“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.
Three of the undead stumbled inside, arms reached out and mouths open and dripping with the foul blood he’d seen too many times. These creatures wore the uniforms of his unit, the Ost Battalion, one even carried a Kar98K rifle on his shoulder, though he appeared to show no signs of trying to use it. Stepping backwards Steiner tripped over the bottom stair of the staircase. Dropping to the ground he knocked his lower back and shoulder blades hard into the wooden steps. A jolt of pain seared through his body and he cried out for a moment. The view of the undead moving towards him soon snapped him out of his daze though, and in one quick motion he lifted up his submachine gun and emptied a score of rounds into the torsos of the creatures. Each one of the 7.62mm bullets ripped through the creatures’ soft flesh, tearing out chunks as they exited the bodies. The burst sent them back through the door and into a crumpled mess on the ground. He lifted himself up and moved quickly to shut the heavy oak door. He got it half closed before another small group tried to force their way in. Pushing with all his might he couldn’t quite make it. The numbers started to push him back; there was no way he could get the door shut.
A voice behind Steiner called out in French. He didn’t know what words the man was saying but the intent was clear. At the top of the stairs was a very old man, perhaps the priest for the area. The man was leaning against the banister rail, a bloody bandage tied across his shoulder and neck. In his hands he carried a double barrel hammer lock shotgun. With a booming sound that deafened Steiner he fired two shots, filling the open area with lead pellets and shredding the undead where they stood. Steiner immediately ran back to the door and jammed it shut, securing it with the heavy lock from the inside.