Invasion

by Dmitrii Mansurov

  The monster crushed by the club was burning. Judging by the faces of other vampires, they didn't expect such a thing from someone of their own kind.

  "The wood!" Babak realized quickly. "Only wood can kill them!"

  Yaroslav jumped to the table in one single motion, swung his sword and cut off the wooden leg. The vampires rushed after him. Babak's club whistled through the air, and the second vampire, who was already badly deformed, found his eternal peace. Babak hit the vampires several times while the Prince stabbed the nearest with a side of the severed table leg, punching another one in the jaw. The vampire replied with his fists, so Yaroslav was thrown back. The dead vampires were engulfed by the blue flames. The attacker jumped on the prince and grabbed him by the throat, but Yaroslav managed to put the tip of the wooden leg in front of him. The vampire was pierced by it and right away, he flared with bright flame. Yaroslav pushed the leg again. The vampire fell to the floor and quickly burned to a crisp.

  The survivors retreated, their faces clearly reflecting their bewilderment at what was happening. Yaroslav shook his head and got to his feet. Everything was swimming and he was seeing double from the vampire's powerful strike, but nothing was broken.

  "You ok there?" Babak asked, not taking his eyes off the vampires. "Well, which of you is brave?"

  "Not the dead one for sure!" Yaroslav said. "Though he was strong like a bear."

  "I'm used to fighting bears!" Babak whirled his club, and the vampires backed away. "Ha, look at that. They're scared!"

  "I'm coming!" Yaroslav stepped to the wall, leaned against it, and shook his head. The surroundings stopped doubling, but the hut seemed to be immersed in a storm of some kind.

  The vampires were glaring at the club furiously, ready to pounce on Babak any moment now. The prince tore the wooden chair leg from the burning vampire's body and noted to himself that the enemies burned locally, without spreading the fire across their surroundings. Staggering, he approached Babak.

  "Strong, but stupid," he concluded.

  "Agreed," Babak said.

  The vampires began to wave their arms and jumped once, twice, thrice. The surprised prince and Babak looked at each other. The last jump was the highest. The vampires didn't fall, but instead, they hung in the air and turned into huge bats.

  "Werewolves!" Babak exclaimed in surprise. "The real ones!"

  "It's my turn!" Yaroslav stepped forward. The pain left at once, leaving only a cold fury behind. The bats flapped their wings hard and flew at the prince. It was clear that they didn't know how to fly properly. They probably had neither the place nor the time to gain experience. Yaroslav, in turn, had an abundance of combat experience.

  ***

  Soon, they were standing over the dead bats. The light of rage in their eyes took long to fare after death. Yaroslav waited for them to burn as well, but the corpses remained lying in a puddle of blood. A light breeze penetrated the room through the hole in the wall, and Yaroslav heard the quiet chirping of the grasshoppers. The silence was peaceful, as if nothing had changed. Just a usual quiet night.

  "What are these things?" Babak asked thoughtfully. There were too many questions and too few answers.

  They heard soft sighs coming from the darkness and immediately grabbed their weapons. A gray spot appeared in the blackness. As it approached, it became more distinct, more like a man, but Yaroslav didn't rule out the chance that this was another night guest coming for their soul, so he didn't lower his sword.

  "What have you done?" the mysterious stranger spoke in a mournful voice. "I've barely managed to train them how to hunt, and you ruined two months of my work."

  "And what kind of creature are you?" Babak was curious.

  The man came close enough to be easily seen but not close enough for a successful sword strike. After glancing at the butchered corpses, the stranger muttered, "Yeah, yeah, they made bad bats..."

  "Who are you?" Yaroslav raised his voice.

  The man looked up at him with sad eyes.

  "Why would you want to know? You’ll die anyway. You will all die. Everyone is going to die."

  "Do you know any other words?" Babak wondered.

  "I do," the stranger replied, and then mumbled monotonically, "Think of the death. You will die. Think of the death.”

  Yaroslav turned to Babak.

  "A nut case of some kind."

  Babak shook his head, keeping his eyes on the vampire.

  "He's trying to distract us. Trying to show himself as weaker than he really is. Did you hear what he said about training?"

  Yaroslav nodded.

  "He's stronger than them."

  "It's logical," Yaroslav agreed and turned to the vampire. "I don't advise you to appear here again."

  "It won't work," the vampire noted without changing his tone. "You can't kill everyone. You will drown in your own blood. Think of the death. You're all mortal. Think of the death. I can spare you from it. You can become vampires. You can become the eternal beings, and I will become your teacher."

  "Think of the toothache!" Yaroslav mimicked him. "You all have huge teeth! Think of the toothache! You'll lose your teeth! Think of the toothache!" He thought for a second and added, "Oh! I can help you get rid of them. You can become toothless. You will find your rest and go into eternity... Deal?"

  The vampire disagreed with such an offer.

  "You’re losing your chance at eternal life," he said. "Tomorrow, you'll die."

  "What's stopping us from killing you right now?" Yaroslav asked straightforwardly. Instead of answering, the vampire turned into a bat and quickly soared to an unattainable height.

  "We'll be back!" he said as a good-bye. "And you will die."

  "Fly while you can!" Yaroslav said his own good-bye. Then he looked at Babak. "What shall we do?"

  "Warn the others."

  "It won't help," the vampire told them. Yaroslav grabbed the bow, pulled the string, and before the vampire could disappear in the darkness, he fired. A pierced bat hit the ground with a light thud.

  "I'm a good shot even when nothing can be seen," Yaroslav boasted.

  "Too many of you started wandering around here flapping your wings," Babak muttered. "Who do they think they are?"

  ***

  Yaga wearily shook Ivan out of the bag, and he turned into a human even before he hit the floor. It'd be fine, but the weight of the boy was heavier than that of the goat. Ivan fell to the floor and shouted something indignantly, but then he met Yaga's eyes and fell silent.

  "That's how it's going to be," Yaga began without an introduction. "I'll speak for a while, but every word will be important, so listen to me carefully!"

  Ivan blinked. During her monologue, Yaga cut three holes in the bag, turning it into a kind of shirt. When it was done, she threw it to the cowering boy. He somehow pulled the huge bag over his naked body and started resembling some primitive child version of Batman.

  "I am reconstructing the ancient composition of a potion by memory alone, and you volunteered to help me in this matter! Shut up, no objections are accepted. The vampires are coming for us from the west. They drink human blood and turn their victims into the same creatures they are. When they arrive here, no people will remain. The human race will cease to exist, and the world will be doomed to extinction because of the unimaginable hordes of vampires who'll keep spreading around! So you will drink the water I'll give you, a new glass every day, and I'll make a comparative analysis of data. This way, I'll derive the exact proportions of the components in a potion used for the transformation of a human into an animal! Vampires don't drink the blood of animals and birds. It's poisonous to them. We need to hurry. They’ll attack your village any day now. You don't want your sister to become a dinner for some monster, do you?"

  Ivan shook his head in fright.

  "You've made the right choice!" Yaga exclaimed, happy now. "Now drink this."

  Ivan muttered quietly, "Not like I had a choice," but he drank the water from the glass. Only one
thing pleased him at that moment, and that was the fact Yaga wasn't going to eat him. How did she put it? ‘Dinner for some monster’? Good lord!

  What were those terrible creatures if even Yaga called them monsters?

  Black fog enveloped Ivan again.

  ***

  Yaga marked down the time and started preparing weapons for the protection of the hut. A mechanism that functioned as a steam weapon was built into the foundation of the house. It was created a few thousand years ago by a wood goblin in cooperation with a blacksmith. The steam gathered in a special compartment and created pressure on the rods with a metal base, as well as on a sharp wooden tip of the nickel pipes. Initially, the weapon was adapted for repelling the "gifts" from evil sorcerers and wild chimeras that occasionally wandered into the areas populated by people. The largest population of the surviving monsters was hiding in the Quirky forest lakes, occasionally rising to the surface and scaring the rare fishermen. Instead of a normal fish, they pulled out a huge monster with "huuuuge fangs"!

  It was time to use it again though. The vampires were sure to get to the hut because the remaining survivor had vowed to kill Yaga and her team. Yaga knew for sure that vampires died after being hit with the stakes and from the sunlight. Maybe they could die from something else, too, but she had no such data.

  The lever activated the system of unmasking and extending the weapon. The pot with water had been boiling on the stove for several days already. Another lever activated the weapon itself, causing it to fire and automatically create new rods.

  Yaga aimed at the first tree and fired. The rod was spat from the barrel with a hiss. It split the target like a knife would cut butter.

  "Great!" Yaga rubbed her hands. "They won’t know what fate has in store for them. You're either the villain or the hero. Like in a fairy tale."

  ***

  Artem struggled through the thick bushes, cursing at every step. But he still stuck to the set path. The peasants said that Yaga's house was located in the most impassable wood thicket. Once or twice, it seemed to him that he was being followed by shadows, but perhaps it was just the wind moving the bushes. Maybe he only thought that someone was sneaking behind him. The prince reassured himself that it was unlikely that a normal person would go for a walk at such a time and in such a place unless there was a strong need for it. Unless he was a total jerk who didn't have enough common sense to be afraid.

  Accepting the idea that he was going to Yaga, accompanied by some idiots who had emerged from nowhere, didn't sit well with him, but the prince would still be very surprised to learn that his senses didn't lie. He was indeed being followed by some creatures. The vampires barely controlled their desire to attack the prince. Some bright mind had suggested they track him down. It was no accident that he went on a trip at night! Probably someone was hiding in the woods, and the prince thought it would be nice to surprise that "someone".

  For some reason, their lord had a pathological, weird, and inexplicable interest in these places, which was why he'd sent forward a small detachment of scouts to clarify the situation. The more information they obtained, the better.

  Artem came across a hut early in the morning. He got to the clearing and discovered the shape of the hut in its center.

  "Finally!" the prince rejoiced. Clearing his throat, he came closer and spoke the phrase from the famous children's tales,

  "Hut, hut, turn your back to the forest and face me!"

  The hut creaked. Yaga noticed the movement and grabbed the levers. The hut hadn't done such tricks for a long time. Either one of the princes or some fool who had somehow learned its secret could make it turn. Those idiots constantly appeared with their problems at the wrong time and in the wrong place! Did they think it was a consultation center or something?

  The hut turned and froze. The door, with a hideous creaking sound that could rattle someone to the very depth of their soul, opened. Artem, who ran inside, almost vomited in disgust. Yaga recognized her evening guest, but first, she looked to check whether he had fangs. He didn't. Good. Now she could quarrel a bit.

  "Prince!" Her indignation knew no bounds. "Not only did you show up in the middle of the night, you also forced this decrepit hut to spin!"

  Artem shook his head.

  "Where's Ivan?!"

  "He's here. Who are you, anyway?!"

  Ivan, who was awakened by the creak of the door, perked up with interest.

  "I came in Alena's stead."

  "Why didn't she come herself?" Yaga put her hands on her sides. "Or are you her errand boy?"

  Artem was taken aback.

  "Are you kidding me? What kind of idiot lets a girl go into a dense forest with the wolves?"

  "Red Riding Hood's Mom."

  "Who?”

  The door squeaked again, and three vampires stormed into the hut, holding their ears and staring at Yaga wide-eyed. All three of them vomited at the same time. Artem flinched so hard that he became covered in sweat. The vampires opened their mouths and hissed, showing their fangs.

  "What the hell is this? No one visits me for centuries and then half of the planet drops by," Yaga said with annoyance. As soon as the vampires took a step in her direction, she found herself standing near the wall with the stakes attached to it. She grabbed one and launched a counterattack. Artem jumped out of her way and drew his sword. Ivan was alive, and whoever the newcomers were, nothing good could be expected from them. And if Yaga armed herself, then the situation was serious.

  The vampire that had been stabbed by the spear shrieked and burst into flames. Artem made a quick lunge and cut off the head of the second vampire. He didn't die, though. Instead, he began to frantically run around the shaking hut, following his head that was rolling from one corner to another. The head was also hissing silently, snarling, but it failed to bite anyone. Yaga closed the door, locking a powerful bolt. She wouldn't be surprised if other vampires came for a visit!

  "What craziness is that?" the bewildered prince exclaimed.

  "Vampires!" Yaga claimed, striking the last opponent with a series of surprisingly swift and strong blows. A fire blazed, and the monster turned into a pathetic pile of ash. "Fight them with the help of stakes. Nothing else will work!"

  The headless vampire collapsed to the floor, but his hands kept twitching, grabbing, and breaking whatever came his way. Artem pierced him with a spear and recoiled from the flames. With a kick, he sent the head with viciously rotating eyes into the oven as it screamed.

  "Disgusting!" Then he covered the hole with a flap. There was silence.

  "Is that all of them?" he asked, hoping for a positive answer. "Do you have some more enemies?"

  "I wish!" Yaga said. "But I'm not…"

  The hut shook from the blows to the floor, walls, and ceiling. The door was shaking, and someone was pounding violently on the only window with impenetrable diamond glass that wasn't closed by the shutters.

  Yaga rushed to the chair and pulled the levers. The gun went off, and the first shell hit the vampire.

  "How many of you have run up here?" Yaga was amazed. "Well, no matter. Welcome!"

  The hut resembled a small cosmodrome with the missiles that were soaring continuously. Yaga was shooting, the vampires were bursting into flames one after another, and it became clear how many of them had come after the prince.

  "What are you hoping for, dimwits?" Yaga muttered sarcastically, pressing the trigger and shooting without really aiming.

  The hut was shaking, Artem and Ivan were being tossed from corner to corner, and the chairs were flying. The dishes that Yaga had thoughtfully locked in the cupboard were clinking, and the stove was buzzing like a herd of elephants. The angry vampires shouted menacingly at the whole forest, and the unintentional witnesses of the battle huddled in the cracks, choosing to be silent to remain on the safe side.

  The glow of the fire rose to the heavens, and in many villages and towns, people were pouring out into the street, awakened by an incomprehensible rumble. They lo
oked around, puzzled, wondering what it could be, not knowing that soon, they would find themselves in the center of a terrible disaster.

  ***

  Yaroslav and Babak fell silent and looked at the glow.

  "It seems Artem has found Yaga," the prince suggested.

  "And what, those screams are her friendly greeting?" Babak asked. "No, that's not her voice, trust me on this."

  "It's not Artem's voice, either," Yaroslav shrugged. "It's more like..."

  "...he led most of the vampires away with him," Babak finished. Yaroslav turned pale.

  "I'll come to his rescue!" he decided. "Why the hell did I listen to him?"

  "Don't lose your mind! You still won't be able to get there on time, no matter what happens there," Babak replied. "It's too late."

  Yaroslav closed his eyes.

  ***

  The fox twitched from fear and woke up. She dreamed about a huge crow that was towering up to the skies, whistling in a disgusting manner and belching streams of fire. It was terribly scary, but the remains of the cheese dispersed all the nightmares and inspired the radiant memories of yesterday's operation that she had carried out so successfully together with a couple of the unsuspecting sparrows. Something strange started happening with them recently. They fell down the ground out of blue, then they began to fly around like crazy. Because of them, the trap she'd been preparing had to be abandoned. And now it was absolutely impossible to find acorns or even an oak there. It was such a good trap, though. Just gather a bunch of acorns and someone would approach to start munching on them until they choked from greed.

  "What beast has graced our forest with her presence!" the fox heard, jumping in shock. A wolf. Scratched beyond belief. Grinning. That was suspicious.

  "Any problems?" she asked.

  "A crow whispered to me that you brought some chickens to her."

  "She's lying. I didn't bring anything, I took it from her, and it was not chickens but some cheese. What's it to you?"

  "I'm here for revenge. I don't care about the crow, but I want two chickens lying in front of me tomorrow for breakfast. If you don't bring them, you'll become lunch yourself."