The Shadow Above The Flames

by Daniel Swenson

  A loud buzz and a popping sound came from within the control deck. Henry rushed to the door.

  "Lenny, are you okay?"

  "I got it!" Lenny yelled.

  Henry spun around and fired off several more rounds to keep the wolves at bay.

  "Fantastic! Radio Rick and Jacobson, and tell them to get their asses over here so we can get the hell out of this place."

  Rick surveyed the scene from his perch as Lenny’s voice came over the comm. "Hey . . . is this thing working? We need an immediate pick up. I repeat an immediate pick up. I’ve retrieved the data core, and we need an extract now. Henry is doing his best to keep these wolves at bay, but it’s getting extremely hot out here."

  Rick clicked his comm line over to a private line with Jacobson.

  "What’s the temperature reading on the thermal scans?"

  "The thermal scans are showing that the temperature at the drilling site has gone up another fifteen degrees."

  Rick clicked his comm line back to Lenny, who was still chattered nonstop.

  "Rick? Are you there? Did we lose you? Rick...Hello, anyone there?"

  "Lenny, calm down, I'm here. I had to change channels to ask Jacobson a question. Tell Henry to hold out against those wolves, and we’ll be there shortly."

  Rick jumped to his feet and quickly took down the PTRD-41. Outside, Jacobson loaded up the last of the weapons and prepped the vehicle for departure. Rick placed the rifle back into its bag and slung it over his shoulder. He charged down the stairs, placed the gun in the backseat of the vehicle, and secured it in place before he jumped into the passenger seat next to Jacobson.

  "Punch it!" he yelled.

  "Oh crap! I forgot something!" Jacobson yelled as he jumped out of the vehicle and ran back inside.

  "Let's move it! They need an extract now, and I don't know how much longer they can hold off those wolves."

  After a few moments, Jacobson ran back out of the house with a crate full of grenades. He placed them in the backseat next to Henry's rifle. Once they were secured, he jumped into the driver’s seat, fastened his seatbelt, hit the starter, and slammed his foot on the accelerator.

  Beads of sweat rolled down Henry's forehead as he continued to fire upon the remaining wolves. The unusual heat affected Henry, causing him to tire fast. Luckily, it appeared that the heat affected the wolves too. They were slowing, so he took advantage of their weakness and took down another two wolves. Only three wolves remained, two of those were large gray males and the other was the elusive black alpha wolf.

  Henry cursed in frustration as another shot went wide. These last three remaining wolves were doing their best to stay out of sight and wear Henry down. His ammunition bag lay nearly empty at his feet. If he wasn't able to take them down or scare them off soon, he'd have to use the heavier artillery, which he didn't want to do yet.

  "Lenny! How soon did Rick say they'd get here?"

  Lenny exited the control deck making sure the data core was safely stored inside his pack.

  "I don't think he said a time."

  "Oh great!"

  Henry fired at the remaining wolves, more to keep them away from the viewing platform than to actually hit them. Lenny took out a handkerchief and dabbed it along his brow.

  "Good Lord! It’s hot out here. Who decided to turn up the heat?"

  Henry grabbed his canteen and tossed it over to Lenny. Lenny twisted off the cap and took a big swig.

  "Thanks, I needed that. What's the plan to get out of here?"

  Henry glanced down at his watch. "Rick and Jacobson should be here any minute. Hopefully, they can get close enough to us so we can jump in the all-terrain and then make a mad dash out of this hell hole."

  "What about those wolves? Why are they still here?"

  “I don't have the foggiest idea why these damn things haven't run off yet. But I have a plan that should cover our tracks and take care of them."

  Henry turned and fired off a few more rounds at the wolves that advanced on the viewing platform. This time he hit one of the gray one’s left side. The wolf yelped and growled in pain. The alpha and its other companion bolted inside one of the rusted vans that rested near the viewing platform. Henry watched as the one he had hit overbalanced and fell into the darkness below.

  Henry kept a watchful eye on the van as he switched out his magazine and popped in his last one.

  "Please don't tell me that's your last magazine." Lenny said.

  "Okay I won't. Keep an eye out for Rick. We need to get out of here now!"

  Lenny nodded and found a place where he could remain out of sight and keep an eye on the road for Rick and Jacobson. The heat was unbearable, and the wind began to pick up whipping hot, stale air about them.

  A small furry form crashed to the cavern floor near the Beast. The sickening thud it made when it struck the ground caused the Beast to involuntarily shiver in delight. Its long scaly neck bent low, allowing it to take in the small creature’s scent, which gave off an iron-tinged deliciousness. The Beast snatched up the creature with amazing speed and grace and brought it to its large mouth, where it crunched down on the creature.

  Feeling the creature’s bones snap and break delighted the Beast. It chewed, and tasted the creature’s blood upon its tongue, which sent a shiver of rapture down its spiny neck.

  The Beast craned its neck towards the great chasm above, sniffing the air. It could smell the fear and desperation of other furry creatures as well as excitement and hope from the humans above. The large beast enjoyed the taste of the furry creature though it wasn't as tasty as deer, cattle, or wild horses, which it preferred to eat. Even that fatty and gristly-tasting human was less preferable than those tender creatures, except for robust humans. Those it found to be a delectable treat.

  Knowing that the time to appear drew near, the Beast reached down inside itself to tap into the power that resided there. It commanded the ground below to bring forth the protection of the earth to harden its scales. The Beast smiled in delight as the power responded. Next, the Beast commanded the heat that rested far below to bubble to the surface, increasing the temperature.

  The temperature in the cavern responded immediately as warmth radiated out of the ground. The Beast urged the power to force the heat to rise to the ground above. Then it reached up and grasped hold of the side of the cavern wall with one of its massive clawed hands as it pulled its gargantuan body upwards, climbing higher and higher toward the opening of the chasm. It was time.

  The ground beneath Henry’s feet shook, causing him and Lenny to stumble. The intensity of the quakes grew with each passing second. It was as if the Greek god Hephaestus pounded his godly hammer down upon the world. Each strike of the hammer caused the world to tremble and shake. And like a forge, the bellows flamed the fire within causing the temperature to rise.

  Henry cursed as he tripped and slammed into the side of the DT1131i. He knew what the quakes meant. The sands in their hourglass had run out and death was coming for them. Henry grabbed the comm from Lenny and clicked it on.

  "Rick, get over here! We have an unexpected guest on his way up, so be ready to come in hot! The damn beast has been underneath us this whole time. I repeat, it’s here, and it's coming up from the chasm below!"

  Henry didn't wait for a reply and tossed the comm back to Lenny.

  "We need to get out of here now!"

  "But I need to—"

  "We have no time to waste unless you want to become a fire-roasted-Lenny kabob."

  Henry dropped his M16 to the ground. It was useless now that he was out of ammo. He ripped open his duffel bag and pulled out two AK47s. He quickly inspected both weapons before handing one to Lenny.

  "I don't have time to instruct you on how to use that thing properly. But I know you can shoot a BB gun pretty accurately, and this is similar to that. It’s ready to fire single shots."

  The ground trembled. The temperature reading on Henry’s watch showed almost one hundred and fifteen degrees. Henry p
ulled out one of the PMP Neopups grenade launchers, slung it over his shoulder, and strapped a bandoleer of grenades to his chest.

  Lenny panicked and dropped the rifle to the ground. Henry grabbed Lenny by the shirt, thrust the rifle back into his arms, and pointed towards the eastern fence.

  "We don't have the luxury of letting our fear get the best of us right now. You and I are going to make for that fence as fast as we can, and nothing is going to stop us from reaching it."

  "But . . . but . . . I—"

  "Shut it! When you start running, don't look back, no matter what. If something gets in your way, shoot it! Do you understand me?"

  Lenny nodded.

  Henry grabbed Lenny by the back of the head to pull him in close.

  "It's all up to you now. This is your time to shine! You've got the data core, so get it to Rick and then get the hell out of here. I’ll cover your escape, and if we're lucky, all of us will make it out of here alive. Then we can share a drink at the Goal Post when we get home."

  Lenny stammered a reply, but at that moment, the two remaining wolves ran out onto the platform and charged towards them. With their teeth were fully exposed, the wolves growled and barked as they charged forward. Henry pushed Lenny towards the fence and yelled, "Run!"

  Finally, Lenny ran as fast as his gangly legs could carry him. Henry rattled off several shots, the ping of the bullets ricocheting off the viewing platform’s metal surface, and into the thrumming ground.

  Henry couldn’t turn his attention away from the oncoming wolves. He had to trust that Lenny would run towards the fence and make it there safely. He hoped that when Rick and Jacobson arrived, they would be able to provide some cover fire for him. However, Henry was prepared for the worst and would lay down his life so that the others could get the data core away from this place.

  The wolves saw their chance to sneak in and attack while Henry was distracted. The alpha wolf advanced, pleased that the human was the one the alpha wanted. This human killed my mate! it thought. It gave the order, and both wolves charged forward, running across the viewing platform towards Henry. Henry opened fire on the wolves, but they dodged the bullets with an uncanny supernatural speed.

  Bullets flew out of the muzzle as Henry kept firing at the wolves, desperately hoping to hit at least one of them. The wolves were so close that Henry could see the saliva dripping from their jowls. The wolves tensed, preparing to lunge at their prey for the kill when the area around the viewing platform exploded.

  Giant gouts of flames erupted from the chasm below, engulfing the rig. The flames surrounded the edge of the platform, creating a wall of fire several meters high. The wolves came to a crashing halt, tripped over one another and shuffled with their feet, panicked and unsure what to do with the sudden appearance of the intensely hot flames.

  Henry shielded his eyes from the blinding light as the heat and bright light washed over him. With his arm shadowing his eyes, Henry noticed that the metal at the edges of the viewing platform gave off an angry red glow. With the wolves distracted and shuffling their heads furiously back and forth, Henry took his chance and dashed off towards the two confused canines.

  Henry ran towards the wolves and darted past them before the fires died down. During his mad dash, he fired off a couple of rounds, clipping the large gray wolf in its side. The gray wolf crumpled to the floor of the viewing platform bleeding from the gunshot wound. The large black alpha twisted and turned unsure what to do.

  The ground shook more violently this time nearly tossing Henry to the ground. He dove behind the same rusted-out van that the alpha had used earlier. He hit the ground hard and then crawled on his belly until he was inside the old beat-up van. At that moment, a massive hand reached out of the chasm, clamping down upon the viewing platform railing.

  The metal beams of the platform groaned in protest as the colossal beast lifted itself out of the chasm. The two wolves watched in dread as the gigantic predator loomed over them, casting a shadow of doom.

  The black alpha male whimpered pathetically with its tail between its legs as it slowly backed away. Its head tilted upwards with its gaze transfixed on the titanic predator that loomed above it. The way the Beast’s massive head rose into the heavens with its neck swaying in the hot breeze mesmerized the alpha, as it stood paralyzed with fear.

  The Beast slammed its massive arm down upon the wounded gray wolf like Hephaestus’s mighty hammer, smashing it into oblivion. The death of its pack-mate snapped the alpha wolf out of its hypnotic spell, triggering it to run. It ran towards the edge of the viewing platform, moving as fast as its four legs could carry it.

  The giant beast chuckled a low and throaty sound like hundreds of boulders crashing down a hillside. The alpha ran in terror desperately trying to hide behind something, anything! The Beast inhaled a draft of air into the great bellows that were its lungs and let out a malevolent wave of white and orange fire that erupted from its throat, enveloping the black alpha and the viewing platform, and washing over the rusty van where Henry hid.

  The metal platform glowed bright like a freshly forged sword, amusing the Beast. The galvanized steel beams stretched and groaned as the super-heated metal gave way.

  The Beast reached inside itself to turn off the power that transformed its breath into flames. Instantly, the fire stopped and the Beast closed its mouth, watching intently as the fires died away. It looked on in amusement, as there was nothing left of the little fur-covered creature, except for scattered ashes. The wind kicked up, sweeping away the ashes and carrying them off into the unknown.

  The Beast searched for signs of the human’s remains but didn't see any.

  Where are you hiding foolish little human?

  The great beast pulled its form onto the platform. The platform lurched to the left as several of the super-heated girders snapped under the intense weight of the Beast. It swept out its massive wings carrying it up into the air as the viewing platform broke loose and leaned heavily out over the opening of the chasm. The large multi-armed drilling machine tumbled across the leaning platform, eventually colliding with the railing and dropped down into the darkness below.

  Jacobson raced down Ballybogie Road towards the drilling site when flames erupted high up into the sky. He and Rick watched in horror as flames licked at the sky, knowing what would come next.

  "Holy hell!" Jacobson exclaimed as he slammed on the brakes swerving to miss something that had ran out into the road.

  The all-terrain vehicle crashed into the busted-up garage of the home that once stood there. They looked back to see a wide-eyed and frightened Lenny clutching a bag with an AK47 over his shoulder. He stood in the middle of the road with a trail of his own urine running down his right pant leg.

  "What the hell, guys? You could have killed me!"

  Jacobson climbed out of the vehicle, yelling at Lenny.

  "What in the world are you doing in the middle of the street? I could have hit you, and then where would you be? You would be a street pizza with a side of road kill."

  Jacobson threw his hands up in the air and walked back to the vehicle, pulling out several weapons and placing them in the backseat, all the while cursing.

  Rick walked up to Lenny.

  "Where's Henry?"

  Lenny pointed back towards the drilling site. "He's back there. He told me to run for the fence and not look back. I barely got away before the wolves attacked, and then all hell broke loose. But, before it did, we were able to retrieve the data core."

  Lenny did his best to choke away tears.

  "I heard the flames and panicked,” Lenny said. “I didn't dare look back. I ran like a coward. I . . . I don't know . . . what happened to . . ."

  Lenny fell to his knees weeping at Rick's feet.

  "It's okay. I'm sure Henry is fine. You stay here and guard the data core."

  Rick turned, leaving Lenny in the street as he ran back to the all-terrain. Jacobson was muttering to himself while he tried to dislodge the pinned vehicle
from several support beams that had held up the roof of the garage. Rick reached into the backseat and unfastened the heavy bag that contained Henry's rifle. He quickly opened the bag and pulled out the rifle as a giant ball of flames erupted on the other side of the large tattered and torn tarp that covered the chain-link fence.

  Rick took a step back in shock and threw his arm up to shield his eyes. Jacobson turned at the sound of the fire rushing their way and muttered a silent prayer. Lenny sat there, rocking back and forth clutching his bag in his hands. Rick knew he had no time to waste and assembled Henry's rifle.

  "I need you and Lenny to create a distraction so I can pull Henry out of there," Rick commanded without glancing at Jacobson.

  Jacobson looked at Rick incredulously while pointing at Lenny. "Are you sure he's up for this? He's kind of a mess."

  Rick finished assembling the rifle and placed it down on the hood of the vehicle. "Give me a bit. When I get back from talking to him, he'll be ready to charge into hell with you."

  "If you say so."

  Rick jogged up to Lenny and pushed him over in the street.

  Lenny immediately jumped to his feet. "What the hell?"

  "So are you going to sit here all day crying like a little baby girl because of how scared you are, or are you going to man up, shoulder that gun, and help me blow that beast back to hell?"

  Lenny pensively looked over at the flaming tattered tarps and thought. Rick watched as Lenny's face turned from fear to bitter determination.

  The metal frame of the van still glowed from the heat of the Beast’s breath. Henry stifled the fit of coughing that overcame him. His lungs felt raw due to him screaming in fear and denial as the flames had enveloped the van, threatening to cook him inside.

  He heard the sound of the Beast’s wings beating against the air as it hovered over the chasm. It touched down upon the ground, causing the van to tremble upon impact. It took everything Henry had to prevent himself from bolting out of his stiflingly hot hiding place.