The Knight Dragon vs. the Mortician Part 2 - Heroes & Villains [1.4.2]

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Hey! This is the second half of a story, so if you haven't read the first CLICK HERE before reading on, otherwise you may be a little confused. And if you haven't read any Heroes & Villians stories, CLICK HERE to see the full archive. Thanks!

Ellie felt a chill wash over her, her heart stopped, her body aching with fear. She whipped her head around and caught sight of the now dozen other members filling the room, all cadavers with pale skin and closed eyes, walking freely on their own. Ellie began gasping, breathing heavily, completely frozen with fear. Ben turned her chair back to him, placing his hands on her shoulders.

“Ellie, just breathe, it’s going to be fine.” Ben kept firm eye contact as he did his best to comfort her.

“We are in my worst nightmare, and you think this is going to be fine?” Ellie stammered. “How can this be fine? How is that even possible?” Ben gave her a smile, though it was clearly fake.

“Because I’m the Knight Dragon.” He replied. Ben scooped Ellie into his arms and flames shot out of his feet, propelling them upwards. Ben flew over the crowd of cadavers towards the door, landing just outside and setting Ellie down on her feet. He took hold of her hand and began pulling her down the hallway. More cadavers roamed the hallway, blocking the only exit. He caught sight of a janitor’s closet and pulled the door open, pulling Ellie in and slamming the door shut. Ellie collapsed to the ground, holding her head in her hands, rocking herself back and forth. Ben made sure the door was locked before kneeling down beside her, placing his hand on her shoulder. Ellie shuddered at his touch.

“Ellie it’s going to be okay,” Ben said gently. She looked up at him, glaring.

“There are dead people chasing us! How is that ever okay?” Ellie asked. It took so much energy for Ben not to show emotion, to remain calm for her, but he couldn’t let Ellie know he was just as scared. Right now he had to be strong for her, he had to protect her.

“I’m going to take care of it,” Ben replied. Ben glanced back at the door. His heart was pounding. He would give anything to stay in here and pretend that nothing was happening, but they had to get out somehow. He had to make a move. Ben turned back towards Ellie.

“Hey, I need you to stay here,” Ben said. Ellie reached out and grabbed his wrist.

“You can’t go back out there.” Ellie’s voice was shaking.

“I have to,” Ben said, again keeping his voice as confident as he could. “I’m going to find us a way out of here. Ellie, you stay here and don’t move.”

“I wasn’t really planning on leaving this spot ever again for the rest of my life.” Ellie closed her eyes, shuddering. Ben winced.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” Ben said. “Whatever you do, do not open this door.” Ellie didn’t release his wrist for a moment. She didn’t want him to leave. Ben pulled his hand away and turned toward the door. He caught hold of the door handle and yanked it open, sliding out and slamming the door behind him. Ellie sucked in a deep breath and stared at the door.

“It’s a dream,” Ellie muttered. “This is all a dream. They can’t hurt me. Ben will protect me.” She continued to whisper to herself, trying to calm her nerves. She waited, staring at the door as time wore on. She could barely hear anything outside the room, only some movement. Ellie reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her phone to glance at the time, but realized it didn’t help her figure out how long she had been waiting in the closet. Ellie tried to think of something that could occupy her mind as she waited, but she couldn’t. She could only think about what was outside that door.

Ellie glanced at her phone again. A couple minutes had passed. She began to fear for Ben. What would happen if Ben couldn’t stop them, if they hurt him, or even killed him? Wouldn’t she then only be found tomorrow morning when the morgue opened, the Knight Dragon found dead in the building? Ellie shuddered. She began to think hard. Was there anything she could do to help Ben, to get them out of their current situation? Ellie couldn’t think of anything she was capable of and was too scared to make a move anyways. She secretly hated herself for not being able to move. She considered herself a brave person, but this was different. She had never been more terrified in her life.

The door flew open and Ellie lifted her head, expecting to see Ben. Two corpses shuffled in and grabbed hold of her arms. Ellie screamed at their cold touch and struggled against them. They lifted her above their heads and began carrying her out into the hallway, other cadavers joining in, grabbing hold of her in different places. Ellie squirmed against them, trying to free herself from their grip. She began to sob hysterically, screaming. She called out for Ben but didn’t hear a response. She feared Ben was hurt and couldn’t shake the thought. Had her fears killed the Knight Dragon?

The cadavers carried Ellie down a stairwell into the autopsy room. They set her to her feet, and Ellie’s knees immediately gave out on her. She stumbled forward to kneel on the ground. She glanced back, wanting to run, but she was surrounded by the cadavers. All their eyes were closed, lips pressed together. It looked as if they were sleeping. It was like staring into her mother’s casket again, only this time it was confirmed they could get up and move.

“You’re not one of mine.” Came a voice from the crowd. Ellie shuddered. A man pushed his way through the cadavers. He was clearly alive, his skin and facial expression much more animated than the corpses surrounding them. Ellie stared up at him, blinking through the tears still flooding from her eyes. His voice had been soft and gentle, but his pale blue eyes were menacing, terrifying.

“Who are you?” Ellie asked, her voice shaking.

“They call me the Mortician,” He gave a slight bow. “I’m one of the greatest villains there ever was.” Ellie frowned and used the back of her hand to wipe at her cheeks.

“What do you do?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” The Mortician rolled his eyes. “I raise the dead. Give them life and control them.” Ellie closed her eyes, needing to take herself away from all this, but once her eyes were closed all she saw was her mother’s lifeless blue eyes staring up at her. It was an image that had never left her and haunted her through her life. Ellie shuddered and opened her eyes, staring at the Mortician. He was real. She had to focus on someone that was alive and real.

“Why would you do this?” Ellie blurted, still thinking of her mother, of the nightmares she had in her childhood of her mother’s corpse waking up. The Mortician raised his eyebrows, looking shocked.

“Why? Why wouldn’t I?” The Mortician asked. “I have an army at my control. Why wouldn’t I take advantage of that? Do you know how rare a gift it is to control a whole army with no fear of mutiny?”

“Must be pretty rare,” Ellie admitted, moving to her feet, glancing cautiously at the cadavers around her. They hadn’t moved once since the Mortician had appeared.

“Exactly.” The Mortician smiled.

“What’s your plan, though?” Ellie asked.

“I figure with an army of cadavers I can take possession of anything I want, especially Apple Creek.” The Mortician replied. Ellie nodded, fighting the urge to look back at the cadavers.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure no one will want to argue with that.” Ellie agreed.

“So tell me, what are you doing here?” The Mortician asked.

“I work here.”

“You don’t work here.” He shook his head and clicked his tongue. “You’re wearing a Bakersfield ID badge.” Ellie glanced down at the incriminating lanyard around her neck. The Mortician stepped closer and squinted his eyes to read the print on her badge. “Tell me Eleanor Washington, what does Bakersfield want with a morgue?”

“I was only here to look at security footage,” Ellie said.

“That’s my job.” The Mortician smiled. “I’ve been working here for three months now on the security team. You have no place to take over my job.”

“It wasn’t a Bakersfield job,” Ellie argued. “A friend asked me to.”

“What friend?” The Mortician asked. Ellie hesitated.

“The Knight Dragon,” Ellie replied. The Mortician’s eyes widened. He suddenly grinned and clapped.

“My first nemesis!” He exclaimed. “Oh, this is fun. Too bad you ‘friend’ won’t be able to help you now. I do want a real nemesis, but as for other people, well, I prefer the dead ones.” The Mortician pulled out a pocket knife and pointed it towards her.

“Wait!” Ellie raised her hands in surrender. “Wait! I haven’t done anything. I won’t even tell anyone! I just, I don’t see a point for you to kill me now. Don’t most villains want a damsel in distress to lure the hero in? I can be that for you! I know the Knight Dragon personally, if you use me as bait you’ll get a nemesis much quicker.” The Mortician laughed.

“I don’t think anyone will argue with me not having a damsel in distress, considering my army.” The Mortician pointed the knife and the cadavers began rushing towards her. Ellie  screamed as loud as she could and began pushing through the corpses running towards the door. She found the hallway clear and began racing up the stairs to the main floor. There were more cadavers shuffling in her direction. She was trapped. Tears were streaming freely down her cheeks, her heart beating so fast she was sure it might break through her skin. Ellie continued running towards the exit, pushing through them. Their cold limp arms tried to grab at her, catching hold of her clothes and her hair.

Ellie was yanked backward by her hair and a mob closed in around her. Ellie tried to push her way out, but couldn’t find an opening. Ellie closed her eyes, she couldn’t look at them anymore. Their lifeless faces were all she could see even with her eyes shut. Ellie continued to throw weak punches and kicks around her. There was a loud bang near her and Ellie was knocked over, bodies falling on top of her. Ellie opened her eyes and saw the Knight Dragon flying down the hallway towards her. Ellie lifted her arm and Ben caught hold of it. He pulled her upward out of the pile and caught her in his arms. He flew down the hallway towards the front desk, moving behind it to land.

Ellie gasped as they hit the ground, staring towards Ben as he held her in his arms.

“Wow, you… you’re strong.” Ellie stammered. Ben gave her a weak smile and set her down. Feeling unsteady on her feet, Ellie threw her arms around him, burying her face against his chest. Ben slid his arms around her middle and held onto her tightly, his right hand rubbing her back in slow, shaky circles. Ellie’s whole body was shaking, her fingers struggling to grab at the tight fabric of Ben’s suit, needing something steady to hold on to.

“Are you okay?” Ben asked. “Are you hurt at all?”

“I’m fine,” Ellie whispered against him. “Thank you.” They stood still a moment longer, both needed to calm the rages of adrenaline. Ben looked down at her.

“Ellie, I need you to leave,” Ben demanded. “I don’t know how to stop them without setting the whole building on fire and I can’t let you get hurt. You have to get out of here.” Ellie pulled away from him.

“It’s a villain.” She blurted. Ben’s expression changed quickly. “He calls himself the Mortician. He’s controlling them, he said they’re his army.” Ben flashed a crooked smile.

“Perfect. Villains I can handle.” He said. Ben reached forward and caught hold of Ellie’s waist. He flew upwards to a high windowsill and set her down. He hovered in front of her as she situated herself.

“You have your phone?” Ben asked. Ellie nodded. “Call the police.”

“And tell them what?” Ellie asked.

“Tell them there’s a villain here and the Knight Dragon says they need to be here now,” Ben said sternly. “Where did you last see the villain?”

“The Mortician.” Ellie corrected him, pointing towards the stairwell. Ben turned. “He was down in the autopsy room. Ben, please be safe.” Ben glanced back at her with a smile.

“I’ll be fine,” Ben said. “Get the police here.” Ben flew back down the hallway over the bodies. He landed just outside the stairwell and began leaping down the stairs. Knowing it was a villain had given him hope. He no longer had to take down dozens of already dead beings, he only had to focus on one. Ben heard a noise down the hall and followed it. He turned into a room and saw a man, pulling open a casket.

“Are you the Mortician?” Ben asked, his voice strong, masking his fear. The man jumped and turned to face him.

“You work fast.” The Mortician said with a smile. “I didn’t think she would get you here so soon. I’m happy to meet my first nemesis, Knight Dragon.” Ben’s eyes narrowed.

“Well, you’ll be going to jail soon so I will also be your last.”

“I wouldn’t count on that.” The Mortician grinned. He raised his hand and the corpse inside the casket sat up, her face unmoving as she climbed out and began rushing towards Ben. Ben shuddered a moment before moving into action. Ben lowered his body and swept his leg towards her, knocking her to the ground. Ben jumped over her and rushed towards the Mortician, bringing his arm back for a punch. The Mortician sidestepped at the last second and Ben’s fist hit the concrete wall. Ben groaned but turned to the Mortician, holding out his hands, flames bursting from his palms.

Ben brought forward his fist again. The Mortician avoided it, grabbed hold of Ben’s forearm, and yanked it backward. Ben ignored the popping sound in his shoulder and swung his leg around, knocking the Mortician behind the knees. The Mortician fell forward, keeping his grip on Ben’s arm and pulling him down with him. Ben landed a fiery punch to the Mortician’s side as they both struggled to get back on their feet, the Mortician pulling out his pocket knife and stabbed it into Ben’s right thigh in the process.

Flames shot out of Ben’s feet and he hovered into the air, landing a few feet away. He pulled the knife from his leg and tossed it onto the ground. Arms swung around his neck from behind and Ben reached up to find the dead woman clinging onto him. Ben’s whole body ignited into flames but the woman didn’t let go. She was already dead, she didn’t feel any pain. Ben glanced around, grunting as he struggled to breathe. A table of equipment was to his left. Ben turned, reached back to grab hold of the woman’s hair, and lowered into a crouch as he pulled her over his head, slamming her down onto the table. Ben turned back to the Mortician, the flames disappearing from his body.

“Getting others to fight your battles for you is cowardly,” Ben grunted. The Mortician grinned maliciously.

“I’d say it’s rather impressive.” He replied. “And I have the best army there is. They have no fear of getting hurt. They’re already dead.” Ben ran at him again, trying to ignore the pulsing pain in his thigh. Ben lowered his body and caught hold of the Mortician’s waist, knocking him down to the ground, Ben standing over him. The Mortician leapt to his feet and brought his fist up, knocking Ben under the chin. The woman jumped on Ben’s back again, her arms locking around Ben’s neck. Ben spun, letting the woman’s legs fly outward and knock into the Mortician. He stumbled backward, grumbling.

Ben reached up at grabbed the woman’s frail arms. He mentally assessed his next move, hating himself for it. He caught hold of the woman’s hands and snapped them forward, breaking her wrists to pull her grip free. Ben kept hold of her wrists and swung her body around in front of him, using her as a shield as the Mortician lunged towards him. Ben pushed her forward towards the Mortician, but she only stumbled a few steps before turning back towards him.

“Face it,” The Mortician said, standing behind the woman as she swung one of her broken wrists towards Ben, knocking him weakly across the face. “She will always be under my control. And so will they.” The Mortician nodded behind Ben. Ben turned to see a dozen more cadavers entering the room. A chill rushed through him and he froze as fear filled him. The corpses rushed at him at once, all lunging for him. Ben ignited his whole body and began swinging forward his arms in a series of aimed punches, each only temporarily knocking them back.

He had to think fast, figure out a way to keep his battle between the Mortician and him. As Ben fought off the cadavers he made slow steps towards the Mortician, examining the intense focus on his face as he watched over his corpses. Ben shot flames from the bottom of his feet and propelled himself upward. He spun while sticking out his left leg, knocking a few of the corpses in the head and to the floor. His whole body still aflame, Ben flew directly at the Mortician and knocked him to the ground.

The Mortician let out a yell as the flames hit him, burning his skin. The corpses surrounded them and pulled Ben off of him. Ben gritted his teeth. The connection between the Mortician and the cadavers was too strong, he couldn’t seem to break it. Ben continued to fight against the arms pulling him back until two corpses jumped onto his back and Ben stumbled to the floor, knocking his head on the concrete. Ben groaned at the pain, but his eyes widened with a thought. Ben flew upwards and landed in front of the Mortician again, swinging forward punches.

The Mortician fought back, blocking Ben’s fiery hits and bringing in more corpses to hold Ben back. Ben struggled against them but kept fighting on, pushing towards the Mortician until he had him back into the corner of the room. Ben let the flames disappear from his body as he reached forward to grab onto the Mortician’s collar and slammed him back against the brick wall. Ben swung his other arm forward but his elbow was caught in a corpse’s hand. Ben released his grip on the Mortician and used his now free hand to slam against the Mortician’s head, knocking it back against the bricks.

Ben was pulled backward, cold hands clinging onto his every limb. Ben slammed the Mortician’s head back again. The Mortician was crying out profanities and yelling out in pain. Ben kept going, struggling to keep himself upright with the hands on his body. Ben leaned back, the corpses relaxing their grip as they felt his body seemingly give up. Ben lunged forward with all his energy, slamming the Mortician’s head against the brick. The corpses pulled Ben backward just before he watched the Mortician’s eyes roll back into his head. The Mortician’s body slumped back against the wall and slid to the ground. Ben collapsed as the weight of the bodies against him pushed him down, the whole crowd falling to the floor.

Ben pushed the bodies off of him, cringing. The cadavers were lifeless again. Ben grabbed hold of the Mortician’s shirt and pulled him upwards, tossing his limp unconscious body over his shoulder. Ben stumbled through the corpses around him, the pain in his right leg more persistent now that the danger was gone.  Ben limped from the room, leaving the pile of dead bodies behind him.

Ben walked Ellie up to her apartment door, limping from the pain in his right leg. He was eyeing her carefully. She had barely spoken since the police had taken the Mortician away and Ben drove her back to her apartment. She reached into her purse and began fumbling with her keys.

“Are you sure you’re going to be alright?” Ben asked gently. Ellie nodded.

“Yes.” She replied. Ben waited for her to say some sarcastic comment but nothing came. His frown deepened.

“We got him,” Ben said. “He’s not going to come back.”

“He’s in jail,” Ellie replied sounding uncertain.

“But not anywhere near dead bodies he can control,” Ben said. Ellie closed her eyes and shuddered. Ben placed his hands on her shoulders. “If you need anything call me,” Ben said. Ellie nodded numbly. Ben looked over her one last time before releasing her and walking away, reaching down to press his right hand against his knife wound.

“Mr. Baker,” Ellie spoke up. Ben turned to her with a frown. “I do think I’ll be taking a sick  day from work tomorrow.” Ben smiled crookedly and nodded his head.

“I’ll let your supervisor know, Miss Washington,” Ben replied. Ellie nodded and pushed her apartment door open. Ben heard a shout of welcome from her boyfriend and Ellie disappeared inside.

Yay! This is probably my favorite story, and I was really proud of how the fight between the Mortician and the Knight Dragon turned out. I haven't always been so good at writing action. I'm still practicing but I really like this story. Personally. Though I did write it. I'm obviously biased.

The song "Zombie" by The Cranberries was added to the playlist in honor of this story. I am actually ridiculously obsessed with this song and in college sang it very loudly, very often, and my roommates and neighbors hated me for it. Ha ha, good times.