Burden of Sisyphus (Brink of Distinction book #1)

by Jon Messenger

  ***

  Nova and Yen hurried up the road, quickly covering the distance. They slowed as they approached the area, pulling out flashlights to search dark corners. With the sun setting, the shadows grew deeper, blurring details. Their flashlights panned across the side of the street, searching for the signal Halo saw.

  “There,” Yen hissed, his heart like a lump in his throat.

  Nova followed the flashlight beam and saw it. Behind a dumpster, partially hidden from view, a gray-skinned creature huddled as if hiding.

  Nova moved around the street for a better view. Slowly, the creature came into better perspective. Splayed out on the sidewalk, partially concealed by the alley behind it, lay a Seque. Seemingly unharmed, it had its two elongated arms tucked firmly under its long, narrow jaw. The squat back legs, which gave a Seque an unnatural gait when it ran on its legs and the knuckles of its long arms, were spread out behind it.

  Its thick, gray skin glistened in the setting sunlight. That light also captured its saucer-like eyes. Exceptionally wide and overdeveloped cheekbones extended from its broad nose to its disproportionately small ears. It looked at her in fear, mewling softly.

  Nova lowered her flashlight and chuckled as she approached the Seque. Her nervousness fled as she realized how worked up she’d been over one of the planet’s beasts of burden. Standing a few feet away, after visually confirming the Seque wasn’t injured and nothing else hid behind it, she activated her throat mike.

  “False alarm, Sir,” she said, a bit of mirth in her voice. “It’s just a Seque.”

  “Nova, move!” Yen shouted, as waves of hostile energy washed over him.

  Nova turned back in time to see the Seque rise on all fours and push off from the ground to stand on its back legs. At its full height of nearly twelve feet, it towered over the Uligart female. The Seque bellowed in rage as it slammed its clawed fists against its chest. Looking down at the stunned woman, it opened its mouth in a snarl to reveal rows of jagged teeth.

  Nova broke from her stupor as the Seque swung its arm in a wild backhand. Sharp claws passed inches from her head as she ducked and rolled to the right. The second arm came down in a crushing blow that cracked the concrete.

  Rolling back to her feet, she set her shoulders and drove the spear forward. Clutching its clawed hand in pain, the Seque didn’t move. The spear split the skin of its chest and slid all the way through its body until the tip jutted from its back.

  Nova expected the creature to tumble to the ground, dead or dying. Instead, she was stunned when it looked at the protruding spear and thick, green blood that oozed from the wound, then turned back toward her. Opening its mouth wide, it yelled in rage and pain.

  Ignoring the spear it stepped forward, covering the distance with its short legs and pushing Nova backward. She fumbled with the spear but it remained solidly lodged in the creature’s chest.

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” she said through clenched teeth as it tried to step forward again. With the spear embedded in its chest, she remained just beyond reach of those long arms. “Shoot him!” she shouted at Yen.

  Yen pulled his rifle free and fired over her head. The sounds slammed into the Seque’s chest with little effect. Many of the bullets were still visible to Nova, having been stopped by the abnormally thick hide. Snarling at Yen, the Seque pushed forward another step.

  “Fine!” Nova snapped. “You want to do it the hard way?” Her forearms strained. “Why don’t you just burn?”

  Reaching down the shaft, she pressed a concealed button. One million volts of electricity charged down the shaft and electrocuted the Seque impaled on the end. Its head threw back in shock and the body writhed in uncontrollable spasms. Spittle flew in sheets from its lips.

  Around the spear tip the skin smoldered and turned black. The scent of cooked meat filled the air as flesh boiled away, cracking in the heat. With froth on its lips, the Seque pitched forward. The spear shaft ripped from Nova’s hands and fell like a victory flag, sticking straight up from the Seque’s body.

  Nova turned as Vance and Ixibas finally arrived. With her free hand she pushed disheveled hair from her face, her breath coming in labored gasps. Though fear slowed the event to a seeming eternity for her, the fight lasted less than thirty seconds.

  “What the hell?” Vance asked, seeing smoke rise from the dead Seque behind Nova.

  “It attacked me,” she said breathlessly, seeing disbelief in Vance’s eyes. “I know what you’re thinking but it attacked me. It had strange sharpened claws and pointed teeth. It stood on its hind legs, for crying out loud! How many Seques have you seen do that?’

  Vance turned toward Yen, who met his gaze with a disbelieving expression.

  “Don’t look at me for answers,” Yen said. “She’s telling the truth. I never saw anything like it.”

  “This could be our culprit, Sir,” Ixibas said. “It’s big enough to….”

  He stopped in midsentence. Though his face remained expressionless, the looks of disbelief on Yen and Vance’s faces told her what she needed to know. She heard a wrenching sound behind her as her spear was pulled free from the tough Seque hide. Slowly, a dark shadow was cast over her. She didn’t bother turning. Instead she locked eyes with her teammates, her eyes pleading for salvation as they moved in apparent slow motion.

  Vance and Yen raised their rifles to their shoulders and fired a volley into the second Seque. The twelve-foot beast, straddling the corpse of its fallen comrade, was unfazed by the gunfire. It clutched the spear tightly in its hands and drove it into Nova’s spine.

  She staggered a few steps forward with the force of the blow. The tip of the spear jutted three feet beyond her stomach, leaving the haft buried in her. She tried to speak but blood spilled from her lips, dribbling down her chin before falling to the ground.

  Crouching, the Seque hid as much of itself as it could behind Nova’s lithe frame. Yen and Vance held their fire for fear of hitting her. Her eyes pleaded, begging an end to the pain, when the Seque slowly withdrew the spear until the tip was back in Nova’s abdomen. She wretched a mixture of bile and blood onto the sidewalk.

  “Ainj,” Vance said softly, “tell me you have a shot at it.”

  “I….”

  “Ainj,” he said sterner, “tell me you have a shot.”

  “I don’t.” His voice was thick with emotion. “The son of a bitch has her in my way.”

  “Listen to me closely. I want you to shoot through her.”

  “No,” he whispered into the radio. “I can’t.”

  “She’s already dead, Ainj. Look at how she’s suffering. Take the shot!”

  “I can’t!” he screamed.

  Nova’s legs felt like led. She wanted to slump to the ground and feel the cool concrete on her face but the Seque kept the spear taut. Though her legs were becoming useless, the spear tip in her stomach kept her upright.

  The Seque ignored the argument between her teammates and leaned close to Nova’s ear. In a guttural voice, it muttered gibberish in her ear as if trying to form unfamiliar words. Backing away, it slid its hand down the shaft until it found the concealed button.

  Though she already lost most of her blood and was near death, her screams erupted through the silent city, as one million volts poured through her body. Her skin, not as resilient as the Seque’s, boiled away from the spear. Cracking, it spouted jets of burning bile. Her eyes rolled up in their sockets before they ruptured in the heat. Her hair danced wildly before bursting into flame.

  Three high-caliber rounds slammed into the Seque. The first tore through Nova’s body, ending her suffering and catching the Seque’s shoulder. Muscle and bone exploded from it and the Seque dropped the spear and Nova’s body. Its right arm hanging useless at its side, it looked up sympathetically as the second round struck its left hip.

  The Seque spun and collapsed to the ground. With its good arm, it tried to push itself to a seated position, mewling like an injured pet. The last round, fired through tear-filled e
yes, caught the side of the Seque’s face. Bone, muscle, and brain matter vaporized in fine, green mist that coated the alley wall. It fell atop its brethren, finally dead.

  Vance’s radio was alive with chatter but he didn’t hear it. Unable to pull his eyes from the charred, mutilated corpse of his teammate, he felt the weight of leadership pressing down on his chest. Laboring for air, he fought the urge to vomit.

  A dark, clawed hand settled on his shoulder, breaking him from his stupor. “Halo’s calling,” Ixibas said. “It sounds important.”

  Vance activated his microphone, trying to keep his voice from shaking. “Go ahead, Halo.”

  “Michael,” Halo said, panic evident in her voice, “switch to thermals.”

  “What am I looking for?” He lowered his helmet visor. Switching to thermals was as simple as pressing a button. In the fading twilight, the city should’ve appeared in dark shades of blue with most of the day’s heat expended. Instead, the entire city glowed a bright red.

  “Please tell me those are our people,” he whispered.

  “No.” Halo’s voice shook. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. The whole city’s alive. Whatever you did, the Seques are awake and they’re everywhere.”

  “Give me a way out of here now!” He hurried back toward Dallis and Decker. Since his communications were being broadcast to the entire force, he wasn’t surprised to see panic mirrored on their faces.

  “You aren’t listening, Michael,” Halo said. Though she was incapable of crying anymore, she sounded near tears. “There’s no way out. You’re already surrounded.”