Radioactive Evolution

by Richard Hummel

  It made sense until he remembered her journals and the tags she’d left around the city. Cleary, she lived in the area for some time based on the number of places she’d visited, so he ruled out the possibility of her being from one of the floating cities.

  “Scarlet? Do you have any of the memories from her?” Jared pointed to the resting place of Scarlet.

  I have impressions and feelings, but no full memories to reconstruct her life. For instance, the weapon you just found, I felt that it belonged to her, but nothing more.

  Perhaps if they retraced the explorer’s steps, they’d find out where she came from. For now, Jared shoved these thoughts to the back of his mind and put the second phase pistol into his pack. He preferred to use the newer one that had a fresh battery pack.

  “All right, let’s go. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to hunt for more nanites! I feel incredible, and with these phase pistols we should be able to take on any creatures down here.”

  I think we should be careful. There are some very nasty creatures my mother killed, and even more that refused to come near while she was here. With her departed, we might become the prey.

  “Hopefully it takes a while for the smarter creatures to learn of her departure. Between the changes we’ve both gone through, I think we can handle quite a bit. Though we should assign the rest of our nanites soon. The faster we grow in strength, the safer we’ll be.”

  Jared climbed to the top of the crater and looked down the tunnel. Aside from the added destruction caused by Alestrialia, it was the same path he’d taken when first entering the sub-level.

  “Keep an eye on the ceiling. Last time I came through this area I killed some kind of lizard clinging to the roof.”

  They walked nearly a mile when the scene of his last battle revealed only a skeleton of the creature he killed.

  Picked clean in just a few days.

  Jared increased his vigilance in case more of the creatures lurked nearby. Several paces from the bones, a half-buried door led to another section of the tunnel. He’d missed it before in his haste to get away.

  Holstering his pistols, Jared bent down and braced his feet against the wall to move a large block of concrete. He expected it would take a significant effort to move the large slab, but it shifted out of the way abruptly launching him headfirst into the wall.

  “Son of a...” Jared groaned and grabbed his head. He gingerly pressed his fingers to the wound, inspecting for blood. His hand came away clean, but he heard Scarlet make the weird huffing, wheezing noise again. Jared whipped his head around to glare.

  “Ugh,” he groaned. “That was a mistake.” The movement sent a spike of pain through him and his vision clouded with stars. “I think it’ll take time for me to get used to this new strength.”

  His temples throbbed in time to his heart and he sat against the wall to collect himself.

  “I…need a minute. Please keep watch. That was a lot of noise, and it might’ve attracted attention to us.”

  Thankfully, it didn’t attract any notice, and several minutes later Jared resumed excavating the buried door. Only this time, he was careful not to underestimate his strength. His head still ached, but it was at least manageable, for now. The debris cleared, Jared yanked open the door to an ear-piercing screech as the rusted hinges protested the movement.

  “Dangit,” hissed Jared.

  He froze, straining his ears for any signs they’d been made. Just as he thought they were in the clear, he heard skittering and shrieks emanate down the hallway. He slammed the door shut and put his back to it as a thump shook the door.

  Jared jumped when a deafening roar split the air. He whipped his head around to see Scarlet face off against three mutant lizards.

  “Scarlet, watch out!”

  A fourth creature prepared to leap onto her back, but rather than jump back, Scarlet lunged at the nearest lizard and clamped her jaws on its throat. Jared whipped out his phase pistol and fired at the creature dropping from the ceiling. It was the first time he’d used a weapon like this, and he wasn’t sure what to expect. Surprisingly, there was no recoil and his over-compensation made him score only a glancing hit, sending the overgrown lizard cartwheeling away from them. It also served to attract the rest of the lizards his way, giving Scarlet time to defend herself.

  The banging against the door sent reverberations through his back. The scratching and angry chittering coming from behind him made him shiver. Whatever existed beyond desperately wanted out. Bracing his feet against a pile of debris, he kept his back to the door and pulled out his Colt to fend off the remaining lizards.

  After Scarlet downed her first attacker, she focused on the injured enemy Jared had shot. He tried to quickly eliminate a third, but it dodged out of the way. Pulling his arm back, he rocketed a fist into the creature’s face as it descended toward him. Its head snapped back with a sickening crunch, its head imploding. The lizard’s forward momentum arrested, the creature’s corpse somersaulted backward.

  Unfortunately for Jared, bits of brain matter obeyed the laws of physics and splattered across his body. The hot remnants of flesh reeked of decay, and blood oozed down his face, temporarily blinding him. Furiously wiping his face, Jared had no time to assess the damage or if he’d killed the creature when the remaining lizard clamped its jaws around his extended forearm.

  Jared sucked in a sharp breath as a line of fire ignited along the length of his forearm. His arm spasmed, but he forced the pain away and focused on surviving the next few seconds. He twisted his phase pistol around and unloaded three energy beams point-blank into the lizard’s head. It exploded in a gout of blood and brains. Thankfully it wasn’t as gory as his first encounter with these lizards. He’d used his Colt then, and the ballistic round made the head pop like an over-ripe melon. In contrast, the phase round cauterized the wounds. Although, enough blood and gore shot outward to raise bile in the back of his throat.

  The immediate threat gone, he searched for the one he’d punched to see it twitching where it had crashed into a column. Before he finished the creature off, Scarlet’s tail pierced the creature through the neck spraying blood against the wall.

  “Scarlet, please help me hold this shut! I need to get a bandage on my arm. It’s bleeding too much, and I’m starting to feel woozy.”

  Scarlet rushed over, a violent crash against the door making him scoot back several inches. It sounded like a horde of creatures chittering on the other side.

  “I don’t think these are lizards.”

  Scarlet took his place, and Jared propped some loose rubble against the door to keep the creatures from getting out. Then he grabbed a medical kit from his pack and wrapped his arm as quickly as he could. Thanks to the nanites coursing through his body, he’d didn’t worry about infections, but the loss of blood could make him pass out. Two deep puncture wounds spurted blood everywhere, thanks to the lizard’s fangs. He’d need to change the bandage again after their fight, but he hoped his nanites would stem the blood loss quickly.

  “Okay, Scarlet. I’m ready. The rubble should hold it closed for a little while if you stand back. I’ll try and take them out through the crack in the—”

  The upper part of the door shattered on impact, angry rat muzzles sniffing the air.

  “On second thought…”

  To buy them some time, Jared walked closer, placed the muzzle of his phase pistol to the crack and squeezed the trigger a few times. Muffled screeches and cries of rage assaulted his ears. The creatures’ rampage intensified, and Jared had to help Scarlet hold them back.

  “Can you breathe fire yet? I mean, now that you’re bigger? It’ll probably help more than phase rounds and that way I can save some ammo.”

  I…I will try.

  Scarlet hesitated and took a tentative step forward. This was the first time she’d attempted to breathe fire, and Jared understood the trepi
dation. Standing a few paces away from the crack in the door, they observed grotesque muzzles, dripping blood and saliva, from what looked like rats peeking through the crack.

  Scarlet took a deep breath that sounded like a high-pitched whine. The sound cut off suddenly as Scarlet’s roar split the air once again, echoing down the tunnel. Her roar transitioned into a whoosh of air, an orange gout of fire streaming from her maw.

  A terrible cacophony of cries and shrieks filled the air as the rodents roasted alive. Scraping claws and thrashing bodies painted a ghastly picture in Jared’s mind. It took fifteen minutes for the last of the moans and whimpers to stop, but once all the creatures died, everything returned to silence save for the sizzling flesh on the other side.

  Jared looked at Scarlet in awe and watched steam and smoke coiling around her head. She stepped back, winded from the endeavor, and sat on her haunches.

  “That was amazing!”

  I need to rest. That hurt, a lot. I—it hurt much more than I expected.

  Jared creased his brow. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Jared asked, concerned. “We can retreat and leave this area if you need rest.”

  I just need a few minutes.

  “Take all the time you need. I’ll finish off any creatures still alive.”

  Jared walked to their makeshift barricade and shoved the huge slab of concrete away once again, marveling at his new strength. The debris cleared, he opened the door to survey the damage.

  Carnage. Absolute carnage. Everywhere.

  “Whoa.”

  Jared stumbled back and retched. His stomach clenched as if an invisible fist squeezed it tight. Bile burned the back of his throat, adding to the discomfort. The mutilated creatures looked like rats the size of dogs. Half a dozen lay in smoldering pools of liquified fat, all hair singed from their bodies. The shriveling rat fur created an acrid smell that burned his eyes. What remained of their maws showed a row of serrated yellow teeth that secreted viscous green fluid.

  Their feet ended in claws several inches long. The corridor bore witness to their passing as claw marks covered every inch of the floor and lower walls. Along with the creatures they killed, piles of bones resembling rats littered the space.

  His breathing came in ragged gasps as he fought for control of his gag reflex. This was the single most disgusting scene he’d ever seen by a long shot. Jared carefully picked his way through the small entrance, doing his best to avoid the pools of steaming liquid. After he passed the smoking corpses, Jared looked further down the corridor and froze. A pair of beady red eyes glared at him. A lone rat, untouched by the fire, crouched at the far end of the tunnel. Jared’s hackles rose as he stared at the eerily quiet sentry. He glanced around the corridor nervously and imagined another horde of rats clawing their way from the shadows.

  “Scarlet, I hope you’re feeling better since we might have more company soon.”

  I do not think I can breathe fire for a while yet, but I can fight.

  The creepy rat remained poised at the far end of the tunnel, its eyes drilling holes into him.

  Distractedly, Jared said, “Before we go, we should figure out how to absorb the nanites from these things. Actually—should we absorb them? You said we might gain abilities from some creatures, and I don’t particularly want to gain an ability from either of these creatures.”

  He looked from the congealed puddles of fat to the lizards’ mutilated bodies and cringed.

  Touch them to absorb the nanites. I have already absorbed some from the lizards since I killed them with my teeth, but I won’t know if I’ve gained an ability until I have time to analyze their nanites.

  Without preamble, Jared walked over to the lizards he killed and placed his hand against their rough, slimy skin. A soft glow swirled out of the bodies and into his hand, similar to what he’d experienced when Alestrialia transferred her essence over. The volume of nanites from these lizards was negligible in comparison. The brief swirl of color felt like an illusion, as it was over the moment it began. Just like that, he leeched the last vestiges of life from them.

  After he finished absorbing the nanites, he walked back to the corridor and steeled himself for what came next. Keeping his eyes trained on the living statue down the hall, Jared placed a tentative finger into the still smoldering heaps of rats. His finger sank into the gooey flesh and Jared had to fight back convulsions. As quickly as possible, he finished absorbing the nanites and moved on.

  The lone rat sat motionless in its vigil as Jared stalked forward, raising his phase pistol. Right before he squeezed the trigger, the rat let out a shrill cry, the phase round silencing its howl. He paused to listen, and a low droning buzz reached his ears. An avalanche of skittering and scraping claws on concrete announced the arrival of a massive horde of carnivorous rats. The noise escalated as dozens of rats rounded the corner at a full gallop.

  Oh sh...

  “Scarlet, run!” Jared screamed at the top of his lungs.

  Even as he yelled, Jared extricated his second phase pistol from his pack and unloaded dual streams of phase rounds into the mass of rats. The initial volley slowed their rampage, but he knew it wouldn’t last long. Backpedaling to the entrance, he kept up a steady barrage of fire at the incoming horde. Forcing himself to remain calm, Jared made sure each round found its mark. With so many rodents crowding the corridor, it wasn’t a difficult task.

  Scarlet, get ready to slam the door as soon as I make it through. Jared switched to Telepathy because the noise from the massive pack of rats had reached a deafening level, and it took every ounce of willpower he could muster to keep up the volley and not turn tail and run.

  Wait!

  The rats earned every inch with their blood as the phase pistols sent rays of death streaking at them. Several seconds later, the older phase pistol clicked empty.

  NOW!

  Scarlet slammed the door just as half a dozen of the creatures jumped at the opening, knocking the door off one of its hinges.

  “Crap. We’ve got to move. This won’t hold them. Brace it while I reload.”

  Another violent crash on the other side made the door bend outward, shaking debris loose around its frame.

  “Dang, never mind. We need to buy some time to get away.”

  Hurriedly, Jared shoved every piece of refuse and concrete he could find in front of the destroyed sheet of metal, turned on his heel, and sprinted down the tunnel. His target was the staircase he’d used on his first trek into the sub-level. With the high ground, the rats shouldn’t pose as big a threat.

  Before they rounded the corner, the door flew off its hinges, and the horde of rats surged forth. His jaw dropped at the sight. It looked like a demon legion of rats clawing their way to freedom. Committed to his plan, there was nothing else he could do but hope and pray he’d not made a fatal error.

  If those creatures catch us... The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. I don’t want to find out!

  “Hurry!” Jared shouted.

  Head down, he didn’t dare look behind him as he focused on each step, fleeing down the tunnel. Spotting the stairs, he took them four at a time with Scarlet close on his heels.

  “When we get to the top, I need to reload my phase pistols. If any of them get too close, knock them back until I’m ready.”

  As he climbed the stairs, Jared slid his pack off his back and fished for the black ballistic case holding the fresh battery packs. Jamming them into place, he thanked whatever fate smiled upon them that the dead explorer had these weapons. Without them, they’d be dead already.

  The rats slowed just enough at the base of the stairs and allowed him to reload. Feeling a moment of jubilation at their narrow escape, Jared whooped and yelled, “Target practice!”

  He got to work, picking them off one at a time, aiming as quickly and carefully as he dared. As he killed the creatures, several of them reverted to
cannibalism and ripped into their dead allies with abandon. The sounds of tearing flesh and the squelching of blood from the rats feasting made him queasy, but it provided a needed distraction and allowed him to shower them with deadly phase rounds. The bodies piled up, yet more and more of the rats rounded the corner.

  There must be hundreds of these things.

  Finally, the endless stream of rats ended, and Jared adjusted fire to target rats further down the stairs. It served as a great diversionary tactic, since the rats didn’t care whose body they gorged on.

  “Scarlet, is there anything you can throw at them?”

  Instead of answering him, a human-sized chunk of concrete spiraled into the midst of the feral rats.

  “Yes! Keep going!”

  No sooner had he whooped in delight when he felt a trickle of rocks pelt him in the head and glanced up.

  “Whoa! Whoa, wait! This whole area will collapse!”

  Suddenly, his phase pistol’s hissed and stopped firing. Confused, Jared looked at the batteries and saw he had half a charge left in each of them.

  Why is it—

  It was then he noticed a red light flashing on the side of the gun. With no time to figure out why they’d stopped, Jared holstered the weapons and drew his Colt. He fired the six shots in rapid succession tearing holes through the creatures and making them pause in their mad dash up the stairs. All his guns rendered useless, Jared readied himself to face the rats with the only weapon he had left, his body.

  With just a few seconds to catch his breath before the critters reached him, Jared centered his mind and prepared to fight for his life.

  The first rat lunged at him, and he booted it into the ceiling. It dropped into the crowd below, its previous allies ripping it to shreds.

  Legs and arms flashing forward, Jared realized his efforts wouldn’t be enough. Right before a rat would’ve landed on his head, Scarlet’s tail flashed by, punching holes through the creature. The body dropped to his feet, creating the start of a barrier in front of him. The pile of bodies in front of him quickly grew and restricted his movements. At this point, his kicks and punches only served to push the rats back down the stairs a few paces.