I then take a big chance.  I close my eyes and use my propane torch to light the boat on fire. With the boat burning, I then move back into the woods as I hear the shambling charge of another group of zombies.

I move through the very dark woods, where I can't see, but neither can the zombies.  (A magician may be able to control the zombies, but what does control mean, if the zombies can't see?)

I move carefully and as silently as I can.  I keep peering out of the woods, trying to spot a boat.  After a bit, I spot what appears to be a darker shadow among dark shadows.

I exit the woods and feel my way out to a boat.  I again close my eyes use my propane torch to set a boat on fire.

From out of the total darkness, something grabs me and I'm caught!  (Catching a man with a propane torch in his hand is not one of the smartest things that a man, or zombie, can do.  However, the magician probably didn't choose the zombies for intelligence.)  I reach back and torch the zombie in its face.  The thing's face is burning but it doesn't let go.  I stomp on a bare zombie foot with my booted heel and the zombie and I fall to the road.  The fall breaks the zombie's hold on me and I roll away, only to find myself in a forest of zombie legs.  I kick left and kick right.  I feel zombies fall about me and I then use my propane torch to give the zombies something to react to, other than trying to grab me.

The zombie retreat a little and try to put out the fires that burn their legs.

I roll out of the little forest of legs, get my feet under me and bolt for the pitch dark of the roadside forest.

(A forest is trees and underbrush.  However, there are animals that live in a forest.  The animals wear narrow trails through the forest.  I locate, by feel, what must be a main trail, shut off my propane torch then follow the trail for a bit.  I use Glyr to probe the underbrush and trees on each side of the trail

After a while, I find what I'm looking for. Glyr detects an open space that could be a side trail.  However, a downward slash, in the pitch darkness reveals a log, probably a fallen tree trunk.  I go a little further, along the main trail and then back up.  Using Glyr to probe the way I step onto the fallen tree trunk and then step down into a small cleared space, perhaps cleared when the tree trunk fell.  I use Glyr to probe the cleared space and find a very narrow animal trail that leads off at an angle, through the forest.

I then wait and catch my breath, after the exertions involved with my escape from the zombies.  The magician will expect me to move back up the road and find yet another boat to burn.  Thus, the magician will deploy his zombies to catch me along the road.  While the magician searches for me where I am not, I gain a bit of breathing space.

Glyr mind asks, “You seek to hide from the zombies?”

I mind speak back, “I can hide from the zombies, but not from the magician.  After a time, the magician will realize that I have gone into the forest and he will send zombies after me, along the forest trails.  After considerable searching, the magician will realize that I have gone off the main trails and hidden myself in the forest, off a main trail.  The zombies are not efficient searchers, thus the magician himself will need to come and search.  With luck, you will gain the life force of the magician and then we can easily deal with the leaderless zombies.”

Glyr mind speaks back, “A clever plan.  However, what if it doesn't work?”

“Then, if we live, I will have to think of another plan.”

I gather a few small branches and use Glyr to trim them into sticks.

Glyr is not happy with the duty.

I point out, “I put a stick or two on top of the fallen tree trunk.  A clumsy zombie steps on the tree trunk, trips on the rolling stick and falls into the darkness.  Then what?”

Glyr chuckles, “Then I cut at least an arm from the clumsy one, perhaps a head.  I gain undeath!”

“The zombies continue to come, sent by the magician.  Soon the area behind the fallen tree truck is filled with sliced zombie.  Then, while the whole zombies squabble over the sliced zombie meat, we disappear down the narrow animal trail that we earlier found and we live to fight again.”

Glyr muses, “I should be able to gain quite a bit of undeath, while I reduce the number of zombies that pursue us.”

“Gaining undeath is good and gaining the life force of the magician is even better, although that last is unlikely.”

Glyr muses, “Then we must use stealth and attack from ambush.”

I sigh, "It seems that, most of our tasks lead to very interesting nights.  That, alas, is our destiny.  Now rest for the coming battle"

I then sheath Glyr.  I take a long drink of water from my canteen and then listen and wait.

After a bit, I hear something stumble down the forest trail that I used.  Whatever it is seems to have no idea that I wait, back off the trail.  (The longer that it takes to find me, the closer to dawn that we get and the closer to the end of the current task for Glyr and me.)

After quite a bit longer, I hear a measured tread along the forest trail that I used.  (It has to be the magician and Glyr and I could kill it, only to be overrun by zombies along the narrow forest trail.)

I draw Glyr and wait until I hear something stumble from the forest trail, onto the log and then slip on the stick and sprawl into the little clearing past the log.  I slash twice into the pitch darkness, with Glyr, and I feel Glyr eat undeath.  I hear a second zombie step onto the log and I slash with Glyr where the zombie's legs must be and I feel Glyr slice into flesh and bone.  I hear the zombie fall onto the previous zombie and I again slash with Glyr.  I slash three times into the pitch darkness, with Glyr, until I feel Glyr eat undeath.   A third zombie steps onto the log, steps on the second zombie and I hear the zombie fall back from the previous zombie.  I again slash with Glyr.  I slash three times into the pitch darkness, with Glyr, until I feel Glyr again eat undeath.  I await the arrival of a fourth zombie when I hear a voice chanting in some sort of unknown language.

Glyr indicates that there's magic in the air and that we should withdraw immediately.  (That's not exactly what he said, but there may be children reading this.)

I move quickly but carefully back along the narrow animal path that we first discovered, back when Glyr and I found the little cleared area.  I move along the trail,.setting my feet carefully and probing and slashing with Glyr.  After a bit, I realize that we have likely outrun the magic and no clumsy zombie could follow us down the narrow trail that I tread.

Glyr then tells me, “You have outrun the magic.  Now what?”

I analyze, “We are on one side of the road.  Chances are the magician has deployed at least most of his zombies on that side of the road.  It seems that., if we are to carry out our assigned task, we must take a chance and cross the road to the other side.  I can then try to move through the forest on the other side and try to find and destroy more of the boats that the magician wants to use to move his zombies to the mainland.”

Glyr says, “Of course the magician will expect us to move up the road, although probably not from the forest on the other side of the road.”

I say, “We may still encounter a zombie or two, but we know how to deal with that.”

Glyr says, “Yeah, the zombies are dangerous, but so are we.”

I work my way back to the road.