Monsters of the Reich

by Eric S. Brown

  “She’s dangerous, Kendal,” Lance cautioned him. “How she’s acting now is likely going to put us all at risk the next time we run into trouble.”

  “We’ll see,” Kendal said, dropping the subject as Kristen approached them. The pant legs of her uniform were still splattered with the blood of the two German soldiers she had finished off after the battle. Kendal had always known that Kristen could be cold, but as he looked at her in this moment, he realized just how cold. She and Lance were a perfect match for each other, both of them determined and focused people who had no qualms about doing the things that needed to be done, regardless of how awful they might be. He made a mental note to stay on her good side.

  “Glad you two are finally finished with that crap.” Kristen gestured at Derek’s shallow grave. “We need to get moving again. We’re losing daylight.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” Lance told her.

  No one took the time to say anything over the freshly completed grave. Payne lingered at it though as the others got ready to get moving. Kendal watched her as she wiped at her eyes a final time and then turned to face him. Their eyes met, and he saw a new hardness in them that reminded him of what he saw in Lance and Kristen. One thing was sure about this game and that was that none of them would be coming out of it the same people they had been before. It was easy to tell himself that the German soldiers they had killed were just constructs of the game’s programming, but everything was so real here that it didn’t feel that way.

  Kendal ran his fingers through his hair to help clear his head and then donned his helmet. Kristen had been right about one thing: they were losing daylight. The sun was already past its peak in the sky.

  Lance once again took point as the group got moving. It was Payne who brought up the group’s rear this time though. She lagged along behind them. Kendal supposed she was done with talking and just needed the time to herself to deal with all the stuff she had to be coping with from Derek’s death.

  Kristen was second in line behind Lance while he and Chuck made up the middle of the group as they hiked through the woods. Chuck was quiet. It was an odd thing for him. Kendal wasn’t complaining about it though. He needed some quiet time too. It was as there was a growing emotional distance between all of them when they should be coming together.

  By the end of the day, they were all even more exhausted then they had been at its start after the two battles they had endured that morning. There was no shelter to be found. Lance had no choice but to relent and let them build a fire despite the dangers doing so brought with it. If they didn’t, they would surely freeze to death by the time the sun came up again. He accessed the skills the game had provided him with in order to get the fire going. Chuck and Kristen had gathered enough wood for it to last them through the night.

  Kendal sat staring into the fire’s dancing flames with Payne sitting across from it. Chuck had curled up using his uniform’s coat as a blanket. The man started snoring as soon as his eyes were closed. Lance and Kristen kept watch. Kendal could see Kristen standing at the edge of the small clearing they had made their camp in, leaning against a tree with her rifle propped up next to her within easy reach. Of Lance, there was no sign. Kendal knew he was out there somewhere though, watching over them in the darkness. That thought brought him some comfort.

  “I’m not going to die,” Payne said suddenly.

  Kendal looked across the fire at her and saw the determination in her expression.

  “None of us want to,” Kendal said, not knowing what else to say.

  Payne didn’t respond to what he had said.

  “I hope you know how sorry I am about Derek,” he told her sincerely. “He was my best friend.”

  Before Payne had the chance to say anything, a gunshot cracked in the night from somewhere in the trees beyond the edge of the camp. Kristen grabbed up her rifle, her eyes scanning for its source, but she held her position.

  “That had to be Lance,” Kendal said, getting to his feet. Payne was already on hers with her pistols drawn. Chuck stirred beneath his jacket from the commotion around him.

  “What is it?” Chuck asked. “What’s going on?”

  “Shut up,” Payne said, kicking at him.

  Everyone was still and silent as they waited for the sound of another gunshot or for Lance to emerge from the trees. Neither of those things happened though. Instead, a howl rang out. It was followed by another that sounded as if came from the west whereas the first had come from the north of the camp.

  “What the hell?” Kendal heard Payne whisper.

  Kristen left her position to join them, rifle in hand at the fire. “Those werewolf howls,” she told them.

  “I’d bet money on them coming from werewolves,” Kendal whispered. “It’s what I would throw at us next if I were this game’s AI and trying to take us out.”

  “Good thing all our weapons are loaded with silver bullets then, huh?” Kristen quipped.

  “Let them come,” Payne said through gritted teeth. “I’m ready for them.”

  Chuck had finally gotten to his feet. His coat was still on the ground where he had been sleeping and he was shivering from the cold. His rifle was clutched in a white-knuckled grip, and Kendal hoped the man wouldn’t do anything stupid.

  “What about Lance?” Kendal asked. “He’s out there somewhere.”

  “Best for all of us if we assume that he’s dead,” Kristen said in a hard, cold voice.

  Another howl sounded in the night. It was closer this time. Kendal knew they didn’t have long until whatever animals or monsters were making them made their move. The group waited at the fire, not daring to leave its sphere of light. Payne’s M3 hung from her back by its strap. Kendal would have been concerned by this, but he saw that her hands lingered over the butts of the two pistols holstered on her hips. He knew she had been working hard to access and develop that skill of her character.

  Chuck’s bladder released itself as the first of the werewolves came bursting from the trees. A warm surge of urine ran over his legs inside his pants. The werewolf came bounding toward the group on all fours despite its more humanoid than animal form. Its eyes burned yellow in the darkness of the night. Lips parted in a feral snarl, the thing was all muscle and covered head to toe in brown hair. The claws of its hands and feet raked at the snow beneath it as it moved with supernatural speed. The sight of the beast scared Chuck out of his mind. He turned to run for his life as the others stood their ground.

  Kendal took aim at the monster and opened up on it with his greaser. The M3 chattered and shook in his hands as it fired. What it lacked in stopping power it made up for in the sheer volume of bullets it could throw. The werewolf squealed as a barrage of silver ripped at its flesh. Blood splattered over the snow as each bullet punched its way into the monster’s body. Though dead, the werewolf’s body continued forward, carried on by its momentum to slide to a halt only feet away from Kendal. Payne hadn’t drawn her pistols. She had been waiting to see how things played out before joining the battle. Kendal was glad she had because several more of the werewolves emerged from the trees in the wake of the one he had killed and his M3’s magazine was almost spent. As he fumbled to eject the magazine and slam another one into place, Payne and Kristen engaged the new wave of monsters.

  Payne’s pistols cleared her holsters in a blur. Each of them thundered in rapid succession as she let loose on the werewolves. Her first shot blew a chunk of flesh from the shoulder of one of the monsters. Payne’s second shot shattered the knee joint of its right leg and sent the beast sprawling into the snow. Her third shot smacked into the shrieking monster’s forehead, ending it. Shifting her aim, Payne went after another of the monsters as they approached.

  Kristen’s M1 barked, putting a bullet into the chest of a werewolf that was coming at them on two legs, sprinting across the small clearing like a person would. The shot staggered the beast. It recovered quickly though blood poured from the ragged wound the bullet had torn in its ribs. K
risten worked her rifle and fired again. The beast’s angry cry was cut short and became a sickening gargling noise as her second round pulverized the softer flesh of its throat. Its body spun from the impact of the shot as the werewolf died and flopped over, toppling to the ground. A pool of red grew around its body where it lay in the snow.

  Kendal had reloaded and was in the process of raising the barrel of his M3 at the remaining werewolves closing the distance between them and the group of desperate gamers. A hulking werewolf towered over Kendal. He looked up into its yellow eyes and wanted to scream. Instead, he shoved the barrel of his M3 into the monster’s gut and squeezed the weapon’s trigger. A stream of bullets shredded the werewolf’s stomach at point-blank range. Pieces of torn flesh and ruptured chords of intestines were flung from the thing’s body as it reeled backward from Kendal. Kendal made sure the monster was dead, continuing to spray its body with the last of his M3’s new magazine. His bullets ripped into the base of its back where it had fallen into the snow and worked their way up along its spine to the rear of its skull.

  Payne twisted her body, dodging a swipe of a charging werewolf’s claws. The beast roared at her in anger and frustration as if it couldn’t believe she could move as fast as she had. Payne whirled to press the barrel of one of her pistols against the side of its head and pull the trigger. Brain matter exited the side of the werewolf’s head along with the bullet that punched through it. Payne allowed herself a smile as she leaped over the dead werewolf’s body to fire in midair at the beast coming up behind it. Her pistols cracked together in unison, putting a double blast of rounds into the monster’s sternum. The werewolf came to a halt, looking down at the gaping hole in its chest, its eyes wide before it swayed on its feet and collapsed onto its knees. Payne finished it with a single shot that entered the werewolf’s skull between its eyes.

  Kristen screamed as the werewolf she was fighting grabbed her M1 by its barrel, crushing it with the force of its grip, and yanked the weapon from her grasp. The monster flung the rifle toward the trees. Kristen yanked her pistol free of its holster but not fast enough to save her being backhanded by the beast. Its hand smashed into the side of her head and her world went white with pain.

  Kendal saw Kristen go down. He spun about, sprinting toward the werewolf that had knocked her unconscious. His M3 was empty and useless. Allowing the weapon to fall from his hands, Kendal slid his pistol from its holster and took aim at the monster as he ran. He knew he wasn’t as good with pistols as Payne was, but at this kind of range, he hoped that it wouldn’t matter. All he really needed to do was draw the beast’s attention away from Kristen. He fired a trio of shots that hammered into the monster’s back. The werewolf swung around in his direction as it gave a roar that sent shivers running along Kendal’s spine. He’d clearly gotten its attention and ticked it off even more than it had been in the process. The werewolf roared as it sprang at him. Kendal put two rounds into its face, one shattering the bone of its snout-like nose and the other pulping its left eye. Neither was enough to stop the beast. It crashed into him with the force of a juggernaut. Kendal grunted in pain as he was knocked from his feet. He went down in the snow with the snarling monster on top of him. Kendal caught its clawed hand by the wrist as it tried to plunge those claws into his eyes. The thing was impossibly strong, and his effort barely slowed its attack. He jerked his head to the side as its claws came at him. His arm bent but didn’t break as the claws narrowly missed their target. Kendal rammed the barrel of his pistol into the beast’s side and put a round into its ribs. Bone cracked and gave way as the bullet entered the beast. It reared its head in a shriek of pain, and Kendal used the distraction to roll out from under the monster. He looked up at the beast, taking aim with his pistol. He knew its magazine only had two rounds left in it, and he needed to make them count. The beast’s movements were slower as the silver from the shots he had already put in worked in its blood. Kendal fired into the kneecap of its right leg at point-blank range and was rewarded with the sound of crunching bone. The werewolf dropped to the ground next to him, clutching at its latest wound. It thrashed about in the snow, its blood splattering over him. Kendal rolled to his feet and stood over the monster as he took aim at its head and put his last round into its skull.

  Chuck could hear the sounds of the battle behind him. Guilt stung him from leaving the others, but he really, really didn’t want to die. The werewolves terrified him, and all he could think about was getting away from them. His mad flight from the fire had taken him into the woods. The only light now was the pale glow of the moon and stars above as he raced through the trees, his legs pumping under him. He could barely breathe despite the adrenaline that flooded his system. He had no idea where he was going. Outstretched branches slashed at his exposed skin as he plunged through them. Chuck didn’t see the beast that brought him to a halt until it was too late. One of its oversized paw-like hands shot out to smash into his chest, stopping him cold and knocking him backward. He fell onto his back, looking at the monster, his rifle lying in the snow next to him. Chuck grabbed for his rifle, but the werewolf was faster. It kicked the weapon far beyond his reach. He screamed as the monster reached to grab him by the front of his uniform and lift him effortlessly into the air before it. His feet kicked in the air as Chuck struggled to free himself from the thing’s hold on him. The werewolf sank the claws of its other hand into his stomach. When it came out, it clutched several blood-smeared purple strands of his intestines. Blood and vomit exploded from Chuck’s mouth at the beast. It released the hold it had on him and tossed him against a nearby tree. Chuck crashed into it with a loud grunt of pain that forced more vomit and blood from his lips. His body toppled onto the snow at the monster’s feet. He tried to draw his pistol, but he was too weak to free it from its holster. The last thing Chuck saw was the snow-covered bottom of the werewolf’s right foot as it came downward at his skull.

  Payne took stock of how the battle was going. It didn’t look good for any of them, and Chuck was nowhere to be seen. On the other hand, there were only two of the monsters left that she could see in the clearing. If there were more of the monsters in the woods, that was something they would have to deal with when this battle was done, if they survived it. For the moment, she didn’t have a beast that she was directly engaged with. Kendal looked to be holding his own, but Kristen was in trouble. Her body was sprawled out in the snow, and one of the remaining two beasts was headed straight for it. Payne sprinted into the monster’s path before it reached Kristen, firing both her pistols in unison. Both shots drew blood but weren’t enough to even slow the giant wolf. The werewolf showed her its teeth in a bestial snarl as it took a swipe at her with its claws. Payne danced away as the claws slashed through the air where she had just been. She couldn’t believe she was risking her life for Kristen. Payne hated the woman profoundly. When she had met Derek, he had been recovering from the twit breaking his heart. The fact that Kristen was such a cold-hearted witch didn’t help matters either. Still, they were on the same side whether either of them liked it or not.

  She had reloaded her pistols before charging in to attempt to save Kristen, and she emptied them now in a blaze of rapid shots that hammered the werewolf, staggering the beast with their fury. They weren’t enough to kill it, the thing was tough, but they sure as bloody Hades hurt the monster badly. Leaking blood from the numerous wounds she had inflicted on it, the beast gave up the fight and turned to run toward the trees. Payne didn’t want to let it go, but her pistols were empty, and she knew she couldn’t reload in time to stop the monster before it disappeared into the darkness of the woods. Holstering her pistols, she unslung her M3 from her back into her hands and readied the machine gun. The beast had already disappeared by the time she had the weapon ready, but that didn’t matter to Payne. Her focus was on Kristen now as she knelt beside her to make sure that she was still really alive.

  Kristen came to with a start, screaming, as Payne knelt over her. Payne placed a hand on Kristen
’s chest, keeping her on the ground as her attention was drawn to Kendal and the last of the werewolves. He was in trouble. The werewolf had gotten a hold of him and stood poised to rip his body in half. She was unable to do anything but watch. If she tried to open up on the monster with her greaser, her bullets would surely hit Kendal too.

  Lance came charging out of the trees behind the monster holding Kendal and leaped onto its back. The silver blade of the knife he carried stabbed into the base of the werewolf’s neck and must have severed its spine from how the beast suddenly dropped limply with Lance on top of it. Lance stabbed his blade in over and over again in a wild frenzy. The werewolf’s blood splashed upward to smear his cheeks, lips, and uniform. Lance kept stabbing the monster long after it was dead.

  “Lance!” Kendal yelled. “That’s enough already! Get it together, man!”

  Kendal got to his feet, approaching Lance cautiously.

  “They nearly got me,” Lance muttered as if he could barely speak. “In the woods, one of them came at me so fast… I killed it, but…it knocked me out before it was all the way dead.”

  “It’s okay, man,” Kendal assured him. “They’re all dead now.”

  “They’re not all dead,” Lance replied, shaking his head.

  “I hate to break up your reunion, fellows, but there are likely more of those things out there just like he said,” Payne said. “We need to wake up Kristen, find Chuck, and get moving.”

  Kendal glanced around, seeing that Chuck was gone for the first time. The last time he had seen him was when the battle started. Chuck had made a break for it instead of standing to fight with them. The man was always a coward when push came to shove, and he had certainly shown his true colors in leaving them at a time when they had needed every gun they had.

  “Is Kristen okay?” Kendal asked Payne.

  “She’ll live,” Payne answered. “She’s just bruised up from the look of her.”