The Vampires descended on the barricade in a swarm, snarling and growling their hatred. The sheer speed and ferocity of their attack took many of the humans by surprise; some of them actually dropped their weapons and backed away from the barrier. The remaining humans frantically tried to stretch their numbers further along the line to make up for the gaps. Harris could see their fear. They shifted their gaze from him to the approaching creatures and back again, waiting for the signal.

The creatures moved unbelievably quickly and crossed the distance in no time. They were nearly on top of the barricade. Guns started to slip in palms slick with sweat. Still, Harris stood with his hand raised. It wasn't until the first slavering creature actually touched the far edge of the barrier that Harris dropped his arm and the humans finally let loose a devastating hail of fire on the creatures.

The first volley of fire slammed into them like a wall and stopped them dead in their tracks. The lead Vampires laughed when the bullets hit them, but then uncertainty replaced their original confidence. Pain registered on their faces, a hot searing pain that remained long after it should have. The bullets continued to fly and the enclosed corridor stank with cordite. The force of the bullets pushed the Vampires back and their bodies jerked spasmodically with each impact.

The five leading vampires took the brunt of the barrage and their bodies were riddled with bleeding holes. The humans who had initially dropped their weapons could now see that the vampires were being forced back. Encouraged, they began to filter back, pick up their weapons and add to the carnage.

"Hold your fire!" Harris screamed until he was hoarse when he saw the vampires fall back. Sporadic fire continued for a few more minutes and some people, deafened by the noise, had to be shaken by their colleagues to bring them back to reality.

The silence in the corridor was eerie and the smoke from the gunfire only added to the gothic atmosphere.

"Did the bullets work?"

Harris" ears were still ringing from the noise. He barely heard Sandra Harrington's question.

"I don't know!" he shouted his reply. "We pumped so many rounds into them that even normal bullets would have driven them back. We'll have to see if they heal."

Nero fumed while he looked down at the creatures that had led the charge. "What's wrong with them?" he bellowed. "Why don't they heal?" His voice had a touch of desperation about it and the other creatures shifted uncomfortably at this lack of confidence.

The creatures, six in all, were horribly deformed. The sheer force of the bullets had torn flesh from their bodies; bloody, oozing holes covered their torsos. Normally these wounds would have already begun to heal, but the flesh around the open wounds was still burning and the smell of charred flesh was heavy in the air.

Two of the creatures were already dead, agony frozen on their faces. The other four looked dead. An occasional movement or groan was the only indication that they were still conscious. Nero had never seen vampires so weak and his mind was in turmoil.

This new development scared him.

Vampires were immortal, created to rule this pitiful planet and all its inhabitants. It was bad enough that they had a weakness for wooden stakes and holy water, but a smart vampire easily avoided these. Bullets, however, were a different story completely. The sheer scope of the problem nearly overwhelmed him and his indecision was having a negative effect on the other vampires.

Nero straightened to his full height. He had made his decision. These humans must be destroyed no matter the cost. The alternative, if they survived, was incomprehensible. This new weapon could see the tide turn for humans. They might regain their dominant position on the earth and that could not be allowed to happen.

"Thiebes!" he shouted, confidence again oozing from his erect figure. "This new development cannot be allowed to go any further. It must end here. Do you understand what I am saying?" Nero looked straight at his lieutenant as he spoke.

Thiebes nodded his understanding, bent down to two of the dying vampires and lifted them easily. He draped them over his shoulder, settled them in position to cover his vital organs, and looked one final time as his master. He nodded and then pounded back down the corridor toward the barricade.

Harris felt the thump of the approaching vampire long before he saw him. The massive figure suddenly came into view and Harris blanched at its sheer size. He had only caught glimpses of the ancient creatures before the frame had slammed into them, and the distance had made them seem somehow less impressive. This creature, however, was still thirty feet away and already seemed to fill the entire corridor. He looked down the line and could see the terror in his people's faces. Each powerful step that rumbled down the corridor caused everyone to cringe as they watched in fascination as death itself approached.

Harris snapped out of his terror with an almost physical wrench. He could see that everyone was literally petrified, unable to attack or even to turn and run away.

Twenty-five feet.

Desperately Harris raised his weapon and shouted, "Pour it into the bastard!"

Then he opened fire. The recoil slammed into his shoulder repeatedly. Bullets flew across the short space and impacted with dull thuds. The volume of his shout and the hammering of the machine gun seemed to break the spell. People along the line shook themselves and, one by one, they all raised the weapons and began to fire.

Twenty Feet.

The bullets flew in a merciless hail. They burned when they hit and Thiebes felt the agony of round after round that hit home. The two vampires he used as shields took the brunt of the attack, but there were so many bullets that it was inevitable that he would be hit. Any unprotected area was a target and his legs, arms and neck were on fire with agony. The sheer force of the attack began to slow his advance as more and more bullets slammed into him. His strength as a vampire allowed him to heal but did nothing to ease the pain of each impact.

Thiebes was used to pain; he had fought through the centuries and bled in every conflict. He had faced hoards of screaming savages and ranks of disciplined soldiers with equal relish. He had felt cold steel hack at him and drive relentlessly through his body. He had felt the power of explosions as his body had lain broken and shattered after artillery had rained down on him and he had heard the silent whisper of a sniper's bullet moments before it had ripped his throat out. He was well used to pain, in fact he enjoyed it. But this time was different. This time his body wasn't healing. This time the bullets stung long after they slammed into him. He could feel his body begin to slow down as the pain made him stumble. His massive strength was waning as the bullets continued to slam into him. He steeled himself and lowered his head, closing his eyes and bellowing his rage as he put his remaining strength into one last effort.

Fifteen Feet.

Harris saw the creature falter. Fingers froze on triggers; people dropped empty magazines, loaded new ones and continued firing in a daze. Shell cases flew everywhere. Men and women stood in a sea of spent cartridges. People dropped their machine guns and picked up new ones when they overheated or jammed.

Ten Feet.

Harris stopped firing to let his weapon cool down and looked worriedly at the rapidly dwindling pile of Pat Smith's "magic" bullets.

Oh well, it won't matter if we don't stop this guy, he thought and, despite himself and their situation, he felt a grudging respect for the creature's magnificent effort against such devastating force.

The creature began to stumble.

"We've no more treated ammunition." He felt the tug on his sleeve and looked down at Sandra Harrington.

"Just use the normal stuff, but keep firing."

The whole corridor shook as the creature fell to one knee. The bodies of the dead vampires he had used as shields slid to the ground, their forms no longer recognisable. The humans immediately pumped rounds into the creature's exposed chest and the creature finally slumped forward with a final howl of defiance.

The creature was already dead when it fell, so it was unaware that its final act would have such important ramifications. Its massive body fell forward and its outstretched hand came down right in the middle of the barrier. The force of the massive limb crushed the metal of the barrier. Two men were sent spinning into the air and vaulted out into the corridor. They landed heavily and sat dazed for a few moments while they recovered.

The limb had left a gaping hole in the humans" defences and the vampires were quick to react. As one they swarmed on the hapless humans, whose screams stopped abruptly when the creatures swamped them.

This time the assault was blindingly quick and the humans were not prepared for it. The barrage of bullets, when it finally began, was sporadic and lacked the power of the previous defence.

The vampires felt the bullets strike their bodies, but these wounds didn't burn like the others and they could feel the wounds heal almost as quickly as they struck. They pounced on the barricade and ripped at the metal to get at the humans. Many of the metal tables and chairs had been welded together for added strength, which delayed the vampires at first. High-pitched squeals filled the air as metal was ripped apart and razor claws gutted humans when the vampires pushed through.

Five vampires swamped the gap left by Thiebes, and the others attacked the structure itself. Rodgers saw the danger, immediately grabbed the defenders next to him, and pulled them with him to defend the breech. The vampires were so fast that, before they got to the gap, one had made it through, jumped at a lone defender and ripped his head clean from his shoulders in one fluid motion.

Rodgers had brought four men with him. Two went down almost immediately when the vampire pirouetted gracefully and gutted both with its sharp claws. Rodgers still had the axe he had used earlier. He swung the weapon with all his strength when the vampire prepared to launch another attack. The blade flew through the air and struck the vampire in the side of the head. The axe split its skull with a load crack and the creature dropped dead to the floor. Rodgers was caught off balance by the blow and unable to defend himself from the second vampire. He felt himself thrown into the air and struck the wall with such force that the crack of breaking bone was audible even over the noise of the battle.

More men began to arrive at the breech. Two vampires had made it through now, and dead bodies were strewn everywhere. The lead vampire reached for the first human, but had over-stretched and slipped on a pool of blood. It fell to the ground and tried vainly to get back to its feet, but the humans threw down their now useless guns and hacked and prodded the creature with wooden stakes, spears and any other weapons they could find. More reinforcements arrived and pushed back against the other invading vampires. Slowly but surely their very numbers forced the creatures back.

Harris saw Rodgers thrown from the breach and strike the wall. His heart sank when he saw the limp form slide to the ground, but then a creature suddenly appeared before him. It rocked slightly as it fought to regain its balance on the barrier's unstable surface. Harris was distracted momentarily when he heard a scream. He looked down to see Sandra Harrington fall to the ground with blood spurting from a wound at her neck.

Harris threw his machine gun down and ripped a machete from its holster at his side. The rage he felt was like a jolt of adrenaline and he swung at the creature before him. The blow was badly aimed, but the sheer force behind it cleaved the creature's skull in two. Desperate to get to Sandra, Harris hacked and slashed his way through the arms which poked through the failing barrier and finally gained a gap. He dropped down and turned her prone form to see how badly she had been hurt.

"Thank God," he sighed when he saw the gaping wound at her shoulder and realised the wound was not fatal. "Dan!" he shouted and grabbed the older man." Gather up half those that are left and take up position behind the next barrier. Bring the wounded with you and we'll hold them as long as possible." He shoved Sandra's unconscious body into her father's arms." Take care of her," he said. Dan Harrington seemed to hesitate. "Move!" Harris shouted. Harrington seemed to shake himself and then ran along the line, taking every second defender.

Harris watched while half his force limped back toward the final barrier further down the corridor. The vampires had slackened their assault and they paused to take stock. Bodies littered the ground and hung at impossible angles across the remaining pieces of the barrier. Twelve humans lay dead. Five vampires had been destroyed, leaving both sides about equal in number, if not in power.

The remaining humans, some twenty people, steeled themselves for the next assault. Father Reilly caught Harris" eye and smiled. His face was covered in blood and his grin looked maniacal. The vampires seemed to sense the weakening of the defences and began to shuffle forward. Just then, everyone, including the vampires, stopped when a pounding noise came from the top of the corridor. Nero appeared and grinned like a Cheshire cat. Behind him loomed the massive form of Pollock.

Oh Shit! Thought Harris.