We've finally reached Zombie Valley. The place is quite frightening; you can hear a cry echo in the distance. There are black, putrid herbs in the soil, and the trees fit the gloomy and dark vibe of the valley. Some of the trees even have eyes or a mouth magically carved in their trunks, and their branches function as improvised limbs and arms. A small group of trees is surprisingly playing poker and smoking cigars. Shouldn't they be scared of fire? I wonder as we go deeper in the valley. The trees even appear to have fun, but I don't dare to join them, that sinister look is an obvious red light.
There's a thick fog in the area making it hard to distinguish anything. Maybe sixty or sixty five feet of distance, that's how far I can see until everything is blurry or a silhouette. Sometimes in the fog, I seem to recognize figures that resemble another human walking awkwardly.
"Stay quiet" whispers the knight.

I nod with my head and follow him closely.
We advance through a path in the middle of some trees. The trees start turning their eyes and closely pay attention to us. It's unnerving. The knight notices I'm scared.
"I bet you can't look back at them right in the eyes" he whispers while holding a laugh.
"No thanks," I reply. Just thinking about those trees sends a chill down my spine. "Why don't you pull on that tree that looks like Pinocchio? The one with the large branch like a nose" I dare him back.

I see the knight running full speed towards the Pinocchio tree; he then does a jump, and hangs from the branch. I'm petrified. The tree lets out a scream, waking up to the image of a knight gleefully swinging in his nose. His face shows he is not enjoying the knight's prank. I'm feeling goosebumps. The tall tree then moves his living branches, trying to capture the knight, but he manages to escape while recklessly running and laughing.
I'm still in shock, but I start chasing the knight. My heart is racing and I'm running as fast as I can, surprising myself as I have not fallen yet. Meanwhile, all I can hear is the knight's friendly laughter ahead; I can't keep up with his pace. After running some more, we stop and take a break, exhausted from the marathon. The knight takes a pause, trying to catch his breath. He then turns his head, looks at me, and laughs some more.
"That was fun, right?"

I sit on the floor, or if I must admit it, my body simply gives up and forces me to lie down. And to my surprise, I also start laughing out loud.
"You... are... insane!" I manage to utter those words, completely worn out.

We sit for a while and rest a few minutes after that long run. I see a huge raven flying rapidly, maybe chasing something. As soon as we are rested and with a regular heartbeat, the knight sits up.
"Let's keep going."
I join him again and we keep walking through the road, inhabited by the sinister trees. Up ahead there's a bright area, and grunts can be heard. It's a zombie gathering. They are all still, facing the same side.
"What's happening?" I whisper.‬
"They are watching a Zombie Boxing Tournament."
"Zombie Boxing?"‬
"Why do you ask questions by just repeating what I just said?" he says with sarcasm, "Zombie Boxing is a sport where two zombies put on boxing gloves and hit each other. It's quite simple and boring. Matches won't last long and it's virtually decided in the first punch. The zombie that punches first wins, because the other zombie's head will end up rolling on the floor. It takes longer for them to pick up their heads and put them back on, than the actual fight."

As we walk, he continues.
"They are all drooling while watching the fight, but they are still in our way. I don't feel like going all the way back, so let's walk right past them. Just walk slowly and everything will be fine", he suggests.
My legs are shaking. We start moving just as he said. So far, that's what I've been doing: listening and following his advice. The knight slowly slides without the zombies noticing him. I'm not that nimble, and I'm starting to feel like I have a serious case of the Jimmy legs. My heart is beating too fast and I can hardly breathe by now.
We soon start distancing ourselves from the zombie ring, but I don't feel safe until they are out of sight. We keep on walking until no zombies are near. Soon after, we run into a house with a working chimney. A sign on its front reads "Zombie Pub". The knight reaches for the door and invites me in.
"Come" he says.

He goes inside and I follow. As expected, there are zombies inside the pub. Other than the fact they are zombies, everything seems regular, like zombies drinking beers out of mugs over the counter. There's even a slot machine, but it seems out of order.
"We have to check out that sword of yours," says the knight, "besides... you have to start your training sooner or later." Following those words, the knight starts his taunt "Hey, fools! My friend here will take you all at once!" he finishes, pointing at me as he sneaks over to the counter.
I completely freeze and I'm sure everyone can tell because I probably look dumbfounded. I certainly wasn't planning a second marathon so soon. Zombies start surrounding me. I could have escaped at least five times in the time it took for them to get this close, but I panicked and let the chance slip.
"What's going on?" says my friend, "Draw your sword, now!"
So there you have me. Sword fighting in a style I should probably call self-taught. I start thrusting with my rapier; impressively managing to cut and slash left and right as I open my way through the zombie horde. I can hear the knight cheering for me in the back of the pub, probably looking at me as if I were some rodeo clown. As I nervously swing my sword, completely embarrassed, the knight goes over the counter, steals a zombie's beer from his hand, raises the glass on my behalf, and then proceeds to happily chug it down.
All of a sudden, I can't hear a thing. The zombies turn their heads to face the same direction, where some kind of disco-styled zombie shows up. He's wearing an afro wig and a rather short white sequin jacket, slowly heading my way. The other zombies start making room for their boss and I keep my eyes peeled, waiting for him to make his move. He's getting closer.
I feel this tap on my right shoulder, prompting me to flinch and move aside.
"Leave this one to me!" says the knight as he pushes me out of the zombie's way. The zombie approaches and gives him a menacing look. "Free style!" the knight suddenly shouts.

The zombie nods. Some lights start flashing the pub and music plays: it's a dance off. The knight starts dancing with amazing agility despite his armor, following the rhythm of the song. He does a perfect spin while removing his sword and throwing it my way for me to catch, and then he goes all out. His flashy routine ends in a double flip while landing on his foot, striking a dashing pose like some Olympic skater, visibly mocking disco zombie.
It's now his turn. He starts walking in circles as the knight keeps his eyes on him, when abruptly he switches that characteristic zombie shuffle walk for some speedy dancing moves. As the knight studies the zombie's moves, he takes two steps behind and leans my way:
"What a rookie! Once I'm done, this zombie will have to hang that jacket for good."

After the undead finishes his dance, he lands close to my friend with a disjointed movement, looking almost rubbery, as if his body was too elastic. He plants firmly, waiting for the knight's turn.
A new song starts and the knight begins a second, more aggressive dance routine. His moves are so fast and mesmerizing that by the time he's done, the zombie starts shaking his head in denial. The rest of the zombies gather up and start marching at a steady pace, following their defeated zombie boss. The knight looks at me:
"I'm a freestyle prodigy, he could never beat me" saying with his usual smile, "You did good back then with the sword, I see you'll get in shape in no time. C'mon, let's go!" he finishes while leaving the pub.
We surprisingly exit the Zombie Pub in one piece, and start heading opposite to the defeated zombie group. I guess you can't really tell they've just took a moral beating; their expression is the same no matter what. In the distance, an exit looms ahead as we leave behind the gloomy Zombie Valley.