more! more!!

Me here again, this your piece is just great. And the way you update consistently is good, although i find myself always asking for more. Welldone man

Alrite peeps get ready 4 anoda piece.
Editing it rite nw.

Finally we could see the ship. It was a massive gray construction, with superstructure rising high into the air. It was a beautiful summer morning, but I could not help but feel an ominous shiver when I looked at the otherwise-normal-looking ship.

Sam had assured us that the ship was not as big as it appeared, since most of the interior was open cargo space, but it was still going to be a beast to search.
Suddenly there was a massive roar as the helicopter flew low over us and charged the ship. Wind and salt spray buffeted those of us at the railings. A figure manning a door gun waved at us as they passed.


"Show offs!" Milo yelled and waved back.
MHI's helicopter was a surplus piece of metal.It was possibly the ugliest thing ever designed, but it was considered a flying tank for a reason. Utility in comfort, it was nonetheless reliable and versatile. It was big enough to carry eight of us, and could carry enough weight and had enough fuel that the entire team could be evacuated on it if necessary, provided we did not mind hanging off of the wing .
The chopper swept quickly over the ship and made another pass. It slowed until it was hovering and then lazily rotated over the center of the ship. Sam Crepsley stood nearby, listening intently into his earpiece. All of us were on the same radio net and could listen along. We had been warned to stay off of the radio unless absolutely necessary, except to check in every five minutes once we were onboard.
Juliet Shackleford's voice crackled over the radio. She had been the waving door gunner.


"This is Julie. I see no movement. Deck looks clear. No bodies. No signs of damage. French chopper is still on the pad." We were a small enough group that we just used our names on our secure radio net.
"Chopper One. This is Boat One. Can you see into the bridge? Over." Except for Sam, of course. He did not get to be in charge very often, and was not going to waste his chance to use correct radio jargon.


The chopper gradually changed position until it was directly in front of the superstructure. Julie leaned out the door, secured only by bungee cords clipped to her harness. She mounted her rifle and used the scope to scan the windows.
"Negative, Sam. We have a ghost ship."

"Roger that," the big cowboy radioed back. He nudged Milo in the ribs and gave him a grin. "Did you know my middle name was Roger?"
"Yes, Sam, I know," Milo responded.

Harbinger's voice came over the radio next. "Let's do it. Front of the ship is clear. We're going to rope down and set up a perimeter. We'll send down the ladder. Front, left-hand side."
"Chopper One, this is Boat One. It's the prow, damn it. Left is port.Over," Sam responded in consternation.
"Roger that. Front, left-hand side. Ladder is going to come down near the anchor chain. If nothing comes out to attack us we will throw down a second ladder. Signal us when you're in position," Harbinger radioed back.
Directions were given to the captain and the boat motored into position.

"Chopper One, this is Boat One. We will be in position in one minute. Over."
"Roger that. We're heading down." Gradually our boat bumped its way into position. We waited breathlessly. Nothing could be heard above our own engine, the roar of the chopper beating gravity into submission, and the crashing of waves.
Our only indication of success was when a chain ladder came hurtling toward us, rattling violently as it unrolled down the ship's hull. Sam lunged forward, grabbed it, and gave it a mighty tug. Nodding in satisfaction, he turned to us and stabbed his finger upward. Milo led the way; he was the best climber of the bunch, since he free climbed mountains for fun. The smaller man grabbed onto the chains and pulled himself up effortlessly. With his long red beard, and bristling with firearms and knives, he reminded me of a pirate. A very good pirate, but a pirate nonetheless. Sam went next. Though burly and not as graceful as his predecessor, he had the most experience at this kind of thing, and was still remarkably fast. A second ladder came crashing down, and Jack's team started to clamber up them as well. The Newbies were to go last. Except for Holly Newcastle. She had been given support duty. That meant that she needed to stay on the boat and send up any of the special gear that ended up being needed that was still on the boat. We would send down a cord and she would tie it to the necessary equipment. She got to stay where it was the safest, and she did not like it one bit. In fact, she had been royally insulted.


"This sucks," she said as I waited my turn at the ladder. I was extremely nervous, but I tried not to let it show.
"It's an important job. Somebody has to do it," I replied. "We don't know what's on this thing, and we can't haul all of this with us. Who knows what might come in handy."
"Bleep me, Z," she retorted.
"I'm gonna have to take a rain check on that one. Thanks, though." Conversation was good. Conversation kept me from thinking about what I was going to have to do in about thirty seconds.
"You know what I mean. I should be up there with you guys. I can handle this."
"I know you can. Don't worry. You'll get your chance. Hey, me, Trip and Lee are just guarding the escape route. That isn't very heroic."
"Don't matter. We still get paid!" Trip shouted over the noise. It was his turn. Lee was already halfway up the first ladder. My friend let out a mighty rebel yell-"Yee Haw!"-and started climbing.
It was my turn. Lee was almost over the bow. It looked to be at least a twenty-five-foot climb. Dangling from the side of a ship. On a slippery metal ladder. Hanging over the open ocean. Fun. I checked to make sure my 12 gauge was securely slung and that all of the pouches on my load bearing gear were still closed. It was go time.



As I hit the ladder I realized that at that moment I was well and truly beginning my career as a professional Monster Hunter. I was prepared. I had recovered from my previous injuries, and I had been working out harder than I had in years. I was in excellent physical shape. I was scared and nervous, but I was actually looking forward to this. This is it.

2mao battle begins.

more more more!
I've read countless horror books,bt i've neva come across any as interestin as dis, from d plot to d setting to d diction to characterization...superb! Dis shld be published

nobleDream: more more more!
I've read countless horror books,bt i've neva come across any as interestin as dis, from d plot to d setting to d diction to characterization...superb! Dis shld be published

its great thanks to my sis in cyprus doing the editing.

@op: God bless u and ur sis 4 putting 2geda dis great work.

wow, feels good to be back, mehn I cant wait to read the battling update
Buh first, lemme use this space to wish Everyone a merry xmas esp my bozz -dmichael- , all of you that commented and even those that haven't commented, I say a happy celebration to you, and to your sis dmichael , I say a big thanks for her invaluable help
Enough talk
dmichael, you know what to do

Evad: wow, feels good to be back, mehn I cant wait to read the battling update
Buh first, lemme use this space to wish Everyone a merry xmas esp my bozz -dmichael- , all of you that commented and even those that haven't commented, I say a happy celebration to you, and to your sis dmichael , I say a big thanks for her invaluable help
Enough talk
dmichael, you know what to do

xame 2 u evad.updates cumin in the evening.nt received feedback from my sis yet.

"This is Priest. You lot aren't going to believe this, but I've got signs of life. Somebody must have heard us arrive."
"What?" Jack responded.
"Listen, I'm going to put my mike on it. I'm getting this through a duct."


Every Hunter on the ship strained to hear. It was a series of seemingly random clicks, repeated over and over. I did not immediately recognize it. Sam picked it up first.
"Morse code," he translated. "SOS… T R A P P E D space E N G I N E R O O M space D A R N E space SOS."
"Priest, send a message back," Harbinger ordered.
"No i can't, chief. Don't know Morse code."
"On it, Ed," Sam responded and hurried off in that direction.
Harbinger got back on the radio. "Okay, folks. Mission parameters have changed. This is now a rescue." He released the mike. "Jack, gather your men. Let's clear this ship!"
"Won't be the first time Americans have saved the French," the Special Forces vet shouted over his shoulder as he ran to rejoin his team.
I waited for my boss to address me. I could not tell what he was thinking.
"Pitt."
"Yes, sir?"
"Cut the 'sir' crap. Can you think of anything else from that dream of yours that might help?"
"Not really. If the dream is right, then the really bad dudes have disembarked. So do you believe me then?"
He did not answer my question directly. Instead he got back on the radio.
"Holly, send up every stake we have. We need to kill us some vampires."
"So is that a yes?" I asked again.
"Come on… We're burning daylight. Nobody's ever killed a Master in the dark."


Vampires are one of the most dangerous forms of undead. Brutal, swift, and smart. No Hunter in the world takes one on lightly. They vary greatly in ability, with the weakest being only super dangerous, while Masters are virtually unstoppable, perfect killing machines.


Unluckily for us, anyone who is killed while being fed upon by a vampire could rise as one the next few nights, so we were potentially looking at fifty enraged bloodsuckers on the ship. Luckily for us, newly created vampires tend to be confused and disorderly. The longer the creature exists, and the more blood that it has fed on, the greater its power would become.


Once again, literature and the movies got the story partially correct. Vampires are creatures of the night. Indirect sunlight can burn them. Direct sunlight will kill them. Their cells can regenerate almost instantly, but a stake through the heart will paralyze their advanced circulatory systems, and shut them down long enough to take their heads off. Even in our line of work there are not too many things that could survive getting their brain housings severed. Holy symbols like crosses and blessed water occasionally have an effect, but are dependent upon the personal faith of the user. Most Hunters prefer violence over faith.
I took small comfort from that fact as I hauled a case of fragmentation grenades up from the boat. They could be destroyed, and we had the means to do it. I grunted as I set the heavy case down on the deck, unlocked it, and threw it back over the side. Holly waited below for our next request. Trip and Lee stood nearby, scanning for any threats. We were the security detail. Julie was in the Hind, still on over watch, and the ten other Hunters had broken into two raid teams and were making their way gradually toward the engine room.
"This is Harbinger. Still haven't seen anything."
"Jack's team. All clear. Stay frosty."
We had sent a coded message down the duct. The French Hunter tapped back that most of his team had been taken out by vampires, and they had sealed themselves in a compartment, were out of ammo, and were hiding.
"Newbie team. All clear on top." I cradled my Remington and watched the deck. Nothing was moving except for the French flag flapping in the breeze. Since we were standing in broad daylight, and worried about creatures that burst into flame when they got too much sun, there was not a lot for the Newbie team to do other than keep a sharp eye on nothing. The Hind circled lazily above.
"How come Chuck got to go inside, and we're stuck out here?" Albert Lee complained. He was a small-statured man of Asian descent. He had been a librarian once upon a time, before a colony of giant mutant spiders had taken up residence in his archives and started sucking the fluids out of his clientele. Unlike your average librarian, however, he had put himself through college on the GI Bill, and had been a demolitions specialist in the Marine Corps. His giant spider problem had met a fiery end, thanks to diesel fuel and ammonium nitrate fertilizer. Sadly, the library had burned down as well. He was sharp, and unlike many of the Newbies had already known which end of the gun was the dangerous one. I was glad that Harbinger had picked him to come along.
"Chuck has more CQB training," I answered. CQB stood for close quarters battle, and Mead had a lot more experience in it from his Ranger days than the rest of the Newbies. Lee just shook his head and we went back to waiting.The two assault teams were converging on the engine room from separate corridors.
"This is Harbinger. Room clear. Buckets of blood on the floor. There was a struggle here."
"This is Jack. We're above the boilers. More blood. Lots of shell casings. This must be where the French bought it."
"This is Julie. Deck is clear."
"Newbie team. All clear on top," I said again.
"This is the 'support' team. I've got stupid sailors trying to hit on me and this damn boat smells like fish guts," Holly reported.
I checked my weapons again. The 870 had an 18-inch barrel and a two-shot mag extension, giving me seven total shots in the gun. It was a personal favorite of mine. I had owned this particular unit since I was fifteen. I had replaced the fore end with a Surefire high intensity flashlight, mounted a glow in the dark XS bead sight on the rib, attached a side saddle that held an extra six shells, and added a nylon butt cuff that held six more. My load-bearing gear was heavily laden with extra shells: silver buckshot, silver slugs, flechettes, armor-piercing quadrangle shot, internally suppressed buckshot, Milo's special magnum breaching charges, and even a couple of tear gas rounds. I had strapped on everything i could.
Mhi allowed hunter to customize their own guns long as it could contain .45 silver bullets.

wots happening? Patiently waiting for updates...

Pls gys hold on been quite busy dis period.

d michael: Pls gys hold on been quite busy dis period.

no p! We go wait!

Waoh! Here comes the battle part cant wait! Nice work bro. *person wey dey talented don dey talented*

d michael: neva mind dude,just read................and see.

aye captain

I was as ready as I could be. I felt like I had in the minutes before a big money fight. Every one of us had been training hard, both physically and mentally. The Newbie team was ready to rumble.

The others were armed with Heckler & Koch.45 subguns. I wasn't particularly impressed with the guns, and thought the whole German engineering thing was really overrated, but Milo had gotten a good deal on a couple dozen, so they were passed out to most of the Newbies until they were proficient enough to pick their own stuff.
The radio crackled again. The deeper the teams moved into the bowels of the ship, the greater the distortion. We were using top-of-the-line communications equipment, but there was only so much that radio waves could do through layers of steel plate.
"Jack here. We have movement ahead. Five yards from the engine room."

"This is Harbinger. Movement ahead."
"Shit. They're behind us too."
"Incoming. They're coming through the grates."
"Under the floor. Coming through the floor." Gunfire erupted in the background.
"Ambush! It's an ambush!"
The radio cut out. I couldn't hear a thing. The three of us on deck stared at each other in confusion.
"Ed, come in Earl.Jack. Anybody hear me?" Julie asked over the radio from the circling helicopter. She sounded worried.
I looked up to see her holding her hand to her neck, sniper rifle dangling from its straps. She was shouting something at the pilot, then she looked at me, and quickly snapped her rifle to her shoulder.
"Newbie team. You have incoming!" she shouted over the radio as she fired right past my head.
The sound could be felt in my eyeballs and eardrums as the bullet whizzed by, mere inches from my helmet.


I spun in time to see a hideous undead face fall away from the ship's railing, an extra hole in its gray forehead. Blood-stained men in rags were coming up over the sides, and charging with fast loping gaits, directly toward us.
No time for emotion. Training kicked in.


Without any conscious thought I raised the shotgun, flicked off the safety and caressed the trigger. I slammed a creature to the deck with a load of double- aught to the chest. Before it had even fallen, I had pumped and fired at the next creature in line, tearing off its jaw in a spray of black blood. It kept coming, arms outstretched and clawed hands grasping for me. I cranked off two more rapid shots and it stumbled and fell over the railing. The sound of suppressed subguns opened up as Trip and Lee fired their H&K .45s.
Grabbing shells from my vest I rapid-fire shoved them into the loading port as I searched for more targets. The ashen undead were pouring over the sides of the ship, and spilling out around us in a confused mass. I fired at them as fast as I could, the gun an extension of my will.

I put twelve silver pellets through the brain cage of a creature closing on Lee, and dropped a slug through the chest cavity of another charging Trip. I felt a cold wet splash as the head of an undead that had appeared behind me was vaporized by a.308 round from Julie's rifle.

"Close ranks. Get back to back! Back to back!" I shouted at my team. Somehow in the confusion they heard and ran toward me, all of us firing simultaneously in different directions. Some of the monsters that had been put down were already standing up again. I kicked one as I passed, a move that would have broken every rib and probably killed a human. All it did was send the creature to its feet faster. It opened its mouth in a soundless roar and lunged. I stuck the 870's muzzle under its sternum at near-contact distance and blew a softball- sized hole out its back. It stumbled away momentarily, but then changed its mind and kept coming. I crushed its skull with the butt of my gun, and kicked its legs out from under it.
Lee screamed in pain as a bone claw struck him in the leg, and he collapsed to the ground. Trip stitched the monster through the face, grabbed Lee by the drag handle on the back of his armor, and pulled him to safety. I emptied my shotgun into the throng of undead, trying to take head shots, and then dropped it when it clicked empty. My tac sling kept it from hitting the ground. I instantly transitioned to my Kimber, centered the sights on the closest target and started firing. Bits of meat and bone flew from the creatures' heads as the bullets struck home.
The three of us clustered together, shooting and reloading wildly. Lee lay prone on his stomach, firing his UMP upwards. More bullets cracked past us as Julie fired into the crowd. The slide of my 1911 locked back empty just as a creature was almost on me. My hand flashed toward a new magazine in a speed reload, but Trip was suddenly past me and took the monster's arm off at the shoulder with his hatchet. With its remaining arm the creature brutally swatted Trip to the deck. I slammed the fresh mag home, dropped the slide and shot it through both eye sockets.

Lee was reloading, struggling to get a magazine out of his chest pockets while lying on them, his legs paralyzed beneath him. Trip wasn't moving.
There were only two creatures still up, but they were coming our way fast. One was wearing what used to be a sailor's uniform, and the other was wearing some sort of security coverall. Their eyes glowed red, and their teeth were broken and black. Sharpened bones appeared through the torn ends of their hands. I hammered two quick rounds into the first creature's head, and it spilled forward onto the deck.
I shot the former sailor in the face. Its claws slashed out toward me as I threw myself down in an attempt to avoid them. My back hit the deck, sliding through the spilled fluids, firing upward into the creature still relentlessly pursuing me. Its neck erupted in a spray of black as Julie nailed it, temporarily slowing the monster. I pulled the massive ganga ram from my chest and swung at the creature's legs. The big knife tore through the monster's knee, severing the limb. It fell beside me and I cleaved the top half of its skull off, spilling pink brains and black fluid onto the painted deck.
The front of the ship was littered with steaming gray bodies. Some of them were still moving, and a few were already starting to rise. I raised the huge knife over my head and shouted in rage. I hacked wildly at anything that twitched, spraying fluids and meat with every swing. Lee struggled to his feet shakily and shot.45 caliber holes in anything that looked suspicious. The chopper dropped altitude, and roared over the side of the ship.
"Mike! The undead are coming out the holes. They're crawling up the sides of the ship. Holly needs help."
Shit. I slammed the still sticky knife back into its sheath, holstered my pistol, retrieved my shotgun and started loading it with slugs as I ran toward the chain ladders. Julie was dangling from the chopper, firing at the side of the ship below me. A ricochet sparked upwards and struck my body armor. Ignoring the painful but not dangerous hit, I leaned across the railing to look down at the deck of the boat. Holly was firing her UMP at the monsters dangling unnaturally from the slick steel hull. They were crawling along it somehow, in violation of gravity and common sense, heading directly toward her. There were at least five of them, and they were soaking up bullets without much effect.
I put the bead on a creature directly below me. It was an awkward angle, and I had to lean over so far that I was afraid I was going to end up in the ocean. I stroked the trigger and put an ounce of silver through the first undead's shoulder blades. Arms limp, it slipped from the hull and fell into the waves. I pumped the action and took aim on the next target.



Then a cold feeling surged through my body, starting in the center of my back, and spreading out into my legs and arms, so very cold it burned. My legs went numb, and buckled beneath me. My 870 slipped from my grasp and dangled on its sling. I was jerked around like a rag doll. An undead sailor held me by the straps of my armor. Its touch had caused instant paralysis. I looked into its clear, blood-red eyes as it opened its mouth impossibly wide, black razor teeth glistening. I tried to move, but all I could manage was a weak flopping of my arms, twitching the muscles of my face, and a small tingle of my fingers. I was about to die.

Suddenly the top of the creature's head opened up like a cantaloupe stuffed with firecrackers. Juliet had fired right past my limp body. The bullet actually grazed my helmet. It was perhaps the best shot I had ever seen. The creature fell, lifeless claws trailing away from me. I could see Trip and Lee heading my way, trying to reach me before my limp body went over the rail. Trip dived recklessly over the near headless undead, arms outstretched like I was a football creeping into the net.
He did not quite make it.

I fell the thirty feet into the ocean soundlessly. Not because I was too brave to scream, believe me. I was screaming on the inside, but my throat was too frozen to make any sound. I hit the waves with a huge splash. Immediately the weight of my armor and weapons dragged me down. My limbs floated numbly around me. I was at least able to close my mouth, but water started to rush relentlessly down my nose. I tried to move. I willed my arms to move. Nothing was happening. I tried to struggle. I raged soundlessly at my helplessness as I spiraled into the depths.

WOW, JUSt WOW. More pls

Waoh! One word *Ekcellent* I want more. Keep up the good work!

Bro you are good.

This is an amazing story. More juice to ur brain and ink to your pen

Update cumin by 4pm.tanks gys 4 commenting.

Evad,wadup?hw d new year wan b nw?

Amazing... One of the best I've ever read on nairaland

waiting patiently..,..

The light was thining above. I did not know if that was because I was putting some serious distance against the surface, or because my brain was running out of oxygen. The water was cold, but my body felt colder still. Lights began to explode behind my eyes as water expanded into my lungs. I knew that soon they would lock up in desperation, and I was done for.


What were the undead that paralyzed you at their touch? We had discussed them in class… There had been a picture of Julie fighting one. Wights. Wights could paralyze you. How long did it last though? Lee had gotten up pretty quick, and Trip was moving around when I slipped over the edge. A minute? Maybe two? Unfortunately I didn't have a minute or two. My depth was increasing, and I was starting to panic from lack of air. Terror without the outlet of movement is a real bummer. I kept trying to move, willing myself to respond with all my might. My fingers wiggled slightly. Not enough.

It had been fun while it lasted.
Then I stopped. The Old Man from my dream was in front of me. I could see him clearly in the dark water. He was perfectly dry as fish swam past his bony shoulders. He shook his head sadly.
"Boy, we have to stop meeting like this."
He reached out with his heavy cane and stabbed the emergency button on my armored harness. The CO2 canister erupted with bubbles, instantly inflating the shoulder portion of the armor, and giving me positive buoyancy. I started to rise.
"Up you go now. Your friends need help. You not very good at this. No more getting dead!"
As my armor carried me toward the surface in a cloud of bubbles, I could sense the feeling returning to my body. It was an awful, tingly pain. Combined with the screaming, air-starved agony in my chest and the explosive pain in my head, it was horrible.


My legs began to kick and my arms began to tear at the hard water, forcing myself ever faster toward the light and a breath of precious, precious air.
My head broke the surface. I somehow gasped and filled my mostly liquid-distended lungs, and simultaneously violently vomited salt water. That hurt. Immediately one of the fishermen started to wildly strike me in the helmet with a pole.
"Kill it! Kill it!" one of them shouted.
I tried to swat the pole away, but my limbs were still regaining their strength. "Stop it! I'm human, you idiots," I croaked as they tried their best to shove me back underwater.

"He's on our side. Quit hitting him, damn it!" I heard Holly order. "Pull him in."
I did my best to grab the end of the pole and I was dragged to the boat. Rough hands grabbed me by my harness and pulled me aboard, soaked, shaking, gasping and still vomiting. There was sudden movement in the waves as one of the wights broke the surface and did a savage impersonation of dog-paddling toward our boat.
"You can whack that one," I gurgled, as my numb fingers tried to grasp my still-secured shotgun.
"I've got it. Fire in the hole!" Holly shouted. I heard a plopping splash, and a few seconds later a thunderous roar as the frag grenade detonated. The ocean erupted. Water and miscellaneous undead bits rained down on the little boat.
"That's the last of them," Holly reported. "Are you okay?"
I rolled onto my side and retched and coughed horribly. My chest was racked with spasms of pain and I was seeing double.
"Yeah, I'm cool," I gasped.
"Sure, you're the image of health. Come on, Z." She tried to help me up, but I was far too heavy to budge. I struggled to my knees as she pulled at the handles on my armor. There was a large scorch mark on the hull of the ship, with a small jagged crater torn through the metal in the center. She saw me looking at the hole in puzzlement.
"What? You thought you guys were going to leave me down here with all of the cool stuff and I wasn't going to use any of it?"


She pointed at the spent RPG launcher lying on the deck. Next to it was the headless body of a still-twitching wight. She had pinned it to the wooden deck with a stake.
"They need help up top," I said as she helped me to my feet. I had to stop and vomit once again. It still hurt but it was getting easier. That one had contained my dinner from the evening before. Cereal.
"I'll go. You stay here. The captain is casting off. They're going to get the hell away from this demon boat, and I cant say i blame them.


"I'm going," I stated.
"You almost drowned," she pleaded.
"And I didn't even get any mouth to mouth. We're wasting time." I grabbed onto the ladder as the boat, engine turned over with a cough and ejected a cloud of smoke. Holly shook her head in consternation and grabbed the second ladder. We started climbing as the little boat pulled away.

Surveying the deck, I could see that my mates had been busy while I had taken a little swim. Every wight had been hastily chopped into its component bits. Some gray arms were still pulling themselves along, and a few severed heads were glaring and gnashing their teeth. The chopper was still circling above us. Surprisingly, my radio still worked.

"I popped a couple climbing up the other side. I think we're clear," Julie's voice said. "No response from the assault element. I'm coming down."
The chopper stopped directly above us, a rope was thrown out the side, and Julie unclipped herself from her bungee cords. She expertly fast-roped down, dropping swiftly to the deck. As soon as her boots hit the surface she was heading our way, helmeted head pointed down to avoid the harsh blast of the rotors. The chopper immediately gained altitude and banked hard and away.
"He can stay for another twenty minutes, tops, then he needs to refuel," she shouted as she approached. "Is everybody okay?"


"Good to go," Holly stated. The rest of us nodded.
I suddenly dry-heaved and went to my knees coughing and choking. Once it passed, I shakily lumbered back up. "Just peachy," I said giving a big grin and a thumbs-up.
"Good. We're going in," Julie ordered. She dropped the partially expended magazine from her accurized M14, and replaced it with a full one. "Assault team has been out of contact for a few minutes. They probably need help. Let's move out."




She trotted toward the entrance to the belly of the beast. The rest of us followed obediently. It had been felt that the Newbie team had not been ready for the brutal close quarters battle that was monster hunting in a claustrophobic ship's interior. That didn't matter now. We were the cavalry and we were coming to the rescue. At least Julie knew what she was doing.
"Take grenades. But be careful how you use them. We're going to be inside a steel tube. Back pressure from an explosion can kill. Don't hose shots. Everything ricochets down here. Watch your muzzle and be aware of where the rest of your team is. No flames. The ship is metal, but everything onboard can burn, and a ship fire is bad news. If anything moves, and it isn't human, shoot it. Questions?"


Nobody said anything. We stopped in front of the massive metal door. Julie grabbed Holly by the straps of her armor and looked her in the eyes. "It's going to be dark in there, Holly. Just like the hole. Are you going to be okay? You don't have to do this if you aren't ready."
"I'm fine. I hate vampires. Let's kill these assholes," she replied angrily. Julie nodded and smiled. I had no idea what that was about.

"We're going to move fast. We're not going to stack at each entrance. We're not going to do a full clearing. Keep moving. Watch above you. Watch floor grates. Lee, you bring up the rear, watch behind us. I'm on point, then Pitt, Trip, and Newcastle. Got it?"
"Let me take point," I suggested.
"Why?"
"I've got the shotgun. You've got a sniper rifle with a scope on it. Plus I'm expendable. If you're in front and you die, then the rest of us are screwed." I wasn't being a hero. For conversational distance a shotgun beat the pants off of a long rifle with a magnifying optic.
She thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Pitt on point, then me. Any questions?" It probably made more sense to put one of the other three with the suppressed subguns next in line, but I did not think Julie was real confident in their shooting abilities at that point.
We were quiet, each of us preparing ourselves in our own way to enter the dark. Trip was obviously mumbling a prayer. Lee had his eyes closed and appeared to be doing controlled breathing. Holly was wearing an evil predatory grin. I made sure my shotgun and pistol were fully loaded and my magazines and knife were in place. At least my quick dip in the ocean had cleaned most of the wight juices off of me. The rest of the Newbie team was coated in them.
Julie slapped me on the back of my soggy armor.
"Go."


The first floor we covered was still lit with fluorescent lights, but by the time we hit the stairs for the next level down, we were forced to switch to our helmet-mounted night vision monoculars.

Something had systematically smashed every light. Glass crunched under our boots as we quickly made our way through the narrow steel corridors. I had a pair of lights on my shotgun, one a super- bright white light, and the second cast a brilliant beam that was invisible to the human eye, but lit up the whole world in green through my monocular. The rest of the team was similarly equipped with infrared lights on their guns as well. Since we were fighting undead, the thermal-imaging gear had been left on deck. It was not very useful against things that were already room temperature.
I kept the shotgun at the low ready, elbows tucked down to keep from banging them on the walls. Meals lay half eaten and rotting on the tables. The walls were splashed with a thick fluid that was indeterminate through night vision, but my gut told me that it had once been bright blood spray. So far all of the hatches had been open.
The crash of gunfire echoed through the corridors and ductwork. That was a good sign that our friends were still alive. My small team quickened its pace. According to the blueprints we'd studied on the way to the ship, we needed to go down one more flight of stairs, through some quarters, down a long corridor, and then we would be right on top of the engine room. We all flinched as an explosive whump vibrated the whole freighter and rattled the utensils in the passage.
"Bomb?" Trip asked.
"Hard to tell," Julie answered.
"I hope we don't sink," Lee grunted.
Our boots rattled on the metal stairs as we double-timed it to the next level. The time for stealth had passed. I turned the corner into the crew quarters, light probing ahead, shotgun butt ground tightly into my shoulder pocket. The long narrow room was filled with double bunks. Pornography had been crudely gummed to the walls, and it looked strange in the glowing green light. Blankets and trash were strewn everywhere. It was a veritable warren of hiding places. Jerking my fist up, I signaled the team to freeze. I had sensed something.
Julie drew against me, her rifle at the ready. I could hear her breathing. There was a clank as another member of our team tripped on the doorway. Something was in the room with us. I could feel it.


Nothing happened.
The group continued to shine our invisible lights around the room. I could not put my finger on what I was feeling, but something was waiting for us.
Julie must have felt the same thing. "Everybody, NVGs off. Go to white light," she commanded.
I flipped my monocular back and complied, pushing the button that activated the 120-lumen Surefire light on the forearm of my 870. Brilliant, scalding light suddenly filled the room from five waving points.When you suddenly flip on bright lights, one of your eyes is immediately blinded since the enhanced monocle covered only one eye.


The five of us were down to one sort of functioning eye and one dazzled eye when the Surefires kicked in. That was probably why the image of the vampire crawling down the ceiling toward us was extra sharp. As I had been told, it did in fact look like a normal person. This one looked like a regular sailor. Pale and defying gravity, but human.
I reacted a fraction of a second before the rest of the team. In that moment I was able to pump two silver slugs through the vampire's chest and pelvis. The concussion of the shotgun was deafening in the confined space, but nothing compared to the sonic crack of Julie's M14. Her bullet clipped the vampire through the shoulder. The creature dropped to the floor, and both of us hit it again on the way down. The rest of the team did not have a clear shot through us.
The vampire screamed inhumanly as Julie and I simultaneously dropped to our knees. The three Newbies behind us opened fire over our heads. The suppressed weapons shuddered as.45 bullets stitched the creature, with plenty of other bullets missing and hitting the walls and bunks. It shook and staggered, but kept coming. Impact holes showed in the monster's pale skin, only to instantly close. I emptied the rest of my slugs in a continuous burst, nailing the monster from the crotch to the forehead, the last shot snapping the vampire's head back violently.

I dropped the smoking Remington, drew my handgun, and fired two shots before I was swatted aside. My body armor cushioned the blow, but I was hurled through the air and slammed into the steel wall. Pain surged through my ribs and I lost my pistol on impact.

Lovely.

nice one

i don tire! Dis half chop chop don too much nah! Haba!

nobleDream: i don tire! Dis half chop chop don too much nah! Haba!

kul down nau.it takes time 2 create.pls bear wit me.

d michael: kul down nau.it takes time 2 create.pls bear wit me.

any update again today?

more!!!!