by Roadbloc
“We need support down here! Echo team need support. We are trapped and surrounded by... ...ings! Just get someone down here okay? Is anyone God-damn listening!?”
Johnston raised his loaded weapon, “Jaiden? What is going on here?”
Jaiden didn’t respond, just stepped closer to Johnston, revealing his blood-stained teeth as he did so. The light from the CRT monitors flickered, light bouncing off Jaiden’s gnawed and blood soaked face.
“Jaiden, you’re scaring me now,” said Johnston, trying to remain firm, but his voice wavering, “If you don’t tell me what is going on I will have to shoot you.”
Jaiden stepped closer.
“I asked if there was anyone there!? Please, someone! Send help down here we need- aaagghhh!! OhmyGod- Aggghgh! Agggghhhggghhhh! AAAAAAAGGGHHHH!”
Johnston painfully listened to the screams of agony down the com-link as a very mangled Jaiden approached menacingly. He raised the emergency weapon just a little more, indicating that he was prepared to shoot.
“Jaiden, this is your final warning,” coughed Johnston, but as he did so, his eyes glanced to the CRT monitors, showing live images of the horrors that were occurring around the facility. He focused on one screen, a guy in his office pointing his emergency weapon at something that slightly resembled his former college Jaiden, whom was approaching slowly due to a damaged leg. Whatever had happened, Jaiden was no longer in existence. Jaiden had been possessed, drugged or something and now had a reasoning guy, half-heartedly pointing his emergency weapon at him, pretty much cornered in his own office and delivering pleading threats as though the employment hierarchy would have the slightest effect on what had just happened. Johnston just wanted the guy on the screen to save himself and shoot Jaiden’s body.
Without thinking, attempting to mentally block the screams of pain from his colleagues over the com-link, Johnston squeezed on the trigger.
There was an ear shattering crack as the weapon fired its shells. Without knowing how, Johnston found himself sat back on the floor below the shelf, gripping the weapon with dear life. The shells had hit Jaiden’s torso, but hadn’t had much of an effect. Johnston had stumbled backwards with shock as he pulled the trigger and fallen on the floor.
Jaiden was still limping towards him, bearing his teeth violently, blood pouring from his mouth. He screamed violently at Johnston, as though angry that he had been shot again. It was a blood curdling scream, making the hairs on the back of Johnston’s neck stand to attention. The scream hadn’t felt human. There was an underlying, undying resonance to it.
“Shoot them in the head! Shoot the possessed in the head! It makes them stop! I repeat, shoot the possessed in the head!”
Someone was screaming down the com-link to shoot ‘the possessed’ in the head. Johnston was pretty certain Jaiden was now one of ‘the possessed.’ Without another thought, his hands trembling as he did so, Johnston aimed the best he could at Jaiden’s head and fired again.
There was nothing but a dull click. A dead man’s click.
Johnston cursed loudly as he remembered that the emergency weapon needed reloading after every shot. Scrambling up, Johnston spat painfully from terror and brushed his hands along the shelves, hoping to come into contact with some shells.
Too little too late.
Jaiden grabbed Johnston with enormous power and tried to take a bite out of him. Johnston could almost taste the blood on Jaiden’s breath, as he resisted, pushing Jaiden’s violently biting mouth away.
However, Jaiden appeared to be far too strong for Johnston. His teeth were getting closer and closer to Johnston’s neck, his mouth fangs ready to savour the taste of Johnston’s flesh. Johnston looked into his eyes. They were still glazed over, misty and unfocused. However they had a certain determination in them. A deep desire. A desire to feed upon anything possible.
Jaiden’s teeth were now horrifyingly close to Johnston’s neck. Johnston squeezed out tears of terror, his eyes attempting to focus with Jaiden’s, ignoring the flickering red light and the panic pouring out of his ear piece from the com-link.
Johnston had no idea what inspired him to do what he did next. But it saved his life from being eaten alive or being turned into whatever Jaiden was. It might have been some sort of reflex that his body made against the thought of almost certain death, or perhaps simply his brain forced his body into auto drive as his mind was panicking. Either way, Johnston was not sure what happened to make him do what he did.
“Aggghhh! These things just never stop!”
With as much force as he could muster, Johnston rammed his fingers into Jaiden’s eyes. Squelch.
For some reason he was expecting a scream of pain from the possessed Jaiden, and was quite taken aback when it didn’t come. Instead there was a stunned silence, apart from the cries of pain and yelling for help from the com-link.
Slightly disgusted, Johnston slowly pulled his fingers out of Jaiden’s now non-existent eyeballs. Squelch two. As he did so, in the ever flickering white and red light of malfunctioning equipment, Jaiden’s grip on him loosened.
“I knew we shouldn’t have gone off schedule! What the hell is this mess?”
They both stood there, stunned, for around half a second. It was the longest half second of Johnston’s life as his mind processed what had just happened. It didn’t take long for him to work it out. Jaiden was now blinded now. He couldn’t see. Or at least, what possessed him couldn’t see.
Rushing back to the metal shelves, Johnston grabbed the emergency weapon, pulled out two shells and reloaded. Jaiden was now furiously flailing around, blind to the environment around him, thrashing angrily around trying to find Johnston.
Johnston raised his loaded weapon and fired. Luck was on his side. The shells blew off half of Jaiden’s head and he was propelled into Johnston’s control desk in a shower of blood. The CRT monitors were still sparking, the lights were still shining and flickering red. Johnston wondered what to do next.
“Sierra Alpha Jacob to all interior staff. We are under attack from an unknown enemy source. All staff are advised to arm themselves with an emergency weapon, usually located at the back of industrial unit cabinets. Permission to fire upon suspected enemies granted, providing doing so will not compromise or damage any of the facilities equipment or machinery. You are all ordered to regroup at the entrance hangar. Staff are reminded to keep the com-links clear, so vital communication is possible.”
Despite the mess up, Jacob’s voice still sounded smug, arrogant and obnoxious. Johnston hated it.
“This is all your fault you know Jacob. We should have never deviated from the schedule,” said Johnston over the com-link before coughing violently.
“Sierra Alpha Jacob to Sierra Charlie Johnston. Your opinions have been noted and you are reminded that com-link etiquette is still enforced and to be maintained in an emergency. In case you haven’t noticed, we have a colour code red. You know what to do, send the transmission. The exterior appear unaware of the colour code.”
“I couldn’t give a crap about com-link etiquette, you’re gonna have your balls on a plate if we get out of this,” spat Johnston down his ear piece, “And what do you mean the outside are unaware? Have the exterior lights failed again?”
“Apparently so. That is why it is imperative you take the transmission card to the CRT terminal in the communications office before we either meltdown or the possessed convert us all.”
“Johnston?” it was Josh, “I’m coming with you. By yourself you’re bound to fail, no offence.”
“Sierra Alpha Jacob to Sierra Bravo Josh, you will do nothing of the sort. You will regroup with the rest of us at the hangar.”
“Oh shut up Jacob,” said Johnston down the com-link, “You lost all authority when you created this mess. Regroup those who aren’t possessed and for God’s sake try to keep them alive. Josh, get to my office, you’re coming with me. I want this over with, I need some tobacco.”
“Almost there.”
When
Josh reached Johnston’s office, he looked an awful mess. He was covered in blood, had several nasty scratches down his face and was limping slightly. Johnston had prepared himself, putting his box of shells in his jacket pockets so they were easily accessible. He had put the transmission card in a secure pocket.
“I’ve only got sixteen bullets left,” said Johnston.
“They’re called shells,” said Josh, “I’ve only got six.”
“Any idea what has caused this mess? Was it a resonance cascade?”
“Wouldn’t put it past it,” said Josh, “Either way, as my twelve year old nephew would say, this crap just got real. I smell a cover up coming.”
Johnston coughed, “C’mon, all we need to do is send this damned transmission. Them damned engineers can’t ever do their job right. I was assured the exterior lights were fully functioning.”
They exited Johnston’s office. The heat hit Johnston, it was like being in an oven. The facility was in rapid danger of meltdown. The entire facility was illuminated red, making the blood from the many broken bodies look black. Wires and CRT monitors sparked away to themselves, displaying abnormal data and dripping in black blood.
“Any idea how long we have until meltdown?” asked Johnston.
“No.”
“Christ, I don’t believe this. If I get into any trouble over this I swear to God I’ll-”
“-heads up,” interrupted Josh, nodding ahead on the platform.
Ahead were two possessed. They appeared to be eating someone, who was dead on the floor. The stench of dead flesh and warm blood began to creep up Johnston’s nostrils. He wanted to puke. It was disgusting.
“I take the one on the left, you take the one on the right?” suggested Josh, as they slowly crept towards the three bodies.
“Uhuh,” said Johnston in agreement, stifling a cough to keep quiet. It didn’t work.
With a shriek, one of the possessed ceased his activity of devouring the expired and spun around to face both Josh and Johnston. The other followed suit a split second after, and without pause, they launched their translucent bodies at the unprepared workers.
Josh fired at his designated target and missed; hitting the dead body they had been eating. There was barely a chance for him to get a curse word in before the possessed being threw themselves upon Josh.
Without pausing, Johnston rammed the butt of his weapon into the chest of the possessed that was after him, in hopes of winding him. The attempt failed as the snarling reanimated dead man appeared not to feel a thing. However, they were pushed backwards, buying Johnston some valuable time.
He spun around to Josh, who was on the floor attempting to push the manic possessed from him, who was snarling and scratching chunks from poor Josh underneath. He fired. The shells blasted themselves from the emergency weapon in a flash of white light within the blink of an eye, leaving a subtle stench of gunpowder behind. If luck would have it, Johnston hit the neck. The possessed was thrown and crashed against the walkway railing. There it screamed with frustration, blood spurting everywhere, attempting to get back up. But Josh had now got back up.
A heavy sideways force pushed Johnston over. He cursed as he fell, remembering that he had forgotten about his possessed. His weapon flew from his hands and tumbled on the floor, sliding out of reach. Johnston heard an ear splitting bang as Josh must have shot the possessed that was after him again.
Alas however, as Johnston span around to defend himself from being pretty much eaten alive, he discovered that the lights had shut out and now Johnston was left to defend himself in darkness.
Silence ensued the darkness. Johnston could hear himself breathing heavily from the fear. He wanted to cough, but forced himself to be silent. He literally could not see anything but an everlasting eternal blackness in front of him. The facilities power source must have failed. Or had been cut.
“Josh?” he whispered, fearing the possessed would hear him. There was no reply. Even the com-link had gone deadly silent.
“Josh!?” he whispered again, a little louder. Again, nothing.
Johnston was just about to move and try standing up when another bang hit his ears. The light’s incandescent white light, dazzled Johnston. In front of him, a figure screeched and pounced towards him.
Grabbing a couple of shells from his jacket pocket, Johnston shuffled backwards across the blood-stained floor and attempted to make a lunge for his emergency weapon. However, he knew already that he didn’t have enough time to reload and fire. Especially with his jittery fingers.
Standing up tall in front of Johnston, the possessed only gave a second pause to let out a blood curdling screech filled with pure venom and frustration, tensed hands held high with fingers stretched out, as though he was praying to some unknown God.
He was praying to some unknown God.
He.
That is when Johnston realised that this particular possessed was actually a woman. She leapt on top of the stunned and horrified Johnston, just to have her brains blown out by Josh.
The echo from the shot resonated around the chamber. Followed by a rather nasty silence.
Johnston groaned. The gunshot had caused bloody remains to be splattered onto his face. He wasn’t impressed.
Josh helped the spluttering Johnston up to his feet.
“That was a close one, eh?” he grinned as Johnston coughed up a lung.
Johnston forced the word “yes” out of his knackered lungs. His breath didn’t feel good at all. It was shallow and strained, difficult to maintain. He coughed with the force of a small explosion and spat something black and liquid-like out of his mouth.
That is when the last body stood up in front of them. The shadow grew over their bodies as the half eaten possessed stood up. Its bowels were flopping out of its body, dripping black blood onto the floor. Its face was also half eaten, bones and cartilage sticking out of one cheek, bloody menacing teeth visible from the lack of skin on its face. It was a mess.
It lumbered towards Johnston and Josh, without the nimbleness of the other two thanks to its size. Johnston recognised the guy. Fat Jerry they used to call him. Everyone used to call him it. He didn’t mind, he often joked about his weight and how he was heading towards a heart attack. Johnston often wondered if he actually cared deep down. Not that any of that mattered anymore, Fat Jerry was now one of the possessed. A half-eaten disgusting mess of a possessed at that.
Josh slid his last two shells into his emergency weapon and shot Fat Jerry. With an ear-splitting bang the shells penetrated Fat Jerry’s shoulder and dug themselves deep. Fat Jerry didn’t even seem to notice. He continued his slow possessive approach.
“Johnston!” shrieked Josh as Johnston recovered from his coughing fit. Johnston grabbed his emergency weapon, fumbled with his shells and shot Fat Jerry. His aim for the head was also off. By a long way.
The shells hit Fat Jerry’s thigh. Johnston cursed and was about to reload when he heard a sickening clicking sound as Fat Jerry’s femur snapped. Fat Jerry crashed to the floor, still grunting and attempting to get up. However, he was no threat to Johnston and Josh now.
“Nice one,” Josh chuckled, wiping blood off his face and inspecting the fat possessed in front of him, “That’s Fat Jerry isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” breathed Johnston. He wanted to throw up. The sight of the possessed Fat Jerry, jerking about in his own blood, constantly pouring out of the many orifices that he had, brought on a wave of nausea.
They stepped over the possessed hulk of a body and continued down the metal path, suspended around the resonance chamber.
“We need to take the lift don’t we?” asked Josh as they walked.
“Yeah,” replied Johnston, slipping another two shells into his emergency weapon.
They walked off the circular suspended path that circled the main hangar and the resonance chamber and towards a metallic hydraulic door, which lead to the lift.
The door sparked and groaned its way open, hydraulics squealing for mercy
in the red light. Silently, they entered the lift.
“Sierra Echo Job here to anyone of high authority. I’m running blind here, almost out of ammo, surrounded by the possessed. What are my orders? Over.”
“Which moron came up with the name, possessed?” asked Josh as the lift creaked into motion, taking them upwards towards the communications offices.
“No idea. It suits I guess. What else would you call them.”
“Sierra Echo Job, it’s Sierra Alpha Jacob here. Your orders are to regroup with a small team of people located in the upper section of the Alpha Labs. With them, you can then regroup with us at the entrance hangar. Good luck. Over and out.”
There was an oppressive pause as the lift trundled upwards in near darkness.
“Listen… Johnston… I don’t want to die,” said Josh.
Johnston said nothing. Still nauseated, the lift continued taking them up.
“I don’t want to- I’m not ready,” Josh continued, “It’s Jaimie, I think I love her Johnston, I really think I do. I don’t want to die and I don’t want her to die-“
“Spare me this rubbish please Josh,” grunted Johnston, “If you love Jaimie so much you’ll happily give your life to save hers.”
“We’re all gonna die anyway,” moaned Josh, tears welling up in his eyes, “We’re all gonna become demented possessed like Fat Jerry and every other stinking person I once knew who I’ve had to kill today.”
“Don’t talk rubbish,” said Johnston, watching Josh wind himself up to a mental frenzy of panic, “The communications office is just after this lift ride. We insert the card and get the hell out. The place will be contained and an investigation will probably have to commence on why this happened and how it can be solved. A total mess. Just like everything else on this land.”