into a ball. She tried to protect as much of her body as she could against the grains being hurled against her. Bismillah, please.
The storm raged as she laid on the ground. Despite her best efforts to protect her face, grains of sands found their way into her nose, eyes, and even her mouth. The presence of the grains of sand on her tongue registered as a heavy earthy taste. As the grains dissolved onto her increasingly dry tongue, her thirst grew. Coherent thought dropped away as her existence became stinging grains and a powerful thirst.
As Maarika began to despair of surviving the seemingly endless assault, she felt the wind ease just a bit. Do I imagine this? The roaring howl seemed to slowly decrease in volume as the fury of the storm ebbed. No, I’m not, the storm is nearing an end!
She took one of the water skins that she had held onto and poured the contents into her mouth. The flow of tepid water washed away the grains of sand caked to the insides of her cheeks. Next, she poured what remained of the water in the skin onto her eyes. She was careful not to open them as the grains were rinsed away. Satisfied that most of the sand was gone, she finally opened her eyes.
Despite her efforts to clean them, sand was still clouding her vision. As she blinked her eyes to clear them, she spied a figure running toward her, “Nasir! Thank Bismillah that you survived.” Without stopping the figure lunged at her. Stunned, she didn’t react as the man struck her chest with his shoulder and knocked the wind out of her. She landed on the ground with an, “Opffh!” As the air left her lungs.
Fetid and foul breath that smelled of rotting meat washed over her nostrils, and she stifled the urge to wretch. The hungry one tore at her robes seeking soft flesh to consume. Maarika tried to push the nightmare away with her arms. The effort exposed her throat, and the inhuman spawn of Satan pushed forward to bite it.
She stopped it just short of her throat with her left arm. The thing’s teeth rapidly clicked together as it imagined the taste of her sweet and succulent flesh in its mouth. With her other arm, she punched it in the side of the head trying to distract it. The effort proved fruitless as the hungry one tried to live up to its name and feed relentlessly. I’m going to die!
With strength born of desperation and fueled by adrenaline Maarika held the undead at bay with her left elbow in the crook of the hungry one’s neck. This effort kept the clicking teeth just shy of tasting her flesh. With her right hand she searched around on the ground for her dagger. Her fingers touched upon something cool and round to the touch. A stone! Grasping the divine gift she struck the foul creature on the side of the head.
The blow stunned the hungry one. The pressure on Maarika’s left arm disappeared and she pushed the rotting yet very lively corpse off of her. She sprang to her feet at the same moment the wretched thing came to its senses and sat up. She planted a kick to its face. Rotting flesh and bone gave way and the hungry one’s skull snapped loose from its torso. The head went sailing through the air.
The snarling visage landed right side up in the sand several feet away from Maarika. It howled in frustration. Its teeth continued to click together, as it anticipated the taste of Maarika’succulent flesh upon its tongue. She looked around for her dagger. The storm’s intensity increased and her visibility plummeted.
Frustrated at her loss of the dagger she picked up a large stone with both hands. The weight of the immense rock caused her arm muscles to scream in protest. Ignoring the pain, she slowly shuffled over to the still angry and animated head. Using every fiber of strength that her slender body possessed, she brought the rock down on the head smashing it.
Maarika didn’t get a single moment to enjoy her triumph as she is tackled from behind. Looking back in the direction of her feet, she sees the arms of another hungry one wrapped around her legs. Moments before the horror’s teeth sink into her fleshy calf, she delivers a kick to its face.
He’s huge! Maarika rolls over and pulls her legs free from the grasping monstrosity. Using both of her feet simultaneously, she then delivers a crushing kick to the hungry one’s face. Purple ichor, flesh, cartilage, and bone go flying from the mighty blow. The undead horror collapses to the ground stunned.
Leaping to her feet, Maarika grabs the filth encrusted rock nearby and brings it down on the head of the stunned creature. Once again the heavy rock smashes through bone and brain matter sending the beast back to hell.
Exhausted, Maarika stumbles back to the spot of the initial attack. Shifting the sands around she locates her missing dagger and waterskins. Placing the water skins over the left shoulder, she keeps the blade in her right hand.
A hand grabbed her shoulder from behind, Bastard! I’m getting tired of this. As if surviving the sandstorm wasn’t hard enough! Furious, Maarika spins around and stabs the attacker with the dagger. Simultaneously she drops the water skins and pushes the man away. Yanking the blade out of her assailant, she’s stunned to see red blood and realizes her mistake, “Nasir!”
Nasir sinks to his knees and grabs the wound in his torso. He looks up at Maarika and croaks out the word, “Why?” Before collapsing to the sand unconscious.
Thank you for reading the second episode of the Nasir and Maarika Chronicles. I hope you are enjoying the story!.
The Nasir and Maarika Chronicles are based in the Byzantium Infected Universe which also includes the short story Jibreel’s Curse, the full-length novel Scourge of Byzantium, and soon to include a second full-length novel, Damascus of the Damned.
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James Mullins
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