by Tyler Hanson
Proxy was right.
Shadow inhaled, gathered her strength, and placed her free hand against her hip, close to the flat sheath strapped to her back.
In the reflection, the officer stood directly behind her now. He placed a hand on the grip of his pistol and reached for her, yelling at the top of his lungs.
“SHE’S GOT A G—”
Shadow swiveled and splashed searing coffee into his face. Steam rose from his skin, and his words morphed into screams of pain.
While he was still blinded, she followed with a punch to the gut, then another to the neck. Both attacks struck against an odd resistance, as if she were punching a bag of sand instead of a man. The officer seemed unfazed by the attempted assault and removed his hands from his face.
Some of his skin had melted away, revealing dark-green hues beneath the surface.
“Damn it,” Proxy said. “Reptiles.”
“Oh my Lord!” Janet screamed from the receptionist’s desk. An officer close to the receptionist drew his pistol and put a bullet between her eyes. Blood sprayed the wall behind her, and she fell away from her desk, landing on the precinct floor.
“What is the—” one of the detectives began to demand, rising from his desk, but the other two detectives raised their weapons and gunned him down. The last unaffected final officer panicked, sprinting for the precinct’s exit. Another officer grabbed him by the neck as he passed and twisted his head. The man’s neck snapped, and he collapsed, his lifeless face pointing behind him.
Shadow’s attention refocused on the officer in front of her when he clenched his muscles, straining against some kind of invisible force. His eyes watered, and tears leaked down his face. Scanning the precinct, Shadow could see the other seven people undergo a similar internal struggle.
Here we go again.
________________
Zen attempted to pull away from Phil as his grip tightened. His muscles bulged, keeping her close, but his eyes began to weep. Trevor’s chair rattled and she glanced at him, noting a similar physical reaction.
Phil opened his mouth, and an eerie, inhuman creaking noise escaped from the back of his throat. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, showing their whites. They continued to pull against the sockets, and Zen heard an awful, unforgettable ripping sound. The tears turned red as blood leaked from his eyes, and the whites rolled back further, revealing a jaundiced yellow color. Punctuating these new yellow eyes were blackened vertical slits, the grotesque mimicry of some kind of lizard’s eye.
Phil’s lips curled back, baring his teeth at Zen. One by one, the stumpy bones bent inward, making room for something squirming within his gums. Blood leaked from the corners of his mouth, announcing a new set of teeth. These slid into place in fine points, as thin and as sharp as hypodermic needles. They bunched together in messy rows, resembling the wiry filaments whales use to catch krill.
Gunfire drew Zen’s attention to the exit of the interrogation room. In that moment, the creatures that once were Phil and Trevor pounced.
Continue reading Conscription: Dossier Feldgrau by clicking here!
Other Works from
Two Doctors Media Collaborative
The Chronicles of Theren
Volume I
First of Their Kind (Book I)
Their Greatest Game (Books II and III)
The Faction
Dossier Feldgrau
Personnel
Conscription
The Redacted Files
Alligator Season
The Compendium
Legacy of Light
Enemies of Light
About the Author
Tyler Hanson is a science fiction and horror author based in Nashville, Tennessee. He loves animals, tolerates people, and detests writing about himself in the third person.
Horror was a big part of Tyler's childhood, and he strives to recapture that sense of terror and wonder for others to enjoy. Sometimes horror has a foothold in reality, and as a member of the LGBTQ community, he explores the oppression of minority groups through fictional retellings of historical events.
When he isn't writing, Tyler can be found exploring small towns, trapping himself in escape rooms, and catching Pokémon with his cat, Tiger Lily.
