Chapter 90: The Twisted Queen

After the first warning came from the radio operators, there was the sound of something cracking.

Then screaming.

Then came the silence.

The entire resistance bunker seemed to hold its breath.

Above ground, something massive was approaching.

L.W. stood at the observation slit built into the bunker wall.

The giant werewolf’s ears flattened.

“She’s here.”

Nobody needed clarification on who.

The Queen.

The reason half the world was dead.

The reason nightmares walked freely through the forests.

Gene and Selene climbed the bunker stairs and stepped outside.

The sun had not yet risen.

The world was illuminated only by moonlight and the pale glow of Selene’s barrier.

Everyone stared toward the distant horizon.

Something enormous was moving through the fog.

At first Gene thought it was a hill.

Then he realized that the hill was moving forward.

And he realized it was a giant.

A giant unlike any he had ever seen.

The creature crawled on all fours.

Its limbs were twisted.

Broken.

Bent in unnatural directions.

Its spine protruded out through patches of skin peirced through by metal chains.

Its mouth hung permanently open.

Long strands of drool and blood dripped onto the ground as it crawled.

Chains wrapped around its body.

Ancient scars covered every inch of flesh.

The giant looked less like a living creature and more like a tortured animal.

And sitting atop a throne bolted directly into its back…

Was the Queen.

Gene immediately understood why everyone feared her.

She was beautiful.

Terrifyingly beautiful.

Long black hair flowed down her back.

Her pale skin almost glowed beneath the moonlight.

A crown made from delicate fairy wings rested atop her head.

Hundreds of tiny glowing wings had been skillfully stitched together with a golden thread.

The result was both breathtaking and horrifying.

Athena quietly spoke into Gene’s helmet.

“Analysis complete.”

“Species?”

“Atleast forty percent human sixty percent unknown.”

“Power level?”

Athena paused.

Then spoke.

“Extremely… no concerningly high.”

Gene frowned.

That wasn’t reassuring.

The Queen suddenly started talking.

To herself.

“No, no, no. I don’t want to go.”

She pointed left.

“We should attack now.”

Then pointed right.

“No we shouldn’t.”

She slapped herself.

A second voice emerged.

A completely different tone.

“We’re hungry.”

Another voice answered.

“We ate a few hours ago.”

“We should eat again.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No. We will eat later!”

“Yay can I have ice cream?”

The Queen grabbed her own head.

“STOP ARGUING AND FOCUS!”

Silence.

Then another voice whispered.

“We’re being watched by someone.”

Gene slowly lowered his binoculars.

The Queen immediately looked directly at him.

Their eyes met.

She smiled.

Gene regretted existing as her smile widened.

Then another personality seemed to take over.

“Oh! Goodie!”

The Queen clapped.

“A visitor!”

Another voice growled.

“Kill him.”

“No we can’t just kill someone.”

“Yes we can. Maybe he tastes good.”

“No meat will spoil the taste of the ice cream!”

“Shut up all of you or I’ll turn this dumb thing around and return to the castle.”

“Sorry, we just got too excited….”

The argument continued.

Gene stared.

Selene stared.

L.W. stared.

Finally Gene whispered.

“Is she always like that?”

Babe nodded.

“Actually this is one of her better days.”

Gene didn’t know if he was joking or not. 

The Queen eventually calmed herself down.

Then looked at the barrier surrounding the resistance camp.

Her smile vanished.

Slowly.

Dangerously.

“Break it down for me.”

The giant immediately obeyed.

It charged forward.

The earth shook.

Trees toppled.

Entire sections of forest flattened beneath its enormous body.

Then it slammed both fists into Selene’s barrier.

BOOOOOOOOM!

The shield flashed brilliantly.

The giant screamed.

Its arms exploded.

Blood rained across the landscape.

The giant staggered backward.

The barrier remained unchanged.

The Queen blinked.

Everyone stood shocked.

The giant looked confused.

Then tried again.

The second impact was worse.

Its shoulder shattered.

Its ribs collapsed inward.

Chunks of flesh tore away.

The backlash from the barrier was devastating.

Yet the giant continued to obey the queens command.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Each attack destroyed more of its body.

Until finally…

The creature literally tore itself apart.

Its right arm had completely detached as flesh and blood seeped out from him.

Its spine snapped.

One leg had been detached.

The giant collapsed into a mountain of twitching meat.

Silence followed.

The resistance stared.

The Queen stared.

Then she screamed.

The sound echoed across the valley.

Birds exploded from nearby trees.

Several radios burst into static.

The Queen rose into the air as magic exploded around her.

The air warped.

The ground cracked.

Countless fairy lights appeared around her.

Green.

Blue.

Gold.

Purple.

Thousands of tiny lights swirled around her body.

Athena immediately sounded alarms.

“Warning.”

“Warning.”

“Massive magical output detected.”

The Queen raised a hand.

A beam of pure energy slammed into Selene’s barrier.

The entire shield glowed.

The resistance held their breath.

The barrier held on but flickered.

The Queen attacked again.

And again.

And again.

Each blast struck with enough force to destroy buildings.

The shield somehow remained intact.

Selene smiled slightly.

The Queen looked offended.

Then furious.

Then offended again.

One personality started crying.

Another started laughing.

A third began threatening nearby trees.

A fourth started singing.

Gene suddenly understood why nobody had defeated her.

She wasn’t merely powerful.

She was insane.

Completely and utterly insane.

The Queen eventually exhausted herself.

She glared at the shield.

Then at Selene.

Then at Gene.

Then at herself.

Then back at Gene.

Finally she pointed dramatically.

“We’ll kill you later ok.”

Another personality nodded.

“Definitely later.”

A third disagreed.

“Maybe we could do it tomorrow.”

A fourth suggested getting ice cream first.

The Queen argued with herself for nearly a minute.

Then finally gave up.

The first rays of sunlight crested the distant hills.

The Queen hissed.

Literally hissed.

Like an angry cat.

“Eww here comes the sunlight.”

She pointed toward the horizon.

“I hate mornings.”

The giant’s remains began twitching.

Several nightmare creatures dragged pieces of the corpse away.

Others quickly rebuilt the throne.

Within minutes the Queen was riding away.

Still arguing with herself.

Still shouting.

Still threatening random trees.

The resistance watched until she vanished beyond the horizon.

Nobody moved.

Nobody spoke.

Finally L.W. released a breath.

Then another.

“We survived.”

Cheers erupted.

People laughed.

Others cried.

Several collapsed from exhaustion.

Gene looked toward Selene.

“Your barrier just saved everyone.”

Selene blushed.

Then immediately looked away.

A few hours later everyone gathered inside an old tavern near the resistance headquarters.

The building had been converted into a meeting hall.

Maps covered the walls.

Reports filled tables.

Radio equipment buzzed continuously.

Every resistance leader had arrived.

The atmosphere was serious.

Gene stood near the front.

“We need a plan.”

Everyone nodded.

L.W. leaned over a map.

“Queen Rosanella’s castle sits here.”

Babe pointed.

“We have rerouted the supply routes here.”

Maid Marian added notes.

Crimson Hood discussed scouting paths.

Scarecrow suggested ambush locations.

For nearly an hour they discussed possibilities.

The room slowly became quieter.

More focused.

Hopeful.

Then a voice spoke from the back.

“What time is lunch?”

Gene answered automatically.

“Probably ten minutes from—”

He froze.

Everyone froze.

That voice.

He knew that voice.

Gene slowly turned around.

Selene slowly turned around.

The resistance slowly turned around.

Sitting comfortably atop Baby Bear’s massive shoulder…

Was Lilith.

Lilith waved.

“Hi papa.”

The room went silent.

Gene stared.

“Lilith.”

She nodded.

“Yep.”

“How.”

“I got bored.”

Gene blinked.

Selene blinked.

L.W. blinked.

Lilith pointed toward Baby Bear.

“He was very nice.”

Baby Bear nodded.

“She appeared about three hours ago.”

Gene rubbed his forehead.

“Mother Sarah let you come didn’t she?”

Lilith smiled.

Which meant yes.

Absolutely yes.

Gene sighed.

“Of course she didn’t.”

Lilith hopped up and floated down from Baby Bear’s shoulder.

Fluffy the Cerberus appeared quietly beside her.

Apparently he’d come too.

Gene hadn’t even notice when he appeared.

The giant three-headed dog wagged all three tails.

Lilith looked around.

“Wow.”

She pointed at the resistance.

“You guys are so depressing.”

Several resistance members looked offended.

Others looked amused.

Gene laughed.

Then gestured toward Lilith.

“Everyone.”

He smiled.

“This is our daughter Lilith. She’s the Queen of monsters.”

Lilith waved proudly.

The room immediately felt lighter.

Even after facing the crazy Queen Rosanella.

Even after surviving another night.

Somehow now that Lilith is present , things  suddenly didn’t feel impossible anymore.

And for the first time since arriving in this broken world…

Gene thought they might actually have a chance.