by Ben Hammott
Unaware of the two children moving silently across roofbeams, O’Brian and Jackson reloaded when three kids armed with the dead soldiers’ weapons emerged from the swirling dust and walked toward them firing. The soldiers dodged into an office and turned a desk on its side as protection, albeit inadequate, from the bullets exploding through the walls as the children copied their tactic. They dropped to the floor as bullets punched through the table and sprayed them with splinters.
When the firing abruptly stopped, the silence that replaced the deafening barrage filled the space with fearful anticipation. The two men rose to their knees and aimed their weapons at where they thought the kids were.
A scrape from above tilted Jackson’s head to the sound and his gaze upon the two girls moving across the roof supports. He grabbed O’Brian’s arm and hauled him to his feet as he stood. “Run! They are above us.” Fearing they were about to be attacked on two fronts, from above and from the armed kids moving toward them, he fired a frantic burst at the kids overhead and ran at the wall. He shoulder-barged his way through the thin partition and headed across the room to smash through the next wall. O’Brian followed him through the hole.
Emily and Sophia dodged behind metal struts to avoid the bullets pinging off the trusses. Seeing their prey below trying to escape, they agilely rushed across the beams in pursuit and leaped off when they were within range.
When one of the kids slammed feet first into Jackson’s back and knocked him to the floor, O’Brian reacted before the same happened to him. He dodged to the side and rolled across a desk as Sophia landed in the space he had just vacated.
As soon as Sophia’s feet touched the floor, she was on the move again. She ran, jumped onto the desk, and sprung at O’Brian, struggling to get to his feet. Knocked off balance when the kid struck him, O’Brian felt intense pain when her talons racked across his face deep enough to scrape bone and cut through muscle.
Jackson rolled when he struck the floor and lashed a foot out at the girl moving in for the kill. The blow sent her flying backward. She landed in the office chair by the desk, and both rolled back until drywall debris tipped it over. Jackson sprung to his feet and aimed at the small girl who had recovered far too quickly and rushed at him.
Sitting on the man’s chest, Sophia grabbed O’Brian’s pistol and shot him in the head. She somersaulted backward, landed on the desk, and shot Jackson in the chest and face. The discarded weapon joined Jackson’s corpse thudding to the floor.
Dominic and Tommy entered, glanced emotionless at the two dead soldiers and their blood-spattered friends as they dropped the rifles.
“You’ll need a change of clothes before we leave town,” commented Dominic.
“Plenty of empty houses to get some from,” said Jacob, “we’ll change on the way.
They rushed along the corridor, down the staircase and headed outside toward the edge of town.
CHAPTER 51
Checkpoint and Charlie
Soldiers at the edge of town checkpoint stared toward the sounds of sporadic muffled gunfire. Burning buildings erupted with billowing plumes of smoke and shot flames high into the sky. Soldiers rushed through the streets, entering premises and searching cars and alleyways.
Ignoring the electronic eCig in his pocket he had bought to give up smoking but rarely used, Griff lit up another harmful cigarette, one of the many he had smoked during his time spent on boring guard duty. “Who or what do you think they are looking for?”
Wittman shrugged. “On a need to know basis, and apparently we aren’t on that list of need-to-knows, as usual.”
Scowling at the man, Maxwell stepped away from the cloud of toxic smoke Griff exhaled. “I’m glad we are stuck out here away from the action. I’ve heard from Molly who works in the base canteen that there’s some sort of alien parasite on the loose that does something horrible to your insides if it infects you. Turns your guts inside out, and there are tentacles involved somewhere.”
“Alien parasites turning your guts inside out, what bullshit,” scoffed Griff. “Molly’s pulling your leg. It’s a virus; contagious as hell is what I’ve heard. That’s why those scientists are going around in Hazmat suits.”
Maxwell frowned. “If it’s that contagious, shouldn’t we be wearing some sort of protection?”
“It would have done the world a favor if your dad had worn protection when he had sex with your mom,” quipped Griff.
“No, we’re safe,” commented Wittman. It’s not airborne, or so I’ve heard. You can only get infected by coming in contact with an alien or someone who already has it.”
Griff stabbed his cigarette and at someone walking out of town and along the road. “Oy, who’s that?”
The others raised their weapons as they focused on the movement.
Highlighted by the glow of the fires behind them, six small figures of different heights approached.
Wittman lowered his weapon, “Relax, it’s only kids.”
Maxwell scrutinized the kids he thought looked creepy. “Wasn’t everyone from town supposed to be at the base?”
“Not all,” corrected Wittman. “I heard a few were unaccounted for.”
Maxwell waited until they were almost at the barrier before he spoke. “That’s near enough, kids.” The children stopped. “What are you doing here?”
“Seeking help,” replied Jacob.
“We were all at Eric’s house, playing when his mom went out to see what was happening. We heard gunshots and screams and waited, but she didn’t come back.”
“We were frightened, so we hid from the bad men with guns,” said Emily and then proudly added, “We hid so good they didn’t find us.”
Griff leaned to Wittman and whispered, “You reckon the mom got killed in that hoo-ha earlier? Maybe she got infected, and they shot her?”
“It’s possible,” admitted Wittman. Hoping she was alright, he addressed the kids. “She’s probably at the base. There’s a sickness in town, and everyone was taken there for safety.”
Jacob turned to the small boy. “See, Eric, she’s alright. They took her to the airbase.”
“But why didn’t mom come and take me with her?” pressed Eric sadly.
“There was a lot of confusion earlier, and she probably wasn’t allowed to,” offered Maxwell, warming to the kids. “You said you hid, so maybe the men she sent to find you, couldn’t find you and thought you had already been taken to the base.”
“Can you take me to my, mom?” asked Eric, who seemed on the verge of tears.
“I’ll take them,” volunteered Griff, flicking away his cigarette butt.
Maxwell pointed at the end of the barrier across the road. “Come this way, and Griff here will drive you to the base to find your moms and dads.”
“I only have a mom. Our dad ran off with the floozy from the store when it closed. Suzy with a Z. My mom said she’s a trollop.”
“Oh, okay,” uttered Maxwell.
The soldiers smiled at the kids walking past them.
Griff fished the keys from his pocket and headed for the transport truck. “Everyone aboard,” he said cheerily.
“Can I sit in the front? Asked Jacob. “I get carsick sometimes.”
“Ooh, I wanna sit in front too. I have never been in such a big car,” exclaimed Emily excitedly.
“Okay, just the two of you, though. The rest in the back.”
Griff lifted the two smallest kids in while the other two climbed in. He then went around to the front and opened the passenger door. Jacob got in first.
Emily raised her arms. “Can you lift me in, please.”
Griff duly obliged and shut the door. As he climbed in the driver’s seat, Emily slipped off her bag and placed it on her lap.
Griff started the engine and pulled away.
Maxwell and Wittman watched the truck drive away from the checkpoint.
“Cute kids,” said Maxwell.
“Sure are,” agreed Wittman.
Griff glanced at Emily’
s teddy bear bag that she stroked. “Nice bear. Does it have a name?”
Emily smiled sweetly. “Charlie Bear. I keep my most special things inside.”
Griff nodded knowingly. “When I was little like you, I had a small wooden box shaped like a pirate chest under my bed that I kept my special things in.”
“Would you like to see mine?”
“Sure, if that’s okay?”
“Of course, silly. They’re special, not secret.” She placed the bag on Jacob’s lap between them and slowly unzipped it.
Griff leaned to the side and peered into the bag. At first, he couldn’t make out what he was looking at with the interior in shadow, but when the little girl leaned it toward him, he saw black things that smelt strange. He glanced back at the road with his brow creased. “What are they, mushrooms?”
Emily giggled, putting Griff at ease. “No, silly, they are my friends.” She put her small hand into the bag and lifted one out.
Griff glanced at the thing and froze at the sight of it raising itself on its tentacle legs and looking at him. It puffed up. Its hairs stiffened into spikes—one shot into his eye. The tendrils within slithered out and spread through his body. Emily stroked the Xtro before returning it to the bag and the bag to her lap.
Jacob grabbed the steering wheel and released the soldier’s seatbelt. Griff opened the door and flopped out, his head thwacking on the tarmac. Jacob slid into the driver’s seat, his legs just long enough for his feet to touch the pedals, and pulled the door closed. His glance in the side mirror picked out the soldier climbing unsteadily to his feet and heading back along the road to the checkpoint.
He smiled at Emily, switched gear, and accelerated along the road.
Emily fondly stroked Charlie Bear and stared out at the passing scenery.
CHAPTER 52
THE PROPAGATOR
Frustrated the spore-filled Xtro hadn’t made its appearance for the men under his command to destroy, Colonel Jennet turned to the soldier beside him. “Lieutenant, select three men and go flush it out.”
“Yes, sir.” Second-Lieutenant Robin Norwood selected three soldiers. “Flute, Levitt, and Trent, you’re with me.
Although apprehensive about doing so, the three men followed the officer into the forest. Their nervous eyes scanned the spaces between the trees filled with dappled light and shadow.
“What’s the plan, Lieutenant?” asked Trent.
“We are going to flush the Xtro out. Spread out but stay within sight of each other,” ordered Norwood quietly. “If you spot it, signal the rest of us, and we’ll try and get behind it and drive it toward the others to kill.”
“Can’t we just shoot it if we see it,” asked Levitt, not at all happy at being chosen for the dangerous task.
Norwood glared at the man. “No, you can’t. We have no idea if our bullets will kill it or set the spores it carries free. Back at the road, they have flamethrowers and thermite grenades that will turn it to ash. The last thing I want to do is piss it off unnecessarily. When we locate it, we’ll herd it back to the road with surrounding shots.”
Flute rolled his eyes. “And you think that won’t piss it off?”
“Do as you are damn well ordered and spread out,” chided the Lieutenant.
The four men separated until they were about twenty feet apart. With their heads and weapons darting to every sound, and their eyes probing every patch of shadow that might be concealing the alien they hunted, they cautiously headed deeper into the forest.
*
Noticing the soldiers enter the forest, Yuri turned to Blightburn, who was discussing the next step with the others examining a map of the area. “The colonel has sent four men into the forest.”
Blightburn glanced at the screens and picked out the feed from Lieutenant Norwood’s helmet-cam. “They must be looking for the spore Xtro. Keep an eye on them.” She switched her gaze to the main screen showing the drone feed over the town. “Send the drone to the forest to see if you can help locate it. Our number one priority now is to ensure it’s destroyed before it releases its seeds.”
As she turned back to the map, Yuri piloted the drone to the forest.
*
Sat on the branch of a large tree, the Propagator studied the approaching humans below. Ample nourishment to complete its feeding cycle, but first, it would need to eliminate the threat they posed to its existence. After focusing on the man at one end of the line who would be its first target, it skulked along the branch and leaped the gaps between the trees. It climbed down the trunk headfirst, perched on a low branch, and waited.
Unaware of the danger he was walking toward, Flute winced with every twig his feet snapped. Despite being aware that the sound was heightened out of proportion by his anxiety, he still believed the Xtro had heard it and might be moving in on his position. His hope was that the thing was nowhere in the vicinity; better it was someone else’s problem than his. A rustle of leaves tilted his head. Fear gripped him at the sight of the monstrous black shape dropping toward him. His terrified scream was cut short by the tentacle wrapping around his neck.
Hanging from the branch, the Propagator lifted the human off his feet and slammed him against a tree with enough force to crack his skull. Before the dead man had fallen to the forest floor, the Propagator had covered half the distance to its next victim.
Hearing the cut-short scream, Trent turned to the sound and froze at seeing the terrifying Xtro rushing at him. His will to survive kicked in and shaking with fear, he raised his weapon. With astonishing speed, the Propagator surged forward, snatched the rifle from Trent’s hands, and thrust the barrel into his chest. Trent barely had time to register the weapon that had punctured his heart before he toppled to the ground. The rifle butt struck the ground and was forced out through his back by his dead weight before he fell to the side.
Hearing something approach, Levitt dragged his eyes from the dark patch of shadow within a group of bushes he had been peering at and glanced to the side. Instinctively he raised the rifle at the alien horror bounding toward him on its many-tentacled limbs. Gunfire shattered the usual sounds of the forest. To avoid the bullets, the Propagator jumped onto a tree trunk and then sprung onto another a few feet away. Fragments of bark and splintered tree erupted from the shells racking the trees in its wake. It climbed up the blindside of a tree, and using the leafy boughs to conceal its movements, ran along a branch and leaped over to the next tree.
A trail of bullets followed the Xtro’s telltale path of rustling leaves and shaking branches through the canopy. When his weapon clicked on empty, Levitt quickly reloaded.
Norwood rushed to Levitt’s side. Glimpsing Lance’s body, he assumed Flute was also down. He aimed his weapon at the canopy that had fallen ominously still. “Where is it?”
Levitt scanned the creature’s last known position and peered at the leafy branches. “I don’t know. I only took my eyes off it for a second, but it must still be up there.”
“Let’s see if we can flush it out and drive it back to the road.” Norwood aimed his weapon at the area Levitt had his rifle trained on, and both swathed the canopy with bullets. Leaves, twigs, and branches suffered from the assault and dropped to the ground.
The Propagator though, was no longer there but instead perched directly above them. It climbed down the tree, onto a branch and studied the two humans below. It was time to feed. It pounced.
Sensing danger, Norwood tilted his head. The terrified scream that formed on his lips was muffled when the Xtro struck and enveloped him in its squishy black stomach.
When the head appeared in their chamber, the spores attacked. They smothered it and secreted digestive fluid that melted flesh into a liquid they could absorb. Norwood had never felt such pain. It felt like his head was on fire. His pain ended when the feeders reached his brain and quickly consumed it.
*
Yuri switched the view from Norwood’s helmet-cam to the main screen. “I’ve located the Xtro, it’s attacking th
e soldiers in the forest.”
Blightburn crossed to the monitors and observed the soldiers under attack. All in the control trailer watching were shocked when the Xtro dropped on Norwood and consumed him. They stood in stunned silence when Yuri switched Norwood’s helmet camera to night vision mode and picked out the thousands of spoors that quickly converged on the man’s head.
*
As its food toppled to the forest floor, the Propagator continued feeding while it attacked the remaining human.
Recovering from his shock when the tips of the three tentacles aimed at his face formed into sharp scythe-like claws, Levitt battered them aside with the weapon and fled. The Propagator lashed out a limb. He tripped when something grabbed his leg. He turned onto his back and hammered at the alien appendage wrapped around his ankle until it unfurled. He crab-crawled away, climbed to his feet, and fled.
As it watched the human escape, the Propagator drew Norwood’s body into its mass, fertilizer for her ravenous cargo, which rapidly consumed him. A few minutes later, it discarded anything the spores were unable to digest. Bones, clothing, metal, and plastic dropped to the ground.
Voices and the things moving through the forest cast its gaze at the approaching sounds. More humans were coming. With the spores now fully nourished, it would soon be time to set them free. Gunfire quickly followed the shouts when the soldiers spotted the Xtro. Bullets filled the air as it bounded away into the forest.
*
Blightburn glanced at the drone screen now showing nothing but the forest floor and Norwood’s grisly remains, and then at Yuri. “Get that thing lower and follow the damn thing before it gets away.”
Yuri dropped the drone between the leafy branches, sped it in the direction the Xtro had taken, and weaved it expertly around the trees in its path.