The ugly creature leapt into the air and came down on top of one of the ISN soldiers. It snatched away the soldier’s AK-47 and sliced through his neck with one of its razor-sharp talons. The cut was so deep that the victim’s head fell back on his shoulders, and blood spurted out of the exposed neck stump like a fountain.
It thundered and rained with bullets.
The ISN opened fire first, a dozen soviet assault rifles chattering all at once, but the British soldiers were quick to add fire from their more modern combat rifles. The snarling creature reeled backwards. Chunks of flesh and dark red blood filled the air around it.
It hit the ground as dead as anything could be.
Silence fell upon the patch of Iraqi desert. Two opposing groups of men stood on opposite sides of a hill having just dispatched a mutual enemy. What had just happened confused everybody enough that the fighting ceased. Yet nobody dared break cover. Nobody dared lower their weapons.
The centre of the archway shimmered.
Another creature leapt out.
This time the soldiers were ready for it, and the creature was dead before its clawed feet settled on the ground. The ISN looked at its corpse, and then at one another. Fear and confusion adorned their faces. Tony had never seen Islamic extremists show fear of anything, but these men were shitting their knickers. To give them their due, not one of them tried to flee.
A dozen more creatures came through the gate.
Tony moved his finger back to his trigger but didn’t fire. He found himself staring. They were honest-to-God monsters: clawed feet, taloned hands, and vile, naked bodies—some of them even sported obscene, dangling tackle between their legs, while others had nothing. One of them spotted the British soldiers behind the hill and raced in their direction.
Tony lopped its leg off with a burst of rifle fire, then re-aimed and blew its head to smithereens. The things were fast. The creature had been leaping and bounding towards Tony like an angry gorilla, and if he had missed his shot, it would’ve been right on top of him. Within seconds, a handful of the ISN had been taken down in a merciless attack. The creatures were so fast it was impossible to aim at them quick enough to keep them back. They surged forward in a tide of deadly claws and teeth.
The Syrian rebels screamed as they began to fall.
Pushing through the border fence and encircling the base of the hill had brought death to the ISN soldiers. Their vehicles had been sitting just yards from the black stone when the gate had opened. The monsters had leapt out right on top of them.
“We need to help them,” said Ellis.
Tony shot him a glance. “What?”
“They’re being ripped apart by those monsters. We need to help them.”
“We need to get our arses out of here. They can go fuck themselves. We’ve lost men.”
“Yes, we have, but we will rescue the ISN soldiers anyway. We are better men, Staff Sergeant. We are British soldiers.”
Tony shook his head and cursed so loudly that the men heard it over the gunfire. “Fine, but the only chance we have is to head across the border into Syria. If we try to move off this hill back towards our vehicles, those things will head us off.”
“Fine.” Ellis got on his radio. “All men. On my command, we will abandon this hill and head for the breach in the fence. We are moving east into Syria until we can find a place to regroup. During our retreat, we will endeavour to assist the ISN forces below. They are assaulted by a common enemy and it is ignoble to use them as a screen for our escape. Over.”
Tony watched the men groan at the mention of helping the ISN, but he knew they would do as commanded. The way things were going, it might not even be an issue. There were hardly any ISN soldiers left to save. The creatures had made it amongst the vehicles and were rapidly slicing the terrified extremists to pieces. One creature spotted Tony peering over the hill at them, but he shot it in the face before it had a chance to warn its brothers.
“We need to move before they come for us.”
Ellis barked into his radio. “Men, on my word. Hold… hold… move!”
What was left of the British firing line crested the top of the hill and descended towards the border at a staggered sprint. They were met with no armed resistance, for the ISN were overwhelmed by the creatures. If there was any chance to aid them, it would have to be now.
Tony made a beeline for the bullet-battered ISN vehicles. One of the ISN soldiers saw his approach and took it as a threat, but before he had a chance to point his rifle, Tony shot him in the chest. He was there to help, but they were still enemy combatants, and if they pointed a gun at him they were going down. The flaring agony in his right shoulder made him firm about that.
Tony made it amongst the remaining ISN and shouted to get their attention. They glanced at him suspiciously, but he waved a hand of peace before any of them tried to shoot him. Eventually, they realised that the British soldiers were lining up behind them and adding their fire to the fight against the creatures. Together, the two groups of men were able to take out a dozen of the beasts in a single, quick, combined volley, and they were soon backing away towards the border fence.
Tony counted only three surviving ISN soldiers and a mere seven British soldiers—including him and Ellis. More than half the men on both sides were dead.
And the enemy were still coming.
The remaining men wove between the vehicles and broke into open ground where they all picked up speed towards the fence. Tony didn’t want the ISN at his back, so he fell back and brought up the rear. In doing so, he left himself vulnerable to attack from the creatures. Glancing back, he spotted an army taking shape.
He spotted something else.
The ISN’s van lay just ahead and lying in the dirt right beside its rear tyre, was the AGS-17 grenade launcher. Tony licked his lips and tasted grit. If he didn’t do something, the creatures would chase them right into Syria. He had to buy them all a head start. It was a sergeant’s job to look after his men.
Lieutenant Ellis spotted Tony as he ran in the wrong direction. “Anthony, what the blazes are you doing?”
“Not letting a big fuckin’ gun go to waste,” he shouted back.
He was just about to reach the fallen grenade launcher, when a creature leapt out in front of Tony from between two banged up Toyotas. He raised his rifle and placed a round right through its left eye, but by that time it had launched itself into the air. Its dead carcass came down right on top of him, and his injured shoulder raged with agony as he fell sprawling onto his back. It was all he could do just to kick the dead monster off of him and clamber away through the dirt.
More of the creatures raced towards him.
The other men continued their retreat towards the border.
He was alone.
The AGS-17 was two feet away. He scrambled on his belly and grabbed it. The heavy steel in his hands reignited his confidence, and he leapt to his knees and deployed the tripod so gracefully that he could have been playing music.
The first grenade rocketed straight into a creature’s face, and the massive explosion took out two more in the vicinity. All three creatures exploded in ludicrous gibs. Dirt blew into the air and peppered Tony’s face, but he barely felt it, too much in that quiet, focused place that all soldiers went to in the heat of battle. He was on his feet without even realising it and firing more grenades at wherever the creatures were most congregated. Whenever one of them got too close, he would pull up his rifle and let off a shot, before returning to the grenade launcher in his other hand. The recoil should have taken him off his feet, but the weapons were a part of him, and he tamed them like wild horses.
Creatures exploded all around him.
One of the Toyotas flipped and came down on its roof when a grenade exploded beneath its chassis. It crushed several creatures and caused many more to leap out of the way. Tony became a one-man army, wreaking destruction one grenade after another. His final volley hit the area in front of the gate and shredded a bunch of
creatures that had only just passed through. When the grenade launcher finally ran dry, at least three-dozen creatures lay dead or mangled. Their piggish squeals filled the air.
Tony caught his breath for a moment, taking in the heady scent of singed flesh and burning metal. He threw the empty AGS-17 down on the ground and turned heel to race towards the border and re-join his comrades. He’d bought them some time. Hopefully it was enough, because he had a feeling that this was an enemy that was just getting started.
PART TWO
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
--Winston Churchill
~GUY GRANGER~
Lower Bay, New York
All Guy could think about was Alice and Kyle. Since the mobile phone amnesty, the men aboard the Hatchet had been coming to him with horror stories from all over the country. His Airman, whose job it was to pilot the Jayhawk, had wept as he’d spoken of his hometown of Carmel, Indiana, which was besieged. His auntie and two cousins were already dead. There were similar reports from enlisted men hailing from Boston, Tallahassee, Newport, and Marietta. Everywhere with a black stone was under attack.
Which meant the whole of America was under attack.
It was Guy’s turn to make a call now, but he sat in his cramped quarters with his cell phone in his lap and hands shaking as he found himself unable to dial.
Just make the call, he told himself. You have a job to do, and this is the only chance you will get to speak to your family. Make the goddamn call, Guy. Find out if Kyle and Alice are okay.
He unlocked the phone and brought up his contacts. His hands shook, but he kept his forefinger straight enough to press his ex-wife’s name and start the call. He placed the phone to his ear and waited.
“Guy, is that you?”
“Nancy, are you okay?”
“No, I’m not okay. What’s going on? Brunswick is under attack. That’s only the next town over.”
“But Durham is okay?”
“Yes, I think so. The local police have gone to help in Brunswick, but things are okay here. They say those stones opened up some kind of gate and monsters are pouring through.”
“I think that’s correct,” he admitted, “I’ve seen the monsters. They’re real.”
“Oh God.”
“Nancy, where are Kyle and Alice? Are they with you?”
“No.”
“Jesus, where are they?”
“They’re in London. You know that.”
Guy’s eyes went wide as he realised. “Damn it. Their school trip was this week?”
“And all of next. I can’t believe you forgot. I suppose I should be used to it by now.”
“Nancy, I’m not calling for an argument. I want to know my family is safe, so just tell me. Are the kids okay?”
“Guy, I haven’t been able to reach them all day. The news said London is under attack.” She sobbed.
Guy almost dropped the phone. His hands shook. “Nancy, when did you speak to them last?”
“Yesterday. It was night time there, but around midday here. They were having fun; said they were going to visit Big Ben in the morning.”
That put Kyle and Alice in the heart of the city.
Guy closed his eyes and tried not to scream. “Okay, Nancy, don’t panic. Give me the details of where they’re staying and I’ll contact the U.S. embassy; see what I can do from here.”
“Thank you, Guy. Clark has tried to get in contact with the school, but hasn’t gotten anywhere.”
The mention of his wife’s lover dispelled some of Guy’s desperation and replaced it with anger. “Is Clark there with you now?”
“Yes, did you want to speak to him?”
“No! I mean, I don’t have anything to say to him. Just stay together and don’t leave home. Things are bad, Nancy, but at least it’s not everywhere. If Durham is okay, then stay put. I’ll try to find Kyle and Alice. Contact you as soon as I hear anything.”
“Thanks, Guy. You stay safe.”
“I always do.”
He ended the call and once again stared at the cell phone in his lap. Nancy was okay, and that was good, but nothing told him his children were safe.
There was a knock at the door.
When Guy opened it, he found Frank standing there.
“My aunt is gone,” he said. “I tried to get a hold of her, but a nurse at the local hospital answered the phone.”
Guy sighed. “I’m sorry, Frank.”
“Thank you. Have you got a hold of your kids? Nancy?”
“Nancy is okay, but Kyle and Alice are in London.”
“Their class trip?”
Guy huffed. “Now I really feel like an asshole. I forgot all about it, Frank. They’re stuck on the other side of the Atlantic, and Nancy can’t get hold of them. I… I don’t know if they’re okay.”
“Of course they are. I’ve never known a thirteen year old boy as grown up as your Kyle. He’ll be looking after Alice even as we speak. They’ll be okay.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I am. So what’s our next move, Captain?”
“We head for Norfolk, as commanded. We can refuel and get new orders.”
“Sounds like the smart move. You will have a problem on your hands though.”
Guy tilted his head. “What problem?”
“Begins with a T.”
“Tosco? What’s my second-in-command up to now?”
“Some of the men want to leave, go to their families. Tosco told them they could.”
“He said what? I’ll throttle him.”
Frank put his hand against Guy’s chest. “Just stay calm. You can control the situation best by making the most sense. Tosco’s just another demagogue who thinks you run a ship by pandering to your men.”
“Demagogue? Have you been studying the dictionary again?”
“Not a lot to do on board a ship but read. I’ll get the Hatchet moving again. Sooner we leave New York in our wake the better, if you ask me.”
Guy nodded agreement.
They marched up to the pilothouse where they found Tosco and a gathering of enlisted men. Guy was happy to see that none of his other officers had sided with Tosco and were all elsewhere, performing their duties. Tosco held his chin high and squared his shoulders as if he were about to put forward a great speech of noble cause.
Guy didn’t give him a chance to utter a single word. “I understand that some of you want to leave,” he said, wiping the smug expression from Tosco’s face as he took the upper hand and addressed the issue before it had a chance to be raised. Tosco would not get the opportunity to play hero and put forward the concerns of his men. “But I would remind you of why you are here: You are enlisted men of the United States Coast Guard. You are not trained killers, like the Navy. You are not merchantmen or fishermen. You sail the Seven Seas not as pirates. Every man and woman aboard this ship signed up to be a hero, and today we saved over thirty civilians from a terrible fate. For that, they will thank us for the rest of their lives. You probably think that earns you the right to disembark this ship and go searching for your families. Perhaps it does. Yet, I ask you to think carefully, because the moment you step off this ship, you cease being heroes at a time when the world needs heroes more than ever. As long as people are in need of help, it is our duty to stay aboard this ship and do what we signed up to do. Something terrible happened today, and our country is relying on us to minimise the damage. If we fail to protect our homeland, then what do our families even have left to live for? America is a country forged by brave men and women. The moment we stop fighting for our freedom is the moment we lose it. I, too, have a family, but I will remain aboard the Hatchet and do my duty. I ask you to do the same. We are heading to Norfolk, and there we will rearm and refuel. What will happen beyond that, I do not know, but I suggest that those of you that pray do so now. Pray for us all.”
Before anybody replied, Guy turned to Frank and gave his orders. “Sail us out of here, Chief Petty, and don’
t stop until I say so.”
~RICK BASTION~
Devonshire, England
Rick still had the injured woman in his arms, but now Sarah had passed out on the floor besides him. Keith was frantic trying to call Marcy while everyone else in the pub paced up and down. The news report said they were at war—not just Britain, but the entire world. Where had the creatures come from? What did they want? Was it all some kind of media conspiracy? Other than what he’d seen on the news, Rick had witnessed none of it for himself. He’d walked to the pub only two hours before, and it had been a normal evening. It wasn’t until this injured woman had collapsed in front of the bar he saw anything wrong first hand.
“The paramedics are here,” somebody said, and Rick looked up to see a man and woman entering. Both wore green NHS jumpsuits, and were quick to rush over to help. There was no mistaking the haunted look in their eyes.
“What happened to her?” The female paramedic asked as she started examining the unconscious woman.
“I have no idea,” said Rick. “She just ran into the pub and fell down.”
“Something bad is going on,” said Keith. “It’s all over the news. My wife isn’t answering her phone. Something’s happened.”
“We know,” said the male paramedic, whose bald head was slick with sweat.
“What do you know?” asked Rick. “Anything we don’t?”
“This woman is dead.” The female paramedic said. She went to stand up. “We can’t help her.”
“What? You haven’t even tried,” said Rick.
“She has no heartbeat. I’m sorry. Usually, we might try to do something, but we had another seven emergencies called in on our way here. We’re the only ambulance in the area, and we have to spend our time where it can do most good. This woman has been dead too long.”
Rick looked down at the woman whose head he’d been holding for fifteen minutes and saw the truth of it. The amount of blood that’d leaked from her chest had formed a massive puddle on the wooden floor beneath her, and her arms were the colour of chalk. She was cold.
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