Rise of the Undead 1943 by David Presley

acting all high and mighty.”
    Pilch struggles to keep his eyes open. Camir walks by and
waves as he heads down one of the tunnels.
    Matty waves to Camir and turns back to Pilch, “It’s gotta be
religious.”
    “Uh-huh”
    “Some kind of curse or something.”
    Matty stops cleaning the Luger, and listens. Something moves
in the darkness. Matty sits up, straining his ears, peering into the tunnel, “You
hear that?” he looks to the other tunnel, “I thought he went . . . oh well,"
Matty shrugs and drops down with his back to the tunnels, “Like I was saying,
it’s got to be religious. A pagan thing.”
    “Uh-huh.”
    “I shoulda paid more attention in Sunday school.”
    A hand slowly moves toward Matty’s head from the other side
of the barricade.
    “Pilch, for Christ sakes, I’m trying to have a philosophical
discussion . . . ”
    The hand grabs Matty’s head and he’s jerked into the tunnel.
    “Yeah,” Pilch hears a muffled cry and opens his eyes, “Matty?”
he looks into the dark tunnel, then looks down, seeing something. He picks up a
gold coin on a leather necklace.

Chapter 11
    Monte and the others stand at the entrance to the tunnel.
Everyone is on edge, scared, with fingers on triggers.
    Monte looks into the darkness, “Shit,” he looks to Pilch, “You
saw nothin’?”
    “I told you; I dozed off for one second, and he was gone!”
    “God-damn-it!”
    “Besides, that damn A-rab was out there. Hell, he might a’
done it himself.”
    Yusif puts a hand on his scimitar.
    Monte turns on Pilch, “Shut up!”
    Vanessa studies the coin, “This is a Denarius. Roman coin,
from 200 B.C.”
    “Why would that be down here?” Johnson asks.
    “Why is anything down here?” Oddball whines.
    Monte shakes his head, “Oddball.”
    Oddball continues, “Nazis and demon priests and undead and…”
    “Oddball.”
    “Hell, why are we down here?”
    “That’s enough!”
    Johnson spits on the ground, “Yeah, sure it is.”
    “I’m trying to get us out of here alive.”
    “That why Matty’s gone?” Johnson accuses.
    From down the tunnel, they hear a whistle. Pilch raises his
weapon. Monte motions for the men to take up firing positions.
    “No!” Yusif barks.
    Monte looks to him as he whistles toward the darkness. Camir
emerges from the tunnel.
    “Geez, that guy gets around,” Oddball whines.
    Yusif hands Camir a canteen, and he takes a long pull. The
two begin to talk in Arabic. Yusif turns to the men, “To the right is a
barracks room, I think for the undead we killed before…”
    Oddball interrupts, “Undead we killed?”
    “Yes, to the…”
    Oddball interrupts again, “That don’t make no sense.”
    “Oddball!” Monte snaps.
    “I’m just saying, ought to be a different word for it is
all.”
    “How about undead you re-killed,” Vanessa suggests.
    Oddball thinks about it and nods, “See. That’s better.”
    “I swear, I’m gonna kill you myself,” Monte says between
clenched teeth.
    Oddball winks at her. Monte shakes his head in frustration
and turns to Yusif.
    “Ahead, the tunnel leads down. The Germans are there,” Yusif
reports.
    Monte nods, “Down it is.”
    “Thought we was stayin’ here,” Johnson says.
    “We still got a mission. We can always fall back here.”
    “And we gotta find Matty!” Pilch says.
    Monte looks doubtful, “Sure, Pilch. We’ll look for Matty
too.”
    Monte looks to Yusif, who shakes his head.
    Monte turns to Oddball, “You’re on point.”
    “Me? But Sarge, I’m no good on point,” he whines.
    “Oddball!”
    “I’m serious, Johnson is way better.”
    Monte points toward the corridor, and Oddball reluctantly
starts off.

Chapter 12
    Oddball is on point with Monte close behind. Water drips
from the walls. The torchlight flickers. The tunnel is tight and dark. Oddball
stops. From ahead, they hear the sounds of muffled gunfire, followed by
screams.
    Oddball turns around, “We should go back.”
    Monte spins him back around, “Keep