CHAPTERTHIRTY-SIX
VIDAR
There were three of the drones following them now, all giving away their position to anyone close enough to hear. Vidar growled up at the machines. He’d tried throwing things at them, but the drones simply dodged the items and kept filming. Bastards.
It was as they were nearing the tenth mile—they were making good time—that Vidar heard it. The soft sound of something entering the water. Unlike most of the previous animals, this creature sounded big, the soft waves that traveled across the water until it met them still significant in size though it had been further away. That alone made Vidar pause.
“Stop,” he commanded. Muni froze immediately, turning intelligent eyes his way, trying to figure out why he would have spoken the word.
Brin and Eirik both began to search for the source of discomfort.
“What did you hear?” Muni whispered.
The drones overhead came in closer as they stopped, attempting to figure out what they were doing. But Vidar’s eyes focused on a floating log behind Muni. It was mishappen, whatever current in the water carrying it closer to her. Her back was turned to it, so she likely didn’t notice it. It was only a log, Vidar thought to himself. That was, until two yellow eyes rolled toward him.
“Move!” he shouted, immediately leaping toward Muni. She was faster than him. Her wings unfurled within milliseconds, and she was lifting into the air, just in time for the large scaly lizard to lunge from the water in its attempt to eat her.
“Fuck! It’s an alligator!” Eirik dove away from the alligator that focused immediately on its next meal, moving toward him. Great jaws opened, but Vidar moved forward and leapt onto the creature’s back. This was its home, and it was a predator. They had to get away from it.
The alligator began to roll immediately, spinning Vidar beneath the water and out again, attempting to dislodge him from its back. He couldn’t reach his sword, not without the thing throwing him off, but he had a small dagger on his thigh. Quickly drawing the blade, Vidar began to stab the alligator beneath its armpits, through the sensitive skin. He would have preferred not to kill the creature, but they couldn’t have it stalking them through the swamp.
The alligator chuffed out sounds of distress before stopping its fight. Carefully, Vidar released the creature and watched as it floated between them. The water was stained red with its blood, and it would draw others their way. They needed to move.
They were all silent for a moment, staring with wide eyes at the alligator.
“How long do you think that thing is?” Brin asked.
“At least ten feet,” Eirik answered. “Holy shit.”
“We should move,” Muni added. “Before more come at the smell of blood.”
Her wings tucked away, and she dropped to the water again, glorious in her beauty. Vidar could only watch her as he pushed the gator aside and began moving to follow her. That was, until a splash came from behind him. They all froze again as one.
Eirik was the first to turn, his gaze locked on the dead gator. It jerked in the water and horror filled his eyes. Vidar twisted, prepared to fight, but even he paused as the alligator he’d killed jerked in the water again.
“What’s happening?” Brin asked. “I thought it was dead.”
“It was,” Vidar growled. But a green mist appeared above the water, floating atop it and curling around the creature where it floated belly up.
“We must go,” Muni growled. “Now!”
But they didn’t move quick enough before Vidar watched the animal roll upright again and its eyes open. No longer the yellow eyes, these ones glowed the vibrant green of the mist. What in the Hel—
A great rumbling growl echoed from the alligator’s mouth, and with a great swish of its tail, it lunged for them.
“Necromancer magic,” Muni shouted. “Get away from it!”
And then Vidar saw the other logs in the water, the ones brave enough to float at the top, and that didn’t reveal those below. Intermixed with the live gators were ones who glowed green. When he saw the soft glow of green beneath the water, Vidar sheathed his blade and turned, shoving the others.
“Go! Fast!”
As a unit, they all attempted to run but the water slowed them down despite their strength. When the gator came from in front of them and split them, Vidar grabbed Muni and lifted her, pushing forward and just barely avoiding the teeth snapping at him. The gators were fast, far faster than anything he could deal with, and they were at a disadvantage. This wasn’t an ideal battleground, not for them.
“Vidar!” Eirik called, but his voice was further away as they all frantically tried to get away.
“Stay with Brin!” he shouted back. “Get out of the water!”
“We’re not supposed to be separated!” Muni cried, grabbing the sword from his back, and swinging it at the creatures who dared get too close. Too many times he heard them get close, felt the push of water against his back, only for Muni to swing and force them back again. She was the only reason he hadn’t suffered any bites.
“We get safe,” he growled, his muscles protesting at the resistance of the water. “Then we access the situation.”
Ahead of them, what looked like a wrecked houseboat came into view. It was large, half on the bank and just barely submerged on one side. It didn’t look like any of the water had gotten inside the rotting structure.
With a violent heave, Vidar threw Muni onto the deck and immediately began to hoist himself up. One of the glowing alligators shot forward, prepared to take a bite out of his foot, but Muni was there, stabbing at it with his sword until he was safely on the deck. When the first alligator climbed onto the deck from the side half in the water, he pushed Muni into the door of the house section and slammed it behind them. The snarls of the creatures reached their ears as they scratched at the door, but none of them came inside.
Vidar breathed a sigh of relief.
“How will we find the others?” Muni asked, pushing the loose strands of her hair out of her face. She was coated in sweat and swamp water, but she was still beautiful as she stood before him holding his sword. Blood dripped from the tip where she’d connected with alligator hide. Though her wings were away, it was easy to see her as some sort of avenging Valkyrie.
“We keep heading in the same direction,” he panted, his chest rising and falling with the movement. His legs burned after rushing through the water and thick mud, but he’d gotten them to safety at least. He hoped Eirik and Brin got out of the water just the same. The telltale buzz of drones still echoed outside, now mixed with the sounds of the creatures. “Get back on the path. We’ll run into each other.”
Muni moved to the window. “They’re okay.”
“They will be. Eirik and Brin are smart. They’ll have found somewhere to get out of the water.” He looked out the nearest window and scowled at the creatures circling in the water. “We wait for them to move on and then we head out.”
The houseboat was tilted to the side, most of the furniture in a pile there, so there really wasn’t somewhere to sit. Muni moved around and searched for the same thing before her eyes began to trace over him.
“Are you hurt?” she asked.
Vidar glanced down at himself with a frown, saw the blood, before shaking his head. “It’s not my blood.”
Her shoulders visibly relaxed and her worry for him made something inside of him twist. Moving over to her, her stood in front of the raven and stared down into her eyes.
“You’d worry for me?” he rasped.
“Of course, I worry for you,” she scowled. “You’re mine.”
With a growl, he wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck and pressed her back against the wall of the houseboat. And then he kissed her. It was completely the wrong time, there in the middle of the swamp with murderous alligators, both zombie and alive alike, swimming around them. But Vidar had to kiss her. No one had ever cared for him like that, had dared to protect him, had dared to claim him. His lips moved over hers and Muni kissed him back with as violent of a need, their tongues tangling together. They breathed each other’s air, before Vidar pulled back gently. They were both panting now, and Muni’s hair was even more disturbed than it had been before, but he simply tucked the loose strands behind her ear.
In the end, it was the sound of the drone passing by the window that had him groaning and pulling away. “Later,” he promised, and pressed a kiss against the back of her hand. He tilted his head, listening for the alligators, but all was silent save for the drone. “Let’s go find the others.”
And together, they eased back out into the waters of the swamp despite the dangers.