The Raid

The cold dark night was dead silent. Not even a sound was heard. It would be a peaceful night, or so they thought.

Cries of dismay and pain pierced through the night suddenly, jolting the light sleepers from bed.

The thick blanket of darkness gave out no hint on what or where the cries were coming from. One could easily assume it was the wind.

It wasn't the wind however cause the cries died down almost as soon as it begun and the few minutes of silence was once again disrupted by cries.

No one could tell what was happening until it got to their doorstep.

She rose a hand, signalling the men to stop. She scanned the houses in the neighborhood and smirked.

"Alright, brothers. Go ahead and feed as much you want. Drink as much you want. Kill as much as you want and save the rest of them for our family" She said and just like a violent wind, they spread out bursting open doors and windows.

Cries of despair filled the air once again and she grinned. She took a deep breath of the air and her eyes flamed red from the scent of blood.

"Commander...." She turned to the vampires who had the same bloodlust in their eyes.

"Have patience, my friends. You'll have so much that you won't know what to do with it." She said.

"How long?" They asked.

"Just until we collect some beautiful human women for our Lord then we can give in to pleasure" she replied. They nodded.

She led them into the next street and kicked open the first door they came across.

The thud has the owners rushing down in panic. The couple stopped dead in their tracks as they saw the three pale strangers in their living room.

"Who are you?" The man asked and she scoffed.

"Won't you offer us a sit atleast?".

"You just broke into your house, you psycho and..."

"I don't like him" She told them and in a flash, he was dangling in the air with strong hands choking him.

His partner gave out a scream but it died almost immediately as she felt something sharp across her throat.

He tasted her blood and moaned. The dangling man was struggling to free himself.

"P-Please...." He choked out but the grip only tightened. His lungs gave up and slowly, he became still. His body dropped to the floor.

"I do not like his scent" He complained to her and she chuckled. She took a sniff of the air once more.

Her eyes glowed bright red as she caught a pleasant scent. She traced it up the stairs, down to the toddler's room.

The baby was sleeping peacefully in the cot. She lifted the child up with a hand and the toddler whined, waking up.

"Now you smell nice". Her fangs grew out just before the baby opened her eyes and before she had the time to cry, the sharp teeth was buried in her neck.

Her little body went limp as the blood was drained out of her till the very last drop.

"Commander...." She heard and dropped the corpse. She moved downstairs and led the men to the next house.

The building was packed with about four families. They were all sound asleep when the strangers burst in.

They separated into three rooms. The screams woke those in the fourth room. Before they could even act on instinct, their door burst open.

"Move" The intruder ordered. The children instinctively hid behind their parents.

"Who are you? What do you want from us? Why....."

" Make me repeat myself and I'll throw this little things behind you out of the window" The stranger snapped and they quickly rushed downstairs to join the rest.

They knelt before the three strangers with their wives and children clinging to their sides.

She stepped forward and inspected them all.

"What do you want? Is it money? Is it...."

"Shut up or I'll bite off that tongue of yours" She snapped and they felt shut.

"Kill the men, we don't need them" She instructed, carresing one of the women's cheek.

"No... don't....please....." They paid no attention to the pleas as they carried out he instructions. The men tried to fight them off but it was a fruitless battle. A waste of effort.

The wives watched in horror as their husbands were murdered before them. The children wailed and reached for their fathers' corpses.

"Get them in line, we're running out of time" She said, walking out.

"Please.....nooo....please....." They pleaded helplessly as they were binded with chains.

"Move" Came a cold command.

"Please...." One of the women tried to plead but she got a slap across the face. They were shoved out of the house and moved into the streets.

This continued until all houses in the neighborhood were successfully raided. The air was heavy due to bloodshed and the silent night was dominated by the dangling of chains.

A long line of people marched in, accompanied by whips if they attempted to stop or plead. The children were no exception to these.

The unlucky ones were fed on if they got too annoying. The mothers were dealing with heartache as they helplessly watched their children killed or abused.

"Commander, there's one last house. It's along the alley" She was duly informed.

"Then we go down the alley. We must not leave anywhere untouched" She said.

Isla sat by the fireplace, singing her favourite song. Her father was making soup for a very late dinner.

"Lavender blue dilly-dilly

Lavender green

If you were king, dilly-dilly

You'd need a queen..."

She shoved some more wood into the fireplace and continued her song.

"Who told me so? Dilly-dilly

Who told me so?

I told myself dilly-dilly

I told me so....."

"You're twenty and you still act like you're five. A lot of teenagers don't even sing that anymore" Her father remarked and she laughed.

"Oh pa! I am still your little girl, aren't I?. Don't pretend like you want me to grow up already. You'll be gray and lonely" She said and he laughed.

He was about to reply when their door was locked open. He dropped his spoon in shock as he saw the strange looking people in his little house.

"Pa? Did you open the door?" Isla asked trying to reach for her stick to aid her.

"Stay right there, Isla. Don't move" He instructed as he quickly rushed infront of her, glaring at the daring strangers who were yet to speak.

"Hmmm...your home is rather homely. It smells nice to. What are you cooking?" The strange woman asked.

"What do you want from us?" He asked instead.

"Who is it, father?" Isla whispered, capturing the attention of the vampires.

Innocence. Pure innocence was written all over her. It was easy to understand why the home smelt so pleasant and comfortable.

"We want the girl. Hand her over and we'll spare you" She offered and Isla held on tightly to her father.

"Never. You'll have to kill me to get to my child" he bellowed.

" As you wish" Isla heard and in a flash, her father was pulled away from her.

"Let me go! L-let me go you animals! Let my daughter be..."

"Please don't....." She heard a long slash and blood splashed on her. She panicked.

"Father? Father? Who's there? Dad?...." She called trying to find him with her hands.

"Go on Brothers, it's more delicious when it's warm" she heard a feminine voice.

She was about to talk when she felt cold fingers wrap round up neck tightly. She gasped for breath.

"And you, blindie, I believe my king will know what to do with you...." She shivered as the cold breath hut her ears.

"Get her in line...."

Then she was shoved roughly to the ground. Before she could recover from the pain, she heard dangling of chains. The shackles were placed round her neck and they barely have her enough space to breathe.

"Where are you taking me....let me go.....father....father..." She was pulled roughly on the ground even as she struggled to get on her feet.

She hit her father's body and tumbled. His perfume hit her and tears streamed down her.

"Pa? Father?....." They heartlessly pulled her along.

She was forced into a line of humans, who were wailing and begging for their lives.

"Move, you pathetic beings!..." She heard and order accompanied by the sound of whips. Her blood ran cold.

She moved quickly with the line hoping to avoid the whips and that was how she ended up in a place, known only by the living dead as THE GARDEN OF EDEN.