The sound of the horde constantly filled the air like the sound of crickets used to. There are not more night songs, only the constant reminder of the undead. Yet, all this added to the nightly ritual on the inside of the compound walls; storytime. Each night one of the adults would take turns telling stories to the children to help them sleep, cope or even rationalize what the world had become.
Cris had been assigned guard duty at the front gates. She heard bodies falling, heard the crackling of bones and dried twigs giving way under the fury of the mysterious stranger plowing its way through the horde. The moon hid behind the impending winter storm clouds, so it was hard to tell what was going on beyond her line of sight. She kept watching where she heard the disturbance. 
Several were around the fire pit, not far from the main gate. From there, along the wall line, it was easier to escape into several hiding places inside the walls in case of a breach. Sam's shadow cast a fierce picture as the fire burned before him, and his dark twin danced with the wind behind. As the flames flicked to and fro, so did the shadow. 
Cris let out a whistle, sounded like she was singing, but it was how some elders warned of danger on the inside. 
Sam raised his hands, clapped, and rushed his story to a fitting end. "Time for bed." He pointed toward the wall. "Everyone, find your place."
Gigi growled a little, as the eight-year-old hated not sleeping in her own special place. "I don't want to play this again." 
Sam smiled, but some others could see the tension in how he stood near the fire. Shadows do not lie. 
Lilla quietly made her way behind Gigi. "Look, you hear what's out there. You know what's in here. We all have to be smart; tonight, we are playing smart."  She gingerly pushed Gigi toward the wall so the children could find their way to the hidden places within the wall.
"Come on now." Sam motioned to the rest of the children and a few other adults. Once everyone was on the move, he pointed to Cam, Jones, and Hinley. 
Cris stopped whistling as the dark stranger finally closed in on the compound, leaving behind a trail of dead bodies. "Fu.. me." She whispered. 
The others climbed the ladder and soon joined Cris to see what happened. 
Cris called down as she tried to look at the stranger better. " ... the hell?" 
"For all of us, hell on earth." The cloaked woman looked like she was wearing a royal Ren Festival costume. "Have I missed storytime?"
Sam heard and looked at the others before calling down. "Who are you, and what do you want?"
"I was hoping to hear the end of the kindred story. I desire to know what happened to Alice, Blade, and the one called Spike." She did not look up or attempt to breach their gates. 
"..the fuc.." Sam said.
Cris stopped him before he could say anymore. "Who are you?" She asked. 
The others were ready with weapons in hand to defend the walls and what was inside the walls. 
"I think the better question you should ask, m'dear is what can I do for you, Crissss." The woman drew out the name. "Enough dead has been cleared, but others are on the way. I'm here to offer a deal between your kind and mine, a peace offering, something to help your kind and mine."
Sam shook his head. "Not until you tell us who the hell you are." 
"Samuel, master historian, teller of tales, protector of many, oath breaker, and unloyal companion. Do not tell me you have forgotten already. The dream you had days ago hunting north of here. I heard you screaming without a word. Such powerful dreams, as I imagine it is where you find the stories. I am hurt that you have forgotten." 
Cris looked at Sam and demanded to know, "Sam?" 
The others murmured in agreement.
Sam shook his head, trying to remember what the woman was talking about, but answered the others. "I told you I was late because I was hunting, was tired, sat down, fell asleep, and returned with the deer. There was no one, nothing." 
"Not even in your dreams, dear Sammuel?"  
"My dreams are none of your business." He was quiet a moment.
Cris asked, "Sam, what did you dream about?"
"Nightmares, vampires, and a woman named Agatha. She followed me in my dreams, on the edge of each one as they played over and over. The memories were shows, binged shows from years ago. You know this Cris, I tell the stories, mix them up. Same for the dreams, they are mixed up, but this woman was on the edge of all of them listening, lurking, and watching." Sam growled out his answer.
"And how did you know my name?" The stranger asked.
Cris and the others watched Sam.
"She said she could help provide for us if we fed others like her with blood. It was a fucking dream, a damn dream. Vampires aren't real. I asked her name, and she said she was Agatha; she needed blood and would help if I helped her. I woke up soon after, the stag I shot was there, that's it. That's fucking it." Sam shouted and hit his fist on the upper railing. "That's fucking it, it was a dream. A damn dream." 
"Sammuel, do you believe this is a dream now?" Agatha asked. 
The sound of the horde returned; they were getting closer. 
"Do you Sam? If so, you should wake soon. Very soon."