The superzombie gave a tremendous yank, and David felt something pull in his left shoulder with a thick, hot flare of liquid pain. His left hand came free of the ladder and his right hand alone was no match for the inhuman strength of the superzombie.

It's now or never!

With a mixed scream of pain and determination David let got of the ladder with his right hand and pushed off from the wall with all the strength in both legs. He was fifteen years old, in excellent condition and naturally athletic, and his lithe young body arced up and away from the house. The superzombie kept its grip on his belt and it was pulled it to the edge of the balcony, against the rail, which cracked and splintered, but held. The superzombie hooked the stump of its broken right arm under one of the beams to keep it from being pulled over the edge as David swung down...the arm that held David tore loose from its socket at the shoulder with a sloughing of putrid flesh and dark ichor. David felt the slight jerk and then was falling, the ground rushing up to meet him frighteningly, and painfully quick.

He gritted his teeth against the impact to come...White-hot pain in his left leg as it broke upon landing, a deep, liquid pain in his left shoulder and arm, a jarring, teeth smashing pain in his mouth as his face impacted with his knees and a smashing, sickening fist of pain in his ribs and abdomen as his body folded to the ground.

He blacked out. For how long he wasn't sure but when he opened his eyes he was looking up into the blue morning sky with three rotting deadfucks just shambling into the periphery. He felt numb. For a moment he wasn't even sure that he still inhabited a body so intense was the cloud of numbness on which he floated, but he willed himself to move anyway. And somehow, his body responded, with a cacophony of pain from all quarters.

His vision swam as he lifted his head and sat up.

The three deadfucks were just ten feet away now, their arms outstretched, their mouths filled with pus and blood and drool. He took a deep breath and tried to stand, but hot agony shot through his left leg and he fell to the ground onto his injured left shoulder no less. His body convulsed with pain.

This is really it! I'm going to be eaten alive by zombies!

David curled into a ball, praying Matt or Mac or somebody would shoot him in the head and put him out of his misery before the zombies tore him apart. He already missed his mother and sister, and Matt. And when he thought of Samantha, a new pain filled his chest, the pain of a broken heart that had just found love, only to lose it. That was perhaps the worst pain of all.

Please God? Give me a merciful death?

The loud thunder of machinegun fire suddenly rattled the air, filling David's ears with its roar. He uncovered his head and looked around, surprised to see the nearest deadfucks being chewed apart by heavy gunfire. But where was it coming from? He craned his neck around, his eyes going wide with surprise as he saw the Abrams tank bearing down on him less than thirty feet away, a hot stream of death issuing from the .50 caliber in the cupola on top.

At first he was relieved, but to his horror he saw that the tank was not slowing down and not turning but coming straight for him. Did they see him? Had he been saved from one horrid death only to fall prey to another? Before his pain-fogged mind could even comprehend the situation, the tank was right there, passing noisily, yet harmlessly over him, its treads several feet to either side of him and the underbelly three feet above his face. The tank came to a halt over top of him, the engine still running and the machinegun still firing, wiping out the last encroaching deadfucks.

David closed his eyes and said a silent prayer of thanks. He had been hoping for cover fire when he first hatched the plan on the ladder, but getting the protection of the tank was far more than he had expected. The machinegun fell silent, and a few moments later there was a creak of metal above his head, and a small emergency escape hatch lifted open in the center of the tanks underbelly. Private Philips dark face popped into view, a wide, gap toothed grin spread ear to ear.

"How's it going there little brother?" Philips asked with a laugh.

On the other side of the hatch Commander King's strong chinned face came into view. "I bet you could use a lift." He said with a smile of mock arrogance.

David's pain was temporarily replaced by euphoria at the joy of being rescued. He had accepted his death and prayed only for a quick mercy killing by his friend's just moments ago, but now he was saved. His joy brought tears to his eyes, and his laughter turned to sobs and Philips and King reached down and pulled David up into the tank as gently as possible...

Matt ran into the back bedroom on the third floor and stepped out onto the balcony just as the mangled, yet still functional superzombie pulled itself back over the edge with the stump of its right arm. It was missing its left arm and black pus was leaking from the open shoulder socket. Matt could hear screaming from the roof above and with a quick glance saw Samantha and Sharon, both clutching children, their faces tear streaked masks and their mouths open and wailing.

Where the hell was David?

Matt went to aim at the superzombie but it moved with blinding speed and kicked the M-16 out of his hands, out over the balcony. It kicked at him again but this time Matt was able to dodge aside and step back into the bedroom. Norris was just entering the bedroom from the hall, his M-16 in hand.

"SHOOT IT!" Matt screamed, leaping onto the bed and rolling for the floor on the far side.

Norris raised his weapon and fired as the superzombie stepped into the room. His weapon was only on single shot and the bullet slammed into it's already pulverized chest, passing through it's body and exiting its back with almost zero resistance. Norris fired again and again, the bullets not even slowing the zombies momentum. It's broken, bullet riddled, skeletal frame jumped up and kicked Norris in the chest with both feet, a flying dropkick, sending him flying back across the room where he smashed into a small bureau and mirror with a loud crash.

Matt rose to his feet on the opposite side of the bed, drawing his machete from his hip. The superzombie stood up and circled around, its single, pus filled eye socket staying fixed on him. Behind him, Norris groaned with pain, mingled with the tinkle of glass shards falling to the floor as he tried to extricate himself from the broken remains of the bureau. Matt sensed someone else entering the bedroom from the hall and he turned to look, his eyes going wide with shock and surprise.

It was the slimy, black and green mottled man-creature they had encountered across the lake at the cabin yesterday.

It was Zack...

Zack sensed the psychic surprise of the Sentinel as he came into the room, and he zeroed in on that, using it to fuel his own anger and hatred at the evil monsters and the hell they had made of his world...his life. The Beast came free in a snarling hiss of animal fury, and he seized the Sentinel by the throat and hip, pulling it close. Its broken stump of a right arm clubbed at him feebly, both wilted legs kicking futilely.

Zack burrowed his psychic drill deeper into the Sentinels consciousness, which was a foul, bubbling pit of hatred, violence and suffering bent only on destruction...deeper until he could feel the mental tendril of the Krylok this Sentinel was subservient to...

The same Krylok who had implanted Zack with the embryo...

The Overlord.

The Overlord sensed him as well, sending out a telepathic wave of loathing and hatred before raising its mental barriers and retreating from the Sentinels mind.

With another bestial scream Zack crushed the creatures shoulders together, crumpling its upper torso like a can. He was sprayed with the Sentinels thick black blood. He walked toward the balcony, grabbing the creature' s hip with his right hand and crushing it up into the mangled torso. Then he put his hand on the remainder of the superzombie's head, and compressed its head down into the center of its crushed thorax. When he reached the balconies edge what remained in his hands was a wadded up, leaking ball of crushed bones and shredded flesh, with one leg and the stump of an arm jutting out from opposite ends. With a final snarl he tossed the mess over the edge of the balcony.

The Beast was still raging, pounding in his ears like a volcano, white-hot hunger gnawing through his body. Screaming up on the roof drew his attention, and he cast his eyes up to see two women with children in their arms looking down. He recognized the older, blond haired woman...Sharon. She had been his neighbor in his human life. Now she would make a good meal.

Feeeeeeeeeed!

Matt followed the trail of oily superzombie blood onto the balcony to find Zack halfway up the ladder, his slimy, mottled body pressed close to the wall as he climbed, his eyes narrow and alert, his mouth wide open, revealing razor sharp, pointed teeth and a thick black tongue. Matt was reminded of a cat stalking prey, muscles taut, legs coiled, preparing for the leap. He looked up and saw Sharon and Samantha had backed away from the edge of the roof.

"ZACK!" He aimed his M-16 at his friend. Zack stopped climbed and turned his head to look at Matt. His eyes were slit like a snake, and they bore into his.

Matt felt a tiny tickle behind his left eye, almost like a sneeze, but sharper, more intense. The tickle spread to the center of his forehead, blurring his vision and giving him an almost drunken feeling. Memories of Zack suddenly began flashing through his mind, old, forgotten memories of when they had first met, memorable social events, conversations about their hopes and dreams, their aspirations and their fears, racing through his mind like pictures from a photo album but with such dizzying speed that it caused him to stagger and fall on his ass.

And just as suddenly as it had begun, the tingling left his head and his vision cleared. He looked up to see Zack descend to the balcony, the wild predatory gleam in his eyes was gone, the snakelike, slit pupils returned to normal human eyes. Almost timidly Zack walked over to Matt, his shoulders hunched, his head held low.

"Zack?" Matt asked.

"Matt." Zack said with a nod. Matt was shocked at how different Zack sounded, there was a thick, almost liquid bubble to his voice. He had heard similar special effects in movies, but to hear it for real, from the mouth of his best friend in the world, in his mutated state, was surreal.

"Did you just do that to me?" Matt asked.

"Yes. I was lost to the hunger. Your memories pulled me back." Zack crouched down in front of Matt to face him eye to eye. His alien body carried a pungent, musky smell.

Norris came out onto the balcony with his M-16 in hand. His eyes flared in surprise and fear at Zack's alien appearance. He tightened his grip on his rifle and started to raise it.

"No!" Matt snapped, raising his hand. "This is my friend Zack that I told you about." Zack looked over his shoulder at Norris. Norris let out a long breath and lowered his gun.

"I'm going back down to help Mac guard the stairs." Norris said, giving Matt a hesitant look before departing.

"I must leave also." Zack said, standing.

"What happened to you?" Matt asked.

"I was implanted with an alien embryo. It...changed me."

"When did it happen?"

"The night we camped in Summittown."

Just as they had suspected all along.

"You were fine when we got you out of the hospital in Park City." Matt said incredulously.

"I was not fine. My wounds were completely healed, my metabolism already mutating rapidly." Zack's thick, bestial voice was unnerving to Matt.

"But you looked...normal."

"Once implanted the embryo took several hours to bond on a genetic level, assimilating my own genetic code into its own. At first it merely healed my wounds at an incredibly fast rate. But once I was free of the city and into the woods I began mutating."

"But why?" he asked, almost afraid of what the answer would be.

"I don't know. What I do know is that Earth has been invaded by an alien species called the Krylok. I was chosen as an experiment in crossbreeding. Why I do not know. But I will find out. When I do, I shall return and share with you all that I have learned."

Matt shook his head, having a hard time believing what he was hearing. Zack gripped the edge of the balcony and prepared to vault over.

"Wait!" Matt said, pulling himself to his feet. "How do you know it's an alien invasion and not a government experiment or a terrorist attack?"

"Because I've seen the aliens. It was a Krylok that implanted the embryo inside me. There are two Krylok less than a mile from here, in another estate on this lake."

"The place with the crucifixes?" Matt asked, Zack nodding in return. "They sent these zombies against us didn't they?" Zack nodded affirmative again. "But why-"

"No more questions." Zack said, cutting him off. "If I am to find the answers I seek then I must act quickly. Until we meet again." Zack jumped off the balcony, landing with the grace of a feline before racing south past the pool and into the tree line, moving so fast he was a blur, lost in the darkness...

Chapter 58.

Tuesday, June 26 2001 Rainbow Lake, UT 7:35 PM.

As Mordecai Necrotura assessed the latest telepathic intelligence report, he could feel his frustration boiling into murderous rage. Thanks to the unexpected addition of the Abrams tank his horde of zombies had been routed and the defenders were mopping up what few remained. Of the ten Templar's he had sent to assist in destroying the intruders, only one still lived, and he was wounded and panicked, retreating back to the compound as fast as he could. The Templar had begged Mordecai for help, for guidance as the pain of his wounds and the inevitability of his impending death dawned on him, but Mordecai had cut him off with a mental snort of contempt. The man had fled his post in cowardice rather that greet death with open arms in the name of his Lord and Master Mordecai Necrotura. He had neglected his Holy duty, and deserved to die alone, cast out from the flock. With a malicious sneer Mordecai sent the telepathic signal that would deactivate the Templar's Third Eye. Not only was he cast from the flock; he was now stripped of the divine touch that protected him from the devouring zombies. The fallen Templar would now meet an Unbeliever's death in the bellies of the dead.

Putting the man from his mind once and for all, Mordecai turned his attention to the two Krylok that stood beside him on the sacrificial balcony. The short, robed creatures stood silent and still, their reptilian features hidden by the folds of their robes. To his left was the Overlord, on his right the Secondary. He telepathically probed them, but their minds were shielded.

"What of your Sentinels?" he sneered contemptuously, peering out across the rear grounds of the compound. The bonfire still burned in the center of the yard, but the crucifixes had been raised back to the roof and the remaining body parts removed.

'All three are destroyed!' The Overlord's telepathic voice hissed.

"Had they concentrated their attacks on the hybrid as planned rather than trying to take the house they might still live."

'The hybrid remained hidden until the assault was well under way.'

'We are in danger. We must be gone from this place.' The Secondary Krylok added.

"Then recall your ship from Park City."

It was several long seconds before the Overlord answered.

'It was destroyed in the fighting.' He could sense the shame in the Overlord.

"Then call another!"

'That will take time. I must communicate with the Mothership.' Mordecai could sense the Overlord's psychic shield go up.

Mordecai seethed, his hands clenched into white knuckled fists. There was no fear in him, only boiling frustration with the Krylok. Despite the fact that the horde had been broken and the three Sentinels had been destroyed, they had inflicted severe casualties upon the intruders. Had the Sentinels survived to continue guiding and controlling the horde, and focused first on neutralizing the tank rather than taking the house, they may have prevailed, but as it stood they were severely weakened. On the other hand Mordecai still had twenty Templar's on hand and as many Acolytes.

'The Hybrid is coming!' Said the Secondary Krylok. Mordecai could sense fear emanating from the alien. Mordecai smiled in delight.

"My Templar's shall destroy him." Mordecai boasted arrogantly.

'Your Templar's will be killed. Your inferior Earth weapons can only slow him down. His Krylok metabolism will quickly repair any damage you may inflict.'

"It was inferior Earth weapons that destroyed your Sentinels!" Mordecai shot back sharply. "He is flesh and blood just as you, dog! And he can be destroyed as such!" Mordecai glared down at the diminutive, black robed alien, wondering how it would react to his insult. But it ignored him, staring out across the compound in silence.

'There is another ship three hundred miles south of here. It will be here in minutes.' The Overlord said. Though he despised the Krylok, Mordecai was impressed with their telepathic abilities.

"Once it arrives instruct it to destroy the intruder's compound. Obliterate it completely!" Mordecai clenched his teeth with hatred as he spoke, envisioning the Infidels suffering terribly before they died. Instead of answering, both Krylok only laughed in return with raspy, hissing wheezes. "WHAT IS THIS?" Mordecai boomed with anger; nobody mocked Mordecai Necrotura...

Nobody.

'This is your problem Necrotura.' Snickered the Secondary Krylok.

"So this is how it's to be?" Mordecai asked.

'We owe each other nothing Necrotura. You said as much yourself. Had you accepted out offer of Supplication thirty-five years ago, this world would already be yours.' The Overlord hissed. He had known the Krylok would double-cross him again, but he hadn't expected it to be so soon. So be it.

"And my world it shall still be!" he said with a snarl, pulling a short, thin sword from the folds of his robes. He lunged at the nearest Krylok, the Secondary, running him through. The creature let out a loud snarling hiss, its breath hot and putrid. It lashed out with a scaled, serpentine hand slick with mucous and tipped with black claws and slashed him across the right cheek. With a yelp of pain Mordecai released his grip on the sword and stumbled back, his hand now clutching his cheek, which had been cut to bloody ribbons. In his mind Mordecai could hear the Overlord laughing, his psychic voice like a layer of slime coating the inside of his brain. Mordecai stumbled through the door into his office and fell to the floor. Blood flowed from his shredded cheek, down his neck and chest onto the carpet. A mouthful of blood and a thick, slimy chunk of flesh passed down his throat.

He could sense the psychic presence of the two Krylok behind him like aching teeth. He rolled onto his back to face them. The Overlord stood to one side of the doorway, its snakelike head protruding from the folds of its hooded robe just enough for him to see the green and black scaled skin and the burning red eyes. Behind the Overlord he could see the secondary Krylok had grabbed the handle of the sword and was slowly but steadily pulling it back out of its body. Once it was completely extracted the Krylok held it aloft, letting its black viscous blood drip from the blade onto the floor.

'As you can see, Dog, We do not die so easily.' The Secondary gloated telepathically before both it and the Overlord began to laugh aloud in their hissing snarl.

"My wound has made me hunger." The Secondary creature snarled in English, its voice a slimy gurgle.

"He is yours." The Overlord answered. The Secondary tossed the sword aside and hissed with delight, its snakehead emerging from under its hood, its mouth a black slash, revealing razor sharp teeth. The tip of the feeding proboscis slowly protruded from the creatures snarling maw. Mordecai started to rise but the Overlord held up a clawed hand, revealing a small, but offensive looking metallic object that could only be a weapon.

'Do not move Necrotura.' The Overlord said telepathically. 'I am going to enjoy watching you die.'

But he was Mordecai Necrotura, The Chosen One, Leader and Savior of The New Humanity, and he would not lie here and become food for these foul, disgusting creatures. He sent out and instant telepathic call to every Templar in the compound, instructing them to defend him and kill the two Krylok.

He then locked eyes with the Overlord and gave him the Evil Eye, pushing with all the psychic strength he possessed. He could feel the Overlords mental barriers try and raise, but they were much to slow, and Mordecai's mental blast drilled through the center of the Overlords mind like a charging lance. The Overlord let out a growling hiss of pain, falling onto the office floor and convulsing as if electrified. He involuntarily discharged a blast from his weapon; a small, baseball-sized ball of green energy that blew a basketball sized hole in the far wall. The Secondary Krylok stopped in its tracks and turned to the Overlord, hissing and snarling.

Mordecai rolled onto his knees and tried to stand, but a massive bolt of pain exploded in the base of his skull, causing him to fall face first onto the floor, a small pool of blood forming from his wounded cheek. He knew using such a powerful Evil Eye would have consequences, but it had never been that bad before. Taking a deep breath, Mordecai tried to rise up again, another blast of pain rocking his head like a sledgehammer, bringing him to the verge of unconsciousness, but he managed to weather it, and made it to his knees. He looked over his shoulder to see the Secondary still standing over the Overlord, who had stopped convulsing as was now struggling to rise just as he. Despite the fog of pain Mordecai was impressed at the Krylok's resilience. Such a powerful Evil Eye blast would have killed a human being instantly, causing their heart to rupture in their chest and the brain to suffer a massive, explosive hemorrhage, bursting through the eyes, nose and ears. It appeared the Krylok was no worse off than he was.

With a surge of will power Mordecai lurched to his feet, stumbling drunkenly across the office and crashing across the front of his desk, sending his effects flying.

Two Templar's came into the room through a secret entrance near the bookshelf, AK-47's in hand. It took less than a second for them to assess the situation before turning their weapons toward the two Krylok. They fired in unison, both on full automatic. The Overlord had made it into a sitting position when the bullets stitched across his chest and midsection, throwing him flat onto the floor. The Secondary Krylok staggered back into the balcony doorway under the hail of fire, arms flailing out to grab the sides. From under the folds of its black robes emerged a second pair of thin reptilian arms, and in both clawed hands were weapons identical to the Overlords. It fired a single blast from each gun. One green ball went wide, blowing a hole through the bookcase but the second struck one of the Templar's in the chest, filling his body with the charged particles, causing all of the blood in his body to flash-boil which in turn caused his body to explode!

Mordecai used the last of his fading strength to pull himself across the desk and into his large, leather backed chair. He scanned the battle. The Overlord was once again pulling its bullet riddled, black robed body to its feet, a thick black liquid leaking from the bullet holes. The Secondary Krylok had turned both of its pistols on the remaining Templar, catching him with a double blast. Mordecai was covered with a hot spray of entrails, steaming blood and stinging bone fragments. On the right arm of his chair was set a small keypad, and he quickly tapped in a three-digit code.