TALES OF THE FALLEN
by d_Galloway

***

"Kenji," asked Takashi, "are we near the town yet?"

"No," replied Shogo in Kenji's place, "and we won't ever arrive if you keep on talking like that! These woods are haunted; the very air stinks of the vengeful spirits inside."

Kenji gave Shogo a hard stare. "Our driver knows exactly what he's doing." He then turned to the driver, Etsuko.

The road continued through the forest, a seemingly outplaced speck of light in a sea of darkness. They all had families back home; they needed to see them again after their long trip to Tokyo. Besides, Takashi's wife was pregnant, giving him all the more reason to hurry.

The car broke down suddenly. Etsuko saw smoke rising from the engine, and realized that the whole system had been fried. They were stranded in the middle of nowhere, without a gas station or auto mechanic for miles. To make matters worse, it began to rain hard on the men.

Shogo was quick to notice the large mansion in the distance. It, like everything else here, seemed aged and impersonal. The gates were covered in rust, and the yard was overrun with weeds. Nobody would have expected any life inside if it wasn't for the light in one of the windows.

Everyone went inside, in hopes of finding a phone. They had no idea what was going to happen next.

***

The front hall was completely bare, save for some smashed glass lying around. A few large pieces of rubble lined the walls. The group made their way inside, despite the chill that seemed to come from every direction.

They hadn't walked more than a few steps when a bloodied corpse fell between them and the door. It barely looked human; blood trailed from every pore, flesh seemed to hang off the muscle, and the entire body was a sickening green. Curious, Kenji moved in for a closer look.

The creature's hand grasped his neck. Takashi grabbed a large piece of rubble and slamed it down of the head of the monster, smashing it like a ripe melon. Kenji was shocked, but otherwise unharmed. Everyone had a new idea; escape as soon as possible! Then they noticed something even more terrifying than the monster.

The front door was locked.

They gave glances to each other, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Then they decided on one possible action: find another exit deeper inside the mansion. Maybe someone else was alive inside.

***

The central room on the first floor was in complete ruins. The floor had caved in, and the walls were cracked. Dead bodies and skeletons were tossed all over the place. The only salvagable things were some weapons: an axe, a spear, a katana, and a pitchfork. Takashi took the katana, Etsuko grabbed the spear, Kenji chose the pitchfork, and Shogo took the axe.

Now feeling prepared for battle, the group went out to find a means of escape.

Their first stop was a small room with a large, omnimous painting, depicting a scene unimaginable by the human mind. Kenji stared at the mishapen oddity, seemingly entranced in it. Suddenly, he staggered back, as if in pain. The painting...it was speaking to him. It was telling them to escape!

After shrugging it off, the group left.

***

A long hallway greeted the group. A few creatures were found, but nothing that they couldn't handle. It wasn't until they saw the small streak heading towards them that they knew they were in trouble. Most were able to dodge, but the spirit grabbed Etsuko and carried him off. They weren't certain what happened to him, but they only prayed for his safety. They had no choice but to search for him later.

As the group continued onward, they found a large gap in their way. Most made it over, but Shogo, weighed down by his axe, slipped. Clinging desperately to the edge, Takashi was barely able to pull him up. They couldn't afford to lose anyone else. They had to try to stick together if they were to survive this nightmare.

Finally, the group learned of the basement. Their must have been a way out there. After finding the right key, they made their way inside.

What they found, before anything else, was Etsuko battling an army of zombies. Many of the number layed unmoving, but many others still pushed him back. Realizing that their ally needed help, the group rushed in and aided in the destruction of the zombie hoard.

Etsuko clambered up the stairs, wounded. After gasping for breath, he collapsed on the staircase. Kenji told everyone to go back to the courtyard before trying to press any farther. Etsuko needed to rest, and they needed to rethink their battle plan.

***

There was no choice but to head onwards, and no time for Etsuko to heal fully. Takashi quickly ran off to the basement, determined to escape above anything else. Etsuko tried to follow, but Kenji held him back, saying that he would follow Takashi. Shogo stayed behind to guard Etsuko.

The basement was still full of monsters, many of which pushed the group to the very limits of strength. They held out, however, and made their way to a large furnace. The room was filled with the scorched skeletons of children. A torn piece of paper layed nearby, apparantly written by someone named Ichirou. It said that Ichirou's wife, Mamiya, had burned children in the furnace after their child died. Something was indeed wrong here.

A loud noise suddenly alerted the group. Etsuko ran into the room, being followed closely by Shogo. Despite their warnings, Etsuko refused to sit anywhere while everyone else was trying to escape. He had to help out any way he could. Shogo was unable to stop him, so they had no choice but to let him tag along.

They stepped out of the furnace room, and found a man with yellowed clothes and skin. They initially thought it was another monster, but the being introduced himself as Yamamura. He told them that Mamiya's spirit was haunting the mansion, creating the monsters. He begged of them to stop her.

Suddenly, hundreds of arms broke out of the ground. Zombies crawled out of the woodwork. The sound of metal clanging alerted them to a large group of medival statues, each armed with a sword or halberd. There was no escaping this battle. They had no choice but to fight or die.

***

The battle was decisavely against them. Kenji and Etsuko were pressed against the wall by the armors. Takashi and Shogo could hold their ground against the zombies, but were tiring quickly. Yamamura drew a sword and entered the fray, sending the rotting remains of zombies left and right. An enormous lighting bolt then jumped from his fingers to the armors, blasting them apart. A few remained, however, and more zombies began to appear.

Suddenly, a floating spirit in a purple dress appeared. She floated above the two groups, laughing in carnal delight. Yamamura looked at the figure in disgust, and continued to battle the zombies. The figure then left. Yamamura muttered, "Mamiya," under his breath, then went full-force into the battle. Suddenly, Takashi fell back in pain. A halberd had pierced his leg, causing a grievous wound. Shogo was unable to continue without Takashi's continued presence.

Shogo suddenly found himself, along with Takashi and Yamamura, in another part of the basement. Yamamura looked around in surprise.

"Where are the others?" he asked. "That was supposed to teleport all of the surviving members away-" That's when everyone realized what had happened.

They hadn't gone far. The next room was where the battle had taken place. They found the monsters gone, but two dead corpses marked the area. Kenji and Etsuko had fallen mere moments before the spell had been cast.

Realizing that they were the only two left, Yamamura sighed. "You cannot face Mamiya now. You must leave, and quickly!" He then dissapeared without telling them how to escape.

They didn't have much time to think about it, really. The zombies and armors from before swarmed in. Shogo and Takashi prepared to fight a losing battle, but Shogo grabbed Takashi and threw him out of the way, telling him to run. He then entered the battle, axe swinging.

Takashi limped towards the door, looking back only once. That was enough; he saw them rip Shogo apart, then leave.

***

Takashi flattened himself against a wall. He couldn't escape; it was all over. He had lost his friends in the struggle. He couldn't live with the guilt. He thought of his family one last time, then threw himself onto the katana.

***

SEVERAL YEARS LATER...

Asuka looked at the skeleton. It was slung over in the exact position it had died in.

"How sad," was all that escaped from her mouth.

THE END