Life After the Cataclysm - Chapter 2

Kaelan was terrified, but she attempted to hide it and attempted to glare at Dravesh's back as he led her to only the Gods knew where. With the razor wire around her neck, she dared not lag behind nor anger him in any way. She could only hope that either the scales would tip in her favor or Zack/Kade would get to her before Dravesh carried out whatever plans he had for her. And something told her that whatever his plans were, she would not be fond of them in the least.

"Dravesh...what could you possibly want with me? I am of no use to you and would just as soon leave this place and forget I ever saw you then stay."

All she got for her words was a grunt along with a 'Keep quiet!' Blood was already slowly seeping from the shallow cuts around her neck from the razor wire and to keep her head attached to her shoulders, she became quiet.

~Zack...Kade, I hope you live and I hope there is something left of me to find.~

She had to be patient....plan.....watch....and then act. She just hoped she was still able to move and alive when the time came to act.

Dravesh grinned, his dark eyes twinkly evilly by the light of the sanguine moon. "You don't remember me do you girl? Well, I was much smaller back then as were you." he hissed and gave a slight tug on her leash, causing one of the razor's to cut the back of her neck." How he loved his petty tortures, and it was those repressed memories that fought back to the surface of Kaelen's mind.

The ape man was much younger and they were left together to play in large white room. It was only the two of them and Kaelen had yet to have her genetic code manipulated and so she was defenseless when the humanoid ape suddenly turned violent. He had beaten her half to death before three large men in white uniforms rushed into the room and restrained the maniacal chimpanzee-boy. Threw her one good eye she watched as the ape was dragged out of the room, then another entered, a rather sinister looking man wearing an outfit characteristic of a doctor.

He bent down beside her and examined her injuries roughly, as a rancher would inspect their cattle. "You will live." he told her in his fine english accent, "And we are going to remedy your frail and pathetic body so that it might endure a little more." The doctor then rose and left her lying in her own blood, the sound of his foot steps trailing off as she slipped into unconsciousness.

"Keep up!" Dravesh growled, snapping Kaelen back to the present. "Keep up or I'll drag your headless carcass back to Bainbridge. Dead or alive you're worth the same, so don't believe for one moment that I will not hesitate to end your pathetic life. Now move!"

Nearing the fortress of Lord Bloodhand, there was a strange noise followed by shock wave of some kind of kinetic force that rattled the windows and door frames of the alley they emerged from. Dravesh sneered and what he saw before the entrance of the fortress and tightened his grip on Kaelen's leash. "What's this?" he growled.

Blocking their way, the two enormous men of opposite colours battled to the death, their missed and parried blows shaking the earth about them. Above the two gladiators, Kullen himself watched the battle, wisely not interfering until one or both of the warriors were weakened enough for his men to take down, until then, however, they could only wait. Bloodhand had to retain every soldier he could to fend off the desert pirates and though it was in his best interest aid the blue skinned man, he would not lower himself to ally himself with a man who did not recognize his authority. HE WAS THE LORD! Those who did not respect his rule were his enemy.

The two giants had been locked in a stalemate. Neither able to force the other to release their weapon and so they both released their grasps and stepped back from one another.



"Even under the blood moon you cannot defeat me , Lyand." Said Kryzhand, "You have always been the weaker, cursed to walk the night, while the day, the day is mine!"



Lyand's expression was cold, but deep seeded anger lurked behind his red stare. "You are an abomination, Kryzhand. YOU were never meant to be."

"And yet here I am." Countered Kryzhand throwing his massive arms out to the side, then he pointed his spear at Lyand, "You are no longer my keeper!" he growled, "I will never let you drag me into that pit again! Never!"

The two men charged each other once more and exchanged a fury of attacks, the power of each displayed in the destruction around them. Houses had been toppled and walls crushed by the swing of sword and thrust of spear. As they continued to battle, red fire began to erupt from Kryzhand's spear and any tinder around him began smolder and erupt into flame. By contrast then, Lyand's skin began steam, not from heat but from the air freezing as it neared his body and the red flames died before him.

Dravesh did not know what to do. He could only wait for the two warriors to either destroy one another or clear the way. "Is there another way in?" he asked the guards and snarled angrily when they shook their heads with dumbfounded expressions. "Enjoy your extra moments of freedom." he mentioned to Kaelen.

The memory shot through Kaelan's mind, making her shiver in fear. The room....the young chimpanzee/boy.....the boy going crazed.......the sever beating he gave her before the guards pulled him off.....the older man with the cold, rough hands. She was shaking by the time it was over but didn't have time to process it as Dravesh was once more bloodying her neck by pulling her foward.

When they stopped as the ground shook, she saw Lyand fighting a large red-skinned man when another memory hit her.

~She was older, maybe 3 or 4 years old, but the room was the same. She was more leery now of Dravesh whenever they put him in the room with her, but the outcome was always the same. He would beat her until she was near senseless, then the doctor would come in, determine the damage to her and then put her in a machine that activated various animal dnas that ran through her system. She would heal within the week and it would begin again. She'd learned though to fear the ape-man, and rightly so. She'd never beaten him.~

Kaelan knew then whom he was taking her to. The doctor with the cold, rough hands. She looked behind her, hoping for a glimpse of Zack/Kade. She'd been frightened before, but not like this. Something told her that once the doctor was done with her, he would hand her over to Dravesh. Her light blue eyes were wide and she mentally searched through her various animal dnas to see if there were any that would help. With the razor wire around her neck, none of them could help her right now. She saw no way out, but kept telling herself to be patient....wait....plan.....then act.

Zack opened his eyes he found he was looking up to the moon his eyes turning to slits he thought for a second it was the sun, He felt Kade claw at the surface of his mind. “Stop trying to block me out.” Zack let the demon come from the pool of sub conscious sitting down next to Zack taking deep gulping breaths. “I have repaired all internal injuries we are unable to move unless we are prepared to take extreme damage other than that we are fine.” Zack looked down to Kade a look of serious worry. “What happened to Kaelan?” Kade shifted uncomfortably looking up at Zack he took a breath looking around slowly. “I think she went to go get help.” Zack looked down at the demon something twinkled at the side of its eye catching his attention. “You lie to me again she got into trouble didn’t she?” Kade gave a sigh standing up he began to walk away. “I shall find a way to get us moving but don’t expect demon strength constantly you probably have maybe 3 bursts of it.” Zack looked at the back of the demon with a frown. “Why would you go so far for a human?” Kade turned with a smile walking backwards. “We are all unique and we will make a new dawn remember these words as I close your vision from the gore which will approach.” Zack heard these words his eyes going wide as he had a flash back of a time even before the facility it only showed him standing in a field of body’s but had he killed them or Kade even he couldn’t tell. “Just make sure we do not kill beyond our goals I have no desire to fall into what we did back in the facility.” Kade nodded he walked into the fog disappearing.

Zack felt his fingers twitch he gave a slow grin the muscles in his jaw seeming to crack like ice falling from it as it strained and moved he felt terrible an ache in his shoulder he looked back to find that part of his coat had eaten itself a dark patch writhing almost in agony. It opened up showing a red eye Zack was not surprised he had seen such a thing happen before the ache was in different places he could tell if he bothered to look it would be the same a dark patch with a red eye so like Kades the dark merciless red staring out. “Try sheathing my claymore.” Zack reached out the familiar black hilt the soft leather he felt energy come to his arms as he picked it up swinging it round sheathing it with practiced ease his shoulders felt slightly stiff but he couldn’t help but laugh as he stood. “Is it possible am I going to die once we finish?” Kade gave a chuckle of his own emanating from his shoulder. “I wish, save me all the time having to live with your bad jokes.” Zack walked slowly the leg muscles slowly loosening from there state his arms seeming to unpeel them began to swing normally at his side. The red eye began to change the pain intensifying Zack glanced to it find that it was reshaping into a Jackal hound’s head Kade the two headed beast they called it up in the north. He gave a chuckle as he remembered the days of raiding caravans up in the north. “Let’s kill them all.” With some unseen instinct he stepped in the very steps Dravesh had taken when he heard the sounds of battle he raised an eyebrow coming round the corner he found himself locked in Kaelan’s gaze as she looked back down the street Zack’s hand went up stroking the Jackal under the chin with one hand. “Hmm what to do?” both seeming to speak in unison together.

Kaelan was glad to be standing still as that meant that Dravesh was not tugging on the leash and causing the razors in the razor wire around her neck to create new cuts or make previous ones deeper. She turned as the leash was somewhat slack to look behind her and see...hoping beyond hope, that Zack/Kade would be standing, even though she knew that Zack's wound had been grave.

Her eyes widened and she stifled a gasp when she saw Zack standing in the distance. She couldn't mistake the red cloak and the height of the tall man. She kept a straight face, not wanting to give away that she'd seen him, but he would see the light shining in her eyes when their eyes would meet. He was alive!! But, wait a minute. Was that another head on his shoulder? It was....oh my God!! She had a difficult time now keeping a straight face, but she didn't care if he had 3 heads instead of one. He was alive and that was all that mattered to her. They were alive, Zack and Kade had lived.

Then she felt a tug and she winced when a razor in the razor wire cut into the front of her throat, causing blood to trickle down the front of her throat and disappear beneath her gypsy blouse. Another tug and the cut was made deeper. She looked up, her eyes on Zack's face when there was a third tug from Dravesh and a growl. She turned to step forward when Dravesh did so that he wouldn't tug on the leash again. She dared not turn back around for fear that Dravesh would see who she was looking at.

Zack walked steadily towards Dravesh who was still watching Lyand intently not even noticing the movements of his quarry Zack opened his coat hoping to find a throwing knife but found none remembering he had left the last one behind. His last knife in his belt was not balanced for throwing he gave a grimace as he wondered what to do slowly walking forward his foot steps not making a noise the Jackal gave a silent yawn as it looked to Zack. They both had seen the glow in Kaelan’s eyes when they had appeared Zack could feel anger and fury brewing at the bottom of his stomach, he had to save her it wasn’t ‘if’ he just had to. His eyes dulling his hands twitching the dull pain in his shoulder was expanding even he could feel it the claws of Kade upon his neck it continued till it reached his eye a black tendril of unknown matter scratching his skin cutting it like butter till it clawed its way to the lower part of the eye. It seemed to crawl over the eyelid under the eye he stopped suddenly wanting to panic as suddenly he couldn’t see out of his left eye the expanding stopped once he came from his state of wanting to kill Dravesh.

“Why don’t we stop him the old fashioned way?” the voice echoing inside his head Zack lifted his hand to his left eye nothing could be seen he carefully prodded at the slash marks on his face slipping through the black tendril like it was nothing. “What would you suggest.” He thought to open space Kade using his mind as communication snatched the message relaying his own. “Why not throw the claymore it’s more balanced than any of your knives were, after all your knives were made by humans.” Zack pulled the sword from its sheath testing the weapons edge on his thumb finding it was satisfactory as it easily cut down into his thumb. He drew back the sword ready to throw it he watched as the razor wire was yanked into Kaelan’s throat Zack felt the fury blow energy surging through him but he couldn’t move in the moment the black matter feeding on this fury expanded to his brain and most of his left side of his face the eye covered was a ruby of blood floating in a sea of black as it took over Zack mad with frustration continued to want to kill Dravesh the black expanding further the Jakal gave a laugh as it moved Zack forward unable to stop it. “I’ll throw this for you.” Zack screamed in agony Darvesh turning seeing Zack holding the sword in his right hand poised to throw like a javelin his left hand bleeding as his fingernails dug into the palm as agony shot through his body.