Outside, the creatures raged and it rained blood in frothy mist and dark magic, the showers centering on each individual beast in the form of an ethereal tempest. The wind blew around them and great smears of the scarlet essence flittered and twirled around their fanged grins. They explored the boundaries of the feed, screaming, howling in torn cloths like ragged flags of terror, with wolf like grimaces, hunger, desire and ebony eyed passion fulfilled their need.

On the North end of Riverside, Vern Pursey was battling mosquitoes. The new bug light he had bought was sizzling and popping as mosquitoes and other various flying insect life flittered across the blue neon light and the 120 volt wire. He was fascinated with the new light staring at it and watching the tiny sparks light up the night. Vern paused for a moment, his reverie disturbed. It had begun to rain.

�Dammit,� he said under his breath. Glancing down at his hands, he noticed the rain had streaked them in dark rivulets and beaded tendrils. �Whas this,� he questioned as he rubbed the back of his hand. �Looks like blood,� he said to himself as he turned to look behind into the face of silent gaping madness. The creature howled and Vern staggered back in surprise. In the space of a breath he took in the creature�s appearance; he saw a large, obese body clothed in a ragged three piece suit drenched in blood. It dripped, soggy and surreal, in the blue black light of the bug zapper. Vern didn�t react as the sharp fanged mouth bit into his neck and tackled him to the ground. Several others appeared screaming in tempest clouds of blood.

As they devoured him, he took a moment to contemplate the creature in the suit. Slavering over the top of Vern, its necktie dripped crimson into his eyes. The last thing he noticed was the city seal stitched into the bloody cloth. As his life ended he realized the creature was wearing Mayor Bragg�s clothes.

Closer to the southern end of Riverside, Mel�s Truck stop was a giant conflagration as black oily smoke poured from the ruins of the gas pumps and convenience mart. One of the big trucks snorted and spit exhaust as it barreled into the flames. Inside the driver screamed and howled, blood obscuring his view as the truck crashed. It was raining blood inside the cab and, as the creature crawled through the flames, there was a great hiss as the front tires melted and blood mixed with the burning gasoline.

The Eastern line of town was a scattering of orange tree orchards and sorghum fields. Shade Tree Orchard was at the outer edge of the Commons. The old farmhouse and weedy lot was scattered with empty jeeps and the remnants of a bio hazard containment convoy. Inside, the farmhouse buzzed with the sound of high tension wires. From the front of the house bright crimson light poured in waves from the broken window panes. Someone had placed a �No Trespassing� sign on the heavy oaken front door and the body of a camo-clad soldier lay draped across the front porch steps.

The interior of the house was a scattering of equipment, gauges and a giant gold colored metronome and two or three dozen cages, big enough for a human being. The house smelled of garlic and roses and a thick roiling mist poured upward from the cellar. Deep within the confines of the cellar, Sergeant Negee lay bleeding near the reflective panel that had been designed to allow the breach, the gateway between here and there. They had been fast, furious and hungry as well as contagious. Negee remembered they had come through screaming and howling. His checks were still moist with the blood that had poured from the breach, thick and viscous, giving birth to monsters and demon wilds. Negee inhaled deeply, coughed and began crawling toward the basement steps.

To the west of Shade Tree Orchard Glenn, Star, and Cadence sat near the back wall of the feed, listening to the creatures pound on the corrugated metal walls in the back of the store. Hollow thumping and shrieking gasps of frustration echoed hollowly throughout the feed. Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering near the front of the store caused Cadence to scream, �They�re coming through the front door, Glenn!� Glenn grabbed a bale of hay and put it in front of the plastic double doors, separating the front of the store from the back.

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