Chapter 23: Love and Loss

Coming from the shadow of one of many of John's victims that had turned into one of his zombies, John and Candice arrive in a desert and just not any desert. They arrived in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

Candice looks around astounded by her surroundings. Not only did she just get to experience an act of teleportation but also being able to witness the sheer colossal army of undead around her. They all stood still as if someone had frozen them or pressed pause in the middle of a movie. She turned in a full 360-degree turn and saw that they were surrounded on all sides. With many questions on her mind she from before and now she couldn't take it anymore.

Without further ado, she looks up at John who was towering over her with the fairy named Dixie on his shoulder and asked, "What going on? Where are we? and whats happened to my body?"

John looking down at Candice with his blazing red eyes and said, "Firstly Candice Matthews of the Damned we are on the soil of the Mojave to make the great tree that will be the most pivotable part of my plans to come. Secondly, as a show of my power, I have not only reversed your age to when you were in your prime I have made you a type of undead you and, when you get some, followers might like. You are now a demi-zombie, one who walks both paths of the dead and living hence why your hair is as white as it is. For the markings, as I am now a demonic entity I have the ability to make contracts and such."

Moving his eyes from her to the tall hill to their right. It made a perfect spot to view his supplies and afterward his finished work. He quickly grabbed Candice by the waist and flapped his wings softly as he could as to not repeat the same mistake he made in the Grave Center. one second their on the ground and the next they were both 10 meters in the air.

John took this moment to analyze his skill in flying and safely glided to the hill and dropped Candice who wasn't ready and was still dazed by the sudden takeoff. She the ground bottom first, waking her from her momentary daze and said, "A little warning next time?"

"Be prepared for anything next time then," John said coldly as usual before holding his hand in the air above his head swinging back down and pointing it towards the epicenter of his massive horde.

Afterward, the zombies and skeletons began to rush toward the center and climb upon each other while holding onto each other. Within seconds they began to fuse together and combine into what looked like giant tree roots and later the very trunk of a massive tree.

Candice looked at John and asked, "When or how were you able to get this many umm... undead to this place without it being broadcasted on the news?"

John not even sparing a glance back at her said, "I have many ways Candice, one of them is the same way we got here. Another is just summoning them from where ever they are to my current location, in the end, it doesn't matter, but I was able to do this before coming to your home to offer you both the deal."

A shiver went down Candice's spine realizing how calculative and frightening John has become. Before she could stare anymore she noticed the rumbling and sound of millions of undead began to become quiet. She looked away from John and toward the halfway complete tree that was now to her estimate 40 stories tall or to be more accurate, it was currently 132 meters and still rising. Candice couldn't help but drop her jaw slightly at the sight.

At this moment John chose to take the time to look down at Candice and notice her awestruck appearance and says, "This is only 1.3 million of a total of 6 million of my forces. Although this is a substantial loss this is necessary for the full onslaught on humanity that my current general and I have planned to take full effect."

As John finished he looked back up at the tree of bones and patches of flesh. John feels joy and high spirited when he sees the giant warped face of sorrow in the middle. As he's taking in the beauty of his masterpiece of fused and combined bone and rotting flesh Dixie jumps in the middle of his euphoria and says, "Hey, woohoo, the tree is done."

John looked all the way towards the branches the were clearly made from legs and arms that blocked out the night sky and moon that gave the giant tree an ominous white and ashen aura. Its final height was now 245 meters with the tallest branch. John knew this was the moment where he'd cripple he'd cripple and slow the flow of communication to a crawl.

Raising his left hand in front of him as if commanding the tree to kiss the back of his hand he ordered one of the smallest but still massive tree roots to rise from the dirt which the tree was now planted. The root raised all the way to John until it could no longer while just barely touching his finger claws.

At this moment John made his connection with his first totem and just like the rest of his undead it was completely under his control and he began to input his command. That very moment the tree's face began to illuminate a fiery bright light along with emitting a light smoke as if it was a jack o lantern with a flame that was too big.

With the sight of such a frightening masterpiece, John chuckled before turning around and commanding the tree root to go back down below the earth which it came. Candice had no idea what John had down to the tree but unlike her, Dixie knew John had thought outside the box on this one. Even though her connection to John's mind was on and off again she could instantly tell this tree wasn't just a totem. It was just a matter of time before he explained it to her.

...

The exact time in which John, Candice, and Dixie had arrived at the Mojave Desert...

On his way to the FBI office building which he was sure either crawling with John's undead or now deserted, James was distraught and saddened. He had just seen his wife accept an offer by his now otherworldly brother and sunk into the shadows beneath their feet. At first, James wanted to collapse and wait for his inevitable doom, but knowing that it was his brother who would bring the death and destruction of others he couldn't sit by for his old bones to join his brother's army of corpses.

After pulling himself together he quickly left from his house and got in his car trying to ignore the violent shake and rock of the patrol car with its dead officers already being gnawed on by what he could tell was 3 or 4 homeless zombies. When John had first appeared within his home James had worried that they might peek through the window or come into the house and spot the skeletal monster that was now his brother, but seeing their sorry state his query for why they hadn't come and checked on him and his wife was answered.

James didn't have much else to live for anyway. His wife had been taken away by James and had reason to believe that they had already taken their children and grandchildren somewhere else unknown to him. Most of his friends were in the FBI office covering for him while he took the night off to take care of his wife when supposedly the building was taken over.

The only option left for him was to prepare for the coming apocalypse, and the best way to do that is raiding the office armory. For a fact, he knew there were plenty of weapons and supplies in the armory especially in lock-up where confiscated weapons and useful drugs were held. It was only a matter of how he was going to get most of it in his car which wasn't very big, to begin with.

After a couple of minutes of driving, he wasn't far from the office. probably just a few more minutes and he'd be in front of the main entrance, but before he could make any further progress he came upon small fires and screams all around him followed by growls and animalistic noises. He wanted to stop but as he was driving by a gas station he happened to notice a young woman and a young girl run into a gas station full of people.

He wondered for a moment if he should save them. If he should intervene and save them but at most he saw there were at least nine others besides the two girls. At most, his car could fit 4 others including him in the driver's seat.

With the option to help them looking dimmer and dimmer he noticed a rather large 18 wheeler parked on the other side of the gas station. His problem with how to store all the supplies from the office was solved along with how he could rescue them as well. As he could see they were surrounded with the glass of the gas station door close to breaking on the mere pressure of the small horde banging and clawing at it. After that glass breaks the only thing left to protect the survivor would be a makeshift barricade made from the shelves and racks from the store.

Seeing this as his chance to redeem himself he took action. As he couldn't really run due to his age he mustered a fast tempered walking pace with his gun drawn in one hand and a cane in the other. Although he's aged his aim with his gun hasn't changed much from his glory days and downs half of them with all nine rounds from his pistol. Before the undead could turn around and glare at him he had already loaded another clip and sent 4 more out the chamber piercing each in the head.

The scream for help fell silent as the last zombie hit the floor. All was silent as James walked up to the door and banged on it with his cane inadvertently shattering it and saying, " Get your useless asses out here and help me start this truck before we all become food for the dead."

It took them a second to register what had happened and a few small whispers were heard before they took down the barricade and opened the now shattered door frame. Some were fear stricken while others had wet cheeks from crying their soul out, but that only lasted until the gas station manager asked, "Are they dead? Are you anymore?"

Feeling agitated over having to waste ammo now on saving someone who couldn't tell the obvious James replied back by saying, "They were dead before I shot them and they're still dead by whatever logic the world is running on these days, and yes there are a shit ton more and they might be on their way if none of you shit heads can get the truck started and get to FUCKING driving it where I need to go!"

Jumping at his loud words and yelling they immediately look from one to another until the truck driver steps forward dangling a pair of keys. Before he could begin making his way to the truck while fearing the only person there with a gun he James spots something on the man that makes him say, "Wait. That wound on your arm how'd you get it?"

Everyone froze as they didn't know what was going on. James knew from the beginning that these folks nor probably most of the world knew that a zombie apocalypse was beginning. To his best of guesses, some people were capable of catching on to what was really happening while others at best just saw it as a rampaging drug addict reacting to a new drug that hit the streets or some kind of mass terrorist attack.

Out of fear, the truck driver contemplated lying as he didn't know why this old man in a nice suit was interested in his wound but chose to keep truthful and answered by saying, "one of them freaking drug addicts bit me. Hurt like hell..."

Before the truck driver could finish his sentence James spread his last words along with his brains across the gas station with a single bullet. Everyone screamed or expressed words or shock or fear. At this moment James knew there was no turning back as he couldn't take any chances as he remembered the injured officer who was taken back to the FBI office for a debriefing before being to go back to his precinct. He didn't want or need another person infected with John's curse taking him and everyone down like a trojan horse.

James didn't like his action but now believed this was what was needed to assume control over this group quickly and swiftly. With a group within his hands, he knew this was the only way to assume control without any objections. To be able to survive in a world that his brother is going to destroy he'd need to be ruthless in order to control what's needed, what's desired, and what's left.

After commanding them into the 18 wheeler which was still loaded with foods and drinks James felt a sense of accomplishment as they drove toward the cache of weapons and drugs. Don't get it twisted James didn't want the weapons and drugs to become a warlord. He needed the weapons for defense while also needing the drugs, which were mostly prescription drugs anyway, in case anyone among his group become injured or sick. While the other narcotics would either be used to numb or distract survivors during life-saving surgeries. James wasn't leaving anything to chance when it came to a scenario like the one he's in now.

On his way to the FBI office, his mind drifted into wondering if should at least try contacting his family. Just as he had picked up his phone and began dialing his oldest child the line cuts and the usual message he'd get if he was unable to get a signal. At this moment James knew John succeeded in interfering with signals worldwide telling him he'd need to speed up his plan to take what he needed from the FBI office before his temporary immunity ran out.