Master of Chains - Jess Lebow [115]
The undead were back in Duhlnarim. His mother, his father, and Samira were in danger.
Turning down the road into Furrowsrich, Ryder's breath caught in his lungs. The place was crawling with zombies. The creatures bashed at the locked doors of the village houses. With each thump, blood-curdling screams issued out into the night.
"This way," shouted Ryder, forcing his horse off the road and into the fields behind the village.
Over rows and rows of planted vegetables, the horses rode through Furrowsrich. Leaping the low fence behind the house Ryder had built with his own hands, he came around to the front. The door was wide open, and a row of zombies was making their way inside.
Not bothering to bring his horse to a stop, Ryder threw his legs over the edge of his saddle and came down at a full run, barging into the back of the zombies and bowling them over as he came through the front door at full speed.
Ryder collided with two zombies and continued on, running them into one of the support beams holding up the roof. The heavy chains hanging from his shoulders added their weight to his momentum, and in combination, he smashed the rotting creatures to something resembling horse manure. Their decayed flesh and brittle bones made for a soft cushion, and Ryder stepped away from the stout, wooden pole unharmed.
Inside the house, half a dozen zombies had Samira, Angeline, and Douglas backed into a corner. Douglas stood in front of the two women, a burning log from the fire in one hand. He tried to hold back the walking dead, swinging the flaming timber back and forth. But it wasn't doing much good. The zombies were still advancing.
"Ryder!" screamed Samira. There was real terror in her voice. "Ryder, help us! Please help us!"
Ryder unleashed his spiked chain, letting it fly at the back of the first zombie. The enchanted links crackled with purple energy as they came down around the head of its victim. The zombie's rotted flesh seared under the electrical assault, sending a plume of thick gray smoke into the air, and the end of the spiked chain encircled the creature's neck. Giving it a sharp pull, Ryder tore the creature's head from its shoulders.
The zombie took one more step, then fell over, dead again.
The rest of the group, now aware that they were under attack, turned around and came for Ryder.
"That's right," he said, gripping his chain in the middle and spinning it in a large circle before him. "Come to Ryder." He backed up as they advanced, drawing them away from his family.
A smile broke across Ryder's lips. He'd taken on three undead giants. He could handle five undead humans by himself.
The Broken Spear appeared in the doorway just then. They rushed into the small house, drawing their weapons and surrounding the zombies.
Ryder shrugged. Help was always good. He lunged at the first undead. His chain turned its brittle corpse into a pile of broken bones. The Broken Spear followed his lead, charging into the fray and cutting down the foul beasts in short order.
Douglas threw the flaming branch into the fire pit. "Where have you been, boy?"
Angeline brushed past the old man and folded her arms around Ryder despite his chain-wrapped appearance. "We thought you were dead," she said, squeezing him tight. "We thought you had left us."
"I'm sorry," he said. "I got a little sidetracked."
Over his mother's shoulder, Ryder stared down on Samira, sitting on her knees in the corner. She looked tired and scared. The last few months had taken their toll.
Disengaging from Angeline's embrace, Ryder went to Samira's side. "It's all right. You're safe now."
Samira looked up at Ryder. There was sadness in her eyes.
Giselle came to stand beside the two of them. "So," she said, "I take it this is your wife."
Ryder looked up and nodded. There were a lot of things that needed to be said, but right now he didn't know how to say them.