Here Lies: No One - Sample Segment
There was a pneumatic hiss and the sensor nodules touching him glowed brighter. The suit came to life, parts and pieces moving and sliding. Along his arms and legs, metal and sensory covered and encased his limbs. It moved up along his torso, belly, and chest. Finally, the helm came down, covering his face. He was met with pure darkness as some sort of sealant encased around his neck and separated his head from the rest of his body. Something hummed and fresh cold air began to flow around him. At eye level, his visor suddenly went from opaque, to crystal clear and he was able to see his friends. They were stepping into the other two suits; Cody into the The Rhino and Paul into The Elk. Little numbers and words surrounded the outside of Raf’s vision.
>//Ammunition…………………….280/280
>//Activate GoreCutter?....................Y/N
>//Status check.…………………….Active
>//Health.…………..Normal Parameters
Welcome
Apply user Profile
Name Please
Raf was stunned. The interface, the mechanics behind the suit, and the technology were all far more than he’d ever expected. This was beyond any technology to have ever been created before. He looked at the words across his vision. Name Please.
He thought of the zeeks outside. How badly he wanted to kill them all. His face grew stony. Name Please.
“Reaper.”
The words across his vision disappeared. A female voice sounded out.
“Welcome Reaper. I am The Bull. Do you care to change my name?”
“Yes. Change it to…”
He tried imagining a cool name. The suit, it was a she. And she was a huntress.
“Artemis.”
“Change completed. I am Artemis, your Avent-1080 Human-Hybrid guard suit. Status: Active. Reaper, are you ready for a fight?”
Raf grinned broadly, feeling something come over him like he’d never felt before. A connection to this machine that went beyond just any relationship. He flexed his fingers, feeling the protective metal surrounding his digits. They moved without a hitch; flawlessly. He picked up his dropped axe; it felt weightless.
“I’m ready.” he growled out.
He took a step forward and it was as if he wasn’t wearing the suit. It conformed around his body, moving so smoothly that if Raf closed his eyes, it would have been like he was naked. He went from taking a step to running, leaving both Cody and Paul back in the garage to figure out the other suits themselves.
Raf sprinted out towards the adults and the suit complied and compensated. He ran as a blur, faster than he thought possible. Artemis could move.
In a split second he was amongst the dead, no longer afraid of being bitten. He swept his arm out, smashing aside the three zeeks that covered Wilson. The forms flew twenty feet back, chests and heads caved in from the vicious blow. Feeling his confidence rise, Raf let out a roar and picked up a zeek above his head. There was no weight to it! It was like lifting a pillow! He dug his fingers into the monster’s flesh, feeling the suit penetrate skin and tissue until it reached bone. With a violent tug, he tore the form in half. Dropping the pieces, he looked in wonder at his hands through the suit’s visor. Covered in dark thick blood, they glinted back to him thirstily.
He spotted Chase trying to lift his brother up. Wilson was holding in his insides, blood coming out of both his mouth and nose.
“Artemis! Can I talk to others outside the suit?”
“Speakers Activated.”
“Chase! Go to the parklands! I’ll hold them off!” Raf shouted, his voice coming out of the suit as a heavy growl.
Chase looked up, face covered in tears. “My brother! They got my brother!”
“Go Chase! There’s nothing you can do for him now! Move!”
Raf turned, feeling slight weight anchor his right arm. Zeeks were trying to tackle him down and bite at the metal. Raf shoved them off and the bodies went skidding across the road, tripping a dozen more forms. But more were coming. Thousands more. An ocean of the dead. Raf was unsure if even Artemis could handle a fraction of that.
There was a thunderous crash to his right and left and the other two Avents appeared. Cody, within the red suit, gave out a whoop of delight, picking up a zeek and hurling the flailing form as hard as he could. The undead shot forward like a bullet and splattered against a wall across the street. Paul stopped moving for a second and suddenly Raf could hear his voice through the suit. It was heavy yet smooth like honey, unlike Raf’s which sounded like gravel.
“Raf! This—this is incredible!”
Raf pursed his lips. “Clear a path.”
The three moved into action; like giants crushing puny villagers. Zeeks spun and danced in the air, tossed about like autumn leaves. Cody punched one in the face and it crumpled. Paul was a little more graceful in his green suit with the elk-like horns. He would jab out and snap necks, meticulously cutting down anything that stood in his way. Chase tried dragging his brother into a clear zone. Wilson was trying to shove him off. Raf could hear the dying man talking.
“You’re the only one left dimwit! Get the hell outta here! Go with them, they’ll keep you safe! Leave me!”
Chase had tears streaming down his eyes. “I can’t! I can’t do it!”
Raf let Cody and Paul fight around him. He gingerly knelt in front of the brothers. Chase turned to him with desperation in his eyes.
“Carry him! I know you can in that suit! Carry him!”
Wilson grabbed his brother’s arm. “Leave him be Chase. There’s no point. Go on. Get out of here.” Chase shoved his face into the crook of Wilson’s neck and sobbed. Wilson patted the man’s back. “I love you too, dimwit.”
Chase stood, looked once more at his brother, and began to run. Raf gave a final nod to Wilson and charged after Chase, protecting him from the parade of rot. Paul and Cody followed right behind. They formed a triangle around the running adult as they made their way towards the burnt parklands. Behind them, Wilson was quickly dog-piled by dozens of the dead.
Without warning, a house to their far right exploded outwards. They all froze in place, watching as debris and zeeks spilled across the street. Out of the darkness something moved, outlined in the moonlight.
Raf froze, breathing in the cold filtered air. What… it was…. huge.
Smashing its way free of the remnants of the house came a form that could’ve only been created from a nightmare. Raf heard himself whimper out in terror. Next to him, Chase fell onto his butt, his mouth opening and closing.
It was some sort of mutation. Some… anomaly. Raf remembered burning the zeek corpses out in the parklands. Paul and Cody bringing in a wagon and showing him two zeeks fused together. They’d found it in someone’s basement, shambling around with its head scraping the ceiling. Neckless, covered in brown boils and pustules…they had no explanation for it. Now, they were seeing something far worse. Something that maybe at one time could have been like that creature from the wagon, but now wasn’t.
“Abnormality detected. Goliath-class enemy. Conclusion One: enemy Avent. Conclusion Two: tank. Conclusion Three: armored vehicle.”
Artemis couldn’t describe it or understand it and neither could Raf. The only accurate description she had proclaimed was that it was a Goliath of sorts.
Standing at what had to be thirty-feet tall, its top level with the rooftops, the monster shuffled forward. Raf couldn’t take in all the detail at first. Humanoid with almost no neck, it had no definitive features. No nose or mouth; no detail. What looked like feelers waved about, some stunted and short, others longer and sprouting small branches. Weird lumps covered it from its stunted head-shape to its stocky legs. Raf squinted and some sort of sensor within Artemis picked it up, zooming his visor to a higher magnification. He was finally able to make out the detail. Raf choked back a scream.
It wasn’t one creature, it was many. Meshed and fused together in a mound of living flesh were hundreds of zeeks, their skin and muscles and bones interwoven with each other and mixed into a solid soup of moving meat. What Raf had mistaken as feelers and stunted braches were arms, legs, and heads sticking out from the larger body. It was all composed of bodies.
There was not one set identity. This was a conglomeration of many making a whole. The hundreds of heads turned to look at Raf and his fellow fighters. Some strained in place, not being able to see properly. Other, because their faces were half-meshed with different parts, could only swivel their eyes or single eye. The rotten bulbous flesh stretched and pulled, blood leaking from a million different tears in the skin. The mouths of all the heads opened and there was a resounding intake of breath that even within the suit, Raf could hear. It made noise.
“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa……”
It was a whoosh of air from a thousand fused lungs. Some mouths were unable to make any noise but opened all the same. A wail and a groan. A haunting call of something ungodly. Hell had opened and released its most horrible of monsters. This was true fear.
>//Ammunition…………………….280/280
>//Activate GoreCutter?....................Y/N
>//Status check.…………………….Active
>//Health.…………..Normal Parameters
Welcome
Apply user Profile
Name Please
Raf was stunned. The interface, the mechanics behind the suit, and the technology were all far more than he’d ever expected. This was beyond any technology to have ever been created before. He looked at the words across his vision. Name Please.
He thought of the zeeks outside. How badly he wanted to kill them all. His face grew stony. Name Please.
“Reaper.”
The words across his vision disappeared. A female voice sounded out.
“Welcome Reaper. I am The Bull. Do you care to change my name?”
“Yes. Change it to…”
He tried imagining a cool name. The suit, it was a she. And she was a huntress.
“Artemis.”
“Change completed. I am Artemis, your Avent-1080 Human-Hybrid guard suit. Status: Active. Reaper, are you ready for a fight?”
Raf grinned broadly, feeling something come over him like he’d never felt before. A connection to this machine that went beyond just any relationship. He flexed his fingers, feeling the protective metal surrounding his digits. They moved without a hitch; flawlessly. He picked up his dropped axe; it felt weightless.
“I’m ready.” he growled out.
He took a step forward and it was as if he wasn’t wearing the suit. It conformed around his body, moving so smoothly that if Raf closed his eyes, it would have been like he was naked. He went from taking a step to running, leaving both Cody and Paul back in the garage to figure out the other suits themselves.
Raf sprinted out towards the adults and the suit complied and compensated. He ran as a blur, faster than he thought possible. Artemis could move.
In a split second he was amongst the dead, no longer afraid of being bitten. He swept his arm out, smashing aside the three zeeks that covered Wilson. The forms flew twenty feet back, chests and heads caved in from the vicious blow. Feeling his confidence rise, Raf let out a roar and picked up a zeek above his head. There was no weight to it! It was like lifting a pillow! He dug his fingers into the monster’s flesh, feeling the suit penetrate skin and tissue until it reached bone. With a violent tug, he tore the form in half. Dropping the pieces, he looked in wonder at his hands through the suit’s visor. Covered in dark thick blood, they glinted back to him thirstily.
He spotted Chase trying to lift his brother up. Wilson was holding in his insides, blood coming out of both his mouth and nose.
“Artemis! Can I talk to others outside the suit?”
“Speakers Activated.”
“Chase! Go to the parklands! I’ll hold them off!” Raf shouted, his voice coming out of the suit as a heavy growl.
Chase looked up, face covered in tears. “My brother! They got my brother!”
“Go Chase! There’s nothing you can do for him now! Move!”
Raf turned, feeling slight weight anchor his right arm. Zeeks were trying to tackle him down and bite at the metal. Raf shoved them off and the bodies went skidding across the road, tripping a dozen more forms. But more were coming. Thousands more. An ocean of the dead. Raf was unsure if even Artemis could handle a fraction of that.
There was a thunderous crash to his right and left and the other two Avents appeared. Cody, within the red suit, gave out a whoop of delight, picking up a zeek and hurling the flailing form as hard as he could. The undead shot forward like a bullet and splattered against a wall across the street. Paul stopped moving for a second and suddenly Raf could hear his voice through the suit. It was heavy yet smooth like honey, unlike Raf’s which sounded like gravel.
“Raf! This—this is incredible!”
Raf pursed his lips. “Clear a path.”
The three moved into action; like giants crushing puny villagers. Zeeks spun and danced in the air, tossed about like autumn leaves. Cody punched one in the face and it crumpled. Paul was a little more graceful in his green suit with the elk-like horns. He would jab out and snap necks, meticulously cutting down anything that stood in his way. Chase tried dragging his brother into a clear zone. Wilson was trying to shove him off. Raf could hear the dying man talking.
“You’re the only one left dimwit! Get the hell outta here! Go with them, they’ll keep you safe! Leave me!”
Chase had tears streaming down his eyes. “I can’t! I can’t do it!”
Raf let Cody and Paul fight around him. He gingerly knelt in front of the brothers. Chase turned to him with desperation in his eyes.
“Carry him! I know you can in that suit! Carry him!”
Wilson grabbed his brother’s arm. “Leave him be Chase. There’s no point. Go on. Get out of here.” Chase shoved his face into the crook of Wilson’s neck and sobbed. Wilson patted the man’s back. “I love you too, dimwit.”
Chase stood, looked once more at his brother, and began to run. Raf gave a final nod to Wilson and charged after Chase, protecting him from the parade of rot. Paul and Cody followed right behind. They formed a triangle around the running adult as they made their way towards the burnt parklands. Behind them, Wilson was quickly dog-piled by dozens of the dead.
Without warning, a house to their far right exploded outwards. They all froze in place, watching as debris and zeeks spilled across the street. Out of the darkness something moved, outlined in the moonlight.
Raf froze, breathing in the cold filtered air. What… it was…. huge.
Smashing its way free of the remnants of the house came a form that could’ve only been created from a nightmare. Raf heard himself whimper out in terror. Next to him, Chase fell onto his butt, his mouth opening and closing.
It was some sort of mutation. Some… anomaly. Raf remembered burning the zeek corpses out in the parklands. Paul and Cody bringing in a wagon and showing him two zeeks fused together. They’d found it in someone’s basement, shambling around with its head scraping the ceiling. Neckless, covered in brown boils and pustules…they had no explanation for it. Now, they were seeing something far worse. Something that maybe at one time could have been like that creature from the wagon, but now wasn’t.
“Abnormality detected. Goliath-class enemy. Conclusion One: enemy Avent. Conclusion Two: tank. Conclusion Three: armored vehicle.”
Artemis couldn’t describe it or understand it and neither could Raf. The only accurate description she had proclaimed was that it was a Goliath of sorts.
Standing at what had to be thirty-feet tall, its top level with the rooftops, the monster shuffled forward. Raf couldn’t take in all the detail at first. Humanoid with almost no neck, it had no definitive features. No nose or mouth; no detail. What looked like feelers waved about, some stunted and short, others longer and sprouting small branches. Weird lumps covered it from its stunted head-shape to its stocky legs. Raf squinted and some sort of sensor within Artemis picked it up, zooming his visor to a higher magnification. He was finally able to make out the detail. Raf choked back a scream.
It wasn’t one creature, it was many. Meshed and fused together in a mound of living flesh were hundreds of zeeks, their skin and muscles and bones interwoven with each other and mixed into a solid soup of moving meat. What Raf had mistaken as feelers and stunted braches were arms, legs, and heads sticking out from the larger body. It was all composed of bodies.
There was not one set identity. This was a conglomeration of many making a whole. The hundreds of heads turned to look at Raf and his fellow fighters. Some strained in place, not being able to see properly. Other, because their faces were half-meshed with different parts, could only swivel their eyes or single eye. The rotten bulbous flesh stretched and pulled, blood leaking from a million different tears in the skin. The mouths of all the heads opened and there was a resounding intake of breath that even within the suit, Raf could hear. It made noise.
“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa……”
It was a whoosh of air from a thousand fused lungs. Some mouths were unable to make any noise but opened all the same. A wail and a groan. A haunting call of something ungodly. Hell had opened and released its most horrible of monsters. This was true fear.
About the Book:
Here Lies: No One was the first full novel I've ever written. Even though I didn't have the experience at the time to create a masterpiece, the book has a lot of meaning to me. Growing up with my friends, we always talked about how it would be like to survive a Zombie Apocalypse. Inspired by all the scenarios we thought of, I wrote this 320 page story about us surviving in a zombie-infested world. It was meant for only friends and family and I knew that although I would never officially publish it, it became a project that helped sharpen my writing skills considerably. I self-published a few copies to hand out to my friends and that was that. I still fondly remember writing from my computer desk while summer rain poured out of my window next to me. Also, exploring the massive labyrinth of underground tunnels below my neighborhood really helped inspire one of my favorite scenes in the book!
