Merry Christmas everyone! I do hope you enjoy this little short story I've kicked up to acompany the main Blood of the Damned story... though set during Christmas of course. For those of other religions, I apologize that I have not made a special for you. I don't know much about the winter holidays of other religions however, and I'd rather not insult you by getting it all wrong. So I hope you all can enjoy this regardless. Happy Holidays!

Subscribe/ Table of Contents
FAQ

Blood of the Damned
Christmas Special 2009

Every year Sam and Liam put up coloured lights around the edge of their roof. Every year they put up a Christmas tree and decorated it with the kids, with lights and glass ornaments, with smiling Santas and topped with an angel. Every year they went to parties and mingled with friends as wine flowed and they got progressively more drunk, until they finally stumbled home to pay the babysitter. Every year they saw their paycheques spiral away into the colourfully wrapped boxes that piled beneath the tree.

Every year, their children woke them up at the crack of dawn, with such innocent excitement on their faces. Sam and Liam would pull on housecoats and grab steaming mugs of coffee and they padded down the hallway in their slippers. Laughter and cheer filled the house, as little Robbie and Timmy pulled the wrapping paper away like little savages.

Just like Timmy had pulled...

But every year the two little boys were always so happy, playing with their new toys, begging Mommy and Daddy to help them put some of their new things together so they could play.

Liam sighed as he looked at the empty corner where the tree would have stood every year before. He picked up a picture of his wife standing behind their two sons. Liam remembered taking that picture, and as he thought back to that day he brought the bottle of liquor to his lips.

The sound of Sam's sobs echoed down the hall. Ever since the death of their boys, she hadn't been the same. Not that Liam could blame her, not after what they saw. Not after Timmy's arm had been ripped off by the post man.

Liam remembered the frantic journey to the hospital, dodging traffic that had lost all sense of laws and rules. Order had fallen to chaos in less than a few hours.

The hospital had been nothing but blood stains and walking corpses, so Liam had no choice but to bring Timmy home, still sobbing as he clutched at the stump that had once been an elbow. Blood was already soaking through the once white bandages.

Sam had taken over then, going to the extreme in an attempt to save her son. Heating an iron up, she held her son down on the ground, and with tears in her eyes she pressed the appliance against little Timmy's stump.

Oh how the child had screamed. Liam had been in the other room, covering Robbie's ears while his brother screamed out in an almost inhuman growl.

Liam tossed the picture down and took a hard swallow of his booze. The treatment hadn't been enough, and Timmy died. Within a few minutes, Sam had found her son ripping the skin of Robbie's stomach open, and pulling intestines out and shoving them into his greedy mouth. Poor little Robbie had been unable to scream as his tongue had been bitten off.

Liam had been barricading the house, when he heard the two gunshots that ensured his two sons would never again walk. Sam hadn't left her room since. Every time Liam checked in on her she would softly stroke the gun that had killed the boys.

Now Liam just sat in his chair, staring at the corner where the Christmas tree should have been, sucking back at the booze he'd been collecting over time. As he finished off the one in his hand, he let the cool glass slip from his hand. It landed hard on the floor, clinking against other empty bottles, but not breaking. The world swirled around him in a haze, and the memories of that first day kept haunting him. He couldn't escape it anymore than his wife could.

And so into a black haze, Liam hurled himself.

~~~~

Getting off the bed and setting her feet on the ground, Sam rubbed her eyes and let her fingertips slide along the cool, slick metal of the gun. She left the bedroom behind, gun in hand, and moved down the hallway. Red eyes glanced at the family photos neatly hung on the walls, and quickly looked away. There was no joy to be found in them anymore, only sorrow.

With each footstep her hand reached out, and tossed one of the framed photos to the ground. She finally made her way to the living room, her eyes darting for a moment to the corner where the Christmas tree would have been. She could hear the creatures outside pounding on the barricaded doors.

Sam moved behind Liam, no more tears flowing down her face. She had only one gift to give today, and she expected nothing in return.

Pressing the barrel of her pistol against the back of her husband's skull Sam licked her lips. Poor Liam; what had happened had shattered his mind. He wasn't at peace with anything anymore, he couldn't even look Sam in the eyes. Shame filled him for his failure to protect his family.

Sam's last gift to him was peace. From this world, and from the horrors that had become so common place.

"Merry Christmas my love," Sam whispered into Liam's ear.

He didn't even stir in his drunken sleep, and Sam pulled the trigger.

She was alone now. But Liam would have peace, and be with the children. Sam would simply do what she could to survive, and if she didn't... well the family would be waiting for her.

New Chapter. If you didn't recieve a notification, its because you haven't subscribed. If you wish to be notified on each update, please subscribe by following the link provided in this news post.
Also, a bit of a poll here for those that read these little intros. The end of "Blood of the Damned" is in sight. Well for me. But regardless, I'm having trouble deciding on what to work on next. Should I work on a military sci-fi? Or on a medieval fantasy?
Oh Yes. And expect the Christmas Special around Christmas Eve.

Subscribe/ Table of Contents
FAQ

Previous Chapter

Blood of the Damned
Part 12

Joey strolled through the house carefully, trying not to wake anyone. He squinted his eyes as the sun vanished below the horizon, the dark veil of night enveloping the world. Standing in the front door and looking up into the sky, Joey smiled at the oranges and purples plastered across the sky. It looked like the pastel drawings his brother used to do.

A hand settled itself calmly on his shoulder, pulling Joey from his thoughts. Looking back he saw Haley standing in the shadows.

"Wake the others up. We're leaving soon," she said, and Joey nodded dumbly to do as she asked.

As he moved through the house this time, he didn't bother to try and hide his footsteps. He moved to the couch and grasped Jay's shoulder, shaking it. The soldier's eyes snapped open and met Joey's.

"Night?" Jay asked simply.

"Close enough. Haley wants to go," Joey explained.

"Good. We have a lot of ground to cover," Jay said getting to his feet and pulling his gear on, but leaving his tunic draped across the couch. It was sweaty from the night before, and that would only chill him as the temperature dropped at night.

Joey moved over to where Lila was nestled on another chair, curled up in the cushions with her lead pipe laying on the floor. As Joey gently shook her, her eyes snapped open and her breath caught in her throat as she looked around in confusion. After blinking a few times she seemed to remember where she was, the confusion was replaced with fear and an almost heavy burden.

"We're leaving," Joey whispered, as if afraid anything louder would shatter the silence and beckon a horde of a thousand screaming ghouls upon him.

As Lila collected herself Joey walked back to the door where Haley still stood, her eyes darting over the land. Joey looked into her eyes and frowned. There was a hunger there, and anger. Blinking he looked down for a moment and shrugged, and followed her gaze.

~~~~~~~~~~

John moved through the throngs of undead that shuffled along with him. He didn't have to push, or shove to move through the ranks, nor did they truly move out of his way. It would have been a strange sight to behold, for John was simply amongst them.

He didn't lead the ghouls, nor were they following him. They simply moved, going towards whatever food they may find, whilst John moved towards the calling that tugged at him as surely if he were being pulled by a rope.

What awaited him at the source of this calling? Answers? An end? John did not know, but he would find out, even if he had to bring the world down around him.

~~~~~~

The four gathered on the front porch, preparing to start their run to freedom. Or so they hoped. Before they left the farmhouse though, Haley took the pistols from their holsters, handing one to Lila, who gingerly took the weapon and looked it over, and the other to Joey.

Joey's eyes widened as his fingers curled around the grip and he hugged the weapon to himself.

"It's not a toy kid. Be careful," Jay told the over excited man before straightening his shoulders, and stepping down the steps of the porch with his walking stick.

Lila couldn't help but smile at the crack and followed Jay.

Joey frowned at the comment, but inside still felt gleeful about carrying the pistol, until he looked up and saw Haley looking at him.

"Shoot me, and I'll fucking kill you," the vampire said, and moved after the other two.

Joey stared at her, wondering if she meant figuratively, or that she'd make a midnight drink out of him. He decided not to test it and followed the rest of the group.

Next Chapter

And so the story continues in the daylight. As for some administration, for those who would like to continue receiving notifications, please leave a single comment in the subscription/ table of contents thread. A link is provided in every chapter. I will soon no longer be giving notification to those who merely comment on chapters after the next chapter.

Subscription/ Table of Contents
FAQ

Previous Chapter

Blood of the Damned
Part 11

Lila stood above the sleeping vampire, butcher knife in hand. All the stories said she needed a wooden stake, but this was reality not a myth. Not a legend. Cold steel should be able to kill the undead creature.

But what if it didn't? Too much of everything that happened was born of madness, what if Haley just calmly tore out Lila's throat, with the butcher knife piercing her breast.

Lila bit her lip as she stepped away from the vampire, and turned her attention to the window in the kitchen. Sunlight poured in through the glass, crawling across the floor the higher it climbed into the sky. Lila forgot about Haley as she moved to look out the window, letting the sunlight hit her face and warm her skin.

"You weren't sure if you get to see it again were you?" Jay's voice cut through the silence, making Lila's heart leap.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you," Jay continued, limping over beside the woman with his walking stick.

"It's okay," Lila said with a sheepish smile as she looked at the soldier who had shed the digital camouflage tunic and wore just a t-shirt beneath.

Jay's eyes quickly saw the M4 that had been left on the counter top, and the knife clutched in Lila's fist, the stainless steel glimmering in the sunlight. Jay sighed and looked back at Haley who still slept content in the chair. Or was she actually watching them and just pretending to sleep. Jay couldn't begin to guess.

"She's hope... on an island that seems to have lost it all," Jay said softly, his words for Lila, but his eyes not leaving the vampire... the woman, who had saved him in the forest.

"She's not human. She feeds off of humans. We're a food source for her," Lila said, pointing with her knife at Haley.

Jay sighed, and moved to the counter to look out the window. He couldn't argue against it, couldn't prove Lila wrong. It made sense for a vampire to protect humanity, like a farmer protecting his herd of livestock from ravenous wolves.

"But I was once human," came a voice from the living room.

Lila and Jay turned to see Haley sitting up in her chair, now playing with something silver in her hands. Jay squinted trying to see what it was.

"I was in London. On a rooftop, just laying there waiting to die," Haley started.

"London... that's where it all started. That's where it spread from," Lila said, almost in shock.

"Yes. I was there at the start of the madness, when the switch from reality to fantasy was flipped. I saw my family butchered, my mother's head torn from her shoulders, my brother's stomach ripped open. All I could do was run. So I found myself on a roof, waiting to die," Haley said quietly, a chain slipping between her fingers. She was playing with a necklace of some sort.

"On that roof I was given a choice. Wait for the zombies to get me so that I may join their ranks. Or conquer death. A woman gave me the chance to become strong enough to avenge my family, and to protect others where I had failed so miserably with those I loved," Haley finished with a sad laugh.

She tossed the object in her hands to Lila, who caught the silver object in a clenched fist. Letting her fingers uncurl from the fist she looked down at a silver cross on a simple chain.

"It was my mother's. It's a reminder. I have the power to protect now, and despite the fear of what I am, I will not fail," Haley said sternly.

~~~~~~

John heard screaming and swearing. With no expression he turned down an alley way to see two men wielding baseball bats to keep away the ravenous zombies. Blood flowed from multiple wounds covering their forms as they desperately fought for their lives.

A zombie's head was smashed between wooden bat and brick wall, crushing skull and spilling brains. A man's arm was bitten, teeth tearing through skin and muscle lifted from bone. A scream of pain filled John's mind as he moved towards the fight. He could save these two. He had that choice.

"Keith. Oh fuck man here comes another one. He's a big bastard too," one of the two men said.

Keith shoved a zombie the ground after it clawed at its face, scratching his cheek. His foot slammed down repeatedly on its neck, snapping the spine and leaving the undead monstrosity paralyzed.

"Size don't matter. They all die the same way," Keith yelled back to his friend as he viciously swung his bat, crashing against another ghoul's skull.

John moved up the nameless man, pushing a zombie out of his way. The man looked in confusion at the zombie now clawing at the wall as it slowly got to his feet. He looked up at John, and John wondered if the man knew that he would save him.

John grasped the man's throat, and lifted him off the pavement, his fingers digging into his flesh, crushing his windpipe on itself. The man tried to gasp, tried to do something, but not even a wheeze escaped his throat as John simply held him there. The man's eyes rolled into the back of his head, showing the pure whites as he dropped his bat to claw desperately at John's grasp.

"What the fuck?" Keith yelled out as he turned at the sound of the bat striking the pavement.

John looked down at him. Could this human not see that John was saving his friend? Perhaps he was simply impatient for his turn.

Keith lashed out, his bat striking John's shoulder, making the creature shake with the impact. Indeed, John had almost dropped the man still, but just barely, struggling in his grip. So John kicked Keith in the chest. He could hear the sound of ribs cracking as the blow sent Keith smashing against the wall.

John simply watched him, trying to get up despite his pain. He felt the nameless man go limp in his grasp, and so tossed him away like a rag doll. He would arise soon enough, saved from the pain and misery of life. It was Keith's turn, he had been so impatient.

John stood above the man, who quivered in fear. John's fist punched down hard, smashing through into his chest cavity, and grasping his heart. Keith's eyes went wide with pain, but John knew that he would know peace soon enough. So in one vicious movement, tore the heart from Keith's chest.

Next Chapter

This chapter is mostly dialogue, setting up for what is to happen, as well as shedding a bit of light on what is happening elsewhere in the world. Hope you enjoy.

Subscription/ Table of Contents
FAQ

Previous Chapter

Blood of the Damned
Part 10

Haley's boots made no sound as she came down the steps. She had a strip of sheet from somewhere upstairs to clean the blood off her sword, the M4 dangling from her back. The three humans watched the vampire descend, no one saying a word as this undead creature from legend stood amongst them, sliding her sword back into its scabbard.

Lila and Joey took a step away from her, and Joey seemed to lean further back into the couch. Haley's eyes danced between them, nostrils flaring as she sniffed the air, their blood.

"You're afraid," Haley said, seeing the emotion raging in their eyes, eyes which seemed to avoid her.

"No shit. The world's overrun with zombies, and to top it off we have a blood sucker standing in the room with us. What's not to fear?" Joey said loudly.

Haley pressed a finger to her lips as her nostrils flared once again.

"Like you said, zombies have over run most of the world. It would not do to draw them hear by shouting would it?" Haley asked looking straight at Joey.

He was caught in her gaze, unable to tear his eyes away. He felt trapped, as if he were an animal in a box. Finally, Joey shook his head as a response.

"Now. I'm not hear to kill you and eat you or whatever you're afraid of me doing. We drink blood, it only makes sense for us to keep you alive no?" Haley explained.

"Self preservation," Lily said, and Haley flinched slightly at the harsh tone.

Jay watched her carefully, reading the undead woman's expression as she tried to explain herself. He saw pain there behind her eyes. Pain the other two were blind to in their fear. She was a monster.

Jay looked down at his leg as the conversation shot back and forth between Haley and the two humans. His eyes just looked at the bandages that she had tied, saving his life.

"Thank you," Jay said suddenly, and the three others in the room stopped talking to look at the wounded soldier. Joey and Lila looked surprised, but Haley smiled ever so slightly, and nodded as way of response.

Before anything else could be said Haley swept the room with her eyes, though this time she saw less fear. It was still there, simmering below the surface, but not as paralyzing as before.

"So what's the plan?" she asked the two civilians.

Jay sat back watching the two. Lila and Joey shared a glance.

"We're looking for a boat to get off this island," Lila said, and Joey nodded to affirm.

"Where will you go?" Haley asked, and the two escapees looked at each other; they hadn't thought that far ahead.

"Okay. I got here by plane from Europe. Unfortunately I ran out of fuel and crashed it in the forests. I did see some large boats on the side of the island with the cottages. If we can stock them up with enough fuel we can head north," Haley said.

"What's north?" Joey asked.

"Some parts of Canada haven't gone dark yet. Neither has Iceland or Greenland," Jay explained, and Haley nodded to confirm the soldier's memory.

"Well... lets get going then," Joey said, inching ever closer to the door.

Haley looked out a window, and saw the light of a rising sun on the horizon. She let out a sigh.

"No. We stay here for the sunlight hours," Haley said moving over to the dead farmer still propped in his chair. She grasped his shoulder and tossed him to the floor. She took the M4 from across her back and leaned it against the chair before sitting down herself.

"Don't want to burn up?" Joey sneered.

"Not particularly," Haley responded calmly.

Lila watched the vampire and shook her head, before turning her eyes to Jay.

"Okay, once the sun sets, we move out. We'll set up shifts to keep watch, and get some sleep. We all need it," Jay said.

"I'll go first," Lila said.

Haley held out her carbine to the woman.

"Take this then," she said.

Lila gingerly reached out and took the weapon nervously. Once the carbine had left Haley's fingertips, the vampire let her eyes flutter closed. The three humans all shared a look, before searching out somewhere for them to get rest as well.

Lila stood by one of the windows and looked out at the world she thought she had known. How things can come crumbling down oh so quickly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

One foot in front of the other, plodding through the burning remnants of the city, with zombies skulking about searching for their next meal. There was very little people left alive, and John didn't really care. He just kept putting one foot before the other, bare feet tearing open as he stepped over shards of glass and metal. He didn't know where he was going, he just felt... drawn. Towards something. He wasn't even sure what.

Glancing down at himself, noting that the only garments he wore were camouflage pants. Military issued. Why was he wearing them? Why only the pants? He had no answers, only question upon question. Wherever he was going, perhaps he would find answers there.

Next Chapter

And so another chapter arises. An answer is unveiled, but what else is lurking in the darkness now. Find out come part 10.

Subscribe/Table of Contents
FAQ

Previous Chapter

Blood of the Damned
Part 9

The fires consumed the city. Flesh burned, and eaten. People turned against each other in their desperation to survive. Sins were committed as sanity fled like a bird before a great storm. Rape, murder, lies, there was nothing sacred within the damnation of the city.

John would puke if he could, but he couldn't find it within him. He couldn't find much in his heart these days, not even much of a reason to put one foot before the other. Except to find answers. That's all he wanted anymore. Who was he?

Turning a corner he saw a zombie hunched over a dead woman, tearing out her intestines with its teeth. John couldn't even tell what gender the ghoul had once been, so horrifically scarred it was. The creature lifted its head and turned, facing John. The zombie snarled, then went back to its feast, shoving glistening ropes of entrails between its eager jaws.

John lifted a hand and looked down at the pale skin of his forearm, covered in needle holes. Track marks some called the scars that pocked his skin. The other wounds...

John stared straight at the bones within his forearm. People called his other wounds rot. Something the body should only do when one was dead. Was he dead?

What was he?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jay blinked in surprise and frowned at the events that had just unfolded before him. He wasn't sure what to make of the fact that the woman who had just saved him was apparently a vampire.

It was impossible wasn't it? But then again, so was the living dead. Jay watched as Haley made her way up the stairs, M4 carbine in one hand, the other pulling the sword from its scabbard on her back.

"I wonder if that means there's werewolves and like... the gill man. Oh hell I hope we don't have to fight mummies or something," Joey said with a large grin.

"Shut up. That's just getting ridiculous," Lila told him.

"Yeah well, we thought that about vampires, but I mean, you just tried to blow her away. Fuck man, her blood is still dripping down that wall right there. And now she's just walking upstairs like you poked her instead," Joey said, pointing at the splashes of Crimson above the stairs that led to the darkness of the basement.

"I wonder what she was doing down there," Jay said.

"Getting her coffin ready," Joey said as though it were obvious.

Lila only rolled her eyes. From upstairs they heard a shriek which was suddenly cut off and followed by a solid thump on the floor boards.

"What the fuck? Did she just kill someone?" Lila asked.

"Oh right... vampire," Joey said, suddenly no longer impressed with himself, but pale with terror, as the thought of what was standing upstairs at that moment filled his mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Haley moved down the hallway quietly. She was annoyed at the holes in her jacket. It was a nice jacket, but sometimes there was nothing one could do.

She had slung her carbine across her back, and gripped her sword tight. Five years of being amongst the undead, but what she had seen in the basement had somehow managed to sicken her. That farmer...

Haley shook her head and approached the door from where she could hear the faint sounds of movement, and the quiet rattle of chains. There was a sign on the door that said "Amy's Room" in big block letters.

With the sword tight in hand, Haley opened the door and stepped into the child's room.

The floor was spattered with blood, and a few severed and partially eaten limbs were strewn about. In the centre of the mess was a little girl whose dark brown hair was falling out of her scalp, her once adorable blue dress spattered with the blood of god knows how many people that the farmer had fed to his ghoulish daughter. Heavy chains attached the zombie to a stake planted by the window in the room, a window overlooking the grave of the farmer's wife.

Haley walked up behind the little girl and raised her sword high, tightening her grip to ensure it would swing sure. The farmer's greatest sin was here before her, to allow his daughter to live in the hell of undeath. So Haley would redeem that sin and give Amy peace.

The girl's head turned around, and her sunken eyes looked up at the vampire standing behind her. She let out an unholy shriek revealing her broken teeth, stained with blood and flecks of skin.

Haley brought her sword down, instantly decapitating the girl, and setting her free.

Next Chapter

And here comes Part 8. I'm glad people are enjoying so far. This chapter isn't as long as I had intended, but some answers next installment.
Also, thank you to DarkX64 and zerogeass for saying such good things about me

Subscribe/ Table of Contents
FAQ

Previous Chapter

Blood of the Damned
Part 8

Jay leaned on Joey, and hobbled into the house. Lila moved ahead with the rifle, cautious in case the farmer was still about. As Lila walked into what appeared to be the living room she noticed the corpse sitting in the chair.

There were two small holes torn into his neck, the skin around them smeared with blood. The man's eyes had rolled back into his skull, and his head was sitting at an unnatural angle; someone had broken his neck.

"What the fuck happened here?" Lila asked as she looked about.

Joey helped Jay down onto the couch before looking at the body.

"What the hell? Did zombies get him?" Joey said, though Jay simply frowned.

Lila leaned forward and examined the wounds on the farmer's neck. They were much too clean to be zombies. Besides, only one bite? That didn't follow their behaviour in the least.

"Hey, have either of you seen a woman before finding me? Black hair, has a sword on her back. Fairly noticeable," Jay asked looking about the room wondering where Haley had gone.

"No. Though she does sound-,"

"Shut up. You guys hear that?" Lila interrupted, stepping away from the farmer's body and looking up.

"Hear what?" Joey asked, though Jay was looking up as well.

Then they all heard it. A slight thump, like someone was walking around on the second floor. Lila moved towards the staircase near the front door, eyes shifting about. She felt her heart pounding in her chest.

The door to the basement opened suddenly. There had been no warning and Lila shrieked as she turned and fired a burst of automatic fire into a woman's chest. Blood sprayed across the wall behind her, but she still stood.

Lila's eyes went wide as she realized her mistake, but before she could shift aim to the zombie's head the woman's hand grasped the barrel of the M4 and easily pulled it from Lila's grasp.

"I just saved you from farmer boy over there. Some more manners would be appreciated," the woman said, as she walked past Lila.

With each second that passed, the wounds closed a little more. Muscle and veins growing and reattaching, before the skin covered up the holes.

"Jesus Christ. I did shoot you out in the forest didn't I," Jay said, staring agape as the holes in Haley's jacket and shirt, revealing pale unblemished skin.

"Yes. Here's your rifle back," Haley said, tossing the weapon she'd taken from Lila to Jay, who caught it and checked to make sure the safety was on.

"What... what are you?" Lila asked staring at the woman whom she should have killed.

"Isn't it obvious! She's a damn vampire. Look at the dead dude's neck. Totally a vampire," Joey pointed out, and Haley smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"No... no that can't be. Vampires aren't real," Lila said, backing away, and Haley could only laugh.

"A decade ago people said the same thing about zombies. Take a look outside. Time to unlearn some of that science crap," Haley said, as she pulled the sword from its sheath on her back.

Lila ran her hands through her dark hair as she tried to register what she'd just been told. She leaned against the wall and looked at the raven haired woman moving up the stairs.

"Where you going now?" Joey asked her.

"Cutting off some loose ends," Haley said as she moved up the stairs to where she knew the farmer's daughter waited.

Next Chapter

And Part 7 arrives. Little longer than usual, but hopefully it won't bore anyone. Do enjoy!

Subscription/Table of Contents
FAQ

Previous Chapter

Blood of the Damned
Part 7

Lila skidded to a halt when she saw the man silhouetted in his door frame. The shotgun in his hands made her bite her lower lip in nervousness. Joey though laughed out loud and sped up.

"Oh thank God. I didn't know if there was anyone else out there," Joey said.

The boom of the shotgun made Joey drop to the ground, his eyes wide with fear and confusion. Lila was already ducking behind a bail of hay.

"Joey get back here," she called to him.

A second shot went off, a few of the shotgun's pellets digging into the flesh of Joey's back and legs. Screaming he scrambled backwards to where Lila was crouching.

"What the fuck man?" Joey yelled back at the shotgun toting farmer.

"I will not let her kind in my house. She and her people started all this. They caused all of this. I'm telling you now rag head, you won't get me!" the stranger yelled.

Joey cocked an eyebrow and looked over at Lila who was shaking her head.

"You dumb ass. We're just trying to hide," Joey yelled over the hay.

"Don't bother. You won't be able to reason with him. His ways are set," she told him, putting a calming hand on his shoulder.

"Well... what do we do then?"

Lila looked down at her hands, then shrugged.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jay and Haley were making their way towards a farm house not too far from the shack they had held up in. As they walked Jay slipped to the ground, grunting in pain as he hit. Haley let out a sigh and bent down to help him up, checking his leg to make sure the bandaging had held. Haley's head shot up when she heard the shotgun blast. It wasn't too far away.

"12 gauge," Jay muttered.

"Indeed. It came from that farm house," Haley responded, nodding with her head towards the very house they were moving towards.

"Well, might as well go check it out," Jay said, struggling to his feet with his walking stick.

Haley listened. She could hear shouting in the distance, yelling between two sets of humans.

"Fuck... I'm going on ahead. Move as fast as you can," she said, and took off at a run.

Jay watched her go and looked around him, sweeping the area with his M4.

"Son of a bitch," he muttered, hobbling after the woman.

~~~~~~~~

"Come on man. We just need somewhere to lay low," Joey called out, sticking his head above the pile of hay ever so slightly.

As the shotgun roared once more he ducked his head again. The pellets pattered into their cover and Joey swore in frustration.

"We're going to have to find somewhere else... first we have to figure out a way to get out of this little mess," Lila said to her comrade.

Joey only nodded, before he heard the farmer scream in terror. Frowning, both Lila and Joe stood, and where the farmer had once been standing, there was only an open doorway.

"What the fuck just happened?" Joey asked.

"I... don't know. Zombie got him? Now's our chance to get out of here though," Lila said.

She started to make her way around the hay pile, and saw a man in a military uniform moving towards the house with the aid of a walking stick. When the man saw him he lifted his assault rifle and pointed it at her.

Lila instinctually stuck her hands in the air and started to slowly pull back towards the cover. She'd had enough of getting shot at.

As soon as her hands had gone up though, the weapon drooped towards the ground once more.

"A little help please?" the soldier called out.

~~~~~~~~

Haley dragged the farmer into his own living room, tossing his shotgun across the floor. She pushed him down into the chair and stared down at him with hunger. She could feel the anger and hatred in him, could smell the undead upstairs. She pulled her leather jacket off, letting it lay on the floor behind her, exposing the blood stained t-shirt she wore underneath.

"You... you just want to take my baby away... just like Helen did," the man stammered.

There was no saving him, Haley knew this as she straddled him, her lips grazing over his neck as she pinned his arms to the chair. She heard his breath, the blood pumping in his veins as her body pressed against his.

Her fangs broke through his skin, tearing open the arteries within. The man's blood gushed out into her mouth. Hot and invigorating. She drank deep, draining the man of his life to feed herself.

The gasps he let out were warm on her cheek, slowing as his heart did as his life force gushed into her mouth, running down her throat.

Until, finally, his heart stopped beating, and the blood stopped flowing. Haley got off the body, feeling the excess blood running off her lips and down her chin to dribble across her shirt.

Grasping the top of the farmer's head and the bottom of his chin, Haley jerked her hands violently to either side. A loud crack sounded in the living room, ensuring the man would not rise again as one of the zombies outside.

Wiping her lips and chin clean with her forearm, Haley picked up her jacket and slipped it on, zipping it up to hide the fresh blood stains that would draw unneeded questions at this point.

Next Chapter

Sorry for the lack of updates, but here is chapter 6 finally. I know its a bit of a slow chapter, but sometimes you need slow chapter to set up something bigger. Regardless, enjoy.

Also, I can put up character profiles if people want them.

Subscribe/ Table of Contents
FAQ

Previous Chapter

Blood of the Damned
Part 6

Lila pressed her back against the white picket fence and let out a slow breath. Joey peered through the slits into the next yard to see if he could spot any of the undead.

"See anything?" Lila asked him, holding her lead pipe tightly in her hands.

"Back yard is clear, but there's a lot of blood across the back door of the house," Joey said.

"Well... lets go."

The two stood and jumped over the fence, and ran across the suburban back yard in a crouch to the next fence, where the repeated the look, jump, cross process. It was taking a little bit, but it was safer.

Making their way through the backyards, leaving behind the screams and chaos of the city, they said barely a word. There were thankfully very few zombies.

Then, the backyards just seemed to stop, and there was a road going out across the island into open fields. A few forests dotted the landscape, but most of it was farmland and solitary houses.

"The village at the far end of the island is probably cram full of dead folks. We should probably head to one of the cottages on the waterfront," Joey muttered looking over the final fence.

"That was indeed my plan all along," Lila said with a cocked eyebrow as she leapt over the white washed wooden barrier and started walking.

"Right... listen, it's been bugging me a little... why'd you snap that guy's neck?" Joey said catching up with her.

Lila frowned and looked at the ground for a moment, before letting out a sigh and looking forward, avoiding Joey's face.

"Would you have preferred I bashed his head in with the lead pipe?" she asked.

"Well... no... but why kill him at all?"

"Because I couldn't bring myself to just leave him there. He was in pain, and there was nothing we would have been able to do to save him. Save ending the pain, and preventing him from being alive when the fucking zombies show up to eat him," Lila said sternly.

Joey let it drop, and just kept walking. They were in silence for a few moments, letting the sounds of the city die away, punctuated by the occasional howl of a wolf. Joey shivered when he heard the beasts calling out to each other.

"We should stop for food," he said suddenly to fill in the void.

"I am hungry. I haven't had anything since I got off my shift this morning," Lila responded.

"That farm house... wait, are there lights on inside?" Joey said.

"There are. Lets go,"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Looking out his bedroom window, Phil noticed two figures running towards his home. He frowned and picked up his shotgun, checking to make sure it was loaded.

"God damn zombies..." he muttered as he moved to the front door.

Next Chapter

Well. I wrote this up really quick for Halloween. It's a break from the regular storyline but fits in the Blood of the Damned "verse". I do hope you enjoy, and the next update will be proper storyline.

Subscribe/ Table of Contents.
FAQ

Blood of the Damned
Halloween Special

Colleen Shepherd leaned against the bed she and her husband used to share. Her eyes drooped with fatigue, but she couldn't sleep. The growls, and the banging that surrounded her house kept her awake.

Looking down at the revolver held loosely in her hands she felt a single tear run down her cheek. It could get her out of this mess she found herself in. An easy ticket out. She pressed the gun against her temple, and muttered a prayer of forgiveness to her husband.

A crash from downstairs made her jump, and squeeze the trigger.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mark paced back and forth across the room, shotgun hanging from his right hand. He chewed on his lower lip, not knowing what to do. He felt lost, alone. Despite the woman waiting for him upstairs.

Why did he get involved with Colleen. It only complicated things, and now he was stuck with her, while the undead pounded on the barricaded windows and doors, trying to get in; hungry for their flesh.

There was a crash from the kitchen, it sounded like one of the boards coming loose. A gunshot sounded from upstairs immediately after.

"Oh fuck," Mark yelled. He felt torn, and ended up running up the stairs to the master bedroom.

He found Colleen laying on the floor sobbing, a gash along the side of her head and a bullet hole in the wall behind her. She tried... but missed.

"God damn you are useless... you can't even kill yourself," Mark said, shaking his head at the sobbing woman.

"Fuck you asshole," she choked out, clutching at the wound.

"You're the one who took me into your husband's bed," Mark shot back, and turned around to rush downstairs and check in on the kitchen.

As he moved down the stairs, something grabbed his ankle, and he fell face first down to the bottom. Pain flared through his body, and his couldn't move his arm without pain threatening to push him into a blackout.

He looked down at his arm, twisted the wrong way, bones poking against the skin. Mark almost wanted to cry.

A zombie loomed above him, his chest torn open to reveal his rib cage. The ghoul lurched towards Mark, reaching out with shredded arms to grasp the injured man.

Mark let out a choked sob as he struggled to get his shotgun back in his hands, but he couldn't do it. The zombie descended upon him, and Mark screamed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Colleen heard the scream, and almost smiled to herself. Mark was gone, her only true regret in life was dead now. She grasped the revolver that she had nearly killed herself with and aimed it at the doorway. She would survive. She had to find her husband, and make amends.

She heard the zombie coming down the hallway towards her bedroom, and she swallowed, fear crawling up her spine.

The ghoul that entered her room was immediately familiar. Her neighbour from next door. The one with two children, little Sally and Billy.

"Oh God," Colleen muttered as she raised her gun. She couldn't believe she was about to do this.

She squeezed the trigger and watched the blood from the exit wound splash across the wall behind the unholy abomination. The shot to the chest did not even slow the creature. It kept coming forward.

"No... no, please no," Colleen sobbed as she cocked the action back and fired again, this round going through the zombie's shoulder. It didn't stop as it grasped Colleen's hair and bent down to bite her cheek, ripping the flesh from her face.

Colleen screamed out in agony as blood gushed down her shirt and into her mouth. Pain and terror clouded her mind, she couldn't think couldn't move. The zombie simply fed itself on the woman who would never get the redemption with her husband that she had craved so much.

Here's part 5 of my story. I cut it in half so it'd be easier to read in one sitting. the segment with Joey and Lila will be either a section of part 6, or the entire chapter. I'm not sure, we'll see how long it gets.
Halloween is coming soon. I'll probably do a break in the regular story for a "Halloween special". We'll see what happens.
Be sure to comment on the subscribe page (under the link) to get a PM whenever I update.

Subscribe/ Table of Contents
FAQ

Previous Chapter

Blood of the Damned
Part 5

The howl of wolves washed over the island. Jaskiewicz tiled his head as the mournful sound poured in through the window.

"It is beautiful no?" Haley said as she looked over the sewing kit she had borrowed from the soldier sitting against the wall before her.

"Beautiful? They're just howling," Jaskiewicz said as he watched the woman clean her hands off with some baby wipes he'd had stashed in his vest.

"That's a simple way of looking at it, but the sound itself is soothing. Here's another way of looking at it. They have survived this long, despite an outbreak of the undead, and despite humans trying to hunt them into extinction," she said, tossing the used disinfectant wipes over her shoulder into the corner of the small shack they had found and occupied.

"Yeah sure. If you say so. Can we just this over with please?" Jaskiewicz said.

"Not a problem Jaskiewicz," Haley said, using a pair of scissors to cut the bandages off. Blood started to ooze from the wound.

"You mispronounced it," the soldier said, wincing as Haley ran the bandages through the wound to get most of the excess blood out.

"Well, how do you say it then?" she asked, taking up a needle and some thread.

"Ya-ski-vich," he said, wincing at the end as the needle pierced his flesh and started to drag the thread through the small hole it had made.

"Well... I'll just call you Jay then, not hold still or else you'll make it worse," Haley scolded, as she proceeded to push the needle through the skin on the other side of the wound.

It took a careful five minutes to finish up the stitching. Haley then proceeded to apply new bandages to the wound.

"Well... you won't be running on it anytime soon, but you won't bleed out either," she said, grabbing the long stick she had found outside and laid it beside Jay. The soldier grasped it, and carefully got to his feet, using the stick for leverage.

"Some crutches would do better," he muttered.

"Until we find some, walking stick is all you get," Haley told him.

Jay sighed, and looked out the window of the shack, looking into the woods they had just fled from. He could see a few zombies milling about, but the undead creatures didn't seem to know where their prey had fled to just yet.

"Thanks, by the way," he said after a moment of silence.

"For what?" Haley asked, raising an eyebrow.

"For saving me, and fixing me up," Jay said awkwardly with a shrug.

"Don't bother thanking me. It wasn't for you. Not individually anyway," Haley responded as she started to look through the cupboard on the shack's wall near the door.

All she found was a box of shotgun shells and a can of baked beans. She smirked as she reached in to grab them both.

"Alright then," Jay said, letting the subject drop. He had never been very good at talking to women.

"Take these. The beans will make a decent, if cold breakfast," Haley said tossing the shells and can of beans over to her companion.

Jay caught them, and slipped the ammunition into his vest. He inspected the food, before letting it fall into a leg pocket. It would get annoying after some walking, but food was food.

"I take it we're not staying here then," Jay commented.

"You're a soldier. You should know this place isn't defendable. You need somewhere stronger. You're going to need to sleep," Haley said.

"Why do you keep saying 'you'?" Jay asked as he moved away from the window and towards the door.

"I'm going into the city once you're safe. See who else I can find," Haley explained.

"Fuck that. I'm going with you," Jay said, standing resolute before the woman who saved him, walking stick in one hand, M4 in the other.

"You can barely walk. It'll be better to have someone experienced watching our little safe house anyway," Haley reasoned.

Jay shook his head. He knew when he was being patronized. Letting out a sigh, he finally straightened up.

"Lets go then," he said.

Next Chapter