Sarcophagus

by Ben Hammott

  A loud insistent BWEEP BWEEP signaled the arrival of the fire brigade.

  The two men stared over at the fire truck forcing a path through the crowd of onlookers and through the barrier parted by police offices.

  “Time to get things organized so it’s all ready for Greyson.” Nathan walked away to direct the fire truck into position so they could unload the requested equipment.

  *****

  Though they had no idea where the monster would be, Greyson thought heading back to its last sighting might reveal where it had gone. If it was still bleeding, it might have left a trail they could follow.

  The double doors dividing the corridor swung open ominously when they pushed them. They stared along the unwelcoming, gloomy passage. Two beams of light from the flashlights taped to Tucker’s rifle and the spear Greyson held pierced the darkness of the drawer-lined corridor.

  Greyson pointed the borrowed handgun gripped in his nervous hand along the passage. “The soldiers were attacked at the far end, so keep a look out for any tracks the monster might have left us.”

  He looked at his companion when he received no reply. The man’s expression showed he might be regretting volunteering for the mission.

  “You okay, Tucker?”

  The weak nod the man gave in reply didn’t convince Greyson he was. Worried that the soldier might flee when they arrived at the remains of his comrades, Greyson warned, “Whatever we find at the end, it’s not going to be pretty.”

  Tucker, only three months out of training, had seen no action. The bodies brought out of the museum earlier were the first dead he had seen. “I ain’t gonna like it, but I’ll handle it.”

  “Good. Let’s move slow and cautious. If we encounter the monster and can’t escape, aim for its head and chest. If we manage to weaken it, I’ll stab it with the spear, and hopefully it will die. If that fails, we revert to the original plan and lead it out of here.”

  Tucker glanced at Greyson, who seemed surprisingly calm given their situation.

  “It actually seems your plan might work when you say it.”

  Greyson grinned. “We’ll soon find out.”

  Side by side, the two men moved along the corridor.

  The monster had found an ideal place to hide while it rested and let its body repair its wounds. It was dark, secluded and out of reach of the humans. With a full belly to provide more than enough energy for its regenerative process, it lay down and after a few seconds fell into a comatose state.

  Sensing the need to improve its chances against the humans’ weapons, its body initiated a metamorphosis. To survive, it needed to reform into a stronger and more formidable version of its species. At first, there were no visible signs anything was happening, but after a few minutes, pulsating bulges appeared over its body. Skin split under the pressure and bones cracked and grew as its skeleton transformed into a suitable frame to support the new, stronger muscle mass.

  Greyson and Tucker halted a few feet away from the red stain and stared at the scraps of uniform, gored bones and lumps of partially eaten flesh now unrecognizable as the three men who had been alive about an hour ago. Even the skulls had been crushed, split open to get at the brains inside.

  Tucker turned away, fighting back the bile that threatened to spew forth.

  Greyson cast his eyes over the pools of drying blood on the floor. The monster’s feeding movements from corpse to corpse were clearly marked in the gruesome liquid, as were the creature’s bloody footprints leading away.

  Greyson glanced at Tucker and, ignoring the man’s discomfort, said, “Let’s keep moving.”

  “Don’t worry about me; I’ll be right behind you.” With his gaze pointed away from the gruesome remains of the men he had drunk beers with a few days before, Tucker followed Greyson deeper into the maze of passageways. If anything happened to Greyson, he doubted he would be able to find his way back to the exit now.

  Greyson halted at a set of double doors the bloody trail led to and peered through the glass panels covering the top sections.

  Tucker glanced at the sign above the door: Mammals, Cetaceans, Fish.

  They entered and shone their lights around the large, spooky, exhibit-filled hall. Bears, wolves, antelopes, and a myriad of other stuffed and mounted animal species passed through their beams.

  Hardly making a sound, Tucker followed Greyson deeper into the large room.

  Greyson, his eyes and ears alert for any signs of the monster, moved cautiously through the exhibits, jumping more than once at some of the ferocious animals given movement by their roving light beams.

  The blood trail grew fainter when they neared the many species of whales, sharks and dolphins suspended from the high ceiling in the center of the room.

  Greyson stopped and shone his light over the floor where the trail ended.

  Tucker aimed his flashlight ahead. “We know which way it was heading, so let’s continue on.”

  Aware the monster might be waiting for them, Greyson gazed around the room. “Okay, but stay alert. It could be anywhere.”

  The newly evolved creature awoke to the sound of faint human voices and a larger, resilient form. It stretched out its new limbs and glanced around the dark hiding place it had almost outgrown. It crawled toward the teeth-lined opening and poked its head out to check its surroundings. Its head emerged from the gaping mouth of the killer whale and turned toward the lights below. Its tongue slithered over its many sharp teeth in anticipation of tasting more human flesh. When it forced its frame through the now tight opening and leapt onto the tail of the impossibly large blue whale that stretched out into the room, the killer whale swung on its supports.

  Greyson and Tucker halted and spun toward the creaking. Their flashlights highlighted the swaying killer whale before jerking toward another sound. Caught in the twin beams was a monster neither of them expected.

  Though larger, about the size of a bear, the head remained relatively unchanged from its previous incarnation. The mouth though had undergone redevelopment with longer, sharper teeth that were more pronounced. The hair that had covered its shoulders and back now stood out as thick strands of matted hair, forming wavering tendrils. The longer and increased muscular forms of its arms and legs indicated its power and ability to move even quicker than its smaller version had previously.

  Realizing it had been spotted, the monster bared its teeth at them in a vicious snarl and raised its hair out like a peacock displaying its beauty. Its long deadly claws gouged the side of the whale it climbed down.

  Two shots rang out from Tucker’s rifle, but terrified by the monster’s appearance, his aim was off. The bullets struck the whale beside the monster.

  Greyson, momentarily shocked by the monster’s evolved appearance, was slow in raising his gun and before he could fire, the monster dropped to the floor out of sight. He cocked an ear to detect its footsteps, but if the monster was moving, it was doing it silently. Certain it was coming for them, he glanced around for an escape route, as they could never defend themselves here; it could come at them from any direction. They needed a better defensive position and somewhere they could retreat and lead the monster to the ambush he had set in motion.

  Shaking slightly, Tucker looked at Greyson. “What do we do?”

  Greyson pointed in the direction of the door he couldn’t see from this position. “We run.”

  The two men sprinted through the room.

  The monster set off in pursuit.

  Greyson caught glimpses of the monster between the stuffed animal exhibits. It was gaining on them. They would never reach the exit before it cut them off. He grabbed Tucker’s arm. “This way!”

  They headed amongst the animals displayed on the opposite side of the path to the monster.

  “I thought you said it was the size of a wolf,” said Tucker. “That’s bigger than a damn grizzly.”

  “It’s evolved,” stated Greyson.

  “Just my damn luck,” moaned Tucker. “Can we outrun it?”
>
  Greyson shrugged. “I guess we’ll soon find out.”

  Aware the monster would be a lot harder to kill due to its evolved form, Greyson cast a worried glance at the gold-tipped spear and wondered if one would be enough to end its life.

  A screech behind them turned both men’s heads. The monster, unrivalled by any land predator in the room, leapt onto the back of a female polar bear surrounded by three cubs and screeched again, as if it was enjoying the chase and was confident the outcome would see its belly nourished. It leapt to the ground. Its sharp-tipped claws thudded to the floor five yards from its perch.

  Greyson and Tucker leapt over a group of hyenas, passed through the frozen snapshot of a pride of lions bringing down a fleeing gazelle and beneath the belly of an African elephant.

  “There’s the exit,” shouted Tucker, breathlessly.

  Greyson followed the man’s gaze past the wolf den diorama and altered direction slightly to head for it. The sounds of the chasing monster indicated it would be a close battle to reach it first.

  “The door won’t stop it,” stated Greyson. His spear wasn’t strong enough to hold the door shut, but Tucker’s rifle might be. “As soon as we are through, jam your rifle in the handles to stop it following.”

  Though Tucker was reluctant to relinquish the weapon with the monster in close pursuit, if it held the door shut, he wouldn’t need it. They required a different plan. “We’ll have to be quick. It’s barely a few steps behind us.”

  Adrenalin fueled their rush to cover the final distance to the set of double doors. They crashed through, spun, and slammed them shut. Tucker slid his rifle through the handles. To hold it in place, he wrapped the shoulder strap around the handles and hastily tied the quickest knot he knew.

  The two men stepped back when the monster’s footsteps approached the far side of the door, so close now they felt the shock of its feet vibrate through the floor.

  Monster and door collided.

  Expecting the doors to swing open, the monster was surprised when they didn’t and sent him bouncing back into the room with a sound of splintering wood. It recovered quickly, glanced at the door and turned away.

  Greyson and Tucker stepped back involuntarily when the monster struck and the doors trembled violently from the onslaught. Though the weapon prevented the doors from opening, the wood around the top right hinge splintered.

  The monster’s claws clacking on the floor faded when it moved away from the door.

  “It worked,” stated Tucker, catching his breath.

  Greyson was about to join in the man’s relief, when the clack-clack started up again and grew louder as it neared the door. His eyes shot to the splintered frame. He doubted it would take another blow. He pushed Tucker away from the door. “Move!”

  The men ran.

  When the monster struck a second time, the right-hand door shot from its hinges and dragged along the weapon tied to the handle.

  When the crash and splintering of wood filled the corridor, Greyson and Tucker glanced back worriedly. They saw the door skidding along the floor toward them and the monster tumble through the opening.

  Tucker knew their chance of outdistancing the large monster in the open corridor was practically nil. They needed to slow it down. Though his common sense argued against it, he rushed forward.

  Greyson was about to continue his dash away from the monster, when Tucker shocked him by rushing in the opposite direction—toward the monster.

  When the monster sprang to its feet and noticed the approaching human, it leapt at the man.

  Tucker somehow managed to push aside his fear before it overwhelmed him and dived to the floor.

  The monster swiped a claw at the human sliding past beneath its belly. A talon ripped material and scratched flesh. Tucker winced from the pain as he reached for the weapon. A hard tug snapped the strap securing it to the metal handle. A finger hovered above the trigger as he rolled onto his front.

  The monster skidded on the floor on landing. It ignored the human backing away and turned to attack the man on the floor. Its powerful hind legs shot it forward.

  Tucker aimed and squeezed the trigger. Bullets exploded from the powerful weapon.

  The monster screeched when bullets grazed its side and stumbled against the wall when two entered a rear leg. Its lightning reflexes sprung it off the wall across to the other side. A trail of bullets followed and peppered one of its front legs. The monster’s head struck the floor when its legs buckled and sent it head over heels.

  Tucker rolled out of the path of the tumbling monster and the claw that jabbed out to rip his flesh. A talon stroked a cut across his stomach and hooked the rifle, tearing it from his grasp.

  Greyson, ready to flee if the monster turned its attention upon him, observed the battle between monster and human. When he noticed blood oozing from the monster’s wounds, he saw his chance. He raised the spear and charged.

  Tucker climbed to his feet and backed away as the monster’s roll ended.

  The monster righted itself and shakily climbed to its feet, faltering from its two wounded limbs. He stared at the human responsible and then at the one running toward it. Its gaze fell upon the golden tip glinting in the light, and instinctively feared it.

  Greyson sprinted past Tucker. As he grew nearer to the monster, he stared into the red eyes watching him. His bravado waned. Fear of battling the powerful monster at close quarters altered his plan. Instead of stabbing the monster, he drew the spear back and threw it. The monster easily swiped the spear aside. It struck the wall and clattered to the ground. Greyson swiftly backed toward Tucker.

  “That probably wasn’t the most sensible thing to do, losing your spear like that,” said Tucker.

  “I agree, but no way was I getting too close to that monstrosity.”

  Both men stared at the monster that, for now, seemed content to remain at a distance and stare back at them.

  “What do we do now?” asked Tucker.

  “Now you’ve wounded it, if it chases us we should be able to outrun it until it recovers, so let’s stick to our original plan. Back up and see if it follows.”

  Prepared to flee if the monster rushed at them, the two men slowly backed along the corridor.

  Though it knew it should wait for its regenerative powers to repair its body, its recent metamorphosis had drained its energy, which would slow the process. It needed to eat, and though the two puny humans wouldn’t fill its belly, they would supply it with much needed nourishment. Limping jerkily, it padded after the two humans.

  “It’s coming,” said Tucker, stating the obvious.

  Greyson’s eyes hadn’t strayed from the creature. “And it’s limping. The plan could work if it keeps up that pace.”

  “Maybe, but I’d rather we distanced ourselves farther from it. Even though it’s wounded, you saw how fast that thing was before. A few leaps and it’ll be upon us.”

  Greyson shared Tucker’s concern. “Let’s pick up the pace a little, but we need to keep it in sight to ensure it follows.”

  They increased their distance from the monster and led it through the museum and up the flight of stairs in the atrium.

  On entering the Egyptian display room, Tucker gazed at one of the four large windows lining one wall. He took his revolver from his pocket and held his hand out for Greyson’s. “I’ll need them both now I don’t have the rifle.”

  Greyson hesitated for a moment before handing it over. The small caliber weapon was practically useless against the monster, but it gave him comfort holding something he could at least try to defend himself with.

  Tucker checked both weapons before looking back at the monster that had stopped at the top of the stairs and gazed around the room. “What’s it doing?”

  Greyson shrugged. “I have no idea.”

  When the monster climbed the stairs, it grimaced from the sudden sharp pain from its wounds and stared back at the objects ejected from his body clinking down the steps. A cruel snarl form
ed when it felt a surge of energy ripple through its body. The humans would now feel its wrath. It padded menacingly up the stairs and stopped at the top on spying the humans waiting on the other side of the doors. As it wondered what they were doing, it slowly approached the entrance. It nudged the doors open enough to poke its large head through and glanced around the room. Something was wrong. It sensed a trap. After detecting no other humans nearby, it stared back at the two men who had backed away a few paces but hadn’t run. They were up to something.

  “The plan won’t work if it doesn’t come after us,” stated Tucker, his anxious eyes glued to the monster.

  “I know, but I can’t call it like a dog, can I?” said Greyson, wearily. It had been a long day. He longed to sit down with a whiskey and relax.

  “Well, obviously you can’t do that, but we have to entice it in somehow.”

  Greyson pondered the problem for a few minutes. His gaze fell on the scratch across Tucker’s stomach. “We need blood. Do you have a knife?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  Greyson held out a hand. “Give it to me. I have an idea. Blood might entice it to come after us.”

  “Great,” Tucker moaned. He slipped the knife from its sheath around his waist. “Be careful, it’s sharp, so don’t press too hard into your skin.”

  Greyson took the knife and looked at Tucker. “You ready for this?”

  Wondering where Greyson was going to cut himself, Tucker nodded. “I’ll do my part because I don’t want to die.”

  Greyson slashed the knife across Tucker’s wounded stomach, turning the scratch into a cut.

  Tucked jumped back and looked at the blood seeping from the wound. “What the fuck!”

  “Stop moaning, you already had a scratch there and I didn’t cut very deep.”