Last week's story on Escape Pod, the excellent weekly science fiction short story podcast was "Infestation" by Garth Nix. It's a vampire story with a twist (in a genre where not many twists are left) and it kept me guessing right up to the end. A delightful piece of speculative and wicked science fiction.
They were the usual motley collection of freelance vampire hunters. Two men, wearing combinations of jungle camouflage and leather. Two women, one almost indistinguishable from the men though with a little more style in her leather armour accessories, and the other looking like she was about to assault the south covered by balaclava, mirror shades, climbing helmet and hood. face of a serious mountain. Only her mouth was visible, a small oval of flesh notEP222: InfestationThey had the usual weapons: four or five short wooden stakes in belt loops; snap-holstered handguns of various calibers, all doubtless chambered with Wood-N-Death® low-velocity timber-tipped rounds; big silver-edged bowie or other hunting knife, worn on the hip or strapped to a boot; and crystal vials of holy water hung like small grenades on pocket loops.
Protection, likewise, tick the usual boxes. Leather neck and wrist guards; leather and woven-wire reinforced chaps and shoulder pauldrons over the camo; leather gloves with metal knuckle plates; Army or climbing helmets.
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One thing that bugged me about the story when I listened to it this weekend was wtf is a Tau cross. As I listened I didn't associate it with a the Greek letter. Wiki has a cool page on the topic which my ravening desire for overcompensatory trivia mongering satiated.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross#As_emblems_and_symbols
I think he means Tao, not a Warhammer 40K race.
I am listening it to now. I love Garth Nix.
Also, check out "Blind Sight" by Peter Watts for a unique take on vampirism. Mixed up with post-singularity post-human weirdness.
One woman, ready to assault the south? The whole south, all by herself? She sounds underequiepped for that, but it would seem to be an awesome book.
In other news - proofreading is your friend.
In the original story it is "the south face of Everest"
(So is reading the comments.)
For those not following, I think (haven't listened to the podcast yet) the second and third sentences of the first paragraph are supposed to be:
Two women, one almost indistinguishable from the men though with a little more style in her leather armour accessories, and the other looking like she was about to assault the south face of a serious mountain. Only her mouth was visible, a small oval of flesh not covered by balaclava, mirror shades, climbing helmet and hood.
Looks like an accidental click-and-drag mashup. You might want to fix it.
I have since read the moderation policy. Apologies.