Hunter: Begin Again

Eleven.

Stopping at the gate, I looked back to find slow moving shadows in the dark. The smell radiated off them, a rancid mix of death and decay and I wanted to keep running, but I couldn't. The risk of some of them getting out of the cemetery and into civilization was too high. The world didn't need this and I couldn't even remember the last time zombies had been reported as an issue. I was in so much trouble as it was, I didn't need it getting worse.

"This is not how I saw tonight ending." Ailin appeared with two other Kasha demons in tow. I could only guess they were Toyo and Lily. Her samurai sword appeared seconds later as she stayed in human form and before I could speak, the other two sent a bright pink beam into the sky. The dome fell down around us and I prayed I wasn't going to be stuck in here with our dead friends.

"You're telling me!" I mumbled, signalling up to the vanishing light.

"The shield will stop any getting out and covers us. We do not need humans to see this."

A blast of light came from above, taking over the darkness. It was as bright as midday and at least we could see them a little clearer now, if that was a good thing. Remnants of flesh hung off worn bones, as corpses in varying stage of decomposition lumbered our way. Whether it was day or night didn't bother them like it did the vampires. All they'd be able to sense was the living and it's what drove them our way.

"Don't let them bite you!" Ailin warned.

"Really? Because I was totally going to let that happen!" I shot back sarcastically and taking out my gun, she quickly pushed it down.

"Save it. These are more effective!" She pointed at the machete V had me buy back at the store. "Come on Hunter."

The crazy demon ran towards the first dozen and they didn't react to her the same way as they did me. I guess being a demon had its perks right now and swallowing my growing fear, I ran after her.

There were too many of them, and as heads began to roll it only seemed to excite the mob. If not for Ailin, I would have been bit about three times and as we were seperated I found myself left with no choice other than climbing up onto one of the smaller mausoleums. It was a bad idea as they mobbed the area, piling up against each other. Avoiding reaching hands that sought to pull me down, I did have a good position to behead them only few met that fate as I was left chopping off hands and kicking them back instead.

As the first one managed to get up onto the roof, I failed to notice those on the other side moving away. Black liquid that was once blood, bits of flesh and general gunk covered me and the smell was something I was positive I'd never get out my nose. Seeing the space the other group left, I used it to get away. Looking back, the others were still trying to climb up, and finding the main mob, my heart stopped seeing Logan quickly getting into a similar position I had just been in.

"Logan!" I screamed, the sound of my voice making a couple turn back in my direction.

I braced myself for their attack, their jaws opening and closing in anticipation of their first meal as the undead. The woman who came first still had a fair amount of the skin on her face, reminding me that despite being here now, they were once people, living, breathing people. Her pearl necklace had half sunk in against her collarbone and as she lunged at me, I wondered whom she had been. A mother maybe, or did she live alone? Was she loved or had been forgotten since her death?

As her head dropped to the dirt and body fell behind it, now wasn't exactly the time to think of those kind of things. She wouldn't have possessed the ability to think of my life up to this point; the drive to feast on warm blood and fresh meat would have been more consuming than the urge to feed on blood as a vampire.