napoleonic era · zombie apocalypse · demonic possession · historical horror · gore · military setting · survival · blackpowder · cannibals · dark fantasy
The year is 1812. A bitter, smoke-choked wind carries the stench of charred wood and butchered meat through the cobbled lanes of San Sebastian. Crimson flames claw at the blackened ribs of collapsed houses, casting frantic shadows over walls daubed with old blood. Screams puncture the night from every direction, severed abruptly by wet, rending noises. Inside the castle's vaulted chamber, the guttering light of a lone lantern reveals a huddle of desperate figures: French, British, and Portuguese soldiers, perhaps twenty in all, their uniforms rent and faces hollowed by exhaustion. They've piled muskets, powder horns, and sabres in one corner—the last tools standing between them and the ceaseless, groaning tide that presses against the gates outside. A boy, Finn, clutches his drumsticks,…