(2) Allied

The lightning from William's hand sank with a greedy, thunderous, "Crack!" into the tree behind Marlon, showering the surrounding area with sparks and igniting the tree itself.

Marlon clapped a hand to his ear that had been grazed by the bolt. Blood immediately began to pour out from between his fingers. Marlon looked bewildered and shaken for a moment, but then his adrenaline kicked in. He dropped into a fighting stance and pulled the hammer off his back. From the size of the head and the speed at which the head moved compared to the haft, Alexandre immediately intuited that the weapon must weigh about a hundred kilos.

"What the hell's the matter with you, fool!?" Marlon shouted. "You want me to teach you another lesson, white boy?"

William laughed, though it was slightly weak. His hands shook, the skin on his arms was blistery, and it looked like his hands were covered with charcoal. This was the great weakness of Elementalists: Though they possessed the incredible power to manipulate the elements of the world around them, primal forces like fire, water, and electricity, this came at a cost. Like Boxers, Elementalists damaged their own bodies whenever they had to channel destructive power through themselves.

Nonetheless, William's smile was broad and arrogant. "I'm not like I was last time. I don't need either of you for protection! So don't ever accuse me of just wanting you as a meat shield, asshole! Take a hand when it's offered to you!"

Alexandre burst out laughing. "Marlon, did you just shit yourself? You look so serious."

Marlon's expression changed to one that was slightly sheepish. He relaxed his fighting stance and waved the hammer at William as though it weighed no more than a pencil. "I was just surprised, that's all. So you're an Elementalist, huh? Feel like you're playing Harry Potter over there? Looks like it hurts pretty bad to use that power. We'll see how good it actually is at killing Zombies."

Alexandre said, "Alright, calm down, both of you! Look, William, you've made your point. I think it's obvious you're offering this in good faith, and that you'll be of good use. I see no reason not to accept your offer to form an alliance… for this year, at least. We'll see how it works out for us in the coming months. But I warn you that I don't tolerate stragglers. If you're not up for it, I'm leaving you in the dust."

He glanced at Marlon. "That goes for you too. What do you both say?"

William was, as expected, nodding eagerly. For his part, Marlon still looked skeptical for a moment. Then he looked down his shirt at the blood that was still streaming from his ear. At long last, he shrugged. "What the hell. This year's gonna be a race to the top. I guess going at it alone's not such a good idea."

William said eagerly, "Yes, in nature, animals that hunt alone are much more vulnerable than animals that hunt in packs. Zombies in packs are stronger than when they're alone, also! We'll seize that same advantage for ourselves." Then he added, "Well! To seal our new partnership, I've taken the liberty of bringing along a few things."

William got down on his knees and opened his large bag. Though his arms and hands were plainly severely injured, they didn't seem to bother him. After a few moments, William removed a compact, blue cooler that took up most of the space in his bag. He opened it, revealing ice and two six-packs of beer.

Alexandre laughed again. "I didn't take you for a party animal!"

William first handed the beer to Marlon. "No hard feelings?"

Marlon grimaced. He took the beer, then reached into the cooler for a handful of ice, which he held up to his ear. The blood was flowing less quickly now. "No hard feelings."

Then William handed a beer to Alexandre and took one himself. Though people had started to return to the area after it was clear that a serious fight wasn't occurring, there was still a large space around the three men. They took advantage of this to lay down on the sand, staring out at the blue sky and turquoise water of the Atlantic Ocean, sipping their beers. It was as if time had stopped for a single moment that would change their lives forever.

Alexandre couldn't have wished for a better day of freedom.

Once the beer was disposed of, the three new allies headed back to the academy hotel.