Chapter 30

"I'm worried, Rhett," Rose said, adjusting her grip on her rifle. They stood atop their base, back to back. Together they watched the entire 360 degree view around the store.

"I would tell you it'll all be fine, but I'd be lying. I hate waiting for enemies to attack us."

"We're sitting ducks up here."

"At least our shift ends soon."

The winds of the Georgia winter were harsh, but no snow fell. Alaina's party had been gone for 3 days, no sign or message had been heard. The silence between Rhett and Rose was soon broken by the voice of an offworlder. "This is a rather odd planet." Both the mortals turned to the side and stared at Karthas. She shrugged, "well it is odd to me."

"In what capacity?" Rhett asked, turning back to face the east.

"It's dying. I've been to the others, even Kraia, but this one is dying. It's older and more advanced than the others, millennia of technology, history, and life. But now?" Karthas looked wistfully away.

"An interesting perspective." Rose nodded. What if we need to leave? Would that be so very bad? So much blood had been spilled keeping their heads above a tide of the dead, leaving just felt wrong. But we would be free. Rose pushed the thought from her head, it wouldn't even matter if they didn’t survive. "Are there wars in other planets?"

"Of course there are. You and your kind are only human. There aren't swarms of the undead roaming, or rogue gods."

"There are gods on the others?" Rhett turned and Rose could see an eyebrow raised.

"I don't really have a good answer for you." The scaled girl said, "Aethere and Terradine once had gods, there are unproven rumors others took up the power. The people of other planets believe in gods, but does that make them real?" Karthas shrugged.

"If I may, I have another odd question." Rose asked.

"Fire away, as your people say."

"Why are you so much more like us?"

"You mean act more human than Kal? I dunno. The people of Xav and Vireth are fascinating. Kal is still a man of Terradine."

The shift bell rang, so Rose slung her rifle over her shoulder and followed Rhett down from the roof.

"What's next?" Rhett asked, leaning against a large shelf of food stockpiles.

"Well we need some way to defend this place better, for sure. Barricades, patrols, snipers."

"Don't think 4 rows of cars will be enough?"

"I'm trying to be a pessimist in this case, dear Rhett."

Rhett smiled and took her hand. "Let's begin then."

---

"That may actually be overkill." Rose said, as the sun began to set. She drove one final stake into the back window of the final sedan.

"Nah, I don't think so." Rhett smiled, "That makes 8 rows, pikes in 3, and barbed wire throughout. The dead ain't gonna get through that, and demigod fighters will be slowed." Jack gestured to the roof of the warehouse, "The sons of Koryph are done with the solar panel cages now, which will also help."

"Guess we just need the watchposts and patrols." Rose said, looking into Rhett's eyes. "Arex and Athira?"

Rhett nodded.

In order to properly cover all of the spots around the warehouse, as well as surrounding streets, She and Rhett would need to recruit. The children of Athira and Arex were always going at it, but they would be the best option, war and wisdom.

Both houses tried their best not to kill eachother, but were constantly infighting. After months of it, the other houses got fed up, and forced them to isolate to one area. They ended up in the wine aisle, which made alot of sense to Rose.

"They aren't as loud as usual," Rose commented, only hearing a couple voices in her approach. It was just odd seeing as the tension in the group was compounded since learning of their enemies relocation to Georgia.

"If they aren't back by tomorrow, I will go hunt down the Mythborn demigods myself." A gruff young voice could be heard as they neared the wines.

"Judah, calm down," Cass, head of house Athira said, in a calm tone.

"Not your place son of Wisdom. Judah, silence. They are right to want sanity." Flynn Ruben, head of house Arex reprimanded, and nodded at Rhett and Rose as they entered the group's area. Most were seated at a long table roughly made of pallets and what looked to be former warehouse shelves. Not bad for Arex.

Judah grumbled as he sat, but said nothing further on the matter.

"Rhett, Rose, good to meet you properly." Flynn said, shaking the hands of each in turn. He was in his late 20s, not as heavy set as Rose would have thought for the leader of the house of war, rather he was tall, and somewhat slender. His black hair was cut short, and his beard was wild.

"Likewise." Rhett said, taking a seat of his own. Rose stood behind him, watching the group. "Your houses are at peace?"

"Relative peace." Cass said, glaring at Judah. "Frankly we are kind of restless."

"Can't really blame you. The reason we have come, is to propose an idea to occupy both of your house's time. And its productive."

At the mention of productive, the Athira members sat a little straighter. "Lay it on us." Flynn said, nodding with Cass.

"So the Koryph house set up cages for the solar panels, that we will be able to easily cover if war does come, and the members of Caelos helped us move more cars to surround the warehouse. We need patrols and watch positions."

The Arex members sat straighter, similar to the Athira members. Both groups listened intently.

"You want us then," Cass said, "What, 6 or 8 watch positions, 1 or 2 men each, and 2 or 3 patrols running at all times?"

"Indeed." Rose said, hands resting on Rhett's shoulders.

"On it." Flynn nodded, "Arm up, the Athirans will designate patrols."

soon the aisle was vacated. "Good work, Ava." Rhett smiled, taking her hand in his."

---

"Shit." Rhett said, jumping to his feet, and grabbing his sword. What now? Rose thought, but followed suit. After her brain had time to wake up, she could hear radio calls from Rhett's walkie.

"There is a swarm, got to be hundreds. It's headed toward base, from the north side." That would be Silas Richmond, one of the sons of Arex.

"Shit." Rose said under her breath. The north side was from the old shopping center. There were tens of roads coming in and out of there, as well as the highway immediately to the north. This could be very bad.

The costco her group resided in was in a hole, not a literal hole, but significantly lower than the highway to the north or down from the west. She could see how bad it was just from the bodies tumbling over the guard rail, some 100 yards from the front doors. The cars surrounding the building would help, but there were no protections from the highway on the north.

Rhett stabbed the first one he came across, but more and more tumbled from the highway. Shit, shit, shit.

"Hell, what the fuck do we do?" Rose asked.

Rhett continued stabbing nearby dead, but took her hand after a couple minutes. "We need to get inside."

They did so, more and more dead piling up against entrance and sides of the building. "God dammit." Rhett swore, pacing on the roof of the building. They had 2 patrols still out there, as well as the 6 watch posts, all alone. "They wouldn't have seen them coming any sooner, we didn't have anyone who could overlook that parking lot."

"Rhett, calm down. I know you hate when I say that, but we are safe here."

"No, we arent fucking safe. Look out there." Rhett pointed, Rose wouldn't move her eyes from his. "We need to gather the remaining members of Arex and Athira, we need a plan dammit."

"Rhett, you, Rose, myself, and Cass need to do a secure call as soon as possible. All my people, of house Arex, stay where you are at for the time being. You all packed food. Sit tight." Flynn said, 7 affirmative statements following.

Rose decided to sit out of the call, it seemed pointless. All they're gonna do is have everyone sit tight. We are fucked. When the dead heard something, they were drawn to it. When they couldn't eat it, more came, and on and on. Now there was a horde surrounding the warehouse.

"We'll prevail." The silence was broken by the voice of Karthas. "The enemy would have struck already."

"Christ, you scared me." Rose said, lowering her gun.

"I tend to do that." Karthas sighed, jumping high into the air, and landing atop a cage surrounding a solar panel. The Umbrir were fascinating creatures, tight knit scales and dark hair. Both hers and Kal's were as dark as Raven feathers. "All I see on this planet is death. It's jarring, and horrible. And I can't well fix it."

Even with offworld technology or knowledge, what could 2 Umbrir do against armies of the dead and the living, both bent on destruction? Regardless it would be jarring to a member of the immortals. They have spent their entire lives, the lives of 20 men, in relative peace. Whereas people on Earth would soon spend their entire lives among this death. By comparison, the apocalypse is more like a couple minutes old to them.

"You should join the meeting, Mortal." Karthas said, walking to the ladder and going out of sight.

---

"We have no choice, Flynn." Rhett said, frustrated at the son of War. "If we slaughter them all with firearms we are as good as dead. More will come."

"We don't need to be here when they do." Flynn argued back.

"It's as dangerous to leave as it is to stay." Cass said, Ever the peacekeeper.

"We already have food here. If we leave we are absolutely fucked without it." Rhett cursed, "We need better ideas. The sound thing won't work this time, there's too many."

"It's acting autonomously." Cass nodded, and stood as Rose and Karthas entered the room. Rhett followed suit and pulled a chair out for Rose to sit.

"Flynn, Rose here. I had an idea." Rose said, smiling.

"Yes?"

"The storm drains. There is maintenence access behind the building, if we could get to it, then through, we could flank the herd. Then we slowly put them all down." Fucking genius girl.

Silence befell the room, and it took a few seconds before it was broken. "That's actually very clever, Cass?"

He was out the door before his name was even called. "Guess the idea horrified him, or he's gathering his remaining men." Rhett chuckled, pulling Rose into a one armed hug, and kissing her head.

Just as fast as he left, Cass had the blueprints for Costco, as well as the surrounding office buildings. "If we can get out those 30 yards, with like, I dont know, 30 people, we can draw the dead out, and systematically put them down."

"The only issue is gonna be that highway side. More keep coming from the mall by the hour." Flynn noted, Good eye. Not eye, or ear. Whatever.

"We'll work on that in the day, tonight we need to stay put and rest up. Tomorrow we work on all this." Rose smiled.

31 Fertilizer