Free Bleed On Me by Shane McKenzie

house.”
    “Empty your pockets. The bullets…hurry up!” Chris ran toward the stairs as Spade obeyed, metal clinging behind him as the ammunition hit hardwood flooring. Chris ran down the stairs, saw the creatures lurking in the living room, the kitchen. He swallowed his scream, then one step at a time, as quickly as he could, he wiped blood on each step as he ascended.
    Something giggled and growled behind him, and Chris checked over his shoulder to find the four-armed man, his head littered with snapping and chuckling mouths. It lunged at Chris, but slipped on the blood-slick steps, it fell backward and rolled in it. The demon choked and muttered as the teeth fell away from its head, blood pouring in thick bursts. Its extra arms melted off, flopped on the floor before liquefying.
    Chris shuddered, then continued up the steps, wiping each stair. More of the creatures came for him, and more were sent back to hell, leaving a tattered corpse to roll down the steps.
    Spade watched Chris, not moving, his eyes as wide as pool balls. He had both guns out, pointed, hands shaking. “H-how many?”
    “Too many.” Chris ran into the main room in the studio through the swinging double doors, smeared blood over the doorframe and backed away. “Did you load the guns already?”
    “Yeah, man.”
    “Unload them. Those bullets won’t do shit.”
    “But you said…!”
    Chris fell to his knees above the small collection of bullets on the floor, rubbed his hands together like he was keeping warm by a fire. Fresh blood poured over the ammo, smothered them like gravy. He dug his fingers in, swirled the bullets to make sure each one was covered. Spade emptied the guns and added to the pile, then stood back and laughed.
    “Hell yeah.”
    Intestines waved in the air beyond the doorway, extending from the first floor, and though Chris couldn’t see him, he knew George had arrived. One by one, the fleshy tubes placed a demon on the second floor over the banister, their red eyes splashing light into the studio.
    A small girl in a purple dress approached them, her body split in half vertically down the middle, starting at the top of her head down to her belly. Each half opened up, her body like a giant alligator’s head, teeth long and jagged. She took one step through the opening, and her body fell through, internal organs spilling out into steaming piles on either side of her.
    The other creatures roared in frustration, flailed limbs and snapped jaws.
    Spade loaded both guns, handed one to Chris. “Let’s show these motherfuckers the deal.”
    Chris nodded, squeezed the hilt of the gun. Part of him wished he had a squirt gun, or a super soaker, but for now, this would have to do. “You know a prayer or something?”
    “Hell nah.”
    “Me either.”
    They stepped toward the doorway, the horde of beasts growing thicker by the second, but none willing to cross the threshold.
    Spade fired first. The bullet tore a hole into an elderly woman’s chest, right between the lamprey tits. She crumbled into a heap instantly, the circular jaws falling away and spinning like quarters before melting.
    “That’s what I’m talkin’ about, bitch!” Spade fired again, and again. Each bullet dropping another demon.
    Chris joined, exorcising the demons with blood-coated bullets. Tattered corpses hit the floor, flesh sizzling and popping. Demon limbs, teeth, claws bubbled and liquefied.
    Both guns clicked empty. Spade dropped down, started reloading as Chris stared at the remaining monsters as they began to run away, a couple forgetting about the bloody staircase and tumbling down as lifeless cadavers. Chris stepped closer to the barrier, his body tingling all over like a million tickling feathers.
    “What you doin’, man?”
    Spade’s voice was a distant sound, and Chris turned away, trudged across the room, headed for the balcony door. He made a mental note to wipe blood over the balcony doorframe, but stepped outside and faced the yard. The