Zombies.
That's what the Guardsmen called them.
Shuffling masses, devouring everything they could as they stumbled across it.
Here and there, in seeming random placement, the Flames of an Aos Sidhe were visible amongst the hordes.
Pheromones, genetic preprograming, desperation, starvation, shock, trauma.
Made the horde child's play for Aos Sidhe to manipulate.
Problematic only because once unleashed and directed, the horde did not stop until they consumed everything, including each other.
Useless in siege situations, highly useful in open battle and in pursuit operations.
Llew watched the horde shuffle along the paved, narrow, two lane road.
It had been Llews idea to divert the Horde , from the reopened Cumberland Gap tunnel. To the top of the Gap.
Get them up there and focused the terrain would kill many. The narrow hiking trail which worked it's way down to Skylight Cave, provided many, Hot gates regions.
Places where a bare handful could stop a horde.
Thermopylae played out in a drawn out fighting withdrawl.
It had not been Llews idea to do this Alone.
Doable by an Aos Sidhe, yes. Easily, not very likely.
Still lack of fuel and spare parts had left the few flight worthy Helicopters grounded.
Something Llew would have thought would be in his morning briefing.
Some one dropped the ball there and Llew found himself in a non forgiving state.
Occasionally Llew would lob a few 60mm mortars at the horde to keep them focused. While he waited.
The horde moved a sedate pace. Though it was noisy as hell.
The moans, coughs, gasping, and odd screeching mixed well with the nauseating view of the northern horizon and the near constant northern winds.
The stench was , while accentuating the nightmarish atmosphere, was one Llew feared he would never forget.
Llew dropped his twenty first century body armor
Leaving him with only a Riveted Titanium Mail Hauberk, and Titanium Greeves, and bracers. Llew put on his ancient battle helm. He wanted the incoming Aos Sidhe to see him, know it was him and to taunt them with it.
So he waited.
After exhausting the mortar shells.
Llew took to firing off random 30 mm. Grenades.
" cannae let ye be having all the fun now can we?"
Llew smiled as Badbh climbed into view.
Clearly she had chosen to climb up from Cumberland Gap.
Llew was not unhappy to see her.
Two Aos Sidhe, would make it much easier.
As Llew realized, Badbh was not alone he laughed aloud in direct pleasure.
Badbh had brought the God Slayers.
Grinning she tossed the sheathed Sword to him.
Things were now looking better. Much much Better.
Still, when Badbh hooked arm around his neck and kissed him, Llew was, pleasantly surprised.
Yes, Llew had spent every night in Her bed. It had been fully clothed, holding her as she drifted through her nightmare memories.
Badbh , wept in her sleep nightly.
Llew spent each night wiping her tears and holding her through the hell storms of memories.
Elspeth had rightly feared the resulting chaos should Llew and Badbh consumate their, whatever in the chaos realms wonders, whatever the thing between the two is, was, will be.
Not casual touch passed between Llew and Badbh while she was awake.
She only tolerated his touch in her sleep.
The Kiss was completely unexpected.
" You may thank us later " an amused sword spoke mockingly to Llew.
So that is the way of it Llew murmured.
The first, advance guard so to speak, shuffled past the National Park sign into the parking area.
Llew and Badbh stood on the entrance steps to the small museum, weapons drawn and watched.
At first , the twenty or so zombies shuffled aimlessly.
Then more began moving into the parking area. Badbh let fly the Gae Bolga. That drew the attentive focus of the zombies.
Llew, attacked , hewing down three , and dismembering three. Leaping away. Llew laughed.
Badbh had retrieved the Gae Bolga, cleaning effluvia from the flame patterned blade.
Assuming a bored expression Badbh began playing cats cradle with lengths of intestine that had clung to the spear during its exploratory deployment.
Llew glanced over at her. Badbh batted her lush eyelashes , fluttering them coquettishly. While grinning rather madly.
More zombies appeared, a couple hundred at a glancing guess.
But critically, three Aos Sidhe among them.
Now to get the party started.
Llew Screamed, a screaming that ululated into a snarling baritone howl.
The warp transformed Llew.
He grew in height.
Muscles writhed and moved beneath his skin, bones shifted, altered. Llew became a monster.
Badbh watched the transformation in fascination.
Llew was a deliciously attractive man. However this beast was, is, intriguing.
Badbh had a visceral physical reaction to the transformation.
A certain dampness , and fluttery feeling in her stomach.
The rage and mating pheromones rose in clouds from Llew.
Badbh wanted to stroke the obviously soft fur. To bury her face into the soft joy of it.
To feel the silken fur on her skin.
Llew could smell the reaction. He could taste her moist awakening on the breeze.
This elicited certain responses from Llew.
Quite visually an obvious response.
Badbh , couldn't restrain herself , she reached out and lightly stroked Llews exposed, ardor.
The spell was interrupted.
Zombies and Rival Aos Sidhe could be troublesome.
Llew Turned to fully face the advancing horde.
Badbh hefted her spear. It was time to dance.
Badbh hurled the spear, which howled in glee.
Llew reached over and snatched Badbh up, tossing her over his shoulder. Then set out, loping at a pace the horde could easily follow.
The spear returned to Badbhs hand.
One of the young, rival Aos Sidhe had succumbed. The Spear had cheerfully devoured him.
And now drew more satisfaction from the Quantum copy it now contained and fed upon.
All things added together. Badbh was dripping wet.
Her nipples ached, her skin burned.
Battle madness , lust, fed upon each other.
Llew , perceived it, and reciprocated. Pausing to set Badbh down at the Overlook, where Tennessee Kentucky and Virginia shared a common boundary point.
The first battle would be here.
The zombies could only approach from a single direction one at a time.
Concentrating, Llew morphed the wolf like muzzle of his face and his throat.
So that his spoken word could be easily Understood.
Then, as a zombie shambled up, Llew struck a pose. Reciting a verse in doing so.
Badbh had not been one that appreciated love poetry.
However this, this was more than enticing.
Llew in a ferociously beautiful Wolf form, decorated in the splattered blood of zombies, surrounded by the sky dancing Aurora,and body parts, composing and performing the verse, made for her about her. This appealed to her on every level. Delightfully decadent, decidedly delirious.
Llew cast a spell that Badbh clearly saw, and embraced.
Llew was brash, bold, exciting and dangerously romantic.
Badbh very much approved.
“ I , am Fire, You are the storm. Together we are Lightning, let the world be warned"
Llew cut down a few more zombies.
The exposed rock they had made their stand up on, become dangerously slippery from blood and entrails.
Llew gestured Gallantly, Badbh leapt a good Fifty feet to land among large exposed stones further down the hiking trail.
Llew followed.
Pausing to smack Badbh on her ass upon landing. Badbh was in process of striking Llew back.
" Love bites, so do I."
When she paused to absorb his words.
The Zombies approached along the narrow path way.
Badbh hurled spear. Llew hewed with Sword and Tomahawk.
Blood sprayed. Zombie insides were exposed to the outsides.
Llew continued reciting verse.
Badbh became increasingly enamoured.
Llew did not bring Badbh candies and dying flowers and weak empty words.
Llew gave her the savagery of his heart, the dark secret parts.
He gave fire and lightning and thunder, he laid blood offering before her and,
Asked nothing of her in return.
Badbh did the only thing she could do.
She gave, all of her, unrestrained.
Love manifest.
A few miles from Skylight cave, Llew and Badbh, exterminated the last of the horde.
A full day of slaughter on top of the afternoon and night before had left, over two thousand zombies and some twenty Aos Sidhe rivals dead. Scattered from the Civil war emplacements at the mountain peak to sight of Skylight cave.
Early on, while still in sight of Cumberland gap, Llew and Badbh both had made a game of hurling zombies at the town below
Llew had not intended to actually hit the Church. At least the zombie only made an unsightly mess upon impact and not punched through the roof as had happened with several houses.
Badbh had aimed those intentionally. Some of the human women that smiled so annoyingly at Llew lived there.
It didn't matter. Llew had not registered, not even scatly noticed those smiles.
A fact which did please Badbh somewhat.
The stream roiled , crashing amongst the rocks. The old wooden foot bridge had washed away. That made no never mind. Hand in hand Llew and Badbh leapt across the ravine. Skylite cave would make a perfect rest area.
That late afternoon sun had given way before the clouds and rain.
Inside, the Large cave was dry and relatively warm.
Llew scurried about gathering.branches, fallen wood
Badbh set up a. Fire ring.
A fire would be quite cozy.
Both Llew and Badbh had fed. Feeding until somewhat intoxicated.
Now alone, tired , one primal appetite sated.
Other pleasurable appetites demanded attention.
Llew and Badbh bathed each other in the heavy rains.
Touching, caressing, exploring
Once freshly cleaned they retired into the warm dry cave.
It would be five days before their guardsmen found them. Based upon the sounds from the cave.
No one wanted to interrupt or intrude
The Guards withdrew, bivouacked, waiting another three days. When a naked, battered, bruised, clawed , bleeding smiling Llew approach the Guardsmen.
" Coffee?" He enquired. Any extra clothes. Ours sort of... Got misplaced.
The Guardsmen chuckled
Equiped Llew with Coffee, pants and BDU jackets.
Happily both Badbh and Llew had salvaged their Boots.
Though they did look ,
Interesting emerging from the Cave , U.S.
Woodland camouflage patterned BDUs, mail, calf high riding boots, greevez. Sword and Spear.
The Guardsmen had secured Llews discarded Rifle.
Discarded when he ran out of ammo.
Llew was pleased.
He really liked the Springfield M1A. In 6.5 Creedmore scout rifle that Michael had given him.
The Guardsmen for their parts stayed mostly quiet
Llew and Badbh holding hands, showing affection, was deeply unsettling.
Ok so I haven't gotten into Vol 1 yet (lotta craziness I been dealing with & I want to actually read the story) so I haven't read this chapter yet but I did check out the poetry pix towards the end, and I absolutely Love those!! As soon as I read the whole chapter U know I will definitely have plenty to speak on it- are U planning to put these into hardcopy book?? I 100% want them if U are!!🥰🥰💜💜☯️☯️🧿🧿
Very creative! Epic fantasy transformed by New Adult Romance. A very lucrative combination. I thoroughly enjoyed it.