A Troll is Haunting Tex's

An hour and a half later, closer to midnight than to dusk, we were on the road. Our convoy of mismatched vehicles didn't look anything like those Feds yesterday in their identical black Ford Expeditions. Nope, this was a collage of trucks, SUV's and even a couple of cars, although we'd all persuaded Handley-Page to leave that beautiful old Jaguar behind. Rain pelted down, it was pitch black outside, Tex led the convoy and Steve was having a hard time keeping up. Me, I was just hanging on to the grab handle as we rocketed down those long straights thinking that at least it wasn't dusty but crap, this weather sucked big time.

Loaded for bear, that's what I was and so was everyone else. I'd even taken half a dozen grenades and we had the RPG in the box along with some of the special stuff that we'd only ever used on the range before. We'd farmed out all our .303 ammo to the guys with the Lee-Enfields and the Bren, and Ogg was carrying that Bren.

"Trained on this," he'd said, kind of smiling as he looked at me while he'd stripped it down. Far faster than I'd been coz we hardly ever played with it. "Used one in Borneo a few times." It just flew to pieces in his hands and he wasn't even looking at it. Me, I sat there cleaning Bren mags and loading the .303 specials. Hoped they were good but they should be. Silver Tips. We'd bought them from a surplus store that was dumping them.

"No demand," that's what they'd said and they were going for a song so Steve'd bought the lot. A small pallet of the stuff and hadn't that been a real bargain and we'd bought most of what we had left, which was a good few ammo boxes. Glad we had. I'd packed a couple of small packs with as many Bren mags as I thought one of the older guys could carry. Didn't expect them to run with the stuff but I figured once it got too heavy for me to lift off the floor there was enough there. I'd thrown in packets of loose rounds as well. Reloads. I was pretty much sure we were gonna need 'em.

The wipers swished across the windscreen. Swished? They frigging wooshed and Steve had 'em on top speed coz the rain was getting heavier and even Tex had slowed coz the road was like a frigging river now. The wind was frigging howling and I could feel those gusts rocking the F350. Must be much worse in the smaller trucks and the cars. Lovecraft was on his cell, checking the weather forecast and swearing under his breath.

"Fuck it," I heard him on the intercom, coz we were all on headsets already. "It's real local. Clear sky down in Abilene."

Done that coms check before we rolled out from the Coffee Shop and Steve'd replaced a couple of sets that were intermittent. All these little things, they'd chewed up the time and while we were getting ready, people down the road in Amaranth, they were dying and we all knew that so nobody fucked around. There'd been so frigging much to do though. Issue extra guns for the ones that didn't have handguns, like the Aussies. Ammo. Load carrying harnesses and we had a box of them but they all had to be adjusted.

Extra ammo, we'd handed out pretty much all our specials, shared them round. Opened the box of grenades but they only went to the guys who knew what to do with them. That was more than a couple though, a lot of the older guys had been through the military. Surprised me. No draft dodgers here.

"Another half hour," Tex's voice came over my headset. "Going to slow down, this is bad and the road gets worse here."

It did. Not straight anymore and shit, he was braking and so was Steve and then the cars behind us and we were stopped.

"Tree down on the road," Tex said. "Got a chainsaw in the box, we're going to have to cut through it. Too big to pull, even with your truck, Steve. No detours, this is the only through road for fifty miles."

He was already out, and Bear and Voboy were out with him 'n Steve and all the guys in our truck, BiscuitHammer and Lovecraft, they were out as well and even with the headlights it was pitchdark out there 'n the frigging rain was coming in sideways. I climbed out as well and fuck, none of us had raingear, 'n I was frigging soaked through in thirty seconds and that sucked. I hadn't planned on a wet tee-shirt competition, not that I thought the vamps 'd be interested. At least it wasn't cold rain like up north.

That frigging tree was massive but Tex's chainsaw started up on first pull and it wasn't a baby chainsaw either. One of the frigging massive ones you used to slice down pine trees and oaks 'n big crap like that if you were a logger and Tex, he was working it like an artist 'n me, I was looking around, looking out into the darkness and fuck it, it really was pitch black out there and what with the wind blowing a frigging storm, every frigging thing in sight was moving.

We got through that tree after an hour and a half of work and moved on but turned out it wasn't the only tree 'n it was almost dawn when we pulled up in the parking lot of a small gas station and convenience store outside of Amaranth. Now that it was almost dawn, Steve didn't want us to hit the town until the sun was up. Myself, I didn't think it was gonna make much difference. Rain was still pouring down, clouds covered the sky, wind gusted and it just sucked. I'd dried out a bit in the cab and got some sleep but it hadn't been a great night.

The convenience store coffee kinda sucked too, but at least I was standing there drinking it. Hadn't been looking forward to vampires at midnight and it'd kinda crossed my mind I might not see the dawn and yeah, I was sorry for the people caught in this little town but fuck I was glad I hadn't had to go in while it was dark. I would've, but I'd 've been crapping myself. Daylight? At least I could frigging see.

I was still crapping myself though.

"How much daylight can a vampire take?" NotWise asked, kind of nervously playing with that Remington we'd loaded him with. "Read that they slept during the day. That should make it easier, right?"

"Daylight hurt's 'em," MelissaBaby said, and I guess she was the closest to an expert we had. Her and PuckIt and they'd had their heads together with Stev and Tex and BB and none of them looked happy. "Bright sunlight, that'll kill them, they flame up and die but weather like this..." She looked around. "They can move and fight in this kind of crap."

"Okay, listen up." Steve's voice carried and even the teenage kid that worked in the convenience store was outside listening. Steve looked her way. We all did and you could tell she was totally freaking out over this bunch of disheveled guys and a few girls armed to the teeth plus those huge frigging dogs running around stretching their legs and looking real frigging excited. Looking around, yeah, if I was her I'd be freaking and I wouldn't be hanging around either. I'd be frigging running.

Guess she was some kind of dumb-ass.

"Are you guys filming a movie?" she squealed. "Some kinda reality show?" She was looking around. Guess she was looking for cameras or film crew or something.

We all just kind of looked at her.

"Uh, sorry I asked," she said, holding up both hands.

"You got a car?" Tex asked, and yeah, there were shots being fired down the road. Not many, but those cracks were pretty distinctive.

"No," she said, "But I live here." She pointed at the house back of the gas station. Car sat there next to the house. Machinegun crackle sounded, heavier, slower. Recognized it from the range. Out here, outside some small Texas country town, that was a definite the-shits-hitting-the-fan sound and that volume of fire, it was building. Something bad was going down.

Fuck!

"Well, got some advice for you, kid," Tex said, brushing the rain off his face. "Get your folks, get your family, get in that car and get the hell outa town until you hear on the news it's okay to come back, kay, coz there's some bad shit going on in town there and it might be coming this way. Might wanna call everyone you know and tell them the same."

She kinda looked at us and looked at all the guns and she musta heard the shooting building up and finally recognized it coz it was frigging unmistakable now, even for a dumb-ass and her face kind of went blank for a moment. Guess that processor was working overtime but something clicked coz she didn't say a thing, she just turned and she took off towards the house like a bat outa hell was on her ass and yeah, if she didn't get outa town real frigging soon it just might well be.

"Everyone finish your coffee, take a pee, we're moving out in five," Steve said. "That shooting." There was a louder burst, something bigger and heavier and after that first burst it started up again and it went on and on and on. "That's a fifty caliber, must be the Guard."

"Doesn't sound good," BiscuitHammer said and guess he'd know. Airborne. Not a Marine but Steve said those airborne guys weren't so bad. Almost as good as a Marine pogue. That's what Steve said. I dunno, he seemed pretty handy to me and me, I was happy he was with me and Steve and Lovecraft.

Tex's truck braked right in front of the National Guard checkpoint. Nothing sophisticated. An old M113 personnel carrier, an armored box on tracks, guy up in the turret behind a .50 caliber and a couple of Guard soldiers were running towards us.

"Get the fuck outa here," one of them yelled, waving one arm.

Tex was already on his cell. "Gus says the outbreak's in the Mall," he said. Then, looking at the Guard trooper. "Son, shut the fuck up. Where's your Officer? Cops called us up for help, they're cornered in the Mall and we're going in to get them out. Now who are you, son?"

"I'm not your son, buddy. Lieutenant Hunter and you need to back up and get the fuck outa here, all of you. This is a secure area, no civilians allowed. Move back for your own safety."

"Son, we got authorization from the local police to access the Mall over there. Bunch of cops are trapped by some vampires in there and they called us for help."

"Mister, you're not going in, the Guard's here and we're in control of this area."

A sudden burst of firing erupted. "They're coming," someone screamed. The .50 caliber opened up and yeah, whatever they were, they were coming.

"Jesus, they must be frigging masters," MelissaBaby said. "Outside in daylight."

She and PuckIt looked at each other, then around. "It's the clouds," PuckIt said. "Protects them from direct sunlight.

"Fuck," Steve said. "Okay, move up to the line. Reinforce the Guards." Coz there weren't that many of them that I could see and those old M16's they were using, no special ammo, they weren't having much effect.

"Give me a hand here, Chloe."

"Jesus, you're gonna use that, Steve?" I kind of blinked. I mean, I'd been thinking maybe he'd use the Black Rain Ordnance Predator .308 that I'd bought him for his birthday like we'd done with the chupacabras. But Jesus, that Lahti L-39 anti-tank rifle, the Finns called it the "Norsupyssy," the Elephant Gun and it was. It fired 20mm rounds and it'd blow holes through an elephant. It was a frigging tank killer. The Finns made it in World War Two to knock out Russian tanks and I knew Steve 'd modified some of those rounds.

"Uh, Steve, isn't that overkill, even for a vampire?" I mean, we'd bought it for the Zombie Apocalypse. Not for run of the mill vampires, if there was such a thing.

"Stop asking questions and just bring the ammo, Chloe. These vampires gotta be masters to come outside in daylight. We're gonna take 'em out fast and hard, no fucking around. Bring the mags with the red tape on them." The special ones, those ones. Got it."

"Uh, yeah, sure Steve."

I did kind of stand back as Steve slid the Lahti out and lofted it. I'd tried to pick it up once. Damn near pulled every muscle I had. Weighed over a hundred pounds. Almost as much as me. A frigging ten round mag weighed four pounds and we had ten of the suckers in there. "All of the ones with red tape?"

"Yes," he said, rather tersely and I guess he was right, this wasn't the time to be asking questions so I scrambled up into the F350's box and found that ammo box and dragged it to the edge and frigging near broke my back getting it down but NotWise was there and he gave me a hand and we trotted after Steve lugging that frigging hundred pound rifle like it was a frigging toy. Asshole showing off.

"What. The. Fuck. Are you doing here?" That Lieutenant was getting real pissy.

"Fuck, is that you Captain?" One of the Guard guys was looking at Steve.

"Fisher, how are 'ya? You with this outfit?"

"Yes, Sir. You got any idea what we're facing in there, Sir."

"Vampires, Fisher. Vampires."

"Like those two things in the 'Stan, Sir?"

"You got it, Fisher."

"Sergeant Fisher, do you know this man? Can you tell me what this nonsense is?" The Lieutenant was beyond pissy and those things coming towards us, the bullets were hitting them but they weren't even slowing them and me, I had my Remington out and I was jacking a shell in. Save it for close-up coz my DD wasn't gonna do anything those M16's weren't already doing.

Fisher turned to the Lieutenant. "Sir, I was in the Captain's company in the 'Stan and if he says somethings going down, you should listen to him, Sir."

"Get ready to fire on my command." Steve's voice came over my headset nice and clear. "BB, Bear, pick targets, rest of you open up as soon as we fire." I watched him load that Lahti and it was one huge frigging rifle 'n those vampires were just strolling up to us, casual as you please and you could see the dust puffing where bullets hit them.

"What the fuck are they?" the Lieutenant was kinda freaking.

"Vampires," I said, rather patiently all things consider coz I was frigging crapping myself big time.

"There's no such thing as vampires," he said.

"They don't think so," I said, shivering.

"Fire," Steve said and he did and that Lahti, fuck it was loud.

They must've been old vampires, not that familiar with modern or even near-modern technology, that's all I could figure coz that first 20mm round ripped that frigging vampire in half. It screamed and my spine frigging near separated from the rest of my body but as it went down in two halves I frigging sprinted forward and fired straight into its head. Hollowpoint, silver-mercury amalgam, silver coated shell, holy water. Ripped its head apart and I knelt as everyone else opened up, hoping like fuck they wouldn't hit me as I pulled a white oak stake of the back of my harness and hammered it through that vampire's heart with the butt of my Remington.

Even with half its head blown away the one eye that was left opened and that undead thing screamed and I jacked a round in, stuck the muzzle of my Remington right through that eyeball, bursting it as my muzzled crunched through that eye socket, and then I pulled the trigger and blew the things head into fragments.

"Hit the ground, Chloe." Steve's voice and I did, instantly, and Steve's 20mm ripped apart the vampire that'd been using me as cover and it'd been going for me and it went down and around me vampire bodies lay scattered across the road. BB and Bear's three ounce silver slugs had done their job and MelissaBaby was up with her axe taking heads and that National Guard Lieutenant was just freaking, running out waving his little pistol.

"Sergeant, I order you to arrest these people." He pushed MelissaBaby away from the vampire she'd been moving to behead. "You cannot do this to civilians." That vampire's wounds began to heel, it flowed to its feet, mouth open, fangs extended, hissing as it lunged for the Lieutenant's neck and BB's shot took it in the neck, three ounces of solid silver slug ripping its head clean off and it'd fed recently. Fed well, coz that red blood spurted up like someone'd turned a firehose on.

The Lieutenant, he screamed and fuck, I would've screamed too. I did, actually. I didn't faint like the Lieutenant did though.

"Take the heads and stake the hearts," I screamed, tossing a stake to NotWise and he was up there pounding it through that vampire's heart and then the others were up with us, chopping off heads, driving stakes though the bodies. Fast learners.

"You got any flamethrowers, Sergeant?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, couple, Sir," Fisher said.

"Burn the bodies, burn the heads separately," Steve said. "Hold your position here, we're going in to the Mall. Feds 'll be here soon, you gotta hold until they get here. Leave you that rifle. You good, Fisher?"

"I'm good, Sir," Fisher said, turning away. "Flamethrowers, I want flamethrowers now."

"Okay, anyone who wants to stay, stay with the Guard here," Steve said. "You wanna come shopping with me, mount up. You've seen what we're up against. We're going in coz there's survivors in that Mall and we're gonna get 'em out"

Everyone climbed in.

"Straight to the entrance, Tex," Steve said as we piled in, and we did, all six trucks and SUV's across the parking lot and fuck, something weird was happening.

"Steve," I said, totally controlled. "What's going on?"

I felt something. Steve looked at me and I knew he felt it to. Power. Something powerful nd it was choking me so that it was hard to breathe and before us, the parking lot rippled. Steve floored the accelerator, we surged forward and the other vehicles, they kept up with us and behind us the parking lot rippled, cracked, and we were at the entrance and bailing out of the vehicles and Cuddles and those Vampire Hounds were with us and they were all snarling.

"Take everything you can," Steve yelled and I looked out at the parking lot and screamed coz bones were coming up through the earth, emerging to lie on the surface, bones and bones and more bones and the earth was rocking rippling, small waves throwing up more bones with every ripple.

"What's happening?" I whispered. Maybe it wasn't a whisper.

"Something bad," Lori said from beside me and we were all watching.

Bones moves almost in front of me, sliding across the ground as if searching for each other. Bones moved everywhere, a sea of movement and before me a skeleton began to form. One and then another and another and another, a sea of skeletons. Bones and then flesh. Flesh forming as smoke and then solidifying, crawling over the bones, flowing like some obscene custard, molding bodies from nothing and the dark power rippled around us, hot and evil, powerful and hungry.

"Zombies," MelissaBaby whispered. "They're zombies."

More and more of them. The entire parking lot a sea of zombies and their wrinkled flesh filled out, dead eyes shone with hunger, dirt fell away, tattered clothes formed, hands flexed and they might not be alive, there might not be any sentience there but they were hungry and they scented food.

"Thousands of zombies," MelissaBaby whispered.

They scented us.

"Fuck," I said. "This is so not good."

"Inside the mall," Tex said. "Shut the doors and they might not smell us."

That was it, I was fucking moving and I wasn't the first, just as a family strolled out, chattering away, shopping bags in hand, totally oblivious to us, to Cuddles, to the Vampire Hounds and to the gathering zombies in the parking lot.

"Stay inside, Sir," Zeb paused to say and me, I wasn't pausing. I was already inside and next thing I knew Zeb was in with us and that family hadn't ignored Zeb and they were screaming as the zombies pressed against the glass and Zeb was trying to figure out of there was any way to bar those glass doors.

"Basement level," Steve said, and we were moving and there was a bar. "We gotta get down to the basement, that's where they've got Gus and his team pinned down."

"I gotta take a pee," I said.

"What?" Steve said 'n everyone kinda stopped and looked at me.