The 122nd
Chapter Eight: Darkness
Twenty minutes seemed like an eternity. Everyone in the room had their weapon clenched in their hands and Bryan didn't blame them. Whatever was in this cave that had made the noises about twenty-five minutes ago must have been large or strong. It was something Bryan did not want to encounter in a dark, deep cave on a rainy day. Which happened to be this day. Bryan saw private Hutchison lean against the wall of the cave. Hutchison let his body sink to the ground and sat against the wall. Bryan was still tense as he was calming down, but despite his urge to yell at him to get up, he didn't. They were all tired to some point and Hutchison seemed to be the most of them. Bryan decided that everyone will go topside again, rain or no rain, ten minutes prior to the mission-end time. Bryan ran the scenario of not having the drop-ship there when it was time to leave. Bryan would probably harshly criticize the pilot, Christy, for disobeying orders. She would be lucky if he didn't lay his hands on her and leave her wounded.
Before Bryan could let his imagination wander on that thought, he heard a noise. A different noise. It came from above them. Bryan's heart beat fast and as he and the rest of the soldiers looked up at the source of the sound, he saw something on the ceiling of the room, wedged between a few stalactites. It looked orange and brown in color and had a muscular snake-like tail and torso. Two sharp hooks at the end of it's front arms, or so he assumed they were, seemed to pass off as it's hands and the hooks themselves were sharp and metal-like, resembling an insect back on Earth known as a Mantis. He estimated them to be about seven feet tall. Before Bryan could get a better look at the creature, it pounced from the ceiling onto private Hutchison. Hutchison, who had just stood up when the sound came, was still against the wall when it pounced on him. What Bryan saw next was very gruesome. The creature seemed to have pounced with it's tail, or the end of it's snake-like body, onto Hutchison and landed one of it's hooks into his left shoulder. Hutchison was on the ground, his helmet knocked off and his weapon only inches away from his hand. The creature immediately began to claw into his chest with both it's hooks before opening it's mouth and clenching it's teeth onto his head. Bryan was wide-eyed and shocked at the mere sight of it.
No one needed to be told what to do next. Private Jake was the first one to open fire on the monstrosity, followed by everyone else. The creature made roaring scream-like sounds as the bullets were pumped into it until it finally feel to the ground. The creature's nervous system made it's hooks twitch after it's initial fall and it lay there motionless for the next couple of seconds. Everyone seemed to be closing in on the monster and on Hutchison. Private Jake was the first to touch the creature with the tip of his weapon. The monster moved slightly from the force of it and remained motionless. Jake did so again and it remained motionless. Jake then looked up at Hutchison, who was on the ground. His legs were spread a bit and his body was on his side. His head was facing the soldiers standing before him and there was a lot of red blood coming from both corpses. Private Jake bent down in front of the corpse of the creature and turned it over on it's stomach. The creature seemed to have a mouth with no corners for lips, unlike humans. Bryan could not tell if the thing's mouth could even be called having lips. It was filled with blood. Bryan set his eyes on private Hutchison. He was obviously dead, and private Vernas was next to him with his finger on his neck. He then looked at captain Bryan and said, "He's dead..."
Bryan breathed in deeply, knowing that this was a very bad thing. Bryan looked around at the cave quickly and instantaneously, fearing there were more of these murdering creatures within the bowels of this cave. Bryan then said after another deep breath, "Put him in his bag and carry him with us. We are leaving - now!" Private Jake and private Vernas acknowledged him by saying "Yes sir!" The rest of the soldiers stood close to captain Bryan and corporal Landon, who had witnessed the whole thing as well. As Bryan heard the zip of the body bag, there was another noise. More than just one. It came from the three cave entrances. It sounded like a loud hiss, almost as loud as a roar would be. It was an intimidating sound and it struck fear into his heart. He couldn't recognize how many he had heard or whether they were all from one creature, but it sounded like there were many. The sound of slithering on the ground from where the entrances were could now be heard. Bryan's heart raced again and beat hard inside his chest, knowing that these atrocities were coming after them.
Before Bryan was able to take out his radio, there was a crack sound mixed with what sounded like a sucking-teeth sound, only amplified, that came from within the middle entrance. Something then flew across the cave. There were many of them and small and shaped like spears or daggers of some sort. The projectiles collided into private Travis, and he made a sound of desperation before falling to his knees and then hitting the floor with his face. Bryan looked at the three entrances as he began to see the shape of another three creatures forming from within the darkness. He knew they were not alone as the shape of yet more could be seen behind them. Even with the shoulder-lamps and his flashlight, he knew there were many of them. Before Bryan lay two dead soldiers, his two squads of soldiers, and a force of hostile creatures that seemed intent on killing the rest of them.
Bryan acted immediately and shouted into his radio, "Lets go! We are leaving!" The soldiers didn't need to be told to open fire to defend themselves as they had already begun to open fire. Lights flashed inside the cave and the sounds of the rifles the soldiers were firing was loud. The sound of the rifles firing, the bullets hitting the walls of the cave, and the creatures which roared and screamed in agony were what Bryan heard. The shuffle of feet and the footsteps of the men backing up were the next thing Bryan was able to pick up. Bryan took out his pistol from his holster with his right hand as he put his radio and his flashlight back onto his side with his left hand. He pointed the gun at the monsters and pulled the trigger. The recoil was moderate and the sound echoed loudly in Bryan's ear, more than the rapid sounds of the automatics that the other wielded. The sound of the Colt was deeper and more concentrated than that of the others, but it was drowned out quickly as the fight continued. One after another, they kept crawling out to get them. The bullets weren't as effective as Bryan hoped they would be because they weren't falling fast enough. The spikes came again and hit two more soldiers, private Jones and private Gonzalas. They feel quickly with the ends of the needle-like projectiles seen on the neck and chest of them both.
Bryan began to shuffle backwards as the men continued firing. Bryan shouted with his voice "Lets go!" Private Brandon was the first to jump over the ledge they had come from. Brandon turned around, bent down with one knee, and covered the men from on top of the ledge with his rifle fire. The monsters seemed to have come in a swarm and Bryan knew it wouldn't be too long before they would be overrun. Private Mike was next to jump on the ledge as he stumbled to his feet and ran up the spiral path and away from the fight. Captain Bryan went next as he ran and jumped with full force onto the ledge. The jump was bad one and he felt his upper legs still on the lower level of the cave as he crawled up onto the ledge. Bryan heard the roaring sounds of the creatures again and as Bryan crawled away, he could hear the scream of one of his men. Bryan turned himself over on the ground and looked at the ensuing fight. The creatures were hideous looking and were taller than any average human would be.
Bryan felt his heart sink in horror as private Cline was pounced on by one of the creatures. He happened to have been in the front and it had cost him his life. The creature, which stood above Cline with it's tail, proceeded to violently and viciously hack away at Cline with it's long metallic hooks. Bryan almost thought that the creature was enjoying itself as it was killing the poor private beneath him who was yelling an "ah" sound with his last breath. The remaining soldiers immediately took down private Cline's killer before another creature pounced at another soldier, private Paterson. The one who had illuminated the room for him was about to die and Bryan couldn't stand watching his own squad die to such ruthless monsters. He got to his feet and started firing his pistol on the creature which had knocked Paterson down. Captain Bryan's aim was good enough for one of his bullets to penetrate the head of the creature. It slumped to the ground and its torso lay across Paterson's body. Paterson was squirming beneath the thing. As he squirmed his right leg free and aimed his rifle at the approaching monsters, private Jake was there to lift him up by his shoulders. Private Jake and Paterson made their way to the ledge as the monsters kept closing in on the remaining soldiers. Bryan felt powerless to save the remaining men.
Bryan held out his hand as private Jake was the first to approach him at the ledge. The firefight was still heated and the rest of the men seemed to be losing ground gradually. Bryan knew that they would be trapped and enclosed. Despite the loud sound of private Brandon's rifle firing so close to the captain, he managed to pull Jake up onto the ledge. Another crack sound was heard and Bryan saw four white needles hit Jake in his left leg. Jake yelped in pain and Bryan immediately held him by his arm to prevent him from falling. Holding his wounded soldier with his arm around his back, Bryan began to pull Jake away from the battle and up toward the pathway leading out of this hell. He knew his movement was slow, so he had to be able to back-step quickly as he tried to save Jake. Jake began to whine and make moaning sounds from pain in his leg. Bryan stopped half-way toward the top and shouted, "Are you going to be OK? Can you walk?" Jake responded only with a low sounding groan and Bryan knew he was in no condition to make it back on his own. Ahead of them, Bryan saw private Paterson stumbling backwards with his gun aimed in the direction he came from. He turned around quickly to look at the captain and the private and then dashed past them. He could see the fear in his eyes and hoped that the rest of the soldiers would make it out alive. Bryan continued to pull Jake up with him. Bryan said in a softer tone, "Almost there, buddy. Come on, just a little bit more." He heard the blast of a grenade from deeper within the cave. Afraid to think of how many were down there, Bryan made a mental note for the last few men to make it out of here alive to recommend them for an award or a promotion. He only hoped he would live to tell the story.
Before Bryan could let his imagination wander on that thought, he heard a noise. A different noise. It came from above them. Bryan's heart beat fast and as he and the rest of the soldiers looked up at the source of the sound, he saw something on the ceiling of the room, wedged between a few stalactites. It looked orange and brown in color and had a muscular snake-like tail and torso. Two sharp hooks at the end of it's front arms, or so he assumed they were, seemed to pass off as it's hands and the hooks themselves were sharp and metal-like, resembling an insect back on Earth known as a Mantis. He estimated them to be about seven feet tall. Before Bryan could get a better look at the creature, it pounced from the ceiling onto private Hutchison. Hutchison, who had just stood up when the sound came, was still against the wall when it pounced on him. What Bryan saw next was very gruesome. The creature seemed to have pounced with it's tail, or the end of it's snake-like body, onto Hutchison and landed one of it's hooks into his left shoulder. Hutchison was on the ground, his helmet knocked off and his weapon only inches away from his hand. The creature immediately began to claw into his chest with both it's hooks before opening it's mouth and clenching it's teeth onto his head. Bryan was wide-eyed and shocked at the mere sight of it.
No one needed to be told what to do next. Private Jake was the first one to open fire on the monstrosity, followed by everyone else. The creature made roaring scream-like sounds as the bullets were pumped into it until it finally feel to the ground. The creature's nervous system made it's hooks twitch after it's initial fall and it lay there motionless for the next couple of seconds. Everyone seemed to be closing in on the monster and on Hutchison. Private Jake was the first to touch the creature with the tip of his weapon. The monster moved slightly from the force of it and remained motionless. Jake did so again and it remained motionless. Jake then looked up at Hutchison, who was on the ground. His legs were spread a bit and his body was on his side. His head was facing the soldiers standing before him and there was a lot of red blood coming from both corpses. Private Jake bent down in front of the corpse of the creature and turned it over on it's stomach. The creature seemed to have a mouth with no corners for lips, unlike humans. Bryan could not tell if the thing's mouth could even be called having lips. It was filled with blood. Bryan set his eyes on private Hutchison. He was obviously dead, and private Vernas was next to him with his finger on his neck. He then looked at captain Bryan and said, "He's dead..."
Bryan breathed in deeply, knowing that this was a very bad thing. Bryan looked around at the cave quickly and instantaneously, fearing there were more of these murdering creatures within the bowels of this cave. Bryan then said after another deep breath, "Put him in his bag and carry him with us. We are leaving - now!" Private Jake and private Vernas acknowledged him by saying "Yes sir!" The rest of the soldiers stood close to captain Bryan and corporal Landon, who had witnessed the whole thing as well. As Bryan heard the zip of the body bag, there was another noise. More than just one. It came from the three cave entrances. It sounded like a loud hiss, almost as loud as a roar would be. It was an intimidating sound and it struck fear into his heart. He couldn't recognize how many he had heard or whether they were all from one creature, but it sounded like there were many. The sound of slithering on the ground from where the entrances were could now be heard. Bryan's heart raced again and beat hard inside his chest, knowing that these atrocities were coming after them.
Before Bryan was able to take out his radio, there was a crack sound mixed with what sounded like a sucking-teeth sound, only amplified, that came from within the middle entrance. Something then flew across the cave. There were many of them and small and shaped like spears or daggers of some sort. The projectiles collided into private Travis, and he made a sound of desperation before falling to his knees and then hitting the floor with his face. Bryan looked at the three entrances as he began to see the shape of another three creatures forming from within the darkness. He knew they were not alone as the shape of yet more could be seen behind them. Even with the shoulder-lamps and his flashlight, he knew there were many of them. Before Bryan lay two dead soldiers, his two squads of soldiers, and a force of hostile creatures that seemed intent on killing the rest of them.
Bryan acted immediately and shouted into his radio, "Lets go! We are leaving!" The soldiers didn't need to be told to open fire to defend themselves as they had already begun to open fire. Lights flashed inside the cave and the sounds of the rifles the soldiers were firing was loud. The sound of the rifles firing, the bullets hitting the walls of the cave, and the creatures which roared and screamed in agony were what Bryan heard. The shuffle of feet and the footsteps of the men backing up were the next thing Bryan was able to pick up. Bryan took out his pistol from his holster with his right hand as he put his radio and his flashlight back onto his side with his left hand. He pointed the gun at the monsters and pulled the trigger. The recoil was moderate and the sound echoed loudly in Bryan's ear, more than the rapid sounds of the automatics that the other wielded. The sound of the Colt was deeper and more concentrated than that of the others, but it was drowned out quickly as the fight continued. One after another, they kept crawling out to get them. The bullets weren't as effective as Bryan hoped they would be because they weren't falling fast enough. The spikes came again and hit two more soldiers, private Jones and private Gonzalas. They feel quickly with the ends of the needle-like projectiles seen on the neck and chest of them both.
Bryan began to shuffle backwards as the men continued firing. Bryan shouted with his voice "Lets go!" Private Brandon was the first to jump over the ledge they had come from. Brandon turned around, bent down with one knee, and covered the men from on top of the ledge with his rifle fire. The monsters seemed to have come in a swarm and Bryan knew it wouldn't be too long before they would be overrun. Private Mike was next to jump on the ledge as he stumbled to his feet and ran up the spiral path and away from the fight. Captain Bryan went next as he ran and jumped with full force onto the ledge. The jump was bad one and he felt his upper legs still on the lower level of the cave as he crawled up onto the ledge. Bryan heard the roaring sounds of the creatures again and as Bryan crawled away, he could hear the scream of one of his men. Bryan turned himself over on the ground and looked at the ensuing fight. The creatures were hideous looking and were taller than any average human would be.
Bryan felt his heart sink in horror as private Cline was pounced on by one of the creatures. He happened to have been in the front and it had cost him his life. The creature, which stood above Cline with it's tail, proceeded to violently and viciously hack away at Cline with it's long metallic hooks. Bryan almost thought that the creature was enjoying itself as it was killing the poor private beneath him who was yelling an "ah" sound with his last breath. The remaining soldiers immediately took down private Cline's killer before another creature pounced at another soldier, private Paterson. The one who had illuminated the room for him was about to die and Bryan couldn't stand watching his own squad die to such ruthless monsters. He got to his feet and started firing his pistol on the creature which had knocked Paterson down. Captain Bryan's aim was good enough for one of his bullets to penetrate the head of the creature. It slumped to the ground and its torso lay across Paterson's body. Paterson was squirming beneath the thing. As he squirmed his right leg free and aimed his rifle at the approaching monsters, private Jake was there to lift him up by his shoulders. Private Jake and Paterson made their way to the ledge as the monsters kept closing in on the remaining soldiers. Bryan felt powerless to save the remaining men.
Bryan held out his hand as private Jake was the first to approach him at the ledge. The firefight was still heated and the rest of the men seemed to be losing ground gradually. Bryan knew that they would be trapped and enclosed. Despite the loud sound of private Brandon's rifle firing so close to the captain, he managed to pull Jake up onto the ledge. Another crack sound was heard and Bryan saw four white needles hit Jake in his left leg. Jake yelped in pain and Bryan immediately held him by his arm to prevent him from falling. Holding his wounded soldier with his arm around his back, Bryan began to pull Jake away from the battle and up toward the pathway leading out of this hell. He knew his movement was slow, so he had to be able to back-step quickly as he tried to save Jake. Jake began to whine and make moaning sounds from pain in his leg. Bryan stopped half-way toward the top and shouted, "Are you going to be OK? Can you walk?" Jake responded only with a low sounding groan and Bryan knew he was in no condition to make it back on his own. Ahead of them, Bryan saw private Paterson stumbling backwards with his gun aimed in the direction he came from. He turned around quickly to look at the captain and the private and then dashed past them. He could see the fear in his eyes and hoped that the rest of the soldiers would make it out alive. Bryan continued to pull Jake up with him. Bryan said in a softer tone, "Almost there, buddy. Come on, just a little bit more." He heard the blast of a grenade from deeper within the cave. Afraid to think of how many were down there, Bryan made a mental note for the last few men to make it out of here alive to recommend them for an award or a promotion. He only hoped he would live to tell the story.