Annihilate
Chapter Thirteen: Scientia Potentia Est
The biologist took a step back, her heart thumping in her chest. She couldn’t believe what she had just saw. Her cells infected from the Beyond. The world inside the fungal walls changed in infinite ways, and she soon would too. She pushed everything off the table in a rage. She didn’t want to be here, she didn’t even want to go inside the Beyond but she wanted answers, she needed them. She fell to her knees and screamed into her hands; droplets of water cascading from her eyes, sliding down her dirty cheeks.
“What’s going on?” Maddie asks, rubbing her tired eyes. “Are you okay?”
“You were right.” The biologist says through weeps. “The Beyond is in us.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s fucking inside us! It’s growing in us, changing our DNA, the way we think, the way we react. The Beyond is turning us into something new. Just like inside the walls, constantly mutating. It’s doing the same thing to us.”
“What does that mean?” Maddie asked, frightened.
“I don’t know.”
The next morning came; the biologist was the first to pack her things. She didn’t sleep at all overnight; she just sat, leaned against the window, watching the light purple rain fall from puffy shimmering clouds. The air outside was thick and sticky, the humidity in the high 90% The team pushed forward though, trekking through swamplands, grassy fields, patches of forestry. It seemed like the world inside the Beyond grew and went on forever. The biologist kept to herself, barely saying a word since they left their small safe haven. There was simply nothing to talk about, nothing too important for them to converse about. They had one goal, reach the crash site.
The team stopped just outside of a fenced off area, a place the military had quickly set up before everything went to shit. Medical tents and food stations were abandoned in a hurry, leaving behind all their supplies. Cline searched through totes, collecting an endless surplus of MREs. The biologist scanned through drawers, stuffing any type of medicine in her bag. She looked over at Maddie, which was fiddling with something on her arm.
“You okay?” She asked.
The girl didn’t respond. “Maddie, are you okay?” The biologist touched her shoulder. She quickly turned around. Vines and bright pink flowers grew from her wrists and traversed up her arms, snaking around her neck, making their way towards her eyes. “Shit!” The biologist yelled, tumbling backwards. She fell on the ground and reached for a facemask on the tray table beside her.
“What’s going on?” Cline asked as he ran into the tent.
“Get back!” The biologist screamed. “It’s in the air!” Maddie fell into her lap, moaning in pain as the vines punctured her eyes.
“How do you know?” He asked.
She pointed to the entrance of the tent. “Spore sacs.” A ball of fungus stuck to the inside of the tent spewed out puffs of air, contagious spores.
“Fuck!” He yelled, jumping backwards.
The vines and flowers consumed Maddie until there was no trace of her left except a pile of branches.
“How didn’t it get out?”
She biologist examined the fence, still keeping the mask tight on her face. “I’m assuming this fungus wrapped around the entire fence acted as a barrier. That explains why everyone left in a hurry.”
“Are we…infected?”
“I don’t know. But I’m keeping this mask on until we reach the crash site. You should wear one too.”
They set off once again, down to only three people. Their numbers ran dangerously low, but they had to press on. The journey back was too long; going forward was the only option. They walked through an open field, the wind blowing slowly, making the humidity a little more bearable. Cline stopped suddenly and turned around, scanning the treeline behind them. Deep gurgling growls came from inside the forest. The biologist readied her weapon, crouching down slightly. Heavily mutated wolves peered out into the open field, their eyes glowing bright red.
“I think we should run.” Cline said quietly.
“Are you crazy?! Then they’ll definitely come after us.”
“Whatever we do, they’re going to come after us.”
She sighed. “Okay. Let’s go.”
They took off running. Her body screamed at her, she was so fatigued but she knew if she stopped moving, she’d die. She looked over her shoulder, the wolves quickly catching up with them. A wolf latched onto Cline’s ankle, taking him to the ground. Omid jumped on the wolf’s back, stabbing it in the throat over and over. Claws sliced through the biologist’s shirt and into her stomach. She let out a scream before emptying a magazine into it. The powerful jaws of a mutated wolf wrapped around Omid and closed down hard, killing him instantly. Cline pulled at his leg, playing tug-of-war with the animal. The biologist held her bleeding wound, pleading for Cline to follow her, Omid was dead and there was nothing he could do about it. But he didn’t listen, he invited the wolf with open arms, tearing him apart.
She ran as fast as she could, wobbling around, breathing heavily. It was just her, she was the only one left, but she was determined to finish the mission one way or another. Her body ached, her muscles felt weak, and her skin flushed of color. She fell to the ground, shaking, shivering. This is where she died, this was her burial ground. She knew she couldn’t die here; after all she’s been through to get this far. The biologist pushed her body off the ground, her legs barely supporting her. Her bottom lip trembled as tears gathered in her eyes. In the distance, water broke against the shore. She made it. The crash site in view.
“What’s going on?” Maddie asks, rubbing her tired eyes. “Are you okay?”
“You were right.” The biologist says through weeps. “The Beyond is in us.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s fucking inside us! It’s growing in us, changing our DNA, the way we think, the way we react. The Beyond is turning us into something new. Just like inside the walls, constantly mutating. It’s doing the same thing to us.”
“What does that mean?” Maddie asked, frightened.
“I don’t know.”
The next morning came; the biologist was the first to pack her things. She didn’t sleep at all overnight; she just sat, leaned against the window, watching the light purple rain fall from puffy shimmering clouds. The air outside was thick and sticky, the humidity in the high 90% The team pushed forward though, trekking through swamplands, grassy fields, patches of forestry. It seemed like the world inside the Beyond grew and went on forever. The biologist kept to herself, barely saying a word since they left their small safe haven. There was simply nothing to talk about, nothing too important for them to converse about. They had one goal, reach the crash site.
The team stopped just outside of a fenced off area, a place the military had quickly set up before everything went to shit. Medical tents and food stations were abandoned in a hurry, leaving behind all their supplies. Cline searched through totes, collecting an endless surplus of MREs. The biologist scanned through drawers, stuffing any type of medicine in her bag. She looked over at Maddie, which was fiddling with something on her arm.
“You okay?” She asked.
The girl didn’t respond. “Maddie, are you okay?” The biologist touched her shoulder. She quickly turned around. Vines and bright pink flowers grew from her wrists and traversed up her arms, snaking around her neck, making their way towards her eyes. “Shit!” The biologist yelled, tumbling backwards. She fell on the ground and reached for a facemask on the tray table beside her.
“What’s going on?” Cline asked as he ran into the tent.
“Get back!” The biologist screamed. “It’s in the air!” Maddie fell into her lap, moaning in pain as the vines punctured her eyes.
“How do you know?” He asked.
She pointed to the entrance of the tent. “Spore sacs.” A ball of fungus stuck to the inside of the tent spewed out puffs of air, contagious spores.
“Fuck!” He yelled, jumping backwards.
The vines and flowers consumed Maddie until there was no trace of her left except a pile of branches.
“How didn’t it get out?”
She biologist examined the fence, still keeping the mask tight on her face. “I’m assuming this fungus wrapped around the entire fence acted as a barrier. That explains why everyone left in a hurry.”
“Are we…infected?”
“I don’t know. But I’m keeping this mask on until we reach the crash site. You should wear one too.”
They set off once again, down to only three people. Their numbers ran dangerously low, but they had to press on. The journey back was too long; going forward was the only option. They walked through an open field, the wind blowing slowly, making the humidity a little more bearable. Cline stopped suddenly and turned around, scanning the treeline behind them. Deep gurgling growls came from inside the forest. The biologist readied her weapon, crouching down slightly. Heavily mutated wolves peered out into the open field, their eyes glowing bright red.
“I think we should run.” Cline said quietly.
“Are you crazy?! Then they’ll definitely come after us.”
“Whatever we do, they’re going to come after us.”
She sighed. “Okay. Let’s go.”
They took off running. Her body screamed at her, she was so fatigued but she knew if she stopped moving, she’d die. She looked over her shoulder, the wolves quickly catching up with them. A wolf latched onto Cline’s ankle, taking him to the ground. Omid jumped on the wolf’s back, stabbing it in the throat over and over. Claws sliced through the biologist’s shirt and into her stomach. She let out a scream before emptying a magazine into it. The powerful jaws of a mutated wolf wrapped around Omid and closed down hard, killing him instantly. Cline pulled at his leg, playing tug-of-war with the animal. The biologist held her bleeding wound, pleading for Cline to follow her, Omid was dead and there was nothing he could do about it. But he didn’t listen, he invited the wolf with open arms, tearing him apart.
She ran as fast as she could, wobbling around, breathing heavily. It was just her, she was the only one left, but she was determined to finish the mission one way or another. Her body ached, her muscles felt weak, and her skin flushed of color. She fell to the ground, shaking, shivering. This is where she died, this was her burial ground. She knew she couldn’t die here; after all she’s been through to get this far. The biologist pushed her body off the ground, her legs barely supporting her. Her bottom lip trembled as tears gathered in her eyes. In the distance, water broke against the shore. She made it. The crash site in view.