His A.S.P. Team had walked into an ambush - this Zone was supposed to be clear of Carrion, there hadn't been an outbreak in the Catskills in Months.
Captain Pugh let out an involuntary "aaargh" turning his head to see an Acanthostega parked on his leg, he stared at it and it stared back - cocked its head as if it was waiting for him to make another sound, then darted off into the water. "F**king newts, the Catskills are full of them", Captain Pugh 'laughed' in his head as he thought this.
His attention returned to the Shack and the ambush - they had received orders to attend this location that a group of Paleozoologists were in trouble. The landed their Cobra in a clearing, 100 meters away (standard procedure in such cases) and circled the shack - only to find over a hundred (at a guess) Carrion waiting for their Team of 6 A.S.P. Troopers. That’s unheard of in such rocky terrain, Carrion are generally found in urban environments or the open road.
Sgt Ewing "pssst" at Captain Pugh to attract his attention from a clump of bushes about 5 meters away - at least he was alive. But why was his face lit up with a sickly green light - almost in unison Pugh and Ewing turned their heads to look towards the source of the illumination - just as it started to crackle and spit, making sounds like bacon on a griddle.
There was a ball of green light, crackling with veins of energy - it grew to be about 8 foot across. Both Pugh and Ewing noticed that the ground beneath the ball was scorched - half burnt plants, and the remains of an Acanthostega lay at the 'foot' of the crackling energy sphere.
The centre of the green energy ball folded back, almost like an iris on a camera lens - revealing blackness . . . .
All was still and silent, for about thirty seconds - then Pugh heard those sounds. The Moans and Groans of the damned, a Carrion horde. Dozens of Carrion poured through the blackness at the centre of the glowing green sphere - like so many man shaped dead and diseased cockroaches. Clambering, scratching, clawing, falling and tumbling over one another to break through.
But from where?
Fearing they would find Ewing and himself, Pugh checked his weapons and ammo - expecting the worst, he looked up to see that Sgt Ewing was doing the same. But after the Carrion had finished pouring through - they stopped. Almost as if controlled, as if they were waiting for . . someone . .
Mere seconds after a scantily clad carrion slinked through what was now obviously a portal of some kind. She stood there, her body was still perfect Pugh thought to himself. She turned, looking directly at where he was hiding - her now hideous face, a mere echo of what she must have looked like when she was 'alive'. She glared, her eyes showed a spark of intelligence missing from most Carrion - she sniffed the air, then turned her attention back to the glowing portal.
A tall robed man stepped through the portal, dressed in dark blue - almost black robes. Decorated with stars and constellations - almost like it was a photo realistic map of the night sky - but Pugh didn't recognize any of the shapes of the stars or constellations.
He was bald, his face was drawn and ashen - and he carried with him a great bronze staff, the top of which looked like a stylized 'key' to . . Some great gothic lock . .
He looked at the female Carrion, and in a scratchy yet powerful voice said "Is everything ready my dear".
She looked up at him, "Yes my Lord" - her voice was little more than a harsh whisper, she bowed her head "the other portals from Deadworld will open across the world at 24 hour intervals as commanded".
"Excellent", the robed man gave out a hideous malformed laugh. "This world too shall know the word of the Prophet".
The Prophet is a Prime from another Dimension, on his home world, the Prophet and three other members of the "Dark Initiative" were the ones who DELIBERATELY created the RDS virus, and turned their world into the first Deadworld.
So far, only the Prophet has passed through - and he can draw the occasional sploog of Carrion through as well, even remotely at a distance.
A totally unique Model to the S.D.Z.A. setting, he has been sculpted by the remarkably talented Mark Evans - and will be made available as part of a future Nexus Miniatures release.
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