Sliver and Neen stepped cautiously out of the safe house door and hovered their way up the stairwell to street level. As they did so several police cars went racing by at break neck speed with sirens blaring. They could also hear other sirens in the distance as well and the familiar sound of small arms fire.
"Sounds like a shootout," commented Neen resting her hands on her guns in their holsters.
"Let’s just hope it’s nothing to do with us."
The pair launched themselves into the air and started flying along the city street. They stayed at first floor level so as to have a good view of the street ahead and behind as they went. At first everything seemed normal, but as they continued towards the industrial area, they realised that the gunfire and sounds of chaos were getting closer.
Then, a little further on, they noticed that not only were there an unusual number of people out in the street, but they were all specifically heading in the opposite direction with increasing levels of haste. Neen started to have a sinking feeling in her stomach and her worst fears were confirmed when the urgency of the people in the street turned to outright panic.
They rounded a corner into another city block and found police everywhere, frantically bashing on doors and windows and dragging people from their apartment blocks in a chaotic ineffective attempt to evacuate them. At the other end of the street the road was blocked by police cars and heavily armed police. The gunfire, now joined by hysterical screaming, sounded as though it was coming from the next street across. There were even fairies flying at various levels in the opposite direction now.
"I think we need to get some altitude," said Sliver and they ascended several stories into the air as they moved down the street towards the police barricade.
"Look," said Neen urgently nudging Sliver, who was paying more attention to what was happening below them than in the air ahead.
"Bloody turncoats," he spat with contempt. "That's all we need."
Ahead of them, forming their own aerial barricade at altitudes above and below, were about twenty police fairies in their distinctive dark blue envirocoats.
The police fairies were sometimes referred to as blue coats, but more often as turncoats because they upheld human laws rather than fairy law. Even though fairy based laws had not been recognised for over one hundred years it was still a very sore point for most fairies.
As disliked as they were amongst their brethren, turncoats were highly trained, well armed and not to be messed with. Certainly the last thing they needed right now was any attention from them so Sliver quickly turned back around and descended towards ground level again.
Suddenly, all hell broke loose in the middle of the street below them. A huge undead orcish warrior, wielding a rusty and jagged edged battle axe, burst out of a building and into the crowd.
"How the hell did that get out?!" cursed Neen.
"I don't know,” shrugged Sliver. “Let’s makes sure we use the distraction to our advantage.”
The orc lumbered forwards into the crowd and swung its battle axe viciously, slicing several people in half. The human police officers nearest to the monster drew their weapons and started shooting at it. None of them had the sense or the accuracy to shoot it in the head so their bullets were ineffective. The orc swung its axe again taking down several more unlucky souls before the axe lodged deeply into the side of a nearby parked car.
For a moment the orc seemed confused as it pulled at the axe in an attempt to dislodge it. A police officer ran up behind it and blasted it in the back with a shotgun. Angered, the orc left the axe and spun on the officer. It put one large rotting clawed hand around the man's neck, wrapped its free arm tightly around the man's torso and with a blood chilling undead howl tore his head from his body in a fountain of blood. The fear in the street turned to terror and chaos reigned. Even the police started to panic.
"We have to help them take that orc down before it kills everyone," urged Neen drawing her pistols.
"Screw that! They’re only humans, keep moving," ordered Sliver.
At the far end of the street several more orcs burst through the police barricades under a hail of fire. One of the orcs went down with a lucky shot to the skull and it appeared to rally the police. Sliver ignored what was happening and made a bee line for a side alley. Neen followed more reluctantly, her desire to get her money wavering momentarily at the thought of leaving innocent people to die.
They moved quickly at just above head height and had just about reached the next street when a man came sprinting around the corner directly towards them. Right behind him was another undead orc. It caught him quickly and pounced on top of him. The orc gnashed at his arms with rotten teeth as he tried to fend it away and he was quickly bleeding from the bites.
Neen did not hesitate this time and spiralled down quickly over the head of the orc, drawing a single pistol as she went. Without slowing in her flight she let off a single dark elixir round into the back of the orc's skull. It slumped forwards immediately and fell onto the man, dead a second time over.
The man, still terrified, pushed the rotting orc off and shakily stood. He looked up at Neen thankfully and was about to say something when his body suddenly lurched into convulsions. His body contorted so violently that it seemed like it had to be breaking bones. Then as suddenly as they started they stopped and the man looked up at Neen again. This time however his pupils were fully dilated and he had a contorted and fevered look on his face.
With a brief sniff of the air the man charged hysterically at her, shrieking in a tortured moan as it went. Neen felt the same deathly cold sensation again that she had felt when the undead orcs were first released from their graves. This time however she managed to control her fear and raise her pistol. She never had the chance to squeeze the trigger however because Sliver downed the man with a bullet between the eyes.
"We are wasting time. Let's go," he said coldly as he flew past her. Neen holstered her gun and quickly flew ahead of him and barred his way.
"Are you mad? Did you just see what happened then? Whatever dark magic is driving the orcs is contagious! They have escaped the tomb and who knows how many are already infected! If we don't stop this now it's going to get out of control!"
"The humans deserve everything they get," replied Sliver pushing back past her again. "If you want to go play white angel you go ahead, but that treasure is all mine."
"What happens if it can infect fairies too?" she called after him.
Sliver stopped and hovered. He was silent for a moment then he bowed his head and let his shoulders slump. He turned slowly back around and stared at her for a moment.
"What do you suggest we do?" he asked reluctantly.
"Let's do what we planned to do originally, let's go and kill undead orcs," replied Neen drawing both pistols with a smile.
"Fine, you go first then. I think I’d still like to keep you in front of me when you have those things in your hands thanks."
The pair burst back out of the alley and into the street ready for action, but they were stopped dead in their tracks.
"I think we are going to need a new plan Neen..." said Sliver his voice hollow.
At the far end of the street a mass wave of human zombies, along with a smattering of undead orcs, flowed down through the street like a tsunami, engulfing everything in its path.