by Jacob Rayne
Abbott managed to pull the weapon free after an age and he ducked as Cormac turned the minigun his way.
He pressed the bolt gun to the back of the creature’s head and pulled the trigger. The torrent of blood that was released by the impact was nothing short of spectacular.
The creature’s legs released Mark. Abbott pulled the creature’s twitching carcass off Mark’s chest and helped him to his feet.
Mark was gibbering in a high-pitched voice, his face pale with blood loss and shock.
Abbott dragged him forward as the minigun raked their position, smashing holes in the tunnel walls but doing nothing to damage the creatures that were closing in.
Abbott grinned as it seemed the creatures were mostly occupied with Cormac’s men.
He turned to see one of them hurl itself onto the jeep, smashing in the front bonnet. Its jaws clamped shut on one of the men’s heads, bursting it like an overripe tomato. Gore rained down on Cormac, but he kept his cool and plunged his bolt gun into its forehead and killed it stone dead.
The rest of the creatures seemed to resent the death of their kin and charged the jeep. Cormac, clearly having his brother’s talent for self-preservation, turned the jeep in a wide U-turn and set off back to base.
‘Let’s get out of here,’ Abbott said, pulling Mark along with him.
The majority of the creatures set off after the jeep, startling Abbott with how close they came to catching the speeding vehicle.
Abbott ran, pulling Mark with him. The screeches of the creatures slowly faded into the distance.
Thompson felt reenergised, like he could run for miles without stopping to even take a breath.
He crawled through the tunnels at a relentless pace, stopping only to backhand the dripping sweat and blood from his brow.
He had been given a mission – to liberate his kin – and he would die before he let anyone get in his way.
Upon seeing Duggan’s text, Hennessee cursed and sat up in his bed. He felt as though he’d been slugged in the gut. He dressed in a hurry, grabbed his gun from the nightstand and raced to the station where he called together as many of his colleagues as possible.
From Duggan’s message, and what Stan Coache had said, he surmised that there were a few points where the mutants could enter the town.
Stan Coache’s story about the trapdoors had puzzled him, until he’d had a good look through the town records and noticed the manhole covers placed close to the electric fences for maintenance.
A thorough study of the map revealed that there were three of the covers on the inner perimeter of the fences. Duggan had reported that he’d entered the tunnel system from Finn’s house, so that left a fourth point to guard.
‘Ok, Benson, Hodge, you guard the westernmost trapdoor. Mason, you’re with me on the middle one. Reynolds, you and Harzinger take Finn’s house. Grey and Franz, you’re on the easternmost trapdoor. Eyes peeled. I don’t need to remind you of how much trouble Finn caused in the station, do I?’
They all shook their heads. Hennessee handed each of them a riot gun, some ammo and a torch.
‘Now, remember Duggan is down there, so make sure it’s not him before you shoot. If you see anything other than him down there take it out. Any questions?’
‘Can anyone cover my shift tonight for me?’ Benson sniggered.
The others tried not to laugh with varying degrees of success.
Hennessee silenced all of them with a glare. ‘Get your heads in the game, this thing will tear all of us a new asshole if it gets chance.’
Hennessee and Mason had been in position by the manhole cover for almost ten minutes when Hennessee’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He hoped it was Duggan to say he’d gotten out safely, but was disappointed to see it was Benson.
‘It’s Hodge, Sir,’ Benson said, sounding panicked. ‘He’s vanished.’
‘How the hell has he managed that?’
‘He was guarding the manhole cover.’
‘I know that,’ Hennessee cut in. ‘You were supposed to be with him.’
‘I was, but nothing was happening, so I went for a walk to see if I could see anyone by the fences. Thought that would have been more use than standing around with my thumb up my ass. When I got back, Hodge was gone.’
‘Ah, for crying out loud. I’m on my way over. Do not leave your post and look lively. You might be next.’
He hung up and shook his head, furious. He quickly called the others to make sure they weren’t slacking off too then set off running for the westernmost trapdoor.
When Hennessee got to the trapdoor, Benson was looking sheepish. Hennessee tried not to lose his temper but couldn’t help it.
‘How could you be so stupid?’ he asked.
Benson hung his head, knowing anything he said would only be fuel for the flames.
‘Do you have any idea how fucking dangerous these things are?’
Benson nodded gravely.
‘Well why the hell did you leave an inexperienced officer alone at the scene of a potential attack?’
Benson said nothing.
‘These things can rip a man’s head off with their bare hands. We need to be alert at all times. If anything happens to the fences this town is fucked. I’m not even exaggerating. Completely fucked.’
Benson apologised without meeting his gaze.
‘I’m concerned, Benson. I’ve seen what these things can do. I don’t want them getting loose in town. Please, be vigilant. Now, I need you to go in that hole and see if Hodge is there.’
Benson shuffled on the spot. ‘Ok, since it was my fuck up.’
Sighing, he peered into the darkness then climbed in.
Hennessee heard him gagging and looked down into the hole.
Benson looked up, ashen-faced.
‘He’s here, Sir. Or most of him is, anyway.’
Then he threw up.
‘Jesus wept,’ Abbott said, clawing breath into his blazing lungs. ‘Those things are even worse than the mantises.’
Mark nodded. His eyes were bulging almost out of their sockets. His leg was still oozing with thick dark blood.
‘Soon as we get back to the shelter I’m gonna take a look at that,’ Abbott said.
Mark didn’t respond other than letting out a pained moan.
‘Your dad is not gonna be happy at me,’ Abbott frowned.
At the rock pile, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that there didn’t seem to be any of the creatures around.
‘Spoke too goddamn soon,’ he muttered upon hearing a screech from behind them.
He turned and saw one of the spider creatures moving along the tunnel roof towards them.
He shoved Mark onto the rock pile and started running up himself.
They were just getting into the hole when the creature screeched and started climbing up behind them. Its many legs sent rocks skittering down from the surface of the pile.
Abbott doubled his efforts, hauling himself through the gap at a furious pace.
Mark was moving quickly, but every time he knocked his injured ankle he let out a cry and slowed down.
‘Grit your teeth and get through here, boy,’ Abbott shouted. ‘Cos the pain you’re feeling now is nothing compared to if that thing gets a hold of ya.’
Mark obeyed but the pain was too intense.
Abbott cursed as he saw the creature haul itself into the gap with ease, its eight limbs propelling it forward at a pace they had no hope of matching.
Its slavering jaws were gleaming in the dim light. Hunger blazed in its eyes.
It let out a high squeal as it drew closer.
A long black tongue rasped up Mark’s leg, savouring the taste of the blood, murderous foreplay before it climbed on top of him and tore his throat apart.
Abbott’s boot slammed into one of the creature’s eye clusters.
It let out a pained cry and froze for a few seconds.
‘Come on,’ Abbott grunted, dragging Mark through the pile.
I
t was nigh on impossible to pull due to the low ceiling, but he did his best. He knew they didn’t have long before the creature recovered.
He managed to get Mark in front of him and cursed as he felt prickly hairs rub against his leg. A clawed appendage wrapped round his ankle and started to drag him back.
The shock made him sit up and smash the back of his head into a jagged piece of concrete. The anger from this gave him strength enough to lash out with his other foot.
The blow caught the creature on one of its finger joints and made it retract its grip.
Abbott began to crawl, ignoring the jagged concrete shards that dug into his belly and drove the breath from him. Ignoring the dust that clogged his airwaves and made even breathing an ordeal.
The creature’s cries echoed in his ears and made him start to panic. He pushed it back, using his years of experience.
‘I didn’t fight my way out of ’Nam to end up in your heathen belly,’ he hissed and fired off a burst from his magnum.
The high-calibre rounds put a few small holes in the creature’s armoured carapace, but he got the impression he’d done little other than annoy it.
The bolt gun was trapped against the rocks. Frantic, he pulled, trying to free it before the sinister apparition was close enough to touch him again.
He shouted to Mark but the kid seemed to be in his own little world.
Grunting, he started prising rocks out from around the weapon.
The creature’s arm wrapped under his belly and started to pull him back with a force he found terrifying.
He managed to get the bolt gun loose but the gap was too tight to turn it round. Once again, his knife was his saviour. He dug it into the creature’s arm and started twisting for all he was worth. Once again the creature let go with a howl that was equal parts anger and pain.
Aiming for the undamaged eye cluster, he launched a savage assault. At least if it was blind it might be slowed a little.
His knife burst the central orb with a sickening squelch, spraying him with thick black goo. The stench of the liberated fluid clung to his nostrils and throat.
He stabbed out again, sinking the knife deep into the eye cluster. More gore jetted out. The creature let out a cry that for the first time made it sound like it was in genuine pain.
He stabbed a final time, sinking the knife up to the hilt and giving it a savage twist before turning and scrabbling for the other end of the gap. The creature cupped its front two hands to its ruined eyes and let out a low howl.
‘Now or never,’ Abbott grunted and set off up the tunnel with renewed vigour.
When he looked behind him, the creature was still holding its gushing eye clusters, looking human for the first time.
He struggled on, finally reaching the end of the rock pile. He cursed as he realised he had left the bolt gun among the rubble. The creature was following him now but it was much slower than before.
‘Took the wind outta your sails, ya freak,’ he muttered.
Then he was sliding down the rock pile on his belly. The creature was high above him, moving awkwardly, its two front pairs of limbs searching blindly for obstacles.
He almost burst into laughter as it tripped and fell down the incline, slamming its head off the rocks and letting out a chittering cry.
Its grim appearance took the funny side off it. Also, Mark was lying on the floor, his eyes rolled back in his head, bloody foam coming out of his mouth.
Abbott looked from the stunned creature to Mark. He wanted to finish it, put it out of its misery, but Mark looked in a really bad way.
He left the creature where it lay and ran to Mark. Then he picked him up and started running towards the shelter.
Thompson had already reached the place where the tunnels forked off. They narrowed up here, became claustrophobic, full of oppressive darkness. He couldn’t wait to complete his transformation and banish all these human weaknesses from his mind.
The thought of the glory that his new family would bestow on him when he managed to find a way into the town helped him to push these fears to the back of his mind as he continued his journey.
Benson and Hennessee hauled Hodge’s body out of the hole. He looked like he’d been savaged by a wild animal; his face and upper arms were all chewed away, exposing gleaming, blood-slicked bone. His mouth was open in an eternal scream, blood still gushing down his lips and chin.
‘Ok,’ Hennessee said. ‘Get your ass out of there before it does the same to you.’
He closed Hodge’s bulging eyes with a deft flick of his hand and pulled his phone out.
Upon hearing the news from Chief Hennessee, Mason had decided to get in the hole and wait. He knew it was likely the creature would come straight up and thus into his section of the tunnel, so he was ready.
Hennessee appeared after the call. He stood above, looking down into the hole and watching the surrounding area.
‘Son of a bitch wants to try me on for size,’ Mason said, cradling his riot gun.
The small groups of cops were gathered around their respective spots, each tensed and ready for action. Mason still crouched in the hole, aiming his gun into the darkness ahead of him.
‘I’m gonna bag this son of a bitch personally,’ Mason said.
Hennessee rolled his eyes. Having seen the devastating power of the creatures first-hand, the chief doubted that a mere gun blast would put one down. He neglected to tell Mason this though, at the risk out of scaring the shit out of the poor bastard.
An eerie silence fell upon them. The calm before the storm, Hennessee thought.
A few minutes into the silence, Mason reeled back, screaming. He struggled to aim his gun, then he fell backwards, catching his head on the wall of the tunnel.
‘Holy shit, it’s here,’ Reynolds said.
Mason screamed again, a horrible, agonised sound. His eyes were wide and staring.
‘Get him out,’ Hennessee roared, grabbing one of Mason’s arms and pulling for all he was worth. Benson helped and they pulled Mason out of the hole. His legs were missing from halfway up his thighs, ragged stumps that pissed blood.
Already, Reynolds was aiming his gun down into the hole, searching for the creature. He circled frantically. Two glinting orange eyes appeared in the gloom.
He fired, the muzzle flash lighting up a hideous snarling face that looked strangely familiar. Then it was gone.
Reynolds had one leg in the hole when Hennessee dragged him back by the collar. ‘Are you insane?’ the chief hissed. ‘That thing’ll tear you in half before you even pull the trigger.’
Mason let out another agonised scream.
‘Someone call a goddamn ambulance,’ Hennessee shouted, poking his head over the mouth of the hole.
He detected movement in the darkness, then something bloody hit him in the face. He let out a cry of dismay when he realised that it was one of Mason’s legs.
Something that sounded very much like laughter drifted up from the hole. Hennessee threw the leg off him, wiped the blood off his face and fired a few wild shots into the gloom.
‘You bastard. Come up here and I’ll blow your fucking head off,’ Hennessee shouted into the hole.
There was no reply; the creature had gone.
Hennessee had peered into the hole again, shining Benson’s torch down. He knew it wouldn’t have gone far.
They were close to one of the electric controls and he felt sure the creature wouldn’t give it up without a fight.
He called for reinforcements (making sure the other men stayed at their posts to avoid leaving anywhere unguarded) and made sure everyone knew the full gravity of the situation.
Benson and one of the new guys, Russell, suggested that they laid down in the tunnel, so they could see when the creature made its reappearance.
Hennessee was against it, but he respected their balls – especially Benson who had seen what the creature had done to Mason. He guessed Benson still felt guilty about his part in Hodge’s death and wanted to mak
e amends.
He warned them that they’d be attacked fast and hard.
They assured him they’d go down with the ship if it came to that.
Grudgingly he let them do it.
They lay on their bellies in the cold dirt, shotguns pointing down the tunnel away from town. Their torch beams lit up at most ten feet of the tunnel. Every noise seemed magnified by the eerie echo in the cold darkness.
Both cops were glad of the other’s company. They just hoped they got chance to kill this thing before it tore them limb from limb.
Sadie was startled out of her reading of the document by fists braying on the door. The familiar fury of Abbott’s voice came through faintly too.
She opened the door and helped Abbott to carry Mark inside.
‘Shit, is he ok?’ she asked, upon seeing his glassy-eyed stare and the bloody foam that still coursed from between his blue lips.
‘I don’t think so. Sure as fucking shit doesn’t look it.’
‘What happened?’
‘These spider things came out of the fucking woodwork. There were fucking boatloads of ’em. One of them sunk its unholy fangs into the boy’s leg and a few minutes later he was like this.’
‘I wonder if he’s been poisoned?’ one of the cops mused.
‘No shit, Sherlock,’ Abbott said. ‘How do we stop it?’
Sadie quickly indexed the document that Blake had sent her. ‘It says here that there is an antidote. But it’s just as likely to kill him.’
‘Shit bags,’ Abbott grunted. ‘His dad is gonna fucking kill me.’
As Russell and Benson lay, cold and terrified, in the tunnel, they heard a noise off in the distance. It sounded like a sharp object being scraped on a stone. They glanced at each other.
‘This is it,’ Benson said.
The scraping noise got closer. They couldn’t see the creature in the dark, although they could hear its heavy breathing. It seemed like it was just out of the reach of the torch beam.
‘Shit,’ Russell whispered, seeing a pair of orange eyes appearing out of the dark.