Obliteration

by James S. Murray

  The creature loomed over Collingwood and slowly drove the pointed tip of its tail through his chest, inch by inch, impaling him in slow motion. Blood gurgled out of his mouth and his body went limp. The creature withdrew its tail rapidly, and the captain’s limp carcass crashed to the ground.

  Bile rose in Ellen’s throat.

  Then something caught her eye in the background. Through the bridge’s blood-spattered windows, distant U.S. Navy ships deployed missiles squarely at the boats carrying Van Ness’ supersoldiers. The report of missile fire and the shock wave of nearby explosions shook the Nimitz.

  Thank God, the fleet got our message.

  She prayed they destroyed every single one of Van Ness’ supersoldiers in time.

  Inside the bridge, the creature turned its attention to the door. Ellen instinctually backed away. The creature slammed its shoulder against the steel.

  The door held.

  The creature flailed wildly in the room, angry it could not reach its prey. It would be only a matter of time before it backed out the way it came and found her. And if the supersoldiers were of no help . . .

  Ellen could barely think.

  Where do I go? Where do I hide?

  Her next thoughts went to Karen Green and her little son, Joey, who was only a year or two older than Ellen’s own son, David. After the ordeal they had survived on the streets of San Francisco, they were now sitting ducks in their room two decks below.

  I have to warn them. I have to protect them.

  She cast her own safety aside, and any thoughts of her husband’s predicament in the city.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  The ground below Cafferty shook like the city was experiencing a mini-earthquake. Dogs barked in distant streets. In the buildings surrounding the park, shards of glass dropped from broken windows and shattered against the sidewalks. The shaking grew stronger by the second, and he thrust a foot forward to maintain his balance.

  A supersoldier ripped Cafferty back, keeping him in a tight grip. He exchanged glances with Bowcut and Munoz. Both gave him a wide-eyed stare. The queen was most definitely rising, and the three of them were weaponless and being held hostage.

  Van Ness lowered his laser from a chained-up creature that he’d just decapitated. He briefly swept the barrel across the team, stopping at each one of them in turn, and smiled.

  Bowcut spat in his direction in defiance.

  “A pity you’ve never been taught manners, Ms. Bowcut,” Van Ness said, visibly disgusted. “Without manners, without integrity, we are no different from them, I fear.”

  Bowcut spat again, closer to hitting Van Ness this time.

  “Enough!” Van Ness snapped. “I have waited a very long time to meet our guest, and I’d like to be ready for her.”

  He turned his attention back to the breach, his face deadly serious. The shaking of the ground grew stronger and stronger by the second.

  “Any moment now, she will reveal herself,” Van Ness said.

  “No shit, Sherlock,” Munoz barked back.

  Cafferty had no firm idea about the monstrosity they were about to witness, but he should’ve seen Van Ness’ move against the fleet coming. The megalomaniac had likely gone over his plan a thousand times, preparing for this moment.

  His thoughts raced to Ellen, there aboard the Nimitz, not knowing what mortal danger she was in. He should’ve realized Van Ness would try to hurt him in every way possible, twisting the knife hard before eventually killing him. Breaking his spirit first, then breaking him. Ellen was the closest thing to his heart. Only now did he realize she was always Van Ness’ first target.

  And now his entire team stood at their most vulnerable.

  The ground below Cafferty’s knees jerked a few inches upward, snapping him out of the scramble of thoughts flying through his mind. He drew in a shuddering breath.

  Just like in Paris, when the hybrid creature had held him by his neck, he was at the mercy of Van Ness again. But back in the French capital, he saw a way out. Right now, his team could only play the role of useless witnesses to Van Ness’ victory or defeat.

  And both scenarios spell my death.

  The supersoldiers rushed over to the breach and formed a circle around its perimeter, preparing for battle. Two remained by Van Ness’ side, and three others held Cafferty’s team firmly in their grips.

  A mound of grass rose unnaturally in the center of the park. Fast. About the size of a town house. It crashed back down after a second, leaving a huge patch of disrupted earth. The supersoldiers turned from the breach.

  A second later, the ground rose again, higher this time. Chunks of soil and rock rained down on the team. Cafferty wrapped his arms around his head and ducked. Munoz and Bowcut did likewise.

  Van Ness sat motionless in his chair, unflinchingly observing the phenomenon. It appeared that nothing would distract him from the first view of his ultimate prey.

  It turned out Tom needed to see it, too.

  Cafferty’s heart raced, watching the spectacle unfold. Van Ness’ apparent calmness baffled him. This really was it. They were about to come face-to-face with a monster the likes of which the world had never seen. Sure, the supersoldiers had been ruthlessly effective against her minions. However, nothing could prepare them for what was about to come.

  A muffled screech emanated from the abyss below.

  Huge chunks of earth exploded upward with tremendous force. Through the tornado of dirt and debris, a massive creature thrust out of the ground.

  The queen.

  As Karen Green had noted, she was almost three times the size of any of the killers Cafferty had ever seen, at least twenty feet tall. Viscous fluid dripped from her jet-black skin. She had talons the size of machetes, a serrated tail the length of a vaulting pole.

  And her eyes . . .

  The queen’s eyes glowed demonic red through the dirt and haze.

  Her feet crashed against the ground with an earth-shaking thud less than a hundred yards away. She quickly scanned her surroundings and focused on the metal poles surrounding the tennis court, at her dead and wounded children.

  The queen opened her mouth, revealing three rows of teeth that looked like long, sharp icicles, chiseled to razor-sharp points.

  Then she roared.

  The force blasted Cafferty, Munoz, and Bowcut off their knees, along with the supersoldiers holding them. Cafferty’s head slammed against the ground hard. For a moment, he lay stunned.

  If just her scream can do that . . .

  Van Ness’ wheelchair skidded back and slammed against the tennis court’s chain-link fence. His body jolted in the chair, and he used his remaining hand to stop from falling. The two supersoldier guards, along with the others, leaped back to their feet and quickly took up position protecting Van Ness.

  Seizing the freedom from the grip of Van Ness’ men, Cafferty scrambled to the side of a tree and took cover behind its trunk. He peered around its edge, expecting a vicious attack to come at any moment.

  Munoz scrambled behind a giant mound of dirt, still clutching his plastic briefcase tightly in his arms.

  Bowcut ducked behind another tree a few yards from Cafferty.

  The supersoldiers took position near Van Ness, no longer interested in his team. Cafferty knew Van Ness wouldn’t expect them to run. Despite being his prisoners, just like him, they still had to see this through.

  Simultaneously, the supersoldiers surrounding the breach sprinted toward the queen. The first one to reach her hurled himself at her chest with incredible speed. She swung a muscular arm and batted him away, as if he were a fly. The soldier hurtled fifty yards in the air, out of the park and across the road, and his body crashed into the side of a building.

  Holy hell.

  Maybe Van Ness underestimated the bitch.

  Two supersoldiers wrapped themselves around the monster’s ankles. They pulled hard and she dropped to her knees. More supersoldiers followed, latching on to the queen, driving their fists hard into eve
ry part of her body. Some drew their laser weapons and fired at point-blank range, but it had no effect.

  Nothing punctured her scaly black armor.

  Just then, Cafferty noticed the queen had stopped moving entirely. She was frozen in place during the attack, focusing.

  Oh shit . . .

  Suddenly, every attacking supersoldier burst away from her body at tremendous speed, including the ones attached to her legs and back. They rocketed through the air, out of control, across the park in all directions, slamming into trees, cars, and buildings.

  “She’s using her telekinetic powers!” Cafferty shouted.

  The queen rose to her feet, towering over them, eyes glowing red with anger, and took three hulking strides directly toward her shackled children. Directly toward Van Ness.

  As quickly as the supersoldiers had fallen, they climbed to their feet and sprinted straight back to fight. They lined themselves between the queen and Van Ness, trying to stop her advance. She hunched, letting out a deafening screech. The force of it shoved the soldiers back a couple of strides, but they closed back in.

  The queen thrust out both of her clenched talons, punching the air.

  A massive, invisible telekinetic shock wave burst out of her body, sending the soldiers flying backward once again. They crashed against the tennis court’s chain-link fence.

  Debris soared past the tree that Cafferty knelt behind.

  The queen took three more heavy steps forward, getting close to striking distance of Van Ness, close to where he had been executing her children, close to the man who had spent his life attacking her nests across the world.

  The battered supersoldiers sprang back up and returned to block her path.

  The queen whipped her tail at the left edge of their line.

  A soldier on the end caught her tail and grasped tight. His arms shook and sweat poured down his face as he desperately tried to hang on. The queen thrust a talon in his direction, sending a single, focused telekinetic shock wave directly at him. The invisible force ripped the supersoldier into pieces instantly, sending chunks of him flying in all directions.

  Cafferty quickly looked at Van Ness. He recognized the expression on his face. The same expression Van Ness had had when the creatures lifted him against the glass and tried to squeeze the life out of him in Paris.

  Fear.

  Van Ness is afraid.

  With her incredible telekinetic powers, the queen was unstoppable, and Van Ness was only now realizing it.

  Another supersoldier leaped directly at the queen’s head, but she let out another focused telekinetic blast wave, instantly ripping him apart.

  The queen bounded directly at Van Ness, destroying soldier after soldier as she went.

  Munoz and Bowcut crawled over to Cafferty, faces terrified.

  The queen thrust her talon in the direction of another soldier, blasting him with another direct shock wave. Pieces of him zipped across the tennis courts and clattered against an umpire’s chair, turning it into a twisted wreck.

  Van Ness’ army was being picked off one by one. Thousands of supersoldiers may have stood a chance against this powerful enemy, but they were still occupied by the distant battle at Hunters Point. Rather than a clever diversion, today’s strategy now appeared more like a death warrant.

  “Her telekinetic powers are too strong!” Cafferty shouted at his team.

  “How the hell do we stop that?” Bowcut replied.

  Munoz fumbled open his plastic briefcase containing the ultrahigh-frequency distress beacon. “I, uh, I’ve got something that might work.”

  “Might?” Bowcut asked.

  His hands trembled as he frantically flipped open the locks on the case.

  “I found the exact frequency the creatures use when deploying their telekinetic powers. So maybe we can interrupt that signal.”

  “Diego, whatever you’ve got, do it fast!” Bowcut shouted.

  He flipped the power on, and the lights illuminated on the control board. In the center of the board was a button to activate the ultrahigh-frequency beacon.

  The queen tore through soldier after soldier and was now only feet away from Van Ness, Cafferty, and his team. It roared again, nearly knocking them off their feet.

  We’re moments away from slaughter . . .

  “Diego!” Cafferty shouted. “Hit the damn thing!”

  “Here goes nothing . . .”

  Munoz held his breath and slammed his fist down hard on the activate button.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Ellen watched as the creature darted out of the bridge of the Nimitz at lightning-fast speed. She had to move. Before she could, though, she thought:

  Where are the few remaining supersoldiers aboard the Nimitz? Are they a threat, too? Or only standing by while Van Ness slaughters everyone on board?

  She shook her head. Those questions could wait until she ensured her own safety.

  The distant report of gunshots snapped her out of her reverie. Some of the crew likely had weapons on them, but she wasn’t sure how many. It wouldn’t matter. This monster was unstoppable.

  Karen and Joey . . .

  Ellen had to move, fast. She spun and clanked down several sets of metal steps, past the flight deck and into the depths of the superstructure.

  She entered the main hangar deck and rushed past two prepped fighter jets, both waiting on the elevators, ready to be lifted up to the main deck for battle. She headed for the entrance to the sleeping quarters. That area was tight, with bunks packed into rooms like sardines, though Karen and Joey had been assigned their own compartment.

  The long, brightly lit corridor had been sealed off at the halfway point as part of the lockdown procedure. A solid steel door had been slammed shut, compartmentalizing the Nimitz. This new retrofit had done its job, so far . . . It seemed as if the creature had not yet reached any of the crew quarters.

  Ellen raced in the direction of Karen and Joey’s compartment.

  Marines burst out of two rooms at the far end, weapons raised, and aimed through each doorway as they made their way toward Ellen.

  “Are you okay, ma’am?” one asked as they hurried past.

  “I’m fine. Did you see a woman and kid back there?”

  “Yep. Second-to-last door on your right.”

  Ellen already knew the location, but the answer eased her concern. She jogged along the highly polished floor toward their room.

  As she reached to within twenty yards, a thunderous hollow boom rocked the corridor. She veered to the left and thrust her hands against the wall to maintain her balance.

  What the hell was that? A missile strike?

  Ellen steadied herself and launched herself forward again, determined.

  Then she saw the damage and the sight made her skid to a stop.

  The steel blast door at the end of the hallway had a slight buckle in the top left corner. She remembered Tom telling her how the creatures managed to smash down the entrance to the command center in the Visitors’ Pavilion. That door underneath the Hudson had been the strongest available, but it was still no match for the creatures. She had no clue about the strength of the door in front of her, but she had no intention of hanging around long enough to find out.

  Another loud boom came from the other side. The top left portion of the door buckled farther. Small pieces of mechanical and electrical debris shot across the ground.

  “Holy shit,” Ellen uttered.

  She sprinted for Karen and Joey’s room. As she neared, Karen poked her head out of the entrance.

  “Grab Joey,” Ellen yelled as she ran toward them. “We need to leave! Now!”

  The creature slammed the far side of the door again. The shudder-inducing noise of groaning metal echoed down the corridor.

  Karen disappeared for a few seconds, then returned with her terrified son in her arms. The wide-eyed look of fear on both of their faces told its own story. They were back in a living nightmare. All Ellen could do was keep cool for their s
akes—despite the sickly feeling of dread in her stomach—and try to use all of her experience battling these monsters to keep them alive.

  Karen reached Ellen’s side. “Where do we go?”

  “Away from here. That’s a good start.”

  The creature battered the door a few more inches, forcing it open enough to create a small gap. Not big enough for the monstrosity to enter, but one more hit would likely do the job.

  Ellen turned and raced back toward the hangar deck. Karen’s footsteps followed closely behind. The marines reentered the corridor, and she pressed herself against the wall as they rapidly moved past, weapons raised.

  Brave . . . but foolish.

  “Your weapons won’t stop it!” Ellen shouted at the soldiers as they ran by. “You need to fall back!”

  The marines didn’t listen and took up firing positions in the hallway.

  One final thunderous boom from the far side of the hallway and the steel door came crashing down.

  A creature stood behind it on bent, muscular legs, its powerful arms by its side. Staring forward. It let out a bloodcurdling screech and bounded along the side wall toward the marines at an incredible speed.

  Rifle shots reverberated around the corridor.

  Joey covered his ears.

  Karen looked to Ellen for guidance. They were still only forty yards clear of the marines. A creature could make that ground up in the blink of an eye if they failed to stop its attack.

  That, she accepted, was the likely scenario.

  “Keep moving!” Ellen shouted.

  The rapid fire from the rifles quickly decreased as more and more screams filled the corridor. One by one, the marines were slaughtered. The last few active weapons discharged. Then two final cries of agony.

  Everything fell silent in the corridor.

  Ellen looked over her shoulder as they neared the opening to the hangar deck.