Broadwick Castle
Dempsey took one look at the flask in his hands and took a sip. It had been six weeks since the initial flight to America to investigate yet another of Samantha's disturbances. The United States Army was off fighting another zombie infestation somewhere in eastern Europe but Dempsey had received a disturbing report that wolves were being churned out to fight for the Third Reich. Broadwick Castle was one such target by Allied aerial recon. Scouts reported no enemy presence in the area but Dempsey, smelling a rat, insisted on sending only himself and Nikolai to ascertain the truth. They would report back if the problem was dire. Under the cover of darkness, amidst the howling wind and zero below-freezing temperatures, they were parachuted into the Bavarian Alps to recon the castle. They touched down in the snow, no alerts and no guards could be seen. Dempsey picked up the radio.
"Go for Raven, Eagles on deck"
"Raven, this is White Rose you're precisely on target. The mission is to discover enemy threats and disable or destroy weapons of opportunity. Intelligence is a priority. Be advised, that allied bombardments will be sporadic. British RAF are on station for exfil, out"
Dempsey turned to Nikolai with a frown on his face. He picked up his Thompson sub-machine gun and began the slow descent down the mountain. It was colder than usual for the grizzled veteran and he crossed his arms, rubbing his hands together.
"I don't suppose you have any Vodka in there? Could use a sip to warm me up" he asked Nikolai, who was equally frozen stiff. The plane ride over had been friendly and warm. Whatever warmth there was had been violently torn away, with the cold being all that was left.
The wind made it hard to see and the ice caused even more problems. Three times, the duo nearly slipped to their deaths. The castle slowly came into view, the turrets had been blasted apart and an AA gun, long since destroyed, lay in ruins.
"I see that the Air Force has already been through here...No K rations? Figures" Dempsey moaned as the Radio clicked on.
"Raven, this is White Rose, be advised, we're picking up a massive heat signature somewhere in these mountains, advise heading for the castle immediately. Could be a zombie, could be something worse. I hear tell that the CDC got a man stuck here before, some dude named Clarke. Be careful, we might not be alone here."
Aether, other worlds. My head fucking hurts. Ultimis/present. Could there be others?
Dempsey came back to reality as the cold wind got even harder.
"I wish I had Vodka, but how could I drink it in this icy prison?" Nikolai mused. He picked up his Mosin and followed Dempsey into the Castle. As they got closer, a bone-chilling howl split the air and a faint shadow could be seen. The crack of thunder illuminated...something, Dempsey couldn't tell if it was a Rug or a monster.
"Looks like Takeo's missing hairline eh?" he joked to Nikolai, who didn't respond.
"We need to get inside quickly, I know what is in those mountains. Door, now!"
Nikolai ran for the door as gunshots could be heard sounding off in the distance as another howl ripped through the air. A red cloud of blood sprayed onto Dempsey's face just as the door popped open. Something huge slammed body first into the snow as the horrified Dempsey screamed for Nikolai to hurry. Gunshots barely slowed it down and Dempsey just barely managed to dive into the doorway as bloody jaws snapped close.
"I'M ALMOST OUT OF AMMO, CLOSE IT NOW!" He yelled.
The creature's jaws were almost upon them when the old door slammed shut for good. As more howls reverberated from inside the walls, Dempsey realized with horror the utter mistake he had just made.
"We're not getting out of here alive are we?"
A voice answered him from the darkness. A voice deep and gravelly, as if Hell were seeping from its wake. Blood dripped from the ceiling. A body fell and was dragged into the darkness as crunching noises were heard. The slow gulping of blood signaled the end of the ordeal as the screaming corpse went limp.
"I have waited for years to come back home. For years have I hungered and years have I waited. Now, two souls have come. Armed with a stinger, no matter you'll die soon enough. They never knew, none of them. This castle...is my home. My name gentlemen, is Marylou. Marylou Summers or it was. I can hardly remember. My eyes are shot, and my smell's nearly gone but I can still smell some, I can still smell your FEAR! The last bomb run trapped me here. Over the years I've snacked on travelers. I've grown old but with age comes experience. The dead can't leave, there is no hell or heaven, there is only me. Run while you can. There is no way out of this castle HAHAHA!"
The lights went out as Mary's breathing emanated from the darkness.
"You are in my domain now"