In the shadowed halls of the desecrated sun temple Albie and Scab raised twenty members of the rotting congregation. The walking corpses ununiform in all things from wounds to their rags. No blood stone was planted in the shambling forms. They all were linked to the will of the flesh wight Scab. The shambling bodies lurched in accordance with Scabs' will. They moved the other bodies in the temples main room searching for the most intact remains.
Twenty was Albies limit. His bag of oats emptied into his stomach before being thrown up. The process unpleasant for the young man but by far the not least pleasant thing he had felt tonight. He walked to the temple stairs with the aid of a stick. His stomach tangled into a spiteful knot. He wished he had brought his walking musket as it was a perfect crutch for times like these. He had used great quantities of moon light to create Scab. He could feel at least a hundred of his moon stones had been emptied of moonlight. His stock of power needed to recharge but as the day had gone by the moon was waning. The moon was no longer full, and the quality of moon light would diminish until the new moon when he would be unable to collect moonlight for a time.
"Scab," Declared the mage in a tired voice. "I order you to feed on the orange coats of lord Brand. Allow them no sleep at night. Hound them as best you can without being destroyed yourself. Feed your children and grow their numbers."
"Yes father," replied the fallen priest. with a waive of his bony hand ten of the walking corpses began to exit the temple. The pack moved in the direction of dancing torch light in another street.
The dead moved at a deliberate pace. Their feet moving at a disorganized cadence. It reminded Albie of the village men walking home from work. Tired but eager to get home to families. The young man limped behind the host of dead men not able to keep up with the corpses pace.
Watching the backs of the dead walk forward loosened a memory. He struggled as a boy to find his place. He used to chase after the men to the fields a hoe twice his size over his shoulder wearing a heavy cloak to keep the sun of him. He was only as tall as the men's knees and would never be able to keep up. For a moment it felt like the backs of the village men overlapped with those of the corpses walking to the fight.
Albie felt his eye grow hot. He touched his still good eye expecting to find a tear but discovered it was not even misting. Ha coughed twice and realized how dry his mouth felt. He felt his body itch and tried to remember when the last time he had drank something. It was yesterday. And since then he had thrown up several times and had been sweating profusely the rest of it. Could he even keep the water down or would the unlife in his stomach taint it as well? It was worth a shot.
Albie sunk into the shadows as he followed the pack of walking cadavers. They closed in on the torch light.
"Who goes there!?" shouted a man in an orange coat carrying a torch. He and four other solders were walking the streets. They had their muskets in hand bayonets attached.
"Dieeeeee!" hissed back one of the corpses.
Albie slipped into an alley and began running to get behind the solders.
"Enemies!!" shouted the solders voice. "ready… fire!"
Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!!
"Charge em boys!" cried the lead solder.
Albie heard the search party shout hurrah in unison as boots charged down the street to fight these enemies.
A loud hiss! Came from rotten lungs in response as the foot falls of dead men speed up to a jog. Albie did not hear the two sides clash, but he did hear the living men scream. The solders cried out in terror as Albie emerged from the alley, he saw the men trying to fend of the corpses with their bayonets. One man was on the ground being eaten alive by three of the corpses. He shrieked and punched at his enemies with his free hand as bloody chunks were removed from him. The other living men stabbed with their bayonets only to find their attackers were of no concern at all to their opponents. Soon another two men had been taken to ground by the ravenous corpses.
The site of the ghastly feast reminded Albie of wolves tearing apart a pig. The remaining two ran back down the street to Albie. One had lost his weapon when he stabbed at a corpse and was unable to free it. He was the faster of the two men. He arrived reached Albie first. Albie grabbed the young solder and dragged him to the ground. He began sapping the young man of life making himself stronger and his opponent weaker by the second. The second man passed him fleeing the battle being chased by one corpse.
"Let him go," ordered the mage over his mind link to Scab.
"Why father," asked the wight. Its hatred for the Orange coats burned Albies mind though the link.
"Dead men can't have nightmares," answered the mage. "I want him to tell the others about what happened to his patrol. I want them to know of your children and to fear meeting them in the streets at night. I want them to look at every murdered person lying on the street or in a building and fear its vengeance."
Albie looked around at this street. It had not been cleaned yet and the bodies of many still lay on the sidewalk.
"But I hate them," Responded Scab. "I Hate Hate Hate Hate Hate Hate Hate Hate them. I Hate every beet of their living hearts."
"Every one of them shall die," answered the mage. "But it will take time and our best weapon right now is fear."
"Hissss" responded Scab as the pursuing corpse wandered back to feast on the piles of meat and cloth that were the other solders.
Albie finished draining his victim and stole the husks canteen of its belt. He drank the water inside it. His stomach turned for a moment then it eased seeming content to let the water stay. He dumped the rest on his face moistening his eye.
"Oof! Got Bags whet," complained the rat that had sat itself on his shoulder. She began grooming herself to dry her fur.
"Come on bags," said Albie "lets go find some spiders."
"You want eat spider?' responded bags.