direction and distance before they had set out. Someone had awoken Jonas, who was bringing up the rear guard. It was a small party, just some ten men picking their way over ferns and around prickly pines. Blum, the rookie, was clutching his rifle with white-knuckled hands next to Silas. Pity they that be again’ us.

The “fence” was four miles outside of camp all around. An invisible perimeter guard made up, equally, of men with night-vision goggles and lifeless robotic sentries that Cypher and his fellow hackers had found or liberated from Republic storehouses. The ‘bots perched in trees and inside of shrubs. Cypher had retrofitted flexible tubes with cameras in the end to their sensors, so thin snakes lolled and coiled through the vegetation, watching the countryside for any movement larger than a hair or wolf.

The approaching group, probably just five or so scouts, was less than two miles from camp by now. The direction they seemed to be taking would have led them straight into Mile-High City. Would have if the Legion hadn’t been camped in their way. Silas strained his senses, eyes and ears burning for anything out of the ordinary. He could hear the rustle of wet cloth, the stamp of boots on leaves and mud, a slight jingle from a gun strap or a loose backpack. All coming from his men. The other group couldn’t possibly be far away now, though.

A branch snapped above head and fell crashing through thinner layers, finally rumbling to the ground. Silas heard Blum suck in air and he put a hand to the young soldier’s chest. A shape had jumped in the darkness and several curses had slipped into the night. Silas reached into the pack on his hip and pulled out a hand-sized tin. He hissed three times, two long with a short between, and he heard the men around him putting smoked goggles into place. A pulled pin and a toss into the woods was quickly followed by a glowing sun in the middle of the night.

The flash from the grenade revealed a group of soldiers reeling back, their hands over their faces trying to block the light, seemingly frozen in the middle of falling lines of rain. Silas started counting quickly before the light faded. He was sure of seven soldiers, but thought he might have missed one or two. He yanked his goggles down to hang around his neck when the flashbang had died to the power of half-moonlight.

Hefting his rifle, Silas let out a yell and charged through the woods towards the still-blinded group. He could just make out Blum beside him in the gloom. The rookie screamed a moment later, mustering his courage for the charge. The stunned soldiers weren’t so out of it that they didn’t notice an attack. They hauled their energy rifles and pistols out of where they had been stashed and started looking for a target.

Rain pattered off of the black body armor that Silas wore on his legs. His chest was bare, but painted with black tar, the white skin glowing slightly. The rest of his group was all in black or dark grey as well, helping them blend in with the forest they were now stampeding through. His finger squeezed in on the trigger and bullets flew ahead of him, seeking chinks in his enemy’s armor.

The camouflage only worked until the two groups slammed into each other. Silas saw Blum and Jonas both take down soldiers with the butts of their guns, slamming the stocks into their helmets with slick crunches. The two soldiers crumpled to the mossy ground and didn’t move except for effortless twitches. Blum went down with his, but Jonas kept his feet. Silas grinned as he bore down on his target, the one that had been in the front of the group. He wanted stripes tonight.

“Grrayh!” The scream was a predatory explosion and he was on his prey. Silas clawed at the soldier and knocked his gun to the ground. The Republican grunted and swung at Silas, catching him across the cheekbone. The night erupted into swelling stars and pain. The soldier swung again and took the air from Silas’ lungs.

Silas gasped and choked. The Light-spawned bastard had caught him by surprise. The son of a whore swung an elbow down into Silas’ back and a knee into his ribcage. Silas tumbled to the ground, a fresh bit of choking making his eyes tear up. The soldier fell on top of him, rolling him over and pinning his shoulders to the ground with his knees. Silas’ eyes stung from the rain falling through the trees.

“Sneak up on us, huh?” The voice came out flat and modulated through the soldier’s helmet. Unearthly. “We’ll show you what comes of devil worship and blindsiding the soldiers of God.” He reached behind his back and drew out a pistol. Silas saw the glow start when the soldier flicked a switch. The gun started to power up and Silas started to panic.

He couldn’t move his arms or shoulders, the bastard weighed too much. His hands skittered around on the forest floor, looking for something, anything. He briefly wondered if anyone was going to see him die. And wondered just where the Light they all were. His hands touched warm plastic and a grin broke his lips. The whine from the pistol was reaching it’s apex and he could see the fervent look in his captor’s eyes.

Aiming more with feel and prayer than anything else, Silas pointed the gun at the soldiers back and pulled the trigger. A crimson bolt shot past the soldier’s head and crashed into a tree overhead. The soldier jerked and was off-balance for a split second. Just long enough for Silas to rock with him and throw him to his hands and knees. And long enough to get out from under him. Silas grinned a vicious smile and reached behind his back.

The smoke-blackened blade slid sickly out of its sheath. The soldier pushed himself up to his feet just as Silas darted forward, knife held in front of him. It slid just as easily into the soldier’s stomach. He grunted. Blood slid out between his lips, coating the clear plexiglass on the front of his helmet. “God waits for you,” Silas whispered to him, the forest now silent again. “With the Devil waiting by his side.”