Short Story Hour Part 1

Monster Hunter

    I arrived early morning at the entrance to the city of Purlinska. The Sun had just begun to shine over the furthest mountain peak. It looked like it was going to be a warm autumn day. As I walked through the town toward my destination of the Chapel, I noticed the townspeople averting their gaze from me.  It did not matter much to me though, most Monster Hunters, were hated in any part of the world.  I approached the front of the chapel, cliche as chapels go, with a quaint little graveyard behind it.  I walked up to the wide double doors and pushed them inwards.  Few people inside near the back had their hands clasped together, and heads bowed.  At the front of the chapel was the Father.  I walked towards him and let the doors swing shut behind me.

As I drew nearer to him, he looked up at me then asked, “Are you seeking God my son?”

I replied in cold tone, “No Father.” Then added, “I’m here for the same reason you are.”

He smiled starkly, then replied, “I suppose I should have known you were the Hunter we sent for.”  He gave me a once over then added, “Come, follow me I’ll discuss the details of your job.”

    He left the pulpit and started heading towards his chamber. I followed him, and then walked in as he held the door open for me. He closed the door and went to sit behind his desk, his black robes swaying as he walked.

“Please sit down,” he said gesturing towards the seat on the other side of the desk.

I obliged him, sitting in the hard wicker chair across from him. “So what are the details of this job?” I queried him.

The father furrowed his brow together. “I guess introductions are out of the question?”

I smiled at him. “Names are too formal for the work I do.”

“Well then, shall we discuss why your here?” The father replied hastily, shuffling paperwork on his desk.

“By all means.” I replied, urging him to continue.

The father stood up and walked up to face the window, his robes brushing against the wicker chair as he moved. “Well this quiet town has a horrifying secret…” He started.

“On the night of Hallows Eve, the dead rise from their tombs and devour the living.” He turned deliberately to see my response.

My face as stone cold.remained statuesque.  As a Monster Hunter I had become used to these ‘strange’ happenings.  It seems lately they were increasing in frequency.  In my mind it was abnormal to cling on to the old world.  Sanity and normality had been vanquished by the creatures that go bump in the night.

“When will I receive payment?” I asked him before he could continue.

“After you stop the zombies. Find out what is causing them to awaken.” The Father replied to me.

I smiled, and stood up.. “ I’ll take the job and find the source of your zombies.” After replying bluntly, I got up and strided out of the room, and towards the exit of the Church.

    I figured the best way to find out the source of the zombies was to sit in the graveyard in a hidden place to see if I could see anything suspicious.  There was something off about the father, that raised my suspicions, that I’d be dealing with more than just the normal supernatual Zombie.  After nightfall, I snuck into the graveyard, hiding behind a large bush that was next to a mausoleum.  Seconds quickly turned into minutes, and minutes quickly turned into hours.  I was about to abandon my post, when I heard someone talking.  Either, this church has the first ever talking Zombie, or something more sinister was going on.  The sound become more guttural, than human, almost sounding like some sort of rhythmic chanting. I tried getting a better look through the bushes. It looked like the Father, I had spoken to earlier was out with some young clergyman, reading from a book.

I stood up and said, “Well Father what a surprise.”

As he turned towards me, it was almost like his eyes and mouth were writhing like a livnig thing.  He finished facing me, revealing a face flickering in the light of the fire, twisted like the gnarled branches of an old tree.  It took only a moment to realize that, either the Father was some sort of demon, or this wasn't the Father.

He looked up at me snarling angrily, “You fool, what are you doing here!”

I pointed at him and replied, “looking for your zombies.”

“So what are you doing here in the graveyard then?” he asked me.

At this point I was about to point out the obvious nature of zombies hanging out in graveyards, that was until a hand popped out of the grave close to my feet, reaching for me!  It took only another heartbeat for the creatures decayed head to emerge from the grave.  I started to back up to get some room to get my weapons ready, when I heard the ground behind me shift.  Shit.  They were everywhere.  I lunged backwards and tumbled right over a gravestone, into an empty grave.

“GROUAH!”, one of the two zombies screeched.

An eternity passed as my heart beat faster.

Another eternity passed, my heart speeding up.

The father's head poked over the top of the grave.

“GUAAHHH!!” I screamed.  He smiled even more impishly than should be possible, his face writhing in the light.