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The story so far...
Louie Greenthorpe is a vampire. He is living in the Greenthorpe Mansion,
on the outskirts of the town of Greenthorpe. He is the subject of local ghost stories.
Some children decide to explore the mansion, but run for their lives when they catch
a glimpse of Louie. Majo, a wandering jeweller, meets them and goes to investigate
the mansion. She meets Louie and feels like she trusts him, but is horrified when she
learns that he is a vampire. While trying to escape, she trips and hits her head,
losing consciousness. Outside, one of the children's fathers, Theodore Thatcher,
arrives. He learns of Majo, and enters the mansion to make sure she is okay.
Louie is leaning over Majo's body, and Theodore assumes the worst. In the ensuing struggle,
Louie kills Thatcher, and hides the body before Majo regains consciousness. When she does,
she finds herself unharmed and realises she can trust Louie. Louie decides he must leave
Greenthorpe, and the two depart together.
Kaz is a mercenary, and goes on a mission to steal data from a military base.
He is the bait, and flies his ship above the base, dropping bombs while his comrades
carry out the theft. The base's nuclear reactors explode, sending his ship hurtling to
the ground. When he regains consciousness, he sees his comrades are happy. When they realise
he is alive, one of them offers to kill him for a share in his wages. Kaz kills them.
Kaz goes on a vengeful killing spree against the Carrotus military. On one
morning-after-the-night-before, he wakes up to see a bag of money, indicating that he has been
hired.
Jargon Random is technomancer: he combines engineering with sorcery. He lives on
Diamondus, where a war is raging. One morning John Radin, a friend from his Order,
arrives at his door and tells him they must flee. The city is being invaded. Jargon
grabs his autocaster and some food, and leaves with John.
Tony Waterbeck, renowned racing pilot, is practicing one day when he sets off an old
Shellian defence system. Some Shellian fighters respond, and pursue him around the galaxy.
He decides to head for Carrotus in the hope that they will destroy his assailants.
when he gets there he finds he has to maneuvre through the Carrotus asteroid belt.
With his attention thus diverted, a Shellian shot hits his left wing, sending him
plummeting towards Carrotus. He crashes in an empty field just outside Greenthorpe.
He heads for a building he can see in the distance.
Verity works in a Tavern on Diamondus, for a rabbit named Eddie. Secretly, she is also
working for him as a hacker, supporting one side in the Diamondus War. Her town is a dangerous
place. Nobody knows who is on which side, and food is hard to come by. Every day, she thinks
about the poison in her medicine cabinet. She is on the edge of despair.
Tier is an Arcania Zombie. He is effectively invincible, but it takes a while for
missing body parts to grow back. He must feed on the living to prevent himself from rotting.
He prowls around Carrotus, looking for prey.
Thomas Bradhurst, a Greenthorpe councillor, receives a letter from a company wishing
to establish a factory in Greenthorpe. He finds out the land they want is held in a trust,
and sets off for Orleton to talk to the trustees. He is told that the land can only be sold
once the trust has passed to an heir. He leaves for the Carrotus Central Records Office
to find an heir. The trustees, not wanting to lose the profitable Greenthorpe estate, send
some thugs after him. They ambush Tom in a forest. He escapes, but trips, rolls down
a slope, hits his head, and loses consciousness.
Unfortunately, Theodore Thatcher has become a vampire. A TV crew and a group of marines
arrive at the mansion to investigate the rumours, and are devoured. The video makes it onto
the internet, where it is found by Schism. Schism is an organisation that preserves the
Masquerade, the system by which the general public is kept unaware of the existence of
supernatural creatures. Alexander Garand, a Schism agent, is sent to sort out the problem.
On his way to Greenthorpe, he is attacked by werewolves.
Diallo Kalu, a resident of Muckamok, receives an unsettling call from a telemarketer.
He subsequently gets into a fight in which he shoots his opponent in the leg. He calls an
ambulance. Diallo does not appear in the story again.
An unknown female rabbit is staying at an underground "monastery". There is
unpleasantness in her past, including her sister having developed a poison called Jade Dawn.
In small amounts, it dulls the senses. When aged and mixed with water, it causes severe
bodily damage. It is eventually banned, to be replaced by Cherry Blossom (see ch. 2).
When she first arrived at the monastery, she was disturbed by nightmares, and woke up
screaming. Eventually, she forgets who she is.
One restless night, she goes to the waters from which they all drink. She throws
herself in, and an undercurrent carries her to a seperate cavern, where Jade Dawn is being
poured into the water by three of her siblings. The Jade Dawn is eating away at her,
and they pour a substance over her to neutralise it. She escapes and tries to warn the other
siblings, but they do not believe her. She escapes into a lift to the surface, but a
Jade bomb is thrown after her. She reaches the surface mutilated and blind.
Icarus and Naomi were once lovers. Icarus was accused of killing his family.
Though he was found innocent, Naomi's father forbade her ever to see Icarus again.
Icarus and Naomi meet again on Carrotus. Icarus has been smuggling refugees away
from Diamondus. Naomi agrees to help him with one more trip, before he is to settle down with
her on Carrotus.
Jesse Aimon witnesses his house burning to the ground, his family inside. He refuses
help from his neighbour, Miss Savon, whom he knows to be a spy. Presumably, she started the
fire. Dawn comes, and Jesse leaves.
ShaH-li Felenzo Orbonzen is hired by Andrew Ricarden asa bodyguard. He is attempting
to exploit dreempipes fuel. Neither character appears in the story again.
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The story so far...
Louie and Majo learn of the severity of the Diamondus war and the impending arrival of refugees on
Carrotus.
King Jazz announces that Carrotus will not become involved in the war. He also announces that refugees
will be able to go to Medieval, Carrotus' first moon, and that camps will be set up in the Peddleburg woods,
to the north of New Carrotus, and to the north of Oakloma.
Louie decides that his mansion should be used to house refugees. He learns that Greenthorpe's council
has voted to tear down the mansion. He and Majo return to Greenthorpe to visit Thomas Bradhurst. They arrive
to find that Tom has left, but are attended to by Gary Parker, candidate for the governorship of Peddleburg.
Louie and Majo are apprehended by two of Gary's thugs. There is a violent struggle, in front of a hall full
of people. Louie gains the upper hand and learns who sent them. He and Majo steal two horses and head to
Orleton. On the way, they find and rescue Tom. They set off for Prestbury.
Normal transport between Diamondus and Carrotus ceases. Refugee ships are all that will be making the
journey from now on.
Kaz enters the employ of a battle-scarred individual, probably a rabbit. He is sent on a mission
with a turtle who he nicknames "burnt". His left arm is mummified, the other is burnt. They plan to divide
an alliance of gangs by framing one side for a Jade Dawn attack on the other. They go to Crystallis to get
the Jade Dawn, and end up leaving with the mutialated rabbit from chapter 10. They arrive at a city on
Carrotus where they abandon her before staging the attack.
Jargon Random and John Radin get into fight at the spaceport, then steal a private shuttle and escape
Diamondus.
Tony Waterbeck briefly explores the Greenthorpe mansion before heading into town. In a tavern called
"The Crooked Carrot", he asks if there are any spaceports nearby. He is directed to Oakloma. He leaves, and on
the way comes across Louie, Majo and Tom (Continuity issue: He finds them in the place they have just left).
Verity's lover Raphael comes to her tavern. He brings with him two blue lizards and a grimy rabbit, all
armed with fusion lasers. They kill Eddie. The rabbit tries to kill Verity, but Raphael intervenes. He is
killed.
A month later, Verity locks up her apartment and heads for a spaceport. In exchange for fixing their
computers, she hitches a ride with Icarus and Naomi. They are not sure whether or not to trust her.
Michelle, whose brother was killed a few days previously by a vampire in Greenthorpe, comes across
Tier. When she finds out that he can kill vampires, she gets him to accompany her. She persuades him to
infect her, so that she too becomes an Arcania Zombie. They attend her brother's funeral before trying to find
his killer.
Susan Bradhurst is ushered to a Greenthorpe Council meeting where they discuss the deaths of the TV crew
and the marines, and the appearance of Louie at the town hall. They agree that the Greenthorpe mansion is in
urgent need of demolition.
Tom wakes to find himself in a hotel room with Louie, Majo and Tony. He finds out that Louie is a vampire,
and is forced to accept that vampires exist. He is told of Louie's desired use of the Greenthorpe mansion,
and agrees to help. They return to Greenthorpe.
Susan and Tony investigate the site of the proposed Peddleburg refugee camp, and discover signs warning
of radioactivity. Tom finds a loophole allowing Louie to claim ownership of his mansion. Louie goes to the
mansion to deal with Theodore, and a struggle ensues.
The mutilated rabbit from chapters 10 and 15 is found by Erditine, who agrees to take her to Pneum
Arlik. Erditine names her Neoma and takes her to the Mills of the Giants. There, Neoma feels a stone gateway
and remembers that she knows this place. There had been magic creatures there. Erditine is killed by
a creature Neoma is unable see. The creature says it will kill her, but first cures her blindness.
Verity has now fixed the computers and they are on their way. Icarus is sloshed. Their ship comes under
attack.
Jesse is arrested under a false (but still weak) charge. The police are evidently corrupt, and when Jesse
tries to leave there is a scuffle. A fire starts and Jesse escapes. The building is consumed by flames, and
Jesse leaves.
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The story so far...
We learn that Louie was "killed" by a vampire called Estella.
Louie wins the fight with Theodore, finally decapitating him. He rescues Alexander Garand. When Alexander
learns who he is, he points his gun at him. The gun is loaded with miniature stakes. He changes his mind,
and Louie knocks him unconscious.
Gary Parker arranges a fake job interview with a young lady, who he kills. It turns out he is a vampire.
Jargon and John arrive on Carrotus and part ways. Jargon uses his autocaster to make a companion
robot from his old robot's CPU and crashed spaceship junk.
Verity realises that Naomi's ship is trapped in a synthetic orbit around Diamondus, the apparent distance
of the planet a mere projection. They return to the surface of Carrotus. They see the burnt-out shell of the
police station in which Jesse was held captive. They go to a tavern (The Marinated Pearl) where they are
approached by Jesse. Verity thinks that he is Jonathan, Jesse's father, and is somewhat less than pleased to
see him.
Michelle and Tier come across a dead werewolf and a guy who tries to kill them with a "cookie cutter".
Tier kills him. Tier eats the werewolf and Michelle eats the guy. They head off for Greenthorpe again,
and eventually reach the mansion.
Gary kills his grandmother, who has been donating money to his campaign from her secret stash.
Louie takes Alexander to the Bradhursts' house. Louie tells him that Theodore has been dealt with.
Alexander tells them of the Masquerade.
While they are cleaning up the mess at the Greenthorpe mansion, Michelle arrives. She demands to see
her brother's killer, and learns that he is dead and buried.
The creature makes life very unpleasant for Neoma. Something tears through Neoma's skin, and the creature
forces Neoma to look at the words she has carved: Her name, "Estella". Neoma remembers that she had once been
called Yakira. Two creatures, one white, one brazen, appear and fight. Something emerges from the surrounding
forest and engulfs Estella. The next thing Estella knows, she is running towards Greenthorpe mansion.
Jesse's father was a general, who has done something unforgivable towards Verity and some unspecified
others. Verity is forced to accept that Jesse may not be Jonathan. Icarus realises that Jesse was involved in
the police station fire. Verity reveals that Jonathan was responsible for the deaths of Eddie and Raphael.
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The story so far...
We learn that Estella loved Louie. She left him for his own good.
Alexander Garand reveals that Gary Parker is powerful in the underworld, and that even the werewolves
worship him. There is a great enmity between the werewolves and the vampires.
Gary Parker is associated with the trustees of the Greenthorpe estate. Gary's plans are coming together.
His inheritance from his aunt has made him a multi-millionaire.
Louie, Tony and Tom go to inspect the mansion. A lot of progress has been made. As they leave, they
come across Yakira. They take her to Susan, and Louie promises that he won't let any harm come to her.
Icarus forms a plan to escape from Diamondus: Coat the ship with Tetracolyhydroxide. It is a controlled
substance also used as a hallucinogen. It is only available on the black market, and at a high price.
Jesse obtains it for them. As he leaves the place of purchase, the lizard who sold it to him reaches for the
telephone.
We learn that Verity is going to Carrotus to be bitten by Louie.
Tier is feeling left out. Tom gets him to fill out citizenship papers so that he can vote. Tier recalls
how he became a zombie: He was in battle, and zombies entered the fray.
Refugees start filling up the Greenthorpe mansion. Gary Parker wins the governorship. Yakira reveals her name and the name of her assailant.
The group in Greenthorpe is divided over whether or not to kill Gary Parker. Alexander decides that it is their problem, and opts to return to Schism headquarters.
Tony, while tending to Yakira, gets some jade Dawn on his hand. When he tries to rinse it off, it makes his entire hand bleed. Nobody can identify the substance as Jade Dawn.
Michelle and Tier reveal that they can sense hundreds of werewolves surrounding Greenthorpe: Gary Parker is seeking revenge for his defeat there in the election. The refugees barricade the Greenthorpe mansion. Alexander decides to stay. Tom tries to call the townspeople to arms, but only four people show up.
We find out how Gary became the monster he is.
Adrian, who was in the police station Jesse burnt down, is being questioned. Adrian is an experienced spymaster, working for the government. He becomes a renegade to get his revenge on Jesse.
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Chapter 37: The beast within
This was it, within moments all hell would break loose.
None of the people in the battlefield were sure they would come out of this alive.
Their hearts were racing and all of them were oblivious of the fact that no additional support had shown up.
Tom Bradhurst felt betrayed and out of place as a leader, but he realized that this was no time to mope and inspected his new troops, all four of them.
They had the look of four warriors hardend in battle and could come to good use, even if things seemed like all of them would die here tonight.
“…Susan.” He mumbled when he realized that he would not be able to say a last goodbye.
He would die without ever seeing her again.
“Are we going to stand around here while those people are trying to save our town?” One of the men asked, he was the shortest and had two long streaks of furless skin over the back of his head. A big cigar was hiding almost half of his small face. And he kept a firm grip on his semi-automatic assault rifle.
Tom shook his head and seeing these four, strong people in front of him gave him a confidence boost. Which was just the thing he needed right now.
One of them carried a heavy looking gun he recognized as a sniper rifle.
“You, position yourself in the bell tower over there.” He pointed at the tallest building in green thorpe, a large bell that had served as an alarm system for the entire town. It was right next to the town hall and overlooked a large area. It was the perfect spot.
“And you three, come with me. And run, I can hear that the fighting has already started.”
‘Darn it Tom, what’s taking you so long?’ Tony thought to himself.
He looked around at the others. Poor Michelle seemed so scared and her body looked as if it could not take much more. A patch of skin fell off of her and landed on the ground.
Alexander and Louie seemed to be communicating through sign language. He had no idea what they were saying but they seemed concentrated on something apart from their personal hatered. He could not help but notice that his hands were shaking, he had to miss one of his arms and he was still pondering over what Alexander had told him before.
He had never fought the undead, he was skilled with his guns and in hand to hand combat. But there was no way on Carrotus that he was going to practice hand to hand combat against a werewolf, let alone dozens of them.
Several clouds appeared in the sky, but none of them covered the moon yet, what a shame.
Alexander had told him earlyer that a werewolve loses a lot of its strength when the full moon dissapears. He looked at Michelle again, she was giving him a quick wink and a thumbs up.
She did a good job at hiding her nervousity, but it made him feel better and took his mind off of Alexander’s comment.
The ancient werewolf that appeared to be the leader was holding on to the red flag and dozens of werewolves were standing in front of them. A feeling in his gut told him this was only a first attack wave.
Three of the werewolves came running towards the small and very outnumbered group of warriors. It had begun.
Gary Parker lay restless in his bed. He had been haunted by unpleasing dreams of the past.
Of the smell of his mothers hair and the way she used her smile to bring him to silence when he was being a brat. The monster inside of him did not leave him a lot of peace for himself, but he was reminded of who he had been every now and then.
He kicked then covers off of his bed to put them back on five minutes later. He repeated this process for hours. Somewhere out there he had send an army of wolves after a group of people that might pose a threat one day. He dared not to think about how he really felt about all of this. The monster would make him go through terrible pain again.
He had learned to hide his feelings and emotions, but he had a bit more difficulty keeping control of himself on this particulair night. His mother, his friends, these strangers who ment no good human being any harm and tried to save them from the pain and misery that he caused. Why was this happening? His thought got cut short by an excruciating pain that soared through his head. ‘Calm down Gary, we’d best put your soul to sleep now shall we?’
Gary’s eyes lit up for a split second and with a maniacal grimace on his face he let his head sink deep into his pillow before he fell into a deep sleep.
The enemy had invaded their home and they would all die defending it if they had to.
Ten minute men were to handle the guns that they set up earlyer today, but after the first werewolf had shown up, they all ran and hid in the mansion together with they’re family and friends. Hoping that they would all be able to say ‘Good morning.’ To eachother as soon as this was over.
The first of the wolves reached out it’s sharp claw in an attempt to slash through Tony’s neck. His plan fell to pieces when a bullet from Alexander’s gun pierced through it’s hand.
The beast let out a shriek of pain as the first blood of the night was shed.
‘Thanks.’ Tony said softly. He raised his gun to level it with the werewolf’s forehead.
He quickly pulled the trigger to finish the beast. His first kill, that would surely show Alexander that he wasn’t just a rookie that was still wet behind the ears.
He did not have a lot of time to enjoy the satisfaction this moment brought to him.
The werewolves had witnessed one of their brethren being killed by the enemy. The old wolf was covered in pieces of brain and blood and let out a cry. “Kill them all.”
Michelle felt a sense of pride soar through her as she watched her new friend tighten his grip on his pistol. She did not know what was to come of any of them. They were heavily outnumbered and they were not to expect any support from the refugees who were safely hidden away inside the mansion. In all of the chaos and confusion she knew one thing.
Tony had, in a way, already won. He conquered his fear and fired away at the monstrosity’s.
Everything had gone so fast. She had a job, a home and somewhat of a life before she let herself get bitten by Tier. A lonely life, but a life none the less.
A vampire killed her brother and in the confusion and panic that followed, she had made a choice. She would kill the vampire even if it costed her, her life. Which it had, technically.
Michelle could not hate Tier for converting her into one of his own, the undead turtle had given her the gift of immortality. She might have liked it even better if things did not have to be this messy, but still.
A werewolf came storming towards her, drool flung through the air and speckles of slime landed in her fur. The young girl was caught unaware and with one powerful strike, the werewolf had taken off her right arm. She did not feel any pain, for her central nerve system had shut down toghether with her heart. The only emotion she could feel in this moment was hate for the wolf. She had enough to deal with at them moment and the moment of hesitation on the werewolf’s side when it noticed that it was dealing with a zombie was enough for her.
She grabbed the beast by the jaw and crushed it completely with one single movement.
The werewolf sank down to it’s knees in front of her. He wanted to strike her again but was to late as Michelle had grabbed his neck and pulled his head clean off. The terrible sound of the flesh and muscles ripping would have made her stumach very upset. If it were still active.
“There seem to be more benefits to this then the mortality alone.” She told herself while she picked her arm up from the ground and placed it against her joint. The bone and dead tissue regenerated within a matter of seconds.
“Hurry Thomas.” She heard Louie shout from across the battlefield.
He was appearing and dissapearing around the place, strucking a lethal blow with one of his compact scythes. He had a grace and balance unlike any she had ever seen before. He killed a beast and moved on like a shadow to the next one.
Alexander fired away, his body was relaxed. His calculating mind always noticing everything that went on around him. Years of training had made him familiar with situations like these. And years of experience made sure that he knew just what to do and how to do it.
He did not let a single bullet go to waste and seemed confident.
Three or four brave refugees had gathered enough courage to come outside and they manned the guns. Firing away at hordes of wolves. It took six or seven bullets to take one down, but they had to protect their families. And with this on their minds they fought like there was no tommorow.
A big explosion lit up the battlefield and several torches shot up in the air as firework.
A dozen of burning werewolves rained down onto their fighting brothers and sister.
Tom arrived on the hill west off the mansion followed by three strangers that were armed to the teeth and heavily armored. A wave of panic soared through Michelle’s body.
Where was everyone else? Susan adressed at least 50 people earlyer today.
They were riled up, they were ready for blood to defend their Greenthorpe. And this was it?
The explosion had killed several wolves and created some space for everyone to fight in. The burning corpses had lit up the battlefield even better then the torches had and the refugees fought bravely and shot down wolf after wolf.
Tom still was not sure wheter he’d make a good general or not, but there were more important things to be dealt with now then his personal emotions and he ordered the three strangers to take place. The smallest of both man took place next to the refugees and armed one of the guns. “Greenthorpe will forever be in your debt.” He told them after a quick look at their scared faces. He was hoping this would give them some courage. They could use that.
A rain of bullets were spat at the wolves who’se howling seemed to go through flesh and bone. ‘Maybe we’ll make it.’ Michelle thought to herself.
Extra-ordinary situations call for extra-ordinary people. And it could not get any stranger then the group of people that were gathered here.
Two more werewolfs moved in for a kill, but they got taken down by the little man who raised one of his thumbs in her direction. Another group of werewolfs seemed to move away from the battle and made their way into the village.
Michelle looked around to see if anyone had noticed, but they were all too occupied in they’re own affairs. She did not hesitate for a second and ran after the pack.
The woman that was part of the supporting troops stood next to Tom on the hill.
“Werewolves, vampires, zombies. Are these your friends?”
Tom nodded. “I’ll fill you in later.” He said, while firing away at a group of wolves that came storming up the hill. She drew her blaster and fired away at them. “I’m Jamie.” She said without looking away from their attackers.
Tom had already fired several founds and finally hit a wolf.
“I’m Tom.” The accountant said with a pleased grin on his face. “Let’s get aquinted later over a cup of tea, if we ever get out of here.”
Louie looked around and counted a total of ninty-four wolves left.
They had been doing well but things would get a lot tougher soon. His companions might be getting tired soon and run out of ammo. A wolf collapsed right next to him.
He looked around to see where the shot had come from and noticed someone in the bell tower. ‘Ah, a sniper.’ He told himself to confirm what he had thought as soon as he saw the corpse of the wolf. Another wolf collapsed at his feet. The bullet had left a big, gaping wound.
Louie seemed to float over the battlefield as he disemboweled two more wolves with a quick and precise cut. He moves his way over to Alexander who was still firing away calmly, shoulder to shoulder with Tony who did not seem to want to leave his side.
He looked confident but seemed to like the idea of having someone more experienced close to him during this situation. “We’ve got a sniper on our side. He’s hiding in the bell tower.”
Alexander nodded. ‘Excellent.’ The three of them were surrounded by wolves and stood back to back to fight them all off. Tony quickly changed his round of ammunition and the three of them patiently waited for the rest of the wolves to strike.
Dozens of their brethren lay strewn across the ground in front of the mansion.
Galleons of blood had been spilled and the blood made the sand turn into mud in which most of them were now covered.
Tom and Jamie were still firing away from the top of the hill.
“Looks like Jake is holding up alright.” She said while looking at the little man.
Tom payed no attention to her comment and fired away while giving a quick glance at the refugees. One of them had retreated into the mansion. He could not blame him, he had lost his house, his job and his day to day life because of the war. These people were tired and not ready for a fight. And it was his job now to make sure none of them came to harm.
The largest of the men that had shown up was shouting for help, but no one heard him.
The roaring of the wolves that had him surrounded reduced his pleading to a whisper and they all moved in. One after another cut through his skin untill the last one cut open an artery.
They were planning on keeping him surrounded untill he bled to death. But one by one they got taken down by Jamie.
‘I’m sorry Adam.’ She said, looking over the barrel of her blaster. She fired a quick shot the went through the heart of her friend to relieve him from the terrible suffering the wolves had cost.
“How many?” Tony asked as he saw the wolves closing in on them.
“fifty-five.” Louie said after a quick count.
“You’re out of ammunition aren’t you?” Alexander said. And without waiting for an answer he handed Tony his combat knife. He would not let anyone touch that knife under normal circumstances, but he could hardly let the guy die.
Tony felt over-confident thanks to Alexander’s trust and stormed towards three werewolves who were about to attack. He slashed through the gut of one and forcefully planted the knife in the face of another wolf. He was amazed at how well he managed to fight with only one hand. He was not quick enough to dodge the third wolf though and before he fully realized it he could feel the sharp claws of the wolf enter his stumach.
Tony looked the beast in the eyes and could smell the rot enter his nostrills as they came face to face. He managed to plant the knife in the wolf and watched it’s eyes get watery as he shoved it deeper into the wolf’s chest. They stood there for a short moment before both of them collapsed to the ground. The last thing he saw before he closed his eyes were the faces of Louie and Alexander who came running towards him. He felt accepted and at peace just by the worried looks on their faces. He was accepted as a warrior.
Michelle was staying close behind the pack that were making it’s way through the village. She ducked behind the fountain and watched them move silently through the night.
None of the lights in the houses around the main square were lit, but a ‘daring’ villager here and there was peeking out from behind the curtains. As soon as Michelle looked over to any of the houses the curtain were drawn shut with such a force that she was surprised none of them had come down yet.
The pack of twelve payed no attention to the houses though, it seemed as if they had a goal in mind. A chill crept down Michelle’s spine when she realized where they were heading towards. ‘The Bradhurst residence.’ She was unsure wheter Tier would be able to put up a good fight.
He had lived through ages of war and even killed a vampire or two in his days, but that was in the past, he was tired of fighting and could care less about most of the things that went on around him. She worried about the others.
Misses Bradhurst can hand out a great slap, but that wouldn’t do much good against a werewolf. Then there was Majo, the young brat who she had so much in common with. Save for the fact that she was still alive ofcourse. Majo wouldn’t be a match for them and neither would Yakira, who seemed more dead then alive.
It seemed like it was up to her to weaken the pack before they reached the house.
“(-).” Alexander said as he leaned over Tony while Louie managed to fight of several vampires. “How is he doing?” He yelled as he kicked a wolf into another.
“He’s losing a lot of blood.” Alexander said. He shot a wolf in the head without even looking up from Tony. “We have to get him to Susan as fast as we can.”
Louie felt his lust for blood growing. He should have eaten before they headed into this fight since it was taking a lot out of him. He did not want to feed in front of the others and it was hard to find time for ones self these days.
Alexander removed Tony’s bandana and wrapped it tightly around his stumach.
Jake had witnessed Tony fall down and jumped over the barricade to make his way to him.
“It looks like you guys need a hand. Is there anything I can do?” He asked, genuinly concerned. Alexander and Louie exchanged a look before Louie replied “You can take him to the Bradhurst residence. Walk down mainstreet untill you reach the grocers. The house is 30 paces East of there.” Jake picked up Tony and threw him over his shoulder. He seemed very strong for such a short cat. His whiskers twitched as he nodded at Alexander. “I will run as fast as I can. He’s in good hands with me.”
“He’d better be or…” Alexander got cut short. A firm kick in the side blew the air out of his lungs. “This has taken long enough.” The leader of the werewolves stood over him, every word he spoke seemed to echo through the air. “Your life ends tonight.”
Greymane bared his fangs as Alexander drew.
Tom and Jamie were still struggling to fight off the many remaining werewolves.
The loss of Tony had made an impact on Tom, he hoped they would get out of this alive after the unfortunate dead of Adam. Something seemed wrong.
After the things Louie had told him about werewolves, he had expected them to be a lot stronger then this. ‘It could have been worse’ He thought to himself.
“Look, they’re going for the mansion.” Jamie said while pointing her blaster in the direction of the fort. The thirty remaining wolves headed straight for the mansion and jumped over the barricade. Two of the refugees stood by the door and it was closed before the werewolves could enter. A lonely remaining refugee let himself fall to the ground and covered his eyes with his arms. Certain that death would be near.
“Not on my watch.” Alister screamed as he ran off the hill followed by Jamie.
They both fired away at the werewolves that had the poor man surrounded.
It seemed to work, Tom and Jamie had bought him enough time to enter the mansion.
Louie witnessed another wolf getting shot by the sniper. ‘He has got a good aim.’ He thought to himself. ‘Through the head, every single time.’
He looked up at the bell tower and saw to his surprise that the gun was aimed at him this time.
He dodge in time for the bullet to miss him.
Alexander lay on the ground as Greymane loomed at him. Louie threw his scythe over at the beast, it’s pierced through it’s hand, seperating it in half.
The sniper had reloaded within a matter of seconds and took another shot at Louie, who was a little slower this time and felt the bullet touch his arm, leaving a small patch of flesh smoldering. Alexander had gotten up of the ground and kicked Greymane to the floor.
‘He’ll handle it.’ Louie ran for cover to buy some time. He glanced around the corner the remains of a small brick wall that had been around this garden in the past.
He carefully calculated his next steps. He would run to the bell tower and take out his assasin.
The fountain would make a good cover, but apart from that it would be up to his speed.
Louie jumped out from behind the wall and ran for the fountain.
The sniper had reloaded and had Louie’s head in his scope. He smiled as he pulled the trigger.
Michelle reached for her pocket, the ‘cookie-cutter’. She just remembered Tier had told her that this device would take out a werewolf without any effort.
“Hey, back off.” Michelle shouted. Jake came walking towards the house and slowed down when he noticed that it was unsafe to walk on. He had to take care of Tony and couldn’t leave him lying around. Several werewolves had broken away from the group while the rest continued to head for the house of the Bradhurst’s.
Tier hadn’t been lying, she used the device on the first wolf and it literally crumbled away in front of her, leaving nothing but a pile of dust. The other wolves started to back off and ran for their lives.
“How is she doing?” Susan asked Tier who was sitting by Michelle’s side. He took notice of Susan and raised his shoulders. “Her situation hasn’t changed yet.” They’re eyes met, Susan was the first to look away.
“Say, would you mind sitting by her side while I go outside for a moment? I can feel something’s not quiet right.” Tier said as he walked towards the door. It was typical of him not to wait for a response. “Sure, no problem.” Susan said after he had dissapeared from the doorframe. It was his way of telling her she was bored and had enough of sitting around. He was going to get a good book to read or find at least something to do. Tier did not come a second to late, he walked off the stairs and saw Majo staring out of the room. “We have company.” She tried to say while keeping her head cool. It didn’t take long for her to shout out in panic. “Help!.” Werewolves, he never had a problem with them before during their previous encounters. Greymane and his wolves had always ignored him before.
As if he was an annoying little fly that always made sure he never got close enough to hit.
Tier opened the door and stood face to face with a group of eight wolves. An unexpected surprise to say the least. The biggest of the group kicked Tier in the stumach, which was an even bigger surprise. The kick send him flying through the house. Majo wanted to run towards Tier to see if he was ok, but a wolf grabbed her by the wrist and drooled all over her clothes when he came in closer. His jaws opened and his sharp teeth and rotting smell made Majo realize that this would be the end of her short life. She was almost defenseless, apart from a well placed kick in the wolf’s groins. No matter how foul the species, a kick in the manhood was always the best defense. She ran for Tier as one of the wolves spoke “Where is the girl?”
“She’s right herel.” Tier said. "Come on buddy, we go way ba..."
“Where is the girl?” The wolf repeated, slightly more irked then before.
‘They must mean Yakira.’ Tier thought. ‘If we give her to them, we might get rid of them a lot easier.’
“Are you just going to sit here or what?” Majo whispered in his ear.
For a moment, that seemed like the best idea to him, but hey. He wasn't in for a fight.
“Hang on, let me show you.” He said as he got up. “I believe the girl you are looking for is this way.” He said, pointing to the kitchen.
The largest wolf that had asked them walked closer to Tier. “You’d better not be lying.” He said as he raised a finger and pricked him in the chest with it, to make his point come across stronger. Tier was not impressed though and gave the wolf a smirk.
“You shouldn’t have done that.” And with that, he took a bite out of the wolf’s finger and ran for cover.
The beast screamed and the other wolves readied themselves for the fight that was to come.
Another figure appeared in the doorstep.
The young girl took out her weapon and struck two wolves with it who reduced to dust like their brother had done before them.
Two of the beasts tried to escape but met the same fate before they could leave the house.
“It’s useless to run, you should not have come here.” Michelle spoke but Tier had a different plan. “Run to your master and tell him to leave us in peace, it’s useless to come back. We’ll be ready and waiting.” He shouted from behind the couch.
And with this, the wolf that had asked for the girl ran off into the woods to rejoin his master.
Jake walked into the house with Tony over his shoulder.
“Who the heck are you?” Tier shouted as Susan came walking downstairs.
Alexander had fired two shots at Greymane, both of them didn’t seem to pierce through the wolf’s thick skin. ‘This is impossible.’ He thought to himself.
Then he remembered that he was carrying two armor piercing bullets with him. He reached for his pocket as the wolf struck. His claws soared through the air and cut open his arm.
“(-) it!” Alexander shouted. He could feel the bullets against his fingertip and closed his hand around them when Greymane struck again. This time it was a little more serious, a hard kick in the stumach made Alexander fell back and he lost his grip on the bullets who rolled through the grass. Those two bullets seemed the only way for him to get out of this nasty situation. The smell of Alexanders blood made Greymane lose it and he forcefully struck again. His victim rolled out of the way and made the werewolf bury his claws in the blood soiled ground. Alexander felt one of his bullets against his cheek as he had rolled right on top of it. He quickly picked them up and loaded the bullet into his gun. He only had a single shot to dispose of the werewolf.
He aimed his gun but the wolf moved around to fast for him to get a good focus.
“Stay still so I can shoot you.” Alexander mumbled.
The wolf had no intention to obey and kept dodging Alexander’s gun.
Alexander pointed his gun away and kept his eye on the beast. ‘You’re going down one way or another.’ The wolf stood still underneath a tree, a big branch hanging over his head provided the perfect opportunity. Greymane breathed heavily and his eyes were tired and thick. Alexander’s last bullet cut through the branch and landed on top of Greymane.
The beast screamed but did not have enough strength left to free himself from his prison of nature. Alexander leaned over the wolf. “Who ordered you to kill us?” He demanded to know.
“Why won’t you just end it Alexander? You know I won’t tell you anything.”
Alexander walked back to the place where he had found his Armor piercing bullet. After a short look around he picked up the second one and turned back to face Greymane for his last few minutes. He loaded his gun and aimed it for the wolves heart.
He felt sorry for him when he looked at his face. He had enough of life and could not wait for Alexander to set him free. The bullet spat out of the gun and the wolf turned his eyes away, breathing even slower then he had done before.
“He used us, as puppets. He’ll come…”
Alexander knew it. The werewolves hadn’t been themselves today. They seemed much weaker then normal werewolves and they never hunt in packs greater then ten.
The silence was broken by several shots from the sniper in the bell tower.
Why was he still shooting? Most of the werewolves were gone, he noticed something else. He was the only one left on the battlefield, the door to the mansion stood open and the fighting went on inside, screaming refugees made him run for the broke down door, hoping he would be in time.
Tom and Jamie had entered the mansion and were firing away at the wolves from in the doorframe. “We should close the door and fire from the windows to keep them out. We’re to vulnarable here.” Jamie noted. Tom nodded in agreement as he took the left door.
They closed it in perfect harmony and ten of the refugees, including two small children came running to barricade it. “You two shouldn’t be here now. Go upstairs and wait untill we’re done.” The children obeyed and ran upstairs. Tom thanked the men for their help and quickly followed Jamie into the main hall from where they could find a perfect spot with a view on the main door. The wolves tried to break down the door by repeatedly running into it. The refugees managed to hold them outside but didn’t know how much longer they could handle the pressure. Several crack started to appear in it as Jamie and Tom found it’s way to the huge amount of refugees and sleeping bags.
They heard a loud noise coming from the hallway. The old and fragile door had given up sooner then they thought. The refugees could make a run for the main room before the wolves had a chance to tear away at them. Tom and Jamie moved back into the hall and fired away at the wolves that came storming in. One or two managed to break through the rain of hail that came down on them and went for Jamie. Two shots and they were dealt with. Alexander stood there, his guns smoking.
They needed a rest, just like him.
“Glad you could make it in time.” Tom said as he shot the last of the werewolves.
“We made it.” Jamie shouted in excitement. The people in the room cheered and everyone wanted to shake hands with their saviours. Little good blood had been shed tonight, and this had to be celebrated.
Another fight that no one was aware of still went on outside of the mansion. Louie was running for the fountain but arrived but a moment to late. The sniper had fired his gun and the pulled pierced through Louie’s right eye. He fell down to the ground, there was little left of his face. Dry blood and pieces of soft tissue surrounded the hole that had taken away his right eye and a part of his mouth and nose.
He did not move and the sniper was pleased. He quickly dismantled his sniper rifle and put it in a backpack which he swung around his shoulder. The rabbit removed her bandana to reveal long flowing dark hair that came to rest on his shoulders.
He took a small box of cigarettes from his baggy trousers and put one between his lips.
The dark green furred rabbit did not light it as he descended off the stairs.
He walked over to the fountain and stood over the body of the dead vampire. It wasn’t untill he made sure that the vampire was dead that he lit his cigarette, the dancing flame smoldered the tip and he inhaled deeply. The rabbit closed his eyes to enjoy a good ending to another hard days work. Louie opened his left eye and grabbed the rabbit by the ankle.
The rabbit was horrified, the vampire should’ve remained still for at least another hour. Which would’ve given him plenty of time to inject him with the lethal dose of nitrate.
He had been wrong and now the vampire was gently crawling up. He reached for the needle that contained the nitrate. It wasn’t to late yet to dispose of him. He just had to move a little faster. The rabbit pushed his cigarette into the gaping hole in Louie’s face.
Louie’s rage and anger had gone beyond control, he grabbed the wrist with which the rabbit was holding the needle and snapped it. He then snapped his other one and managed to pull himself up. The hole in his face was slowly generating, but came to a stop when his mouth was finished. “This is all I needed.” Louie told himself and he sank his fangs into the rabbits neck draining him from all of his blood. With every drop he took another piece of tissue was restored untill he had drained him empty. Louie let go off him and the dead rabbit lay in front of his feet. “You couldn’t resist biting an innocent could you?” He heard, followed by the click of a gun. “It’s not what you think it is Alexander.” He said, truthfully in his defense.
“These bullets are filled with a dose of silver nitrate, your dead will be inevideble.”
Alexander fired but Louie quickly dodged the bullet and jumped into the fountain. He had just fed and all of his strengths had restored to it’s fullest. Alexander ran for the fountain but could not find Louie anywhere in it. “Come out and fight like a man.” Alexander shouted.
“Listen to me and then decide wheter you want to shoot me.” Alexander fired in the direction where the voice had come from, but all he hit was a tree.
“He was the sniper that was part of their group, he started to fire away at me and hit me…” He got cut short since Alexander fired another round. “… He walked over to me to inject a lethal dosage of Nitrate into me. It was either him or me.” Alexander lowered his gun when he looked the man in the face. “Cooper.”
“You know this man?” Tom asked.
“He’s with my orginization. He’s an aural sniper. An enhanced vision and the ability to detect monsters from miles away. He probably could not tell Louie from any other vampire and decided that he’d make a good pray.”
“An innocent misunderstanding then?” Tom asked when he spotted Louie walking towards them. He looked healthy and more alive then during the fight.
“It seems so.” Alexander put his gun away. He should probably apoligize, but he was only doing his job and decided that an apoligy wasn’t necessary.
Good or bad, he was a vampire after all. Jamie seemed to share this logic.
“Can anyone tell me why you are standing up for this vampire?”
“It seems like it’s over.” Majo said. She was worried. Had all of them survived?
She was glad Michelle was alright , the young girl who she had so much in common with, except for the fact that she was still alive ofcourse. She felt rather guilty about that. How would it feel to be so young and dead, and knowing that you’d never live the same life again. Your body rotting away underneath you. Hiding for the ‘normal’ people. She was worried about Tom as well. He had been such a good man to all them, giving them a place to stay and sharing his food with them.
Alexander was the grumpy one but she was absolutely sure that he wasn’t as cold hearted as he seemed to be. He was fighting on their side while he could’ve headed off long before the werewolves came. He had risked his life for the well-being of the refugees and for them.
And Louie, would he be alright? Would he be pleased to see that she was alright as well or would he walk past her and be his cold and lonely self again?
She’d soon find out. Tier opened the door and walked out.
“They’re all here.” He was more pleased then he thought he thought he would be.
Majo ran to Louie and jumped at him holding him tight. A faint hint of a smile could be seen on his face as he put her arms around her too. How bad could it be to show a little affection every now and then he thought as let his defenses down and felt some warmth for the first time in years. Susan cried as she saw Tom enter. “My brave general.” She whispered. “I’m so proud of you. You brought them all back and you returned in one piece.”
Tom knew he had done well. If it was only for the affection Susan showed him. The love and pride she felt from her made him feel this way. And he loved her.
“How is he doing?” Alexander asked while looking at his young pupil.
“He’s a strong guy, he will be alright thanks to Susan good care.” Tier said while looking at Michelle. He was glad she was ok, but wasn't the kind of guy that would say this out loud, ever. Tony opened his eyes to look around the room. “You did well, kid.” Alexander said as he stuffed his pipe. He’d been longing for this thing on the way home and was glad to finally be able to take a hit. Jake put his hand on Tony’s shoulder.
“Thank you.” Tony coughed a little, which seemed to hurt. He closed his eyes again to get some more rest. A serenity like no other filled the room.
Absolute peace of mind now that something had become very clear to them.
After tonight, every person in this room knew they stood a chance.
“The refugees have invited us to come celebrate our victory with them, I think we should take them up on their offer. We deserve a party. After all, this was only the beginning.” Alexander said. “I agree, we seemed to have forgotten our manners though.” Susan said.
“Have any of you bothered to introduce yourselves to our new guests?” She looked over at Jamie and Jake. “I guess we should go first.” Jamie said.
“My name is Jamie LaGrande. I am, or was, part of the lucky charm. We are a small group of independed soldiers that fight wherever we are needed. We heard of the group of refugees that were send here and we were closeby. We decided we would lend a hand.”
“How noble.” Louie noted. She didn’t like him to much and he started to take a real disliking for the kind of people that thought he was a bad person, just because of this curse Estella had placed on him.
Jake continued. “My name is Jake Dellaine. Our partners were Adam Bing and Dane Cooper, an ex-schism employé.”
Tom had removed himself from the group and went through a small container that kept several boxes. “Carroleum, Animorpills, ahh.. Absentis.” He took out the small box that contained a flask of transparant liquid.
“We have to attend to the party tonight, Jake and Alexander. Would you please be so kind as to empty this bottle in the water tower, east of the mansion. Behind the Greenthorpe family tomb? It will make sure that everyone who drinks from the water will have forgotten the past few hours. Making it seem like the werewolves attack never happend.”
“We will join you guys later.”
Louie seperated himself from the group as well, he wanted to check in on Yakira.
He opened the door to her bedroom to see her sitting up straight in her bed.
Her mortal cover had been ripped open in several pieces. She pressed the sheets against her chest when she heard the door open.
“I was wondering…” Louie paused. How could he think that this innocence could have anything to do with Estella, apart from her being torn up by his enemies claws.
“I’ll be fine.” Yakira said and she stepped out of the bed, wrapping the sheets around her body. “Your voice, you’d look over me. But I haven’t seen you here in a while.”
“I did not break my promis. We took care of the wolves, they had us heavily outnumbered…”
He got cut short again. “Don’t apoligize.” I would be dead by now if you people had not taken care of me.” She lost her balance and fell on her bum, onto the bed.
“Are you alright?” Louie asked concerned.
“My skin itches and burns.” She said. “I know, you gave poor Tony quiet a scare.” Louie smiled. For the first time he really smiled. And there was no one around that could see it.
He brushed off several patches of Jade Dawn that were still covering her skin and slowly burning it away, preventing it from healing by itself. His hand started to burn the moment it made contact with the chemical. His hands would heal fine by themselves and the pain did not outweight the fact that she’d be feeling better by the morning.
“Stay in bed a little while longer.” He said softly.
“Welcome to our humble settlement my dear saviours.” One of the child refugees said.
His parents probably made him study that line over and over.
The Diamondians had done their best to make their settlement as cozy as possible and when they entered the main room, Tom noticed that the Diamondians had brought several bottles of booze with them. Carrot ale (one of his favorits), a couple of bottles of Hash’kin wine (Home-brewn most likely) and even a bottle of ’82 New Carrotian Cider.
“Should we really be sitting with them, drinking their wine, while they have so little left?” Susan asked Tom. “It would be unpolite to refuse a drink, we saved their lives and they want to repay us for it. Let there be no worries on your mind tonight and just enjoy the party.
Louie fired up his old gramaphone player as Alexander went through his record collection.
“It seems like we do have something in common.” He said as he held up ‘Ode to the Earian bay’ by ‘Jaggin Banks.’
“It used to be a favorite of my mother. I’ve always been fond of the piano play in it.” Louie said.
“Before we begin I would like to make a toast.” Tom said.
The refugees were all ears for this man in front of them, he was impressive, not for his posture or his soft voice, but because of the fact that he managed to create even the least bit of order in the fight today. And in this group of people in front of them. Several of them looked rather strange. One of the males was rather pale under his fur and his eyes seemed off. Sort of liked the druggies that lived underneath the bridges in the capital.
Then there was this young girl who had given everything to defend them.
They were very grateful, but the smell she brought forth and the thick layers off clothing seemed off on an occasion like this.
Tier had remained home, he did not care much for these kind of occasions and someone had to look after the sick. The girls had handed out a glass of water to everyone.
“We are very grateful for your hospitality and we welcome you to this house. It is yours as long as it has to be. We will give our lifes to defend all of you, for you are the future of Diamonuds. And I can garantee you that there will be one. We’ve fallen upon hard times. But our history has had to deal with more then this before. And we’ve always struggled to survive and always have. The future will know our story through you and your grandchildren and their grandchildren. Raise a glass with me. On the future.”
“That was an awfull speech.” Alexander said, with a laugh.
“They seem to love it though, and we had to hand out the water one way or another.” Louie replied. “I wonder how much good it will do. They’ll come back, better prepared and with more forces.”
Suddenly the door opened and Gary Parker entered the building. Accompanied by several of his henchmen. “My congratulations to all of you.” He wished them dead but was a briljant actor, and his congratulations seemed real enough for the refugees.
A silence hang over the group of people that knew about his real plans.
“Thank you sir. We did the best we could.” Jake said. Unaware of what the others knew.
“Why, I’m sure you did.” He said as he took a glass of water.
Michelle smirked when he gulped it down all at once. “I would like to invite all of you to an honorary dinner on Wednesday evening. Does that suit you and your friends, mister Bradhurst?” Tom did not quiet know how to respond.
“We will be there, mister Parker. Thank you for the invitation.” Alexander replied.
“Most excellent. I will see you on Wednesday. Carry on. Oh, and I love this song.” He said before him and his henchmen took off again.
“Thank you for the invitation?” Michelle said. “Have you lost your mind. He wants to dispose of us. Did you see the hate in his eyes?”
“It was a good thing of Alexander to accept that invitation.” Louie said.
“Several of us should go and question everything and everyone that works for him. It will be a dangerous endevour, but it will be a great oppurtinity for us to learn more about his plans.”
The party ended early in the morning and the sun had come up before they all went home.
Tier was still up and without greeting anyone he took of to find his sleeping bag.
“Goodnight everyone.” Alexander said when he walked to the attic, he smelled of cheap wine and almost tripped over the last sport on the steps.
Jake sat down in a chair opposit of the coach Tony lay on.
Louie walked upstairs when everyone went to bed and sat down against Yakira’s door before he closed his eyes and dozed off.
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Chapter 38: Healing
She had been dreaming again.
Not the deep rest she once achieved. As her body would slip past the stages of sleep where her mind unwound into coils and spasms of thought, she would brink upon the stage where her eyes would move. And it woke her.
Her eyes were on fire again. With a shriek she writhed more, scabs being rubbed off her body and wounds reopened with every movement. The burn in her eyes was gone now; it had been a dream. But the deep burn over her body would not stop.
Her writhing stopped; she slid off the bed in a mass of bandages and sheets. The dull thud of her head against the floor was of no comfort even though it took her mind from her current state.
Louie's own slumber was interrupted by the movement in the room. Soundlessly he flew up and opened the door, beholding the poor creature inside who flinched away from the unknown. She must have felt the shift in the air as the door opened.
He knew better than to ask her if she was alright; the harried breathing and oozing wounds were enough. Instead he went to her, returning her to her place on the bed. He had no intention of leaving her, but her arm snaked up and clung to his.
"Please don't leave me." she said in a small voice, sounding much younger than she was. "I know you won't hurt me." It was the same voice he heard from her the first time he saw her outside of the mansion.
"Of course I won't." he said, as she pulled herself up and clung to him.
He was safe to her. Something felt different about him yes, but safety in the darkness was hard enough to find. Her fingers flew up to her eyes, but he stopped them. Her hand was diverted, and instead went to his shoulder.
"Try not to rub, it only reopens the wounds." he said softly. She responded by moving her hand to his mouth, not covering it but feeling his words come out.
"I never realized," she said in a voice not so young anymore "how much is missed without sight." Her hand went up to his forehead, soft fur rarely touched. She moved it down, wondering if she could translate touch into an image in her mind. They slid across his eyes, fingers wandering over the features. He was strangely cold.
Unshaken by this sudden familiarity, he let her continue. The smell of blood was strong on her. Not strong enough to make him take her, but still a thick perfume. He felt his fangs reacting to the scent.
"This is a familiar feeling." she said softly to herself. She had done this before, but not to him. Who had it been?
She stopped abruptly as her hand went over his upper lip. Something was different. The feeling of lips over teeth was not the usual. Yakira was no expert on teeth, but she felt something different about it. Without thinking, she slid a lone finger along the curve and realized that it was not something she had in her own mouth.
A sharp inhale and she stopped moving. In fact, Louie noticed that she stopped breathing at the feeling of his fangs. Immediatley he made the connection. Both he and Estella had such teeth.
"What is this?" she said, her voice deepened with dread. His response was vaulting up, intent on reaching the door and tearing away from her.
But what happened instead astounded him. Even with his improved vampiric agility, he was not fast enough. Bloodied arms were around his neck, and he felt the full weight of her trying to pull him down. He stepped to balance himself and felt an angry paw hurtling over his face. Two fingers hooked into his mouth with far too much precision at avoiding his fangs. The world violently inverted as nails tore into the roof of his mouth and his back hit the floor. Immediatly her foot was in his chest in attempt to keep him down as the two fingers in his mouth were replaced by four, and his jaw was wrenched open with a pop.
Although this sudden burst of agility from Yakira had startled him, he could have overpowered her. It was not the foot with its increasing pressure that was keeping him down, but the sight above him.
Yakira's eyes were wide open and fixed on his mouth with a certain hate. Her awakened pupils met his, and with a hiss she wrenched his jaw again, as if she wanted to open his head. "You are the same as the one who did this to me!" A glance at the gashes on her chest was equally astonishing; the blood had stopped flowing at it was as if the flesh was pulling itself back together.
The strangeness of this sudden change had left Louie wordless. Through the pain in his jaw he met her eyes again, his unblinking and unrevealing. And in that moment, something in Yakira's eyes changed. The lids softened, the pupils clouded over and a lone trickle of blood streamed forth from each eye. Her paws loosened, the nails no longer imbedded in his pallet, all strength leaving them. The wounds reopened as scabs ripped apart and newly fused muscles shredded. With a barely audible cry, one of her paws attempted to jerk away from the pain. This sudden movement raked skin across teeth and brought the taste of blood to Louie. But this was no rabbit blood. This blood tasted strangely reptilian.
She reeled backwards and fell, writhing and letting out small cries as Louie vaulted to a sitting position and tried to catch her. Her breathes were coming out in rapid fire while her heart was pounding erratically. He gathered her into his arms, and as she started shaking he could not help but wonder what had come over her. Certainly this was not the common reaction of most in her state. And while healing suddenly was nothing unknown to him, he knew that mortal creatures were not prone to such behavior. His eyes tried to meet hers, but there was no life behind them.
In the smallest voice he had heard escape her, she whispered "Please leave, do not hurt me." She extended her arms to try to pull herself away, but the lack of sight was too much and she found nothing. Louie watched her struggles, seeing how weak she had become. How the blood was now spewing on her face and hands, down her arms and pooling on her chest. A hunger awoke in him, burning as he stared at the life fluids collecting on her and pooling on the floor.
The hunger was overwhelming. He could practically taste the blood and feel the warmth it gave him. His eyes were fixed on the temptation, and no matter what he did it pulled at him. Pulling, twisting, aiming his thoughts at nothing more than the thought of skin rending beneath his fangs and the glory that resulted. WIthouth much thought, he lowered his head to drink from the collection at her chest.
To Yakira, it was not that much. A sensation of heat, his presence and everything else was enveloped in the pain of her wounds. But something happened that startled her. It was a familiar feeling, so much like the time that Estella had ripped her open. But instead of the feeling of tooth and nail on her right forarm, it was warm and almost pleasant. The anxiety lurked in her as he moved from her right arm to her left, sucking and licking the blood from the wounds. But something in it comforted her, and the promise he had made came to mind, filling her almost with ease.
Certainly this blood tasted different to Louie, but the bloodlust had come and he could not stop himself from wanting more. Although his body ached to take her and all of her blood, he instead went from wound to wound, licking up the excess blood and moving to the next before he could start draining her. But his saliva was affecting her in a way not so good for him; as he lapped up along each gash, the skin would heal. As he moved from each crude version of Esetlla's name, it disapeared. Soon he was left with nothing more but the pool on the floor, which was already cold and inedibable to him.
Something was amiss about the wounds especially by her hands and feet. As he ran his tongue along the gashes, his mouth felt a slight heat, and as he pulled away the heat burst into full flame. The soft flesh of his mouth started peeling and ripping, but it soon had closed.
He turned to her neck and observed the blood pumping through it. Her slightly opened mouth was gasping in strange silence, and her half-lidded eyes still did not see him. He wanted to continue, to taste so much more. His lips were open, and he wanted.
But for some benevolent whim of fate, a sound at the door halted his movements and cleared his mind of all the red. His fangs retracted. For in the doorway was Majo, arms furiously clenching at her side. "So you are preying on our invalid now, are you?" She crossed her arms and scowled.
Louie had been used to such statements, but none of the typical malice was in Majo's voice. He looked down to see Yakira, her robes opened at all the places Estella had marred her. The bed was rumpled with sheets on the floor from the struggle. And in made sense; she was accusing him of being a different kind of predator.
But as Majo stood there, he could see her breathing had changed. The corners of her mouth were starting to turn down. Her anger was not at him, but at Yakira. Majo turned and left the doorway slowly, then accelerated.
As Yakira was placed back on her bed, she could feel differently. She could feel. Not the grate of opened nerves, nor the heavy chill of blood pooling outside of her body. Aside from the burning in her head, she was better than she could have remembered. Her fear faded into the haze of her mind, but it was not so dim now. Although she could not remember anything that had just happened.
Casting the doubts to the lurking depths of her mind, she righted herself then worked towards the door in search of food.
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Chapter 39
The fight was almost three days previous.
Michelle stared at the small mound of dirt in front of her, marked with a crude wooden cross; the only marker that said her brother had ever been anyone, had existed. Her family had never left a big impact on the world, or even shown an interest in it. They hadn't patrolled and fixed the lines because they were employed to do so, but rather because they always had. They'd stuck together and cared for each other because that wass the way life was, and nothing else was even imaginable. Her mother had died just after her birth, falling down a ravine in the dark, and the three that remained, her, her brother and her father had just got on as well as they could. She'd been so close, that was what people didn't understand. And then he'd gone off all full of hope and a better life just a hundred miles away from their turf, and he'd never come back. She'd heard of his death by radio, seen it on a TV screen.
Michelle felt a small inkling of a sensation she'd become increasingly used to, the feeling of life in her location. She turned and saw the two figures behind her, Tier and Alexander both keeping a respectful silence. Alexander was the first to speak, approaching her and gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "The others wondered where you were, you've been gone almost two days, have you been here all that time...? I guess its hard to remember what with all this that we've lost a few people. I- I'm sorry; I guess there's not really anything I can say is there? I guess you were really close. Michelle sighed "You have no idea; the only time you saw anyone else was either when you bumped into another patrol by chance, or once a month when we went to Skite for supplies. Can you imagine that? A town called Skite." She laughed bitterly. "Course, it was really nothing more than a supplies store for parts and food, we were never given real wages as such."
Alexander paused, he was way out of his depth here and he knew it. He didn't even know what the hell he'd come out here for, or what he'd been going to do. "Uh, so you've still got your father? What now?" There was a long pause before she answered in a small distant voice. "I... don't know. My father can join another patrol, or retire; he's always talked about it. I don't really think I can go back, not now." Alexander stood in the uncomfortable silence then eventually wandered away, with the odd backwards glance, leaving the two zombies together.
The silence persisted for the best part of half an hour, Michelle losing track of her thoughts, being roused from her contemplation only by a quiet cough from Tier. "I warned you about this. I said there was no going back." When it came, the reply had tones of ice. "So what? So that’s it then? Don't think I didn't plan for this! Perhaps you may think it fine to go around all emo, but I for one plan to use this to my advantage, whatever I do!" There was another silence; zombies had a lot of time on their hands to think things over. Finally Tier spoke. "I'm going to this dinner party everyone's talking about, and I'm quite sure you will to, not that we'll be eating anything." In the meantime I suggest you go have fun with your new friends, they have a lot to be thankful for.
Tier turned and headed back the way he'd come. He'd only been there to show Alexander where Michelle had gone, and he'd known her location more out of prediction than anything else. The sun was setting but the darkness held no fears for him anymore. He felt strange these last few days, a feeling he was finding hard to pin down, it certainly wasn't excitement, or fear, anger or hatred or anything else that could be caused by this latest conflict. He'd seen wars before, up close and from a distance, hell, he'd seen everything pretty much, and this new... eagerness perhaps? was worrying him. He was welcomed at the door by Susan who, he guessed from the vague odor of alcohol was out for a bit of fresh air and a recovery. He'd never seen anyone so sensitive to booze, it was amazing she didn't get tipsy just breathing the fumes from inside, where there was a kind of low level social event had been going on for the last day or so. It was far too subtle to be called a party, more like a get-together.
"Hey, I hear you're inviting yourself to Parker's big dinner party; be careful huh? I really don't like the feel of this whole thing. Tier smiled, but it was a smile with no humor in it, one that always unnerved anyone he talked to. "And if I'm not? What then? What can they do to me? Shoot me? Set me on fire? Cut me to pieces? You saw Michelle with those wolves, she was never in danger of getting hurt, she didn't feel anything and there's not a scratch on her now. There's nothing they can do to either of us and you know it. The refugees at least admit it; you can see the looks we get." Susan smiled back, if anything it had even less goodwill in it than Tier's "Yes, but my friends will go with you, and if anything happens to them..." she broke off in mid sentence and went back inside. Tier went out back and worked on some plumbing. He'd be there till morning when things had quietened down, and then there would be the wounded to see to. After all, he didn't drink or sleep and there was work to do. There was always work to do, somewhere.
* * *
Michelle stood in the darkness and saw through it perfectly, eyes that didn't see cutting through the ebony night like a lance. She saw the lives dance around her, split, change and fade away, the whole world glowed. And she strode through it, aloof and unchanging, a sliver of darkness in the noise and tumult that was existence. And she had power, incredible power. She would never end, never change, never grow weak or old or tired. She grabbed a passing moth and crushed it; felt a tingle of energy as it gave up its life force to fuel her.
And she could reach out so much further than she'd ever dreamed. She stretched out a hand and watched as a tree wilted and withered to a rotting stump, she twirled through the night riding the cold and the dark, capturing life force to continue the mad dance.
And couldn't stop. She saw her friends around her, running and screaming at her approach as she whirled past them the crumbled to dust amid screams of anguish. And still she feed, off the noise, the screams, the life Nobody was safe, friends, family... her father; they were all gone in a flash of feeding. And others fell too, too many to count, the forest burned and the seas dried up, land moved and stars died, the universe flowed around her as she sucked the light from it.
And then it was over, nothing but cold and dark and quiet, a universe of silence and death. And she was alone. And there was Tier, watching her in the darkness with dead eyes, still and silent and cold as the rest of creation, alone with her in a prison of a thousand years.
It would be wrong to say she awoke, for she hadn't been sleeping, as such. It was more a drift back to reality. It hadn't been a dream, or a nightmare, just a train of thought that had left the tracks. She'd still to get used to not sleeping, or crying, breathing or the many other small changes this 'life' forced upon her. She shivered in the dwindling light and made her way back to the house. She needed the light and the noise to drown out her thoughts.
She never had the chance to reach the door; she was met halfway there by a blue rat standing on the porch. "Hey, you're the chick they use around here to keep the vermin down right? Me'n my friends just wanted to say hi, but it seems Mark and David got distracted by some somewhat more lively girls, and Amaya passed out on the couch before you got here, I told her it was no good drinking after losing all that blood but who listens to me? Anyway, my names Szev, which is gonna be a real problem if you lisp." He held out a hand, which Michelle eventually accepted. "Yeesh! They aren't kidding! You're as cold as last night’s leftovers! Hey is it true about all the no pain and regeneration and stuff? I mean, I caught a rat in my pillowcase this morning and I'll let you have it if you'll stop staring at me like that, I feel like a main course.
Michelle smiled, she felt better already. "Hell, why not, show me this captive of yours and I'll show you fourteen ways of cookin’ him, but you're eating half; I can't stand cooked food anymore."
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The man from Earian (Part 1)
He had kept track of the days he had spent in solitude in the beginning. Just to give himself something to do. Time ment little to a madman however and in no more then two years he had given up. He welcomed in the thief that came to collect his sanity.
There was no other choice then to let the maelstrom of incoherent thoughts wash over him.
As a stream of lunacy in which to baptize the insane.
In the beginning there was Estella to keep him company and teach him all he had to know about his new found so called life.
She had told him a vampire was not able to take his own life, for the need for his kind to survive was to great. The vampire was considered a threat to each and every other form of life in the known universe. And therefor many were out to hunt them down. And kill them all.
He had cursed himself enough over the fact that he could not kill himself.
The many attempts he had made had failed miserably, for his entire body shut down whenever he tried anything to put it in danger. In the eve of the new moon. Exactly seven years since he had died. Louie could be found in the garden of his mansion.
He sat next to the oak his parents had plant for him when he was born. A common customary among the wealthy residents of the Peddleburg area.
He watched out over the lake. Memmories of better times were all he had now.
His body shook and he curled up to protect himself against the cold. He often looked around to see if someone was coming towards him.
The town has stopped growing and the few people that stayed behind believed the ghost stories that went on around the mansion. There was nothing to gain for them so they stayed away. Those new to town however, the few that were, knew not.
And so it came to be that a stranger arrived at the mansion. Seeking shelter from the cold night. The open gate gave him the idea that he was welcome here. A brown robe which seemed to be made out of drapes covered his old and wrinkeled body against the winter cold.
A smile on his old face when he noticed the light behind one of the windows.
Louie had shot up when he had heard the man enter his gate, one of the many traits of a vampire were the enhancement of his senses. Without a sound he rang along the wall and peered around the corner to examine his unexpected guest.
“Prey.” He startled himself by his own whisper. It had been so long since he had heard his own voice. The rats and the other small animals in and around the mansion had put his hunger to rest in the years before. He had not want to leave the mansion in the hope that Estella would return. And here it was. A meal on wheels right in front of him, ready to be devoured.
“You know, it is very rude to let an old man wait in the cold, vampyre.”
A voice ripend by age and surprisingly calm for someone who knew there was a vampire only a few yards away from him. Louie stood behind the corner for a while, looking over the old rabbit. The image of his body rotting in the ground beneath him gave him second thoughts.
His new guest leaned on his cane and kept looking at him with eyes that seemed to take the time to take in every small molecule in his line of sight. Louie walked out from behind the wall and bared his fangs at the rabbit. “There’s no need for this vampyre. There shall be no bloodshed tonight. Come on in.”
Louie was puzzeled. This rabbit was supposed to be scared of him, whatever happend to him being at the top of the food chain?
“You must have many questions vampyre, let us go inside.”
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Chapter 40: Saving Face
Susan was not feeling her best. But she was the hostess, and the guests needed their carrot slices. She chopped them slowly and carefully, fearful that her usual efficient chopping might lead to a nasty accident. She didn't see Majo come in from the hall, and only noticed her by the time she was at the back door.
"Hey, what's the rush?"
Majo stopped. Without looking at Susan, she said "Nothing."
"Is something wrong?"
"No, I just need some fresh air."
Majo opened the door and walked out, letting it slam behind her. Susan was a little perturbed, but shrugged it off. She took the sliced carrots through to her guests, then went to fetch Yakira's soup.
Alexander was strolling along beside Peddleburg Creek. The moonlight shone on the rippling water. In the distance, he could see a scattering of lights telling him how near to Greenthorpe he was. As peaceful as the scene seemed, Alexander was well aware that he was entirely alone, in the middle of nowhere, late at night. His transceiver beeped. This was something of a surprise. Reception had been so poor since he'd arrived in Greenthorpe, he'd not heard much from headquarters. Now, out here in the wilderness, he was picking up a message. He pushed a button and it played in his ear.
"Investigative reporter due in Greenthorpe. Name is Alice Frowley. Represents Carrotus Daily News Channel. Potential global television broadcast. Target is the recent Class 7 Type EB incident in Greenthorpe. Mr. Garand, you are instructed to ensure that no credible account is made available for broadcast. ETA 2330 hours."
An electronic voice took over and informed him that the message was sent 7 hours, 3 minutes previously. Alexander looked at his watch. Just past midnight. She'd be in Greenthorpe by now. Alexander broke into a run.
The soup was sloshing around in the bowl more than Susan would have liked, and she watched it intently as she ascended the stairs. With her eyes focussed downwards, the first thing she saw on the landing was a pair of feet. Her gaze shifted upwards. Her balancing act finally subsided and half a bowl's worth of soup found its way down her shirt.
Yakira took the bowl out of Susan's hands and rose it to her lips. Several large gulps later, the bowl was empty, and she handed it back.
"Um. Okay," said Susan.
If Alice Frowley didn't know any better she'd have sworn she was under attack from the restless spirits of Greenthorpe. The video camera had stopped working, and it had taken three hours for her cameraman to fix. When she'd checked the morning's footage, she'd found that it had all been erased. And, of course, all good things come in threes. Her notebook containing all the details of her exclusive was nowhere to be seen. She'd torn her room in the tavern apart, she'd completely emptied the news van, but it had vanished off the face of Carrotus.
She only had the afternoon to complete the story before she had to leave. Still, at least she'd get this interview in the can.
"Mr. Dalton, what's it like to live in Greenthorpe?"
"Life in Greenthorpe is great. Everybody knows everybody else, to some extent, and so we have a wonderful community spirit. We don't have a problem with crime. We're in one of the most idyllic parts of Peddleburg. The roads are quiet, so you can ride bicycles or horses without worry..."
"It certainly sounds nice. But are you familiar with the rumours surrounding your town?"
"No, I'm afraid not. What rumours?"
"Rumours of attacks by mythical creatures?"
"Attacks by mythical creatures?"
"There have been a number of suspicious deaths here recently, and..."
"And you thought you'd make a story about how we're all so superstitious out here in the sticks? That's just sick."
"No, I just..."
"This interview is over. Good day, madam."
Susan found Yakira sitting on the terrace in the back garden. It was a clear, lukewarm day, and Yakira was watching a small bird flitting around the bushes.
"Hello," said Susan. "How are you feeling now?"
"Not bad."
"Have you seen Majo. Nobody's seen her since yesterday."
"I'm afraid not."
"Mind if I just...?" Susan held up her medical case.
"No, go ahead."
Susan checked her pulse, her blood pressure, and her temperature. All normal.
"It certainly seems you've made quite a rapid recovery. If I didn't know any better..."
"What?"
"Oh, never mind."
If there's anything Susan had learnt over the last few days, it's that she didn't actually know any better.
"So, how did it go?" asked Alexander.
"She feels like a terrible person. I didn't like doing that," replied Dalton.
"No. It isn't always easy. But you've done the right thing."
"I know."
Alice was in a better mood now. She'd been interviewing liars half her life, and Dalton was one of the worst she'd come across. If only the refugees had been as bad. Luckily, she'd finally found one she may be able to get some answers out of.
"So, what's your name?"
"Charlie."
"And how old are you, Charlie?"
"I'm seven and three-quarters years old."
"Well, you are very grown-up, aren't you? Now, Charlie, can you tell me what happened here four nights ago?"
"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers about that."
"But I'm not a stranger. You've seen me on television, haven't you?"
"Yes."
"So, how can I be a stranger?"
"I don't know."
"That's because I'm not a stranger."
"I suppose."
"So, do you want to tell me what happened?"
"Okay."
Tony entered the room. He had been out in the hall, changing a light bulb, when he'd heard the exchange.
"Hello Charlie, who's this?"
"This is Alice Frowley from the television."
"Oh? And what are you talking about?"
"We're talking about the big fight that happened a few days ago."
"Really? Well, your dinner's almost ready, and you don't want it to get cold, do you?"
Charlie ran out of the room. Alice glared at Tony.
"What are you people hiding?" she asked.
"Look," Tony whispered conspiratorially, "His parents had a huge argument a few days ago."
In the staff room of the Cholmondely & Smith offices, three people were watching the local CDNC broadcast.
"The town of Greenthorpe has fallen victim to a large-scale internet prank. Greenthorpe, where a derelict mansion was recently restored to house refugees to Diamondus, is just south of Almsbury. The rumours range from the mansion being haunted to a large werewolf invasion of the town that allegedly took place a few days ago. The rumours have been widely dismissed as an attempt by political activists to discredit Gary Parker, who was a Councillor in Greenthorpe before he became Governor. Mr. Parker has dismissed the rumours as 'Absurd'. And that's all from Peddleburg Press, join us tomorrow at the same time."
Jack Cholmondely switched off the television.
"Gary, you are doing a terrible job of keeping things under wraps," said Ranford Smith.
"I agree," said Cholmondely. "I think this incident reinforces our conclusions vis-a-vis our association with you."
"And what are your conclusions, gentlemen?" asked Gary.
"That we should terminate all association forthwith." replied Smith.
"I see. Well, gentlemen, my plans from here on out do not require participation from either of you. If you do not desire a seat at the top table, that is your loss."
"We don't believe there will be a top table," said Smith, "let alone any seats. So we rather think our decision will be our gain. You owe us a lot of money, Parker."
"Oh, it's 'Parker' now, is it? Well, I don't think you need to worry about your money."
The blows were swift and immaculately timed. The Cholmondely & Smith legal team ceased to practise.
Their bodies lay there for three days before Estella found them.
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A long time ago...
"Hey c'mon! What are you? Rabbits or shellians?" Adrian heard the yell and fumed under his hard hat. "Fine for you ya blowhard; you're not the one risking life and limb!" Technically that wasn't true Adrian knew, but still this was risky and boring work. He stared at the pile of rubble in front of him, then at the hillside it was half buried in. Judging by the shape of the former building it had been some sort of barracks; so it probably didn't have anything worth salvaging in it, but you never knew, once he'd happened upon a stash of jewels in an abandoned kitchen, and there were stories of guys striking it lucky in this business. He set the explosive charge and stepped back. That was all of them. He scrabbled over the already evacuated rubble to the safety zone, called out the warning signal and detonated the charges.
There was the usual loud boom and the building partially collapsed. The machines moved in to salvage any metallic fragments found. Amidst the noise and commotion Adrian moved in, now was the perfect time to scavenge anything valuable. Technically of course he was supposed to report any finds, but why should other people benefit from his hard work? Some of the things you found were valuable too; there was the inevitable gold and jewels, and plenty of spent ammunition, not surprising considering they were digging up an old war zone, but some of the most valuable stuff were the antiques; ornaments, jewelry even odd things like old jam jars; after a hundred and fifty years in the ground they were suddenly worth a lot to the right people.
(-); the building had been filled with debris; all the floors had collapsed; probably due to a bomb hit; there would be little of value inside and excavation would take up most of the metal inside. He removed his earmuffs and trudged back toward the explosives shack. It would take several hours of course; there were bound to be the remains of rabbits inside which would need to be collected and sent off for proper reburial. Then rather suddenly, a large piece of wall tilted and tipped over, nearly crushing several evacuators. "Hey c'mon people! Let's be careful huh? This is a salvage site not a playground!"
Utterly terrible! People didn't know their butt from their elbow around here! Adrian stalked off to the explosive and equipment shed, there was a technically illegal bottle of whiskey there and he needed to destroy the evidence. He didn't make it halfway across the quarry before the yelling started. It was quiet and confused at first, but rapidly grew in intensity. Several people rushed past Adrian, then a few seconds later ran off in the other direction. Someone started shooting and Adrian got worried, guns weren't allowed, but lots of guys carried them 'just in case' After several more shots were fired there was a final strangled scream, then silence.
Adrian realized he'd been crouched behind a pile of scrap metal; he'd nicked his leg somehow too, and it was bleeding profusely. The right thing to do would be to back off, call for backup, then approach the scene with caution; raids were rare on salvage parties, but that didn't mean they could be any less deadly. However Adrian was incurably curious so he cautiously approached the attack site. At first there was little to see aside from discarded equipment, he kept hidden, crouching behind machinery or rubble until a rather warm, wet sensation underfoot made him look down. He quickly wished he hadn't when he saw what, or rather, who he was standing in. He staggered backwards in shock, staring at the soft red mess that had once been his supervisor. There wasn't much left. He shouldn't have done that either, now he had an undisturbed view of the site and what had happened to the people there. About a dozen rabbits hadn't made it, though it was hard to tell from the scattered remains. Adrian slipped on somebody's arm and was almost sick. He turned to run and was knocked to the ground.
Adrian stared up in sheer wordless horror at what was now on top of him. What it was was hard to tell; its features shifted and twisted into horrible shapes, but it was vaguely shellian shaped. It snarled, splattering Adrian with unidentifiable gore, then giggled. It was a horrible sound, half choked and eerie, something from a broken mind. It stared at him for a few seconds as if trying to figure out what he was, then spoke. It was a strangled, weak voice and sounded as if it hadn't been used in a long time.
"The... date... what date?"
Adrian panicked "Monday! It's Monday!" He tried to get up but the creature was pushing him down with a force that seemed greater than its weight would allow. It snarled again. "Day! Month! Year!" Adrian told it, and it sat still for a long time. As it did it got less and less repulsive until it finally dawned on Adrian that it really was a shellian sitting on him; its appearance however did not do anything to sate his fears. While it was distracted Adrian took the chance to wiggle out from under it and hide behind a pile of rubble. It was still sitting there, staring blankly into space when he dared look, several minutes later. It was obviously some sort of zombie, silver garlic would stop it right? (-), no, hang on...
It was giggling to itself; rocking backwards and forwards slightly, and gigglingand muttering to itself! Despite his terror, or maybe because of it, Adrian leant closer to try and hear what it was saying. The words were very indistinct and slurred, as if from a drunk, or someone half awake. "Hah hah! One hundred and fifty four years! Hee hee hee!" The words were repeated over and over, shot out like bullets from a machine gun so fast as to almost be unintelligible, finally the creature stood stock still and let out a hideous yell before dashing of into the distance way too fast for something dead to be moving.
There were shouts behind him, someone had sounded the alarm. Adrian turned around and walked stiffly toward the rapidly approaching figures. Right now he wanted to drink and to forget; when the asked what had happened he told them it was a raid by bandits.
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