22 Chapter 21

The Director took a heavy sigh reviewing the latest casualty reports. I stood there in silence, looking around the make-shift office. It was small, cramped, with a desk and chair only.

We had retreated to a base camp at the foot of the Southern Mountains. We were trying to regroup with the remaining forces and were continuously working to receive volunteers from the other States. For the time being, the other States were looking at protecting their own lands.

"Alright Lieutenant Fitzgerald," the Director spoke, pulling his glasses off his face and tossing them on the desk.

"What's the final butcher's bill?"

"Six hundred seventy-three dead, two thousand wounded, and," I began, though I didn't want to give him the rest of the report.

"And?"

"And two-thirds of the army is M.I.A presumably taken under by the undead," I concluded sadly.

My thoughts ran back to the final moments that Abby was alive. I couldn't have saved her. Then there were reports that Kesha, the Director's right hand, was swallowed up.

Moral was at a new low.

"We have a third of the army left, no allies wanting to come help, aside from the Winters' Clan, and the only good news we have is that there is no current movement from the hordes?" the Director summed up, pulling himself out of his chair.

"I think that you're caught up on current events, Sir," I replied.

The Director nodded.

There came a rapid knock on the door.

"Enter."

It was Emma. She gave me a polite nod of her head, and I returned it.

"Report."

"There were several scouting parties probing the defenses here. Nekko and several others from my clan have intercepted and eliminated the threat. We will be on high alert till further notice," Emma rambled.

The Director didn't seem too bothered by the report. He was checking his watch then starring off somewhere. I gave Emma a glance. She raised her eyebrows at me.

"Something wrong, Sir?"

"Hmm?"

The Director looked at us absently.

"Um, no. Winters did you see anything unusual, like smoke, fog, anything?" the Director shot off.

"N-No, Sir."

Abby took another look at me. I shook my head.

"Was there supposed to be? Are we looking for some?" I asked.

"No, no, no. You're both dismissed," the Director answered, waving his hand at us.

We both about-faced and walked out the door.

"That wasn't odd, was it?"

"No, of course not," I stated.

There was silence between us.

"I'm sorry about your sister, Emma. I still haven't heard anything yet on her where-a-bouts."

Emma stared at the ground as we continued our walk. We came to a crossroads. Emma turned to me and laid a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry about Abby."

She gave me a weak smile before she walked away in the opposite direction of where I needed to go. She had no tears to shed in front of me. I could only imagine what she was entirely going through.

"Lieutenant?"

A runner came up to me.

"Help is needed in the storage area."

"I'm on my way."

I looked up at the night sky. I had no idea if I was saying some sort of prayer or just gazing up.

"Maker, help us," I whispered.

~~~

The black smoke kept to the shadows of the camp. With truck moving and the remaining soldiers on an unstable amount of alertness, moving throughout the camp was proving difficult. For every few feet gained, I had to endeavor a twenty-minute waiting period.

Even as smoke, soldiers would jump at the slightest movement.

"Why are we in the enemy camp," Mimiku whispered.

"All will be revealed soon," I passed along.

She was beginning to become impatient with tagging along with me in the shadows. A soldier thought he saw something and meandered our way. We, as the black mist, took refuge inside an open pipe.

Once the soldier came to the conclusion that he was just seeing things and left, I poured out the pipe and into a building. I found the door and knocked five times rapidly, then twice slowly. There was a momentary pause.

"Come in."

I materialized us and opened the door. The Director stood there with his hands folded behind him. Mimiku snarled at him, growing her claws, and pointing her tails at him.

"Will you shut up?!" I swatted the top of Mimiku's head.

She whimpered as I quickly stuffed her into the room and closed the door. Mimiku rubbed the top of her head but kept a close eye on the Director.

"Hue, will you please tell me why we are here?" Mimiku said through gritted teeth.

"Yes. We are going to give the Director an update."

Mimiku shot her head up with pointed ears and bewilderment all over her face.

"Come again for Big Fudge?"

"We, I supposed more some, are double agents," I proclaimed.

Mimiku's bewilderment turned to anger.

"WHY THE HELL WOULDN'T YOU TELL ME?" she spat.

"WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU ALLOW ME TO SUFFER LIKE THAT, AND YOURSELF, FOR THAT MATTER?" she continued.

I leaned over, putting one finger up in the air for the Director to see. Mimiku snapped. Taking one of her hands, she clenched my throat and held me high in the air.

"H-Harder," I choked.

Mimiku didn't see the humor. I tapped her hand once, twice, three times. She wasn't letting go.

"T-to, f-oo, eza, bl." I tried speaking.

"What?" she snarled in my face.

"To fool Jezebel,' the Director calming explained.

Mimiku cocked her head at the Director and dropped me. I fell to the floor, gasping for air.

"What?" she asked again.

"We needed to fool Jezebel completely; therefore, we took measure so great that only three people knew what was really going on: Myself, Eugene." The Director pause and looked down at me.

"Are you going to be alright?"

I poked a thumbs-up.

"Right, anyway, three people: me, Eugene, and Kesha," the Director finished.

"What about public enemy number one, changing the world," Mimiku spit.

I gave her a stare. A part of me truly wanted a world that I could live in and be me. Jezebel did provide a way for that if the Director hadn't seen me as a particular case.

"Given special circumstances, Mimiku," the Director spoke up, moving around the desk, "it's been three hundred years, and the laws need some updating. I am extending the immunity I gave Eugene to you as well. I figured that if you wanted to take over the world, you would have already done so."

"So, that's it? We're safe and sound?" Mimiku asked heavily in sarcasm.

"I'm sorry for lying to you and having you go through all of this, but we need to do so," I apologized, getting to my feet.

"I wouldn't have done any of this if I didn't think it was necessary," I reasoned.

"I needed to find out how to destroy Jezebel, and for that to happen, I needed to get close and have her completely trust me," I continued.

"If you're not convinced, here's the paperwork to prove that both of you are protected."

The Director handed Mimiku a think stack of paperwork. Mimiku snatched it up and began to scan the pages. When she was done, she tossed the stack on the desk and folded her arms.

"So, did you find a way to destroy her?"

I looked at Mimiku then the Director. My face said it all.

"No, not to destroy her, only to cast her back into the hells repeatedly," I sighed, "and eventually, she'll get smarter and smarter."

Mimiku's ears flatted as my toned dropped. I felt like this was all a big waste of time and resources. The Director swallowed hard.

"How long can we keep in the seven hells?" he asked.

"Ah, a decade at a time," I answered, rubbing my forehead.

"But she was trapped in that stone thing for who knows how long!" Mimiku protested.

"That's because the seven hells put her there, and," I chuckled, "I don't think that the seven hells are going to do it again because Jezebel has killed all seven leaders and had proclaimed that she is the queen of on singular hell."

"Oh, great," breathe the Director.

"Yeah."

There came an unexpected knock on the door. Mimiku pulled me towards her with her tail, we returned to our smoke cloud and hid in the shadow.

"Who is it?" the Director called out.

"It's Lieutenant Fitzgerald, and Winters, again," came Emma's voice.

The Director's eyes darted to the shadows. Smokey lettering appeared:

'Read them in.'

The Director took a breath.

"Come in."

Fitzy and Emma entered.

"Sir, is there something that you're not telling us?"

"Yes, close the door."

One the door was closed and sealed, the Director disclosed every single detail of my mission. Sadly, it took about twenty minutes to do so.

"So, the battle at the port?"

"A show."

"What about the soldiers that are M.I.A from the undead?" Emma asked.

"I think I can answer that," I cut in.

Mimiku and I materialized on either side of the desk. Naturally, Emma and Fitzy went for their weapons. The Director shot his hand up.

Emma had a unique mixture of are and dislike, glaring but kind of happy to see us. Fitzy, on the other hand, I believe that we may have broken him. He had a blank stare.

"The soldiers that were pulled under by my minions are safely hibernating and having their wounds heal," I explained.

Fitzy and Emma exchanged looks.

"Abby and your sister are just fine," I assured them.

"The Director says that you were finding a way to eradicate this devil?" Emma spoke first.

"Unfortunately, we can only seal her in the seven hells for about ten years at a time," I recapped.

From their expressions, I could feel my failure grow and begin to gain more weight on my shoulders.

Fitzy chuckled doubtfully, "So, there's nothing we can really do, and from the Director has informed us, Jezebel has all of seven hells unified. I mean, we can trap her, but eventually, she'll get out."

I looked down at the ground.

"I mean, are we supposed to keep doing this until death takes us?" Fitzy spat, hysterical.

When no one answered Fitzy, he threw up his hands. Then, something hit me.

"Til death takes us," I whispered.

"Say what?" Mimiku asked.

A smile grew on my face, and I looked at Fitzy.

"Until death takes us," I repeated to him.

"Hue, you're not making any sense," Mimiku mentioned.

"I know something that can kill Jezebel, Lady Death," I replied.

"Death?" the group said in unison.

"Death's a woman?" Mimiku pushed in.

"Death's a fictional idea," Fitzy began.

"I am a necromancer, I know this stuff. Lady Death, the angel of death, can kill the devil, Jezebel!"

Everyone just looked at me.

"How do we, or rather you, get Death to, um, kill Jezebel?" the Director questioned.

"I, don't know," I answered slowly.

I received darker stares.

"I really don't, and I don't know if it can actually be done," I said, realizing the herculean challenge I set before me.

"Do you think that it can be done?" Emma asked.

I locked eyes with her.

"It's a long shot, but a possibility," I replied.

"Okay, what do you need from us?"

"I need a place to meditate and focus. I'll have to look back in the necromancer's history and see if anyone has done it," I said hopefully.

"What's the kicker?" Mimiku brought the voice of reason.

I thought for a minute.

What was the kicker going to be?

"I don't know."

"There's a lot of 'I don't know' here," Fitzy interrupted.

"I think it's worth a shot unless you have something else in mind?" I countered.

Fitzy hung his mouth open, trying to find something to say.

"I'll give you till tomorrow morning," the Director said.

I looked over at the Director.

"I'm with Fitzgerald on this one, but right now, it's the only shot we have at completed destroying the devil and putting the seven hells in disarray for who knows who long," he included.

"Thank you," I said.

"Don't just yet."