Chapter 2: Abandon All Hope

The Ominous green fog crept into the village, swallowing all who were unfortunate enough to not outrun it. I could see the villagers who once entered my tavern disappear into it, being the last time I ever saw them. I could feel tugging on my arm as my mother ushered me forward my father pushing past everyone who was also trying to get away, the town guards were hurrying the herd of us along as they were prepared to venture into the fog and take on whatever or whoever was waiting in it. I looked back trying to keep up my footing and I could see them charge in, ''INTO THE FOG MEN LETS GO''. The battle cry fell short and what followed was an eerie silence. ''MY EYES, GET OUT OF MY HEAD, GET OUT OF MY HEAD, GET OUT OF MY-''. The guard's scream pierced the veil the fog upheld. As I continued to gaze I could make out a pair of lifeless green eyes, followed by another pair then another, and another... Soon it looked as if half the village was staring at me and everyone else who was trying to escape. The fog lessened its density but what followed made my heart leap into my throat.

I felt as if my entire body ran cold, I glanced around me and everyone else stood still as if they could not move against their will, I looked down and nothing was keeping my feet bound, no snares, traps, or anything, I just could not move ''Is this what fear felt like?''. I wondered, I forced myself to look back into the horde in front of me, the guards that once valiantly charged into the unknown fog were looking at me and everyone else but something was extremely off, I looked on in complete paralyzing fear they looked like they have been dead for ages, their skin was gone all be it for a few pieces still clinging to their bare bone, I could see past their rib cage through into the once human being that stands behind them and so on and so on. Their swords bared the town's insignia but the swords were rusted and mistreated. There was movement behind them as bodies started slowly rise and contract and contort to ungodly positions that no human body could ever willingly make, I recognized some of the faces a lot of them were from the tavern, I had just been serving these people drinks not a terrible moment ago. I looked on and I noticed all of their skin started to bubble and fall off in chunks, their eyes vacated their sockets and were replaced by glowing green specs of light. However they were not moving towards us, just standing there looking at the crowd in front of them, I managed to snap myself out of my paralyzing trance, and now in conjunction with being frightened beyond all belief, I was more than curious as to why myself and others had not been slaughtered yet.

My answer came faster than I thought as the undead started to part and make way, I could hear the galloping of a single horse from the back of the undead crowd approach. I could not make out too many details but he appeared to be human his armor seemed like a transparent green tinge but and his helmet was a foggy black coloring. He made his way to the front of the crowd and once again stopped just like the rest, something overtook me this time but it wasn't fear, I felt cold and hopeless, and something felt strange off, as I looked around me the area surrounding me started to fade to black and plumes of ghastly black smoke danced around me and the stranger on the horse was the only one in the circle with me. He spoke.

''Mhm yes you are powerful indeed, I can sense it, feel it, I want it. I don't believe we have been introduced to young Issac, my name is Valak the Lich. I am certain you have heard of me as I know about you dear boy.

How did he know my name? I thought to myself, I have only heard stories about him but to see him for myself... And what did he mean by ''Powerful?''

''Still no words eh? that's fine, this town will do nicely to bolster my ranks''. Valak raised his sword and pointed towards myself and the crowd, the undead started to twitch and contort, they raised their weapons and started to march towards the crowd. My mother grabbed my arm and with the rest of the surviving townsfolk started to run, run faster than I have ever imagined possible, I tried not to look back and those who could not keep up or were trampled in the process, the screams pierced my soul I glanced back and the dead that I saw started to rise once again and begin to march towards us, swords and spears plunged and slashed against the villagers I once knew my father was plowing the path ahead of us, disregarding townsfolk, caution was thrown to the wind. We all arrived at the docks as people were piling into the ships the remaining town guard rallied what was left of them and formed a blockade behind us, I looked and saw the Valak, at that moment I felt as if he was solely staring back at me, slashing and cutting down everyone and everything in his path towards me, he drew his sword once more and with a swift slash and what looked like a spectral scythe cut down the remaining guards valiantly defending the townsfolk. The ships were beginning to cast off into the ocean and I found myself being pushed back into the edge of the dock, my heart sank as I watched friend turn on friend glowing green eyes of their possessed loved one the last they see the back of my heels were to the dock, my mother and father wrapped their arms around me and we all closed our eyes, preparing for our inevitable end, for once I welcomed my fathers embrace and my mother placed her amulet around my neck.

Suddenly I felt pressure on my left leg as if something had grabbed onto me, the unknown force began to tug and pull at me, in a swift motion I was ripped from my parents embrace and began to fall back into the water as I looked up I could see the undead horde swarm my parents as their arms reached out to grab me, the last look I saw was distress on my mothers face, as my vision fades to black and I sank further and further into the water.