A quick call for an Emac, a muttered spell and suddenly there was a fuzzy pink mechanical rabbit standing before them. The rabbit was wearing dark glasses and carrying a bass drum. But he also had a boonie rag tied around his head and an awesomely wicked looking weapon slung across his back The rabbit did a quick half turn to orient himself and marched into the dark room, beating the drum.
Four beats later, the drum was drowned out by the roars, growls, snarls and liquid sucking sounds coming from the room. Then the corridor echoed and rang with gunfire and explosions until the watchers clapped their hands over their ears to save their hearing.
Then there was silence. After a few seconds the pink mechanical rabbit appeared out of the smoke. He blew the smoke from the barrel of his weapon, slung it back on his back, adjusted his drum and marched off down the corridor, beating his drum.
A quick peek around the corner showed there was nothing left alive in the room, although there were enough miscellaneous body parts to stock a good-sized zoo—or a terrific nightmare.
“Jeez,” said Taj, as he stepped over something that might have been a tentacle and avoided a taloned foot that was still twitching, “what do you suppose this thing was?”
Jerry looked around. “As a friend of mine likes to say, never ask questions you don’t want to know the answer to. Now come on. Let’s see if we can find the others.”
Well you wanted to the a fucking hero, Charlie thought. Somehow his definition of a hero’s death had never included being eaten alive by sharks. He could just give up, exhale and sink beneath the water, but natural orneriness in him kept him from taking the easy way out.
Damn! Why couldn’t he have gone down with his plane? At least I won’t end up a zombie.
The fins drew nearer and Charlie braced himself for what must come. Closer and closer they scythed until he could see the wet sheen on the black flesh of the fins and the smooth ripple of water before them. Barely two yards from him the nearest fin disappeared beneath the waves and Charlie gasped in anticipation.
Something broke water in front of him. After a second he opened his eyes to find himself facing a very unsharklike snout with the mouth pulled back in a toothy grin.
“Hello,” the dolphin squeaked. Behind the first one, two other dolphins had their heads out of the water.
Charlie goggled. It’s a damn good thing I’m already wet, was his mad first thought. Then he laughed in pure relief.
“Go home?” squeaked the dolphin. “Go home now?”
Charlie doubled over laughing and got a nose full of water. He choked and sputtered and the dolphins moved in to support him under the arms.
“Goddamn. You guys are Air-Sea Rescue, right?”
“Go home,” the dolphin repeated.
“Okay, son, just lead the way.”
Supported and pushed along by the dolphins, Charlie headed north, toward the lands of man.
“Hey, do any of you boys know…” He started to sing. “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition …”
None of the dolphins did of course, but they were apt pupils and not in the least put off by Charlie’s cracked baritone. By the end of the first mile they had joined in with their mosquito-buzz voices.
“… praise the Lord and pass the ammunition, And we’ll allll stayyy freeee.”
The Executioner’s rock ledges were narrow and slippery and the zombies were clumsy. The second dragon misjudged the landing and was swept into the boiling sea before it could correct. Karin saw a dead man’s head and a dead dragon’s wingtip break the surface before being sucked under the foam. The other undead did not seem to notice.
They couldn’t stay here. The rock was so small it would be the work of moments for the zombies to sniff out their cave. Once that happened they could be cooked by dragon fire in their lair. But there was no way to get airborne without being incinerated either.
“Do you have any magic for this?” Karin whispered. Senta shook her head.