It gave Jones and his crew an opening, so they slipped out of the ship and ran out into the cove while Rousseau kept pushing them back with her onslaught.
Once Jones and his small crew had run about fifty metres away, Rousseau stopped shooting, the beasts driven much farther away from the shuttle than they had been. All of the remaining Commandos—including Reyes—got to their feet to stare out of the door. Patel remained on the handle, ready to spin it shut at a moment’s notice.
They watched Jones lead Henry, Martins, and Campbell out into the desert. Second in command only to the WO, he carried a grenade in each large hand as he ran. He had his gun strapped to his back, but he didn’t look like he’d use it.
The beasts near the shuttle might have been forced back momentarily, but they soon found their confidence again. Especially when the other creatures joined them. They came from all around the cove as they closed in on Jones and his team.
Rousseau, Smith, and Huat jumped out of the shuttle. They did their best to attack the creatures, lighting the air up with green blasts.
It seemed ineffective now that the monsters were farther away, and became utterly useless when three of the creatures got between them and Jones’ crew. Their solid rock backs provided a shield the green blasts couldn’t penetrate.
“Damn it,” the WO said as he watched on. “They’ve cut them off.”
“Why are they going so far out?” Smith asked.
A valid question. The blast radius of a grenade meant they only needed to be about ten metres from the shuttle at the most. But they’d already dragged a line of fifteen beasts past the space where they’d buried Adoteng about one hundred metres away.
Jones then circled around a large stone pillar another fifty metres on, pulling all of the beasts on his tail with him.
“He wants a clear run back to the shuttle,” the WO said.
If the WO was right, the plan looked like it might work. All of the monsters had followed them, giving them a free run back. As long as the grenades kept them at bay, that is.
Reyes then saw movement in the narrowed path leading into the cove. A line of the creatures had appeared, kicking up a cloud of sand beneath their stampede. “Oh shit!”
Silence swept through the shuttle. Everyone must have seen the newest arrivals too.
Even from the distance between them, Reyes saw Jones set his grenade. A red light blinked on it. After a couple of seconds, he threw it, overarm, at the creatures behind them.
Henry, Martins, and Campbell all did the same, sending their tennis-ball-sized explosives at the pack before Jones sent another one at them. They had to hurry.
But before the grenades detonated, every one of the creatures stopped running and fell to the ground. Even the ones farther away. They pulled into themselves and lay beneath their shells, taking up the forms of piles of rock.
“Did you see that, WO?” Peacock said.
The WO stared through the gap in the door at the desert outside, his stony expression doing nothing to betray his emotions as the ground shook with the grenade explosions.
Sand and smoke filled the air, hiding the four Commandos and the beasts from view.
The shuttle fell silent for what felt like the longest time. Reyes broke it as she gasped to see Henry burst from the clouds. A second later, Campbell, Martins, and Jones ran out behind him.
“They’ve made it. They’re going …” But before Reyes could get any more words out, a line of the creatures burst from the smoke and dust behind them. Shoulder to shoulder like before, they moved faster than ever. They had the beating of the troops. Wide snapping jaws, huge powerful hands, large hulking frames.
Twice as many as before—maybe forty in total—they ran after the Commandos as a wall of chaos.
“The grenades didn’t even hurt them,” Patel said, his voice shaking.
Rousseau—who remained just outside the vessel after Smith and Huat had climbed back in—shook her head. “We don’t have anything stronger.”
Jones ran at the back of the pack. The most senior member always had to make sure their team returned safely. It didn’t look likely today.
One of the yellow creatures took to the air like a grasshopper. It landed on Jones’ back and knocked him to the ground. The pair of them entangled with one another as they rolled over and over on the hard and sandy surface.
The other three stopped as if to help him, but Jones looked up from his struggle and shouted, “Fly, you fools.”
They took off again back towards the shuttle.
The creature fought to get on top of Jones, pinned him with one of its large rocky arms, and gripped the Marine’s head with its free hand.
Jones had always been a warrior in Reyes’ eyes. He now looked small and weak.
The creature roared and yanked on Jones’ head. Reyes flinched away, her stomach flipping as the sound of deep tearing ran through the cove.
When Reyes looked back, she saw the beast had decapitated Jones, his spinal column dangling from his severed head like a thick rope. The rest of his body lay as a hunk of meat on the ground, belching blood from his exposed neck into the rocky yellow surface.
In quick succession, both Campbell and Martins went down. Two creatures jumped on their backs like they’d done with Jones.
Two deep rips and both of them lost their heads.
About fifteen metres stood between Henry and the shuttle. Not even a metre stood between him and the wall of insanity behind him. Ever vocal, he screamed as he ran.
Rousseau fired a couple of blasts into the crowd behind Henry, but it did nothing.
A second later, the WO said, “Get back in and close the door.”
Patel looked at him, his jaw loose. “You sure?”
“Don’t fucking question me.”
Although Rousseau and the others pulled back into the shuttle as Patel closed the door, Reyes watched Henry. Maybe the closing door slowed him down. Maybe he realised what they’d seen from the shuttle. He wouldn’t make it and they couldn’t all die hoping he would.
A creature jumped on his back and knocked both of them to the ground. They rolled as a spinning mess across the sandy surface.
Before Henry could do anything, the monster slapped its large hand over the top of his head, squeezed, and ripped it clean from his body.
Chapter 9
Now. Eleven dead.
Nausea locked tight within Reyes as she watched Federichi retrieve Jones’ torch. She bounced on the spot as if she could do her running for her, although she probably wouldn’t make it back even if she could; Federichi had left it too late.
The Commandos in the shuttle remained quiet for the most part. Heavy breaths, the shuffle of bodies, and Singh still heaved, but none of them spoke.
Federichi had taken over ninety seconds to get to Jones’ corpse because she’d made sure the others were okay first. She could have done it quicker had she trusted Reyes’ theory. But Reyes didn’t trust it herself, so she couldn’t blame her. Hopefully she had something left in the tank to make it back. Something more than she’d shown so far.
When Federichi turned and ran back towards the shuttle, she moved much quicker than she had until that point. Hope lifted in Reyes’ chest and she said, “She’s going to make it.”
Holmes ran into the shuttle next, placing his torch on the pile in the middle before falling onto one of the benches beside the others.
A glance at Patel and then down at his hands on the wheel to shut the door. “We need to run this to the wire,” Reyes said and looked down at the lump of rocks by her feet. “We need to give them every opportunity to get back.”
Patel didn’t respond. As a rookie, Reyes couldn’t tell him what to do.
After a glance up at the timer, Reyes shouted out into the desert, “Fifteen seconds.” Thirst and the dry heat made her throat itch. Her eyes watered with the need to cough, but she managed to keep it at bay.
Federichi had already halved the distance between her and the shuttle. Sh
e’d be fine.
Platt’s heavy footsteps boomed through the space as he ran into the shuttle next. The same exhaustion that gripped them all seemed evident in his clumsy gait as he placed his torch down and found a spot to slump into on the bench. They were going to pull this off. Everything would be fine.
“Ten seconds,” Reyes called, her hands shaking as she held her gun, waiting for the yellow rocks to spring to life.
“Just Peacock and Federichi left,” Patel said for the benefit of the WO, who couldn’t see from where he sat. “Although Peacock doesn’t look too good.”
Because she’d focused all her attention on Federichi, Reyes hadn’t seen Peacock’s deterioration. “Shit. He said he was fine to go out. I knew I should have kept him back. Damn!”
Just as the words left Reyes’ mouth, Peacock fell to the ground, sand kicking up as he landed face first in the dirt, his arms limp at his sides. He was still about fifty metres away from them.
“Shit!” Patel said and twisted the door handle, closing the door by a few inches.
Reyes threw a halting hand in Patel’s direction and said, “Wait!” A glance over her shoulder and she found the WO glaring at her. “Federichi was doing fine until Peacock fell,” she said to him.
“Just focus on them,” the WO roared.
A shake ran through Reyes’ voice when she shouted, “Five seconds.” Nervous energy forced her to shift her weight from one foot to the other. She looked from the pile of rocks in front of her to the two remaining Commandos. Federichi had stopped next to Peacock and grabbed his flaccid arm. She’d have to carry him. She wouldn’t make it.
As much as Reyes wanted to call out for Federichi to leave Peacock, she knew she wouldn’t. No Marine got left behind.
After a quick glance at the timer on the wall, Reyes put all of her attention on the rocks in front of her, waiting for them to spring to life. She had to give Federichi and Peacock as long as possible to get back to the shuttle.
Chapter 10
Four days ago. Five dead.
The way the creatures had turned into rocks had burned as an image in Reyes’ mind. No matter how much she tried to think about anything else, she kept returning to the fact they had another level of defence against the Commandos. They seemed unbeatable.
Reyes looked at the shuttle’s clock. It sat amongst a host of dials. Many of them were dead now the power had gone out. But the clock and the thermometer ran on the battery backup like the radio. They always needed to know the time so they could co-ordinate with their team. They also needed to make sure they didn’t cross over into a temperature that could be detrimental to their survival.
About forty-five minutes had passed since the four Commandos had their heads ripped from their bodies. The creatures—although bloodthirsty in their pursuit of them—paid little attention to the shuttle now the doors had been closed. They seemed supremely confident they had the upper hand. The Commandos would come to them sooner or later. Regardless of what the WO had said, they were smart.
Most of the team had taken seats on the benches, all of them removing their flak vests as the temperature rose inside the small metal vessel. The hot sun shone directly down on it, turning it into a sauna.
Reyes remained by the window, dazzled by the fierce glare responsible for boiling them all. It felt even hotter through the small square of glass and sweat turned her uniform damp. If she could strip off, she would have.
One or two of the creatures had left the cove, but there still remained at least thirty, if not more, of the horrible freaks. They stomped around outside, stalking the place as their heads swung from side to side.
To look at the creatures, it would have been easy to assume their thick and powerful jaws were their weapons. Sharp teeth and a wide bite, it seemed like the deadliest attack they had. Then Reyes had seen what their hands could do. The power it must take to pull a human in two. A shudder snapped through her. They couldn’t beat them.
Henry lay as the closest dead Commando to the ship. The sand and heat had combined to cauterise the wound covering his neck. The planet’s natural conditions had quickly sealed his body. At least Reyes didn’t have to watch him belch blood for any longer. A lump rose in her throat; too many of them had already died. When she swallowed it down, the dry pinch of thirst made her oesophagus itch.
A look over at McTavish, who sat closest to the water vats, and Reyes nodded at one of the large containers. “Can you pass me a cup, please?”
Before McTavish could respond, the WO cut in. “I’ve already told you, we need to ration the water.” When he stood up, he stumbled because of the pressure he put on his leg. Rousseau jumped up to try to help him, but he levelled a glare at her that forced her back a couple of steps and into her seat again.
It took him longer than it would anyone else, but the WO finally reached the small vats of water and fell onto the bench next to them. Every movement seemed to cause him pain and he winced as he poured some out. “We’re going to have half a cup each for now. We don’t know how long we’re going to be on this planet for, and whatever happens, we can’t afford to run out of water.”
Reyes took the cup he offered her in her sweating grip and threw the small amount of warm liquid down her throat. It did little to quench her thirst. As she passed it back to the WO, she looked at his leg. The shin of his trousers still glistened with his fresh blood.
When she looked up, she found him glaring at her and she instantly turned away.
“What are you even doing, girl?” the WO asked her as she looked back outside. “Standing by that window as if you’re admiring the view. What the hell are you looking at?”
As always, the entire team stared at her. Reyes did her best to ignore it, shrugging as she replied, “I figured I might learn something.”
“Like how to get the rest of us killed? You’ve not learned anything in your life so far, so what’s different now?”
Despite acing every exam she’d ever done, Reyes bit back her reply and swallowed it down. There seemed little point in responding. The WO would never acknowledge her achievements. She’d got there on merit, but he didn’t want to hear it. Instead, she returned her attention to the window, the heat from the reinforced glass seemingly fiercer than even a few moments ago. “We’re going to boil in this bloody shuttle,” she muttered.
“What?” the WO said.
Reyes didn’t reply.
The onboard thermometer read forty-five degrees Celsius. Not impossible for a human to withstand, but certainly not fun.
“What the hell?” Reyes said and pushed her face to the glass.
“What?” the WO barked again. “You ain’t making much sense, girl!”
For a second, Reyes simply pointed out of the window.
“I hate to state the obvious,” the WO said. “Actually I don’t; I can’t fucking see from here. Use your words.”
“I don’t have the words for this,” Reyes said.
As second in command with Jones and Henry gone, Rousseau and McTavish both looked at the WO. He clearly didn’t have quick in him at that moment, so Rousseau moved to the window, bringing the smell of sweat over with her. Or rather, just a different smell of sweat. They all stank now.
Reyes moved aside and watched her corporal say, “What the hell? I think you need to look at this, WO.”
“What is it?” the WO asked, still clearly reluctant to move.
“I’m not sure.” Rousseau shook her head. “They’ve all pulled down into their shells like they did when Jones tried to blow them up.”
“Is there something out there attacking them?”
“Not that I can see.”
The WO groaned as he stood up and limped over to the window. He stared out at the creatures, shoving Reyes even farther aside. Instead of looking out with him, Reyes watched his reaction. Confusion crushed his usually certain face. It took a few more seconds before he finally spoke. “What are they doing?”
Chapter 11
Now. Eleven de
ad.
A twitch snapped through the pile of yellow rock. As much as Reyes wanted to watch Federichi and Peacock, at that moment the creature needed all of her focus. The second it sprang to life, she’d best put a shot straight into its yellow lizard face; otherwise Federichi and Peacock’s currently wafer-thin chance would vanish. An already damp brow, sweat gushed from her at that moment, stinging her tired eyes. But she dared not blink. Even that could be the difference.
Maybe Reyes’ ears played tricks on her, but it sounded like the thirteen other lumps of rock were shifting and twitching too, all of them getting ready to jump up.
“They’re not going to make it,” Patel said.
Although Reyes kept her focus on the rocks by the door, she saw Patel in her peripheral vision. He continued to grip the door handle, his arms shaking as he readied to shut their two remaining corporals out.
Patel then shouted into the cove, “You have to leave him, Federichi.” The desperation in his voice echoed through the large space.
In the brief second Reyes looked at Federichi for, she saw in her face that she wouldn’t leave Peacock. They didn’t leave people behind.
As if voicing her thoughts, the WO said, “Leaders don’t leave their team. No matter what.”
Whoosh! The rocks in front of Reyes burst to life. They went from a lump on the ground to over nine feet of teeth, saliva, and powerful hands. It loosed a roar that shook the shuttle. The deep sound whipped around the cove.
The volume of the creature’s call blurred Reyes’ vision and forced her back a step. She froze for the briefest second, her gun still pointing down like it had been when the beast had been just rock.
The creature stepped forward. Reyes pointed her gun at the brute’s soft leather face. Its black tongue snaked from its mouth. Its sharp teeth glistened. Stringy, snotty saliva clung to its chin. When the reek of the beast’s stale breath caught in her throat, Reyes pulled the trigger.
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