Slip out the back door of the barn
From Create Your Own Story
You know that if you get caught, you're dead, but if you get caught in the barn, the vampires will know there's something special about this place and inevitably search it and find the humans' secret hideout, dooming everyone inside. So you slip out the back door as quickly and quietly as you can, putting as much distance between yourself and the barn as possible.
You walk for two miles, maybe three, until you come to another abandoned-looking farm. There doesn't seem to be anyone around, and even if the vampires catch you here, they'll investigate this place, not the barn where the secret hideout actually is.
You look at the eastern sky. Behind the eternal clouds, you know the sun is rising. It's getting lighter, but you know from your experience yesterday that even midday will only be as bright as a normal twilight. You sigh as you think of poor Brittany again.
Finding shelter in an old wooden shed, you look at the vials again. If only there was a way to use, or at least test, their power as a weapon...
Wait a minute. Maybe there is! You open the vial with the pink powder, then open one of your shotgun shells, dump the powder inside, and close it up again. You load the special shell so that it will be the last one fired from your weapon.
When it becomes light enough to see, you begin making your way back to the barn as cautiously as possible. You can't stay out here forever, and as long as you can be sure there are no vampires around, you should be able to slip back down the trapdoor.
Nearing the barn, however, you hear snarls in the distance. You look for a hiding place, but you are out in an open field, with not even a tree for cover.
A full squadron of vampires, at least a dozen, appears in the distance. Already having sensed your presence, they split up, preparing to surround you. Making sure your silver cross is prominently visible, you let out a high-pitched scream as you ready your shotgun.
The most aggressive vampire darts in straight for you, but freezes upon seeing your holy symbol. You decapitate him with your first slug. The others hesitate, but continue tightening the circle slowly, using their combined mental power to fight the effect of your silver artifact. You fire four more shots, taking out four more vampires, but now eight vampires are almost upon you, and you only have one shot left. Your special shot.
Saying a literal Hail Mary, you aim your shotgun at the brightest point in the gray sky and pull the trigger. The pink powder is sprayed into the air. It makes contact with the dark vampiric cloud...and begins dissipating it! The sky grows brighter and brighter. The vampires freeze in alarm and look up. Then they turn and begin to run.
They are fast, but not fast enough. The powder breaks through the top of the cloud, piercing a small hole in the layer of darkness. Luckily, it's a sunny day in Kansas. The sunlight shines through and dissolves all eight vampires into a gooey mess. You pump your fist in triumph.
You look around. A small circle, perhaps forty yards in diameter, is in bright sunlight with you at the center. Outside of that, darkness still reigns. You look up and see the dark cloud slowly covering up the edges of the circle as the effect of the pink powder begins wearing off. Making sure that there are no more vampires around, you hurry back to the barn. The circle of light in the distance is steadily shrinking.
Opening the trapdoor, you begin climbing down the ladder. Suddenly, you see Gary and Brittany in the tunnel right below you. "Brittany! Come up quickly!" you shout.
The girl scurries up the ladder. You point in the distance to the circle of light, now very small. She stares at it, then looks up. "The sun..." she stammers, overwhelmed with emotion.
Gary joins the two of you at the barn door as the last of the light disappears. "I saw it, Grandpa!" Brittany shrieks excitedly. "I saw the sun! It was so beautiful..." She hugs him, then you.
"Come on," says Gary simply. "Let's get back inside."
After the three of you are safely down the hatch and the trapdoor is firmly shut, Gary looks straight into your eyes. "Katarina, thank you for doing that for my granddaughter. With that said, what the hell were you thinking breaking into my lab and stealing my experiments?"
You look down at your boots, then take a deep breath and say, "Why did you keep it a secret?"
Gary sighs. "I didn't want anyone to get false hope."
"But we have REAL hope now," says Brittany. "For the first time in my life."
"I was hoping to perfect the formula," says Gary. "So that it wouldn't dissipate, so that it would destroy the dark clouds permanently. If the vampires find this place before it's ready...And then there's no guarantee it'll ever become that powerful."
"I'm sorry," you say. "I shouldn't have done that."
"Spilled milk under the bridge," sighs Gary. "Girls, just promise me that this will be kept a SECRET between the three of us until it's time."
"We promise," you and Brittany say at exactly the same time.
Gary smiles. "Good. Now let's get some breakfast from the mess hall and then get to the lab. We have a lot of work to do."
Brittany turns to you. "Thank you, Katarina," she says simply.
"You're welcome. I just hope it won't be the only time you see the sun," you reply.
"Somehow, I know I'll see it again," she says, looking calm and peaceful for the first time since you've met her.
In the mess hall, as you place your sausage and eggs onto your tray, you see Brittany and Gary seated together, deep in conversation. Wanting to give them some privacy, you look around and see the female soldier you met yesterday, Lieutenant Jessica Bell, waving you over to sit with her. You go over and put your tray down next to hers. "Good to see you again, Miss Hart," she says.
"Please, Lieutenant Bell, call me Katarina."
"Okay, Katarina. And please call me Jessica."
"Of course, Jessica. So how are you?"
"Got to eat quickly, we have a scouting mission scheduled soon." She talks a bit about her work as a military officer. You find yourself developing a connection to her, as she is a strong, pragmatic woman just like you.
Jessica suddenly looks at you closely. "What were you and Gary and Brittany talking about near the trapdoor?" she asks.
