Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 480: State of emergency

Chapter 480: State of emergency

The city of Parafall fell into a state of emergency after the news of the converging undead.

With the help of the Royal Blue, the Enforcers were helping with evacuation efforts as Leslie deemed it impossible to face off against the undead coming from the west with the numbers they had.

Their only hope was burying the city to ensure that the undead would be unable to pass the mountain range and for that, they needed to ensure the city was empty to avoid adding to the already burgeoning ranks of the walking dead.

Natasha stood atop a building roof, her gaze transfixed on the street below as she watched nobles and merchants make their way to the gates where two steam trains were waiting to take them to the neighboring city of Bero.

To think that even now, the concept of classism would persist.

She’d thought Leslie above such but apparently, she was wrong.

At the end of the day, the Empire and its officers placed more importance on the elite than the middle and lower classes.

Just then, she noticed a disturbance in the line causing her to leap down from the roof, landing in a pile of snow before rushing over to figure out what was happening.

"You can’t do this!... We are humans too!... How can you say we should wait until the nobles are all gone?"

At the heart of the situation was a young man, his upper lip bloodied and his eyes bloodshot as he stared at a sneering Royal Blue.

"Know your place, beggar. Once the nobles are gone, the rest of you drudge can come on board."

"There’s no way the train would be able to contain everyone!" The man shot back.

"Well then, you’d just have to wait for the next one."

"Fuck you!" The young man exclaimed as he struggled to attack the officer.

Alas, pinned down by two other officers, he could only struggle to no avail.

Just as the third officer was about to lash out at him, Natasha intervened.

"That’s enough."

"Ah, Captain, you are here." The officer immediately turned respectful.

"What’s the problem?"

"This idiot was trying to sneak into the line." The officer intoned before adding with a smirk. "I was just about to teach him a lesson for trying to be smart."

"Let him join the queue."

"No can’t do, Ma’am. Commander Leslie explicitly said that the train available was only for the nobles and merchants. Everyone else would have to wait for the next train."

"And how long would it take before it gets here?"

The officer shrugged. "No idea, ma’am."

"What about the airship?"

"It’s been reserved for law enforcement and a few important figures."

Natasha hesitated, the urge to utilize her authority to force the officer’s hand burning within.

But knowing that he was only following orders, no matter how smug he was about it, she decided to take it up with the one in charge.

After ordering the officer to let the young ruffian go, the latter offered no thanks and even uttered a few vulgarities before scuttling away.

Paying no heed to the young man’s ungratefulness, Natasha made her way to the Royal Blue station where Leslie was planning their next strategy with the head of the Royal Blue Division, Commissioner Watson.

"Natasha, you are here." Leslie intoned. "Is there a problem?"

"The evacuation. The blatant disregard for the lives of the middle class and lower class would surely cause problems. We have to make amends."

"Would you rather I save everyone?" Leslie inquired. "Forgive me but that is impossible, Natasha. As it is, the remaining cities are already crying out that they don’t have the resources to take in more refugees. The city of Bero we are heading to has already given us a quota they can take."

"A quota?" Natasha could hardly believe her ears.

Leslie nodded. "10,000."

"But this city has more than two hundred thousand people living here."

"Exactly." Leslie nodded. "The nobles and merchants paid to qualify for the quota. Their workers are allowed to join as well and we could take in a few skilled individuals and their families. But that’s it. As it is, our men would have to travel to Silver Pass to reunite with our brothers at the citadel."

"But everyone else..."

Leslie went silent for a moment before ultimately replying. "... Their sacrifices won’t be forgotten."

The silence was resounding as Natasha realized what the commander was planning to do.

"You are going to burn them with the city."

Leslie offered no response with Watson unable to even say a word as he looked around, unwilling to meet Natasha’s gaze.

"You can’t do that," Natasha remarked.

Leslie closed his eyes. "I don’t have a choice, Natasha. The Empire is dying. We have to find a way to survive."

"Let’s stay, we can hold them off, and wait for reinforcements."

"There are no reinforcements, Natasha!... The sooner you understand that, the better. Parafall has been abandoned like several other towns and cities. We have to do what’s best to save as much as we can."

Natasha shook her head. "I won’t allow that."

"You can’t stop this, Natasha," Leslie remarked. "Don’t make things harder than they are supposed to be."

"You may leave. I will stay."

"You will die."

"I’m sure my Silverthorn family would be grateful to be rid of me."

"You are a Warrior, your life is worth more than thousands."

Natasha scoffed. "What was the creed of the D.O.D. again, Commander?"

"Natasha..."

"To protect, to serve, to fight... till our last breath. That is what I plan to do."

With those words, Natasha was just about to take her leave when an officer barged in, bloodied and terrified.

"The paupers are rioting, they are attacking everyone!"

Natasha glanced back at Leslie who couldn’t be more confused by the report.

Instinctively, both rushed outside and then, were met with a most terrific sight.

Those that should have been abandoned, were attacked without hesitation.

As far as they were concerned, if they couldn’t go, no one else would, and that fueled their madness to a terrifying degree.

But if that were it, perhaps, it might have been manageable, but then the bugle sounded and Natasha couldn’t help but wonder what the issue was.

"Go and check the wall, I’ll handle this," Leslie remarked as he conjured a silver sword in his hand.

’Weaponmaster.’ Immediately came to mind as she saw this but then, with an order to carry out, she didn’t dwell on this, instead, swiftly making her way through the gore that persisted on the snow-covered streets.

By the time she arrived at the walls, Natasha had counted at least three hundred dead bodies, each life claimed by another person.

Trying to keep calm, she rushed to where the bugle had been sounded only to find a terrified officer looking through an incredibly long spyglass.

"What is it?" Natasha inquired, jolting the man from his terror.

The man gulped nervously as he replied. "You might want to see for yourself, Captain."

Natasha moved forward and took the spyglass, utilizing it to see far ahead, past the rocky terrain of the snow-covered Western Prairie only to be met with a sea of porcelain white.

She froze at that moment as she tried to convince herself that what she was seeing was just snow... snow in humanoid forms.

But then, she saw the flag billowing in the winter wind... the same flag that represented the rebel Khucia Kingdom until the Emperor tried to suppress them and that was the last straw that broke the camel’s back.

The first wave of undead was merely three days’ ride away and leading them, the once-dead rebel king of Khucia, now reborn as a Headless Horseman.

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