Blazing Glory by Angelique Voisen

was dampened and a sea of gray rotting bodies came at them.
    “Blaze, they’re too many. We have
to make a path and reach the Biter!” Levi shouted over the loud groaning
animated bodies.
    He felt Blaze’s back press against
his, and Levi let out a sigh of relief. They covered each other, loading and
reloading. There was no end to the horde closing in on them. They emptied out
their guns as they kept the creatures from reaching their sphere of attack.
    Levi hoped they had enough just to
clear a path to the Biter. “Blaze, cover me while I shift. Our bullets aren’t
doing us any good,” Levi shouted.
    “I got you,” Blaze said tightly.
    Somewhere, the Biter was letting
out its mechanical, nasty, nasal laugh as it watched them struggle.
    “Damn monster,” Levi growled.
    He stripped out of his protective
gear and clothes. He could hear Blaze emptying all of his guns. Blaze was a
relentless machine, swapping from one gun from the next until they clicked
empty.
    A gasp of pain from Blaze brought
Levi’s raw, protective instincts to the forefront.
    Levi let out a growl of challenge.
His massive paws easily swiped the zombie latched on Blaze’s back. Nostrils
flaring, he quickly scanned their surroundings, showing him more zombies
replacing their fallen brethren.
    Rage coated his vision in a red-hot
sea of wrath. His bear remembered the puny mouths that latched on to its fur
hours ago and wanted revenge. It was on the verge of going berserk, of simply
cutting loose and letting its claws and teeth do as nature intended.
    “There’s no time, we’re either
going to fall here or take one last shot at the Biter.” Blaze clutched at one
of his massive paws, preventing Levi from lunging at the growing, endless gray
horde. “Levi, please. Get a hold of yourself.”
    Levi snarled his protest, but
Blaze’s scent was intoxicating and calming. The closeness and body heat of
Blaze and Blaze’s familiar scent was his haven. If he thoughtlessly lunged at
the zombie army, he wouldn’t be coming back.
    Reason slowly returned to him.
    “Good, bear. Now let me on top of
you. I’m going to incinerate that ugly bastard to dust.”
    Levi let out another threatening
growl, but Blaze gripped his fur again.
    “I know you’re concerned about my
abilities, but trust me. I can do this, Levi. Let’s end this.”
    Stupid mate.
    Levi kept the zombies at a distance
while Blaze clamored on his back again.
    Blaze
better not get used to riding me.
    One lunging zombie leaped above
Levi’s head, but it was followed by a crack and the sound of bone breaking,
probably from Blaze using his rifle as a blunt instrument.
    Trust me, Blaze had said. Even
though Levi knew Blaze wasn’t fully recovered, he had no other choice but to
trust him.
    Once Blaze clutched at his fur,
Levi broke into a run and mauled over undead bodies without a care. Blaze used
his rifle, batting away any fiend foolish enough to get in his way.
    Levi closed the distance between
them and the Biter. The king of the undead wasn’t running away. It awaited them
patiently. Fine with
me. In nine out of ten cases, arrogance was what ultimately killed
invincible and near-immortal monsters.
    He could feel heat gathering around
them. Blaze was summoning, and Levi prayed to the gods he would succeed.
    A blur of gray movement caught
Levi’s eye. The Biter swiped its long arms at him, and he tried switching
direction, but bears don’t have fast reflexes. The blow caught him right across
the side, making him gasp. Sharp talons raked across his skin, peeling fur and skin,
and Levi roared in pain.
    “Levi!” Blaze called hoarsely from
somewhere.
    His vision blurred and wobbling,
Levi ignored the pain and tried to stand, but it was hard. He sunk back
helplessly into the ground, his body at its limits.
    “What are you going to do? You’re
burned out, pyromancer. You weren’t able to save anyone then, and you won’t be
able to save anyone now.”
    “Blaze, run,” Levi wanted to