//------------------------------// // Chapter 35 - The Watch // Story: Pony-Z // by Black Light //------------------------------// The Watch Pete sat along the edge of the wall his feet hanging over the edge. He lifted up his radio to his face. "Call in, anything to report." "Nothing on my end." Jay responded. "Same." Armor answered. "We found another bloated zombie, but not anything new." Liz said. Pete sighed. "Alright, keep in touch. Hopefully the bloated zombies are the only ones we need to worry about." Pete lowered the radio and looked out over the wall. He didn't know exactly how long he'd been out there for, but he did know when he came out the sun was high in the sky, now the moon was. Pete reached back and took a can out of his bag. He sighed as he looked at the torn label. "You do have other options, you know?" A voice asked from down the wall. Pete turned his head and saw Twilight walking along the wall a tray levitating next to her. "I brought you something to eat. I figured you were probably hungry." Pete looked from the can to the tray a few times before tossing the can back into the bag. "That is probably preferable to my option." He said with a small smile. Twilight returned the smile and walked next to his giving him the tray. Pete took the tray and began eating happily. "So has anything turned up?" Twilight asked. Pete sighed. "No, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing." "How could it be a bad thing?" Twilight responded. "Because we're almost positive that there are other types, but if we don't find out what they are early then we could lose a lot of people." Pete answered. "Maybe there just aren't any others." Twilight said. "I can hope, but I don't think that's what's going to happen." Pete told her with a sigh, setting the tray aside. "Probably a day, maybe two, a new one will pop up and we'll have to find a way to beat it. The bloated one is easy enough, we just need to keep our distance, but there's no telling what we'll have to do with a new one." He explained. "I'm sure that you'll find a way." Twilight told him. "I can wish." Pete responded. "Sir!" A voice called out. Pete stood up and looked towards the voice. A guard was approaching from the side "I've found something you might want to look into." He said. "Where are you stationed?" Pete asked. "The next post over, sir." The guard answered. "Take me there." Pete said as the guard turned around and started to run back down the wall. Pete and Twilight following behind. "This is Pete, possible variant along the east side. Moving to confirm." "Understood, try to be careful." Liz responded back. The three began to slow as they approached the guards assigned position. "What did you see?" Pete asked. "Didn't get a good look at first. I know it was in the tree's over there though...Wait, yeah it's still there." The guard said pointing towards the trees. Pete began to scan the edge of the forest. "I see the silhouette of an infected along the edge. What's special about it?" Pete asked. "Wait for it to walk into a clearing." The guard told him. Pete watched the edge of the forest. The silhouette moved slowly along the edge of the forest. As it approached the edge Pete took out a pair of binoculars and followed the figure, it passed the tree line and a light began to shimmer from it's sides. Pete lowered the binoculars with wide eyes, as the figure stepped out of the moonlight. "What was that?" Twilight asked. "Some sort of magic light?" The guard suggested. "No...that was a reflection of light. There's some sort of metal on it's sides." Pete told them. "That means what?" Twilight questioned. "Hard to say. Could be clothing, could be impaled by something, Or..." Pete told them. "Or what?" Twilight asked. "Or it could be something new." Pete finished lifting the binoculars back up. The figure continued to lumber through the forest. A sudden clattering took Pete's attention. The guard was standing near the edge a brick missing from where he was standing and a broken brick on the ground below the wall. The guard looked at Pete with some worry. Pete shook his head. "It shouldn't be loud enough to-" Pete stopped as he looked back through the binoculars seeing the figure with two glowing red eyes staring at them. "That's not normal." Pete continued to watch the figure. Then it vanished. "What's not nor-" The guard began to ask before stopping. Something splashed on Pete's face. He lifted his hand and touched his face. He pulled his hand away and saw red. He turned quickly and looked at the guard. The guards body stood there, but his head was on the ground. Mouth still open. The body fell over leaving a puddle of blood on the ground. Twilight was staring at the body in shock while Pete looked around trying to find anything. His eyes locked on something hovering over the wall. It was in infected pegasus, but his eyes were drawn to it's wings. They were metallic, like knives lined in a row. Right above were it's eyes, glowing red. The glow began to fade until the empty sockets of the infected became obvious. The infected hovered there not even acknowledging Pete or Twilight. Pete slowly lifted the binoculars, no reaction. Pete tossed the binoculars towards a pillar on the wall. It clattered there and the infected turned suddenly it's eyes glowing again. The infected disappeared in a blur. Pete heard a smash and looked towards where he threw the binoculars. Part of the wall was on the ground a clean cut through the wall. Pete moved his hand to his neck a straight cut was there along the side. Pete looked back to the infected it hovered there it's eyes dimmed to nothing. Pete reached up and turned off his radio. He stepped silently next to Twilight and covered her mouth with his hand. Twilight looked at him her eyes showing fear. He moved one hand to his mouth telling her to stay quiet. Pete slowly lifted his gun to his side and took his aim. He pulled the trigger and the infected head exploded in blood, the body fell to the floor. Twilight and Pete were silent for a moment. Pete lifted his hand and turned his radio back on. "-te! Pete respond! Pete you better answer me! I heard shots, what's happening?!" Liz was calling. "I'm here." Pete told them. "Jay get on the line." "What's up?" Jay asked. "Get to the medical wing, I've got something new for you." Pete told him. "On my way." Jay responded. "Armor." Pete said. "Yeah?" Armor answered "...We've got a casualty." Pete told him. "...Got it. I'll get some guards to come pick him up." Armor said. "...How bad?" "He didn't suffer if that's what you want to know. He was gone in an instant." Pete answered. "I'm heading to the medical wing now." Pete said putting down his radio. Pete looked at the guard and said a short prayer. Pete turned away. "Let's go." He said to Twilight. "I'm going to need you to carry the body. I don't have enough skill with levitation and I can't carry it because of the blades." Twilight gave a small nod and the infected corpse glowed purple as it was lifted into the air. The two of them left the wall and made their way towards the castle silently.