each one dropped the movement of the others became more frenetic, agitated.
“You’re riling them up out there, keep it up,” Mike told them.
“This isn’t going to work,” Mike heard Everett say, “You need to move back. I can’t see a damn thing.”
He felt Mickey and Everett shuffle around and change positions. Mike had another idea, “Tom, Rob, can you kneel?”
They both slid down to take a knee. Mike and Everett stepped up and started engaging targets as well. Mike felt Mickey lean forward, the muzzle of his rifle about six inches in front of Mike. It was a good thing the helmets had proactive sound suppression. All five of them started hammering targets.
The spawn broke from the forest, a wave of carnivorous death and destruction, howling as they came. Maybe it was the smell of blood or the death of their brothers that drove them, Mike didn’t know, didn’t care. A bellow sounded from the Ancient as it realized the spawn were charging. The trees were still shaking and dropping as the spawn charged. Some of them climbed the trees to go over the wall. Many of them headed towards the tunnel mouth where they saw the muzzle flashes from the rifles.
There were so many bodies in front of them they couldn’t miss.
“They’re coming!” was the only thing Mike was able to shout out to warn the security team behind him. Magazines ran dry. The sing song, “Out, Changing,” was mixed with the sound of bolts slapping forward to drive a new round into the chamber. Bodies dropped as the spawn charged across the clearing.
Then they hit the tunnel entrance. Ravening, snarling faces were all Mike saw as the spawn tried to get to their tormentors. Somehow, the smaller pit bull sized dragons, their tentacles whipping in a frenzy, were even more horrific to Mike. He kept pulling the trigger, knowing that if he stopped, he would die. Bullets smacked into flesh. Even as they fell, the spawn still tried to crawl forward to get to the team. Head shots shattered skulls and the bodies piled up at the opening of the tunnel.
The mechs’ rail guns sounded, a ripping noise as super-heated iron slapped flesh. Shattered corpses dropped from the top of the wall.
Jennifer’s voice sounded over the command channel, “Be ready, we can’t stop them. It’s like trying to dam a flood.”
Mike wasn’t able to divert his attention to check on the security team. Shots sounded behind him as they engaged the spawn coming in from the back.
The pile of bodies in the front grew higher, the spawn struggling across the mound of corpses to get in. They clawed, climbed and died as they entered the tunnel. The rain mixed with gore and blood, creating a slick puddle that spread underfoot. The smell of slaughter was horrific. Soon, the press of bodies slackened. Fewer spawn were climbing the pile of carcasses. The spawn saw what happened to their siblings and weren’t as eager to step into the path of their own destruction. There was easily thirty or forty dead animals choking the opening.
Mike stopped to nudge Mickey with his elbow, “Check on security.”
Mickey nodded, placed his weapon on safe, and turned to see what was happening behind him. They kept a watch toward the front, shooting the occasional spawn that tried the tunnel. Outside, they could hear more trees falling, interspersed with the sound of the buzz saw rail guns.
Mike heard Ken’s voice as he felt Mickey move up behind him, “Mike, everything’s okay here. I don’t think we got as much of the spawn as you did.”
Mike called up to Jennifer, “Jen, what’s going on up there?”
“We got some of them, but a lot moved past us,” she replied.
“Define a lot,” Mike said.
“I don’t know, thirty, forty, maybe more.”
That didn’t add up. “Ken, how many carcasses are over there?”
“Not many, ten to twenty maybe.”
“Where the hell did the rest of the animals go to?” Mike
“You’re riling them up out there, keep it up,” Mike told them.
“This isn’t going to work,” Mike heard Everett say, “You need to move back. I can’t see a damn thing.”
He felt Mickey and Everett shuffle around and change positions. Mike had another idea, “Tom, Rob, can you kneel?”
They both slid down to take a knee. Mike and Everett stepped up and started engaging targets as well. Mike felt Mickey lean forward, the muzzle of his rifle about six inches in front of Mike. It was a good thing the helmets had proactive sound suppression. All five of them started hammering targets.
The spawn broke from the forest, a wave of carnivorous death and destruction, howling as they came. Maybe it was the smell of blood or the death of their brothers that drove them, Mike didn’t know, didn’t care. A bellow sounded from the Ancient as it realized the spawn were charging. The trees were still shaking and dropping as the spawn charged. Some of them climbed the trees to go over the wall. Many of them headed towards the tunnel mouth where they saw the muzzle flashes from the rifles.
There were so many bodies in front of them they couldn’t miss.
“They’re coming!” was the only thing Mike was able to shout out to warn the security team behind him. Magazines ran dry. The sing song, “Out, Changing,” was mixed with the sound of bolts slapping forward to drive a new round into the chamber. Bodies dropped as the spawn charged across the clearing.
Then they hit the tunnel entrance. Ravening, snarling faces were all Mike saw as the spawn tried to get to their tormentors. Somehow, the smaller pit bull sized dragons, their tentacles whipping in a frenzy, were even more horrific to Mike. He kept pulling the trigger, knowing that if he stopped, he would die. Bullets smacked into flesh. Even as they fell, the spawn still tried to crawl forward to get to the team. Head shots shattered skulls and the bodies piled up at the opening of the tunnel.
The mechs’ rail guns sounded, a ripping noise as super-heated iron slapped flesh. Shattered corpses dropped from the top of the wall.
Jennifer’s voice sounded over the command channel, “Be ready, we can’t stop them. It’s like trying to dam a flood.”
Mike wasn’t able to divert his attention to check on the security team. Shots sounded behind him as they engaged the spawn coming in from the back.
The pile of bodies in the front grew higher, the spawn struggling across the mound of corpses to get in. They clawed, climbed and died as they entered the tunnel. The rain mixed with gore and blood, creating a slick puddle that spread underfoot. The smell of slaughter was horrific. Soon, the press of bodies slackened. Fewer spawn were climbing the pile of carcasses. The spawn saw what happened to their siblings and weren’t as eager to step into the path of their own destruction. There was easily thirty or forty dead animals choking the opening.
Mike stopped to nudge Mickey with his elbow, “Check on security.”
Mickey nodded, placed his weapon on safe, and turned to see what was happening behind him. They kept a watch toward the front, shooting the occasional spawn that tried the tunnel. Outside, they could hear more trees falling, interspersed with the sound of the buzz saw rail guns.
Mike heard Ken’s voice as he felt Mickey move up behind him, “Mike, everything’s okay here. I don’t think we got as much of the spawn as you did.”
Mike called up to Jennifer, “Jen, what’s going on up there?”
“We got some of them, but a lot moved past us,” she replied.
“Define a lot,” Mike said.
“I don’t know, thirty, forty, maybe more.”
That didn’t add up. “Ken, how many carcasses are over there?”
“Not many, ten to twenty maybe.”
“Where the hell did the rest of the animals go to?” Mike
Similar Books
