Chapter 70: The Dead Don’t Stay Dead And Betrayal Of The Son

"Killing him really will be a problem or an opportunity?"

Zarek caught one tentacle and pulled.

"BRAAAAAAGHHHHHH!"

The appendage tore free, and the creature released a deafening scream. Its body convulsed, sending a shudder through the roots embedded in the walls. Dust rained from the ceiling, but Zarek barely noticed.

He tossed the severed tentacle aside.

"Come on. You’re making this boring."

He stepped over a broken mass of roots and approached the exposed core.

The monster’s remaining eye followed him. Its mouth opened, and a strained sound emerged from its ruined throat.

"Grrrrraaaah..."

The sound was weaker than before, almost pathetic.

Zarek raised his hand.

Then he felt it.

A faint vibration passed through the creature’s body.

He paused.

At first, the sensation was so slight that it could have been mistaken for the dying monster’s final convulsions. But it came again, this time stronger, accompanied by a low thrum from somewhere inside the mass of flesh.

The core was vibrating.

Zarek lowered his hand slightly and watched.

The exposed tissue around the core began to contract.

Roots tightened across the creature’s body, and the remaining tentacles jerked against the floor.

The monster’s head snapped upward.

"BRAAAAAAAAGHHHHHH!"

Its scream shook the chamber.

The sound was different now. The creature had been screaming in pain throughout the fight, but this was something more desperate. Its entire body convulsed, and the vibration from the core spread through the surrounding roots.

Zarek narrowed his eyes.

He remembered the old man’s explanation.

The core could control the bodies of those his son had killed.

A scraping sound came from behind him.

Zarek glanced back.

One of the expedition members lay near a broken pillar, his body twisted beneath a pile of rubble. He had been dead for some time, his chest motionless and his face stained with dried blood.

Now his fingers were moving.

They dragged weakly across the concrete.

His shoulder jerked.

Then his entire body convulsed.

With a sudden, unnatural movement, the corpse pushed itself upright. One leg dragged uselessly behind it, and its head hung at an awkward angle. Blood trickled from its open mouth as it slowly turned toward Zarek.

There was no life in its eyes.

The man had been dead.

Yet the corpse was standing again.

Another body twitched nearby.

Then another.

More corpses began to stir.

The chamber, which had been filled with the still bodies of the expedition’s dead, was slowly coming alive again.

Only they weren’t alive.

Their wounds remained open. One man had a gaping hole in his chest; another dragged a broken arm behind him. Some stumbled as they stood, while others crawled over the rubble until their bodies suddenly straightened.

None of them spoke.

None of them showed any sign of recognizing their surroundings.

They simply turned toward Zarek.

One after another, the dead began moving in his direction.

A strange silence settled over the chamber beneath the scraping of their feet and the faint, irregular vibration of the core.

Zarek watched the growing crowd.

"So that’s your trick."

The first corpse lunged at him.

Zarek tilted his head aside, allowing its fingers to brush past his cheek. He caught the man by the throat and lifted him off the ground.

The corpse struggled uselessly, its feet kicking against empty air.

"Look at you. You were dead a moment ago, and now you’re trying so hard."

Zarek squeezed.

The neck snapped, and he tossed the body aside.

It struck the floor with a dull thud.

The others didn’t stop.

They continued advancing, their vacant eyes fixed on him. One crawled over the fallen body of its companion, while another dragged itself forward with its remaining arm. The sight would have unsettled an ordinary person.

Zarek only laughed.

Behind the horde, the monster’s core pulsed again.

The old man watched the bodies move, his excitement growing with every passing second. Unable to contain himself, he stepped toward the creature.

"That’s it. Keep going. You can still—"

A tentacle suddenly shot out from the ruined mass.

His eyes widened.

The appendage wrapped around his waist before he could move, then dragged him across the floor.

"SON!"

The old man clawed at the tentacle, struggling to free himself. His feet scraped against the concrete as he was pulled toward the creature’s exposed body.

For an instant, he seemed to believe his son would release him.

"Wait—I’m your father!"

The tentacle tightened.

"BRAAAAAAGHHHHHH!"

The creature’s scream drowned out the old man’s final cry. His body was crushed against the mass of flesh, blood splattering across the roots before the tentacle released him.

He fell to the floor without moving.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then the core vibrated.

The old man’s fingers twitched against the floor.

His head jerked sideways.

Slowly, his ruined body began to rise.

One leg dragged behind him, and his head hung at an unnatural angle. Blood continued to drip from his crushed torso, but he showed no sign of pain. His eyes were empty, his face devoid of the arrogance that had defined him only moments earlier.

He turned toward Zarek.

Then he started walking.

Zarek stared at him before bursting into laughter.

"HAHAHAHA! You really are a bigger bastard than I thought."

The old man kept coming.

"Look at you. All that effort, all those sacrifices, and you couldn’t even keep yourself alive long enough to see your precious son win."

He spread his arms, welcoming the approaching horde.

"And now you’re one of his toys. That’s priceless!"

The old man didn’t react. He continued toward Zarek, his broken body moving with the same mindless obedience as the other corpses.

Zarek’s grin widened.

"Well, come on, then."

He lowered his stance as the dead closed in around him.

"Let’s see how much fun you lot can give me."

The first wave surged forward.

Zarek stepped to meet them, his smile never fading.

Behind the advancing corpses, the dying monster released another distorted wail.

"BRAAAAAAGHHHHHH!"

The core pulsed once more.

And the dead descended upon him.