A Woman of the Swamp

13. Party at the Crypt

Marie descended the stone steps with a mix of trepidation and yearning. The staff’s power pulsed, vibrating her skin and warping the bricks around her. A latent sense of fear tugged at her mind, but it was overpowered by a desire to be reunited. As they descended, the warm afternoon air was replaced by a dank chill. The staircase descended, opening on a wide room where low mist clung to the ground. Recesses pockmarked the walls, filled with all manner of burial containers. There were thick stone coffins, skeletons resting in burial shrouds, and a gold-plated sarcophagus.

At the far end of the room, several low tunnels split off from the main area, heading off to other chambers. The scraping sound they heard from above echoed from the passage on the left. Marie knew the sound well. It was someone digging through layers of stone and earth. She pointed toward the tunnel and moved quietly forward.

Lopsang removed his sickles from their sheathes and swung them gently, testing their weight.

James followed.

Marie held the spear they had given her parallel to her body and pointed forward. She still couldn’t make sense of the catacomb she was standing in. Why would anyone in their right mind bury bodies underground here? Yes, people in New Orleans were known for extravagance and occasional eccentricity around death, but a sarcophagus was plain odd. She moved deeper into the room, heading toward the left passage, still unsure of what she was going to do when she got there. Sweat beaded on her palms. She adjusted her grip on the spear, hoping to get a firmer hold on it, and accidentally brushed the button. The spear shot out both directions with a loud clack.

Immediately, the sound of digging in the other room stopped.

Marie winced and mouthed ‘sorry’.

Lopsang stared at the tunnel ahead, eyes firm, saying nothing.

A scrabbling, shuffling sound came as something moved toward them, and in the same moment, there was a horrible scraping noise from above.

Marie looked back just in time to see a massive stone being moved into place, blocking their exit.

“We’re in trouble,” said James.

“So much for the quiet approach,” replied Lopsang. “Marie, how many of these bodies are viable for—” he faltered. “Whatever it is you do.”

“Let’s just hope whoever made those coffins built them thick.” If the temperature had always been so low, there was no telling how many bodies would be viable. The preservation conditions were exceptional.

Knocking started up around them, quiet at first, but growing louder with every passing second. A coffin lid to Marie’s right shook with a particularly violent blow.

“Great, now you’ve gone and woke the neighbors.” James swung the harpoon gun from side to side, unsure of which area to focus on.

The rattling of stone lids and scraping flesh against wood filled the small room.

Marie’s attention was drawn to the tunnel ahead as two shambling mummies stepped out. Their bandages were mostly intact other than dark spots where their eyes and mouth had rotted away. One of them held a miner’s pick and the other a shovel.

“Of course, they got lucky and found the only mummies in New Orleans.”

“Lucky?!” shouted Lopsang.

“They are exceptional targets for necromancy.” Marie darted forward and thrust her spear through the first mummy’s head. It passed through the bandages and skull below with a soft crunch and shot out the other side. Bits of dried bone and dust that might have at one point been a brain fell behind the creature. “But not very durable.” Marie flicked the spear sideways, severing what remained of the head and flinging it into the tunnel wall.

A charred fist broke through a coffin to her right, peeling chunks of wood out of the way. Its fingers showed more decay than those of the mummies, but not by much. Whoever was burying people under the ground clearly had a plan.

The second mummy looked at its fallen partner only briefly before resuming its approach. It swung its pickaxe, making lazy arcs. To the outsider, it wouldn’t have seemed any more dangerous than a toddler with a whiffle bat, but Marie was impressed by its dexterity. “You really have to admire the craftsmanship.” She waited until the mummy was between swings and jabbed forward again, striking it in the throat. “Not easy to get them to behave like this.” She swung the spear to the side, tearing through the creature’s throat and rending its head from its shoulders.

A corpse rose from a bright white coffin, lifting the lid as if it were nothing. He wore a faded tuxedo, still in remarkable condition despite his decomposition.

“You’ll have to write them a fan letter when this is all over.” James fired the harpoon gun, striking the corpse in the chest and pinning him to the wall.

“It would be rude not to appreciate the work that went into this ambush.” The adrenaline pumping through Marie’s veins made the situation’s irony almost funny. Ignoring the zombies crawling toward her, Marie slid and grabbed for the pickaxe. The double-dead mummy’s hand still gripped it firmly, but with a quick yank, it crumbled. Marie tossed the pickaxe at James’s feet. “Maybe work on getting our exit open again while Lopsang and I handle this?”

James looked down at the pickaxe and scowled. “What gives you the—”

Marie had already turned around. She finished the zombie James had pinned with a quick swipe.

“The one time I get to use the harpoon gun,” James moaned. He slung the weapon over one shoulder and picked up the pickaxe. “But the next time we’re in a mummy fight, you get to guard the door.” He jabbed a finger at Lopsang.

Lopsang grinned despite the danger. “Dig fast and maybe there will be a next time.” Down the hall, rattling started up again.

There was the distinct sound of vibrating stone as heavy lids slid off their plinths. A mighty crash echoed through the crypt followed by the sound of stone crumbling. A large man in a nearly complete medieval coat of armor stepped out of the middle hall dragging a heavy, two-handed axe. His grunts and groans were muffled by the tightness of his helmet around a no-doubt bloated skull, but the imagery was still enough to make Marie take a few steps back.

James swung his pickaxe with fervor. Chips of stone clattered to the floor.

“More company, said Lopsang, slicing off the charred zombie hand that was still working its way out of its coffin. It fell to the floor and scrabbled for purchase, trying to crawl its way back toward its still-trapped body. “Persistent little buggers, aren’t they?” He plunged the scythe through the coffin lid, raking it back and forth.

“Not usually this persistent.” It seemed that for every limb they hacked off, they were doubling their problems. Severed arms and heads groaned from the floor, still trying to carry out their murderous intent. Ordinary zombies didn’t function without a brain, which meant they were dealing with something else entirely. Animating one corpse was trouble, working an entire crypt like a puppet master was impossible.

In her momentary distraction, Marie almost didn’t see the axe coming. The large, armored zombie swung it slowly, spinning in a full circle before bringing it to bear.

Marie jumped out of the way, feeling the wind of the blade as it passed by her face with barely an inch to spare.

The zombie continued its swing, unaware that it had missed the target, and the axe collided with the stone wall. The axe stuck fast, but the creature was strong. The sound of scraping metal filled the room as the zombie freed its weapon.

“A little help here?” asked Marie, looking for Lopsang.

“I’m kind of busy at the moment.” Lopsang was facing down a hoard of skeletal figures, all pushing together to get through the thin left tunnel. Unlike some of the other corpses, they appeared to have almost completely rotted away. Sinews barely held them together, and yet, despite the lack of means for movement, they were moving quite quickly.

Brief as it was, Marie admired the skill in such a feat. She did a quick mental count and found five animated corpses in the room, which wasn’t counting those that hadn’t escaped their coffins yet. How are they doing this?

Lopsang swung his scythes with blinding speed and precision. The first blade connected with a skeleton right, shattering its ribcage and cracking the spine behind it. The effect was a complete dismantling of the body which fell to pieces on the floor with a hollow clatter. With his second swing, he hooked a scythe through one of the creature’s empty eye sockets and pulled it into the air. Lopsang flipped the skeleton over his shoulder, smashing it into the ground.

“Right, I guess it’s just you and me, big boy.” Marie returned her attention to the large zombie, fully recovered and preparing to swing his axe again. She held her spear, looking for any soft point in the creature’s armor. The helmet only provided a narrow slit for her to hit the head, but it was the best option she had.

The skeleton turned to swing its axe again.

Marie waited until its back was turned and stepped well out of the way. She braced herself against the stone steps ducking out of the way as the axe swung overhead. Once more, the miss was too close. The rusted blade passed inches away from her eyes. She pushed off with all her might and drove the spear toward the zombie’s helmet, aiming for the slit. The shock of metal on metal nearly made her drop the spear as vibration rang through its length. While the impact left a nasty dent in the zombie’s helmet, she had missed her target.

The large zombie let go of the axe, sending it flying toward the opposite wall. It spun in a deadly disc, cutting across the room and slamming into the stone. The crumbling rubble revealed even more foes, scrambling to get free of their tombs. Then, with unexpected speed, the large zombie brought its elbow backward and hit Marie square in the chest.

She was aware of the sudden pain and feeling of movement as she flew backward, landing with a horrible thud against a stone wall. In shock, she let go of the spear. It fell to the floor, but she didn’t hear the noise. Everything took on a muted quality. Marie tried to take a breath but got nothing more than pain. An elephant sat on her chest. Is this how it ends? One careless mistake?

Ahead of her, the large zombie moved to retrieve its axe. Its clanking footsteps sounded like a death knell.

Lopsang continued to handle his fight easily, but the torrent of enemies wasn’t stopping. You’re trapped like a rat, came the dusty voice in Marie’s mind.

This your doing? Marie asked.

The voice didn’t answer.

Lights flashed before Marie’s eyes as she struggled to breathe. Of course, it is. Chase a necromancer into a box of corpses, Marie. Real smart. Pain gave everything a fuzzy, muted quality. Through the haze and pain, Marie heard the heavy thuds of James’s pickaxe on the stone blocking their way. Despite everything, he was still working to get them out. Lopsang hadn’t so much as turned his head. Even against hopeless odds, the two men continued to fight.

Marie sucked in a breath through the pain. The pain was unimaginable, but she pushed through it. She grabbed her spear. Its metal tip was bent and scarred. No matter how hard Marie swung with it, it wasn’t going to do any serious damage. With immense effort, she flipped the spear around. Mercifully, the other end was still sharp and ready for action. Ray, I’m coming, but first, I got one more fight left in me.

She stood, facing down the armored zombie once more. It approached her, dragging the axe along the floor. She knew what to expect and waited. “Come on you big, ugly fuck. I’m not done dancing with you yet.” The words were harsh and raspy, but she managed them. The pain receded, replaced with certainty. Her body knew that this was possibly the last fight she would ever have and she needed every ounce of energy it could provide.

The zombie gave a muffled moan and spun.

Marie didn’t wait for the blade to come. Instead, she charged while the zombie’s back was turned, aiming for the gap between the creature’s breast plate and helmet. She launched forward with all her force, driving the spear upward. She felt a soft resistance for a moment and then the clang of metal on metal again. I missed, she thought dully. The force of her momentum carried her forward, pushing the zombie face down on the ground. Together, they crashed to the floor.

The impact of her body on the stone nearly caused Marie to pass out. Pain shot through every inch of her body. In the moment, it was impossible to tell if she’d been struck by the creature’s axe or simply fallen. Seconds passed and Marie realized the creature wasn’t getting up. The world in front of her came into focus and she saw the tip of her spear poking out of the zombie’s helmet. Bits of grey matter still dangled off the end.

I did it, she thought, and tried to laugh. The action sent more pain coursing through her and her vision narrowed to a tunnel. Easy breathing, she told herself, taking short breaths, trying to stay conscious. From the far tunnel, Marie heard a horrible, squelching sound. The candles in the tunnel went out as it approached. She squinted, trying to make it out, and then, immeasurable fear gripped her. You’ve got to be kidding me…