Andy placed a hand against his wife’s cheek. “I’m sorry, Sun. I should have put my foot down and never come here. I failed you. I wish I could make it up to you in the next life, but after all we’ve seen together, I’m not sure there is one.”
Lucas placed a hand on Andy’s shoulder. It seemed to cause a brief spark of static, like touching a friction-charged balloon. “We all get what we deserve in the end, lad. If Heaven is a place you feel that you both belong, well then that’s where you will most likely be.”
Andy realised there were tears in his eyes. He looked at Lucas and nodded. “Thank you.”
“Ten seconds.
Nine…”
Eight…”
Seven…”
Six…”
Five…”
Four…”
Three…”
…
…
“I…I don’t believe it.”
Andy turned to Dr Gorman at her computer. “What? What is it?”
“The countdown has halted. The emergency protocols have been cancelled.”
Andy spun on the spot and went over to her. “Does that mean the facility has been secured? Are we getting out of here?”
“Impossible,” said West. “I’ve been radioing round for the past thirty minutes and nobody is answering.”
Dr Gorman typed away. “Let me check.” She brought up a new menu and entered several commands. It was only a moment or so before a grid of thumbnails came onscreen displaying the numerous camera feeds of the Spiral. None of them showed anything good.”
“Everybody’s dead,” West muttered as he came over to join them and saw the camera feeds.
Andy blinked slowly as he took in the carnage. Almost every thumbnail gave an image of a blood-soaked room or corridor, littered with mangled torsos and discarded human limbs. Many of the corridors were currently being stalked by abominations of all shapes and sizes. A dozen nightmares were being played out simultaneously. One floor was infested with huge rodent-like creatures gnawing feverishly on the dead, while another floor featured a huge ape-like humanoid that resembled in every way a yeti. It was joined by a hooved beast that stood on hind legs like a man but otherwise resembled an elk—with giant, twisted antlers.
Andy rubbed at his cheeks and tried to make sense of the situation. “So, if we’re still in deep shit, why did Kane stop the countdown?”
“I don’t know. I can’t find him anywhere on the cameras.”
“Perhaps the old fella didn’t have the bottle,” Lucas suggested.
“What do you mean?” asked West.
“Perhaps his time of reckoning was upon him and he decided that he wasn’t ready to give up the ghost yet. Maybe he felt he still had things to do.”
West snorted. “Kane is committed to this facility and keeping it secure. He would not have backed out. If the facility needed destroying then he would have done so. I’ve worked under General Kane for more than three years. I know the man.”
Lucas laughed. “The only person who can truly know a man is the man himself. Quite often you’ll find that the shape of a man’s heart doesn’t match his smile.”
West shook his head and grunted. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
“Perhaps not to you.”
“Whatever.” West picked up his rifle from the floor. “I’m going back out into the conference room. I didn’t see Sergeant Rimmer on any of those camera feeds. Maybe I’ll be able to get hold of him if I keep trying.”
Gorman nodded. “As you would have it. I will remain here and try to make Mrs Dennison comfortable. I take it you will remain also, Mr Dennison?”
Andy stroked his wife’s clammy forehead and nodded. “I’m not going anywhere.”
There was an almighty crash from the room beyond.
Lucas sighed. “Then it’s just as well that the fun seems like it’s going to come to us.”
Chapter Thirty-One
“Dude, she’s coming in.”
Rimmer pointed his weapon at the slowly cell door. “Don’t you think I see that?”
The basilisk grinned at them as the cell opened up. Her serpent tongue darted back and forth between her slimy lips.
“Dude, shoot her.”
Rimmer fired off his weapon, the handgun bucking in his hand. Jerry had never seen a handgun up close, but right now he wished he had one of his own. IT looked pretty badass.
The bullets struck the basilisk in her chest, drawing out several wells of dark green blood.
But she kept coming, her anger and malicious intent only intensified. The hatred in her wide, lizard eyes seemed to burn white-hot.
Rimmer fired more rounds. All of them hit home, drawing more blood.
But the basilisk kept on coming, sliding through the gap in the cell and onto the sandy ground inside. Once she slithered upon the sand, the basilisk began to move awkwardly, not engineered to move along a shifting surface like a desert. Perhaps she was not as close to a snake as Jerry had thought. The slime covering her flesh seemed to cling to the sand and slow her down.
Rimmer emptied his clip, caused more wounds, but the bullets may have well have been measly flies for all the concern they were causing their target.
“I’m out,” said Rimmer, reaching for a clip on his belt. “Shit, I’m really out. I don’t have any more ammo.”
Jerry shifted his weight from left to right, almost bouncing as he anxiously watched the basilisk get closer.
“Do something,” Rimmer shouted. “Don’t just stand there.” While shouting this, Rimmer leapt across the sands like a gladiator, his gun raised above his head like a cudgel. Just as he landed, the basilisk swiped at him with one of her razor-like talons, sending him sprawling to the ground and bleeding.
Jerry had to do something.
So he did.
The only thing he could think of.
He bent at the knees, scooped up two handfuls of sand, and then unleashed it into the air. The mini-sandstorm flew in the basilisk’s direction, causing her to swipe and parry with her slithery arms.
The sand coated the basilisk’s face, filled her wide, serpent-like eyes. She screeched, swiping at the air blindly.
Jerry leapt down beside Rimmer and felt the sodden blood-stained sand beneath his splayed fingers. “Dude, gross! You’re all bleeding and shit.”
Rimmer grunted, clutched at his arm tightly, but managed to get to his feet. “It’s just a scratch. I’m fine. Let’s get the hell out of here while we can.”
“No need to tell me,” said Jerry.
They sprinted across the sand towards the open cell door but, before they made it out, Jerry stopped, turned around, and looked at the basilisk from behind.
“Come on” said Rimmer. “What are you doing? We have to go.”
Jerry marched up behind the distressed basilisk, a grim look upon his face.
Then he kicked her up the arse as hard as he could, before sprinting out of the cell and joining Rimmer.
“Feel better now?” Rimmer asked him, a jovial ring to his voice.
“Not really. I hurt my foot. That ugly, Daryl Hannah-wannabee, bi-atch must work on her glutes.”
“Shit!” Rimmer slid to a stop.
Jerry did the same, almost slipping in a puddle of blood.
Up ahead were the two giant spiders.
“I really hate those things,” said Jerry. “Even the one with six legs left.”
The spiders spotted the two men and immediately hissed. Then they came.
Instead of running backwards and fleeing, Rimmer sprinted forwards and engaged.
Jerry reached out a hand to stop the man but it was too late.
Rimmer leapt in the air and then hit the ground on his ass, sliding. All of the blood on the floor allowed him to skid along for several metres, grabbing the assault rifle of one of his fallen comrades as he passed by.
As soon as Rimmer came to a stop, he brought the rifle around in front of him and opened fire.
Letting off sh
ort, three-round bursts, Rimmer aimed at, and managed to hit, the spider’s bulbous bodies from a low angle. The creatures screeched and hissed as the bullets penetrated their soft underbellies.
The spider with the two missing legs staggered sideways and then fell onto its back, remaining legs folded in on itself.
The remaining spider came forwards, but its movements were awkward and confused. Rimmer climbed to his feet, aimed carefully, and fired the remaining rounds into the spider’s face. The bullets ripped apart the beast’s fangs and one of its six eyeballs.
It fell to the ground, dead.
Jerry’s jaw dropped open.
Rimmer nodded at him. “You’re not the only one who plays Call of Duty.”
There was a cacophony of inhuman screeches and growls from the corridor behind them. Jerry turned around to see shadows approaching. There were more monsters coming.
Rimmer picked up his fallen comrade’s extra ammo clips and then motioned to Jerry with his free hand. “Come on, kid. Time to go.”
Jerry went to start running but stopped. He pointed up ahead. Rimmer turned around.
In the final cell before the elevator was a small creature. It glanced out of the gap nervously, looking left and right.
“It’s one of those imp things,” said Jerry.
Rimmer sighed. “It’s fine. They’re not dangerous.” He stomped towards the imp in the cell’s doorway and it immediately scarpered back inside, squeaking fearfully. “See? Now move it.”
Jerry and Rimmer sprinted down the final part of the corridor until they came upon the elevator. The doors were closed so Rimmer shoved his combat knife into the slim gap between them and twisted.
The doors slid aside, exposing an empty shaft.
Rimmer peered upwards inside. “We can climb the cables to the top. Just wrap it around your leg and shimmy upwards.”
“Upwards? Hell, no. I’m going downwards. We’ve got to go and help the others.”
Rimmer stared at Jerry like he was an idiot. “What is with your goddamn heroic complex? Just worry about your own ass. This facility is probably rigged to bury us any minute. We need to get to the surface, not delve down deeper into the belly of the beast.”
Jerry shrugged his shoulders. “You can do what you want, dude. I appreciate you helping me up until now, but I’m going to help the others. I couldn’t live with myself if I just left them to die. I’ve got enough regret to last me a lifetime; I’m not about to add to it.”
“Your lifetime can be measured in minutes if you go down there.”
“I’d rather go out a hero than a whimpering fart.”
Rimmer shook his head, listened to the monstrous noises approaching them from the rear, and then swallowed a lump in his throat. “You’re gonna get me fucking killed, kid. Come on. If we’re going to do this let’s be quick about it.”
Jerry grinned. “I knew you had it in you. Anyway, what’s the worst that can happen?”
Rimmer stared down the elevator shaft into the shadows hundreds of feet below. He grabbed the cable and entangled it around his outstretched leg. “We could be forced to watch while something unspeakably evil devours our intestines. Now come on.”
Jerry leapt down the elevator shaft along with Rimmer. The shadows were quick to envelop them.
Chapter Thirty-Two
“We got a problem,” said West, stepping back through into the labs.
“What is it?” said Andy. “What is that banging?”
“That banging is the entire prison roster of subbasement 10 trying to get through the door into the conference room. The worst part is—they seem like they’re succeeding.”
“Impossible,” said Dr Gorman. “That door is several inches of thick steel.”
West nodded. “They don’t seem to care. We need to deal with this.”
“Right-o,” said Lucas. “Your will, my hands, and all that. Just tell me what you need.”
“I need numbers.”
Andy looked down at Sun and sighed. “I’ll be right back honey.”
Gorman told her assistants to go and help out too, but she herself remained. Andy didn’t like leaving Sun with the doctor—didn’t quite trust her—but he had little choice.
He headed out into the conference room and saw right away that the heavy steel door on the other side was starting to bulge in the middle.
West spoke with the two other surviving security guards and the three of them checked their weapons.
The steel door shook on its hinges as something ungodly smashed against the other side. With each blow the steel bulged an inch more in the middle.
“What’s behind there?” Andy asked. “What the hell could be so strong?”
“It’s the sucker from cell 6.”
Andy frowned. “The what now?”
“Remember the massacre at Blessed Crucifixion?”
“That hospital in Illinois? Two maniacs went in and axed a bunch of people?”
The door continued to buckle inwards.
West nodded. “That was what Deus Manus spun to the press. The real reason that a few dozen people were torn apart at that hospital was because of the thing behind that door. I call ’em suckers, but I guess you could call them vampires.”
“Great, you mean like Dracula?”
“Or that fella from Sesame Street?” said Lucas. “I love that guy. Von, two, three…”
“No, I mean like a savage, remorseless beast of Hell that won’t stop until it tears apart everything in sight.”
“Is it me,” said Lucas, “or does it feel like the jailers have suddenly become the ones who are caged. Poetic in a way, no?”
Andy glared at Lucas. “Why are you even here? Are you a part of all this? Seems like you have a funny way of showing up right before a whole bunch of people get killed.”
“What are you talking about?” said West. The man had tilted his rifle ever so slightly in Lucas’s direction.
“I mean that before Dr Chandelling was possessed he showed me a whole bunch of historical photographs featuring Lucas. Photographs taken of Hitler, among other delightful people.”
Lucas put his hands up. “Hey, I’m not the bad guy here. I’m not looking to rip anybody apart. Seems like you have enough of that already.”
“Then why are you here?”
West chose to full-on point his rifle at Lucas now. “Answer the man, Lucky Charms.”
Lucas smirked. “Sunshine, you fire that weapon at me and all it’s going to do is spoil my flawless complexion and make me mad. And believe me, you wouldn’t like me without a flawless complexion.”
“Enough games,” said Andy. “Talk. What the hell were you doing alongside Hitler and African warlords?”
“Trying to talk some sense into them.”
Andy hadn’t expected that answer. “What?”
Lucas shrugged. “I knew what that knicker-wearing mommy’s boy, Adolf, was planning—saw it in his heart. I tried to change his mind, but it was no use. Same with those mad bastards in Africa.”
“I don’t buy it. If you were there to stop those men from committing atrocities, you did a really bad job.”
Lucas nodded. “Aye, can’t argue there, but you want to see some of the men I did talk around. For every Hitler that failed to heed my words, there were a dozen more like him that did.”
“Bullshit,” said West. “Are we supposed to believe that you’re some sort of guardian angel, fluttering around the earth trying to prevent evil?”
Lucas laughed. “You couldn’t be more wrong, or more closer to the truth.”
“Riddles,” said Andy. “Just tell us what you are doing he-”
The steel door burst open. An abomination stood staring at them, hunger in its eyes.
West shouted. “Fire!”
The three security guards let loose with their assault rifles, filling the air with smoke and an ear-piercing racket.
The sucker leapt into the air, grabbing onto hanging light fixtures twenty feet above and swinging
over their heads.
Andy took cover. Lucas squatted down beside him. “Think you can talk this thing round? Andy said.
“Don’t think he’s really the reasoning type.”
The sucker screeched at them from the rafters, drool dripping down from between its dagger-like teeth.
“That thing has a mouth like Jaws,” Andy cried.
“Don’t let it bite you,” West warned, trying to draw a bead on the target.
“Why not?”
“You don’t want to know.”
The sucker moved with the speed of a scurrying insect. It swung above their heads and came down at the back of the room. It grabbed one of Gorman’s lab assistants and tore into her throat, spilling blood and tearing away a hunk of meat. West’s men fired, but resulted only in hitting the shuddering torso of the dying woman.
“Stop firing,” West shouted.
The sucker raised the woman above its head and tossed her lifeless body across the room, bowling over West and his men like skittles.
The sucker leapt back up to the ceiling. West scrambled to his feet and let off another round of gunfire.
“I can’t hit the goddamn thing,” he shouted. “It’s too fast.”
The sucker dropped back down and took the life of another lab assistant, then slashed open the throat of one of the remaining security guards.
“It’s picking us off one by one,” said West. “We have to get out of here.”
Andy leapt up from his hiding place. “Come on, back into the lab.”
The remaining survivors made a dash for the entrance but one of the dead lab assistants leapt in front of them and blocked their path. It was the woman that the sucker had just killed. Now she was standing before them snarling.
Her lips split open, her jaw dislocated as dozens of razor-sharp teeth erupted from her gums in a painful transformation.
Andy back away. “What the hell?”
“I told you not to get bitten,” said West. “That’s why.”
Behind them, the other dead lab assistant leapt up and went through the same grizzly changes. While teeth pierced through the dead man’s lips, he lunged forward and seized West’s remaining team member and snapped the man’s neck like a twig.
“Run,” said West. “Right fucking now.”
Holes in the Ground Page 38
