Tuesday, April 30, 2019

XXX

XXX

Gripping endings
the last thing I saw was Michelle
mouthing out I love you
in a frozen expression
before everything slowly
got pulled apart
then three
and a million
until the screaming
went black

and I was stood there
in a huge meadow
turning around shocked
'What?'

'You ain't going to like this'
Michelle came up to the back of me
shaking terrified
with nothing but a huge wall
on the back of me
and a hord of screaming barbarians
on the other side.



(End of Book One)

Monday, April 29, 2019

XXIX

XXIX

Droning in the distance
Michelle cried out
'You must, there's no other way'
as I gripped the handle
maligantly

'I know' I paused
looking at the Rat King wordlessly
'There's always another way'
counting my heartbeats in apolgises
digging everybody's graves
from city to nature

garbled narratives to calloused feet
crossing over reflections
kissing echoes
until there was nothing left,

from the estwhile air

and the screams

and Mandrake swearing loudly
at the edge of my eyesight
dragged between two vampires
who were leading him towards us
like a prized trophy
to watch them stop me
'About frigging time, boy'
as the ground pulled up
in front of us
and there was nothing left.

Sunday, April 28, 2019

XXVIII

(XXVIII)

Looking at the others
as she whisked Andy away
Michelle knew there was simply too many
despite having Brooks there
with a cheeseburger in one hand
and a machine gun in the other

Mandrake screaming with laughter
as he dived into the vampires
like he was diving
into a huge swimming pool
armed to the teeth
when she moved
Michelle still knew there was simply too many

Joe and Cherry nobody pawns
in a bloody game of chess
somehow staying alive
with DNA rare as red ice
fighting side by side
with the man in black
close to tears
Michelle simply knew there was too many

Skot and his men
and the Spook Squad
side plots to a complex narrative
dying within minutes
but killing dozens in process

and Andy, well Andy
his blades flashing in the darkness
in a whirl of nervous energy
as more and more vampires arrived
from their world
their teeth shining with rage

She knew there was too many
but she couldn't let him die

even though what the rat king then said.

Saturday, April 27, 2019

XXVII (A and B)

(A)

Counting moments
in-between the carnage
with a mechnical pause
before she spoke
'We have no option'
She said eventually to me.

'I know' I looked at her
emptying my words into the distance
'I know;
and stepped towards the bomb
before a voice carried out
'No'

(B)

'No' I turned out.

It was the Rat King.

Friday, April 26, 2019

XXVI

XXVI

Shaking the tension to the ground
I heard the last of them fall
from the distance
when the Vampires roared
with a scarlet pool of blood
dripping out of my arms
my heartbeats became
a pulsing drumbeat
throbbing in a
heightened level of fear
when I looked at it.

Star-shot across waves
of lunacy and broken fear
across a unholy realisation
cradled in anoynmous emoitions
as I looked at Ghana
'What now?'

'It's your burden'
Michelle sighed
cutting my own throat
with a realisation that I knew
what was going to happen
whether I liked it or not.

Thursday, April 25, 2019

XXV (Part A and B)

(A)

The ghost squad lasted longer
than I expected
with their pistols and rifles empty
and then their daggers and swords
dripping with blood;

They had died like men
like Skot and his men had
their pale tussocks of their uniforms
laced with sweat
and their necks ripped to pieces,

They had died like men
their swords and daggrs
covered in blue blood
and the ashes of the enemy
laced around them,

'It's time, Andy' Michelle appeared
at the back of me

'Time for what?' I turned around
looking at a circle of Vampires
build up around me

'This' She cursed
and I woke up next to a bomb.

(B)

Missing a piece of the story
five stories tied themselves into one
as Michelle held my hand
‘How?’ I asked her.

‘It’s a long story’ She said
‘It takes a huge amount of power
but we had no choice’

She collapsed.

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

XXIV

XXIV

Upon reflection we could have done things differently
and tried a different approach.

We could have surrendered
and left ourselves to their mercy
and watched as they torched the world.

We could have recruited others
and watched them run away terrified
or die in seconds when they attacked again.

We could have recruited other secret races
and lined them to fight hand in hand with us
at the end of the world

But it wouldn't have mattered if we have tunnelled
to the centre of the world
or brought in those wing monsters
from the other side of the moon
and yes, they do exist.

It wouldn't have mattered a damn
for what came next.

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

XXIII


XXIII

Consumed in guilt
winding into a side street
we were pinned down eventually
broken in an aching sweat
of bullets and swords
dropping the tension to a heart-beat
as one of them murmured
‘Surrender and we will let you live’

‘Bollocks’ Mandrake shot him in the head.

‘Now’ Michelle grabbed my hand.

‘What?’ I asked her when I woke up
a few seconds later.

Monday, April 22, 2019

XXII


XXII

And in the distance
the bomb ticked slowly on
it’s fuse un-lit
consumed in the shadows
draping all over the tunnel
almost like a blind man
minus it’s walking stick.

It’s time was soon it knew.

Sunday, April 21, 2019

XXI


XXI

Weaving backwards my swords
counted corpses in seconds
hanging over the edge of cars
and buses
and vans
striding across the rising darkness
pushing us further and further down
Oxford Road
back towards the library
each car a temporary shelter
or a moment of silence
as we kicked and fought.

Why they didn’t just swamp us
I didn’t know
and looked at Mandrake
and the Man in Black and Brooks
none of us knew
perhaps they liked the sport
or simply weren’t in a rush
knowing we couldn’t stop them.

That was their second mistake.

Saturday, April 20, 2019

XX (A and B)


XX


(A)

And in the distance
a horn could be heard
blowing across the hill
and a child ran into his father’s arms
What is it, Saul?’ He asked.

He’s coming, oh father’

Who is?’

Death’ His son froze ‘Death himself’

(B)


Mummifying his yells
Their grunts and mumbles after a few minutes
Grew louder and louder
The more of them came from the shadows
From the back of the University
All the way down to the Library.

Some were freshly turned
Perhaps as quickly as hours ago
And others looked like they had been dug up
From some forgotten graveyard
Or shipped in across the oceans.

All were greeted by Mandrake’s guns
‘How many bullets do you have?’ Brooks looked at him
‘Enough’ He smiled shooting the head off another
‘Several hundred?’ The Man in Black shivered
‘I’ll then move onto biting their heads off’

And everybody believed him.

Friday, April 19, 2019

XIX


XIX

'No' the voice called out
in the distance
and Ghana stopped
at the edge of the Bomb

'There's too many'
She called

'You can't push it'
The voice responded
'That's not your choice'

And whose choice is it?’
She countered.

Andy’
He called out.

Thursday, April 18, 2019

XVIII


XVIII

In freeze frame
or normal time
the carnage was silent
with the Vampires leaping onto us
or trying to disappear
and appear right at the back of us

or simply decided to try and over power us
with the sheer weight of force
after Skot and his men threw themselves
into their ranks
cutting and screaming
by the dozen
as one after the other fell
until Skot was stood in the middle of them
alone
a nine foot demon
surrounded by dozens of vampires.

That was their first mistake.

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

XVII

XVII

Shaking his fists
Skot looked at me

He knew without saying words
as I looked at Michelle
before she told me
we needed time

and ran straight into the vampires
with all of his men at his back. 

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

XVI (Part A, B, C)

XVI

(A)

Off-cut, Mandrake laughed
when they finished
'You may as well go back
where you came from, boys'
looking at the vampires striding
towards them
'You lot will last about two minutes
against them'

I simply gathered my two swords.

He had a point.

(B)

'Is that all stands before us?'
One of the vampires laughed
the nearer they got
crunching his knuckles
'All they have to stand against us?'

He had a point.

(C)

And in the distance
the clock remained silent
as Ghana stood over the top of it
looking silently
before the voice called out
'No'

'Who' She called out
turning around.

Monday, April 15, 2019

XV (Part 1 and 2)

XV

(A)

'And you are?' Mandrake called out
'I don't talk to Shadows'

'This any better?'
The voice said
as twenty men appeared
all around us.

Twenty heavily armed men
dressed in black

'Impressive' Brooks smiled
'And do you have a way out?'

They didn't have one
as it turned out
apart from the way
none of us wanted.

(B)

Deeper and deeper
the rattling on the deserted tunnel grew
the nearer he got
flaking across the mud and the shit
with more and more venom
the nearer it got
until it got to the end
its rage barely contained.

Sunday, April 14, 2019

XIV (A and B)


14.

(A)

And after Skot finished laughing
the vampire paused for a few seconds
and looked at each other as one
and shivered

They don’t know what it is’ 
Mandrake laughed
Frigging great, at least it gives us a chance'

'It doesn't A voice said from the shadows.

'Who?' I called out

(B) 

Unwritten their nerves showed in their footsteps
when they stepped out of the shadows
stitching their pistols out of their holsters
leaving their rifles on the back.

They all knew about Mandrake
even if he didn't know them. 



Saturday, April 13, 2019

XIII

XIII


Mandrake looked inside his pockets
for more bullets and swore
when he couldn’t find any more.

The Man in Black stood there shivering
before pulling his hat a bit further down
to conceal his face.

Joe and Cherry both just looked at each other
and said nothing.

Skot and his twenty men just stared at them
awaiting for them to attack
simply wanting it over.

Brooks pulled out another Cigarette
and slowly began to light it
and walked over to the Man in Black.

Michelle crossed her arms
and closed her eyes almost like
she was praying for a miracle.

I just walked up to Skot and his men
and said honestly ‘I’m sorry
over leading you all to certain suicide’

Skot laughed.

Friday, April 12, 2019

XII (A and B)

XII


(A)

A hundred vampires came from
the side of the students union
and another hundred came from the side
of the now deserted hospital
and another hundred walked slowly down
from the other side of the city
their lips dripping blood
and stopped several hundred metres away from us
to look at us in a joint motion.

Oh fuck’ Joe cried out
holding a rifle.

I didn’t know the kid
but he raised a valid point.

(B)

The vampires all paused
on the other side of the students union
their shoulders hunched forward
refusing to dance 
in any kind of march
with each step across the shadows.

They were here to kill.

Plain and simple.

No more hiding in the shadows.

They were here for us
then the City. 

Thursday, April 11, 2019

XI (A and B)

XI


(A)

I don’t believe you got them to come with you’ 
Michelle looked at me

Me neither’
I looked at all twenty of them. 

If I was alive, I would be terrified’
She tried reaching over to me.

If I could I would have held her then
but alas I couldn’t.

(B)

The fog covered their faces
the nearer they got to the venue
before cutting out almost as quick
into a undercurrent of tension
before the rattling started
from the deserted tunnels.

Pinstriping their nerves
with each footstep it took
mummifying their heartbeats
as it crawled past them in seconds
and disappearing.

None of the soldiers knew
what it was
but they all had a good idea. 

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

X (A and B)

X

(A)

And outside Mandrake's pistols
skittled like the stars
bouncing off the moonlight
when they attacked us for that last time. 

I hit back with everything I could
muzzling their screams
with each head I cut off
like a wild barbarian
but him?

He stood there 
and carried on shooting them
like a Angel of Death
loving every moment.

And that terrified me more
than anything else. 

(B)

'They're teasing you, Mandrake'
The Man on the Black spat on the floor
the light in the lamp-posts
stretched to a fleece like strain

'I know' Mandrake cursed
'The bastards know I can't get them
from this range'

'Since when has that stopped you'
The Man in Black cut in

'True' Mandrake shot at them anyway
and watched one of them hit the ground
'You know me too well, Black'

'Not really' The Man in Black looked around
'We're trapped no matter what'
as hundreds more Vampires came into sight.

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

IX

IX


In a cenotaph of skin
two of the Vampires
danced around
just out of Mandrake's firing range
as they snacked slowly
over the remains of two teenagers
whose throats they had slit
only shortly before.

Both of them they laughed to themselves
had tried running down the corridor 
after been outside by chance  
to escape once the feasting began
when they first heard the screaming
start expanding from the concert hall. 

They ran down the first flight of stairs
then the second
and even the third
before they looked at each other
their legs frozen into blocks of ice
almost like they weren't following 
the rest of their bodies request
just before the bottom. 

'Oh my god' One of them cried

'He isn't here' The Vampire laughed.

'But I am' Mandrake stepped out of the room
dripping in a mixture of blood and sweat. 
But both of the students were dead
and the vampires had ran off into the street
drunk on their blood.

Monday, April 8, 2019

VIII


VIII

And of course 
all this time  no matter who knew
The Secret Squad were hovering in the background
like a mop up crew
waiting to see what really was going on
before they made their move.

The Squad who had built from up nowhere
all the way back in the mid 16th Century
to put Charles I to death
when that Devil scorched his soul
and had hovered in the shadows
their mouths agape with daggers ever since.

The Squad who waited in the nearby tunnels
around the back of the University
waiting, watching the vampires
turn men into rag dolls
and only took silent action
when they went past their tunnel.

The Squad who waited and waited
knowing who exactly Mandrake was
from previous encounters 
and who the Vampires were
their rifles and guns paused
with a monocled eye

and me?

They didn't have a clue
who I was

and that terrified them.

Sunday, April 7, 2019

VII

VII


If you’ve read my previous pieces
You would know what happened before
And why I did what I did.

If you’ve read my previous pieces
You would know why I hit Mandrake
And had to be pulled apart from him.

You wouldn’t know however
Why the Police were not there
Nor the Army and the S.A.S

You wouldn’t know however
How the Vampires set everything up
Slaughtering hundreds in the process.

You wouldn’t know however
How Mandrake walked into a club
Of Vampires and more Vampires.

He wouldn’t have been bothered
If there had been hundreds and hundreds
Waiting for him there.

He wouldn’t have been bothered
If they had thrown thousands at him
As he would have killed them all.

But setting the scene you need to know
They slaughtered the security
And the Police who arrived.

But setting the scene you need to know
They slaughtered the Army units
One by one by one

But setting the scene
They didn’t know about the Secret Squad
Like me or any of others.

But we soon did.
We soon did. 

We all soon did.

Saturday, April 6, 2019

VI

VI


The Silence was dismembered
Across the street
Muted in a deep terror
As Brooks stood there with his gun
Before the Man in Black
Got in-between the pair of them
Spluttering 'Not now, Albert, not now'
Only for Mandrake to laugh
Why not now?’
As more Vampires 
Slowly came out of the building
Unsure what was going on. 

Friday, April 5, 2019

V

V

Of course I should have just looked at him
And got in-between them
And broke up the fight
And then told Mandrake
Why I was here
Why I had gone to another world
Why I had come back with another army
Why Michelle had asked me to do what I did
(despite the fact he had killed her previously).

None of that was worth a damn
When Brooks spat his burger
Back in Mandrake’s face
And then reached for his gun.

Thursday, April 4, 2019

IV

IV


Of course I should have just looked at Brooks
And said nothing with a shrug
And simply carried on with things.

Of course I should have just looked at him
And grunted like a tiger
And carried on with things.

Of course I should have just looked at him
And not punched Mandrake hard in the face
And sent him flying across a battered car.

Wasn’t one of my cleverest moves that
When he then tried punching him back
And cracked Brooks in the face in error.

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

III

III


Afterwards I am sure in hindsight
The Vampires wouldn’t have expected it.

Afterwards I am sure in hindsight
They would have expected us to just join forces
and turn around and say come on.

Afterwards I am sure in hindsight
They wouldn’t have thought I would hit him 
And beat him to the ground.

Afterwards I am sure in hindsight
They wouldn’t have expected Brooks 
to pull us apart mouthing ‘What are you doing?’

Nor me to say
I’m just making him aware I should kill him
for what he has done’

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

II

II 


'Mandrake' I paused

'I've heard off you' He turned around.

'So you should have'

'What do you mean?' 
He looked at me
his eyes crystal clear in puzzlement
until I hit him 
and he span onto the floor
two of his teeth falling out 
much to everybody's amazement
including the Vampires
who were coming out of
the building
expecting a major battle
not a punchup
between two of the people
that would be standing there
between them and chaos.

I couldn’t blame them.

Monday, April 1, 2019

I




If Michelle could have ran over
and hugged me
until she choked me
when we arrived back 
I think she would have.

If Michelle could have kissed me
on the cheek 
when we arrived there
in front of everybody else 
I think she would have.

If Michelle could have told me
to turn back and run
and run and run and run
back to where we came from 
I think she would have

but she knew without me answering
even if that was the case
(and it was very possible it was)
I wouldn't have listened if she had said so
and that was where the problems started.