RISE OF THE UNDEAD

1943

By David Presley

Tunisia, North Africa, 1943.

Chapter 1

Ravens pick and tear at something in the sand, their sickening calls announcing death. They fight, biting and clawing at each other and tearing flesh from a bloody lump laying half buried in the sand. A volley of artillery rounds roars in to land a hundred meters from the birds with a thrump. Startled, they take to the air screaming and reveal the body of a young German soldier. He lies dead on the ground, eyes open in horror, blood dripping from his mouth, body desecrated by the birds and war. The blood leaches into the sand making a dark pool under his mouth. The sand moves under the pool, just a quivering that causes a ripple in the pool of blood.

He’s just one of many dead laying in awkward and gruesome poses and baking in the desert sun. Craters mark where artillery has walked over and destroyed a German mechanized infantry unit. Burning trucks and tanks loft thick black smoke into the sky. Charred corpses hang from trucks and are sprawled on top of tanks with mouths frozen open in horror. Broken, shredded bodies lay butchered on the ground. The artillery has done its job efficiently, but not completely.

The survivors march away from the burning remains and fallen comrades on the battlefield to snake between tall sand dunes and into a desert canyon. Some are wounded, others dazed, and all are scared. The soldiers look around nervously. Death is near and they can feel it. Military discipline is breaking down as the soldiers realize that they’re being hunted.

Silent shadows move along the tops of sand dunes stalking their prey. A group of Bedouin fighters quietly set up an ambush and wait for the Germans where the canyon deepens. The Bedouin leader, Yusif, peers down at the Germans below. His face is weathered but dignified with deep sunbaked wrinkles making him look older than his thirty years. He signals to his men to take aim.

A young German soldier looks up to the tops of the dunes. He sees nothing, but he can feel them and nervously fingers the trigger on his weapon. He looks to his friends marching around him; he can see the fear in their eyes. His lip quivers, and he holds back tears. A bullet cracks the skull of his forehead with a wet thwack, and he falls back dead. The desert calm is shattered by the crack of rifles. The Germans scatter as grenades explode and men fall screaming. It’s chaos; the famous German efficiency has evaporated and broken. Those not wounded run.

The surviving Germans race though the canyon and find themselves in an abandoned archeological camp. The canyon ends in sheer walls; there’s no place to go. Empty tents flutter in a ghostly wind and equipment lays scattered in the sand. Shell-shocked, the Germans look around, unsure what to do. The gunfire intensifies behind them. Several men panic and start to scamper up the canyon walls. The German Captain, Muller, watches the men go; his foot moves to follow, to run again. He stops and looks around at the scared faces gazing at him; many of them are just boys. The tightness in his gut threatens to push the contents out as it intensifies. He looks to the tops of the canyons and the men scrambling up. Muller draws himself up and pushes his fear down, “We stay together,” he commands.

Screams from the ambush behind them are silenced by single rifle shots. Excited shouts in Arabic are drawing near as the hunters close.

Something catches Muller’s eye; a stone archway emerging from the side of the canyon that has been unearthed in the dig. Crude wooden planks hold back the dirt on either side of the archway and a tunnel leads into the ground.

Muller stares at it, his jaw twitching, as the desert wind picks up around him. The howl of the wind sounds like a haunting scream. It’s surreal and sickening and grabs hold of him as he gazes motionless at the archway.

A bullet cracks over his head, snapping him from the moment. He shakes his head to clear his mind and points, “Over there, it looks defensible.”

Muller leads his men through the archway and underground to find an ancient vaulted temple held up by Greek style pillars. Life size statues, half-man, half-animal line the walls. Torches give off an eerie, fluttering light that illuminates elaborate hieroglyphics covering the walls. A large marble statue of a beautiful man stands in the center. His details are exquisite: long flowing hair and a boyish face that seem to be flesh and not stone.

A young British soldier, Radcliff, hides in the shadows clutching a talisman on a chain in his hand. He’s unshaven, dehydrated and his tunic is pock marked with shrapnel holes. He bares his teeth in hatred as the Germans enter the chamber but sinks back to the darkness and out of sight.

Muller looks around the room, turns in a circle assessing his surrounding; there are no exits, just the eerie faces of the statues staring at him under the flickering torchlight.

Radcliff watches silently from the dark his hand stroking the chain around his neck lovingly, his eyes burning with hatred.

Muller can hear the shouts of the approaching Bedouins outside. He quickly moves to the end of the room where there’s a round stone block that looks like a door, “A way in, there has to be a way in,” he frantically feels around the stone block, “Nothing!”

Radcliff quietly moves from the shadows, unnoticed in the darkness, and slips in amongst the Germans. He quickly moves to the marble statue in the center of the room and slips the necklace over its head. Arab voices echo through the room from outside.

Muller gives up on the doorway, “Defensive positions!” he calls.

The men prepare for their last stand; weapons are checked and grenades are readied. As Muller turns away from the stone, there’s a metallic click behind him. He looks over his shoulder to see the stone rolling aside. Muller turns back to gaze down a dark torch-lit tunnel going deeper into the ground. A cold wind blows from inside, and Muller hears an eerie scream that locks him into a trance. Unsure if the scream is a result of the wind or some warning in his mind, he sets his jaw and nods to himself, “Inside! Quickly!”

The Germans rush into the tunnel with Radcliff taking up the rear. The door begins to roll shut after them. Screams and gunfire come from down the dark tunnel, cut off when the stone door slams shut.

Gun ready, Yusif walks into the temple. He follows the Germans’ tracks to the stone door and stops. Camir, an elderly man, steps up behind him, “Several escaped into the desert,” he reports in Arabic.

“Leave them. They’re dead already,” Yusif says clinically as he runs his hand across the stone door. He leans in, pressing his ear against it and listens. He hears a low rumble of a grenade exploding and a blood-curling scream.

Camir pulls the necklace from the statues and holds it out to Yusif. He looks down at a talisman on the chain and then up to the beautiful face of the statue, “So, it begins.”

Heat, noise, and dirt. An American convoy moves through the open desert like an endless line of ants. Jeeps and trucks fight for space with camels and donkeys as they all move along a dirt road. Vendors have set up tents along the roadside, and American troops jump from moving trucks or fall out of line to pick through items looking for souvenirs.

Matty, a young soldier from New York, picks through jewelry boxes on display in a tent. A sly soldier from Chicago, Pilch, comes up behind him, “I knew you was a fairy.”

Matty holds up a gold jewelry box, “What? It’s for Katie.”

Pilch slings his long sniper rifle over his shoulder and takes one of the boxes off the table and looks at the intricate inlaid cloisonné symbol on its cover. The Vendor smiles at Pilch taking in interest in his wares. He has rotting crooked teeth and flies seem to constantly orbit his face attracted to an unholy smell wafting from his body.

“She’s six months old now, right?” Pilch inquires trying to wave away the smell of the Vendor from his nose.

Matty smiles, “Seven next week.”

Pilch holds the box up to the Vendor, “Hey, how much?”

The Vendor looks at Pilch with a stupid grin and holds up four fingers.

Pilch reaches for his wallet, “Four? You want four dollars?” he smiles at the price, “Okay.”

“Wait a minute!” Matty objects.

“Ahh, he’s got plenty!” he indicates the piles of boxes on the table. Pilch pulls out four one-dollar bills. The Vendor, sensing an overly eager customer, shakes his head ‘no’ and points to a five-dollar bill in Pilchs’ wallet and holds up four fingers.

Pilch holds up a five-dollar bill, “Four of these?”

The vendor stupidly nods his head.

Pilch shakes his head in disgust, “Fuck off!”

Matty pulls out his wallet, “Well, I’ll take one.”

“For twenty bucks?”

Matty hands over the money and takes his box, “Yeah, it’s real gold!” he smiles at Pilch, “She’s gonna love it,” and Matty cradles his box as he heads down the road to catch up with his unit. Pilch looks at the boxes and then to Matty disappearing into the crowd, “Alright, gimmie one.”

The vendor chatters in Arabic and hands over a box while bowing awkwardly. Pilch sticks it in his pack and heads off.

As the Americans disappear into the crowd, the vendor’s stupid smile fades and he speaks in perfect English, “Bloody wankers. I never made this much in London.”

Chapter 2

Boots race across the sand, fast. A tall well built soldier, Clint, runs hard, no weapon, no shirt, sweaty, frantic. His boots kick up sand; his breath comes in gasps of exertion.

“I got ’em. I got ’em,” someone yells in the distance.

Clint turns and looks back, eyes wide. He grits his teeth as a football lands on his chest.

An Army encampment is set up along the road. A group of soldiers plays football near their tents.

Smith, a young soldier with a thick New Orleans accent, is the quarterback, “Fuckin’ perfect!” he jumps up and down in a victory dance as Clint holds the ball high in the air.

Matty and Pilch walk past the game and into the camp.

Clint holds up the ball, waving to them, “Texas A&M, All American, baby.”

Matty smiles as Clint and Smith collide into a bear hug. He notices trucks unloading new troops and supplies. His smile drops when he sees body bags being tossed into the empty trucks.

Pilch looks to another soldier, Lewis, who sits on an oriental rug meditating with incense burning around him. Lewis starts chanting, and Pilch shakes his head, “That guy ain’t right in the head.”

Matty stares as body bags are roughly tossed into the trucks, no care given to the occupants. A towering man blocks his view as he comes their way.

Pilch stares at Lewis with a look bordering on disgust, “What a moron.”

“Uh… Pilch.”

“Just look at ’em.”

“Pilch!” Matty barks, and Pilch looks over to see Sergeant Monte storming up to them.

“Where the hell you two been?”

Oddball, the platoon screw-up and general ass kisser, scurries up behind Monte, “Yeah, where you two been?” he says in a whinny sniveling voice, interrupting Monte.

Monte glares at Oddball.

Pilch smiles, “Matty stopped to do a little shopping. I hung back to make sure he caught up.”

Embarrassed, Matty struggles to get the gold box into his pack. Pilch puts an arm around him and helps him shove the box into his pack, “Just trying to help you look after the men Pal.”

“Pilch, I believe precisely jack of the shit that comes out of your mouth.”

Oddball takes a step toward Pilch, “Yeah, this ain’t no vacation, ya’ know. The new L-T’s back and…”

Monte smacks Oddball in the back of the head, “Shut up.”

Pilch looks across the football game to where a young lieutenant talks to Platoon Sergeant Pender and Yusif.

Pilch looks curious, “What’s the score, Monte?”

Monte steps forward and pushes Pilch in the chest with a finger, “That’s Sergeant to you.”

“What? You was just a corporal, like me.”

“Long time ago.”

“Long time? It was two days ago!”

Monte comes nose-to-nose with him, “Like I said, a long time ago.”

Pilch and Monte stare each other down.

Matty tries to break the tension, “We going back out, Sarge?”

Pender calls out, “Monte, bring ’em in.”

Monte breaks his gaze with Pilch and looks to the football game, whistles loudly and waves the men in. The football game breaks up, Lewis rolls up his rug, and men crawl from tents. Monte spins and with Oddball in tow, he moves back toward Pender. Matty looks to Pilch with a quizzical worried expression. Pilch gives him a shrug. Matty shakes his head, “Why you gotta push him like that?”

Pilch smiles with one eyebrow raised, and Matty can see the wheels turning in his crafty head.

The platoon gathers before Pender with the usual muttering and complaints that comes with being in the Army. Johnson, a tall lanky Texan, squats next to Pilch and Matty.

“Who’s the Arab?” Margrave asks.

Pilch cocks his head and looks at him with malice, “Who the hell are you?”

Pilch assesses the new recruit; a baby face that shows he couldn’t be more than a few months out of high school and a uniform so new there isn’t one stain or tear on it.

Johnson comes to his aid with his thick Texas drawl, “Fellahs, meet Margrave. He’s from Texas. His pa’s a preacher, so ya’ll be nice.”

“Howdy,” Margrave says with a bashful wave.

“Did you just fucking wave at me?” Pilch says in shock.

Margrave looks down embarrassed.

“I’m Matty, from Brooklyn.”

Margrave perks up, impressed, “New York?”

Pilch looks to Johnson shaking his head with a smirk, “You grow ’em smart down there, don’t ya?” and he takes a drag on his cigarette and blows the smoke out toward Margrave, “Nah, Brooklyn, Ohio.”

Matty smiles, “Don’t mind Pilch; we just ignore him most of the time.”

Pilch turns to Johnson, “Thought we agreed not to get to know the new guys.”

“But he’s from Texas.”

“Yeah,” Margrave says drawing the word out in his Texas drawl, “Abilene,” he whines.

Pilch rolls his eyes, “Abilene. Well, that changes everything.”

Pender clears his throat. The men look up, ready for a briefing or lecture like they have many times before, “Alright, listen up,” he gestures to Yusif, “This is Yusif, the local Bedouin Commander; his men hit a German company yesterday.” Johnson pulls a bag of chewing tobacco out and offers it to Margrave as Pender continues, “A squad of Kraut survivors is holed up in a bunker. We’re going in to clear ’em out.”

The men groan; Johnson spits a mouthful of chew into the dirt, “So we’re the cleanup crew again?”

Pender eyes him with a look that tells Johnson to tread lightly, “We can’t have a Kraut squad wandering around in our rear Johnson.”

Pilch shakes his head, “Why can’t the damn A-rabs go clear ’em out? They shot ’em up.”

Some of the men nod in agreement.

Pender looks to Pilch, “Shut your mouth, Private.”

“I’m a Corporal,” Pilch protests.

“Not for long,” Pender advises him.

Monte looks to Yusif, “What kind of bunker we talking about?”

“It is an ancient temple,” Yusif reports with a slight accent.

Oddball perks up, “Like with buried treasure and stuff?”

Yusif shakes his head, “No. Not like that.”

Oddball looks to the men, “We do a little digging and who knows?”

Clint nods in agreement, “We should bring shovels.”

Smith smiles, “We got shovels, moron,” and he taps the entrenching tool on his pack.

Johnson chimes in, “I spent a summer mining copper out in Wyoming.”

“Yeah, yeah!” Oddball replies excited.

“It is not like that!” Yusif snaps.

All eyes turn to him.

“Alright, Moses. Keep your turban on,” Pilch says.

“Pilch!” Monte snaps, and he clams up.

Pender continues, “Now, I know we all like Lieutenant Groves, but he’s gone, and we ain’t getting him back. I got a letter from him. He’s in England and… well they couldn’t save his leg, so he won’t be back. This here is Lieutenant Harris, our new platoon leader.”

All eyes turn to Harris. He looks the band of boys over with obvious disdain, “I’m only going to say this once; I run a tight platoon, and I run it by the book. I don’t like what I’m seeing already. I don’t like the whining, I don’t like the grumbling, and I don’t like the lack of discipline. It will stop. Weapons inspection in fifteen. We move out in thirty.”

Monte steps forward, “You heard him, girls! Strip ’em and clean ’em!”

Despite the passionate speech by Harris, the men grumble.

Chapter 3

Smith, on point, leads the men through the canyon where the Germans were ambushed the day before. Dead bodies lay bloating under the desert sun, and equipment is scattered along the route. Pender and Monte follow close behind Smith, talking quietly.

“Guess they don’t take prisoners,” Monte says pointing to a German body lying on the ground with a telltale execution shot to the back of the head.

Pender shrugs, “More replacements and some additional non-coms should be along in a few days.”

“We need ’em,” Monte says looking around the small group of men, “Half strength and half of them ain’t even got their boots broke in.”

Pender looks back to Harris who struggles to get his back pack comfortable, “And that kid don’t know his ass from a hole in the ground.”

“West Point?”

Pender nods, “Daddy is a state senator in Virginia.”

“Oh, from a proper family then,” Monte says with a smile.

“Yes, which means we gotta try and keep the little pecker-head alive,” Pender says turning to Monte with a stern expression.

The smile drops from his face and he nods in agreement. Yusif passes them and moves ahead of Smith, taking the point.

“Hey! Where you going?” Pender calls out. Yusif continues with a wave of dismissal.

Pender starts to object when Camir steps from a group of rocks. Smith stops, shocked that he was so close. Yusif greets him in Arabic. Pender holds up his hand and the platoon comes to a halt. Pender slaps Smith on the back, “Nice spotting there, Hawkeye.”

“But ain’t he on our side?” Smith protests.

“We can put that on your tombstone,” Pender tells him and moves forward to Yusif and Camir. He sees the abandoned archeological camp in the distance.

Pilch and Oddball inspect the German corpse with the head wound. Pilch looks at the soldier’s insignia, “Third mechanized,” and then roughly searches through the pockets.

“They the ones that chewed us up at Kasserine, right?”

Pilch nods, taking the wallet from the corpse and standing, “Can’t say I’m sorry to see ’em rotting here dead.”

Oddball looks at the wallet and shakes his head in disapproval. Pilch shrugs and pockets it then, checking that Monte or Pender aren’t looking, he unzips his trousers and urinates on the dead man’s face.

Yusif and Camir talk in hushed tones. They look up as Pender approaches.

“What’s the hold up?”

Yusif waves him silent.

“Alright, I’ll just hold on then,” he says irked and looks back to check on the men and sees Pilch urinating on the dead German, “God damn Pilch,” he mutters to himself.

Monte moves up shaking his head, “I don’t know which is worse,’ he says looking at Pilch, “him or him,” and he nods toward Harris.

Pender follows his gaze to Harris. The young officers is on one knee, map in hand, compass around his neck, binoculars up to his eyes, trying to look the part of a West Point war hero. Pender shakes his head, “Jesus Christ, does he think there’s a photographer someplace getting a picture of this?”

Pilch zips up, looks around to the top of the canyon and un-slings his rifle, “Shouldn’t be sitting here,” he says as he slips back a few feet and behind a rock for cover, “I wouldn’t just stand there gawking,” he tells Oddball as he removes the protective covers over the telescopic sight of his sniper rifle.

“Why not,” Oddball says defiantly as he pulls a pack of smokes from his shirt pocket.

Pilch gently cleans the glass, “Never good when we stop this long.”

Something moves under the sand by the German corpse near Oddball. He doesn’t notice as he struggles to light a cigarette in the desert wind. Oddball turns around trying to use his body as shelter from the wind when it stops and a peaceful calm comes over the desert. He lights the cigarette and looks around. A lone cloud passes in front of the sun and the bright day briefly goes dark. Pilch shoulders his rifle, ready for action. The sand moves again, closer to Oddball. As the cloud moves from the sun the wind hits with a roar.

Pilch looks around, “I got a bad feeling.”

Oddball looks over to Pilch, “What ’ya mean?”

“I’m just saying I got a bad feeling is all.”

“Well, why you gotta say that? Now I got a bad feeling,” Oddball whines as he looks to the top of the canyon.

Matty strolls up behind Pilch and smacks him in the back of the helmet, “You always got bad feelings. You ever thought that maybe your just a bad person?”

Pilch looks to him, offended, “Why you gotta say that? Now I got a bad feeling about you.”

Yusif turns from Camir to face Pender, “Several Germans wait ahead.”

Pender peers into the distance, “Where?”

Camir leans his head around the rocks, and Pender follows his gaze. They see three Germans in the distance, atop a group of high rocks above the abandoned archaeological camp.

“Shit, we ain’t gettin’ them outta there easy,” Pender notes and waves Harris over.

“What the hell?” Pilch says looking to see the German corpse has disappeared. Oddball and Pilch exchange a ‘what the fuck’ look.

“Where did he go?” Oddball asks in alarm.

“Where’d who go?” Matty asks.

“The German,” Oddball whines.

Matty looks around, “What German?”

Pilch gazes accusingly at Matty, “How’d you do that?”

“Do what?” Matty whines.

“Hide the German,” Pilch barks.

Harris joins them trying to tuck all of his accessories into pockets, “What do we got?” He demands and looks to Yusif.

Yusif can sense something is wrong; he looks past Harris toward Pilch and sees something moving under the sand near his foot. He slowly draws his scimitar; it hums as it leaves the sheath. The sand stops moving. Harris follows his gaze and then looks back to the scimitar.

“Got a group of Krauts waitin’ on us,” Pender informs him as he checks that his weapon is ready and not noticing the strange moment with the scimitar, “Monte, take first and second, string out in a line and pivot in. I’ll take the rest along the rocks here. You give us a good base of fire.”

Pender looks up to see Monte staring at the humming scimitar. Pender snaps his fingers to get his attention, “Sergeant!”

Monte looks up to Pender, “Got it.”

Harris looks up from the scimitar to find Yusif staring at him. He looks to Pender, “Sergeant, I’ll give the orders here.”

Pender looks to Harris. The two men lock eyes.

Pender grinds his teeth but breaks, “Yes sir.”

Harris looks to Monte, “You wait for my orders to pivot. I’ll lead the other half and we’ll sneak along the rocks, I want prisoners.”

“Yes, sir.”

“But sir, they have the high ground, and it’s pretty open out there,” Pender objects.

“We’ll sneak. You hear that men, no one fires unless I give the order.”

Harris doesn’t wait for any more objections and moves around the rocks.

Pender shakes his head, “This should be fun,” and follows.

Harris leads the men along the rocks toward the German’s position. Pender tries to slow him down, “They got a bead on us, sir.”

Harris doesn’t slow, “You’re paranoid-- or you’ve lost your nerve.”

Pender’s eyes go wide with rage, “Why you snot nosed little…”

A bullet hits Pender in the chest with a smack of tearing flesh. Harris stops and turns around. Pender looks down at the neat hole over his heart and then up to Harris. His eyes blaze in their last moments of life, and the young lieutenant can see that those eyes blame him for his death. Harris stares into those eyes, doubt and fear pushing aside his cocky bravado and confidence in the face of mortal combat. He reaches out to take Pender, to try and do something when another round hits Pender in the heart and sprays the young officer with blood.

“Cover!” Pilch screams.

A bullet hits one of the Americans in the neck, and he goes down gurgling for breath, weapon discarded and hands vainly trying to stop the river of blood pouring from his throat. The rest of the men dive behind rocks for cover as more rounds whine in. Harris watches Pender’s lifeless face as his limp corpse falls backwards to the ground. More bullets zing by, kicking up dirt and debris.

Pilch looks to Harris, “Hey, sir.”

Harris looks down at his uniform and sees that he’s covered in Pender’s blood. He stands motionless and stunned looking at the blood as bullets smack the ground near him.

“Sir?” Pilch calls over.

Harris is too shocked to respond. He looks up to the young American that was hit in the throat; his neck is in shreds, and blood is running like a fountain from his wound and mouth as he kicks and squirms in vain. A bullet hits one of the new recruits in the face, and his helmet sails free with most of the back of his head.

Harris opens his mouth to speak, to give an order but nothing comes out.

Monte and the rest of the men come charging in, “Open up, open up!” Monte screams.

Pilch looks down the scope of his sniper rifle and fires, the round sparks on the rocks inches from a German, “But the Lieutenant didn’t say we could,” he chides as he lines up another shot. He has the distance now and holds his breath, relaxes, and fires. The German takes the round in the head, “He runs it by the books, ya’ know.”

A round clips Harris in the shoulder, and he snaps out of his trance, spins and starts firing wildly. Lead by Monte, the veterans fire carefully aimed shots and keep their cool while the new recruits spray out fire carelessly.

Another German goes down.

“Got’em!” Oddball calls from behind a rock.

“Bull-shit, I got ’em,” Lewis calls.

“You lyin’ sack of shit…” Oddball starts when another American goes down with a shot in the head. Oddball watches the man’s feet twitching in his death dance and drops his argument with Lewis. The last German tumbles from the rocks after the bark of Pilchs’ rifle, and the sounds of gunfire and crack of bullets subside to the quiet howl of the desert sands as fast as it had begun.

Smith kneels by the lifeless body of Pender, “Monte, Sergeant Pender is down!”

Harris glances over, “Leave ’em and move forward.”

“But…”

“I said move out!”

Monte gently pulls Smith away from the body, and the men move into the camp. Monte looks back to Pender’s corpse and then turns to the men with a sigh, “Check those tents.”

Johnson looks back to Pender and the other dead Americans, “We ain’t just gonna leave him back…”

“Johnson!” Monte snaps.

Johnson clamps his mouth shut and moves toward a tent. Harris looks to the archway and stops. The wind howls, kicking up the sand. Monte stops, seeing a leather book half buried at his feet.

Pilch, Oddball, and Johnson move toward one of the tents. Pilch eyes Yusif and Camir suspiciously, “Two of ’em now.”

Oddball smiles, “Relax. Sarge said they’re on our side.”

“Shit. Monte ain’t no Sergeant in my book. Just a second string Corporal.”

Johnson nods in agreement, “Yup.”

Johnson and Oddball enter the tent while Pilch moves to inspect the dead German that fell from the rocks. Pilch rolls the dead German over to see his round took him in the neck. The man has an old scar that runs from the top of his head and down his cheek. Pilch rifles through his pockets and pilfers a wallet.

Harris stares, riveted by the stone archway. The desert wind howls around him eerily.

Monte approaches, “Excuse me, sir?”

Transfixed, his jaw twitching and the desert wind filling his ears, Harris is oblivious.

“Sir?” Monte gently shakes his shoulder.

Harris snaps back to reality, “What?”

“Found this,” Monte hands Harris a leather-bound journal.

Harris opens it, “Professor Montclair. University of Paris.”

He leafs through the pages.

Yusif quickly steps in, “May I?”

Harris hands him the journal.

“I know this archeologist, left months ago, to England I believe.”

“Why would he leave his notes behind?” Harris asks.

Yusif shakes his head concerned, “He would not.”

Oddball exits the tent with a heavy serrated archeological shovel, “Look what I found.”

Yusif subtly pockets the journal.

Margrave looks to Oddball, “Swell, where you find that?”

“In that tent.”

Clint walks out with an ancient black-glazed wine amphora, “Oh yeah, well look at this.”

Pilch looks up from his pilfering of the German, concerned he may be missing out on the ‘spoils of war’.

Oddball smirks, “What you gonna do with some old jar?”

“Shit, it’s better than a friggin’ shovel. I bet it’s worth a fortune!”

Lewis comes out of another tent with an amulet hanging from a string of copper beads, “Swell!”

Oddball swings his new tool like a club. Harris looks to Monte with raised eyebrows.

“You knuckleheads knock it off,” Monte barks.

Harris looks to Yusif and gestures to the stone archway, “This the bunker?”

Yusif nods, “Yes. Come.”

Pilch moves toward the men and looks back to see the dead German is gone. He turns in every direction but can’t find the corpse. The rest of the men are entering the temple. The wind picks up with an evil howl. The sand moves near his feet.

“Pilch, get your ass over here!” Monte barks from inside.

A bony hand reaches from the sand just missing his boot as he hurries toward the temple.

Chapter 4

Yusif and the Americans enter the temple with rifles at the ready. Matty looks around; the eyes of the statues seem to look at him no matter where he gazes, “Whoa.”

Monte looks down at fresh tracks on the ground. Yusif nods, “Germans. When we arrived, they had already disappeared behind the door.”

Monte and Harris approach the stone door. Yusif slips into the shadows and moves for the statue of the beautiful man.

Clint walks up behind Oddball, “Hey Oddball, got a smoke?” he asks quietly.

Oddball, eyes darting around the room, nods and pulls a pack out of his shirt pocket, “Sure, Clinty.”

Monte examines the stone door, “Looks like a door, but I can’t find no handle,” he works his hands around the massive stone block.

Clint sucks in a drag of the cigarette and looks at the hieroglyphics carved into the wall. It shows people being impaled around a bonfire. Clint hears echoes of surreal screaming, the cries of impalement and the cheers of the priests. He spins, startled by the screaming, and looks around the room. The sound fades.

While the Americans examine the door, Yusif quickly slips the talisman onto the statue.

Harris leans down to study the door, “We’re gonna have to blow it. Breaching charges.”

Harris stands, and there’s metallic click from deep in the floor. Harris takes a step back as the stone begins to roll aside.

“Firing positions!” Monte screams.

Rifles are pointed at the doorway, and the men prepare for battle. The door rolls open to reveal the torn remains of a German soldier. The head is gone, and he has been disemboweled; blood is splattered onto the walls and drips from the ceiling in places.

Clint’s cigarette falls from his mouth, “God-damn!”

Johnson shakes his head, “This ain’t the cleaning up I had in mind.”

Oddball peers down the dark sandstone tunnel that stretches into darkness. Torches light the stone corridor, the eerie light playing tricks on his eyes. He stares, mouth open; the sounds of screams fill his ears, and he stands frozen in place.

Pilch moves up behind him, “You alright?”

Oddball doesn’t react.

“Oddball?” Pilch shakes his shoulder.

“What? Yeah, fine.”

“Margrave, you’re on point,” Monte barks.

Margrave stares at the remains of the German, “Where’s his head?”

Pilch frowns and pushes him forward, “Go on kid, it’s gotta be down there someplace.”

Margrave looks back to Pilch, fear in his eyes and then turns and enters the tunnel.

“Everyone stay alert,” Monte orders.

“No shit,” Clint retorts.

Monte glares at Clint and then looks to Smith, “You and Lewis hang back and cover our rear.”

Smith nods.

Margrave stops and looks down at the bloody entrails and gore at his feet.

“Get moving, Private!” Harris snaps.

Margrave, eyes wide with fear, carefully steps over the blood-soaked mess.

Monte shakes his head, “Jesus kid. You trying to keep your boots clean?” and he steps in, his worn boots crushing the gore into the stone floor.

Oddball looks to Pilch, “Who keeps all the torches going?” he asks concerned.

Pilch looks down the hallway at the torches and then to Oddball, “You ask too many god damn questions,” and he enters behind Monte.

Chapter 5

Margrave leads them deeper into the earth. The flickering torches are less frequent, and the tunnel is becoming darker. Johnson spits a mouthful of chew onto the floor, “Krauts could be lying for us anywhere.”

Matty notices something on the ground and bends over, “Hey Sarge,” he holds up a German Luger.

Monte nods, “Any rounds left in it?”

Matty checks, “Couple.”

Pilch points to the wall, pockmarked from bullet hits, “Look.”

Matty looks up from the Luger, “Geez.”

Pools of blood and empty shell casings litter the floor.

“Somebody’s last stand,” Monte comments.

Pilch runs his hand over the chipped rock from the bullet hits, “Who were they fighting?”

Monte looks to Yusif, “Any of your men come down here?”

Yusif shakes his head.

Margrave stops at the edge of the torchlight. The darkness stretches out before him. Harris comes up behind him, “Get moving, private.”

Margrave pulls out his flashlight and turns it on, cautiously moving forward. He hears a growl from the darkness and freezes.

Harris stays close behind him, “Gimme some light.”

Margrave shines his light straight ahead to reveal that the tunnel ends in a “T” intersection with passages leading off right and left, “Which way?”

Harris taps his shoulder, “Right.”

A replacement solider steps forward and shoulders his rifle to cover them.

Clint looks around the dark passageway nervously, “Hey Oddball, got another smoke?”

“Yeah.” Hand quivering, Oddball passes a smoke back over his shoulder.

Clint looks at Oddball’s hand, “Relax buddy,” but his voice cracks as he says it.

Camir whispers something to Yusif.

Oddball snaps his head over to look at them, “What’d he say?” he inquires worried.

Yusif draws his scimitar, “Something waits.”

Oddball looks ahead to Harris and Margrave, “Watch your ass, Abilene.”

Margrave looks back to Oddball, gulps and slowly pokes his head around the corner. His flashlight illuminates the eyes of Radcliff standing only inches from him. Margrave opens his mouth to scream but is choked off as Radcliff locks his hands around his throat.

Harris draws his pistol and reaches over Margrave’s shoulder and shoots Radcliff in the chest. Radcliff looks up to him and smiles. Harris fires again and again with no effect.

“Good bye,” Radcliff tells him.

Two German soldiers step from the shadows behind Harris with knives in hand.

Monte swings up his rifle to fire, “Look out sir!”

Harris screams as the knives are buried in his back. He falls onto the floor as the two Germans drive their knives into him again and again. The American that had stepped forward to cover them fires, and one of the Germans is blown down with a round hitting him in the chest. The American moves his rifle over to fire as the other German calmly walks toward him, knife in hand. The American fires but misses, the German is almost on top of him.

Yusif jumps forward with his scimitar. The German ducks Yusif’s swipe and punches him in the gut.

Pilch lines up on the German, and with a sniper’s calm, fires a single shot, hitting him in the head before he can strike Yusif. The German falls back with an inhuman scream seeming to come from everywhere and a dimly glowing ball of light moves from the German’s head up to vanish into the ceiling. Pilch rubs his eyes, unsure of what he saw. The American up front looks back to Pilch and smiles.

Monte looks back to Pilch, “Nice shot.”

The American upfront is blown down by gunfire that stitches him from his legs and up into his body; he falls back a bloody mess as rounds ricochet down the hallway. Pilch looks to see the German that went down first has risen from the floor and taken the rifle Harris dropped. Bullets spray the walls. Yusif dives as another American goes down with a cry. Pilch stands his ground and carefully takes aim, even as rounds whine past him. He fires, scoring a head shot. The German falls back; another inhuman scream echoes through the hallway, and a glowing ball escapes his head to disappear in the ceiling.

Pilch shakes his head, “You guys see that?”

Margrave struggles in Radcliff’s grip, desperately beating on his arms with his fists.

“The new kid, save him!” Monte calls out.

Radcliff looks up to Monte and smiles as he crushes Margrave’s esophagus with a sickening crack of bone. He lets go of Margrave and the young Texan drops to his knees and turns back to look at the platoon, gurgling for breath, eyes pleading. Radcliff snatches Margrave’s weapon and kicks him face down onto the floor.

Yusif draws his scimitar and moves forward. Pilch lines up, but Yusif blocks his shot.

“Out of the way!” Pilch screams.

Radcliff fires, and Yusif deflects the round using his scimitar with a flash of sparks. Radcliff’s eyes go wide in amazement of the timing, and before he can recover, Yusif runs his scimitar though his head. Radcliff’s eyes roll up to see the blade in his forehead. Another inhuman scream echoes through the hallway, and Yusif kicks the twitching body around the corner and out of sight as a ball of energy emerges from Radcliff’s head.

Pilch lowers his rifle in disgust, “That was my kill!”

Yusif looks back, spins his scimitar and drops it back into its sheath, “Not today.”

Chapter 6

Lewis and Smith look over the beastly statues when a desert wind blows into the room, causing the torches to flicker.

Smith glances to the entrance, “Pretty sinister if you ask me.”

Lewis nods and touches some prayer beads around his neck. He starts to say a prayer in a strange language.

“What the hell you on about now?” Smith asks.

Lewis finishes the prayer with a graceful flick of his wrist and a bow. He looks up to Smith, “It’s an ancient Coptic prayer I learned from a local. It should help.”

“Help?”

“Sure, got us through Kasserine, didn’t it?”

“Asshole, we lost most of the unit, might have been your damn ‘ancient prayer’ ya’ know?”

The wind picks up outside, howling and causing dust and sand to blow into the room. Gunshots echo from the hallway, and both men look toward the tunnel.

Smith looks down the hallway, “We should go help.”

Lewis shakes his head, “Sarge said to stay here.”

“You can stay and do some more chants,” Smith says and not waiting for an answer, moves through the open door and down the tunnel.

Lewis looks around the room, his eyes landing on the statue. He locks eyes with it and they seem to gleam in the torchlight. Lewis shakes his head and follows after Smith leaving the room empty. As he passes the threshold, there’s a metallic click from under the floor.

The group stands at the “T” intersection spread out with weapons pointed into the darkness in both directions. The bodies of Harris, Margrave, and the two other Americans have been wrapped in ponchos. The men are uneasy, on edge. All eyes are on the bodies of the dead Germans and Radcliff. Oddball sits with his head in his hands, rocking back and forth, “Sonofabitch sonofabitch sonofabitch sonofabitch.”

Pilch lights up a smoke and sticks it in Oddball’s mouth, “Easy buddy, it’s all over.”

Johnson kicks one of the Germans with his boot, “Why’d they come at us like that?” he spits into the dirt.

“And what the fuck were those screams,” Clint asks.

Matty looks at Radcliff, “This guy ain’t even German; he’s British.”

“Traitor?” Pilch asks.

“He probably just lost his fucking mind down here,” Oddball says.

“We should get the hell out of here,” Johnson says.

Oddball eyes Harris’ mutilated corpse, “Guess you’re in command now, Sarge.”

Johnson laughs, “Yeah, right.”

“C’mon Sarge, whaddya say? Let’s get out of here,” Oddball pleads.

Monte shakes his head, “In case you guys missed it, there’s still a German unit down here somewhere.”

Oddball’s voice goes up several octaves, “But we just lost four guys and…”

The men are startled by the sounds of boots echoing behind them. They look up to see Lewis and Smith running down the hallway toward them.

“Sarge!” Smith calls, “The door leading out of here. It ain’t there no more.”

“What?”

“It closed!” Lewis yells.

Pilch looks at Yusif, “God-damn-it, this rag-head led us right into a German trap!”

As Monte steps toward Lewis and Smith, a thick rock door slides down from above, Monte falls back narrowly missing being crushed. He looks up to see they are cut off from Smith and Lewis.

“What the hell?” he says standing up.

Yusif bends down to inspect the door. It fits perfectly in a groove, like the hallway was never there.

Oddball stands up, frantic, “We gotta get the hell out of here!”

Monte looks at the door, “Who’s got those breaching charges?”

“Lewis,” Matty reports quietly.

The floor rumbles. Dirt falls from the ceiling. All eyes look up. Metal on metal grinds beneath them. Monte leans down to the door to listen to the growing rumble.

Yusif joins him, “It sounds like… water.”

Smith and Lewis stand on the other side of the door pushing on the heavy stone block. They hear the rumble.

“I don’t like this. I really, really don’t,” Smith says looking around scared.

Water starts filling the hallway, rising up from the floor.

“Holy shit!” Lewis cries out.

Smith starts to run for the other end of the hallway, “Come on!”

Lewis follows splashing through the quickly rising water.

Yusif looks Monte in the eyes, worried. Monte leans close to him a talks in a whispered voice so that the rest of the men can’t hear, “What do you think?”

Yusif glances at the wall, “There is an aquifer in this area.”

“Damn.”

“You have engineers?”

Monte nods, “Three days back.”

Yusif rubs his jaw thinking, “There may be another way out.”

Monte nods, “Yeah, let’s keep this quiet; I don’t want the men to panic.”

Yusif nods in agreement.

“I got an idea,” Matty says pulling out two grenades as Monte stands.

“Put ’em away,” Monte orders him.

“We’ll blow it open,” Matty says hopefully.

Monte shakes his head, “No, we’ll have to find another way out.”

Johnson steps forward, “No disrespect, ‘Sergeant’… but what the hell are you talking about?”

“Oh, man. That’s it. We’re gonna die,” Oddball says panicked.

Pilch steps up to Monte, “Come on, Monte; we gotta blow the door.”

“That’s Sergeant.”

Johnson spits on the floor, “Shit, you ain’t even got dirt on those stripes.”

Monte snaps his head to look at Johnson, “You watch your fucking mouth.”

“Or what?”

The Americans break into a shouting argument. Pilch and Matty have to restrain Johnson to stop a fight.

Yusif steps between the men and Monte, “This is getting us nowhere!” The men stop squabbling and look to Yusif, “The tunnel behind us is flooding!”

Monte glares at Yusif who shrugs.

Johnson leans down to the door and listens, “He’s right.”

Pilch leans back against the wall, “Oh man.”

“What about Lewis and Smith?” Clint asks.

All eyes turn to the door.

Lewis and Smith make it to the outer temple door. Lewis starts to beat on it with his fists.

“Get it open! Get it open!” Smith cries.

The water is now up to their waists.

“You have any grenades?” Smith asks.

Lewis takes off his pack, “Better, breaching charges.”

Smith nods as Lewis starts fumbling in his pack. From deep under the water, a screech of metal reverberates.

Smith looks around nervous, “What was that?”

The water extinguishes the torches, and they’re in darkness. Lewis flinches as something brushes against his leg.

“Something’s in here,” Lewis tells Smith turning on his flashlight.

The water churns near Smith as he fumbles for his rifle. A hand breaks the water behind him and grasps his head. He screams as he fights to knock it off. Lewis watches in horror as Smith is jerked below and disappears.

Johnson is face to face with Monte, “We can’t just leave ’em behind!”

“Just blow the door! We can swim for it!” Matty says.

Oddball nods enthusiastically, “Yeah, we can swim.”

“Everyone calm down!” Monte orders.

“Clinty, you can swim? Right? Pilch?” Oddball continues.

“Oddball, shut up,” Monte tells him.

“Johnson, you can swim?”

“Shut up! Who knows how much water is behind there? What if it’s some kind of underground river? You want to drown us?”

Johnson shakes his head, “This ain’t no place for a Christian man.”

Pilch looks around, “Hey, where’d the A-rabs go?”

Yusif and Camir have disappeared.

Matty indicates the right branch of the intersection, “They didn’t go this way.”

Monte looks to him, “You sure?”

“I’m standing here, ain’t I?” Matty says defiantly.

All eyes turn to the left.

“Johnson, go check it out,” Monte orders.

“Hell with that.”

“Oddball, go with him.”

Oddball looks around scared, “But we don’t even… I mean… Jesus, Sarge.”

“I’ll go,” Pilch volunteers.

“Yeah, he’ll go,” Oddball whines

Monte glares at him, “I gave you an order.”

“Come on Sarge, Pilch’ll go; he’s more reliable anyway.”

Pilch pulls out his flashlight and moves into the darkness.

Johnson watches Pilch walk away and sighs, “Best if I go with ’em,” and follows.

Monte turns to Matty, “Put those god-damn grenades away.”

The water is up to Lewis’ neck; he fumbles with his flashlight and the breaching charge, takes a deep breath, and dives underwater. He places the charge on the door, pulls the fuse, and comes back to the surface. He shines his light down the tunnel, something moves.

“Bless me father for I have sinned,” he fires into the darkness.

The fuse burns underwater, bubbles rising to the surface.

Lewis speaks in Arabic, “May peace and God go with you.”

He fires again. The water is almost to the top of the tunnel, Lewis has to turn his head to breathe.

He starts a Hindu prayer chant. The water is inches from the top. Lewis continues his chant, only to be silenced by the water covering his mouth. He holds his breath and frantically looks around with his flashlight. His eyes go wide with fear as two Germans swim up to him; he tries to draw his knife, but they grab him, pushing him toward the breeching charge. He looks back at it and struggles. They swim him down and push him onto the charge holding him tightly in place.

Pilch and Johnson emerge from the dark corridor into a small room. Crude cots line the walls. A metal grate sits in the middle of the floor. A muffled explosion knocks dust from the ceiling and water splashes up from beneath the grate. Yusif stands over a headless body of a German solider that’s still twitching.

Johnson looks at the river of blood running from the corpse and into the grate, “God almighty.”

Pilch turns on Yusif, “Hey. Someone tell you to go running off on your own?”

Yusif ignores him, wiping his scimitar off on the corpse.

“You hear me?” Pilch demands.

Yusif puts his scimitar away, saying nothing.

Pilch takes a step toward him, “Hey, I’m talking to you.”

Yusif looks to him, “And I am ignoring you.”

They stare each other down.

Johnson tries to break it up, “No other doors or exits?”

“No,” Yusif answers, eyes still locked on Pilch.

“Then come on, we should get back,” Johnson tells them.

Pilch waits for Yusif and Johnson to pass and then falls in behind them.

“Where the hell’s your friend?” Pilch asks.

A hand grips the metal bars from below as they leave.

Oddball looks at a life-sized drawing of an ancient warrior painted on the wall. The chest cavity is opened up, and there’s no heart.

Matty walks up behind him, “That had to hurt.”

Oddball doesn’t hear him, his eyes slowly growing wider looking at the split open chest of the victim in the picture. He can hear the ripping of flesh and the wet pops as the chest is forced open. He shivers at the sounds of the victims gurgling screams of agony.

Yusif, Pilch, and Johnson arrive back at the intersection. Pilch shoves Oddball knocking him out of his trance, “What’s the matter with you?”

Oddball looks to him, horror in his eyes. Pilch looks to Matty and then to Oddball, unsure what is going on.

Monte turns on Yusif, “Where the hell did you run off to?”

Pilch turns from Oddball to Monte, “I asked the little pecker-head; he wouldn’t say squat.”

“Well?”

Yusif locks eyes with Monte but says nothing.

“See what I mean, like he’s a fucking mute,” Pilch says shaking his head.

Yusif takes in a deep breath and sighs, “I did not see any point in standing around squabbling like school girls.”

Oddball looks to him, “Ohhh, I guess this kind of shit happens to you everyday!”

“He chopped some Jerry’s head clean off, too,” Johnson says.

“Fucking savage,” Pilch mutters.

Monte sighs, “Just let somebody know next time.”

Yusif nods, “I believe the rest of the Germans are still inside.”

“Well let ’em stay here. I don’t care,” Oddball cries out.

Pilch nods in agreement, “Damn straight.”

“Pilch, shut your damn mouth!” Monte snaps.

Monte and Pilch glare at each other. Some of the other men nod in agreement. Pilch walks away, eyeing Yusif.

“Where’s Camir?” Monte asks.

Yusif points to the tunnel that Matty said no one went down.

“How the hell?” Matty exclaims and turns to look into the darkness.

“What we gonna do, Sarge?” Clint asks quietly.

“Anything down that way?” Monte asks.

Pilch shakes his head, “Dead end.”

“Then, we ain’t got much choice.”

“What? No! Why not stay here? The Army’ll come and get us,” Oddball pleads.

Monte shakes his head.

“But Lewis and Smith, they’ll tell ’em where we are,” Oddball continues.

“We don’t even know if they’re alive,” Monte tells him.

Panicked, Oddball looks around the dark corridor, “But…”

“No! We move,” Monte barks.

“I hate to say it, but Oddball has a point,” Johnson says coolly.

Monte puts his hand on the butt of his pistol and glares at the men, “Anyone questioning my orders?”

No one speaks. Johnson spits on the floor while glaring at him.

Yusif steps forward, “I will lead.”

Monte grabs his arm, stopping him, “I’d feel better with one of my men doing it.”

Yusif shakes his grip loose, “Camir has already gone this way. I will lead.”

“God-damn-it, I’m in charge here!” Monte shouts.

Yusif smiles, “Well, of course you are, Sergeant,” and bows his head, letting Monte lead them into the tunnel.

Smith is under the grate, pushing hard to break it free his face barely able to get out of the water for air, “Come on, you bastard.” He works harder, struggling to get a good hold as blood runs from the headless German corpse and onto his face, “Guys! Hey, guys!”

Chapter 7

Monte leads them though an intricately carved tunnel. Strange symbols adorn the walls, crude drawings of women warriors, hooded priests, and human sacrifice. Camir waits in front of a headless German corpse, scimitar in hand. Yusif looks at him; Camir shrugs with a smile.

“Only one?” Monte asks.

Pilch looks at the head, “What the fuck?”

It’s the German with the scared face.

Monte looks to him, “What?”

“I shot that guy.”

Monte looks to the head, “Seems you missed.”

“No, before up top…”

A screaming German soldier emerges from the darkness running toward them at full speed. He slams into Pilch, and they both fall to the ground. Pilch rolls on top of the struggling German and pins him down, “Crazy Kraut.”

The German looks up at Pilch as he continues screaming his feet kicking as he tries to run.

“Jeez, shut ’em up,’ Oddball says.

Pilch punches him in the jaw and he stops screaming, looks into Pilchs’ eyes and then stops moving. Pilch checks for a pulse, “He’s dead.”

Monte kneels and looks him over.

Oddball looks to Pilch, “You didn’t have to kill him?”

“I only hit him.”

Monte checks for wounds, “He ain’t shot.”

“Then what?” Pilch asks.

All eyes look down the tunnel.

Matty gulps, “Scared to death.”

Johnson shakes his head, “Bullshit.”

“No, I heard about it from a guy in Baker Company at Kasserine,” Matty claims.

Monte stands, “Matty, shut up.”

“It’s true; my pa saw it in the Great War,” Clint says.

“We should go back,” Oddball turns to leave. Monte grabs him and turns him around.

“All of you, shut the hell up,” Monte barks, eyeing the men.

A distant whump of a grenade shakes the tunnel.

Monte, satisfied that the men are listening, looks down the tunnel, “Let’s get moving.”

Screams and gunshots come from ahead. A bullet whizzes past.

“Johnson, get that other Thompson up here,” Monte orders.

Johnson moves forward, and they both have the submachine-guns pointed forward, “Let’s go, slowly,” Monte tells him.

Johnson holds the Thompson tight, ready to shoot. Bullets breeze past them. The screams get louder. Something moves from the shadows ahead. Johnson stops.

“Steady,” Monte says.

A German soldier comes at them, walking backwards and firing wildly. He turns to face them.

One of the Americans steps on a discolored brick. There’s a click from the floor. The American looks down.

The German and Johnson lock eyes. The German brings his weapon up, Johnson fires, blowing him down. There’s a loud crash, and Monte spins to see one of the Americans pinned to the ground by a large lead spike that has fallen from the ceiling and now sticks out of the man’s neck where his head used to be. It holds the twitching corpse up right like a pin through a doll.

“Nobody move!” Monte screams.

Camir looks at the brick; he points out another booby-trapped brick nearby.

Monte nods, “I got it.”

A bullet whines in and hits an American in the head, and he falls back dead. Some of the men drop to the ground for cover at seeing this. Another American lands on a bobby-trapped brick. A metal spike plummets from the ceiling, the tip of the spike impaling him through the skull and exiting his mouth. He writhes and groans in agony, vainly trying to pull himself free.

“God-damn-it. Nobody move!” Monte screams even as more rounds fly in, “Yusif.”

Yusif waves Camir forward, and he walks confidently, pointing out the bricks they should avoid. Monte looks to the men, “Everybody got it?”

The men nod.

Monte looks back to the impaled man to see he’s no longer moving, “Alright, slowly.”

The men move down the tunnel cautiously, on edge, stepping over the booby-trapped bricks. German bodies litter the corridor, some impaled by spikes, others with bloody wounds.

“Who are they fighting?” Oddball asks.

“Shut up,” Monte says over his shoulder.

The hallway ends at an octagon-shaped room with passages leading in eight directions. Gunfire and screaming echo through the room, and the nervous Americans look down every corridor for the unseen enemy.

“Which way?” Pilch asks.

A sickening scream of agony comes from the dark, and Pilch spins, looking for the source.

“Which way!” Pilch yells.

The scream intensifies into shrieks of pain and then suddenly stops.

Oddball turns around to go back the way they came, “Fuck this.” Monte grabs him, spinning him back and into the room. Gunfire continues to echo through the passage.

Monte listens but can’t discern which passage the sounds are coming from, “Yusif, get us out of here!”

Yusif examines the hieroglyphic carved into the stone floor. He indicates a passage, “This way.”

“Are you sure?” Monte asks.

Yusif nods and leads off.

Pilch watches him go and leans in close to Monte, “We can’t trust him.”

“Yes, we can.”

“He read that gibberish on the fuckin’ floor Sarge, come on!”

“We can trust him!”

“How you figure?”

“I don’t know, but I do.”

Monte follows Yusif into the tunnel.

“That’s real fuckin’ reassuring,” Pilch mutters.

Chapter 8

Yusif leads them to an open doorway and stops. He peers in.

Monte looks in to see a dimly lit room with large, gold double doors and a tunnel leading off in the opposite direction.

Monte points to the gold doors, “Looks like an exit to me.”

“Yes,” Yusif agrees.

“Clint, Matty, lead off.”

Matty and Clint lead them into the room.

Clint gazes at the large gold plated door, “Think it’s real gold?”

Something moves from the shadows at the end of the room. Matty taps Clint and points.

Clint calls out in German, “Halt and surrender!”

Two figures step from the shadows.

Clint continues in German, “Hands up!”

Clint looks to Matty, “See, told you my grandfather was from the old country.”

The figures move into the dim torch light, revealing two Napoleonic soldiers in full uniform.

“What the fuck?” Clint says.

The Frenchmen come at them, bayonets fixed on their ancient rifles. Clint and Matty open fire. Round after round slam into the Frenchmen, but they keep coming. Both rifles click empty.

“Oh shit,” Clint says reaching for his pistol.

Monte pushes his Thompson forward and fires into the approaching Frenchmen with no effect. Yusif knocks Matty to the ground to face the charging Frenchmen. He swings his scimitar wide, cutting a Frenchman in half at the waist.

Clint draws his pistol as a bayonet hits him in the chest with a wet pop. “Momma,” he cries out.

The Frenchman pulls the bayonet out with a spray of blood. Clint raises his pistol and shoots the Frenchman in the face, and they both fall to the ground. The scream echoes through the room, and as the Frenchman falls back, the ball of energy exits his head. Monte stares at the ceiling where the ball of energy disappeared, “What the hell was that?”

Camir and Yusif move forward, scimitars in hand to clear the room.

Oddball pulls Clint back, “Aw, Clinty.”

Matty looks over from where he lays, face down on the ground, “Clinty, you okay bud?” Clint doesn’t move, “Aw no, Clinty.”

With a hiss, the legless Frenchman that Yusif cut in half crawls toward Matty with a dagger in its hand. The men get a good look at the mysterious soldier from the past. Its skin is dried out and has withered tight onto the bone. Its eyes are sunk deep into the skull and its voice comes out as dry hisses.

“Jesus!” Johnson cries out.

The Frenchman crawls up to Matty and drives the dagger into his back.

Oddball shrieks and crawls on his butt backward in fear.

Matty claws at the Frenchman, “Get ’em off, he’s killing me!”

Oddball continues screaming, and Johnson stares in horror. Monte calmly steps up and, using his pistol, shoots the Frenchman in the head. There’s another evil scream and a ball of energy shoots toward the ceiling, Monte falls back on the ground watching it go.

Not realizing the Frenchman is dead, Matty continues to struggle, “Help! Get him off me!”

Oddball is still screaming.

Monte stands up and goes to Matty, “Hold still, and Oddball, for fuck’s sake, will you shut up,” Monte pulls the half corpse off Matty’s back and throws it down the hallway.

Yusif and Camir return. Yusif shakes his head, “No more.”

Monte pulls the dagger out of Matty’s backpack and then pulls the pack off.

“How bad is it Sarge?” Matty asks concerned.

Matty tries to get up as Monte feels along his back for wet spots indicating blood. Finding none, Monte looks at Matty’s pack and pulls out the gold box. He hands the broken box to Matty, punctured by the dagger, “Lucky bastard.”

Yusif looks at Matty’s box, “Luck had nothing to do with it,” Yusif indicates the symbol on the box, “This talisman wards off evil.”

Pilch rolls his eyes, “Yeah, right.”

Matty examines the box, “Hey, the gold’s peeling off.”

Pilch looks concerned, “Gold don’t peel,” he pulls out his box and scratches it. He looks to Matty, “It’s gold alright. Gold paint. Twenty bucks!” and disgusted, Pilch throws his box aside, “God-damn filthy A-rabs,” he looks to Yusif. The two lock eyes.

Monte looks at Clint’s motionless corpse and then to Pilch, “Open up the door. Let’s get out of here.”

Pilch doesn’t move, his eyes burning as he stares at Yusif.

“Pilch!” Monte barks.

Pilch breaks his stare and walks for the door, “It’s locked.” He spits the words out over his shoulder in disgust.

“Break it down then.” Monte orders.

Oddball looks over the dead Frenchmen, “Well, that was pretty much the most fucked-up thing I’ve ever seen.”

Chapter 9

Oddball smashes at the door with his entrenching tool while Pilch sits relaxed against the wall looking on, “Oddball, you wouldn’t last two minutes on my construction crew back in Chi-town.”

Oddball glares at him.

Pilch smiles, “Come on, you want out of here or not?”

“You could give me a hand.”

Pilch holds up a hand, “Shh, you hear that?” he says looking around, “Shit. Could be more of ’em.”

Oddball starts working on the door even harder. Pilch smiles.

Monte sits with Yusif and looks over all that’s left of his command, “Six left, six out of eighteen.”

Yusif looks over the men, Pilch lounges against the wall watching Oddball work on the door, Johnson sits with Camir cleaning his weapon and Matty busy writing a letter home. Yusif rubs his eyes and silently nods in agreement.

Monte shakes his head and looks to the dead Frenchmen, “What are they?”

Yusif looks at him and thinks, “Zumbi, the undead.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing my ass, what?”

Yusif shakes his head, “You are not ready,” He stands, “But you will be,” and he walks over to Oddball smashing away at the door.

Pilch toys with him, “Like you mean it, Oddball.”

Yusif leans down to Pilch, “It would be easier if you knocked out the pins,” and he points to the hinges.

Pilch glares at him, “Mind your business.”

Yusif smiles and walks off.

Pilch watches him go and then walks up to Oddball, “Why don’t you just knock out the pins?”

Oddball smiles, “Hey, that would be easier.”

Johnson cleans his gun as Camir wipes down his scimitar. Johnson looks over to him, “Devil’s work bein’ done down here.”

Not understanding, Camir smiles and nods.

“We need a priest, that would stop those bastards cold, I tell you,” Johnson strokes a small cross on a chain around his neck, “Yeah, you know what I’m saying,” he glances at Camir’s scimitar, “Hey, you got an extra one’a those?”

Camir grips the hilt of his scimitar and grins. A crash announces that the door is down.

Yusif leads them into a large room with pillars and a vaulted ceiling. It’s dim. Torches give off twinkling light, but the ends of the room are lost in the darkness. Along both walls are alcoves with carved relief writing. A stone table stained red with blood sits just inside the doorway. Yusif stops to look at it as Oddball and Johnson continue into the room. Monte joins Yusif, where they look at a fresh heart on the table. Oddball gazes around the ancient room, “Looks like a church.”

Johnson frowns, “If Satan had a church.”

They hear muffled voices ahead. Oddball and Johnson move slowly forward, weapons ready.

Monte bends down, looking at the heart, “What the fuck?”

“An offering.”

“To who?”

Yusif looks to Camir and begins to answer when from the far end of the room, they hear a blood-curdling scream.

Oddball and Johnson freeze. There’s another agonizing scream that’s quickly silenced. Oddball spins around to leave, only to find Monte there. Monte spins Oddball around and pushes him forward. Yusif joins them and Monte signals his men to spread out with hand signals. The men move ahead with weapons at the ready. As they round the last pillar they see a stone block in the center of an open space with two men dressed in hooded sackcloth cowls holding an Arab man bent backward over the block. The Arab man screams and struggles to break free as one of the priests raises a bejeweled dagger to strike. Monte looks on in horror; the priests are ancient with grey leathery skin pulled tight onto their bony skulls. The Arab man screams as the knife drives home.

“Jesus Christ!” Monte exclaims.

A third priest holds a young woman captive.

Monte speaks through clenched teeth, “Take ’em down!”

Pilch aims his rifle and fires. The priest holding the women falls back, a hole in his head. As the priest falls to the floor his head explodes in energy. Bolts of lighting strike out, hitting several of the men and knocking them down.

The women is stunned but manages to pull the priest’s dagger from his hand and jumps onto one of the priests at the alter, driving the dagger into his back.

The other priest looks to her with a snarl as the next round hits him in the face. His head also explodes, and more men are knocked to the ground by the explosion of energy. The Americans look on, awe struck, as the woman drives the dagger again and again into the priest’s back.

Monte, finally snaps to, “Oddball, get in there and help her.”

Oddball smiles, “Looks like she’s doin’ fine.”

“Oddball!”

“Yes, Sarge.”

Oddball walks up, draws his pistol, and shoots the struggling priest in the head. The explosion sends Oddball sailing through the air to land roughly on the stone floor. The woman falls back on her butt and looks over to him.

He smiles at her, “OK, now that just ain’t normal.”

The Americans get to their feet, scared and confused, looking at the headless corpses of the priests. Johnson drops to his knees and begins to pray.

Monte looks around, “Anybody hurt?”

Nobody trusts their voices to speak. Oddball stands and approaches the woman.

“Matty, check for exits,” Monte orders.

Matty looks around, “Sure thin’… ,” his voice crackles like a teenager and he coughs, “Sure thing, Sarge.”

Oddball smiles at the women as he walks up, “Howdy.”

Hands shaking, she drops the dagger and looks up to him. He holds out his canteen, and she slowly reaches to take it. Oddball tips his helmet, “People call me Oddball.”

Monte walks to where Yusif stands over the body of the Arab man on the block. Blood runs from his opened chest and his legs still twitch.

Monte shakes his head, “No way to go.”

Yusif shrugs, “One way is no different than another.”

Monte looks into the dead man’s eyes, fixed wide in horror.

“Speak for yourself, mack.”

The women hands Oddball his canteen back, “Thank you, Oddball,” she says with a French accent.

Oddball smiles, “Well, my momma named me Cletus,” he says taking the canteen back, “Guys in the Army named me Oddball. Can’t figure which is worse.”

She smiles, “I’m Vanessa.”

Monte looks at the body of a priest, it’s skin drawn tight from age, bone showing through in places; it looks long dead, “You want to tell me exactly what the hell is going on down here?”

Yusif mutters a word in an ancient African language, “Zumbi.”

“Zombie, what the hell is a Zombie?” Pilch snaps.

“Zumbi, the undead,” Yusif translates.

Oddball looks over, “Undead! Whattaya mean undead?”

Yusif shrugs, “Undead. No longer alive.”

Pilch shakes his head, confused, “Dead bodies?”

“We seen plenty of bodies, pal. You heard of Kasserine Pass?” Johnson says.

Pilch shakes his head in disgust, “Dumb ass A-rab thinking we’re scared of bodies.”

Camir says something in Arabic, and Yusif nods. He looks back to the Americans.

Monte shrugs quizzically, “Yeah?”

Yusif sighs, “Not bodies, walking dead.”

The men don’t look convinced. Yusif points to the dead priest.

“See, walking dead, undead.”

“Zombie?” Oddball asks.

“Zumbi,” Yusif responds.

Matty walks up, “No exits,” he looks to Vanessa, “So who’s the dame?”

Yusif smiles, “The archeologist from the camp. Professor Montclair.”

Vanessa tilts her head toward Yusif.

Matty looks confused, “He’s a she?”

Monte glares at Yusif. Yusif shrugs, and Monte turns to her.

“Okay, Professor, how long you been down here?”

She looks at the corpse lying on the block. Monte steps in front of her, blocking the view.

She looks up to his eyes, “Two days.”

“Anyone else in your party?”

“Diggers, but…” she looks toward the altar.

Monte turns to Pilch, “See if you can make some sort of defensive position at the door.”

“Why me?”

Monte glares at him, “You wanna keep the stripes you have?”

Pilch looks to the dead Arab man, “I’d rather keep the insides I have.”

“You worked construction; figure out a way to build us a defensive position at the door.”

Pilch nods and reluctantly heads for the door.

“Matty, go with him,” Monte orders and then turns to Vanessa, “You some sort of ‘expert’?”

Vanessa nods.

“What is this place?”

Yusif looks to Vanessa, concerned.

“Come.”

She leads them to one of the alcoves. It has ancient writing with grotesque pictures of people being tortured and killed. Vanessa points to the picture, “This was written nearly six thousand years ago. It tells of a great evil rising from the sand and falling upon humanity,” Vanessa looks at Yusif. Monte notices, but she continues, “A Sumerian king opened a doorway to the underworld in a quest for eternal life. He made a bargain with Belial…”

“Belial?” Johnson asks.

“Master of the Sumerian underworld… A demon Lord,” Vanessa explains.

Monte smirks, “A demon lord.”

Johnson frowns, “What’s a demon lord?”

Oddball looks to the pictures, “I don’t know, but it don’t sound good.”

She nods and points to a picture of the king kneeling before Belial. All of them look at the picture, the same handsome face and long hair as the statue from the entrance, “Belial killed the king, giving him eternal life… as a creature of the underworld.”

Monte shakes his head, “Sure, happens all the time.”

Vanessa continues, “With a doorway open, Belial was free to bring his legions into this world, but the king’s son battled Belial and banished him back to the underworld,” she indicates his picture on the wall, the family crest of the ancient Sumerian king, “The portal to the underworld will remain for all time, and it’s said the king’s lineage must protect us as punishment for the king’s betrayal of man.”

Monte waves his hand to shut her up, “Can any of that mumbo-jumbo show me a way out of here?”

Vanessa stares at him, irked, “Perhaps,” she points to a large map carved into the wall, “I’ll need some time.”

Monte glares at her, nods, and turns to the men.

“Mumbo-jumbo,” Vanessa mutters.

“Listen up! I want all equipment checked; we’ll dig in here for now,” Monte barks.

“We should keep going,” Yusif objects.

“Keep going!” Oddball shrieks.

“Are you nuts?” Johnson asks.

Yusif faces them, “How far behind are your engineers?”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Johnson asks.

Yusif looks to Monte.

Monte looks down, “It’ll take engineers to get us out if we can’t find a way.”

“How far?” Yusif asks again.

“Three days,” Monte tells everyone.

Oddball looks to the dead priests, “Aw man.”

“We must move, find another exit,” Yusif tells them.

“And fight more of them thingies? No thanks,” Oddball states.

“We’ll let the professor here work on that map and wait,” he tells them.

Yusif looks to Camir.

“Wait,” Yusif curses under his breath.

“Johnson, drag those bodies out of sight. Rest of you, get busy on those weapons,” Monte orders.

“Load of horse shit,” Johnson grumbles.

“That’s enough!”

Oddball smiles, “You should listen to him Sarge. He’s from Texas, and if he knows about anything, it’s horse shit.”

Oddball dodges out of Johnson’s reach.

Chapter 10

Vanessa sits under the map on the wall making a copy on an old piece of parchment. Yusif approaches with her journal.

“Will this help?” he hands it to her. She locks eyes with him.

“Yes, thank you.”

She takes the journal. Yusif turns to leave.

“It has begun?” she asks.

Yusif looks back to her, “Yesterday.”

Vanessa thinks, “Then, you are…” she leaves it hanging.

Yusif nods. Vanessa turns to the map. It shows all of Africa and the Middle East, “Then I must hurry.”

Yusif walks to Camir who looks over a wrinkled parchment by candlelight.

Pilch and Matty sit behind the defensive barricade at the doorway. Pilch dozes off. Matty, with his back to the hallway, looks at a weathered photo of his wife and baby. Something moves in the darkness. Matty picks up the Luger.

Monte sits alone with a note-pad and pencil, somberly looking over the dog tags of those that have fallen.

Vanessa approaches.

“Well?”

She hands him the copy of the map, “Many of the passages lead to exits.”

“That’s good,” he says looking down at the map. It shows the entire Middle East, “You got to be shittin’ me.”

Vanessa shrugs, “Most of the passages lead for hundreds of miles before they surface. If you believe the map.”

“This ain’t helpin’, lady.”

“One of the exits is close,” she points it out to Monte. He nods, and she walks away as he studies the map.

Camir and Yusif are huddled over a parchment. It shows the same map. They speak in Arabic.

“A half-day’s travel,” Camir notes indicating the route, the same route.

Yusif nods, “Yes.”

“We must hurry; there isn’t much time.”

Yusif grimly nods. Camir looks over at Vanessa, who sits down next to Oddball, “Strange addition.”

“Everyone has a task.”

Camir nods and stands, “I will scout ahead.”

Vanessa leans back against the wall next to Oddball. He looks over to her, “You find us a way out of this mess?”

“I hope so.”

Oddball smiles, “I knew you would.”

Vanessa looks to Monte, who studies the map, “The men don’t seem to like the Sergeant.”

Oddball shakes his head, “Naw, we just ain’t used to him. We lost all our non-coms at Kaserrine, and ’ole Monte got promoted. One day, he’s tossin’ the baseball with us, and next he’s acting all high and mighty.”

Pilch struggles to keep his eyes open. Camir walks by and waves as he heads down one of the tunnels.

Matty waves to Camir and turns back to Pilch, “It’s gotta be religious.”

“Uh-huh”

“Some kind of curse or something.”

Matty stops cleaning the Luger, and listens. Something moves in the darkness. Matty sits up, straining his ears, peering into the tunnel, “You hear that?” he looks to the other tunnel, “I thought he went… oh well,” Matty shrugs and drops down with his back to the tunnels, “Like I was saying, it’s got to be religious. A pagan thing.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I shoulda paid more attention in Sunday school.”

A hand slowly moves toward Matty’s head from the other side of the barricade.

“Pilch, for Christ sakes, I’m trying to have a philosophical discussion…”

The hand grabs Matty’s head and he’s jerked into the tunnel.

“Yeah,” Pilch hears a muffled cry and opens his eyes, “Matty?” he looks into the dark tunnel, then looks down, seeing something. He picks up a gold coin on a leather necklace.

Chapter 11

Monte and the others stand at the entrance to the tunnel. Everyone is on edge, scared, with fingers on triggers.

Monte looks into the darkness, “Shit,” he looks to Pilch, “You saw nothin’?”

“I told you; I dozed off for one second, and he was gone!”

“God-damn-it!”

“Besides, that damn A-rab was out there. Hell, he might a’ done it himself.”

Yusif puts a hand on his scimitar.

Monte turns on Pilch, “Shut up!”

Vanessa studies the coin, “This is a Denarius. Roman coin, from 200 B.C.”

“Why would that be down here?” Johnson asks.

“Why is anything down here?” Oddball whines.

Monte shakes his head, “Oddball.”

Oddball continues, “Nazis and demon priests and undead and…”

“Oddball.”

“Hell, why are we down here?”

“That’s enough!”

Johnson spits on the ground, “Yeah, sure it is.”

“I’m trying to get us out of here alive.”

“That why Matty’s gone?” Johnson accuses.

From down the tunnel, they hear a whistle. Pilch raises his weapon. Monte motions for the men to take up firing positions.

“No!” Yusif barks.

Monte looks to him as he whistles toward the darkness. Camir emerges from the tunnel.

“Geez, that guy gets around,” Oddball whines.

Yusif hands Camir a canteen, and he takes a long pull. The two begin to talk in Arabic. Yusif turns to the men, “To the right is a barracks room, I think for the undead we killed before…”

Oddball interrupts, “Undead we killed?”

“Yes, to the…”

Oddball interrupts again, “That don’t make no sense.”

“Oddball!” Monte snaps.

“I’m just saying, ought to be a different word for it is all.”

“How about undead you re-killed,” Vanessa suggests.

Oddball thinks about it and nods, “See. That’s better.”

“I swear, I’m gonna kill you myself,” Monte says between clenched teeth.

Oddball winks at her. Monte shakes his head in frustration and turns to Yusif.

“Ahead, the tunnel leads down. The Germans are there,” Yusif reports.

Monte nods, “Down it is.”

“Thought we was stayin’ here,” Johnson says.

“We still got a mission. We can always fall back here.”

“And we gotta find Matty!” Pilch says.

Monte looks doubtful, “Sure, Pilch. We’ll look for Matty too.”

Monte looks to Yusif, who shakes his head.

Monte turns to Oddball, “You’re on point.”

“Me? But Sarge, I’m no good on point,” he whines.

“Oddball!”

“I’m serious, Johnson is way better.”

Monte points toward the corridor, and Oddball reluctantly starts off.

Chapter 12

Oddball is on point with Monte close behind. Water drips from the walls. The torchlight flickers. The tunnel is tight and dark. Oddball stops. From ahead, they hear the sounds of muffled gunfire, followed by screams.

Oddball turns around, “We should go back.”

Monte spins him back around, “Keep moving.”

Oddball sighs, “Shut up Oddball, keep moving Oddball, knock it off Odd…”

Something moves in the darkness ahead.

Oddball screams, “Here they come!” and opens fire.

The rest of the men take up positions, and the tunnel is instantly a blinding din of flashing gunfire.

Monte signals them to stop, “Cease fire!”

“Zombies!” Oddball screams and continues firing.

“Cease fire!”

Monte snatches Oddball’s weapon from his hands. Oddball looks at him guiltily.

Monte turns to the rest of the men, “Everyone take a deep breath and calm down!”

Oddball shakes with fear. Monte shines his flashlight ahead and illuminates a dead rat that’s been blown to bits. Monte looks to Oddball who sighs and shrugs.

Monte hands Oddball back his weapon, “Johnson, take point.”

Johnson slips past. Pilch lights a cigarette and hands it to Oddball.

“Thanks, pal.”

Vanessa puts a hand on his shoulder, “I would have shot it, too.”

“Really?”

“Oh yeah, he had it coming,” and she smiles at him.

Oddball frowns, embarrassed.

Johnson stops as the tunnel opens into a football-field-sized room with a low crumbling ceiling that’s held up by rough timbers. German bodies litter the floor entrance. He puts his hand up, “Quiet. Somebody is…” and he peers ahead.

He can see a group of Germans behind a makeshift barricade at the far end of the room.

Monte grumbles, “Germans.”

“Live or dead?” Oddball asks.

Pilch smiles, “Dead by the time I’m done with ’em.”

The Americans get into a firing line as several figures move toward them from a side tunnel jutting off from the room midway along its length.

Johnson spits, “Looks like they aim to hit us.”

Some of the figures move toward the Americans; most move toward the German position. Monte looks to the figures moving toward them, “What kind of uniforms are those?”

“I was right. Romans,” Vanessa says.

The attacking undead wear the uniforms of Roman Legionnaires.

Pilch lines up his rifle on a German, “Congratu-fuckin’-lations Professor.”

As they get closer the Americans can see they are almost full skeletons --skin dangles from bone and the uniforms fit poorly with little meat left on the men.

The Americans open fire. The Germans open fire on the Romans from their position.

“Go for head shots!” Yusif screams.

Pilch smiles and mutters to himself, “Just the way I like it,” he fires dropping the German with a shot through the head, “That felt good,” he says evilly and lines up on another German, a fellow sniper, “Hello, sweetheart.”

Pilch smiles as his finger touches the trigger. Monte notices and hits him in the helmet as he fires, sending the shot wild. Muller and the Sniper look over.

“That way!” Monte indicates the Romans.

“But…”

Monte smacks Pilch in the helmet, “Fire!”

Pilch mutters to himself as he lines up on a Roman. Camir slips past them and moves toward the German position.

“Where’s he going now?” Monte cries out.

“To the Germans,” Yusif tells him.

“Think we’ve got enough on our plate right now.”

The Roman attackers go down under the heavy American fire, heads missing or obliterated, bodies flailing like broken dolls onto the ground. Eerie screams of longing and death echo through the enormous room as balls of energy exit the skeletons as they are put down. Camir calls from the German position in Arabic.

“More are coming from the tunnel ahead!” Yusif translates.

The Romans’ battle cries echo through the room. Monte puts a hand on Oddball, who is visibly shaken, “Steady, son. Grenades.”

With quaking hands, Oddball pulls out two grenades.

“Wait for my command.”

Camir and fifteen German survivors make a run for the Americans’ position.

“Who do we shoot?” Pilch screams.

Monte is unsure, and looks to the two different forces advancing toward them.

“The Romans!” Yusif screams.

Pilch is lined up on the Germans; he looks back, “But they’re Germans!”

Monte looks to Yusif.

“They wish to join us. Trust me!”

“Fuck ’em, he’s traded sides,” Pilch says.

Monte nods, “Covering fire! Protect the Germans!”

Pilch moves his rifle toward the Romans, “God-damn-it!”

The Americans open up on the Romans.

Oddball looks to Monte, “Grenades?”

“Not yet!”

A German goes down under a Roman’s blade. Pilch picks off the Roman before he can take down another.

“They are not going to make it,” Yusif says.

Another German falls with a spear in his leg. A German Sergeant stops to pick him up. The Romans pause in their advance to fall on the pair, quickly slashing them to pieces with short swords and spears. Camir and twelve German survivors are able to make it behind the Americans’ firing line.

“Get them back in the tunnel!” Monte yells.

“Fuck it. Let ’em fight,” Oddball suggests.

Monte looks at the German soldiers, a tough bunch, and nods in agreement. A spear sails in to take a German in chest. Everyone crouches for cover as more spears sail in. Vanessa moves forward and pulls the injured man back. Johnson scoops up a dropped Roman shield and uses it for cover.

Monte looks to the Romans and then to the Germans, “Can you fight?”

Muller steps forward, “We need ammo.”

Monte picks up a rifle from a German corpse and tosses it to him. The other Germans start picking through the bodies of the fallen looking for ammo. Muller slams a round into the chamber and glares at Pilch.

“Take your best shot, fuehrer,” Pilch spits at him.

The sniper moves forward to confront Pilch, but Muller pulls him back.

“Karl, relax.”

“Gutless…”

Monte jerks Pilch back and roughly tosses him to the other side of their position.

“Here they come!” Johnson screams.

The Germans and Americans open fire. Long muzzle flashes from the weapons reaching out, empty shell casing dropping to the ground and a wall of death shattering the Roman line. The assault slows, but the Romans keep coming, pieces of their bodies being blown away as they approach. The horde looks unstoppable.

“They’re gonna break through!” Johnson screams.

A scared German soldier stands up and dropping his weapon, runs from the onslaught.

Johnson watches him go, “Hey! You dirty yellow son-of-a…”

The scared German only makes it a few steps when a bullet hits him in the back. A German sergeant, Krugger, stands looking at the man he just killed. The other Germans and GIs look to the smoking gun barrel and the monster of a man.

“Fight!” Krugger yells and points toward the Romans.

The Romans are almost on them, snarling, screaming. A wall of lead sprays from the Americans’ position. A spear takes a German in the neck with a sickening crunch.

“Grenades!” Monte signals Oddball.

Oddball tosses them. The grenades explode. The air is filled with debris and bones. The second wave of Romans breaks through.

“Again!” Monte yells.

Oddball pulls two grenades and throws them. But it’s too late. The Romans are on them. One jumps over the bodies and lands on Oddball. He screams as the Roman thrusts a dagger at his head.

“Oh shit!” Oddball cries out trying to keep the dagger from his face.

As Oddball grapples with the Roman, another jumps over the bodies, meeting Yusif’s blade. Oddball struggles with both hands to keep the dagger away.

“Keep firing! Johnson, look out!” Monte screams.

Another Roman tackles Johnson. He rolls away from its knife and fires into its head and then uses his shield to bash the skull in of another Roman that’s crawling toward him. Krugger picks up the Roman trying to stab Oddball and throws it, flailing, into the incoming horde. Oddball pulls out his archeological shovel and starts hacking for his life. He doesn’t see a Roman charging him from behind. The Roman readies his spear to run Oddball through when Karl fires point-blank. The Roman drops to the floor. Oddball spins and gives Karl a nod of thanks, but Karl doesn’t notice because he’s lining up on his next target. Pilch fires and drops a Roman; then Karl fires dropping another. Shot by shot the two snipers fire, looking to each other and trying to out do the other.

One of the Germans is disemboweled by a Roman’s blade. Oddball slips on the bloody mess, “Join the Army they said; who wants to be on a ship? Yeah, good choice Oddball.”

“They’re flanking us!” Muller yells.

“Advance, on me! On me!” Monte screams.

Monte steps forward and leads the group through the horde, counter attacking to break out before they are surrounded.

“Kill ’em, kill all the sons a’ bitches!” Monte yells, and they fight for their lives.

With a hail of fire the soldiers advance, anger replacing fear. Krugger uses a dead Roman like a battering ram to clear a path. Another German goes down screaming, his entrails spilling onto the ground from the slash of a Roman’s short sword. Monte slams a new magazine in his Thompson and fires a long burst into three Romans coming at him. He guides the burst high and stitches all three through the head. He spins to see the floor is piled with bodies and the combined group of Americans and Germans are killing off the last of the Roman horde with single shots. He sighs and lowers his weapon, out of breath, blood dripping down his uniform, “Alright.”

Muller looks to him, “Thank you. I’m Captain Muller.”

Monte glares at him, “Don’t thank me. We came to kill you, not to save you.”

Muller nods and smiles, “If I am your prisoner, under the Geneva Convention, you are responsible for my protection.”

Krugger starts to gather the German troops behind Muller.

“That’s funny,” Monte says sarcastically.

The two stare each other down. Muller holds his pistol at his side. The Germans and American eye each other suspiciously, fingers on triggers, weapons at the ready.

“We gonna have a problem?” Monte finally asks.

The two men look over their opposing forces, evenly matched.

Muller shrugs, “Could go either way.”

Monte grips his weapon tight and nods, “Could.”

Muller turns to his men, “Stand down.”

Monte slings his Thompson and the Americans relax. Muller extends his hand.

“Let’s just get one thing straight. I’m in charge,” Monte says firmly.

“I understand… Sergeant.”

Monte extends his hand, and the two men shake.

Pilch steps forward and spits at Muller’s feet, “No fucking way. I ain’t joining forces with no murdering bast…”

Karl hits Pilch with a hook.

Pilch glares at him, “That the best you got, Jerry?”

Pilch draws his arm back to strike when Monte grabs him and tosses him back out of the way. Weapons are pointed on both sides.

Muller gently pushes Karl back. Monte nods an apology to him and turns to Pilch.

“If you haven’t noticed, we’re in the shit here.”

Pilch rubs his jaw, “Bastards killed my brother. U-boat sunk his transport; he drowned in the North Atlantic.”

Pilch moves for Muller, and Monte has to push him back.

“Seventeen and drowned ’cause these fucking bastards want to take over the world!”

“If you can’t control yourself, soldier, you can hand over that weapon.”

Pilch and Monte lock eyes.

“He’s a god-damn Kraut officer; they butchered us at Kasserine! Larry, Tom, Harrigan all of ’em.”

The mood is tense, soldier eyeing soldier.

“Give me your weapon.”

“Fuck you.”

“Now!”

Pilch tosses Monte his rifle, and the soldiers on both sides lower their weapons. Monte slings Pilchs’ rifle and turns to Muller, “Any way outta here?”

Muller points toward the tunnel, “It goes deeper.”

“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.

Chapter 13

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.”

Johnson nods and moves down the hallway. Yusif prays over Camir’s lifeless corpse. Vanessa follows after Johnson.

Johnson opens the door. He looks inside, followed by Vanessa. The room has four cots and a table. Ancient weapons hang on the wall, and a journal and hairbrush lay on a table. Vanessa looks at the swords on the wall and an intricate painting of a city on the sea.

“Carthaginian,” she states.

Pilch lights a cigarette, “Who?”

“Rome’s ancient enemy. A great city… never mind.”

Yusif raises his scimitar.

“What are you doing?” Monte asks.

“Saving him,” Yusif gives his old friend a last look, then beheads him. Monte looks on, understanding.

Johnson opens the next door. Vanessa looks in.

A statue stands in the center of the room with a water pool at its base. Pilch notices the statue is holding a beautifully gilded gold jewelry box. Vanessa assesses the artifacts.

“Babylonians. This is an incredibly rare find!”

Pilch steps in and picks up a gold jewelry box. Vanessa starts to go in, Monte grabs her.

“Let’s go.”

“But these are once-in-a-lifetime discoveries!”

Monte pushes her down the tunnel. Vanessa looks back, disappointed. Monte looks to Pilch, “Leave it and move.”

Pilch sighs, “Bet Matty’s little girl would like this.”

Monte takes in a breath to shout and then notices Pilchs’ face; he’s still shaken from the incident with Smith, “Leave it, buddy.”

Pilch sets it back down and walks out. Ahead, Vanessa sees another door. She opens it.

A series of bunks line the walls. Resting on each bunk are remains of chain mail armor and piles of bone dust.

“What are they?” Oddball asks.

“Assyrian, I think, could be older”

She starts to step in, but Monte jerks her out and slams the door shut.

“I must document these rooms.”

“This ain’t a field trip lady,” Monte snaps and pushes her away from the door.

“Doctor,” she informs him.

He shoves her down the hallway roughly, “Doctor,” he chides.

“Come on, Sarge. Let her, uh… document. It sounds important,” Oddball whines.

“Carthaginians, Assyrians, Babylonians, this is why I’m here.”

“Lady, take a look around you. These boys are my responsibility and I ain’t losin’ none ’cause you want to ‘document’ a bunch of crap!”

Monte swings the last door open. His eyes go wide as he sees 4 armored skeletons laying in the cots. Vanessa looks in, “Greek, look at the shields, from Alexander’s personal guard,” she starts to step in, and Monte stops her.

“No!”

“They’re long dead…”

One of the skeletons turns toward her. Vanessa eyes go wide. The four start to rise, but before they can stand the old bones burst into powder and their armor falls to the floor. The balls of energy escape into the ceiling with shrieks of agony. Monte slams the door closed.

“Geez, Sarge, you ain’t gotta be so rude,” Oddball tell him.

Vanessa and Monte share a look.

“It’s OK,” she tells Oddball.

Yusif pushes past them, “We must continue.”

Chapter 14

Yusif leads them on. The tunnel is gradually becoming more loose rock than stone.

“Slow down,” Monte calls ahead to him.

Upset at the loss of his friend Yusif ignores him and pushes on.

Dark holes lead into the depths on both sides, some big enough for a man. Unknown creatures scurry into the shadows. The men move cautiously.

“You’re sure this is the right way?” Monte asks Vanessa.

“If the map is correct.”

Oddball looks into one of the caves leading off the main tunnel back into darkness and then turns to Johnson, “So we’re almost out of here, right? All them Zumbi, Zombie thingies are behind us, right? No reason they should know where we are, right?”

Johnson looks up to see caves leading off above them, “Just keep tellin’ yourself that, buddy.”

A muffled scream comes from behind them, and they all look back.

“Where is Hans?” Krugger asks.

Uneasy, the men look into the dark holes; water drips and the sounds of movement come from all around them. A German soldier walks back, looking for Hans.

From one of the dark holes behind them a spear is thrust out and into the German’s gut; the man screams as the spear is jerked out along with a portion of his entrails. As he drops to his knees, another spear hits him in the chest.

“Look out!” Krugger yells as he jerks a spear and pulls a leather-clad woman warrior from the passage next to him that was attempting to run him through, “What do we have here?” he says with a smile. She hisses at him, an inhuman sound, and Krugger looks at her face to see it’s weathered and evil. She reaches for a dagger in her belt. “No you don’t,” Krugger tells her and in a quick move he snaps her neck and throws her back into the hole.

A rope noose descends from the ceiling and catches a German around his neck and jerks him up toward a hole in the ceiling. Krugger grabs hold of his feet to try and pull him down.

Vanessa screams. Oddball looks to see her being pulled up into another hole by her neck.

“Vanessa!” he grabs her feet.

Krugger struggles to hold on, “Your knife, use your knife!” Krugger is lifted off the ground. The warrior whose neck he broke steps back out, her head twisted awkwardly and hanging limp. She comes at him, and he kicks her in the chest, “Cut the line!” he calls up.

Monte and Karl fire wildly into the holes as more leather-clad warriors attack.

Pilch struggles with a warrior as she tries to run him through with a spear, “Three months without a dame, and it’s gotta be this.”

Muller steps up and shoots her in the face.

“Thanks…” Pilch turns to see that it’s Muller and bites his lip with frustration.

“Pilch!” Monte screams.

Pilch looks to Monte, who tosses him his rifle. Pilch looks at Muller and then turns to shoot an attacking warrior.

Oddball struggles to hold onto Vanessa, “Hang on.”

Krugger tries to save his comrade’s life and beat back the crippled warrior. From the shadows, a warrior emerges, with spear in hand. “No, bitch,” he kicks her in the face and then loses his grip, falling to the ground. The German on the rope is jerked up screaming. Something in the ceiling above makes a deep rumbling growl followed by the sickening sound of crushing bone. The German’s screams abruptly stop, and Krugger rolls away as a fountain of blood rains down from above.

Oddball looks on with fear as what’s left of the German splatters down onto the ground. He looks up horrified, and grabs hold of the line above Vanessa’s head and climbs up into the ceiling. A spear narrowly misses him, and he sees several leather-clad warriors pulling on the line leading down to Vanessa, “Hi ya’, ladies,” he says with a smile and pulls out his pistol. He aims carefully and shoots one and then another in the head; the rest scatter down tunnels and into the darkness with Oddball sending rounds after them. Oddball looks down to Vanessa, “Are you alright?” from a large hole he hears a growl and looks up, “Uh-oh,” A leather clad man of 400 pounds steps from the darkness with two large axes, “Damn, and I thought the women were ugly.”

Oddball looks at his pistol; it’s empty, “Gotta go,” and he drops down the hole as the two blades narrowly miss him, landing hard on Vanessa.

“Ow!” she cries out.

“That was close.”

She looks into his eyes, “Thank you,” and she kisses him on the cheek.

Pilch dodges as another warrior comes out of a hole near him. The spear nicks his side, and he winces in pain. Yusif strikes, deftly severing the warrior’s head. It lands at his feet, and he kicks it away. Pilch looks at Yusif with grudging appreciation.

“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.

Chapter 15

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.”

Yusif smiles, “With great pleasure.”

Pilch smiles, but then thinks about what Yusif just said and frowns.

Oddball and Vanessa stand at the end of the chamber. It has collapsed into a mass of dirt. Monte walks up, “This the way?”

“Yes.”

“That could be a problem,” Pilch notes, coming up behind them.

Yusif stoops and sees a small opening in the collapsed tunnel, “We can fit.”

Oddball looks into the passage, just big enough to crawl through, “Oh no.”

Oddball turns to go and Vanessa grabs him before Monte can, spinning him around, “It’ll be easy, I’ll hold your hand.”

Monte laughs.

“This ain’t funny, Sarge.”

“Oh yes it is, son. Yes it is.”

Yusif crawls in and quickly disappears. Monte follows.

Chapter 16

The water has drained away to reveal what is left of Lewis lying at the entrance stone. The lower half of his torso has been blown away by the earlier blast and his battered corpse is motionless. The stone block rolls aside revealing the temple entrance room and the statue of Belial seems to gaze upon him. Lewis wears the necklace that he took from the tents. A small ruby in its center lights up. Lewis coughs up a lung-full of water and looks down at his body, “Aw man,” he closes his eyes in despair and holds back tears. Then, his eyes snap open, and he whips his neck to gaze at the statue of Belial, “Yes Master,” and he starts to pull himself toward the statue.

Yusif crawls along the tight passage with dirt raining down onto him, “I can see light ahead,” he calls back.

“Just hurry up,” Monte yells to him.

Oddball struggles to move forward, grunting all the way. Vanessa is ahead of him, “Almost there, you’re OK?” she tells him.

“You know, it’s the man that is supposed to be reassuring the woman.”

Vanessa kicks him in the head.

“Ow!”

Muller pulls himself along, ahead of Vanessa. Something moves in the dirt beside him. He looks back to see Karl driving his dagger into the dirt, “From the walls, they’re coming from the walls.”

“Forward!” Muller yells.

Oddball looks around, “What the fuck?” A hand breaks into the tunnel from the dirt and grabs him, “Undead! Coming out of the walls!”

Krugger is bringing up the rear, he struggles through the tunnel, his sheer size bringing down pounds of dirt on top of him.

Yusif pulls himself out and turns to help Monte, “Hurry!”

Muller uses his pistol and shoots into a badly decomposed body that is attacking him as Karl climbs out ahead of him, “To me! To me!” Karl screams as he reaches in and pulls Muller out.

Hands have grabbed Oddball, “Help!”

Pilch climbs out and looks back, “Oddball!”

Vanessa climbs over the corpse that Muller left and struggles for the exit. Pilch and Karl reach in and pull her out, all three falling to floor.

Oddball pushes past his attacker and quickly crawls for the exit as more hands grab for him, “They got me!”

Muller dives back into the tunnel, “Hold my feet, my feet!” he yells back and Pilch and Monte grab his feet and lean in as Muller reaches for Oddball, “To me boy! To me!” Oddball reaches out for Muller.

“Help me!”

Their fingers touch.

“A little more!”

Muller grabs him, “Go!” he screams.

The two are quickly pulled free as Pilch and Monte jerk them out to land in a heap on the floor.

Oddball looks up to Vanessa, “It’ll be easy, you said. Easy.”

She shrugs.

Muller looks back to the tunnel, “Krugger,” he stands and dives back in. He can see Krugger, hands ripping him to pieces as more undead crawl out of the dirt, “Sergeant, to me, to me!”

Krugger looks up, fear in his eyes as bony hands tear the flesh from his body, “Help me!”

“Oh god!” Muller cries as chunks of meat and skin are ripped from Krugger and his cries for help turn into shrieks of anguish.

Pilch jerks Muller out of the tunnel and Karl fires a round from his long gun, hitting Krugger in the head. Monte throws in a grenade, “Fire in the hole!”

The tunnel collapses in the explosion and Muller falls back onto the stone floor.

“I’m sorry,” Monte tells him.

Muller looks up, tears in his eyes, “A baker, he was just a baker,” he looks to Karl.

Karl is near tears, “I had to,” he looks down, upset.

“It’s OK son,” Muller says giving him a fatherly squeeze.

Pilch looks at Oddball talking softly with Vanessa and then to Muller sitting on the floor.

He approaches Muller, “You saved my friend.”

Muller looks up.

“I ain’t got many left. Maybe you do have a worthwhile bone in your stinking body after all,” and Pilch holds out his hand. Muller takes it and Pilch pulls him up. The two turn around.

“Jesus Christ!” Pilch exclaims.

Chapter 17

In the entrance chamber, Lewis claws his way up to the head of the statue. He looks into the stone eyes of Belial and then struggles to pull the necklace off his neck. He holds the necklace in one hand and looks again into Belial’s eyes, “Forgive me,” and he puts the necklace on Belial and then falls to the floor below with a sickening crunch.

Belial turns to flesh and steps from the pedestal. He grips the mighty sword in his hand and looks down to Lewis.

“Please, you promised,” Lewis begs.

Belial smirks with an evil grin, “Yes, I did.”

Belial draws back to strike, and Lewis closes his eyes, “Thank you.”

Belial strikes twice and walks toward the entrance tunnel.

“No, you promised!” Lewis screams, lying on the floor, both his arms severed off beside him. A torso with no way to move.

“You promised!”

The group stands with the collapsed tunnel behind them in a vast, vaulted treasure room. Gold, rubies, statues, every kind of treasure litter the floor. Embedded in the walls are six life-sized statues of winged warrior women with long dagger like nails and flowing hair.

“Holy shit!” Oddball exclaims.

“All the wealth of the world,” Muller muses.

Vanessa looks at a statue.

“They look like angels,” Pilch comments.

Vanessa points to the closest one, “Gargoyles.”

Pilch shrugs, “Still gorgeous.”

Vanessa looks closely at a statue. Monte sees a door on the other side that Yusif is already moving toward, “Come on, let’s go.”

“I ain’t leavin’ without a souvenir. For my mom, of course,” Oddball says as he picks up a coin and flips it into the air.

“No. It’ll slow you down,” Monte tells him.

Karl has walked to the center and is filling his pack with treasure.

Yusif looks back from the door, “It is death to take from them.”

“Who?” Pilch asks.

Yusif points to the statue that Vanessa is inspecting.

“I’m telling you, they ain’t gonna mind. Right, pal?” Oddball tosses a coin at Karl to get his attention. Karl looks in his direction and smiles.

“It looks so life-like; the quality is excellent,” Vanessa touches the statue and jerks her hand back, “Oh my god! It’s not stone.”

“What is it?” Pilch asks her.

“It’s real,” she says quickly heading for the door.

“We’re leaving,” and Monte turns to leave.

Oddball turns to go, but when Monte can’t see, he scoops up a handful of coins and pockets them. The ground trembles.

Muller is at the door, “Karl, leave it.”

“Not on your life,” he lifts the bag up over his shoulder with a grunt. The ground rocks.

“That can’t be good,” Pilch says and runs for the door.

“Shit,” Monte yells.

A gargoyle slips from the wall landing on the ground, wings flapping.

“They’re alive!” Muller screams to Karl.

Monte grabs Vanessa and pushes her out of the room. Oddball runs for the door.

“Behind you!” Monte screams at him.

A gargoyle flies toward Oddball, who turns and throws a handful gold coins at it, “I don’t want it; I don’t want it!” She dives at him, claws extended. Oddball screams and ducks, and she sails over him.

“Run!” Monte screams waving Oddball on.

Three gargoyles descend on Karl.

“Sarge, help me!” Oddball shrieks as the gargoyle swings around. Monte pulls Oddball through the door. The gargoyle is closing in on them and as they burst through, Muller slams the door closed. They hear Karl’s screams from the other side. The door crashes, and Muller is pushed back.

“I don’t think they’re staying inside.”

Yusif helps him hold the door. Another crash, and they both are pushed back. Oddball jumps in to help. Three hits rock the door, knocking the men down. A gargoyle stands in the doorway holding Karl’s severed head. Monte levels his gun. The Gargoyle knocks him onto the ground and flies down the hallway. Another steps out and looks at Oddball. The creature growls, showing its sharp teeth. Oddball crawls back against the wall, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Oddball reaches in his pocket and starts throwing gold coins into the room. The Gargoyle raises her hand back, ready to strike with razor sharp claws, “Couple more.”

Monte levels his gun at her.

“I wouldn’t,” Yusif advises him.

Monte looks to see the rest of the Gargoyles standing in the doorway, ready to attack.

Monte looks to Oddball, “Sorry, son, you’re on your own.”

Oddball tosses in the last of the coins and looks into the room, “There you go! That’s all of ’em.” Oddball smiles. The Gargoyle stares at him.

“Oh, shit,” Oddball says.

With a rush of air, the other Gargoyle flies back into the room. Oddball cringes. The one in front of him leans down and waves her finger ‘no.’

“Yeah, got it. Real sorry, won’t happen again.”

She speaks in an ancient tongue and then scratches Oddball’s cheek, just enough to draw blood. Oddball shakes with fear as she slams the door closed. He lies back on the floor with a sigh.

Pilch smiles, “Think she’s fresh on you.”

Oddball looks over to him, “I wonder what she said.”

“Do not touch me, my possessions nor my heart,” Vanessa translates.

“Trust me, I ain’t touchin’ nothing that bitch has got!”

Monte looks around the tunnel they’re now in. It’s lined with human skulls from floor to ceiling. At the far end, a speck of red light can be seen.

Pilch looks around at the skulls, “Must be thousands.”

“There is no end to man’s greed when it comes to gold,” Yusif states, “And in this place, they must pay for it.”

Monte leads the way forward, “Let’s make sure we don’t become wallpaper, too.”

Oddball looks to the light at the end of the tunnel, “That don’t look like sunlight to me.”

Yusif nods, “We are almost there.”

Oddball stops, “So let me get this straight -- the door to hell is just ahead, and you want us to just walk up and close it?”

Yusif nods and continues on.

Oddball shakes his head, “Something wrong with that guy. He’s always too calm.”

Yusif leads them to an intersection and stops. He looks ahead, toward the light.

“Look,” Pilch says and points to the wall where Karl’s head is surrounded by ancient skulls.

“Bastards,” Muller says.

“The door, we must hurry,” Yusif says.

From the other corridor, they hear the rush of running boots. Monte looks toward the noise, “Go! We’ll keep them off your back.”

Yusif starts moving toward the light.

“Pilch, go with him,” Monte orders.

Pilch and Monte lock eyes, tension in the air. Pilch nods and turns to go.

“Wait,” Monte says and Pilch turns back to find Monte’s hand extended.

Oddball and Muller take up firing positions, preparing for the onslaught. Oddball stares down his sights waiting, “Dear Mom. I’m standing in a skull-lined cave under the desert. On one side of me is an army of undead. On the other side, the gate to hell. Hope all is well back in Sioux Falls. Love, Oddball.”

Vanessa shakes her head, “You certainly have a way with words.”

“That’s what my drill sergeant told me.”

Vanessa looks to Oddball, Monte and Muller with weapons ready, “Do you have an extra gun?”

Oddball hands her a pistol with a smile.

“Thanks,” and she kisses him on the lips.

Pilch stares at the hand for a long moment and then reaches out to take it. The two men grip hands firmly.

“Go,” Monte tells him, and Pilch starts after Yusif.

“Stop!”

Pilch looks back to see Belial at the tunnel’s entrance and runs after Yusif.

Monte looks to Belial, “No stopping him now.”

Belial glares at Monte, “You will live to see the end of days for this.”

Monte nods, “So be it,” and Monte shoots Belial in the head.

Chapter 18

Pilch and Yusif walk carefully down the tunnel. Pilch looks over his shoulder as gunfire erupts behind them.

“Get ready,” Yusif advises.

Something moves ahead, “What’s that?”

“I was told the gate would be guarded.”

“By who?”

“My father.”

Pilch sighs, “No, guarded by who?”

Yusif smiles, “The ones who opened the gate. Sumerians.”

Ahead, four skeletons step from alcoves in the wall. Yusif draws his scimitar as a Sumerian advances, his sword held low, the point waving back and forth.

“Welcome to 1943 asshole,” Pilch fires, and the Sumerian’s skull explodes. The rest charge for them. Pilch fires again, and another goes down.

“Do not go gently,” Yusif mutters.

The last two skeletons attack with their swords. Pilch uses his rifle to block a swipe. The Sumerian easily knocks his rifle from his hands and draws back for the deathblow. Yusif blocks a swipe and quickly swipes the head off the skeleton Pilch is facing. He has saved Pilch but opened himself up for attack. The last skeleton catches him in the side. Yusif goes down with a cry, and the skeleton raises his sword. Pilch fires his pistol, taking the skeleton’s head off.

Chapter 19

Belial smiles at Monte as he spits the smoking bullet from his mouth, “Fools.”

From behind Belial step Harris, Margrave, and ten other German and American soldiers.

Oddball lowers his weapon and smiles, “Hey L-T,” and waves.

Monte looks over to Oddball, irked.

Oddball looks to Monte, “What?”

Monte shakes his head in irritation. Belial walks toward the passage, heading for Yusif and Pilch. Monte steps in front of him, blocking his path, “You and me got business.”

Belial raises his hand palm out and sends a blast of energy that knocks Monte to the floor.

“Neat trick,” Monte compliments him as he starts after Pilch again. Monte kicks him in the knee as he passes, with no effect.

“Insolent knave,” Belial says stopping to run him through with his sword.

The sword slips into Monte’s chest and breaks through his back with a wet crunch; he shudders as Belial twists the blade inside of his body. Monte reaches out, and with both hands grabs hold of the blade, keeping Belial in place.

“No!” Oddball screams.

Belial smiles evilly down at Monte and kicks him off the blade with a spray of blood. Monte falls back dead.

Belial looks back to Harris and the undead, “Kill them all,” he orders and then moves down the hallway unopposed.

Chapter 20

Pilch and Yusif walk to the end of the tunnel. Yusif walks with a limp while carrying his scimitar and a Sumerian sword.

Pilch looks to his wound, “You could have let me take the blow.”

“Then, you would be dead.”

“But you’d be OK and have a better chance…”

Yusif interrupts him, “My fate was sealed the day I was born.”

A simple wooden door stands open 30 meters ahead.

“We are here.”

Pilch looks to the wooden door, “That’s it?”

“Yes.”

“Just that shitty wooden door?”

“Mahogany, I believe.”

“The gates to Hell!” and Pilch makes big gestures with his arms, “A fucking mahogany door.”

“I am sorry it is not what you expected.”

A small dog-sized creature emerges from the gateway.

“Hey boy,” Pilch calls and pats his side. The creature opens its mouth and gives a ear-piercing demonic scream.

“What the hell is that?” Pilch cries out in alarm.

Yusif shrugs, “Imp.”

“What the fuck is an imp?” and Pilch looks to see it has a scaly red hide.

“A lesser demon.”

“Lesser?”

“Still very nasty.”

The imp opens its mouth in a growl, and Pilchs’ eyes go wide at seeing multiple rows of razor sharp teeth, “Jesus Christ!”

It charges, its knife-like claws digging into the stone and sending out showers of sparks.

“Excuse me,” Yusif says and steps forward.

The imp lunges for his throat and he neatly cuts it in two.

Pilch looks down at the quivering flesh, “Is there a greater demon?”

“Yes, many sizes.”

Pilch is speechless.

Yusif looks to him, “We must hurry.”

They are both knocked to the ground by an energy blast and look back to see Belial marching toward them.

“I got him, go,” Pilch says climbing to his feet.

“No, it would mean certain death.”

“The gate, it’s more important than you or me.”

Yusif looks into his eyes, “Not to me.”

Yusif stands, swords in hand, facing Belial.

Chapter 21

Harris stares at Oddball, “I never did like you.”

Oddball smirks, “Well that’s just ’cause you didn’t get to know me; I’m a good soldier.”

“I doubt that.”

Oddball throws a grenade he has deftly pulled from the back of his belt. It lands at the feet of the cocky lieutenant. Muller and Vanessa open fire as the grenade explodes. Harris sails into the air with his legs ripping off and going in different directions.

Belial and Yusif fight, swords’ striking together with showers of sparks sailing off.

Belial steps back, “Why do you fight me, son of mine.”

Pilch fires round after round to no effect.

Belial smiles, “Join me like your father’s fathers should have; walk with me hand in hand as we conquer this world.”

Yusif attacks.

Oddball, Muller and Vanessa fight back-to-back. Harris crawls up to Oddball and trips him to the floor.

Oddball falls with a cry, and Harris crawls on top of him, “I’m going to rip your fucking throat out boy!” and he opens his mouth to bite.

Vanessa jams the barrel her pistol into his mouth, “Manners manners.” And she pulls the trigger.

Muller shoots, and the last soldier goes down. He looks around at the bloody carnage, “That wasn’t so bad.”

Oddball stands and looks around at the bodies, “Where’s Monte?”

Vanessa looks around, “You don’t think…”

Mueller nods, “He’s turned.”

They hear the pounding of boots and the battle cry of men.

“That don’t sound good,” Oddball says.

Muller looks down the tunnels. The roar of the charging undead becoming louder. He sighs, “A glorious death.”

“I was hoping for a glorious life,” Vanessa tells him.

“Yeah, that sounds better,” Oddball agrees.

Hundreds of undead are charging for them.

“Oh well,” Vanessa sighs.

Pilch moves in to try and hit Belial in the back. Belial kicks Yusif to the ground and uses an energy bolt to send Pilch sailing down the passage, landing hard. Belial turns to Yusif who struggles to get to his feet, battered and injured. Belial draws his sword back for the deathblow.

“I told ya’. You and me got business,” Monte stands ready, Sumerian sword in hand.

Belial turns and smiles, “You are my servant now,” and Belial extends his palm trying to bend Monte to his will. Monte stares him down holding strong but then slowly begins to falter under his will.

“Now, kill for me,” and Belial closes his hand into a fist. Monte fights for control; he looks back to Pilch who lays on the ground defenseless.

“Kill him,” Belial orders.

Monte fights to bring his head around and look at Belial, “No!”

Yusif stands behind Belial, and with a cry, runs his sword into his back. Belial doesn’t flinch; he looks down at the blade extending from his chest and smiles. Yusif twists the blade with no effect, and Belial swings his arm back hitting Yusif in the face and sending him to the ground, “You don’t have the power to defeat me, your family never has.”

“But I do,” and Monte thrust his sword into Belial’s chest coming face to face with him, “Undead to undead, you gotta go,” and Monte rips the blade out, dropping Belial to his knees.

“Mercy,” he cries.

Monte swings his blade, sending Belial’s head skipping down the passage and through the gate. Belial’s body explodes in a burst of energy, and Monte is thrown to the ground.

Muller, Oddball, and Vanessa all fire into the ranks of the approaching undead. They’re almost on them.

“Save a round,” Muller advises them.

Vanessa looks to him.

“For yourself,” and Muller turns his pistol on his own head. Vanessa and Oddball look at each other and do the same.

Oddball looks into her eyes, “I hope they made it.”

The undead are on them. Oddball locks the hammer back on his pistol, “I think it would have been good.”

“I know it would have been,” and Vanessa kisses him.

A burst of energy knocks them down.

Pilch helps Yusif to his feet, and they look to Monte lying on the ground, “Is he?” Pilch asks.

Monte climbs up to one knee, nods to Pilch, and looks to Yusif, “Never was big on long good byes.”

Yusif nods his head in understanding. Monte closes his eyes and before Pilch can speak, Yusif swings his sword decapitating him. Pilch looks up at Yusif and nods and then looks to the gate. The two help each other hobble to it.

“Mother of god!” Pilch exclaims looking in.

An army of undead stand in an endless chamber, stretching as far as the eye can see.

“That is why we are here. They are ready to be unleashed on humankind.”

“What’s holding them in?”

“Time. When the sun next sets, they will be free to cross over into our world.”

“And how are we supposed to know when the sun sets?”

Yusif pulls out a pocket watch, “It was much harder before the watch.”

Pilch glares at him, and Yusif smiles with a wink.

“So let’s close this thing ,and get the hell out of here.”

Yusif shakes his head, “Not so easy,” he looks to Pilch, “The door can only be closed from the inside. One of the living must be sacrificed.”

“You said all we had to do was close the gate. No one said anything about…” he points toward the army of undead, “… going in there.”

Yusif calmly takes his shirt off, revealing a row of long vertical scars across his chest, “It cannot be helped.”

Pilch takes a step back, “You son-of-a-bitch. You’re not throwing me in there.”

“You Americans. Always assuming the worst about my people.”

Yusif mumbles a short prayer.

“What are you doing?”

Yusif gestures to the scars on his chest, “I was born with these scars. One for every generation in my family that has closed this portal through the centuries. I have been waiting for this day since I was born.”

Pilch looks at the scars and realizes what Yusif plans to do, “There’s gotta be another way.”

“I am a lucky man. My death will mean something,” and he draws his scimitar holding it out to Pilch, “Could you give this to my family… one day my grandson may need it.”

Pilch takes it, noticing the ancient king’s family crest is gilded onto the blade.

“I could not have made it this far without you Americans,” and he moves to the open door, “I am sorry so many had to die.”

Pilch can only nod and watch as Yusif grabs the door and slams it shut behind him. There’s a flash of light, and the earth quakes with the power. The light fades, and the door has been replaced by a wall of rock. Pilch runs his hand over the rough stone. He looks down at Yusif’s scimitar in his hand, then puts it in his pack and heads back toward the others.

Chapter 22

Oddball looks around to see the undead all lying motionless on the ground, “Jesus.”

Muller looks at the pistol and with a shaking hand puts it in his holster, “Another second and…”

Pilch walks up.

“Where’s Yusif?” Vanessa asks.

“He closed the gate,” and looks to them, “One way trip.”

“We lost Monte,” Oddball tells him.

Pilch shakes his head, “No, he was never lost.”

Muller nods, “A good man.”

“The best,” Pilch agrees.

Vanessa looks around, “What now?”

Pilch shrugs, “I don’t know; you’re the expert.”

Beside them the wall lifts up, revealing another passageway.

“Look out!” Oddball yells.

A long corridor has opened up in front of them. Along the walls for as far as they can see are soldiers from every historical era. At the far end is a twinkling of light.

“That’s real sunlight!” Oddball says

The undead soldiers all take one step forward.

“Jesus,” Pilch exclaims.

“We’ll never get through that,” Muller notes.

“I think they’ll let us pass,” Vanessa tells them.

Pilch nods, “Alright, slowly.”

The four step into the corridor. As they pass, the first two soldiers move.

“Look out,” Oddball yells. The soldiers salute and step back, “What the…”

“Come on, keep moving,” Pilch tells them.

As they pass each pair, they salute in their own custom.

Vanessa looks to the end of the tunnel, “Definitely real sunlight.”

As they reach the end, Matty and Pender stand as the last pair before the door.

“Matty, no,” Pilch cries out.

The pair salute and step back.

“We got to finish ’em. We can’t leave ’em like this,” Oddball says.

Matty smiles and speaks, “No. I’m in a good place now.”

Pilch reaches out to touch him; he’s a ghost, “But…”

“You did good, men,” Pender tells them as the door starts to slowly come down.

“Pilch, could you give this to Katie?” Matty asks and holds out the gold box from the Babylonian room.

“You got it pal,” and Pilch accepts the box.

“Pilch, now,” Pender orders him.

Oddball pushes Vanessa through. Pender and Matty step into their alcoves.

“Come on,” and Muller drags Pilch through, just as the door closes.

The four survivors look across the empty sand. In the distance is an American supply line.

“Think anyone will believe us?” Pilch asks them.

Oddball shakes his head, “I’m not fuckin’ sure I believe it.”

Muller looks to the American supply lines, “I suppose you’ll want to turn me in.”

Pilch follows his gaze, “Where else you plannin’ on going?”

Muller shrugs, “I don’t know, Egypt.”

“Back to the war?” Vanessa asks.

Muller shakes his head, “No, I’m done with fighting, kaput.”

Muller pulls his Iron Cross off and throws it to the ground. Pilch locks eyes with him.

“Let’s go,” Pilch says and turns his back on Muller and starts for the road. Vanessa and Oddball nod to him and follow.

Pilch stops and tosses his canteen to Muller, “Good luck, sir.”

Chapter 23

Oddball, Vanessa, and Pilch sit in the back of a truck as it heads down a desert road. Oddball holds Vanessa close, staring glumly out at the desert landscape whipping by.

“Never heard you this quiet before,” Pilch says.

Oddball turns to him, “Just thinkin’ about what I’m gonna tell the grandkids.”

Pilch thinks, “Just tell ’em… Just tell ’em, ‘the desert’s a bitch.’”

Vanessa laughs, and Pilch looks down at the scimitar he holds in his hands, then out at the sand that stretches to the horizon.

About the Author

Having squandered my youth as a deviant and troublemaker, I started my adult life in the military. No judge forced me into this, nor was I drafted, conscripted or unduly influenced by recruiters. I volunteered. Shocking, I know.

I was trained as a paratrooper and learned by being pushed out of airplanes. I’ve had many bad landings, wrecking crops, scaring small children, and I even broke a church steeple once.

After the military, I earned a degree from Texas A&M University. Although Texas A&M is an agricultural school, I never attended a single agriculture course. I think it only fair to be up front about that.

Having earned my degree, I planned on a career in counter-terrorism. This stems from some deep-seated psychological problem that I never have put a finger on. Worry not; these testosterone-driven, misguided dreams have long since receded to the depths of my mind, and they rarely make an appearance.

While in Los Angeles interviewing for a job, I met a guy at a bar (a common story starter for me, as I spend a lot of my time in bars). He took me along to a Hollywood party where I met some other guy who offered me a job on a movie. To make a really long story, which should be told over several pints, short, I spent twenty years making movies around the world where I actively kept up the guise of an “Ugly American” while honing my craft as a storyteller and author.

Copyright

Copyright © 2013

All rights reserved.

Published by Mercurybar Productions Inc.

Cover art by Luciano Fleitas

Content

RISE OF THE UNDEAD
1943
By David Presley

Tunisia, North Africa, 1943.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

About the Author

Copyright