“...I could feel him in my mind in the car!” Sam continued. “He wanted to know what we were doing, and I couldn't stop him! It was like he used me to remember everything we planned and talked about.”

“I'm not sure that matters much.” Ken said trying to sound less concerned than he was. “He could have figured it all out if he'd wanted to just by following our caravans. Heck, we've got the information posted on facebook.”

“He was wearing white and flew away like in Dragon Ball.” Jared noticed. “Maybe he's Vegeta and you're Goku. Maybe he'll become a good guy after you kick his ass!”

Everybody laughed. The encounter with the Sith Lord had been all anybody could talk about while unloading the vehicles. Everyone had shared their own version of the story and what they had noticed.

Everyone had wanted to hold off unloading and just relax, but it only took about fifteen minutes for everyone to make a long list of things they had forgotten during the day's packing and shopping. Unfortunately, that meant that tomorrow was going to be a full day of shopping too. By unloading tonight, they made sure they could get an early start.

Ken was finally getting ready for bed. It was still early for gamers, but late for someone who had been up at 3:30 in the morning. Plus, he had been working hard all day.

The thirteen group members in the Truckee houses were joined with friends and family of the home owners. Houses were filled with an average of 20 people each. Because of their generous size most homes had separate rooms for couples, kids, bachelors and bachelorettes. One of the in-law apartments of this house had even become a staging area for the neighborhood and house watches. Night shifts had been assigned and accepted. While Ken wasn't assigned to a shift because he was driving tomorrow, he was on-call. They would wake him up for anything magickal or weird.

Ken headed to the bathroom and closed the door as he changed. He took his time folding his day clothes, putting them into his bag. He pulled out a fresh set to change into. A shower sounded amazing, but too many other people had beat him too it. He'd have to shower in the morning if he wanted hot water.

He changed quickly and pulled out his toothbrush and toothpaste. Ken watched himself in the mirror as he brushed his teeth. Suddenly, despite the closed door, he saw someone else standing beside him. As soon as he saw them, a switch was flicked somewhere inside him.

He felt them. Felt her. She was there, but not there: a ghost.

He'd dealt with ghosts before. He rarely saw them. Most of the time he could interact with them like memories. He'd talk and “remember” their responses or actions.

This was the first time he saw one so clearly and persistently with his eyes. She was a nice enough looking woman. Long hair nicely styled in waves, large belly and large breasts wearing a modern dress which complimented her ample curves. He guessed she was in her late 40s to early 50s.

“You can see me.” She said. Ken could hear her as if she was alive and standing in the room.

“Yup.” He responded. “What can I do for you?”

“You need to warn people.” She said, oddly peaceful despite the message she was sharing. “Graveyards are getting noisy. Lots of activity.”

Ken shuddered. “You mean there are a lot of ghosts like yourself?”

The ghost giggled and disappeared. “That too.”

Ken felt around with his energy; he couldn't feel her at all anymore. She really had left. Worriedly he reached for his phone. Where was the nearest graveyard?

Using Google Maps he pulled the nearest one up. It was only 2 miles away on the other side of I-80. Adrenaline surged through him. That was close enough that something could have walked here since sunset!

Ken hurried out to the living room where people were getting ready for bed. “I need a few armed volunteers willing to join me on a trip to the graveyard. We may have a problem.”

Fear shot through the crowd. Problems, magick and a graveyard are a bad combination.

“What kind of problem?” someone ventured.

“Ghosts and Zombies probably.” Ken guessed.

“I've got a couple shotguns. Hopefully they work as well with headshots as they do in the movies.” Their host announced. Roberto was a pretty cool guy. Strongly faithful, he wore a large golden crucifix that glowed slightly white on his short, stout, well dressed frame as if it would keep him safe in these confusing times. He didn’t seem to be able to see the glow though. Most people couldn’t.

While their home was filled with symbols of their faith and bible verses, Roberto and his wife were clear that they would honor their guests as long as their guests honored them. When the issue had come up earlier from someone whose family had disowned them over religious issues, the couple had declared that the best and only ministry in the Sanchez household was going to be them trying to be an example of Christ's love.

“I'm not much of a shot, but I can use my magick.” Ken announced.

A few other people spoke up offering to help. Unfortunately, when pressed, it was clear that most members of the group were not experienced with weaponry. Those who had military or police experience were already part of the watch. Soon it was agreed that the 2 persons with weapon skills (whose watch shifts were later in the night) would go with Ken to the watch and ask for a couple volunteers from the current shift.

They geared up and headed out. The watch offered another 3 persons armed as well as any civilian was likely going to get. Each watch member sported large intimidating weapons with expensive sights as well as one or more equally expensive looking pistols strapped to their bodies.

The group piled into 2 vehicles “just in case” and drove toward the cemetary.

At first everything seemed normal. The only thing which evidenced something wasn’t right was the unusually large number of cars still parked in front of the empty looking cemetary. The team slowly pulled out of their cars to the sounds of a peaceful and quiet cemetary. Ken and his partner (everyone had a gun-buddy) slowly advanced toward the entrance.

A Ghost appeared in front of them. “Watch out. The trees a...”

Like an odd storm, what looked like 3 more ghosts appeared, grabbed the first ghost and somehow “yanked” him away before he could finish speaking.

Ken stared in horror. Everyone else continued moving as if nothing had happened.

“Did any of you see that?” Ken asked.

“See what?” A watchman replied. Ken thought he remembered his name was Jim. “Point to it and describe it.”

“A ghost appeared right in front of me and tried to warn us. It was dragged away before it could tell me what it was trying to say,” Ken explained. “It said something about trees.”

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Everyone's eyes snapped to the trees around them. They were surrounded. Trees lined the dirt parking lot they were in. The only breaks were at the entrance and the cemetary's open gate ahead. Ken saw no movement, but somehow the trees were far more intimidating now than they had been before.

Jim spoke up. “Ok everyone here's the plan. My team will move forward with Manuel's team. Brian, you and Angelina cover our 6.”

Manuel was Ken's gun buddy. He'd had military training; Ken hadn't. Thus: Manuel's team.

Jim's team advanced ahead of them. Manuel followed about 10 feet away. Ken pulled some energy up to his hands to prepare for some combat magick. In games, fire was always the best choice for undead, and Ken was ready to let loose.

Slowly and carefully they advanced. By the time Ken recognized figures silently running toward them from the trees, Jim and Manuel had already started firing. Some of their shots jerked through their targets throwing two to the ground. Others were still racing ahead, and they started screaming now. Unnatural wails filled the air as the screaming foes charged the defenders.

Ken's pentacle glowed intensely yellow for a moment. One enemy stopped entirely for a few moments (before being shot) and a couple other zombies shifted direction, heading toward Jim's team. Ken found a target and flung mana to it willing: Fire. The target's scream became normal (for someone afraid) and it fell to the ground as fire engulfed it. Ken quickly flung the mana from his other hand at another soon to be burning zombie.

“Holy Shit!” Someone screamed. There were just too many, and they were coming too fast. Everyone was backing up to give themselves more time to take down the terrifying ex-humans charging into the group's gunfire.

Shot after shot would hit zombies until they fell. As if they had multiple lives, a bullet would knock them down, but they'd just get back up and continue advancing.

Ken drew more energy and flung at two additional targets to ignite them before he noticed something. The first target of Ken's magick stopped yelling, got up and seemed to look at the group through his massively burned eyes with a dark glee. He stared at Ken personally for a second, and Ken's Pentacle lit up anew. The fiery zombie then wailed horribly and ran toward Jim's team on legs of charred meat. Despite obvious skin and muscle damage the fire wasn't stopping them!

Jim's gun buddy's weapon clicked empty for the 3rd time. He reached for a new magazine and slammed it in. As he raised his weapon, the magazine fell out dropping to the ground. Desperately he fumbled for another magazine, but not before the burning zombie reached him.

Muted and choked screams joined all of the other screams in the air as the burning zombie knocked him to the ground grasping his neck in flaming hands. Flesh sloughed off the zombie's face and fingers as it cooked through, falling in flaming chunks to burn the terrified man who was trying to beat his opponent off using the butt of his gun like a club.

Ken raised hands newly filled with power just in time for another zombie to reach Manuel beside him. Desperately he flung the power into the zombie's disturbingly intelligent face and applied the same will to move with force as he had used on the boulders earlier.

The Zombie's head completely evaporated. Fragments and body fluids peppered cars and trees behind the zombie. While Ken stared in shock, a shotgun went off behind him deafening him. Angelina had come forward targeting a different Zombie.

Out of ammo, Jim dropped his primary weapon, pulled out his pistol and put it to the head of the burning zombie choking his partner. A large hole appeared on the opposite size of the zombie's head. Burning blood and brain matter spattered away, but the flaming fingers maintained their grip.

Out of time, Jim raised his pistol with terrifying accuracy and waited until zombies were about to grab him before he put 2 quick bullets into their heads. He kept having to move. Even after losing their heads, the bodies would sometimes continue to drag themselves forward toward where he had been.

Jim's partner resumed screaming. He had somehow freed himself of the choke, but 2 more zombies were now raining blows down on him.

Ken drew energy up as quickly as he could. Once he had enough he would fling it at a foe and blow their head off.

Manuel finally dropped his empty primary weapon and pulled his sidearm. After emptying a full clip into an incredibly wounded zombie which just wouldn't stop coming, Manuel screamed in frustration and terror. He turned and ran back toward the cars as fast as he could. Ken heard a car door slam as Manuel got in.

Angelina stepped forward and put a careful shotgun blast into the head of the still advancing Zombie which had chased Manuel away. Brian advanced up to help Jim. The two of them formed an incredibly efficient team, placing lead exactly where they were aiming, announcing to the other their reloads and calling shots out.

Manuel started the car, and with engine screaming it raced away throwing rocks and dirt into the air and vehicles behind him.

After his 5th head explosion Ken tried to pull up more energy, but he just couldn't. It was like trying to pee with an empty bladder. Desperately he tried to draw more energy, but it just wasn't there to draw. Luckily only 3 foes were still moving. Angelina was angling a shotgun into the spine of a body still dragging itself forward. Brian and Jim were trying to get the last two off of Jim's partner. Grunts, screams and gunshots slowed as the team ended the un-lives of their foes. Eventually a silence descended, broken only by the sounds of weapons being reloaded.

Jim's partner lay dead on the ground, blood, bruises and contusions evident everywhere. Fully reloaded, Jim turned to check on his partner. He knelt down and put his fingers to his neck to ensure there was no pulse.

Jim's partner opened his eyes. An intelligent malign power welled deep within them. Fury filled his screaming voice, “Di'Yai anta-piccyh! Dy'Yai!”

He grabbed for his belt knife, and before anyone could respond he stabbed it into Jim's belly.

A moment later Jim, Brian and Angelina fired their weapons together. Shot after shot reduced the hate filled face into an unrecognizable mess of flesh. The body fell to inactivity.

After a moment Jim carefully pulled the knife out. Blood and other fluids coated it. The stench of bile added to the smell of blood and burning flesh from the 4 bodies Ken had ignited. Jim winced defeatedly.

“I need a hospital.” He declared through clenched teeth. “I need surgery and really good antibiotics to survive the infection this will cause.”

“We have a magickal healer. Jared should be able to help you.” Ken said.

“No insult to your healer, but I don't want to die while we figure out if he can help me.” Jim said, “I'd like you take me to the hospital. You can bring him later. If he can help the way you say, then the hospital will really need him.”

Ken hadn't thought about that. Jim was right. Jared needed to be healing, learning, getting stronger and learning what he could and couldn't do.

“We also need to get out of here before more of those things show up. It took 6 of us, a couple hundred rounds of ammo and a fire-mage to kill 11 of them. Now we're down to 4 with one man wounded, and low on ammo. We can't handle more.” Jim said.

People quickly picked up dropped magazines and weapons and hurried to the truck.

“What about his body?” Angelina asked.

“We'll talk to the watch about it. Decide what we want to do.” Jim replied.

“Shouldn't we call the police? Warn them about the danger?” She asked.

“I doubt they'll believe us, but perhaps we should try anyway.” Brian said. “I don't want them tracing the call though. We'd be up on murder charges.”

Ken ran back to the dead man's body and checked for a phone. Finding it he went to make a call; the screen was cracked and the phone as locked. Ken returned to the truck and Brian started driving away while he figured out how to make an emergency call.

“9-11 please hold,” a voice answered. The line clicked and an authoritative soothing voice was giving instructions for how to talk to the operator as well as what information the operator would need.

They were about a mile down the road on the way to the hospital when the voice returned. The hold “music” had been in the middle of giving CPR instructions. “Police, Fire or Ambulance?”

“A warning for all of them.” Ken said. “Zombies are rising from the Truckee Graveyard. We just put a couple hundred rounds into 11 of them before they finally went down. They are runners and intelligent. Fire didn't help much. They seem to body jump too. If a friendly dies, they may get up as an enemy.”

“Is this a joke?” The female operator's voice clearly had experience dealing with calls ranging from the absurd to the horrifying. It sounded to Ken like she couldn't tell if she was angry or scared, and she seemed to be hoping that anger was the right answer.

“There are 12 bodies lying on the ground between way too many cars and the gates of the Truckee Cemetery. They are headless or worse. You'll find hundreds of round casing on the ground.” Ken replied. “If you value the lives of your first responders send SWAT first and tell them what I said. I'm guessing there are a lot more than a dozen bodies buried in the cemetery.”

Another voice came on. “Judy, there are already multiple unit responding to reports of screams and heavy gunfire from the cemetery.”

“Shit... Karl someone needs to warn them.” The lady (Judy?) responded. “Sir, what is your name?”

Ken hesitated for a moment and then said. “My name is Ken, but I'm calling on a burner phone. I'm sorry, but I can't give any more information right now. If the officers don't believe me, we can't afford to sit in jail. Just tell them what I said. Warn them that they'll keep coming, and they're very fast and very strong. Even head shots might not be enough.”

Ken hung up and rolled his window down. He wiped the phone off on his shirt and then threw it out the side of the truck.