Category: Monday Fiction

Fifteen miles north of Redencion, Panama, 3 February 2011, 2005 hours local: Countdown: 10 months, 28 days

Eric Stahl threw all of his might behind the punch to the tiny vampire’s face. Pain shot up his arm as his fist landed right on the vampire’s chin. He almost dropped the amulet as he worked his hand. It felt like the time he punched the side of a tank. Okay, nothing was broken. He heard the whoosh of the air as the vampire sprinted back. Stahl sidestepped and punched with the amulet. This time he aimed lower and caught the small vampire in the center of her chest. A flash of brilliant light erupted from the strike as the vampire shrieked in pain. As his eyes cleared, Stahl watched the vampire pick herself up nearly ten yards away. Her chest looked like it had been hit with willy-pete.

"That HURT!" the vampire screeched, "How did you hurt me?" Stahl didn’t answer. He rushed the vampire. The forest blurred around him as he shot across the distance between them in an eye blink. He thrust his fist into her chest once more. His strike passed through her body effortlessly. Her eyes went wide and her mouth moved, but no sound came out. Stahl yanked his arm out of her body. The vampire collapsed to the ground. There was a brilliant flash of flame and heat as the body was yanked out of this world. Stahl whirled on the other vampires.

The monster vampires that had been ready to kill the Zombie Strike team and the Truth cultists charged him instead. Stahl picked out the monster in the lead and flung himself at the creature. Stahl leapt and met the monster in mid-air. Stahl felt his collarbone crack, but the intense energy swirling inside of him shielded him from the pain. The vampire whipped a claw strike at Stahl. The former soldier rolled under the blow and sprung up into the monster’s gut with a jackhammer blow. The vampire doubled-over and Stahl slammed it in the face with a right cross. As the amulet slid across the vampire’s face, it burned off fur and flesh. The vampire let out a rumbling growl as it stood back up. Stahl brought up his fist for another strike.

The world spun uncontrollably as all of Stahl’s energy vanished. Pain from the built up injuries flared angrily. He was on the ground without even remembering falling. The vampire loomed over him. It paused, almost as if gloating the sudden turn of events. Was this what Evans meant? That he only had a small reservoir of power, and he used it up fighting the female vampire. Well, he wasn’t going down without taking something with him. His hand slipped down his leg until it found the familiar grip. Stahl jerked the Ruger SP101 revolver out of his ankle holster. The vampire flinched as the red laser beam lit up its eye. Stahl exhaled and squeezed. The small revolver barked once, twice, and then three more times after that, emptying the cylinder. The vampire’s head snapped back five times as each .357 Magnum round hit. It swayed on its feet for a moment and then shook its head. It snarled angrily and took a step towards him. Stahl dropped the revolver and tried to drag himself along the ground.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" hollered a British-accented voice a bare instant before three thunderous booms rocked the clearing. The combined shockwave drove the vampire to the ground and pushed all of the air out of Stahl’s lungs. As the former soldier gasped for air, the vampire stood and charged back towards Zombie Strike. The vampire took maybe two steps before a dark form slammed into it. For a moment, Stahl thought Billy was finished with Pretty Boy and was taking down another vampire. Then the form materialized into the decaying corpse of a jaguar.

Stahl watched in horrified fascination as the various animal corpses stood up and charged the vampires. Collins, the cowboy, mentioned in passing the Truth had created zombies from animals, but Stahl had been skeptical. His shocked mind could only latch onto the fact that he now owed the cowboy five bucks. The zombie jaguar savaged the vampire with its claws and teeth. The vampire flailed uselessly at the undead animal. Its blows would knock the zombie jaguar off for the merest instance, and then the jaguar was back on the vampire. The jaguar finally grabbed the vampire’s neck with its jaws. The vampire screamed in pain and the two were consumed in burst of fire.

Stahl felt someone grab the drag handle on his armor. He craned his neck around to see Montgomery straining to pull him back to the tree line. A vampire dodged a charging zombie ram and lunged at them. Then there was a deafening boom and vampire bits rained down on the two. Stahl grunted as some metal splinters slashed across exposed skin.

"Sport, watch where you’re lobbing those things!" yelled Montgomery, "Chief, when did you get so heavy?"

"Montgomery, drop me and get behind some cover," Stahl said with as much authority as he could muster.

"And let you pick up stray rounds and fragments? Not a chance," Montgomery snapped back. Stahl wanted to argue with her, but he didn’t have the strength. She jerked him behind a copse of trees. Grunting, Montgomery propped Stahl up to see the unfolding battle. The Zombie Strike and Truth shooters formed a ring around the two sorcerers. Those two were busy chanting. About half the remaining vampires were fighting off zombie animals while the rest were trying to close with humans. Coordinated automatic fire punctuated with Sport’s grenades was making that a losing proposition.

"Where’s that wolf of yours?" Stahl asked.

"Fighting that other evolved vampire," Montgomery answered, "Somewhere out there." Montgomery nodded eastward. She unslung her rifle and took aim at a vampire fighting off a zombie bull. She casually placed two headshots. The two rounds weren’t enough to take down the vampire, but they distracted it long enough for the zombie bull to gore the vampire. The two creatures vanished in the blast of flame. Stahl wanted to join in, but he was completely out of weapons and ammunition. All he could do was watch. One by one, the vampires were brought down. The last two died when Sport dropped five grenades between them. The silence after a furious battle always seemed eerie to Stahl. It was an odd moment of calm after such intense violence. Minutes passed as the Zombie Strike and Truth people came to grips with the fact that they’d survived. Then yells of joy erupted across the clearing. Montgomery sank down next to Stahl.

"Oh my God, we did it," Montgomery breathed.

"Yeah," Stahl said, "You did good Montgomery. When we get back, I’m going to show you some new stuff. Think you’d make a pretty decent LRRP."

"I have no idea what you just said," Montgomery commented. "You know Chief, you can just call me Jess." Stahl started to answer, but the last of his energy ran out. He could hear Jess screaming his name as the world went black.

Zombie Strike Part 7 Chapter 75 – Epilogue

Fifteen miles north of Redencion, Panama, 3 February 2011, 2000 hours local: Countdown: 10 months, 28 days

Eric Stahl slid back as the tiny female vampire grinned at him. He brought up his M4. Maybe he could slow her down. The vampire’s form blurred. Stahl’s mind couldn’t keep up with how fast the little form moved. A tiny fist slammed into his chest plate. He felt the ceramic plate crack. A second hammer blow landed, and Stahl’s ribs cracked.

"Where is the bauble human?" the vampire asked casually. "I know you have it. I need it please." She punched him again forcing all the air from his lungs. Stahl gasped for air. Pain wracked his chest. The ribs weren’t just cracked, they were broken. With as much strength as he could muster, Stahl slammed his M4 into the small vampire. She tore the front of his armor off as the blow threw the vampire off. She rolled for a few feet before coming up to a crouch. The vampire hissed and barred her fangs.

Good news, she couldn’t defy basic physics. Bad news, Stahl just pissed her off. Stahl brought up his carbine. The barrel was bent from hitting the vampire. She giggled like a schoolgirl as Stahl transitioned to his pistol. The vampire took sprinted towards him and then froze in midair. It wasn’t just her. The entire clearing looked like time stopped. Stahl could even see the bullets from Montgomery’s SCAR hanging in the air. Montgomery’s wolf trotted out from behind the girl.

"Did you do this?" Stahl asked the spirit wolf pup.

"Wolf does not have that power," said a new voice from behind. Stahl whirled to bring his pistol to bear on the speaker. The wolf leapt next to him. A man walked from behind a tree. He matched Stahl’s own six feet. His features reminded Stahl of the Jordanians he’d worked with some years back. He was dressed in a light gray business suit. He walked towards Stahl as if oblivious to the incongruity of it all.

"Who are you?" Stahl blurted out.

"I am the Metatron," the man answered. His words echoed with power. "The Lord God sent me to speak with you."

"You don’t look like Alan Rickman," Stahl quipped as he tried to recover. Metatron crooked up an eyebrow. "Sorry. Movie reference."

"You stand at a crossroads. Both of this world’s survival as well your own beliefs," Metatron said, ignoring the joke. The man, no angel, pointed at the amulet that hung at Stahl’s chest. "Are you prepared to let the Lord God help you?"

"If I’m not, then the world dies? What kind of BS choice is that?" Stahl demanded.

"You misunderstand. Your choice here will not doom the world. It will push events down one path or the other," Metatron answered emotionlessly.

"So, it’s just my own fate," Stahl shot back. He clamped down on his next words. He was letting his anger cloud his judgment. "Why me?"

"This moment is the sum of your choices," Metatron answered. "I am here because the outsiders have once again challenged the Lord God. He wants you to act as His Champion in this."

"Why the choice? Why not force me?"

"It would make free will worthless. It is free will that allows you to be truly powerful."

"How can I be a Champion of God?" Stahl asked, "I acknowledge His existence, but I’m still unsure of Him being a force of good. Too many unanswered questions."

"Right now, that’s enough. Accept that He exists and He can give you the power to defeat this outsider," Metatron said. Stahl looked around the clearing. The fourteen monstrous vampires loomed over his Zombie Strike teammates and the Truth soldiers. Pretty Boy was bearing down on Montgomery. In a few seconds, the entire team would be wiped out. That was what was gnawing at him. He was given a binary choice. Accept the power and save everyone, or refuse it and the vampires win. Nothing was ever that simple. There were always more options.

"That is why you are such a dangerous individual," Metatron said, startling Stahl. "You are rational and unwilling to accept things as they seem. Even with the Lord God, you are looking for options."

"You can read my mind?" Stahl asked, his anger rising.

"Of course he can, he’s an angel," answered Evans, coming alive. Stahl stood in shock as the Truth soldier walked off the line. Evans gave the angel a smug smile. "This one is still in play, but the Flayed One is willing to foreswear him. If you’re master is willing to just give him the power he needs." Metatron cocked his head, but his face remained an emotionless mask.

"Done." Metatron said. Without another word, the angel spun and walked into the forest.

"How in the hell are you walking about?" Stahl demanded from Evans.

"Xipe Totec. No to explain fully. You have to kill the maestro as soon as time starts back up," Evans answered, pointing at the female vampire. The Truth soldier looked around nervously. "Damn, less time than I thought. Chief, remember, you’re the key." Evans hurried back to where he’d been standing in the line of the prisoners.

Stahl started to ask how he was supposed to kill the vampire when his head exploded in pain and sudden knowledge. For the barest instant, Stahl’s mind was linked to God. He knew everything. He could see all the paths that everyone could take, and how they all interconnected. The instant finished, and he suddenly felt very small. Then his mind found two things. Knowledge and power. Smiling a predatory smile, Stahl walked over to his position. He looked over his shoulder. Evans nodded with understanding. Stahl craned his neck back to see Montgomery’s wolf. The creature nodded and even seemed to smile. It was ready to pounce on Pretty Boy.

Stahl braced and felt time unfreeze. The little vampire screamed down at him. Holding the amulet in hand, Stahl struck.

Zombie Strike Part 7 Chapter 74

Fifteen miles north of Redencion, Panama, 3 February 2011, 1915 hours local: Countdown: 10 months, 28 day

Eric Stahl slid through the darkened forest. For the first time in a long time, he felt alive. He barely kept himself from grinning as he crept through the trees. The vampires were good. They might have even detected him if they weren’t busy escorting the prisoners. Apparently, entranced humans tended to make a lot of noise tromping through the forest. More than enough noise to hide Stahl. At his heart, Stahl was a true LRRP. He might have been a US Army Ranger, but most Rangers were little more than jumped-up airborne soldiers. Stahl made his bones in recon, and had been mentored by one of the few remaining LRRPs. The old sergeant trained Stahl to be silent, steady, and deadly. Ninjas were rank amateurs compared to LRRPs. They just worked at night. LRRPs owned the night. Now, it was his turn to pass on the traditions.

Montgomery and her wolf were about twenty meters behind Stahl. The girl mimicked Stahl’s movements through the forest. She wasn’t as quiet as Stahl, but she was quiet enough. The raw talent was definitely there. Then, there was her wolf. Stahl didn’t know how Billy went from a mottled white coat to the brown-black pelt. He was pretty sure it had something to do with the wolf’s origin. Stahl also suspected the wolf was somehow helping Montgomery creep through the forest. He’d made the mistake of dismissing the wolf as a simple pet. If he got out of this forest alive, Stahl would figure out exactly what was going on with those two.

The trio trailed the vampires and their prisoners. The Zombie Strike and Truth people shuffled along behind a new vampire. This one looked like a traditional vampire, instead of the seven to eight-foot man-bat monsters the team had been fighting. The vampire was very tall, easily six-six, with the stereotypical pale skin and black hair. His features were smooth, reminding Stahl of a long-list of pretty-boys he served with over the years. Except for his eyes. Human eyes tended to show up like bright orbs in nightvision, but the vampire’s eyes didn’t show up at all. There were just pockets of black in the white-green face. The vampire was talking constantly in a low, even voice. It was probably part of how he controlled the others.

The vampire and the group continued up the mountain. Stahl and Montgomery followed cautiously. He still wasn’t sure how he was going to free the prisoners. Heck, he wasn’t even sure they could be freed. Mind control was new territory for Zombie Strike, much less the mechanics of it. All Stahl could do right now was follow the group and hope for an opening. It was maddening, but that was part of the job. He learned that lesson the first time he watched a hostage die in a place not too far from this forest. The air started to warm noticeably. Musky scents floated through the air like invisible clouds. Stahl instinctively slowed down. He was picking up something from the six vampires guarding the prisoners. They weren’t as tense, and their gait opened up. Stahl stopped behind one of the thicker trees. Montgomery almost ran into him when he didn’t move. Instead she just slid past him and took up a position behind another tree five meters away. The girl was good.

Montgomery flashed the question hand sign. Okay, she needed work on her patience. He hand-signed back for her to wait. Stahl could make out her grimace as she took up her position. Stahl ignored her expression. He scanned the trees in front of him. They looked like a big clump of dark with a few shadows of green from the tiny bits of starlight. Did vampires act like humans, or was that just normal for them?

There was a sudden glint from a tree to Stahl’s eleven o’clock. The branches rustled. Something big just landed there. A sentry. They just wandered into the home of the vampires. Stahl waited patiently, intently watching the tree. He couldn’t see the vampire. The creature was hidden in the blackness of his nightvision. There were other ways to figure out where it was. The vampire couldn’t hide from the entire physical world. One of the branches was much lower. Stahl guessed the vampire was about halfway out. It looked like a good vantage point. Minutes stretched out endlessly as Stahl watched the tree. It always amazed Stahl that something could be exciting and boring at the same time. Finally, the tree shook again as the sentry continued his rounds. This time, Stahl did smile.

Montgomery followed as Stahl hustled towards the tree the vampire just vacated. Stahl didn’t know how many vampires were on guard duty, but he wanted to be inside their line before the next sentry came round. After about a hundred meters, the trees became sparse. Stahl could see where the vampires cleared out the forest. Jagged stumps littered the clearing. Carcasses of dead animals were strewn carelessly about. Stahl found a standing tree next to one of the carcasses. The putrid smell turned his stomach, but it should cover his own scent. Montgomery followed his lead, and dragged what had once been a panther next to her position. He couldn’t see the wolf.

About a dozen vampires were clustered in the center of the clearing. The prisoners were lined up in the center facing away Stahl and Montgomery. Pretty-Boy looked like he was talking to someone on the other side of the prisoners. Someone short and powerful from the way Pretty-Boy was bending over with his head pointed directly at the ground respectfully.

"These were the ones sent after us?" asked a beautiful soprano voice from the other side of the prisoners. Stahl almost dropped his weapon at the sound. The amulet burned under his chest plate, snapping him out of his stupor. Montgomery shot him a sidelong glance.

"They look different from the last time we came to this world," the voice said, "Why aren’t any of them wearing crosses? Aren’t they supposed to be knights?"

"I don’t think so," Pretty-Boy said, his voice finally loud enough for Stahl to hear. "These ones here are tainted." He pointed at the Truth soldiers and sorcerers.

"Tainted, how?"

"I don’t know. Something is protecting them. Something we haven’t dealt with before," Pretty-Boy answered. "The others are just common thugs with very good weapons." He waved dismissively at the Zombie Strike team.

"No paladins or clerics of this world’s god?" the voice asked surprised.

"Not amongst this group. Just the one cleric in the village when we came in this world." Pretty-Boy quickly stepped to the side as a small form emerged from behind the prisoners. She was barely five feet tall with a slight, but definitely feminine, form and cascades of black hair. As she turned, Stahl could see her doll-like face with the black abysses where the eyes should have been. An evil smile darted across her lips. She gently laid a hand on Pretty-Boy’s forearm, and then brought the tall vampire to his knees with a powerful jerk.

"Then where is the little bauble causing all of the commotion?" she asked pleasantly. The smile returned as Pretty-Boy gasped in pain, unable to answer. Stahl swallowed. The little form’s head snapped up. Her face locked onto Stahl’s.

"Oh never mind, I found it."

Zombie Strike Part 7 Chapter 73

Fifteen miles north of Redencion, Panama, 3 February 2011, 1800 hours local: Countdown: 10 months, 28 days

Eric Stahl looked up at the sky. Daylight was vanishing. His team had less than thirty minutes before the sun dropped below the horizon. The Zombie Strike shooters and the Truth soldiers were trained and equipped to fight in the dark. The two sorcerers, on the other hand, would be lucky not to trip over the few branches and debris littering the forest floor. It was hard enough already to keep those two’s noise down to a dull roar compared to the rest of the team. Then there were the vampires.

The team was following the small copper amulet Father Rodriguez gave Stahl. Or at least, they were following it the best they could. The amulet didn’t actually point out the vampires, but gave odd pulses. It was kind of like playing hot and cold with a kindergartener, but with lethal consequences. The amulet kept pointing them up the mountains, but every time the team seemed to get close, the vampires retreated. Tredegar, the FBI special agent assigned as liaison to Zombie Strike, suspected the vampires were evading the team until the vampires were fully evolved into the creatures of legend. Stahl didn’t know what he was going to do if that happened. Zombie Strike didn’t normally pack silver bullets, holy water, or wooden stakes.

"I absolutely despise when an enemy refuses to go along with a decent plan," Evans said quietly as he walked over to Stahl. The lead soldier for the Truth was acting as Stahl’s second-in-command for this mission. Much as Stahl hated to admit it, he kind of liked the man. Evans was formerly of the French Foreign Legion before he’d joined the Truth. That experience showed in his steadiness under fire and tactical deviousness.

"It probably wouldn’t have worked anyway," Stahl said, looking at the map on his PDA. "I wish we could just fort up and call in airstrikes." Evans nodded in wry agreement. "Could your sorcerers do anything to help?"

"They say no," Evans answered, "Actually they say a bunch of gibberish I don’t understand, but it boils down to no." Stahl grimaced. Since the team lost Jane, the last two sorcerers balked at any plan that put them in possible danger. Stahl was tempted to use the two as bait, but Evans and his soldiers were sworn to protect them. Stahl didn’t want to kill Evans just yet.

"Chief, can you do me a favor?" Montgomery asked as she strode up to the pair. "Can you put that amulet away if you’re not using it?

"Why?" Stahl asked.

"Because it screams like a dog whistle on steroids to Billy," Montgomery said, planting her hands on her hips. The girl was hyper protective of the spirit wolf pup.

"He can hear it?" Evans asked, his voice rising slightly.

"Yeah," Montgomery answered, taking a step back from the Truth soldier.

"Not a problem, Jess," Stahl said, tucking the amulet under his armor. The girl nodded and went back to the others.

"That might just explain it," Evans murmured.

"What?" Stahl asked.

"We’ve been thinking that the vampires are running from us until they’re strong enough to just kill us. What if they were being driven off by that amulet of yours?"

"That doesn’t make any sense," Stahl said dismissively, "Father Rodriguez said that if I got too close, the amulet would draw them to us."

"You also thought it wasn’t working right because it was in your possession instead of a true believer’s," Evans said, "Imagine if this was another effect of you holding the amulet." Stahl nodded his head slowly as realization dawned.

"Let’s test your little theory," Stahl said, and then explained his plan. They waited until nightfall. Stahl led the team out along a game trail. The lack of a moon in the sky kept them hidden in shadows, but it also halved their nightvision’s performance. Stahl was tempted to switch to straight infra-red, but it occurred to him that vampires might be able to see infra-red lights. Not a good idea. The forest was quiet. Stahl couldn’t hear any of the birds, insects, or other of the myriad of sounds he expected. Sudden movement caught his eye. He didn’t try to twist towards the shape. Stahl focused down the game trail. The shiny face glowed green in the nightvision. Its eerily human face smiled as it looked directly at Stahl.

Stahl flipped on his weapon light. The beam of intense white light bathed the creature. It shrieked in pain and clasped its face with its hands. Stahl opened fire. Bullets riddled his target as it tried to flee. More gunfire erupted as his team engaged the other vampires. Montgomery and Billy came up next to Stahl. Montgomery and Stahl slowly advanced on their vampire, pouring fire into it. Round after round slammed into its body. Finally, the creature shrieked and burst into flames. Stahl turned to help the rest of the team. Montgomery grabbed Stahl and dragged him into the forest.

"What are you doing girl?" demanded Stahl.

"Look," she answered pointing towards the others. The team wasn’t fighting. In the center of the team stood a man maybe six and a half feet tall. The rest of the team stood transfixed as the man spoke. Stahl couldn’t hear the words, but there was something about the tone that gave him a nasty headache. The tall man pointed down the game trail. The rest of the team lined up in a single file and rhythmically walked past Stahl, Montgomery, and Billy. The tall man followed the team. As he past, a shiver ran down Stahl’s back.

"Now what do we do?" Montgomery asked once everyone was out of sight.

"Not sure, but I’m going to kill whoever that was," Stahl answered.

Zombie Strike Part 7 Chapter 72

Ten miles north of Redencion, Panama, 3 February 2011, 1600 hours local: Countdown: 10 months, 28 days

Eric Stahl froze as he felt the vampire’s eyes on him. He couldn’t see the creature in the dense mountain forest. The creatures were already evolved enough to be scary effective predators in this environment. His little hodge-podge of a team was already down a sorcerer and a Truth soldier learning that particular lesson. Stahl patiently looked around with the bare minimum of movement. At least one of the monsters, probably more like two. They showed a habit of hunting in pairs or teams of four. Time to put Tredegar’s hypothesis to the test.

"Sandoval, I want you to run past me. As soon as you see movement, hit the dirt," Stahl whispered to the man a few yards behind him. The nice thing about having religious zealots on the team was you didn’t have to do a lot of convincing for them to do suicidal things. All in the service of their god. And people wondered why Stahl had been an atheist. Sandoval sprinted from his position. The kid would’ve made a pretty decent track athlete. Two dark blurs launched out of the trees. Stahl pointed more than aimed his carbine at one of the blurs and squeezed the trigger. The relative quiet of the forest was shattered as nearly a dozen guns fired at the targets. The two blurs materialized on the ground. The creatures were seven feet tall and covered with matty, brown fur. They were slim with a wiry build. Their faces had a passing resemblance to human, if you could get past the bloated features, red eyes, and large fangs protruding from an almost comical overbite. The two creatures were bleeding black fluid from dozens of holes on their pelts. They looked surprised that humans managed to hit them.

"Jane, now would be a good time," Stahl said as he quickly replaced the spent magazine in his M4. These things were getting tougher by the hour. The sorceress stepped to the side. With intricate hand movements and words in a long-dead language, a brilliant white bolt of lightning lanced out and struck the left monster. Its shriek of pain was drowned out by the booming thunderclap. The other monster was moving. Stahl had barely a moment before the long arm slammed him with the force of a small car. Stahl was thrown several yards before crashing into a tree. He felt his breath whoosh out of him as he collapsed to the ground.

The Steve was already crouched next to him with McLintock covering the pair. Evans, the leader of the Truth’s soldiers, was issuing orders to the shooters. The light pops of M4’s and F2000’s were mixed with the louder booms of the cowboy’s big lever action. Stahl watched as the monster leapt at the Slim. The tall Brit blocked a blow with his rifle, but the force was enough to knock Slim off of his feet. The monster went after Montgomery next. Stahl knew the fight was over in that instant. As soon as the monster inched towards Montgomery, a brilliant streak of white erupted from next to her. Stahl hadn’t believed that the dog was actually a physical manifestation of the Native American totem of Wolf. That changed once he saw the wolf glow a brilliant white and tear apart a monster with all the effort of a puppy with a newspaper. The spirit wolf and the monster blurred as their fight moved faster than the human eye could track. Screams and howls filled the area and then silence. Billy stood atop the torn carcass of the monster, his muzzle and front claws covered in black ichor. Billy leapt off the monster’s corpse an instant before it was consumed in a brilliant flash of flame and heat. The only traces of the two monsters were the two blackened scorch marks on the ground.

"You should be fine once the Happy Juice hits," The Steve said, looking down at his PDA. "You were lucky Chief. No broken ribs or a concussion." Stahl nodded absently as he let The Steve and McLintock help him off the ground.

"Tredegar, about how much time do we have before more come to investigate this?" Stahl asked the FBI agent.

"Maybe ten minutes," Tredegar answered.

"Ambush them like last time?" Evans asked. Stahl nodded. Three teams spread out along a ninety degree arc. Each team had a soldier and a sorcerer along with three from the Zombie Strike team. Stahl’s team consisted of the sorceress Jane, Sandoval, Montgomery, and Billy. They were at the center of the arc. It was their job to initiate the ambush. They would also probably take the brunt of any counter attack. Stahl crouched behind a thick conifer tree. He kept his M4 pointed in the most likely direction the other vampires of this hunting pack would approach. Sandoval crouched next to him. The young Truth merc wasn’t much older than Montgomery, maybe nineteen or twenty. He was solid, and pretty handy with that F2000. He kept the Belgian bullpup pointed in roughly the same area as Stahl’s carbine. A tree over to Stahl’s right, Montgomery lay prone with her suppressed SCAR on a bipod. Billy was lying down between her legs, ready to pounce on the first thing that came near her. Behind the three shooters, Jane was hidden. The three sorcerers were easily the most powerful offensive weapons on the team, but also the slowest to employ. The team learned that lesson when a vampire ripped the sorcerer Wallace apart in their first encounter after leaving the small village. That battle left Stahl in charge of the team. His first order was for the sorcerers to stay back until the shooters slowed the monsters down with weapons fire.

Two shapes emerged from the trees. Stahl wished in vain that the sorcerers could have raised some of those nifty shields. No joy as he’d learned. Those required an artifact, as the Truth called them. An object imbued with a deity’s power at some point. The Truth only brought two artifacts with them to Panama. One had been destroyed in the brief firefight between the Truth and Zombie Strike. The other was in Giant’s possession, and he was still back in Redencion with Cortez in accordance with the truce. Stahl pushed those thoughts away as he focused on the two vampires. They paused just at the edge of the ambush, maybe fifty yards from Stahl’s tree. Their heads jerked around, searching for something. The caution was something new. In the past battles, the vampires charged right to where their comrades fell. What new capability were the monsters evolving? Better to attack now before they sniffed out the ambush.

Billy leapt from Montgomery’s position and charged towards Jane. Montgomery rolled and opened fire as two more of the vampires appeared from behind. She placed a dozen bullets into the lead vampire. It ignored the holes the sharpshooter was drilling into it and sped down on her. Then, the lead vampire collided with Billy. That was that, as they say. Jane screamed in terror as the other monster attacked her. The scream was cut off abruptly. The sorceress’s body slumped to the ground. Stahl twisted and fired his M4 at the monster. It looked shocked as three streams of gunfire struck it. Surprise could work both ways. Then Jane’s death knell hit.

A bolt of black-purple light erupted from the ground and incinerated the vampire. When one of Xipe Totec’s sorcerers died at an enemy’s hands, their god called them back to him violently. In some ways, it was the ultimate booby-trap. Jane’s soul streaked up, and then swept through the other two vampires. They were immediately incinerated. Her final work done, Jane’s soul shot up into the sky and vanished. Stahl rose from his crouch and walked over to where Jane died. Just like Wallace, there was no body. Just some ash. Evans cursed as he walked up next to Stahl. From what Stahl gathered, the soldiers were supposed to guard the sorcerers. Now they’d lost two of them in less than four hours.

"Tanesh, will we have the same protection as we did when Wallace bought it?" Stahl asked one of the remaining sorcerers. The sorcerer nodded in stunned silence. "Okay, that gives us maybe a half-hour to rest and reload. McLintock, you and Sandoval are on ammo detail. Try and spread out what we’ve got left. The rest of you check your gear and get some food and water. Evans, you’re with me." The two men walked off to the side of the group.

"With these four, there’s maybe another thirty or so vampires left," Stahl said quietly.

"At the cost of three dead, everyone else walking wounded, and probably about half of our ammo shot up," Evans said, "At least Sport’s got all of his grenades left. I’ve got a feeling that may be our ace in the hole."

"Not Tanesh and Harold?" Stahl asked, surprised.

"Oh, those two could rain down torment and death on the Little Death. If they have enough time to call for the Flayed One’s blessings. All Sport has to do is squeeze the trigger to send down all sorts of nasty things." Stahl nodded in agreement. He reached under his armor and pulled out the little amulet Father Rodriguez gave him. He held it out at arms’ length, trying to discern what the magic item was telling him.

"I think the next pack is that way," Stahl said pointing north.

"You’d think that amulet would be more definitive," Evans mused.

"I think it works better if a believer is using it," Stahl conceded, "I don’t know why the priest insisted I was the one who needed to carry it."

"You’re not a Christian?" Evans asked in surprise

"Nope. I was an atheist until I started up with the Army’s anti-zombie task force," Stahl answered, "Kind of hard to keep being one when confronted with deific power being thrown about all the time. Extraordinary evidence and all that. God and me still aren’t on speaking terms though. And don’t think about trying to convert me to your cult either."

"I’d love to you, but I know you too well. I’m not going to insult you by trying. I’m still hopeful you’ll see the Truth and join us though." Evans said. Stahl gave the soldier a sidelong glance. Evans was sincere. Sometimes there were honorable enemies.

"Well, we aren’t going to be able to ambush them again," Evan said, breaking the silence between the two men. "They sniffed us out and counter ambushed us."

"We made the mistake of trying to pull the same trick twice," Stahl said. "We’re going to have to assume each vampire knows how we killed all of the others, and figured out to counter the tactics we’ve used so far. We’ve got to outpace their learning if we’re going to kill them all and survive."

"Makes sense," Evans agreed. He paused for a moment, thinking. "I’ve got an idea." A predatory grin spread across Stahl’s face as the soldier laid out his plan.

Zombie Strike Part 7 Chapter 71

The village of Redencion, Panama, 3 February 2011, 1210 hours local: Countdown: 10 months, 28 days

Eric Stahl stood on the small church’s steps and looked across the plaza. Standing in loose fitting black fatigues was Giant. The leader of the Truth held his infamous whip in his gloved right hand. The whip twitched like a downed power line. The Zombie Strike files were thin on the man, if you could call a seven-foot humanoid who wielded dark powers and could survive whatever destroyed the heart of Mexico City, a man. One thing Stahl couldn’t deny, Giant had presence. Even from a hundred feet away, Stahl could feel the pulsing of energy coming from Giant. It was all Stahl could do to see past Giant to measure the other Truthers he’d brought along.

There were ten of them. Two were definitely minions. They wore the almost standard ninja costume of a tight fitting black jumpsuit with black masks. The taller one was caressing a gold statue of what looked like a Greek hoplite about the size of an Academy Award Oscar. Four others were in jeans with brightly colored capes and feathered headdresses. From what Stahl remembered, the costumes looked suspiciously like traditional Aztec get-ups for their holy men. That made those four sorcerers. The last four looked like mercenaries. They were decked out in jungle cammies with expensive-looking gear, including Belgian-made F2000’s. The mercs had camo-painted faces and floppy hats. Stahl swore under his breath. The presence of the mercs meant the Truth was getting smart.

"Hello Mateo. It’s so nice to see you again," Giant oozed sarcastically. His voice was deep but artificial.

"One of these days Mikhail, I’m going to find something that kills you," Cortez said, using the only other name known for Giant. If the Truth’s leader was surprised by Cortez using the name, he didn’t show it.

"What is Zombie Strike doing here?" Giant asked, ignoring Cortez’s threat. "I was expecting Jesuit monks."

"Someone thought he saw a Sasquatch and asked us to kill it. Oh, look. It was you." Cortez said, bringing up his carbine. The rest of Zombie Strike followed their leader, each drawing a bead on one of the Truth. Stahl placed the holographic reticle of his M4 on the merc leader. Giant and his followers ignored the weapons aimed at them.

"Was that humor?" Giant asked, "I can never tell with you Americans." Stahl traded questioning glances with the cowboy, Collins. Giant sounded like he was from the Midwest. If Giant wasn’t an American, where exactly had he come from? Tredegar looked like he was going to burst with questions. Give the FBI agent a crumb, and he wanted the whole cake. Sometimes his curiosity got the better of him. McLintock kept Tredegar stable on the line.

"You will leave now," Father Rodriguez commanded, striding into the plaza. "You have completed the deed Heavenly Father compelled you to finish. Your role is completed."

"Compelled me?" Giant bellowed indignantly, "Your God has no control over those sworn to Xipe Totec. It was the Flayed One’s own power that sealed the tear. He has told us how to stop the Little Death!" Giant paused in his rant. He looked over the Zombie Strike team.

"So that’s why you’re here, Mateo. This priest brought you in to stop the Little Death instead of the Jesuits. Priest, your resourcefulness is unexpected." Giant’s eyes pulsed with purple energy as he glared at the priest. Cortez fired a single round at Giant. Brilliant purple sparks crackled as the bullet stopped a few inches from Giant’s head. The Truth’s leader tore his eyes from the priest to look at Cortez.

"Giant, I may not be able to kill you, but I can hurt you pretty bad," Cortez said in a neutral, controlled voice. The team tensed as it recognized their leader’s tone. Cortez’s rage was up, and bad stuff was going to happen. Giant cocked his head, as if seeing Cortez in a new light.

"Mateo, please, go home," Giant said sincerely, "It is not time for you to face the Death, even the Little Death. If you go out now, you will die. If you die, so does the world. I can’t kill you, but I can hurt you." Giant’s eyes danced with amusement as he threw Cortez’s words back at him.

"Why don’t I believe you?" Cortez asked.

"Mateo, I’ve seen the prophecies. They are quite specific. Even more than those your God handed down in Revelations. Your role in all of this has already been determined. They also warn against you fighting the Death before it is time."

"I’ve already fought against the vampires, Mikhail," Cortez said, spitting out Giant’s name, "My team’s killed several of them."

"What? How did you do that?" one of the sorcerers blurted out.

"Amazing what can be accomplished with the judicious application of firepower," Stahl said, keeping his weapon trained on the merc leader.

"Mateo, did you kill any of the vampires yourself?" Giant asked. The big man stared at Cortez for a moment and then shook his head. "Thank the Flayed One, no. Your aura is clean. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to raise a small force to deal with the Little Death." Giant turned and started to walk away from the plaza.

"I will not let you defile the bodies of my flock!" the priest screamed. The tiny man started to charge, but Mountain grabbed him. The medic forced the priest to the ground as Sport fired all five grenade rounds out of his XM25. The plaza rocked with thunderous sound as the grenades exploded right behind Giant. These weren’t the normal fragmentation grenades. These were designed to generate incredible walls of pressure and force. The Truth’s energy shields were great for stopping bullets, fragments, and such. They weren’t so good at stopping energy transfer. The shock wave of the five grenades hit the shield and passed through with only a small loss of energy. Giant was thrown off his feet and slammed into the bank building. The minion with the statue held it like a protective ward. The gold statue glowed as the shock wave flowed around them and knocked down the mercs and sorcerers instead.

Collins brought up his lever-action and racked off two rounds. The first round hit center upper mass on the second minion. The minion jerked as the round bisected his spinal cord and fell to the ground. The second round tore the first minion’s right shoulder apart. The .500 S&W round shattered the ball socket and shredded the flesh and muscle to little more than tatters. For a brief moment everyone stopped and stared at the two minions.

The Zombie Strike team recovered first and opened fire. Stahl fired off a short burst at one of the mercs. The man rolled just in time for the three rounds to pass over him. Another merc returned fire, forcing Stahl to dive for cover. Not that there was a whole bunch in the town plaza. Stahl raced behind the MRAP. Bullets sparked and clanged off the big armored truck. Stahl heard the distinctive booms of the cowboy’s lever action and the crackle of lighter small arms. Stahl leaned out from behind cover and fired a long burst at a merc in a doorway. The man ducked back into the building as the bullets shredded the wood around him. Stahl cursed and took a deep breath. He was a better shot than that. Time to calm down and focus on the killing.

"STOP!" The voice was louder than an artillery shell going off. Stahl let go of his weapon as his head rang with sound. As his eyes cleared, Stahl saw one of the sorcerers standing in the middle of the plaza with his hands outstretched. "You imbeciles, we are wasting time!"

"Get out of the way Wallace!" Giant said angrily. His whip was flicking back and forth angrily as he stormed towards Zombie Strike.

"Mikhail, stop. We can’t waste the time to fight these people. Zombie Strike’s appearance changes things." Giant stopped, but his whip continued its angry dance. Wallace turned to Zombie Strike. "I’m offering truce. We need to put our fight aside and join forces, before the Little Death becomes too powerful."

Zombie Strike Part 7 Chapter 70

The village of Redencion, Panama, 3 February 2011, 1120 hours local : Countdown: 10 months, 28 days

Former Chief Warrant Officer Eric Stahl followed Father Rodriguez into the church. He felt a wash of unfamiliar energy as he crossed the threshold. For a moment, Stahl felt warm, cold, blissful, and alone all at once. It was perhaps the weirdest sensation he’d ever encountered. This, after over a year fighting the undead and their minion masters. The chief looked back at the others as they walked through the threshold. Cortez, McLintock, the Brits, and the cowboy, Collins passed through without any sign of discomfort. Tredegar looked queasy, but stepped through without an issue. The Steve looked as if someone hit him with a live wire. He actually flinched as he stepped into the church. The strangest one was the girl, Montgomery and her pet dog. They just stood at the threshold.

"Come on Jess," Cortez said.

"Um, I can’t. Neither can Billy," Montgomery said, motioning to the dog. Father Rodriguez turned around in surprise at the comment. The tiny priest studied the girl for a moment and then shook his head.

"I am sorry, Little Wolf," the priest said. Stahl could hear the capital letters as he addressed Montgomery. "I wasn’t very specific when I called down the blessing on the church. I was trying to protect my flock, and I only asked for believers to be allowed in."

"I believe in God," Montgomery protested.

"Yes, but your loyalty is to Wolf, and you are bonded to one of his sons. That takes precedence," the priest explained. "I will try to modify the blessing on the church, but it may take some time." Father Rodriguez sounded contrite over the incident.

"Don’t worry about it," Montgomery said, "Billy and I will keep watch outside." Before anyone could stop her, Montgomery and Billy trotted back out into the town’s plaza.

"Mountain, go with them," Stahl ordered. He didn’t want the girl out there on her own. Granted, that dog of hers was scary, but the chief would feel better with one of the other shooters out there.

"The Steve, Chief," Mountain corrected. He cocked his head suspiciously at the door way before bulling his way through. The medic let out a yip as he went through the invisible barrier. The boy may not be right in the head, but he was solid enough. Plus, it kept the medic from making another stupid comment to the priest.

"Father, Zombie Strike killed eight of the vampires so far," Tredegar said, "That leaves another fifty-eight in this world. According to the papers you sent, we need to move quickly to kill them before they grow too powerful." The priest nodded absently as he led them out of the narthex. The sanctuary was crammed with people. The pews were pushed to the sides so that they could spread blankets on the stone floor. Several of the people rushed up to Father Rodriguez as he led the team across the sanctuary. He blessed them in Spanish and sent them back to their families. The chief felt the villagers’ suspicious eyes on them as they walked. It was obvious they didn’t trust heavily armed men, especially those walking on sacred ground. Behind the sanctuary was Father Rodriguez’s quarters. It was a plain affair, true to the spirit of Jesuit order. The team crammed into the small space as the priest sat on his small cot.

"How did you seal the tear?" Stahl asked after everyone was situated.

"I didn’t. Others did," Father Rodriguez answered cryptically.

"Who?" Stahl pressed.

"The ones chosen by God to complete that task," Father Rodriguez said, as if that explained everything. "You have been chosen to remove the host remaining on this Earth."

"Chief, stand down," Cortez ordered. Stahl traded looks with his team leader. The chief nodded slightly. He didn’t like it, but orders were like that sometimes. He’d talk it out with Cortez later. "You were saying Father?"

"Thank you, my son. The ones you killed were the weakest of the host. The others fed on some of my flock before I could banish them. Unfortunately, I could not destroy them. They have their link to this Earth, and that is all they need. That, as they say, is the bad news. The good news is that this host is supposed to be the eyes for the rest of them. Spies, if you will."

"Why does the Truth need vampire spies?" asked McLintock, "They have plenty of human ones." Father Rodriguez looked at the big man quizzically.

"No, the host holds no loyalty to Xipe Totec or the Flayed One’s chosen acolytes," Father Rodriguez answered.

"What?" Cortez asked, surprised, "Is this something from Satan then?"

"No, Lucifer follows the plan set out by God," Father Rodriguez said, "This host is beyond the realm of God or man." A cold, unsettled feeling ran down Stahl’s spine. As he looked at the faces of his teammates, Stahl could see they were just as uneasy about the priest’s words.

"So how do we stop them?" asked Tredegar. "Your notes aren’t very clear on that matter."

"Until they change, you can kill them by inflicting many deadly wounds on them. Their corporeal bodies cannot take the stress. Holy power will also cause their Earthly bodies to immolate and destroy themselves."

"If holy power can kill them, why didn’t you bag any?" Collins asked. It wasn’t accusatory, just a simple question.

"I had a choice. Kill a few of the host or protect my flock," Father Rodriguez answered. The cowboy nodded in appreciation.

"Okay, so we have to do this the hard way," Cortez said. "Not the first time. Father, do you know where the vampires are?"

"I can do better than that," the priest said, digging into his jacket. He withdrew a tarnished locket wrapped with a silver chain. "Let this swing on its chain, and it will lead it to you to the host. When you get close, you must wrap the amulet and hide it away. If you don’t the host will know you are close as well." Father Rodriguez handed the amulet to Cortez. The team leader reverently tucked the amulet into a pocket.

"Boss, you need to get out here," Mountain said, over the radio, breaking the solemn atmosphere. Instinctively, the team gripped their weapons.

"What is it?" Cortez demanded.

"Giant’s out here, and he brought along some friends."

Zombie Strike Part 7 Chapter 69

Ten miles south of the village of Redencion, Panama, 3 February 2011, 1000 hours local : Countdown: 10 months, 28 days

Former Chief Warrant Officer Eric Stahl pointed his M4 at the biggest of the five creatures as they strode out of the tree line and onto the dirt road. They all walked with a precise steady nature. It reminded Stahl of tigers stalking their prey. The primitive part of his brain was screaming for him to run and flee. Stahl suspected the moment he tried, these creatures would pounce.

"How are they walking in sunlight?" Quentin McLintock asked, transfixed by the creatures. "All of the lore surrounding the vampire says direct sunlight will kill them."

"Let’s try and figure that after we kill them," Stahl said, "Cortez, we could use a hand up here." Mateo Cortez, the Zombie Strike field team leader, was busy helping the team members in the truck flipped by the first vampire. Cortez’s head popped out from behind the vehicle. A string of low curses followed. Cortez was almost as good at coming up with new swear words as a SEAL chief petty Stahl worked with once.

"Jess, see what you can do," ordered Cortez, "Keep them busy for a minute." Montgomery hopped on top of the overturned MRAP. Her SCAR was already up as she drew a bead on the big vampire. Three against five were not good odds. Stahl hoped Cortez knew what he was doing.

"Everyone, focus on the big one," Stahl ordered, "Then roll to the one to the left." A radio click meant Montgomery was ready. McLintock just nodded. The suppressed SCAR gave its distinctive cough as Montgomery placed a 7.62 mm NATO round dead center in the vampire’s head. The vampire’s head snapped back from the impact. The sudden jerk caught the creature off-guard and it tried to keep from falling over. Stahl opened up with his M4.

An M4 would have burned through a standard 30-round mag in a few seconds. Stahl quit using those after nearly running out of ammo on Corsica. He was using a new quad-stack 60-round magazine. The M4 chattered for nearly ten seconds as he dumped every round into the vampire’s torso. The rounds Zombie Strike were designed to cause maximum damage by shredding as much tissue as it could. Stahl was tearing huge chunks out of the creature as he kept the burst stitching across the vampire’s torso. As soon as the M4 went dry, Stahl dropped the magazine and slapped in a fresh one. The vampire took two steps towards Stahl. Then, it burst into a flash of intense heat and flame. The four remaining vampires paused.

"Chief, get down!" Cortez yelled. Stahl dropped into the dirt. Someone fired one of the team’s XM25’s. The rapid thumps were distinctive. Less than a second later, Stahl felt more than heard the string of explosions. He felt a couple of fragments whistle past him. That must have been Sport. That Brit found his calling with the grenade launcher. It was kind of scary how close he could drop those airburst grenades without killing friendlies. Stahl was on his feet as soon as the explosions dimmed to echoes. The other four vampires were reduced to scorch marks on the dirt road.

"Chief, you two alright?" Cortez asked. Stahl looked over at McLintock. The big man was already poking at the scorch marks. Crazy eggheads. Almost as if to prove the point, Tredegar trotted past the chief to join McLintock.

"Yeah, we’re good to go," Stahl answered. "What about the truck?"

"Well, it works, but we can’t flip it back over." Stahl looked over the wreck. The MRAP was lying on its back about ten yards off the dirt road. "Even if we could, we don’t have anyone to drive it."

"What about the Panamanians?" Stahl asked.

"What Panamanians?" Cortez asked in response, "They all booked when they caught sight of the vampires. I’m going to have Jim drive. I want to get up to the village quickly." Stahl nodded in agreement. The good news was none of the team members riding in the flipped vehicle had been injured. The team spent about fifteen minutes dragging gear to the other vehicle. Well, all except Tredegar and McLintock. Those two were examining the documents they’d got from the priest. They still hadn’t come up with a good intel by the time the team was ready to move out.

Stahl stayed on the heavy machine gun as Jim Colllins carefully drove the truck up the mountain trail. The chief manned the fifty-cal on the basis he had the most time with the weapon. The truth was, until he got some definitive answers on the vampires, he wanted the biggest gun he could find to kill them with. After a few miles, the forest was cleared for farmland. Stahl counted about six or so small spreads. It looked like little more than subsistence farming. At least it wasn’t coca. Stahl hated dealing with narcos.

Another few miles, and the team drove into the outskirts of Redencion. Most of the houses were solidly built, if somewhat primitive. The villagers may not have much, but they knew how to use what was available. These weren’t shanty-town people. Assuming any were still alive. The streets were deserted. There were no sounds or signs of life as the MRAP rolled down the main road. There weren’t even any animals. Stahl looked towards the town’s center. For a moment, he could have sworn there was a spotlight on the church. It just seemed to glimmer.

Collins gunned the MRAP into town center. Stahl saw two more creatures slamming themselves against the doors of the church. Collins saw them as well and swung the MRAP alongside the church. Stahl had a clear line on the vampires without shooting into the church. The two creatures were focused so intently on the church they ignored the big metal vehicle and the gun atop it. With a grin, Stahl pressed the big machine gun’s firing paddle. The big fifty caliber bullets easily shredded the vampires. After a few seconds, the vampires finally screeched and burst into a flash of flame.

The team was out of the vehicle and taking up positions around the church before Stahl finished firing on the two vampires. They braced as they waited for the next onslaught of creatures. The doors of the church swung open. Every weapon was trained on the darkened opening. Out stepped what looked like a miniature version of a Catholic priest holding a cross in one hand and a bottle of clear liquid in the other. The priest gave the Zombie Strike team an appraising look.

"You took longer to get here than I expected," the priest said in unaccented English. The voice sounded old, but flat with no emotion. It unnerved Stahl.

"Sorry?" Cortez said, unsure if he should be apologizing or demanding one.

"My apologies," the priest said, "It was a comment, not a criticism. I am Father Rodriguez. Please come in. I’m sure you have many questions for me." The priest’s head turned towards Stahl. The man’s black eyes bored into Stahl. The former soldier felt ice shoot down his spine. Stahl had the distinct feeling the priest had been waiting for him to arrive in this village. The chief shook his head. That was just ridiculous.

"I appreciate the offer Father, but I think we need to make sure there aren’t any more of those vampires in the village first," Cortez said. The tiny priest waved his hands dismissively.

"Oh don’t worry. Those two you destroyed were the last two in the village. The rest are out in the jungle," Father Rodriguez said.

"And you know this how?" Stahl asked, suspiciously. Something about Father Rodriguez was ringing every warning bell in his mind.

"God told me," the priest answered, matter-of-factly, "Or more to the point, Metatron told me."

"The bad guy from Transformers?" The Steve asked.

"No, the archangel Metatron, the Voice of God," Cortez corrected, "Metatron does the speaking because the true voice of God would destroy the mind of a human."

"Cool, just like Cthulu!" the irrepressible medic replied. There was a long moment as the entire team just stared at The Steve in either shock or disbelief. The Steve ignored it all with his trademark brilliant smile.

"Please excuse The Steve. His mind to mouth filter isn’t always the best," Cortez said.

"Believe me Mateo Cortez, I know quite a bit about your team," Father Rodriguez said enigmatically. "I have been tasked by our father to answer many of your questions." Stahl could feel the undercurrent in the priest’s voice. His fight or flee instincts were screaming at him to run from this priest and the village. He couldn’t flee, so that left fight. The chief slid down the side of the MRAP and strode over to the priest.

"Perhaps you could answer the big questions. How many vampires escaped into our world, and how are we going to seal the crack between our worlds?" the chief asked, trying to keep his voice calm. The priest gave him a knowing smile.

"Those aren’t your big questions, Eric Stahl, but they are important to the team," Father Rodriguez said. "To answer your questions though, the crack, as you called it, has already been sealed, but not before sixty-six of the creatures escaped into our world."

Zombie Strike Part 7 Chapter 68

Tocumen International Airport, Panama City, 3 February 2011, 0700 hours local; Countdown: 10 months, 28 days

Former US Army Chief Warrant Officer Eric Stahl walked down the ramp of the small cargo jet. He’d spent a few years in and out of Panama in his twenty years with the US Army. He liked the country and the people, and he was glad to be back. He just wished he’d come here on vacation instead of having to fight a bunch of monsters. Chief Stahl wasn’t quite sure what to make of the transmission from Adams and Tredegar.

The plane taxied into one of the smaller private hangars on the outskirts of Panama’s big international airport. Waiting for them was Adams, Tredegar, and a uniformed Panamanian officer. A colonel by the sigils on his epaulets. The three were waiting by a pair of big armored trucks that reminded Stahl of the MRAPs the Army was using. Adams rushed up to Mateo Cortez as the team departed the plane. The two were doing their little courtship ritual. Stahl didn’t like the idea of the team lead and their employer’s liaison doing this half-on/half-off dating dance, but he kept his tongue. The rest of the team seemed happy about the match. Stahl would wait and watch until it became a problem. Then he’d solve it. That was what he did.

Chief Stahl had fallen into the role once occupied by the now-deceased Collin DuBois. He was the professional mentor of the team lead. After a couple of months, Stahl decided he liked Cortez. The man knew how to handle himself and the team. As much as Stahl hated to admit, he’d seen a marked improvement in Cortez’s performance about the same time he and Adams had started up. Jess Montgomery waited a proper minute or two, and then slammed into Adams with an enthusiastic hug. That was a relationship Stahl approved of. Montgomery was decent with her SCAR rifle, but there was more to life than just killing the bad guys. She needed a good role model for life beyond the scope of her weapon. Adams was somewhere between a foster mother and a big sister for the girl.

Stahl motioned for Tredegar and the Panamanian officer over as the rest of the team unloaded their gear from the plane. Tredegar looked like a casting call for Ichabod Crane. Taller than average, gangly, and with a balding head that made his nose seem even longer. He was wearing a dark suit with a white dress shirt that was plastered to him. His normally pale face had the unhealthy red glow of too much tropical sun. The Panamanian officer was a contrast to Tredegar. The colonel was barely average height, but obviously enjoyed his food. A thick bushy black mustache seemed right on his round face.

"Colonel, I’m Eric Stahl, but you can call me Chief or Chief Stahl," Stahl said, introducing himself. "If you’ll tell me how you want us to load up, I can take care of it."

"SEAL?" the colonel guessed in moderately accented English.

"Hardly. Former Chief Warrant Officer with the Army. Used to do some Lurp-Work before I started killing zombies for a living," Stahl said.

"Oh good," the colonel answered, sounding relieved. "When I heard this outfit was led by a civilian who’d never spent a day—" Stahl held up a hand to cut the colonel off. The officer’s eyes flashed with indignation.

"Colonel, that man is one of the most experienced zombie hunters on the planet. He may not be military, or even former military, but the American military listens to him on matters of dealing with the undead. You may want to remember that when you talk to him."

"Talk to who?" Cortez asked, joining the group. The colonel shifted uncomfortably as an awkward silence fell over the small group. When no one said anything, Cortez turned to Stahl.

"Chief, we’re going to have to brief on the move. Put The Steve, Jim, the Brits, and the extra gear in the first truck. Everyone else on the other." Chief Stahl almost saluted out of habit. He turned and issued his own orders. In less than an hour, the two trucks were roaring down Panamanian highways towards the mountain village. It was a tight fit in the truck with all of the people, and the dog. Stahl brought up the document Tredegar transmitted to his PDA.

"These aren’t vampires like we know them," Tredegar began.

"They aren’t sparkly?" injected Cortez. Montgomery flushed at the backhand jibe. She liked Twilight, thank you very much.

"They aren’t even in human form. At least not yet," Tredegar said, plowing on before anyone else chimed in. "According to the intel from the priest, these creatures are from another time and place. I think that means from another dimension. In this world, they need human life force to survive. Usually through blood. The longer in this world, the more they can adapt and the more human-like they become."

"How does a priest in a mountain village have all of this?" Cortez asked.

"Not the first time the Jesuits have dealt with this," Tredegar answered.

"So how do we stop these vampires?" Stahl asked, "We didn’t bring along silver bullets or wooden stakes."

"Or those nifty UV bullets," Sport chimed in from the other truck.

"Would everyone please stop making movie references?" Tredegar said, annoyed. "Right now, they’re vulnerable. They haven’t had time to adapt to our world or develop any immunities. Right now, they’re big, nasty monsters that drink blood. Think of them as a variation of the monsters we fought back on Corsica." Stahl saw a shudder from the team members that had gone down into the Truth’s facility during that battle. "All of that changes in less than twenty-four hours. Then they get stronger, smarter, and harder to kill on an exponential level."

"Let’s not waste time then," Cortez said. "As soon as we reach the village, we fan out and look for survivors. Tredegar needs to see anyone who survived so we can try and piece together what happened and how many of these creatures we’re dealing with. If you find one of the monsters, do not engage it by yourself. Call for help. Any questions?"

"Yeah, The Steve wants to know how we’re going to close the hole these vampires came out of," The Steve said. Stahl reminded himself that under the crazy persona, former Staff Sergeant Mountain was a sharp operator. The man was still talked about among the Special Forces community.

"The papers reference some ritual the Jesuits did last time, but it’s pretty vague." The trucks jostled as they left the paved roads and started up the trail to the mountain village. Stahl hadn’t even learned the name of the place yet. He thumbed around on his PDA until he found a map of the village. Pretty standard layout. Church and the big merchants close to center with some houses and smaller stores as the village spread out towards the farms and the jungle. Probably no more than a few hundred people all told.

Stahl was torn from his PDA as the first truck was flipped into the air. It looked like an IED hit, but there wasn’t the deafening boom of an explosion. Combat reflexes took over. Stahl shoved a Panamanian soldier aside and jumped up into the turret to grab the Ma Deuce’s controls. As the first truck rolled into the tree line, Stahl saw the cause. The creature was maybe seven or eight feet tall. Its wire-thin body was covered in matty, brown fur. Stahl didn’t even pause to look at the thing’s face before he pressed down on the firing paddle between the machine gun’s handles. The familiar heavy buddha-buddha-buddha of the M2 machine gun filled the air. The heavy .50 BMG bullets tore gaping holes into the creature. Stahl heard its screams faintly over the sound of the machine gun. The creature took a step back, fighting to stay on its feet as bullet after bullet shredded its body. It lasted maybe ten seconds before Stahl nearly removed its lower half with the machine gun. The creature fell to the ground.

Stahl jumped up out of the truck and ran towards the creature with his M4 up. Next to him was Quentin McLintock, the big close-quarters specialist. As they neared the creature, it burst into flames. There was maybe a second of bright flames and intense heat. All that remained of the creature was a scorched outline in the dirt.

"Okay, that went pretty well," Stahl said to McLintock, "Let’s get back and help the others." McLintock put a meaty hand on Stahl’s shoulder. The big man wasn’t looking at the scorch mark. He was looking deep into the trees.

"Chief, he wasn’t alone," McLintock said. The morning air was filled with snarls as several more of the creatures stepped out of the tree line. Stahl gripped his weapon and prepared for the fight.

Zombie Strike Part 7 Chapter 67

Lisbon, Portugal, 1 February 2011, 1800 hours local: Countdown: 11 months

The man known to his followers as Castle was doing what most of the world was doing. He was watching as the last of the new GPS satellites was positioned in space. It was a bit over six months since the Truth’s mystics removed almost all of the satellites in orbit and brought them down on Mexico City. The general populace had been slapped in the face with their dependence on the artificial constellation that had floated in orbit. They demanded their leaders do everything to restore the needed satellites, regardless of cost. That demand provided the Truth with an opportunity for control that was now being realized.

Castle spent years cultivating his infiltrators. They were people in key positions in various sectors: political, social, cultural, and economic. For the last six months, these seemingly unrelated people had either stepped into roles or aggressively taken positions that gave the Truth enormous public influence. After all, it had been his infiltrators that forged a world-wide coalition and promised to rebuild networks and fight the economic depression that resulted from the loss of the satellites. With this last satellite, a large part of that promise returned. Now the Truth had their own secret satellite communications and observation network.

The satellite phone next to him buzzed. Castle picked up the now-working device and looked at who was calling him. He’d expected his infiltrator in the UN to ask to begin her operation. Instead, it was one of Alan’s sorcerers. Castle was going to be very annoyed if the sorcerer just called him to congratulate him on their success. He’d been very clear on that.

"Mr. Castle, we have a tear in Panama," the sorcerer informed him. Castle didn’t say anything for a moment as suppressed the urge to ask if the sorcerer was sure. They wouldn’t be calling him if they weren’t sure.

"Has it begun already?" Castle asked.

"From what we can see, it just looks like a small fracturing as our worlds come close to each other," the sorcerer answered. Castle relaxed. The Truth wasn’t quite ready to deal with the Great Death quite yet.

"Why didn’t we know that this might happen?" Castle asked.

"The prophecies were vague about this kind of thing," the sorcerer said, "To be frank, Mr. Castle, it isn’t like there’s a sentence in the prophecies telling us there’s going to be a tear and where it was going to be. The wording could have been interpreted in a number of ways. In light of this new development, Alan and several of the more experienced sorcerers are pouring over the prophecies to find out how often we should expect tears between our worlds." Castle bit back his annoyance and frustrated. The sorcerer was doing exactly what Castle demanded – telling him exactly what he needed to know, whether he liked it or not. Castle spent a great deal of time reassuring his people that he had no intention of shooting the messenger.

"I understand," Castle said, "Have a team of experienced sorcerers meet some Champions in Panama." Castle put down the sat phone and pressed the buzzer on the intercom at his elbow.

"Have Mikhail join me. I have a job for him."

###Plaza de Francia, Panama City, Panama, 2 Feb 2011 1700 hours local; Countdown: 10 months, 29 days

Robyn Adams fanned herself with a copy of La Prensa, the local newspaper. Even in February, it was hot and humid. She would need to take a long shower when she got back to the hotel. At least she had it easier than her companion. Edgar Tredegar was not only sweating in his light gray suit, but his normally white skin was now a bright pink from sunburn. He didn’t complain, but Tredegar was clearly uncomfortable.

"He’s late," Tredegar said quietly.

"He could be stuck in traffic," Robyn said, remembering the cab ride over from the hotel.

"Maybe," Tredegar said. "I don’t like it. We should have contacted the Bureau." Like Robyn, Tredegar was a liaison to Zombie Strike. She represented the interests of the team’s primary financial backer, the British insurance firm of MacKenzie and Winston. Tredegar, on the other hand, was an FBI special agent assigned to assist Zombie Strike on behalf of the American government.

"You agreed to keep them out of this. The priest wouldn’t have come otherwise," Robyn said. Before Edgar could say anything, a cab pulled up at the front of the plaza. A round Catholic priest lumbered out. He waved to the pair as soon as he saw them. Tredegar groaned at the lack of tradecraft. Robyn suppressed a laugh. What did he expect? They weren’t meeting some defecting Soviet spy, like in the FBI’s heyday. They walked down as the priest paid the cabbie.

"You are Father Timon?" Robyn asked as they met the priest.

"Si. You are from Zombie Strike?" the priest asked in heavily accented English. Robyn nodded. It was close enough to the truth. The priest let out a string of rapid fire Spanish. It sounded like a lot of thanking God.

"Father Timon, you said you needed Zombie Strike in Panama, but you didn’t say why," Tredegar said. "We need to know why before we can bring the team in."

"You are not zombie-killers?" the priest asked, his large dark eyes scrunched in confusion.

"Zombie Strike doesn’t have that many zombie killers," Robyn rushed to explain, "People like us are sent out to meet with the local contacts to see where the need is greatest." She didn’t add and to make sure that they weren’t wasting time with kooks.

"Of course. I see," the priest said, his head bobbing. "About two nights ago, I went to visit my friend, Father Rodriguez, up in the mountains. We were having dinner when it happened." The priest shuddered with remembered fear.

"What happened?" Tredegar asked.

"We heard screams. We went to see what happened," Father Timon said, "In the middle of the town, it was like the air had been ripped open. Unholy white light was pouring through. Then the first one came out. It was horrible. It grabbed little Martina and…" Father Timon put his face in his hands and sobbed. Robyn put her arms around the priest.

"Father Rodriguez pulled me back into the church. He shoved this packet of papers in my hand." The priest pulled out a weathered manila envelope. On the front was a series of odd symbols. Tredegar gasped as he saw the envelope.

"Do you know what this means?" Father Timon asked. "Father Rodriguez wouldn’t tell me. He just pushed me into my car and told me to come back here. He said I needed to call Zombie Strike and give them this." Tredegar snatched the envelope out of the priest’s hands. He tore the flap open and began searching through the papers.

"Don’t worry Father," Robyn said reassuringly, "We’ll take care of this." She escorted the priest back down the stairs. After the priest was in a cab back to his church, Robyn stormed back to where Tredegar was reading one of the papers from the envelope.

"What was that all about?" Robyn demanded.

"Call Mateo and tell him we need the team here," Tredegar said, examining the paper in his hands. "Make sure he tells Quentin that the Little Death has shown up here."

"What is the Little Death?" Robyn demanded as she keyed in the radio. With communications satellites out, long distance calls needed to be go through a relay of radio stations. Fortunately, M&W already had a network set up.

"From my best guess, vampires."

Zombie Strike Part 7 Chapter 66