Walled City of Heilong

Chapter 1

Mei brought the pipe down on the head with a ferociousness even she didn’t know she had. She found cold comfort in the meaty crunch of the skull as it caved in and the rotted brain matter splattered all over the wall. She spun around and sank the sharpened end of the pipe into the cloudy eyes of another shambling corpse, watching as its outstretched arms finally fell limp and its chomping jaw slackened. Mei yanked the pipe out of the decimated eye socket. The body fell with loud ringing sounds, bells laced around its neck and arms clanging loudly as it hit the ground. Shuffling sounds and moans echoed down the long dim alleyway, becoming louder by the second.

“Shit,” cursed Mei. Grabbing her pipe, she ducked into a connecting alleyway and pulled a large piece of sheet metal sprayed with the Chinese character for “safe” shut behind her. She latched it shut and peeked through the tiny peephole just in time to see a body amble past. Then another. And another. Soon an unending stream of corpses shuffled past, unseeing eyes staring blankly ahead. Some of them tripped over the bodies she had just disposed of but climbed back up and kept wandering forward. Some hovered near the door, moaning listlessly. Mei recoiled at the smell of death. Even though she had been bounty hunting for a few years now, she still couldn’t quite get used to the stench. “There goes my bounty for today.”

Cutting her losses, Mei started her long trek toward the center of the safe zone. Periodically, she double-checked the safe doors dotted along the route, making sure they were securely latched. One of them had a rusted, loose latch and she made quick work of a corpse scratching at its entrance. This time she made sure to saw the nose off and drop it in her bag. Reaching into a pack strapped close to her chest, she pulled out a new latch, straight from the metal smiths of the heart of the safe zone. She quickly replaced the latch and tossed the old one aside onto the growing pile of the disposed ones next to it. Mei made a tally mark next to the others, indicating her kill. “Mm looks like they’ve migrated to this side of the city now.”

As Mei got closer to the center of the city, signs of a more organized safe zone started to emerge. She caught the occasional glimpse of another bounty hunter in the nearby halls as they darted by. Sheet metal doors transformed into heavy metal doors with properly painted characters. The overhead lights were no longer flickering but brightly lit in tandem. Mei rapped on the last heavy metal door that stood in front of her. She heard several windows above her slide open. Then a whisper through one of them. “ID number?”

“BHML2360.” The window slid shut and Mei tapped her foot impatiently. The door swung open. “Please proceed to the holding room.”

Mei stepped in and instantly the hairs on her neck stood up. Another fifteen bounty hunters were waiting in the holding pen. Too many. She whirled around. “Wai–.” The door swung shut behind her. Mei slammed her fists against the unyielding steel. “Let me out! There’s too many of us in here. I’ll go to a different entrance.”

“No use girly. Welcome to the party,” mumbled another bounty hunter seated in the corner. The bottom half of his face was covered in a cloth, splattered with viscous, blackened blood. “We’ve been waiting here for an hour.” Mei cautiously surveyed the people in front of her. They were an eclectic bunch, dressed in no uniform and wielding various types of weapons. The scruffy man who had just spoken had a heavy metal bat sitting next to him. She tilted her head. “Autographed?”

“My son’s. He has no use for it anymore.” Uncomfortable silence settled over the room. Some had crowbars and others shovels. One even had a large butcher knife resting across her thighs. Mei sat down near another bounty hunter. From a side glance, she saw a thin wiry frame, drenched in sweat. He was rocking back and forth and whispering to himself. If she had to guess, it might have been cleansing prayers or hymns. She scoffed. There were no gods in the walled city of Heilong. Everyone’s first time outside was like that. The poor boy looked just old enough to barely remember the initial outbreak. He would have been just a toddler, pulled desperately along the interconnected halls of the city as the undead spilled forth devouring the living like ravenous swarming locusts. Just like she once was. Mei shook her head as she tried to erase the memory of her father’s bleeding face when he crashed through the front door of their flat.

It was clear that the other hunters had returned with more noses and the room stank of decay. Mei felt her vision start to swim. The boy’s whimpering prayers started to incoherently blend together and turn into light sobs.

“Shut up your damn crying boy or I’ll do it for you,” growled a surly bounty hunter as he stalked up. He was nearly bursting out of his jacket and he towered over the crying boy. From Mei’s quick scan, it looked like he wasn’t carrying any weapons. His hands were wrapped in thick gloves with knuckles that glinted with sharp metal. His sack also looked laden with noses and oozed with the sticky blood of the undead. Mei only knew of one fighting style that yielded that kind of blood and gore in their kills. Great I’m trapped here with another one of the Boxer Fist guild nutjobs. Mei shrunk into herself, avoiding the ire of the massive bounty hunter. Only the best of the best of those who fought with their bare fists survived fights without getting infected.

Mei flinched when the large man grabbed the boy’s shirt, and hauled him to his feet. “First time out there and you’re still crying like a little bitch?” The boy’s terror magnified and the man’s face curled into an ugly sneer. “They’ll really let anyone bounty hunt these days huh? Even cowards like you that piss their pants at the sight of a halfer?”

Snickers echoed throughout the room. Halfers were the easy hunts, the ones that had decayed or been destroyed to the point they could only drag themselves across the floor. Mei fucking hated halfers because they were the ones you forgot about and snapped at your ankles if you weren’t paying attention. The bounty hunter stood taller at the laughs and shook the boy again. “They don’t make them like they used to. Damn dim-witted hunters these days.” The boy finally began struggling in earnest, wiggling like a fish caught on a line. “Oh finally fighting now are we?”

It happened in a flash. The boy bit the man in a desperate attempt to get free. “Shit!” The man slammed the boy back in pain and the boy’s head whipped backwards, cracking against the wall. Mei watched him go limp. The burly hunter snarled and flung the boy down. “Damn rat!” The air suddenly grew tense. “What are you all staring at? Mind your own fucking business.”

Mei watched as everyone’s grip tightened around their weapons. They usually weren’t in the quarantine brig for that long before being released back into the safe zone. And now they were already at each other’s throats. The man returned to his corner and whipped out a cigarette and lit it, acting as if nothing had happened.

It was another few minutes before anyone else made a move. The father with his baseball bat eventually stood up and approached the unconscious boy. He rolled the boy over and ran his finger along the back of the head. Even the burly man watched with a glare. The father clucked his tongue. “Now, now that’s going to leave a nasty scar. Does anyone have any bandages?”

A beat. Mei shuffled over and pulled some gauze out of her pack. She wordlessly rolled it over to the father. He dipped his head in appreciation before slowly wrapping the boy’s head and dabbing his brow with a rag. Mei scooted closer to watch. She had always been more interested in medicine than killing, but tuition money was hard to come by and bounty hunting was the only profession that still made any good money these days. The tension slowly started to ebb and the group fell into an uneasy silence.

Mei lost track of time. The mean hunter’s cigarette burned away to ash. The father fell asleep next to the boy. Mei dozed lightly, her head spinning with an impending headache. She came to when she heard some groaning. The boy was waking up. Curious, Mei scooted closer and watched as the boy’s eyes fluttered open suddenly. Startled, Mei fell back on her heels. The boy’s eyes had an intense fire to them that wasn’t there before. His hand shot out and grabbed Mei’s wrist. His grip felt like steel.

Mei didn’t think twice when she felt the boy frantically try to drag her hand into his mouth. She reached back with her other hand to grab her pipe and she swung.

Chapter 2

Mei’s strike was fast and hard, just like she had been taught by Jing. But in her panic, her pipe was angled incorrectly and it didn’t destroy the skull, but it did loosen the recently turned boy’s grasp. Chaos broke out in the brig as everyone leapt to their feet. The boy had already staggered to his feet and with the speed that only the recently turned had, grabbed another nearby hunter with ferocity. A sick crunch rang out when he bit down on the hunter scrambling for his crowbar. The man went down screaming, spitting curses as chunks of flesh were torn away from his mouth.

A metal wack reverberated through the room and the turned boy fell like a rock. The father’s baseball bat dripped in tar-like blood, his face stricken. Mei heard gurgling as the recently bitten man tried to speak through the mess of bone, blood, and flesh that was once his mouth, begging for mercy. Warm, sticky blood started to pool and it stained her hands crimson. Mei saw black spots swarm her vision. I don’t have cuts in my hand do I? My hand didn’t get bit did it? Fuck am I turning already?

“Breathe,” a lilting voice murmured. That voice always reminded her of the running water and bamboo contraption her mother had in their living room. She could watch it all day as the water poured into the bamboo before it overflowed and the bamboo fell forward with a gentle tock and bounced back up. Jing’s voice was like the water’s soothing rush and it never failed to calm her.

“That’s it. There we go. We’ll get out of this together. I promise.”

Mei took a gasping breath and the dots cleared from her vision. She stumbled onto her feet and wiped her hands frantically on her shirt before examining them closer. Relief flooded through her when she saw no open wounds.

“Get him! Before he turns too!” Two hunters, with the sides of their shovels sharpened to a knife point, quickly turned the bitten’s upper head into a mush. “Fuck, that nose is gone. We’re not getting anything for this poor bastard.”

“I’m taking that crowbar. Better than nothing.” The room took a breath, but then they all seemed to realize it at the same time. There was another with the madness pumping through their veins. Mei felt her blood run cold and her palms broke out in a cold sweat. The burly hunter was already on his feet, back to a corner, and swinging at any hunter that tried to get close to him.

“Give it up Li! It’s over. You know that a bite is a death sentence.”

“Fuck that shit. He didn’t even break skin!”

“Show us then!”

Li made no move to remove his gloves. A Boxer Fist without them was like a fish without water. Mei tightened her grip around her pipe. It was just him against all of them. It couldn’t be that hard. She nearly jumped when a hand came down on her shoulder. It was the father with his baseball bat.

“Get behind me,” he whispered, gently tugging Mei behind him to hide her with his larger frame. Li roared when the hunter with her butcher knife darted in, knife low, and aimed down to cut his legs. Her partner bound in with her, ducking low and throwing out a sweeping kick as she swiped. Li swung down, right at the swinging hunter’s head. With his longer arms, his bloody gloves nearly made contact with her head before she rapidly side-stepped right as his knuckles whistled past. There was a large grunt when the kick connected though, bringing Li to one knee.

The two hunters with their shovels circled, watching to see if they could snipe a kill. By the Longwei Mandate, if they finished the kill, they would have the rights to the bounty. Mei’s brows furrowed in distaste. The butcher knife lady stumbled from her side-step and Mei barely registered Li’s fist flying out sideways. A meaty thwok rang out and the lady dropped like a stone. Her partner rapidly tried to roll away but Li’s fingers grabbed their tunic and there was a sickening crunch as he slammed their head into the concrete floor.

Before Li had a chance to take a breath, the shovel men darted in. The first one swung, sinking the blade of his shovel into Li’s upper arm before ripping it out viciously. Blood spurt out and Mei cursed. “It’s almost Shaxue. We don’t have much time.” The father in front of her also tensed.

Jing ruffled her hair messily and smiled down at her with the grin of a thousand suns. Mei felt her heart flutter and her cheeks warm. She had never seen the sun before, but she imagined the warmth of Jing’s smile was what it must have felt like for the sun to kiss her face. “So what’d you learn in school today?”

“The Shaxue…”

“Oh the ‘sandy blood’! That’s a fun one – wait until you get to see some of it in person.”

“Does it really feel like sand?”

Jing snorted. “Of course not! That’s just what we call it because it’s thick. We didn’t really have anything else to call it when the blight first struck Heilong. And it just stuck.”

Mei recalled the thick, dark blood her science teacher held up in an airtight vial. It looked like sludge and was thick as tar. “I hope to never see it myself.”

The second shovel man struck at the same time as his partner. Both of Li’s arms had trails of thickening blood running down, staining his gloves. The men danced out of Li’s reach before he could grab either of them and circled him again. “Come on Li, we’ll give you a dignified death!” they gloated. “Everyone here will make sure your bounty goes to good use! Think of the kids.”

A ripple of interest. The mention of a shared bounty drew everyone in like moths to a flame, especially since it was usually a perk that only guild members enjoyed. There was no loyalty among solo hunters in Heilong.

Unphased, Li put his arms up and assumed a boxer’s stance, his eyes frantically bouncing between the other hunters left alive. Mei felt the brig’s walls close in as more hunters joined the shovel-wielding hunters, surrounding Li in a tighter circle. A hunter whom Mei guessed was a former construction worker swung his sledgehammer with a practiced speed and precision that only a seasoned user had.

Li ducked and jabbed outward in rapid 1-2-1 succession. The hunter’s sledgehammer was too heavy for him to stop and readjust, the arc of the swing completing without hitting its mark. The hunter collapsed, his windpipe caved in. Before Li could move again, the shovel hunters were on him again, their weapons aimed at his neck. Another hunter with her dagger joined the fray, the three taking swipes, and cutting Li’s legs and arms.

Mei’s fingers were icy and curled tightly around her metal pipe. Coward! She tried to push past the father in front of her. What are you waiting for?! Her will died when he refused to yield. Worthless! “Not yet,” the father whispered.

Mei watched Li collapse, blood rolling out of his wounds in viscous rivulets. His breaths came in heaving gasps and his movements sluggish as he made to grab one of the shovel hunters. The shovel hunter easily danced out of reach before grabbing a handful of Li’s hair, yanking his head up viciously. “Any final words before I take off your head and saw off your nose?”

“If I’m going to hell you’re coming with me,” snarled Li. Before the shovel hunter could react, Li surged forward and grabbed his captor in a crushing hug, snapping at his neck. Mei saw Li’s teeth sink into the flesh as the hunter screamed, writhing to escape Li’s grip. Li let go, teeth coated in hot blood as the hunter rolled around in pain. Mei saw the characteristic fire of someone about to turn and shuddered.

Li tackled everyone who dared to turn on him, grappling then biting even as the others hacked away at him. Mei and the father watched with fascinated horror as he wrestled cursing and screaming hunters to the ground, ripping flesh from wherever he got a grip. There was a sickening crunch as a hunter desperately swung his hammer into Li’s eye socket, but Li remained unphased. The air turned thick with the smell of rot and iron. Only once everyone who had joined hands with the shovel hunters were bitten did Li end his frenzy. Mei watched as he staggered back onto his feet, his head tilted back to the heavens. “Do you see that they’ve turned me into?” he screamed. “A killer and now a beast!”

Li’s head whipped around and his gaze locked in on Mei. He took a lumbering step forward and Mei’s hand tightened around her pipe. To her surprise, he raised his arm and pointed a mangled finger at her. “Slay the risen. Loyalty to the living. Honor in the hunt.”

Mei watched him owlishly, confused as to what he wanted. But she didn’t have a chance to ask when he convulsed violently, foaming at the mouth. His eyes slid shut and when he reopened them, his one good eye was cloudly and unseeing.

“He wants you to do the honors,” the father said. He tightened his stance. “It looks like we have quite a few to take of thanks to him.”

Slay the risen. Loyalty to the living. Honor in the hunt.”