=/-\= Aeran III, Sunset =/-\=
"Are you armed", Marine Captain Remington asked as the two men stepped
outside the hospital into the fading sunlight. The air was already
becoming cooler, a welcome relief from the daytime heat that pounded
the planet.
"No, should I be", Richard said looking back.
Remington chuckled and continued walking. "The patrol is about eight
miles to the west", catching the look on the Major's face he
continued, "But luckily we have transport", he said pointing to a six
wheeled multipurpose vehicle.
Richard breathed a smile of inward relief, he wasn't sure he could
hump eight miles over generally rugged terrain, at least not now with
his chest still healing. As the two men stepped towards the vehicle
three armed marines jumped up from their spots sitting on the ground.
"Captain were good to go", the driver appeared waving his hand as he
leaned out the drivers side window.
"Excellent", Remington answered, "Major", he then said motioning for
Richard to step inside.
The rest of the group followed taking seats to the side and in back of
Cortez who rode directly behind the driver, the Captain taking his
spot in the front passenger seat. As the engine came to life and the
vehicle began moving Remington turned back and looked at the marine
sitting next to Richard.
"How long since the patrol has checked in".
Checking his watch, "Uhh...about 90 minutes now Sir".
Remington glanced over at Cortez and noticed the look of concern on
his face, "Probably just the interference, it sometimes effects our
ground based communications also".
Richard nodded and looked out through the window into the distance.
The sun was setting fast.
=***= 30 Minutes Later =***=
"OK this is it", the driver said as he slowed the vehicle to a crawl,
finally stopping.
The road continued on but a small trail lead off to the South West
through some brush and around a hillside. Everyone stepped out of the
vehicle and looked around. It was quiet.
"Santiago", Remington said looking at the driver, "Stay here with the
vehicle, everyone else, lets move out".
A few minutes later the group made its way down the path and finally
reached the rally point.
"Uhhh, this should be it", one of the marines said checking his
instruments. "They should be here".
"HELLO", one of the other marines yelled.
The sun was almost gone now.
Something catching his eye, Cortez stepped off to the side and pulled
out a small flashlight from a leg pocket. Shining the light down he
noticed a phaser rifle laying in the dirt. "Remington", he turned
back towards the Captain, "Somethings wrong".
A quick search of the area revealed equipment scattered all over the
area and a trail of blood leading away from the rally point.
"I'll take that weapon now", Cortez said looking back at the Marine
Captain who was now sweating profusely.
After radioing back to Santiago with a sit-rep the five men moved out
and followed the trail of blood. It didn't take long even in the
darkness to find the cave that it led up to, as they got closer, more
and more blood and bits of rotting brown flesh soaked all over the
dirt and brush making it almost impossible not to trace the trail.
"What the hell could have done this", the youngest marine said,
clearly nervous as they neared the cave entrance.
"What worry's me", Richard said shining his light towards obvious boot
prints in the dirt, "Anyone who's lost this much blood wouldn't be
getting up again".
The men moved forward, weapons drawn, stepping inside the cave.
Immediately they began to see a few bodies. The dead looked as if
they'd been running, trying to escape further into the mountain.
"Is that...", the young marine said stepping towards a decapitated
head, "Oh shit, that's Rico...that's Rico...GAME OVER MAN...I'm
getting out of here". he began to scream hysterically.
"Shut him up", Remington shouted just before Richards fist slammed
into the side of the marines jaw.
Before he could react, Cortez then grabbed him from behind and held
his hand over his mouth, "Calm Down", he whispered. After several
long tense seconds he finally relaxed and Richard let him go and
handed him back his rifle.
The team then continued moving further into the cave, in the next
chamber was evidence of a one-sided firefight, one-sided because only
one wall of the cavern was pockmarked by phaser fire. Opposite that
wall were the shooters. Remington's patrol had been torn apart. Their
limbs, their bones, shredded and splintered…some still clutching their
weapons, Richard took notice of a severed hand with a rifle still in
the grip. The hand was missing a finger. It was found across the
room, along with what was left of an unidentifiable body, it had been
nearly completely vaporized by phaser fire.
Further progress into the cave was not possible as it had collapsed
from some sort of an explosion.
"I think someones still alive", one of the marines called out,
summoning the others to his location. He was kneeling down in front
of the rubble where the cave had collapsed, his light shining on a
hand sticking out of the limestone. "Its moving".
Reacting from the gut, Cortez leaned forward and grabbed the hand and
pulled. It squeezed back, hard, causing him to groan in pain as it
almost crushed his fingers. "DAMN", Richard grunted as he tried to
get away, but it wouldn't let go, its grasp like steel. Digging in
with his feet, Richard pushed with all his might finally dislodging
the hand from the rubble. Unfortunately that wasn't all, first the
arm came free with the hand, then the head, then the torn face with
dark black lines spreading across it with wide eyes and gray lips,
then the other hand also reaching towards Richards arm and squeezing,
followed finally by the shoulders. Suddenly the rocks gave way
causing Cortez to fall back, pulling the top half of the creature on
top of him, the waist down still jammed under the rocks and somehow
still connected to the upper torso by a line of entrails.
"KILL IT", Cortez shouted at the stunned marines as Captain Remington
pointed his weapon down at the demon, but afraid to fire for fear of
hitting the major.
"I can't get a shot", Remington shouted kicking the creature trying to
pry it loose.
But that didn't stop it. It was still moving, still clawing at
Cortez, trying to pull his arm into its mouth. Reaching down he
fumbled for his phaser and pointed it at the creature. The burst was
angled upward, connecting just under and behind the chin, vaporizing
its head immediately.
After pulling himself up, Richard sat down on a rock and caught his
breath, the pain in his chest seemingly unbearable, making it hard to
breath.
"You OK?", Remington looked down at Richard handing him a canteen
filled with water.
"We need to get back to the outpost", he said pouring some of the
water over the back of his neck.
=/-\= END LOG =/-\=
Major Richard Cortez
CSEC
USS Chimera
+
NPC Marine Captain Remington
