Michael Thomas - Night of the Nazi Zombies

“I want you and these five to form a centre guard unit,” he waved his arm at M. Poulain, the two young Frenchman and the middle aged couple.

He continued, “Your job is to look for any gaps or weaknesses. If you see a hole, plug it and then get back here,” he pointed to the centre of the room.

He handed the first two Sten guns to the young Frenchmen. More gunfire came from the church tower, the sound encouraging the couple to grab a gun each. M. Poulain, holding one of the weapons in a surprisingly comfortable position, spoke to the others whilst pointing at the parts of the weapon.

Captain Scott left the old man to explain about the weapons whilst he turned his attention to Adrienne and Madeleine who were still hiding along the aisle. He gestured to them to come to the centre of the room. They needed no encouragement as they made a quick dash to the middle of the church. The captain held up handfuls of 9mm bullets and a Sten gun and then spoke slowly.

“I need you to give these bullets and loaders to the men with these guns,” he said.

He held the gun in front of them and then showed them the bullets along with the required magazine loader once again. With an eagerness that surprised him, the two girls grabbed handfuls of bullets and split off to the aisle and chancel to help out. As each girl reached one of the defenders they spoke or tapped on their arms and then placed the supplies nearby. As soon as they were done they returned for more. Captain Scott nodded in satisfaction. This left just the three old civilians that were unable to fight, he had a job for them as well. He beckoned for them to join him at the weapons stash whilst brandishing the weapons.

* * *

Out in the darkness of the French night Steiner was not enjoying himself. He was cold, tired and his head was still pounding. He really wished he hadn’t bothered with that awful local wine. It wasn’t one of his better decisions. After following a circular route to avoid the crashed tank and any contact with the creatures he had finally made it to a clearing just north of the village’s vicarage. He was still surprised that this French village contained a vicarage, having always considered the area to be predominantly catholic. The problem though was not the vicarage, but the fact that since getting to this location the number of creatures had multiplied massively. By keeping low and quiet he’d avoided them so far. Although after this careful evasion he was now in a situation where he could no longer turn back. The sound of their groans had surprised him at the start but now he could hear them from every direction. In front of him the vicarage looked quiet but that didn’t mean it was safe. He could however make out moving shadows near the boundary of the large house and every tree seemed to house something untoward. Off to the distance on his right was the cemetery and beyond that the outline of the church. Should he make a break through the cemetery to the church or take cover in the vicarage whilst he mulled over his options? If he sheltered in the large house he could wait there till daybreak, but what if nobody came for him? He looked back to the cemetery; it was lined with trees that obscured the church. He was about to make a move for the church when he noticed something that encouraged him to stay down low. He concentrated, straining his eyes to look at the tombstones ahead of him.

“Shit!” he swore quietly to himself.

The cemetery was crawling with undead creatures. They were moving slowly away from his position, presumably towards the church. With a last moment given to consider his position, he lifted himself up and crept quietly forward to the vicarage. The old house was well built, just like the nearby church. There was no doorway from the north as the main entrance faced the cemetery to the east. With a quick look around him he checked for any signs of the undead monsters. It looked clear; he took a deep breath and then dashed to the house. The distance was short but the fear of the unknown and the short term speed left his heart pounding in his ears. He almost stumbled in his desire to clear the open ground. With a final few steps he reached the corner of the house on the north-west section. He pulled himself close to the cold stonework, making sure he looked as small and unnoticeable as possible. Looking around discretely, it appeared that nobody seemed to have noticed him. From this position he now had a good view of the courtyard to the west that led from the house to the cemetery. There was a gravel driveway that curled from the house, down to the southern part of the house and the road. This road led into the village and directly in front of the church. Trees flanked the courtyard and it was these that concerned Steiner the most. Under each one was a dark, shadowy area that Steiner wanted to avoid at all costs. What worried him more than the darkness though was that he could again hear the groaning and moaning of the creatures out into the distance. It sounded like they were on the move and yet he couldn’t see a single one in this area.

A distant gunshot echoed out across the skyline, the sound of the shot reverberated against the glass panes of the house and out into the courtyard. Steiner looked out to the west. It had definitely come from the church or somewhere very near. The creatures let out more howls, their slow movement finally giving their positions away. From under the trees and dark places the creatures started to move, the majority towards the cemetery and the church. A small number just seemed to wander in random directions, as though they were waiting to be told where to go.

Steiner looked all around, checking none of them were heading towards him. So far it looked okay. He moved slowly, following the perimeter around the large house. He stepped carefully, trying to keep the sound of his feet on the gravel as quiet as possible. After a few more steps he came to a large bay window, looking inside he could see nothing due to the curtains being drawn tightly across. Moving a little further he could see a small gap in the curtain. He lifted himself up to the gap to peer inside. As he eyes adjusted to the interior gloom he could make out overturned furniture. Near the wall was a pulled down bookcase that looked like it was resting against the interior door. Not a good sign! Steiner continued past the windows and towards the substantial stone porch. This structure pushed out almost six feet from the building so that it almost looked like a small house. At the front of the porch it was totally open, the actual door to the building was inside, protected from the elements by the stone structure. There was no sign of trouble at this part of the house, so Steiner slipped inside the porch and approached the door. Nothing looked dangerous to him yet, apart from the fact that the front door was slightly ajar. After years of fighting, Steiner was no fool. If the door was ajar it was because somebody had left it that way. The question was, why? If it was a local then it could be a simple mistake, it could also mean one of those creatures had opened it or more likely, the house had been abandoned. Steiner considered the room he’d looked at as he worked his way around the house. Something bad had happened inside this house, the barricaded room suggested people had been trying to defend it. Whether they had been successful though was to be seen. Whilst he waited in the porch he heard more wailing from the creatures, It was definitely coming from the courtyard so he lowered his submachine gun and pushed the door open with the weapon to reveal a large, empty hallway and a grand staircase that wound up to the first floor. Taking a deep breath he made his way slowly into the house.

A sharp crack sound, like that of a distant rifle interrupted his progress. It came from behind him, likely from the church. He paused, not liking being in such an exposed position. Before he could move, several more cracks blasted out into the night followed by the familiar, yet terrifying wail of the undead. Steiner threw himself up to the wall and looked back towards the cemetery. He could see flashes of light, like tiny pinpricks on the horizon. It was the telltale sign of the start of a battle. Whoever was at the church was in an unenviable position. The sound of the wailing and groaning of the dead changed, as though they were outside the door. The sound was louder and more distinct, there was a good reason for it as Steiner soon discovered.