Second Company had been ordered to set up guard points around the island to deal with the new arrivals, but that was only a temporary fix. The USS Wasp had been detached to the Task Force for amphibious and air assault landings for subduing an aggressive enemy, which was a completely different mission parameter then policing the large crowds of noncombatants that were flocking to the island. The Navy was struggling to set up a secure perimeter five nautical miles out to deal with the problem, but the Task Force just didn’t have enough hulls to stop the flow of boats into the area.
The incredible story sounded like something straight out of a Crypt Crawler title than an actual archeological dig. Still, the rumors flying around about the Pit had most of the Marine Raider Company jumping at shadows, which was just plain stupid. Even if the stories were one hundred percent true, it wasn’t like anything was going to be left alive after thirty-five hundred years of rotting in a sealed hole.
Frowning, Megan sighed at the useless mental exercise. It wasn't like she had a squad any longer to worry about. To deal with the changing mission requirements, Command Sergeant Major Thompson had broken First Company up into individual fire groups for guard duty. Why the hell the Lieutenant Colonel wanted a Marine escort with every scientific team entering the Pit was anybody’s guess, but it was causing havoc with her soldiers. Standing guard for hours at a time with nothing to do but stare at the dark shadows was going to be bad enough. Mix in a handful of pompous cockbite professors as team leads and it was a powder keg waiting to explode.
During her two years at Purdue University before joining the Marines, Megan had initially thought graduate students were assholes. Most were nothing but full-time students with their education and living expenses paid for by mommy and daddy. Then she met her first tenured professor who’d given new meaning to the word, but her current charge, world renowned Biologist Doctor Stuart Holdgate, took being an asshole to a whole new level. The Doctor had been under the mistaken impression that he could treat her soldiers like he did his personal staff. This time, Megan did smile remembering the man’s shocked face at the ass-chewing she’d given him.
Needless to say, he didn’t speak to anyone in her squad again. Not that it mattered to Megan, she got along with the rest of the Professor’s team just fine. As far as she was concerned, she hadn’t gone through two tours in Afghanistan to put up with that kind of crap. Holdgate would treat her Marines right, or she’d put a boot in his ass.
“Aaaiiieee!” The blood curling scream that rang out across the chamber snapped Megan back to the present as a deafening burst of rifle-fire roared nearby. Instinctively dropping into a crouch, she whipped the barrel of the M4 towards the sounds listening intently. After multiple combat zones, the response was without thought as her hand slapped the AN/PVS-14 monocular night vision scope attached to her helmet back into place. Biting back a curse at the MNVD’s fluctuating display she switched to “light infrared” searching for the source of the commotion once again.
Immediately Megan saw three glowing man-forms slam into a fourth around twenty feet out as the rifle burst came to a sudden stop. Looking back over her shoulders to her team, Megan barked out orders. “Lance Corporal Jordan is with me. The rest of you keep your eyes on the package.” Signaling for Jordan to follow. Feeling Lance Corporal Jordan’s large hand grip her shoulder, Megan headed towards the commotion at a quick walk scanning the immediate area for enemies. Taking in the situation sourly as they came to a stop near the struggling men, she signaled Jordan to hold position swearing.
“What a Charlie Foxtrot!” Although she wished she didn’t, Megan immediately recognized the hysterical Private fighting to keep his carbine trained on the massive crystal before him as one of her own as the rest of his fire team fought to wrestle him to the ground. Pitching her voice to be heard, Megan cursed loudly. “Private Gordon, what the hell is going on here? Lower your weapon and report.”
The large man’s white-rimmed eyes suddenly whipped around to focus on her in surprise as he began screaming frantically. “Sarge … Sarge, it’s gonna fucking kill us all!” Before Gordon could say more Lance Corporal Porter grabbed the larger man by the waist, body-slamming him to the ground in a ju-jitsu throw. “I ordered you to stand down Private!”
Ignoring the physical punishment, Gordon kept on screaming. “Dammit, look at it … just fucking look at it! We’ve gotta stop it before it fucking kills us all!”
Annoyance flickered across Megan’s face as she studied the ridiculous scene before her. She didn’t have time to deal with this stupid shit. The last thing she needed was Captain Nicoara getting wind of this. Striding forward with a purpose, Megan felt her Drill Sergeant’s mask slip into place as she projected her voice.
“Lance Corporal Jordan, I want this mess cleaned up now. Gordon, we’ll deal with this back at base, but for now, I want you to-.“ Megan’s voice suddenly died in mid-blast as her eyes locked onto the scaly fanged maw frozen within the cloudy surface of the crystal Gordon had been firing at. The Private’s maglite cut-off a second later as another Marine slammed his combat boot down on Gordon’s M4, but not before the blood turned to ice in her veins.
For a long moment, Megan stood frozen in place as some primal instinct in the back of her mind gibbered in terror. Trancelike she walked past the struggling soldiers shining her torch at the large crystalline rock. Physically it wasn’t noticeably different than any of the other crystals that filled the cavern. Panning her light to where she’d seen the fanged maw the breath caught in her throat as red glowing eyes suddenly appeared deep within staring down at her. Behind her, Megan heard Lance Corporal Jordon’s startled gasp as he followed the maglite’s beam.
Even though logically she knew it was only an optical illusion from the bright light hitting the creature’s dead eyes, it still took an act of will not to run away screaming for the exit. Breathing deeply, Megan ran her maglite over the scaled horror studying it carefully. The ferocious creature was like nothing she’d ever seen before. It looked like a mutant crossbreeding experiment between an Alien and a gorilla gone horribly wrong. Thick grayish bony plates covered portions of its head and torso while overlong muscular arms with long clawed hands hung like gruesome cleavers at its sides. Even more unbelievable, the creature trapped inside the crystalline rock wasn’t some desiccated mummified corpse like she would have expected after so many centuries. No, if anything, the glistening scales shimmering in the light made the creature look as if it were almost alive, so much so that …
Backing up slowly, Megan swept her maglite at the crystals to either side of the first in growing horror. Within seconds she identified the same eerie effect, even without the maglite. The creatures’ eyes in both were growing red! Pivoting slowly in place Megan began studying the shadowy cavern as a sinking feeling began forming in the pit of her stomach. Everywhere she looked the inky blackness was turning into a sea of glowing red pinpoints. Coming to a stop facing Lance Corporal Jordon’s horror-filled face, her voice cracked as she addressed Lance Corporal Porter.
“Release, Private Gordon.”
“Sarge?”
As the rest of fire team three looked up at her questioningly, Megan jerked out of her trance barking orders. “I want everyone locked n’ loaded! We’re gathering up the science teams and getting the fuck out of here now!” Seeing the shocked look on Porters’ face, she roughly shoved the Lance Corporal ahead of her bellowing. “Move out!”
Before they’d taken a dozen steps, the loud clattering sound of falling rocks began echoing around the chamber as low-rumbling animalistic growls suddenly filled the darkness. The deep resonating sounds that began calling out around the chamber reminded Megan vaguely of her time in Southern Botswana and Zimbabwethe, but unlike the combined sounds of the large beasts of the Africa Bushveld at night, this sent shivers down her spine.
Looking around nervously, Megan kept her Marines moving as she pulled out her handset. “Hunter two Charlie to Charlie squad. Gather up your chicks. We�
�re RTC. I say again, gather up your chick and return to base, over.” As the scattering reply of affirmatives began answering back, Megan saw the Lance Corporal’s science team suddenly come into view. Huddled together a tight group they looked ready to bolt as they fearfully stared out at the darkness. Seeing their approaching group the lead professor leaped to his feet grabbing Megan’s shoulder urgently.
“What in God’s name is going on Sergeant?”
“No idea Professor. Maybe your dead aliens aren’t so dead after all.” Before the man could scoff at her words, Megan kept talking. “Whatever it is we aren’t staying around to find out.” Putting her arm around the professor’s back, she propelled the man ahead of her. “Let’s move out!”
“But our gear. We can’t just leave everything here.” Twisting around in her grip the professor tried to head back to aluminum boxes stacked at the base of the nearest crystal, but Megan wasn’t having any part of that. “Everyone leave your gear. We’ll come back for it later.”
Raising his voice indignantly, the professor struggled against Megan’s grip. “Our research and data. We have to take it with us.”
Shoving the man forward, Megan snapped harshly. “Seriously people, is this worth your lives?” Swinging her gaze to the other scientists on the team Megan’s voice rose in a harsh whisper. “We’ll come back for the data if we can, but right now my job is to keep you safe, and that’s what I’m doing. Now move out!”
Megan didn’t give them a chance to think as she physically dragged the professor behind her. Following her lead, the Marines hurried the rest of the team after Megan as her radio began to crackle with static. The white noise coming through her headset was suddenly replaced with the sounds of muffled voices arguing. “I do not care what your Sergeant ordered. We are not going anywhere.” There was more scratching static noise and then Private First Class Pierson’s urgent voice came through loud and clear. “Sarge, Professor Holdgate is refusing to leave the target area.”
Looking back at Lance Corporal Jordan in annoyance, Megan shook her head as the large black man rolled his eyes. “Pierson, this isn’t a democracy. I didn’t ask if the Professor wanted to leave. You are to gather up the science team, willing or unwilling, and head to my location on the double.”
“Sarge, that’s not currently possible.”
“Private, enlighten me as to the WHY in five words or less.”
“He’s chained to a crystal.”
“Repeat that Private!”
“Sergeant, Professor Holdgate chained himself to one of the crystals as soon as you ordered the EVAC.”
Shaking her head angrily Megan’s voice rose in command. “Private, you are to use any means necessary to drag that pompous-.“ A terrified scream cut her off in mid-blast as a burst of automatic fire roared to life up ahead. Although the sounds were only about twenty yards away, a line of crystals completely blocked their view as to what was happening. Dropping the professor’s arm, Megan took off at a running as a bestial roar reverberated through the cavern. As another assault rifle began firing on full automatic, Megan began calling urgently into her MIC.
“Pierson, what is your status? Pierson, I need an update. ” Still running Megan screamed into her MIC. “Talk to me Pierson … PIERSON!”
Sprinting around the crystalline rocks, Megan whipped her M4 up as the rest of her Marines followed after her. Flashes of automatic fire lit up the shadowy line of crystals as the screaming white coated shapes of the science team came streaming towards them hysterically. “Lance Corporal Porter, make sure they don’t run off into the cavern.”
Immediately Porter’s voice began barking out orders. “Prat, Rodriguez, Gordon, get on it!" Tuning out the commotion around her, Megan focused on the pain filled screams of her Marines as she swept into the line of crystals. Throwing her back against the hard stone next to the opening, Megan watched Jordon and Porter get into position across from her as another burst of rifle fire ripped through the air. Her head jerked up as the roaring sound cut off a second later with a wet choking gurgle and the clattering sound of a rifle skidding across stone.
Giving the order with a sharp slash of her hand, Megan sprinted between the massive stones as a wordless battle cry ripped from her lips. Instantly the sound died as Megan came to an abrupt stop. Hanging in midair before her was Private Wilson. His eyes bulging out in horror as he weakly grasped at the gore covered claws sticking out of his chest.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Wilson’s hot blood spray across her face. The metronome sound of Megan’s beating heart echoed in her ears as she stumbled back in shock at the grizzly scene. Above Wilson’s head was the same fang filled maw and glowing red eyes she’d seen frozen inside the other crystals, but before she could react the abrupt roar of assault rifles shattered the moment.
The sound was deafening in the enclosed space as the creature flung Wilson away with a flick of its thick arm. Although Megan registered the sickening crunch of Wilson’s body slammed to a stop, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the nightmarish beast straight out of hell towering above her. Grayish reptilian-like scales covered its naked body, except for its head, chest, and back that were protected by bony misshapen growths. Throwing its head back screeching in rage, the creature spun around to face its newest attackers as Johnson and Pierson emptied their clips into the beast’s hide at point blank range.
The deafening roar of automatic fire abruptly cut off as the creature attacked in a blur. Johnson exploded in a spray of blood, his body cleaved in two, as Pierson was swept off his feet in one smooth motion with a clawed fist through his chest. Megan’s scream was drowned out as the carbine roared in her hands spitting out superheated tungsten carbide rounds. As burst after burst hammered into the monster’s head, and shoulders, Jordan and Porter opened fire next to her. Bright specs of light flared from the creature’s skin in her night vision scope as their rounds slammed home, but instead of killing the monster, their bullets just seemed to piss it off even more.
Backing up uncertainly Megan’s team was forced to hold their fire as the monster turned to face them with Pierson flailing body still impaled on its bloody fist. As the creature’s burning red eyes swept over them, incredulously Megan saw Johnson push himself up with his bloody arms. In a white-knuckled fist, he gripped a cherry-shaped device. By the focused pain-filled look on his face, Johnson knew he was already dead, but that didn’t stop him from pulling the pin with the last of his strength and wrapping his arms around the beast’s clawed feet. As the safety handle flipped into the air, Megan dove for cover with Jordan and Porter a step behind her as Johnson screamed out with his last breath.
“Fire in the hole!”
Tears momentarily blinded Megan’s eyes as she rolled to her knees, ears ringing from the concussion of the explosion as the cold realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She’d just lost a quarter of her squad. Pushing the bloody images away, Megan staggered to her feet forcing the grief away. She’d deal with the loss later, but first she had to get the rest of her soldiers clear of this shit storm. Even half deaf the nightmarish creature’s screeching cries still pierced her ringing head. Whatever the fucking thing was it didn’t die easily. She just hoped they had the firepower to stop it. Taking a quick scan of the horrified faces looking back at her, Megan pulled Jordon and Porter to their feet hollering.
“Everyone back the fuck up now!” At the scraping sounds of claws on stone came from behind them, Megan began waving everyone away holding her own grenade up. “Go … go … go!” Turning around, she threw the grenade through the gap in the crystals.
“Fire in the hole!” The ground shook as Megan shoved Johnson and Pierson ahead of her. Reaching the waiting teams she began bellowing. “We are getting out of here now! Rodriguez, report our status to command. Tell them the target area is hot and we are pulling out.” Pushing her way through the terrified scientists, Megan took up point calling over her shoulder. “Everyone follow me!”
They hadn’t
taken three steps when all hell broke loose. From every direction sounds of automatic fire roared as bestial howls began screeching out in the darkness. As the sound of a small avalanche drew her eyes to the nearest crystal, it burst open like an overripe melon as another nightmarish creature struggled to rise onto its hands and knees. Wide-eyed Megan sent a burst at the disoriented beast screaming over her shoulder. “Don’t stop, just keep on moving.” Swatting at the bullets slamming into its misshapen face, the monster fell back in confusion as the rest of her squad let loose with their carbines as they took off after her. Within seconds they were pass the creature.
Unfortunately, that did little to stop the knot of terror forming in the pit of Megan’s stomach as more glowing red eyes began appearing down the dark row of crystals ahead of them. Pressing her lips together, she swore silently. They were running out of time. Slamming a fresh clip into her rifle, Megan’s lungs pumped in a steady rhythm as she mercilessly led the scientists and combat team through the maze of crystalline rows at a dead sprint, which was somewhat of a misnomer. The extra eighty pounds of gear each member of her squad carried greatly reduced their top speed. Still, listening to the ragged gasping breaths coming from the civilians behind her, she knew they’d have to stop soon. They just weren’t trained to take this level of physical punishment.
Coming to a wide gap at the center of the cavern, Megan brought the squad to an abrupt stop, her eyes sweeping the cavern between them and the exit intently. Even though Megan’s body shook from the adrenaline pumping through her veins, she didn’t let it sap her strength as it ran its course. Instead, she rode the high like a surfer, using the excess energy to increase her body’s perception and speed as the dark shadows began crawling with movement around them.
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