Author note: Hellboy, Elizabeth Sherman, Kate Corrigan and the BPRD are property of Mike Mignola. The "Holy Hand Grenade" is from Monty Python, since I couldn't resist throwing it in. The rest of this story, which includes settings, backstory, cursed villagers, nuns, morbid descriptions, eye of Lin and pretty much everything else, is all out of my own head. Before anyone asks, no, I can't sleep at night.

Fire and Crosses

The half moon was now making it's appearance in a purple sky. The stars were only beginning to appear. Kate stood outside the centaur, gun in hand. Ten clips with eight rounds of Hellboys' special for the walking dead. Her eyes flashed towards Liz, who leaned against the wall, the bite from the creature having torn her skin.

Liz could feel her own blood dripping down into her boot. The pain of burning acid was unbearable. She held only the cross in her hand, her heart pounding together with the sounds of the gathering undead. Foot falls, floor scratching and angry whispers hung thick in the air. Her gun lay on the cobbles, the fire within shining in her eyes.

Both agents stared into the blackened doorway. All was silent. Kate slowly turned around to meet with thirty crouching, dried figures with sharpened teeth.

"Mokaka hin anu infaha.."

Kate opened fire, shattering limbs, heads and bodies. Those parts not destroyed continued forward. They continued to advance on Kate and Liz, piling forward as if starved dogs toward a carcass.

"Amid orak conshindum tum."

"Liz, I'm getting low. Use your gun. Oh, God. Use your gun!"

Liz walked towards Kate, leaving her gun on the stones. She clutched the cross in her hands and walked toward the hoard of dismembered scavengers. She turned one eye to Kate, who stood screaming.

"Get out of the way!" It fell on deaf ears.

"Run." Whispered Liz.

Kate's eyes darted from Liz's eyes to the cross, which glowed neon orange in her hands.

Chunks of dried, dusty flesh flew through the air as Hellboy attempted to fight off his attackers. Their teeth and claws tore through his coat, and skin, far too easily for his liking. Blood flowed freely from his wounds, the creatures licking each drop as it fell, fighting amongst themselves. Others piled onto his back for a fresh bite. Hellboy howled out in pain.

"You guys are sick!"

He threw three of the creatures from his back, tossing them to the floor. They stood up immediately, launching themselves forward once again. Hellboy threw himself backwards, hoping to crush a few with his weight. They slipped through the bars of the floor and were ontop of him once more.

"Screw this!" Momentarily ignoring the pain, he pulled the pin from a holy hand grenade the size of his head. "Say goodbye, raisins!"

The blast sent the floor, roof and walls, surrounding the creatures and Hellboy, crumbling into bits. All fell into the crypt onto the enourmous pile of dried bones. The creatures were unharmed and returned to approach him once more. Hellboy heard an echo from within "God was cast out of Owsgmina"

"Oh, Crap."

Liz stood among the walking dead, the glowing iron cross in her hand. She raised her glance toward the beasts, fire seemingly shooting from her eyes. Flames shot from the cross, surrounding her entire body. The creatures backed off momentarily. Liz walked forward, lowering the cross by its' heavy chain and swinging it to and fro. The creatures watched her through the sheild of fire that contained her. One approached, the iron cross shattered it's skull, reducing it to ashes.

Liz stood, alone and on fire. The creatures made repeated attempts to enter the flames, yet their dried bodies were charred. They did not scream, nor did they cry out. They backed off and waited. They knew, in time, the flames would expire and they would have their meal.

Kate stood behind a roughened wall between the convent and Liz, struggling to keep her breath. On her left was Liz, consumed in fire. A violent shaking of the ground drew her attention to right, where Hellboy fought within the convent. Kate stared down at her useless gun and useless ammo. She was of no use to either Liz or Hellboy. Fire on both sides, senseless whispers and chattering above her head.

"Anamun inda robal mesma an unun…"

Kate could not ignore the deathly voices that surrounded her, waiting for one moment to strike. Before she completed her thought, they were ontop of her. They tore at her eyes with their blunted and blackened fingers. They bit her hands as she attempted to guard her vision.

"Mesma an unun…. Unun…"

Kate threw herself to the ground, her eyelids held tight in desperation to remain in her own head.

"Unun an mesma…"

Kate screamed as her hands suddenly burned with the flow of fresh blood upon them.

For those of you actually following this, it is going somewhere.