Scare Tactics: Some Kind Of Monster
'...We all have to live! We all have to die! But death is bliss!
You all want one thousand more years of this?
You all want one thousand more years of this?
You all want one thousand more years of this?
We don't need you blessing!
We don't want your frakin' blessing!
Your youth is gone and you're just deprecating!
America! America! America!
You failed the mil-len-nium!
Mil-len-nium!
Mil-len-nium!
America! America!
America…You failed the millennium!'
"That was the monster new single from the Scare Tactics called 'You Failed the Millennium' off their upcoming album 'Freak of the Week'. You are listening to the graveyard shift with your ghoul of the night, DJ Dark. And, as promised, we have in studio with us the man behind the monsters, Arnie Burnsteel, the manger of Scare Tactics. Thanks for hanging out with us at this ungodly hour, Arnie."
"Thanks for having me." Burnsteel said, leaning toward the microphone in front of him.
"Now Arnie, we've been teasing all three of our listeners for hours that you had a surprise for us. Can you elaborate?"
"I can indeed Dark! I brought some friends with me who might be persuaded to play for your listeners here live, as a sorta kickoff for their show tomorrow night at the Gotham City Coliseum, where they will be the opening act for the band Bloodless Crank as they kick off their world tour."
"Well, there you have it folks! Scare Tactics will be live in studio next so stay tuned."
A long time ago…
Nina watched in horror as the sun rose much too quickly through the trees. She reached out through the gate, her bare shoulder pressed hard against the splintered wood but she didn't care. She stretched her fingers out as far as they would go but it was in vain. A tear ran down her cheek, as she pressed harder, barely extending her small fingers another inch. It was no use. Whether it was one inch or one thousand it was too far. All she could do was stand by helplessly as the sun continued to rise.
Everything had happened so quickly. Her mother had woken her from a sound sleep. Her mothers trembling hand covered her mouth. Within seconds Nina had been made aware of what was happening. They had returned. Their bloodlust would not be sated until one of their kind had been sacrificed. How many had lost their lives so far? Fifty? One hundred? What would it take to put an end to the senseless violence?
They thought she was too young to understand but she listened to the stories around camp about how their kind had lived a veiled existence for years. They only existed on the lips of parents who chose to keep their children well behaved using fear. Fearful that if they misbehaved, the sinister creatures of the night would come and take them away while they slept soundly in their beds. That was the case until a small group grew restless. They were no longer content with feeding on small prey. They had overstepped their bounds and blood spilled out into the city streets. It was immediately apparent that this small group's uncontrollable lust had cost all of them their peaceful existence just as a world war was breaking out.
They called themselves crusaders but to everyone else in the world, they were nazi's. These nazi's swept through the countryside and into the mountains in pursuit of the creatures that violated their people. Some fled, while others died immediately during daring daylight raids on their dwellings. In the end, they were the fortunate ones. The ones that remained were rounded up and placed into camps. Lager der vampires or camp of the vampires.
Nina felt a hand reach out and firmly grip her shoulder. It was her father who held her still while five or six nazi soldiers poked their rifles and spat at the girl who frantically struggled to release herself from her bonds. They came into the camp unannounced and grabbed the first one they saw. Saying nothing, they took this girl and drug her out of camp to the small clearing on the hillside. They held her down and Nina flinched as each spike was driven deeper into the ground. The helpless girl continued to pull at her shackles but to no avail, the chains that bound her were now also secured to the hillside.
Nina began to pull herself up the gate, but felt her fathers grip tighten as he leaned down to whisper in her ear, "There is nothing more we can do my child. She is lost to us now."
The sunlight was now beaming through the trees and the group behind the fenced in area began to move back into the few shadows that still remained. Nina took both of her hands and held firmly onto the gate. She couldn't leave her to die alone. She squinted as she watched the girl give up her struggle. Their eyes met and the girl mouthed something so quietly that only one of their kind would be able to hear.
"Go Nina. Be brave. Never be afraid."
Nina felt the warmth of the sun begin to singe her exposed skin. Her father finally was able to pull her away from the gate and drag her behind him. Nina was forced to close her eyes and she began to scream.
"No Cecania! My beautiful sister! No!"
"I will never be afraid my dear Cecania and I won't rest until they've all paid…in blood."
Nina uttered to herself.
"Nina? NINA!"
"WHAT!" She shouted as she wiped the tear off of her cheek and turned around.
"Nina, I am nervous." Slither said as he began to pace in the small room they occupied in the Gotham City radio station.
"What?" She growled back at him.
"He's worried about the performance here tonight." Fang said to no one in particular.
"He's worried about the performance? Why on mothers earth would he be worried about that?" She began to pace behind Slither, who nervously looked behind him. "I mean the fact that we have a vampire, a werewolf, and a couple of mutants pretending to be a rock band…"
"Nina there is no reason to yell." Fang said nervously.
"NO! I am not even finished yet!" She turned Slither around and pointed her finger in his face, "No reason to worry that the little government freak show we broke you out of could come out of the shadows and take you back…no, your worried about a live radio performance that we don't even do for real. If it wasn't for our little sorceress friend who cast spells that allow us to play in this little charade, we wouldn't even be able to pull off this or any other show we do!"
"I think you sing pretty." Grossout muttered from the corner he sat in.
"Shut the frak up! All of you, just for one minute!" she shouted before slowly pulling her finger from the face of the trembling Slither.
"Hey. Speaking of, where is out favorite sorceress Azarathea at?" Fang said looking around "It's almost showtime."
"Probably spending as much time as possible away from you freaks!" Nina screamed as she headed toward the door, "Just stay quiet and sit tight. I will go find her so we can get this over with."
She slammed the door behind and no one moved from where they either sat or stood.
When Nina found her, Azarathea was down the hall, in an unoccupied office. She paused at the door when she heard voices coming from inside the room. Nina became enraged at what she heard and quickly kicked the door in and stood face to face with the startled sorceress.
"Who the hell were you communicating with bitch?" Nina screamed.
"Who do you think you are barging in here like…"
"Can it, witch! I heard enough! You were telling them where we were at!"
"Why would I do that? Why would I risk your well being as well as my own?" Azarathea took a step back as Nina edged closer to her "It's been my spells that have allowed your little band to exist without anyone knowing that you're all the freaks you only pretend to be on stage. I allow you interact out in public as normal looking humans!"
"I think maybe you've grown tired of being a groupie and are willing to cut a deal."
Nina's speed surprised Azarathea as she tackled the woman to the ground. Nina quickly clamped her hand over the sorceress's mouth. "Shhhh. No hocus-pocus. I am going to enjoy this." She whispered as she took her other hand and pulled Azarathea hair back and exposing her neck.
"Nina stop!" Fang yelled from the open doorway. "What are you doing?"
"The bitch sold us out! They will be coming for us any minute now!" She stood up as Azarathea's lifeless body fell to the side.
"Why? How?" he said shaking his head. "It doesn't matter now. But without her spells keeping us hidden, it won't be long before…what do we do now?"
Nina slowly licked the blood from her lips, "We run."
The beginning!