An almost full moon shone brightly in a cloudless night sky. The Stars glowed a subdued light as something evil hung over the land. Fog rolled across the village, blanketing the cobblestone streets. The houses were all dark and silent, almost as if something had drained the warmth from them. Stunted trees cast leafless shadows on the ground. Nothing dared to make a sound, not even the crows and crickets. Something moved and if anyone had been there to see it they would have seen two men wearing long, grey cloaks walking down the center street. Behind them trailed dozens of similarly cloaked figures moving silently. They made no sound as they moved, almost as if they were wraiths sent to plague the land, but the periodic rustling of fabric and random quiet clank of metal betrayed the fact that they were indeed living creatures.
They marched through the small village towards a great castle rising like a cluster of jumbled and broken teeth out of the top of the hill. The dark and foreboding structure cut into the shape of the fat moon behind it and cast a pitch black shadow across the valley between it and the village. As the small troop closed on the narrow valley leading to their target as a wolf howled at the moon in the distance. The noise filled the night with sound before fading and returning it the watchful and suspenseful silence of before. One of the figures stepped on twig, snapping it. Immediately all hell broke loose.
A swarm of snarling manlike creatures surged out of the dark valley and charged the figures. The swish of cloaks parting and monsters growling were replaced with the sounds of swords clearing scabbards and pistols being cocked as the figures met the dark creatures head on. Soon the night air became impregnated with the scent of blood and the screams of the slain. Blades sliced heads from shoulders with quick swings and were soon followed with sickening thumps as the bodies and heads struck the ground. A man screamed for help as several of the creatures overwhelmed him and dragged him into the night as two others tried to come to his aid. The poor man was lost to their help and would soon meet a horrible end at the clawed hands of the monstrosities. The crack of a pistol being fired was followed by the head of one of the dark creatures exploding as the bullet ripped it open. More of the creatures poured out of the shadows to replace their slain kin. The grey cloaked men kept fighting even as their numbers wilted from the onslaught of the monsters. One of the men was tackled and quickly torn apart, spraying the nearby fighters with blood and flesh as his organs were shredded and tossed about like confetti. Soon though the flood of creatures slowed and then stopped as no more were left in the shadows. The grey cloaked men had their hope of victory rekindled when they saw this. Their vigor renewed they fought on. Within minutes the last of the twisted creatures were killed and the surviving men gathered together.
They stood in a noticeably smaller group then before. Their cloaks were soaked with blood and covered with flesh and organs from fallen friends and dead monsters. The warriors did a quick head count and weapons check before finally getting a proper look at their enemies.
The creatures scattered around them had a pale grayish skin that hung off the muscular frames quite loosely for such powerful beasts. Their beady, black eyes were set in the center of broad, flat faces, covered in scars. A set of razor sharp teeth filled their mouths jutting in any direction they could grow. Beneath the creatures large head was a powerfully built body, bent and twisted beyond compare. The monsters spines bent in many directions while their limbs were twisted every which way. If a normal man had seen them they would have wondered how these things moved much less fought. Their twisted limbs ended with misshapen feet and hand topped with long, sharp, and deadly nails. The many creatures were covered head to toe in the remains of the fallen grey cloaked men.
The group readied themselves before pressing on into the valley and closer to the castle looming over them like some long dead beast from myth and legend. As they marched into the center of the large tree filled valley they could hear things moving through the undergrowth around them, they were not surprised the castle would have more defenses besides the nest of Lost Ones on the outer edge of the valley. They passed deeper in and closer to the castle before the first of the new threat attacked.
YOU ARE READING
Lady Of Blood
Historical FictionAlexander Reign Van Helsing lives a hard life. He's a street orphan working as a male prostitute. He caters especially to the rich. Selling himself out in order to provide for both himself and his friends, he tries his best to stay under the radar. ...
