*Alissa’s POV*

They kept popping out of every bloody nook and cranny! I swung Avalanche yet again, taking off the arm of the nearest one, and then had to duck and roll away as it kept coming. I managed to turn and thrust at one of its legs, knocking it over. Shit! At this rate, I would break my blade in half! Thank the gods they were already half-decomposed!

While the zombie-like creature was clambering on the ground, I scanned rapidly around me for Angus. I saw him backed against a wall, fending off two of the things. Curses!

I ran towards Angus and swung at the neck of his taller assailant. I was pleased to feel Avalanche’s edge cut smoothly through the rotten flesh and brittle bone. I saw its head drop to the ground, but glowered when its body still turned and trundled awkwardly towards me!

I felt my heart drop when I heard the sound of yet another one pushing rocks aside not too far away. We had to get out of here! Hopefully these animated corpses were all haugbui. If they were, they wouldn’t travel outside their gravesites, if we could just stave them off long enough to run for it.

I squatted down to get a decent swipe at the thing’s legs, panting with the effort. This had to be the sixth one at least; we must have stumbled on a hidden burial ground! I’d ask Angus what in the nine hells he had been thinking, bringing us through here, if we survived! I shouted to Angus. “We have to run!” The undead body in front of me fell, and I ripped Avalanche gracelessly from its leg.

“I know!” I felt a bit of hope as I saw Angus had toppled his attacker. He leapt behind me and struck at another one I hadn’t even seen, breathing heavily. “Lead the way!” I was busy trying to put down the torsos of a trio of the rotten things, trying to make an opening. Every step we took, there were putrid arms swiping and jaws clacking wordlessly.

I scanned around us. The sound of cairn rocks toppling aside was coming from all around us! There had to be at least two dozen of the things shuffling slowly towards us already! We would never be able to face them all down!

I grabbed Angus by the shoulder and dragged him with me as I took off at a sprint. I tried to dodge a path through the flailing arms, knocking silent, looming corpses aside with my shield, going anywhere in front of us that was clear enough. If we just kept running, we would eventually get past the gravesite! We had to!

Horror struck when, out of nowhere, we hit a tall, stone wall that came looming up out of the mist. “Shit!”

I randomly picked a direction and started running to the right, hearing Angus close on my heels. I was looking for an opening, anywhere on the wall that was climbable.

Instead, we hit another wall going crossways. I felt a grim truth set in. I would surely die this Night. I would never get to tell Doyle how I felt. I would never see home again.

I quickly accepted my fate, I did not fear death; but I wasn’t going to throw my life away for nothing. I shouted hoarsely at Angus as I readied myself to cut a path to freedom for him. “You must keep going, no matter what! Do not hesitate if I am taken down! I will get you out of here!”

I didn’t wait for a response. Hoping the wall was the edge of the burial site, I launched myself at the nearest slow-moving corpse, swinging at its legs and hoping Angus was agile enough to dodge the flailing hands.

I shut out any other sounds, focusing only on bringing down the undead. It wasn’t difficult to make progress at first, but shortly, many more came towards the source of the clamor.

I hit a seemingly unending flood of thrashing, rotting bodies away with my shield. It was getting more difficult, Avalanche was starting to stick in their filthy bodies; I had no time to change blades! I was kicking, punching, never a moment to rest, I couldn’t think at all. I felt a bite land on my shoulder, a horrible, piercing pain! I heard Angus screaming, but I couldn’t turn around to help him as I was wrestled to the ground by a dead thing.

I couldn’t get Avalanche up to swing, so I bashed the thing on top of me with my shield and fist until its head turned to pulp. I could hardly breathe, my lungs burned and all that filled them was stench! But still dead arms held me, scratched me, and more were coming. I screamed as loud as I could, “Run, Angus!”

In my final moments, I thought of Doyle. As though on cue, I heard a man’s deep war cry, unlike Angus’. In a last attempt for life, I scrambled far enough away to cut at the dead thing until it was mostly still.

But no more came. I blinked, panting fiercely, my mouth full of bitter bile and the taste of terror. I looked up, and saw Angus stood alone, by a pile of shifting bodies and body parts. He turned and ran to me, helping me up. I could see, at the edge of my poor vision in the fog, a few of the zombie-like things shambling away!

We looked at each other, bewildered. Before we could say anything, I heard that same shout, of a man in battle. Did someone need our help?

It was wrong to turn our backs on someone in need, but I wouldn’t risk Angus. “Stay here!” I called to him, but he predictably ignored me and followed close after as I ran away from the wall, towards the man’s cries. I quickly dispatched a pair of the undead with Angus’ help; they seemed to ignore us as we cut them to pieces! What the deuce?

What I saw as I made it over the top of a small rise was not at all what I’d expected! There was a man, surely of giant descent, he was so tall, grabbing the undead with his bare hands and ripping them into pieces, crushing them together into rotten meat like it was nothing!

I gawked, never having seen such strength in a Fae in my life! Not even Big Pete could tear so many to pieces without getting winded, without slowing!

I gaped for too long, as some eight undead were disposed of before us in seconds, their damaged corpses writhing helplessly on the ground on top of at least two dozen others. Too late, I realized perhaps my foolish intent to assist could get Angus killed. I had no idea what objectives this whirlwind of a man had!

I turned to Angus, preparing to tell him to run once again, when the voice of the enormous man reached me clearly over the shuffling of the rotting body parts. “Forgive me, my fellow travelers, for my presumption. Could you spare some water before you go? I will do you no harm.”

I looked at the huge, kneeling man and was admittedly terrified, now that I had a closer look. His arms were larger around than my head, but that wasn’t the most damning thing. His eyes were black as pitch as they shook in his head, and he had tusks like a massive boar!

A Dark Mountain Elf! We would surely die here after all! I grabbed Angus’ arm and shoved him back the way we had come. “Run, Angus! I will buy you time!”

I turned, for the second time in minutes, to face my certain death. There was something more chilling about being killed by a living thing, something with a consciousness-

The dark elf sighed loudly and bowed his head, but remained kneeling. I knew, by all teachings, I should rush him while he knelt, it would be the only chance I had. But something stilled my hand, made me hesitate.

I was panting, terrified, and still unsure of what to do. I grew impatient and angry. “Come at me! Make no farce of being a friend! Come at me, damn it!”

The dark elf casually swung a ham-sized fist, without moving from his crouched stance, and crushed the head of an undead creature that was crawling towards him. He still didn’t make eye contact afterwards, just stayed where he was, covered in gore, clearly bleeding, and looking at the ground. “I will not attack you. If you wish to run away from me, please hurry along, alright?”

Angus surprised the shit out of me when he called out from just behind me. “Son, you look like shit. But that was one hell of a bloody boil-over! You’re built like a brick shit house, and I figure she’ll be apples if you tag along with us for as long as you like.”

The giant elf looked confused, briefly glancing up at Angus before returning his gaze to the ground. “Uh, what?”

I actually started laughing at that. What the fuck was going on?!? A Dark Mountain Elf, done in by Angus’ Southern slang! Angus snorted, amused, before starting again, speaking very slowly. “I said, you look rough, kid. But you look mighty fierce and whatnot, so, if you agree not to kill us, I figure we can spare some water.”

I shook my head at Angus. “If he kills us, he’ll get all the water-“

The giant elf interrupted. “Will you please just run away, if that's what you want to do? My butt has gone to sleep!”

Angus laughed and shoved me in the arm, making my bitten shoulder ache. “Don’t be so cranky, ‘Lissa!” I grunted, not wanting to show weakness in front of a stranger.

Angus gestured at the big elf to approach us! “Let’s get the fuck out of here, kid! We can spare some food, too, I’m sure!”

The surprised, grateful look in the giant elf’s eyes as he hesitantly walked towards us was what finally caused me to lower my guard. It struck me as something a killer wouldn’t be able to fake.

Notes

who could this be? :o)

she’ll be apples = it’ll be alright
boil-over = unexpected sporting result

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more importantly:

Hillary Clinton won the popular vote. i advise all of you to sign the petition below, asking the electoral college to change their votes to reflect democracy and the will of the people:

Electoral College: Make Hillary Clinton President on December 19, 2016