He rushed up the ramp and slowed. He’d found a trail of blood at the top.
"All this blood and no bodies?" Olsen asked.
"I don't like this at all," Sykes murmured.
When both he and the Sarge looked worried, it caused them all to be concerned.
"Spread out. If there are bodies, I want them found. If there are survivors, I want to know what the hell happened here."
They fanned out. The ship was small enough that no one would be far from the rest as they searched. Newman had his rifle at the ready and his finger closing in on the trigger. He was scared, and he wouldn't be afraid to admit it. There was blood splashed on a wall up ahead, but as before, no sign of a body.
"This is weird, Sarge. If people are hurt, there should be wounded, or bodies." Olsen said over the comms.
"Maybe another rescue team recovered them before we could get here?"
"Not a chance, Sykes. We're all that were sent."
"Then where the hell is everyone?" Newman asked impatiently.
"With me, we're heading for the bridge," said Menard.
The lights were flickering on and off as though the ship was suffering power fluctuations.
"Maybe they are out on the surface somewhere?"
"That doesn't explain this blood, Corporal."
"We should call this in."
"We don't have the ability to, but we can from the bridge."
They reached a corridor leading to the bridge and found more pools of blood. It was eerie, and put them all on edge. The fact the Sergeant looked so worried made it worse.
"You must have seen plenty of this in your time?"
"Bodies yes, Corporal, but just blood and no evidence of what happened, no. Something is going on here, and it can't be good."
They reached the door to the bridge. A trail of blood led up to it and under the door. They readied their weapons as the Sergeant hit the door release switch, but it didn't move.
"It's sealed from the inside."
He drew out a small metallic object from his belt and placed it against the keypad. The device lit up, and after a few seconds the door slid open. The rack of gunfire rang out, and they both ducked down for cover. Three shots flew over their heads. They recognised the sound. It was an Alliance weapon.
"Hold your fire. Friendlies coming in!"
"Who's there?" They heard a shaky voice.
"Sergeant Menard of the Alliance Marine Corps! We're here to help!"
He slowly moved back to the doorway, stepping inside with his rifle held low, not to pose a threat. Newman wasn't convinced, but he followed with his rifle a little more at the ready. The trail of blood led all the way to the Captain's chair where the Captain himself was propped up. He was sitting in a pool of blood, with bandages wrapped around both of his legs. There was no sign of anyone else. He had two evenly spaced slashes across his face as though something with claws had cut across him. He was clearly in shock.
"What the hell happened here?" Menard asked.
"They, there was no warning. They..." he cried.
The Captain was in shock and could barely get his words out. He was hysterical, and Newman didn't blame him. Everyone else was missing, there was blood everywhere, and he was in a bad way. But Menard slapped him hard across the face. Newman was shocked by his actions.
"Captain, compose yourself. You were attacked, and we need to know by whom. What were they, how many, where are they now? Where is the rest of your crew?"
But the Captain was still unable to find any words. There was a terrifying emptiness in his eyes. He wasn't wearing a helmet. The ship’s systems were still pumping out enough air that he could breathe, and this far into the ship they weren't getting blasted by sand. Newman took the opportunity to lift his visor. The place stank of death, combined with urine, and he wished he hadn't bothered.
"He is in shock. He won't be able to help us."
"Shock? Corporal, have you ever seen what war can do to a man?"
"No, Sir."
"Then shut up and do your job."
"Those things, they are coming for us. They're coming. They don't stop."
"What things? What did this, Captain?"
His eyes went blank again, as if even picturing what it looked like was just too much for him.
"Get on the ship's comms and relay a message. Tell them the crew has been compromised, and that we need backup immediately."
"Yes, Sir." Newman went to the controls.
The computer system was down, and he looked underneath. There were claw marks, and the cabling had been ripped to shreds.
"Sarge, we aren't going to be reaching anybody from here." He held up the cables.
Menard grabbed the Captain, furious with him, as if he had been holding back.
"We received an emergency distress signal. How were you able to send that if your systems were fried?"
"We sent the beacon out before the last attack." The Captain had a moment of clarity.
"They came back here and killed all but you? Why?"
He shrugged as if completely unsure. That was when Menard's face turned to stone.
"This was no accident. He was left here for us to find."
"What? By who?"
"I don't know, and I don't care to find out. This is Menard. We have enemies inbound. Everyone into the ship, now! Giles, come in."
"I don't think the signal is reaching far with these weather conditions, Sarge," said Olsen.
"Damn it!"
* * *
Gillet was pacing back and forth as if bored by the whole thing.
"Calm the hell down. We've got a job to do," said Benik.
"Yeah, probably just a few stupid scientists who should never have left the lab. There ain't anything down here big and scary enough to take on two squads of marines."
"You have no idea what is down here."
"Sand and rock, that's all. A waste of time is what it is. Screw it, I need to take a leak."
He stormed off in a huff.
"Wait, we were..." began Benik, but he knew it was useless.
Gillet pushed his way through the storm. When he was satisfied he was out of sight, he left his rifle by his side, and opened the tab on his suit. It was all environmentally sealed, allowing fluid and air to move one way.
"Stupid shithole of a planet. I don't know why we keep wasting our time with these God awful places."
It was a sentiment many of them shared. They'd all seen their fair share of inhospitable worlds now, and had nothing to show for it. But neither had they encountered an enemy. There had never been a threat beyond the environmental factors, and so he didn't see one now. He sighed with joy as he relieved himself, relaxed and care free, without any worries in the world.
That was when he heard a clicking sound. It sounds almost artificial, and he squinted to look for the source as he continued. The lights on his helmet shone into the dust bowl without providing much in sight.
"Who's out there? Benik? Quit messing around!"
He finished up and reached for his rifle, but he didn't move. The clicking rang out again, louder this time. Five sharp cracks, each slightly different in pitch. He noticed a tiny glimmer of light ahead and squinted to look.
"Who's out there?"
The light was getting nearer, and as it did, he realised it was two red lights, spaced out like a pair of eyes. He peered closer as if curious as to what was before him. It was as if he couldn't look away. A hissing sound rang out, and as the eyes drew nearer, he could make out the shape of a head and neck.
"What the hell?"
His right hand reached for his rifle.
* * *
"Where the hell is Gillet? He is supposed to be at his post." Lance Corporal Morrison made his way around the squad to check on them all.
"He went to take a leak," said Benik.
"What? And you let him?"
"What was I supposed to do?"
Morrison was speechless, but before he could find any words, a cry rang ou
t over the radio, but it soon went silent.
"What the hell is going on out there? Gillet, come in?"
But nothing came back.
There was utter silence once more, except for the howl of the wind.
"Christ, which was did he go?"
Benik pointed.
"This is on you. You're coming with me. Prentice, you're with us too."
The three of them pushed on through the sand storm towards where they had last seen him.
"What the hell is he doing wandering off in a storm on an unknown planet? Is he crazy?" Prentice asked.
"You know he is. Guy's a bloody maverick," replied Benik.
"We came here on a rescue mission. We aren't losing one of our own, no matter how stupid he is," replied Morrison.
"Gillet! Where the hell are you!" Benik shouted.
The speakers on his helmet projected the sound around them, though it didn't carry very far through the storm. They all stopped when they found a rifle on the ground.
"It has to be his," Benik said.
Morrison knelt down beside the weapon. There was blood on the floor beside it.
"What the hell is going on here?"
"What is that, blood?" Benik asked in disbelief.
"Wait, what was that?" Morrison heard the same clicking noise that Gillet had. They were all on edge now and lifted their rifles to the shoulder, looking around for some sign of danger. They couldn't see anything through the storm, and the clicking was growing louder.
"What do we do?"
"Just shut up, Prentice," said Morrison.
The red lights of the eyes appeared, and they were mesmerising.
"What is that?" Prentice asked.
The shadow of a figure appeared in the dust bowl before them, but nobody knew what to do. They had no idea what it was.
"Who's there?" Morrison asked.
The figure leapt towards them with remarkable speed and landed on top of Morrison, crushing him to the ground.
* * *
Menard hit the ramp running. "Everyone inside, inside, now!"
"Argh!" A cry rang out.
They heard gunshots in the distance, and moments later Benik and Prentice came running into view. Benik was covered in blood, but it didn't appear to be his own. Both were firing wildly behind them as they ran.
"What the hell?" Giles said.
A shadow leapt through the dust cloud, high enough to avoid their burst of fire, and it landed on Prentice. The creature crushed him with its landing, its claws embedded in his back as he screamed.
"Christ!" Giles yelled.
The beast looked like nothing short of a demon. It had the body of a slight lizard, but its skin was as black as coal and reflected no light. It was nearly two metres long, and had the Private pinned. It bit into his right arm and ripped it out of the socket, tossing it aside as blood spurted from the wound. Prentice cried out in pain. A single shot rang out from Mac's rifle, hitting the beast between the eyes. It collapsed lifelessly to the ground beside Prentice who was still squirming.
Olsen and Newman rushed to his aid, keeping a watchful eye on the creature to be sure it was finished. They lifted him up quickly as the Sergeant continued barking his orders.
"Everybody inside the ship, now!"
They rushed back with the wounded man, but out of the corner of his eye, Newman noticed another beast pounce onto one of the others in Giles' squad. He took aim one-handed and fired a burst from the hip. The creature was hit, but hauled the wounded marine off into the dust bowl.
"Jesus Christ, what are those things?"
He felt a great weight collapse onto his back as he fell flat. Gunshots rang out, and he rolled over in time to see another of the beasts get hurt by a volley of fire. He tried to help Prentice back up, but something kicked him aside, and he turned just in time to see Prentice being dragged off into the darkness.
"Help me!"
But in no time at all he was gone, and another creature had leapt onto one of the marines to his flank. Several of them opened fire, and the beast fled. The marine was on her feet in no time as they rushed onto the ramp. Menard and two others were laying down covering fire without any targets to aim for. It was utter chaos. None of them knew what they were dealing with, but they had to get inside, or they were all going to die.
"Come on, get in!"
They rushed up the ramp and collapsed inside as he hit the close switch. The door was halfway shut when one of the creatures leapt in through the opening. Six of them opened fire on full auto in utter panic. It was riddled with bullets and slumped down dead. Newman moved down and kicked the creature’s head to knock it off the ramp. It finally sealed shut, and they all breathed a sigh of relief. None of them had any words. They were all as stunned as each other, even the Sergeant. After all the things he had seen, he was as appalled as any of them. They were safe, but for how long? It was beginning to dawn on them now; they had nowhere to go.
Chapter 2
Newman was looking around for something to say or do. There were no wounded, no one to help out, just a lot of stunned marines. He lifted the visor on his helmet as he tried to get his head around it all.
“What the fuck were those things?”
Sykes’ language was coarse, something they had been told never to use as they grew up. But Taylor’s influence on the Corps had spread deeply. His rough demeanour from a bygone age had made a comeback; hardly surprising considering the hardship they had all been through.
“Sarge, what are they?” Sykes asked again.
Newman remembered the uneasy feeling he had before they reached the surface. The feeling of doubt when he realised that Menard hadn’t told them everything, and clearly had his own doubts about the mission.
“You knew there was more to this mission, didn’t you?”
“What are you talking about?” Olsen asked.
“Why don’t you tell them, Sarge?
There was no response, and that was enough to cast doubt into all their minds. Menard could see he was losing their respect.
“There was a chance that this was no accident, that something had attacked the crew of this vessel, but there was no evidence of it. With the atmospheric conditions, we had no idea what had gone on.”
“Bullshit,” said Sykes.
“He’s right. You wouldn’t have been so concerned about the unknown. There was something else, wasn’t there?”
Menard sighed, and it was clear he was about to come clean.
“Before we lost contact we received word that two of the crewmembers were missing.”
“And?”
“And that another crewmember had reported some sighting of something living, but it was nothing. You’ve seen the sand storms on this shit hole, who knows what they saw?”
“I know what they saw, because I saw it with my own damn eyes!” Benik rushed towards the Sergeant as if looking for a fight. Newman was on his feet in no time and cut him off.
“Sit your ass down, right now.”
“You heard him. We were practically fed to these things, and he held back on us.”
“That is the chain of command, and these were our orders. You think I wanted to be here any more than you do?”
“But we are here, aren’t we? And now you’re just as fucked as the rest of us, aren’t you?”
He tried to get past Newman, but he pushed back with a sharp jab that knocked him onto his ass.
“We all are, so shut your mouth, and start thinking of constructive solutions to our problem.”
“Constructive solutions? You saw those things out there!” he protested.
Olsen kicked him while he was down.
“Hey, shut up, okay? You aren’t helping. Right now, you are either trying to solve the problem, or you are the problem, you hear me?”
He looked angry, but he didn’t dare say another word. There was a crazy look in Olsen’s eyes, as though she’d be willing to end him if she needed to. So he turned his attention back to Newman, who had step
ped up in defence of the Sergeant.
“Yeah? What bright ideas have you got?”
“Firstly, to not be an asshole. We’ve got I don’t even know what at the door trying to eat us. We need to stay calm and work a way to get out of this mess. Now I don’t agree with the Sergeant holding back on us, but he is still in command here, and I won’t hear otherwise, you hear me?”
"Look at you, get a few stripes and you think you rule the..." he spat back.
Before he finished the sentence, Olsen backhanded him to the nose. It was a sharp snapping strike that knocked him over onto his back. He quickly got back up, cradling his nose as blood dripped from it.
"You broke my nose!"
"That's not all I'll break if you carry on with that tone. The Sarge is in charge, and Newman is your superior. You don't have to like it, but you will accept it."
He was silenced. Newman was taken aback, as she seemed to enjoy hurting their fellow marine.
"What now, Sarge?" Sykes asked.
Menard was still shocked by what they had encountered, same as the rest of them, but he hadn't lost his mind. It was clear that he’d never had to lead in a combat situation. He'd followed others. Despite that, he was a well-experienced combat veteran, even if he wasn't the smartest. He leapt to his feet, starting to appreciate both the grave nature of their scenario, and his need to show leadership.
"I'm not staying here to die. None of us are. Let's not forget who we are. We are Alliance Marines, and that goddamn means something. I didn't survive a war to die down here, and none of you have even had your chance at a proper fight yet. This won't be the end of us. We are finding a way out of here. Because there will be a way out. Olsen, Mac, see if you can find any other means for us to get a signal off this piece of crap world. Newman, you're coming to the bridge with me. We'll see what we can do from there. Giles, you're in charge here, and stay sharp. Nobody goes anywhere alone. Whatever those things are, they clearly got onto this ship at some point, and they may well still be aboard. Do your jobs, what you were trained to do, and we will get out of this."
They weren't the most awe-inspiring words anyone had heard, but they did help. To know they had someone leading from the front was something.
"Sarge?"
Benik’s tone was rather different now, his voice soft and friendly, almost begging.
Beyond Earth- Civil War Page 2
