"Damn it! Are you sure?”
“I don’t see him moving sir.”
“Well even with that crazed monster running about, we need to go see if he's okay," McAvoy said.
Rick agreed, and both men cautiously went over to check on Wells. As soon as they arrived, they realized there was nothing they could do to help; the grate had completely crushed his chest, damaging all the internal organs. Wells had died at the moment of impact. Rick stood there staring at Wells’s body as McAvoy bowed his head and whispered a prayer.
“You know he planned to retire after this mission and go back home to his wife and kid.” McAvoy sighed. “How in the world will I ever be able to tell his wife how he died?”
Rick put his hand on McAvoy’s shoulder.
“I don’t know how to answer that.” Rick replied.
“Nor do I. He was a good man; he deserved better than this.”
“I wish I could say that I knew Wells as good as the two of you did. However, I do know that he would have gladly given his life for any of us.”
“Yes, he would have. He will be missed.”
McAvoy leaned over and yanked off Wells’s dog tags.
"Can you help me drag Wells’s body over to the boulders where I was hiding near the sewer entrance? I'm pretty sure, for the time being, that he’ll be protected from that thing if we place his body over there."
"Yes, sir," Rick replied, bowing his head.
It was difficult with McAvoy's injury still causing him pain, but they eventually were able to half drag and half carry Wells’s body over to the boulders. Once they got there, McAvoy asked Rick to try to get Jacobson on the comm. Rick clicked on his comm and asked Jacobson for his current location.
Jacobson didn't respond.
McAvoy did a quick scan of the area and noticed an old abandoned gas station nearby. "Let's see if we can move Wells over to that gas station. Maybe they have an old freezer with a lock on it that we can put him in."
"But, sir . . . we . . . can't just . . . just," Rick stuttered.
"We won't be leaving him there for good. I promise that we will swing back this way on the way back and retrieve his body. There's no way in hell I am leaving him out in the open for the little beasts to feast on. Once we've retrieved his body, we’ll make sure he gets home."
Rick nodded grimly. They placed their dead companion’s arms over their shoulders and walked slowly across the open field towards the gas station. Halfway to their destination, an explosion rang out from within the clump of trees where Jacobson had last been seen. They turned and saw dirt and debris flying high into the sky.
Rick clicked on his comm again and pleaded for Jacobson to give a status report, no response came back. McAvoy shook his head, letting out a deep melancholy sigh, and his shoulders slumped a little more. Then he took a deep breath, and in an instant, the weariness and the burden Rick had seen moments before vanished from McAvoy's face to be replaced by a look of grim determination.
McAvoy locked eyes with Rick. "Chin up! We don't know what's going on over there, and we can't think the worse about Jacobson right now. He's a highly trained soldier and can certainly take care of himself. Right now, our priority is getting Wells’s body situated. Once we've accomplished that, then we can go back and search for Jacobson. Is that clear?"
Rick nodded and both men moved towards the gas station, trying to avoid anything that would snag on Wells’s dragging feet.
Rick remembered a time many years ago when he and Henry were on their way home from a movie and had accidentally stumbled upon one of their childhood friend, Lenny Kolwalski. Some punk had almost beaten the poor kid to death. The brothers carefully carried Lenny back home to his grandmother's house.
When they arrived, his grandmother was outside sweeping the steps in front of her home. As soon as she noticed the boys and the blood running down Lenny's shirt, she rushed into the house to search for something to attend to his wounds. Henry and Rick laid Lenny on the couch.
"Who did this to my little Lenny?" she asked.
The boys shrugged their shoulders.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Kolwalski,” Henry said. “We were coming home from a movie when we found Lenny bleeding and unconscious on the sidewalk."
She cleaned Lenny's wounds with iodine, causing him to moan. "I bet it was that Randall boy!" she said agitated. "He was here the other day arguing with Lenny. When I asked him what it was about, he said it was nothing."
Henry and Rick exchanged a concerned look. They knew that Steven Randall was bad news, and if he was responsible for Lenny's beating, then he was in serious trouble.
"Are you sure it was Steven Randall?" Henry asked.
"Yes, I'm sure it was the Randall boy. He's the one that always wears that stupid pink earring in his left ear and colors his hair that ugly purple color."
"Yeah, that's him," Rick replied.
Rick and Henry stayed long enough to make sure Lenny was okay and to do anything they could to help Mrs. Kolwalski. Once she had no longer needed them, they left and went out in search of Steven Randall. It had taken a couple of days, but they eventually found him. When they did, they made sure that Steven Randall would never cross paths with Lenny ever again.
Rick would never forget how they had lugged Lenny into his grandmother’s house unconscious, even more so now that he carried Wells’s body the same way.
Jacobson’s voice on the comm line jogged Rick out of his memory as Jacobson asked if he was there. McAvoy was busy reverently placing Wells’s body in the cold storage locker.
As soon as Rick responded, Jacobson interrupted. "Morgan, I've lost my visual on the thing. It's severely wounded, and I believe it's heading your way."
Rick spotted the creature crawling onto a melted truck in the field near the gas station. It had many bloody gashes along its torso and had no tail. It spotted Rick, and it stared at him with eyes full of hatred and a desire to tear him to shreds.
It swayed back and forth, trying to judge if it was ready to strike. It must have made its decision because it bared its fangs, bellowed a defiant roar that thundered across the valley, and leapt from its perch, charging towards Rick and McAvoy. Rick yelled back to the sergeant about the creature. McAvoy half ran, half limped up to Rick. He swung his rifle around with the efficiency of a trained soldier with years of practice. He clicked off the safety and fired directly at the creature's bleeding wounds.
Many of the bullets hit home, and the creature stumbled as bullet after bullet struck deep into its flesh, tearing through muscle and tissue. Rick watched in stunned amazement and then realized he was staring when McAvoy asked if he was going to just stand there and gawk. Rick apologized and again fired off several rounds at the creature.
Even with the downpour of bullets hitting him, the creature charged on with blood flowing from its multiple wounds. As both men fired upon the creature, it snatched up a rusty melted lump of metal that had once been a part of an automobile and heaved it towards the men. Rick jumped to the right and rolled out of the way of the metal missile while McAvoy dove to the left landing hard upon the ground. The metal missile bounced and rebounded on the ground for several yards until it came to a stop behind them.
Seeing that McAvoy struggled to rise, the creature launched itself towards him. McAvoy and Rick reloaded and opened fire on the creature again, trying to slow it down. The creature ignored the sting of bullets and charged forward. Rick's gun jammed, and he cursed as he tried to clear the chamber. McAvoy fired at the dodging creature until his magazine was empty. Frantically, he searched his pockets for another magazine.
The creature noticed its opening, so it turned and grabbed a hold of another twisted lump of metal near it and pulled with all its strength. The metal resisted at first. Its corded muscles tightened as it pulled harder, and eventually, the metal gave way, snapping apart. The creature lifted the twisted metal above its head, ready to throw it down upon McAvoy, crushing him. The creature looked down at McAvoy like a demonic agent who
had come to drag the sergeant down to hell.
Rick stood shouting for McAvoy to run while trying to find another magazine in his pack so he could reload his gun. He slammed his magazine into place, firing at the reptilian creature in order to draw its attention away from McAvoy. The hastily fired bullets ricocheted off the creature’s hide but still achieved their desired effect because it turned its head and focused on Rick, growling.
Rick tried to fire at an angle, hoping it would prevent the bullets from deflecting towards the sergeant.
"Come on, you ugly bastard!" he screamed. "Come get me!"
Rick could see the muscles in the creature’s arms twitching, begging for release as it held the large chunk of metal aloft. McAvoy shuffled away from the creature since Rick had its full attention. He climbed to his feet and ran towards the protection of the gas station but tripped and went tumbling to the ground, cursing in pain as his injured leg hit a rock when he fell.
The creature spun its head and caught McAvoy tumbling to the ground. Rick watched a toothy grin appear on the reptilian face. He cursed, knowing he had lost its attention and opened fire. The creature growled and launched the large metal missile at Rick, who dove to the side, barely avoiding it, and rolled to absorb most of the shock from hitting the hard ground.
He knew he had very little time before the creature would attack McAvoy, but when he got to his feet, he was met by the snarling creature. Rick lifted his rifle to fire, but it clamped its massive clawed hand upon the gun and wrenched it out of his grasp, flinging the stinging thing away.
Rick rushed to grab for his side arm, but the creature struck him hard with its other hand. The blow knocked the air from his chest and sent him flying several feet away. Dazed and confused, Rick tried to roll over and get to his feet before the creature advanced on him. But the creature loomed over him, its drool and blood dripping down upon him with its razor sharp teeth bare inches from his face.
Rick struggled to free his pinned arms but wasn't able to break the creature's hold on him. The creature hovered over him, savoring the anticipation of the kill and the sweet scent of fear that permeated from Rick. Rick stared up in horror as the saliva on the creature's knife-like teeth glistened in the meager light. Its long reptilian tongue moved smoothly over its teeth as it chortled in delight.
Several droplets of saliva dripped from its mouth, falling onto Rick's face as he struggled to get away. Somehow, he got one arm free, which he threw in front of his face. He knew the end was near, so he kicked up his knees as hard as he could and punched the creature in the face. The mutated reptile took the beating without flinching. It pulled back its massive head preparing to make the final strike that would end Rick's life. In that final moment, Rick lamented about Henry and how he hadn't taken the time to go see him the last time he was stateside. He regretted that he hadn't gone to a ball game, taken a girl out, or any of the other things he would miss now that his life was about to end.
Be ready to strike, he heard in the back of his mind. A massive chain whipped around the creature’s head, catching on its open jaw. Rick stared dumbfounded as the chain went taunt and the creature was yanked off him. Rick sat up and watched the thing flip about like a hooked fish, flinging up dirt as it passed. It fought against the pull of the chain but couldn’t stop from being dragged some distance and getting slammed into a large dented, rusted propane tank. Rick only then noticed Jacobson and McAvoy securing the chain to the tank.
Rick ran up to the other two men who hopped away from the thrashing creature.
"Thanks! I thought my bacon was cooked."
"Don't worry too much about it. I’m sure Jacobson here has a plan!"
They knew the chain would only hold the creature temporarily, so Jacobson hurried to explain his plan to Rick. All three of them leveled their rifles and opened fire on the creature, hitting its open wounds and thick hide, trying to keep it from regaining its footing. Some bullets struck home while others ricocheted off. Every time a bullet pierced the creature's armor, it let out a pain-filled cry that caused Rick to twinge, and the creature thrashed about even more desperately.
The rattle and hum of the gunfire permeated the air around Rick. Sparks flew from the many bullets that hit the chain or propane tank. The fear and panic that Rick had felt earlier melted away into pure and intense focus. All that mattered in this moment was that the creature had to die, or it would tear them apart. The creature strained to lunge forward only to have the chain pull painfully against its jaw.
Rick heard his name being yelled faintly in the distance. But it was too far away to pay attention to, so he fired again at the struggling monster. This freak of nature had killed Wells, and he'd be damned if it was going to take another one of them.
"Morgan!" McAvoy yelled, trying to get Rick's attention.
Rick continued to fire at the large reptile as it thrashed, clipping one of the links in the chain. The link cracked and loosened from the strain of the creature's thrashing.
McAvoy said, "Jacobson! We've run out of time; throw two of your grenades at the propane tank near that thing and then run like hell!"
"What about Morgan?" Jacobson asked.
"Don't worry about him. I'll make sure he's out of the way. Just throw them!" McAvoy slammed into Rick and forced him to the ground.
Jacobson grabbed two grenades, yanked the pins, and flung them towards the creature which twisted and turned while hissing in defiance.
Before they landed, he turned and ran as fast as his legs could carry him.
"Run!" he yelled.
Three seconds later the grenades exploded, creating a massive fulmination that enveloped the propane tank, which exploded moments after creating a gigantic column of fire. The concussion from the blast hit Jacobson, sending him and most of the nearby gas station flying for several yards before dropping them to the ground. Jacobson tucked and rolled when he hit the ground, trying to absorb as much of the shock as he could.
When he finally stopped rolling, he got to his feet and searched for his companions. It took a few moments for his vision to return, but when it did, he found McAvoy and Rick safely tucked behind a cluster of boulders. Doing their best to dodge out of the way of the chunks of earth, broken metal and smoldering reptilian body parts fell from the sky.
The fire raged on, doing its best to devour everything around it, while black smoke billowed up into the air, blotting out the last rays of the setting sun that pierced through the rent in the storm clouds.
Many miles away deep beneath the surface of the earth in a dark cavern where light rarely reached, the ground softly trembled. The faint tremble barely caused the ground to shake, yet some of the sand from the cavern floor shifted ever so slightly. The shift was enough to bring the Beast that now slept within the darkness out of its slumber.
It lazily opened a bloodshot eye, scanning the dark recesses of its lair searching for the disturbance. Only the darkness and gloom were present; nothing moved within the cavern. The great Beast strained to hear a heartbeat from whatever had dared to invade its home.
When it only heard the hiss and pop of the hot air forcing its way through the cracks in the floor, it wondered how long it had slept this time. It knew it hadn’t slept as long as it had before, not too long ago. The Beast straightened its long tail, reveling in the feeling of its muscles stretching as its tail uncoiled.
Sleep was glorious, especially in this cavern where it felt the pulses of energy that emanated from deep beneath the ground, fueling its power. The Beast had amassed many trophies and treasures, from the skulls of great reptilian creatures that had once roamed the land rivaling the Beast for dominance (the bones of creature's foolish enough to invade its lair) to the large bed of metals and gems that seemed to radiate with energy.
The Beast continued to search for what had awoken it as it mused over the many things that had happened throughout its long life. The gigantic reptile remembered a time just a few centuries ago when the spindly humans were still young. Back
then, they had gone after the Beast to slay it and others like it. Many of the foul humans had succeeded in slaying the weaker of its kind.
It gave a low gravely chuckle because it made its lair near the coast of a large island with few humans to worry about. There it had lived for centuries without any humans disturbing it until some fool and its mate had entered the Beast's lair while it slept. The impertinent humans dared to steal some of its cherished metals. They would have gotten away with it if one of the humans hadn’t dropped an ornate golden goblet.
The sound of treasure dropping to the ground provoked the Beast, waking it up. And when it saw the thieves, it let out a roar that could crumble mountains. Then it tapped into its power, causing the ground to give way and sink into the earth to where it now rested.
The Beast turned its massive head to see the pile of charred bones left behind by the mate of the thief. A small grumbling sound resonated in its throat as it remembered the pathetic human’s pleas. Even when faced with total and certain doom, the human hadn’t tried to fight for its own life; how wonderful it had been to smell the fear roll off that human.
The Beast ran its clawed hand along the ground as it stretched out its legs, wondering what had awoken it from its slumber. The tremor it had felt was nothing alarming and certainly wasn't earth shattering enough to pull it out of its dreams of death, destruction, and pure unadulterated chaos.
There it was again; drifting with the air currents was the scent of death and charred flesh. It was so delicate that the slightest movement destroyed it. The smell was so appealing that it caused the mighty Beast to breathe in deeply, hoping to pull in every glorious ounce of air through its flaring nostrils, where it could revel in the intoxicating aromas. Yes, this was something that the Beast needed to investigate. The creatures that normally roamed these lands were not capable of this type of destruction. Did some storm pass through without my knowledge? the Beast wondered. No, it could smell the storm coming, meaning it had not been caused by a lightning strike. Something caused this. Had the humans dared to return to the island?
The Shadow Above The Flames Page 12