@Dark WindA lone, spacecraft cruised through the vast expanse of space. The silent blackness shrouded the small vessel on all sides, threatening to devour the ship and all those inside. Sapphire blades of flame stabbed through the darkness, thrusting the carrier forward. The ugly gray hull was dented in several places, littered with scorch marks and the scars of blaster fire. Its once pearly white, divine wings were chipped and rusted. Layers of ash wrapped around, choking the life out of them like a serpent.
Room of shadow. Darkness kept at bay by a dimly glowing bulb. Orange strays of light cast their shine over a figure huddled up against the corner. The person’s back was against steel wall. No way out with the door mechanically sealed, no windows, all alone. Her long dark hair fell messily down her back. Unkempt and littered with scatterings of dirt. Sweat trickled across streaks of mud on her face that she pressed against her kneecaps; curled up into herself. Sunken eyes, closed shut.
“So many…” She whispered.
“So many, so many, so many. Leon. Leon, bomb.”
A door slammed shut. The woman scrambled to her feet wide awake.
“They’re here! Fire! Fire!”
She slapped herself. Deep breath.
“Get a hold of yourself Riley.”
Riley raised her chained hands to block the blinding dim light from her weary gaze, trying to ease the stabbing pain that knifed and twisted through her mind. Her hands covered in dirt stains. Callouses and healing blisters all over her fingers and a burn scar over her forearm.
She darted her head to the door. Footsteps echoed from behind. Getting closer and closer. Riley crept forward and pressed her ear against the sealed entry.
“Screaming again. Did you give her the meds?” A voice sounded.
Outside there stood two people in a brightly lit narrow corridor of steel walls. One was a woman with short black hair. She stared down at the ground, rubbing her hands together nervously.
“No, but…”
“But, what? I gave you an order.” The man replied. Sharply dressed in a white and blue uniform. His eyes were kind but he stood tall with command, and his voice reflected that authority. In one hand he held a medical kit. He handed it over to the woman.
“She won’t let me get close.”
“Corporal Straus has her hands chained up, is unarmed, and exhausted. You have a weapon, understood?”
“It’s the way she looks at me sir. I’ve never met anyone in my life who looked at me like she does.”
“A look doesn’t warrant fear or disobeying commands.”
“You haven’t been up close to her yet, captain.”
“For fucks sake, Rei. Get your act together. I know we’re in a war against your homeland but that’s no excuse. Why couldn’t you just get Adrian to help?”
Rei, fully known as Rei Mori, sighed. “He’s too busy with virtual reality combat training.”
He began laughing. Rei cocked her head in confusion. “What’s so funny?”
“It just figures. I’ve got orders to bring her back to the Seruvu Outpost for examination. A single person and an easy task. But I’ve got a war hero who is busy with training he doesn’t need, and a medical officer who doesn’t follow orders. All the while I could be back at Rylieu helping out with the war effort, but instead I’ve got to fucking babysit.”
Rei flinched at his words. “I’m sorry Liam. I’ll do as you wish. Just, I’d like your help is all.”
“Yes, please help her. The bitch in there is too loud and I was trying to catch some sleep. Sooner we get the freak asleep, the better we are.” Another man came walking in.
“And now I have a pilot that isn’t flying…”
The pilot had an easygoing walk. Smooth effortless charm about him. He flashed a cheeky smile to Liam and then to Rei. “Hey Rei, lookin’ cute as ever.”
“Hi Vince… thanks.” She blushed, trailing off.
“How do they say cute in Lyanaise?”
“Kawaii.”
“You’re so kawaii.”
Rei laughed. “You’re very sweet to say so.”
“Why aren’t you in the cockpit?”
“Relax Liam. I’ve got us past the asteroid field, and from here it’s smooth sailing. Got it kicked in autopilot for a while. Figured I’d come down to see the freak. Always good entertainment.”
“You should probably stop calling her that.”
“Why? It’s what she is. You’ve heard the stories.”
“Not like you’re a saint.”
“I don’t pretend to be. You gotta’ stop bein’ so uptight all the time.” Vince put his arm around Liam. “You and me made it out of the shithole they call New Gettysburg growin’ up as kids, and we’re normal. What’s her excuse?”
Liam resisted the urge to smile and moved away from Vince. He pressed his hand to the scanner. “Step away from the door, pilot. You better behave.”
“Oh you know I will, captain.”
That drew a smile from the captain. Inside, Riley moved away. Backing far enough so to be standing in the middle of the room directly underneath the dim orange light. When the door opened, she had to squint from the bright white light surging in. Hardly able to see anyone coming in other than the shadow of Liam’s figure.
Liam moved inside the holding cell. He waved over to Rei.
“Leave the Lyanaise bitch outside.” Riley open and closed her fists. The chains around her wrists rattled slightly. Rei paused at the door, looking away from Riley as she raised her head. Avoiding her bloodshot gaze where the inextinguishable flames of pure hatred roared. “This room is ugly enough without the yellow, slant-eyed cunt walking around in here.”
Rei recoiled, stung by the words and their vicious bite. Liam looked over Riley, cautious. Not knowing how to handle her. He was dealing with a wild fire and didn’t know whether his next string of words was water or gasoline.
“We’re all Republic soldiers here, even Rei.”
“Better hope she doesn’t kill you in your sleep.”
“I’ve heard enough from her, just stick her already.” Vince called out. Rei
“Rei, I’m going to hold her. You need to administer the shot. Just stay still Riley. It’ll be dark in seconds, and when you wake up you’ll feel better. We’ll get you checked in with the best of the medical field. Get your head all fixed.”
Riley glared at Liam. Broken down and tired, on the verge of collapse. But still able to stand and fight, running on the fuels of rage to keep her going. Get her head fixed? She smiled. The smile turned into laughter. And the laughter became louder and louder. Rei remained frozen still.
“There is no fixing this.” Damage far too engraved. No matter how much coats of paint are put over the scars, the wounds never leave. They’re just hidden beneath the surface. Liam took a step closer and glanced back to Rei.
“If you come close to me with that needle, I’ll break your neck.”
“Don’t listen to her.”
But Rei did listen, and she couldn’t move her feet. Let alone her hands. Vince moved forward and snatched the needle from her.
“Jesus Christ, I’ll do it. Hold her damn it. I’m tired of hearing the lunatic talk.”
Liam maneuvered himself behind Riley. He gripped his fingers onto her arms. She let him do so. A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek. Ever so slow as his heart began to beat faster. Pump-pump, pump-pump. His fingers clenched in tight against her skin. If he held any tighter he might draw blood. He had to take every precaution.
“You’re doing good Corporal.”
Riley said nothing in reply. Even as Vince approached her, she watched Rei tremble. Tunnel vision as the pilot’s boots echoed against the steel floor. Thud… thud… thud… Vince stood in front of her now, insufferable smirk on his face. He dabbed alcohol onto her arm and lifted the needle up to her arm.
“Time to go to sleep, princess.”
She whipped her head against his, knocking him down against the floor with a loud clang. Liam tried to let go of her quick, but Riley’s head rocked backwards and slammed him in the face. A gash opened up above Liam’s eye. Blood seeped down his face while he looked forward to check on Vince. His friend was reeling on the ground with a broken nose. Crimson pouring out of his nostrils and having trouble breathing.
“Fucking bitch! Get her!”
But Liam couldn’t move straight. Every part of his vision was fuzzy and blurred.
Riley stepped out into the corridor and sized up Rei. The medical officer backed up into a corner. Trapped by the predator ready to feast on its prey. She felt tears build up; she couldn’t even call out for help. Riley leaned over her shoulder and whispered with an eerie calm.
“Tell me where my equipment is being held.”
“I-I don’t remember—“
“Bullshit!”
Rei yelped in pain as Riley’s fists crashed into her jaw. She screamed again as the prisoner tugged on her hair with brutal force.
“I will smash your skull against this wall until you remember. And I don’t care if your brains splatter all over it.”
“I-It’s in the armory… Down the corridor all the way. Open the door and take the first left. Agh!” She cried out as Riley pressed her face against the cold metal wall. Riley tugged the Lyanaise officer back and slammed her head against the surface. Agony left Rei’s lips as she was let go.
Riley sprinted down the hallway. Rei slumped down in the corner and broke out sobbing. The exit was closer and closer, freedom at hand. But soon another pair of footsteps rattled down the corridor after her. Liam was gaining on her. Despite Riley’s training and her strength, it didn’t matter. Her exhaustion was catching up, and Liam was a fresh well-rested soldier. He pulled out one of his side arms. A gun designed for tranquilizing agents.
As Riley made it to the door, she reached for the handle. Pulling it open until she heard the sound of something fire through the air. A quick prick in her neck caused her to turn around. Liam stood before her. She could see his face, until everything blurred. Her world faded to black.
Vision came back to light, blurry and hazy. Blink, blink. The haze began to fall away to reveal another room. Vibrant white light shimmered off of clean, white beds. No one occupied them. Riley stirred. Her head rested against a soft pillow. Disoriented yet rested, more rested than she’d been in months. She tried to move her hands but they stopped a few inches in the air. Tight leather binds circled her wrists, keeping her attached to the bed. The same went for her legs. With a furious yank she pulled at her restraints. No luck.
Riley stared at the ceiling and breathed out a heavy sigh. It was only then she noticed her hands were clean, hair no longer dirty. Fresh and put back together. An unfamiliar feeling. A noise caught her attention; one long, drawn out inhale. The faint glow of a cigarette. Liam pulled the cig from his mouth and breathed out the smoky mist.
“How long have I been in here?” Riley spoke.
“A few hours. Got a lot more to go before we make it to Seruvu.”
“Let me get a hit of that.”
Liam looked over the cigarette, pondering the decision.
“Come on, I’m not going anywhere. What’s the worst thing I can do, give you cancer from second hand smoke?”
He couldn’t help himself but chuckle. But he cut that out fast. Liam went to the side of her bed and held the cig down to her mouth.
“Marine Specialists are banned from tobacco.” He said.
Riley inhaled then breathed out.
“Looks like I’m not the only person in this room that doesn’t give a shit.”
He pulled the cig away. “It’s the nerves. None of the military supplements works quite as well as a good smoke.”
“Yeah…”
“Tell me something corporal. I’ve—“
“Have you seen combat, captain?”
“What?”
“The front lines.”
“No, I volunteered for the fourth division. Haven’t seen battle yet, but I was supposed to until I had to transport you back to Seruvu.”
“You make it sound like I’ve wronged you.”
“Men are dying out there. Good men that I could be helping.”
“Save it, captain. You should be thanking me.”
“Just what happened to you out there? You’re a part of the first company. A hero of the campaign in the Radoral Sector. By wars end you’ll be known forever as a legend. Medals and everything.”
“I don’t need a medal. Kill the Lyanaise cunts and be done with it. That’s what we signed up for. You don’t know it yet, but you will.”
“What happened out there Riley? I’ve heard of shell shock, but everything you say is, I don’t know. Never wanted to shut someone up more in my life.”
“There are no heroes Liam. Just them, you, and the bullets between.”
Liam opened his mouth to speak back but the door opened. In came Adrian Stukov. A hulking mass of muscle; he was the epitome of what a soldier should look like. Powerful, a fierce face determined to win at all costs. Riley recognized him right away.
“The hero of Radoral himself… Been a long time, Adrian. Heard you were making speeches back home in the Aratan territories.”
The Aratan Republic. A several planet system governed by senates, congress, and a president. Leading force of democracy within the galaxy. Riley could barely remember what home was like anymore. What it looked like or smelled like. Only the faint sounds of hover cars blazing through the airways. Hot steam from a cup of coffee poured by her father. All a distant memory now. The only home she held onto was the Aratan Republic Marine Specialists, otherwise known as ARMS.
Adrian regarded Riley warily. Like he was seeing a ghost.
“Felt I was needed on the front. I couldn’t sit back and watch anymore.”
“Unfinished business.”
“You could say that.”
Liam interrupted. “What is it Adrian?”
“Get up in the cockpit. We’ve got new orders.”
He gave a nod, and they left the room. Riley alone, staring up at the ceiling. Awaiting whatever it was that would come, the shadows all around her.
At the cockpit, the entry door slid open. Liam and Adrian stepped inside. Vince wheeled around in his pilots seat, Rei sat next to him.
“We got word from the higher ups, you’re not gonna’ like it.”
“Out with it.”
“We’re going to be delayed getting good ole freak-show back there to Seruvu. There’s a Republic outpost on Derai we have to check out. Supposedly they’ve lost contact. We’re the closest ship in the area, so we’ve got to drop down and see what’s what.”
Liam could only think of the soldiers suffering in Rylieu. But anything he could do was better than nothing. Maybe there was more to this mission than anyone thought.
“How long till we get there?”
“Six hours.”
“Understood. It might be a combat zone down there for all we know. Fly in quiet, I want the shields up at maximum strength. Everyone should get geared up.”
“All my gear is up here. I’ll be ready.”
Rei, Liam, and Adrian went to the armory. All three suited up in the ARMS combat armor. Traditional blue and white. Adrian’s armor looked much thicker. As a heavy-arms combatant, he required heavier armor and the machine gun. Rei had a cross insignia to mark her as a medic. Liam had the common lighter weight outfit with a pistol and an assault rifle. All three placed on their helmets and visors.
“What about the corporal?” Rei asked.
“We’re going to have to bring her with us. I can’t leave her alone for too long. She’s a specialist and her actions are unpredictable. Don’t worry, she’ll be cuffed up. I wouldn’t give her a rifle. Ever.”
All they could do was wait.
In the darkness they stood at the loading bay ramp. With a click of a switch, the ramp lowered. Light filtered in, showering the group with bright sunlight. Liam at the front with Vince next to him. Adrian had a hand wrapped tight around Riley’s arm, and Rei followed shortly behind.
“We’re going to sweep over the outpost and be on our way.”
Liam went ahead and the squad moved forward, marching down the ramp onto the landing pad of the Derai outpost. All around them they had a view of the planet. Other than this building there was a long stretch of jungle. Green woodlands that seemed to stretch forever. The sun beamed on them with vicious force. Relentless in its heat. Already, Liam felt himself beginning to sweat. For Rei it looked familiar, but a distant memory. Adrian couldn’t shake his restlessness. For a war hero, he seemed more nervous than the rookies. Riley kept her gaze glued to the wilderness. Anything that moved alerted her. Vince swatted a mosquito on his padded shoulder.
“Not two minutes here and I’m already getting attacked by bugs. And it’s hot as balls here. Glad I didn’t volunteer to be a soldier. Can’t imagine dealing with this shit day in and day out.”
“You don’t get bitten in a full set of armor.”
“I know, it’s the heat I’m really talking about.”
“Imagine dealing with it for months at a time with bullets and bombs all around you.” Riley spoke.
Vince didn’t have anything to say back.
“I don’t like this any more than you do, let’s keep moving.” Liam said.
“I’d like this better if you gave me a helmet.” Riley spoke.
“We’re on our own protected outpost, you’ll be fine.”
“It’s a Lyanaise planet. If we find ourselves swarmed my troops who look exactly like your medic, don’t cry to me about it. You’d be better off giving me a weapon.”
Rei had remained quiet for so long. Suddenly she burst.
“What did I do to you? I’m Aratan just like yourself. I left the territories when I was a child, I hardly even remember it!”
“You can leave the jungle, but the animal born here is still inside you.”
With a scream she rushed forward and slapped Riley across the face. Vince grabbed onto her and tugged her back. Rei was on the verge of tears. Riley slowly turned her face back to Rei. Reddened cheek but no expression.
“I told you.” A smirk came across her face that sickened Vince.
“You’re a real bitch.”
“Enough!” Liam shouted out, getting in the middle of everyone. “We are here to investigate and move on.”
“What is there to see? Just metal and lots of jungle.” Adrian pointed out. “And it doesn’t seem like anyone is here. No one answered the radio coming in.”
He was right, and that unsettled Liam. They had sent out a call to the outpost. All that came back was static. No soldiers or sentries met their ship as they stepped onto the pad. The only thing in the air was bugs, heat, and silence.
“Stay alert. Keep your weapons at the ready. If it shoots at you, shoot back.”
Liam went toward the outpost door. There weren’t any ships he could see on the outpost. But, Riley could see a crashed drop ship in the distance. It placed a scar on the jungle. She squinted her eyes and could recognize the Aratan colors. But, she kept quiet as they all moved inside the base.
Nothing. Nothing everywhere. The hallways were as vast and long as they were empty. Vibrant white lights nearly blinded them. Their footsteps echoed every move forward. It was like the entire place had been abandoned. Liam opened a few doors on the sidewalls to find empty dorm rooms. Beds with cleanly folded blankets. But no clothes, and no people.
“I don’t like this place.” Vince broke the quiet. “We should leave and grab a drink back at Seruvu. There’s nothing here.”
“I’ll say when we leave. Everything here gives me the creeps too, but we have orders.”
Adrian seemed ready to jump at every noise, every rattle in the building.
“If anything we should find a place to stop. Adrian’s looking like he’s gonna’ break down.”
Adrian opened his mouth to answer, but Riley was first.
“The moment you relax, you die.” She turned her head to Liam. “I bet the command room is at the end of this hall.”
“We seriously going to listen to her?”
“Yes.” Liam’s answer was simple. “From there we could get the layout of the outpost. They’ll have a radio and their might be a chance of voice recordings. We’ll have a chance to find out what happened here and fast. Then we’ll get the hell off this rock.”
A whisper.
“Works with me.” Adrian said. But he jumped and turned around.
“What is it?”
“Thought I heard something.”
Liam looked down the hallway. Empty as ever.
“Nothing. It’s just this place. Come on.”
The command room was what the hallway had been. A great window looked out across the Derai landscape. Jungle and sun. An endless expanse of vines, mud and trees full of leaves. Impossible to see anything beyond the outpost itself. All the controls were untouched. They looked cleaned and fresh. The chairs held no people.
“It’s a ghost town here.” Rei said, moving around.
Liam went forward to the radio. Adrian had Riley in hand and joined him. Vince found himself standing by the window looking out at the landscape.
“How the fuck do the Lyanaise fight? Where are their outposts and bases of operation?”
“In the ground.” Riley answered. Vince turned around.
“They dig tiny mazes in the dirt. Holes where they can live off of little water and small rations for several months at a time. The entire jungle will seem like its abandoned. Then suddenly gunfire will be pouring out of the trees.”
Most watched Riley. Entranced by what she had to say. Adrian was the only who didn’t watch. He held his head down, staring at his feet.
“But the nights are the worst. It can be pouring rain, and sometimes it lasts days. Thunder overhead… In our camps, we’d try to rest for the night. But they’d come out of their caves and start picking us off. Luckily we have better weapons, and soldiers like Adrian over there mowed them down with heavy guns.”
Adrian didn’t raise his head. Rei turned her head when Riley’s eyes met hers.
“Stop.” Liam grabbed Riley and pulled her over. He lowered his voice to a whisper. “They’re all tense as it is. I can’t have you scaring everyone here with your lies.”
“I didn’t lie.”
Liam paused. “Just try to be nice.”
Riley started to laugh but stopped when Liam frowned. “I’ll try. But they’re better off knowing the truth. Vince might not see combat, but Rei will. You can even ask Adrian if you need to.”
“Thank you.” And that was the last he had of that. “Vince, bring up the map board.”
Vince listened to his orders. Meanwhile, Liam grabbed the radio and checked every station. Static, nothing but static. He entered in the channel for the Seruvu outpost and spoke.
“Captain Liam Royce coming in, over.”
“This is the Seruvu Sentry, what’s the news on Derai, captain?”
“It’s a ghost town down here, no one in sight. What are our orders? We want to get out of here, now.”
“That’s a negative, captain. We need you to look around and see if there is anyone at all on base. Any data recordings need to be brought to us.”
“Alright, I’ll call in when we’ve finished.”
He hung up.
“What’s the map got for us?”
Everyone gathered by to look at a screen on a table. Lit up it showed the digital blueprint of the outpost. Vince studied it closely.
“This isn’t a fighting outpost.”
That caught everyone off guard.
“It’s a science facility. Developing a weapon here I guess, but I don’t know what. The map only tells me that this is a weapons development station. My guess is the lab is right here. Only problem is you’ll have to go outside to get there. Whatever happened probably happened out there… Maybe. It’s like no one has ever lived here so I don’t know what to think.”
“The sun will be down soon.” Riley noticed as it was setting.
“I’ve got no real great combat training, I think it’d be best for me to stay here. Rei should keep me company too.”
Liam nodded. “I’ll take Adrian to the lab. And Riley.”
“That’d make me more comfortable.”
“You should give me a gun.”
“Not a chance.” Liam took her from Adrian and went to the exit door. Adrian followed. “We’ll be a few minutes I bet. Hold in tight. Call us if anything happens.”
As they went through the door, Adrian was last.
Liar. Fraud. The whisper came again. He stopped and looked around. Nothing around, just like before. Adrian shook his head and went on.
Outside all three of them began to sweat again. The heat was unforgiving, baking them inside of their armor. Visors fogging up so often that Liam had to wipe it clean every few seconds. Riley watched the jungle, looking for any unusual holes or movement. She expected there to be evidence of Lyanaise soldiers but there was nothing.
“Jesus Christ, how did you fight with these visors?”
“We didn’t. We used the helmets but pulled the visors up.”
“That puts you at risk though.”
“Fighting blind is worse. Your boot camp officers most likely haven’t seen a battle. They’re going by a guidebook that’s not adjusted for warfare here.”
“You know everything I guess.”
Riley glared at him. “I’ve actually seen combat. You haven’t. If you want to walk around like a rookie and die, go ahead.”
“Combat teach you to disobey orders and insult your own allies?”
She didn’t answer.
“Fine, you can walk with Adrian if you don’t want to talk about what happened.” He handed her over.
Adrian got a solid lead in front of Liam. “Been a while.” He said.
“Feels like it’s been forever.”
“How’s the first?”
“Not doing a war hero tour back home, that’s for sure.”
“That bad?”
“Harry’s dead. Sniper got him. Eric stepped on a landmine. Tyler and Reed were both killed on the beach of Rylieu.”
“… I heard about Leon. Didn’t say anything earlier because I figured you didn’t want to say anything.”
Riley looked down at her hand. On her ring finger, there was a patch of skin lighter than the rest.
“Why did they ship you out?”
“Leon died and they figured I needed rest. That’s it.”
Adrian wanted to say more, but he didn’t have the words.
Murderer. The whisper voiced again. This time Riley heard it.
“Did you hear that?”
“What was it?”
Liar.His whole body tensed, and Riley could sense it.
“A whisper.”
“We must be going mad.”
“Maybe…”
There was a crunch under Adrian’s boot and they both stopped. When they looked forward, shock overcame them. Liam stopped cold when he saw it too. A hole, dug up. Under Adrian’s boot was a bone that had snapped. Human hand. In the hole they saw other remains of humans. Arms and legs. Skulls with open mouths of horror. It seemed like the skulls were still screaming even in death. But what stopped them was the man at the bottom. A man in nothing but ragged clothes. The holes on his back showed scratches and dripping blood. Dirt clung to every part of his skin. He continuously, endlessly clawed at the dirt. It had to have taken him days to dig this hole with just his hands. His nails were bloody. His fingers were soaked in his own blood. But the pain didn’t seem to faze him. He continued to claw and go deeper without thinking. That’s when they could hear him.
“Got to get away. Run… run… run. He will get me. Get me. The burning, oh it hurts it hurts. Says we don’t need our eyes. But I want them. I need to get away. Don’t trust them. Kill them, kill them. Bury them.”
Liam stepped forward and readied his rifle. He found the nerve to speak.
“Sir?”
The digging stopped. “Who are they?” The man spoke. “Who are they, who are they? Can’t trust them… Can’t trust them.” He turned around. What they saw chilled them. The man had no jaw. It was gone. Just his mouth and his upper teeth. No tongue. But words were coming from him. They had to be.
He reached for something in his pocket. “We can help you. What happened here?” It seemed a good enough thing to say to Liam. He didn’t know what to do.
“Bury them.” The man pulled a knife. There was no way he should be able to climb out of his hole without digging steps, but he was managing to climb up alarmingly fast.
“Stay put, soldier! Hold your position!”
Too late. He got to the top and leapt up and tackled Liam. His rifle fell to the ground. He held his hands up and grabbed onto the man’s arms. Preventing the knife from gashing his face.
“Help! Get him off!”
But Adrian sprinted away. He dropped his gun and ran away in absolute terror. Back to the outpost’s central structure. “Adrian!” Riley screamed, but he didn’t answer back. He left them behind.
Liam continued his struggle but the man with no tongue was abnormally strong. He pushed down with increasing force. The knife’s tip got closer and closer to Liam’s face. It scratched at the visor and soon broke through. Liam closed his eyes from the shattered glass. But the knife was nearing his eye. He yelled out in struggle. Desperate for help, but unable to move. Blood suddenly vomited out of the man’s mouth onto his face. In that moment he lost his concentration.
But Riley jumped behind the man and wrapped her hands on his head. With a quick, strong twist she snapped his neck. The body fell limp on the ground. Twitching wildly with blood oozing out of his open face.
Riley stared at the corpse. Liam breathed heavily on the ground before scrambling up to his feet. He wiped his face clean around his eyes. The rifle found itself in his hands quick. Barrel aimed at the body. Riley looked at him and he looked at her. Both in agreement. Gunfire rung out in the air as he unloaded a clip in the corpse until its head was nothing but a mess of brains and flesh across the jungle floor.
“Give me a fucking gun.” Riley broke their silence.
Before, Liam would not have given her a paper clip. Now he pulled out the keys and unlocked her cuffs. He pulled the pistol off his holster. Riley took it in her hand. She touched it, her fingers brushing over every aspect of the cold steel. In her hand, the gun looked more like an extension of her arm rather than a separate part of her.
“Ever… ever see that in battle?”
“No. That was new. I don’t want to stay here and see if we find any more men like him. My bet is the rest of the outpost is in that hole.”
“You’re probably right. But the lab’s right there. We should download the data records and then get the hell out of here.”
“Better make it fast, or I’ll get out of here and fly the ship myself.”
“Understood.”
Riley and Liam entered the lab.
Adrian ran down the hallways of the outpost. But he forgot the way back to the command room. He looked all across the walls for maps or directions. But there was nothing. There was something strange about that, because he swore there were directions painted on the walls before.
“Vince. Come in, you there?”
He spoke into his radio. Static. “Rei?” Nothing again.
Footsteps sprinted behind him. Adrian whipped around and aimed his handgun. There was no one there. “Vince, I need your help. Come down to the… the fucking exit. Get me the hell out of here. Something happened out there. Lyanaise soldiers. We need to move, now!”
His only company was static.
Liar.“Who’s there?” He wheeled around and fired. Three bullets hit the far wall.
Fraud. This time it seemed to be inside his head.
“Shut up! Get out, get out of my head!” He fired out more shots to no avail. Emptying his clip, and with quick movements he reloaded the pistol.
“Show yourself.”
Footsteps sprinting down the hall again. Adrian backed up against the wall and looked right and left. The steps never stopped but they kept on coming. Soon the lights began flickering. On and off, on and off. Light, then darkness. Every door in the hallway opened and closed. Where he leaned on the wall, it was a door. He screamed out and moved way.
Now the lights began to turn on and off, slowly. He saw a figure down the hall. His pistol opened fire. Hitting nothing. The silhouette was gone.
Glass shattered as one light bulb exploded. Then another, and another. Until Adrian found himself under the last one. The light flickered. Bright white. Then slowly dimmed to a dull orange. Going out. He could only hear his breathing in the pitch black.
Then… another pair of lungs breathing.
“Where are you!”
The light suddenly became dull orange. A woman’s face appeared over his shoulder. Her eyes were sowed shut. Ears cut off.
“Liar.”
Adrian screamed. The last light shattered.
Vince and Rei sat in chairs next to each other. He opened up a flask of whiskey and took a sip. Rei looked at it and smiled.
“Want some?”
“Read my mind. Getting more bored than scared in here.”
“I hear that.” He laughed and handed the flask. Rei took a drink.
“Thatta girl, you can drink.”
“I might look small, but I can hold my own.”
“Sure you can in more ways than one. Saw how you got with Riley. That was brave of you, I like that you’ve got a fiery side.”
He gave her a charming grin, and a flirtatious look. She returned the look. A comfortable, momentary silence between them.
“She just got on my nerves. I’m not the soldiers she fights, and I’m not an animal…”
“If anyone is an animal, it’s her.”
“But, the way she talked about fighting. She, she just seems tired. My father fought in the First Galactic Conflict. He came home and was never the same. Perhaps it’s the same way for her.”
“I don’t envy her.”
“Neither do I.” She took another gulp. “He shot himself in the head.”
Quiet. Vince stared wide-eyed in surprise. Then Rei burst out laughing.
“Oh I’m awful, I don’t know why I’m laughing about that.”
Vince joined in. “You must be drunk already. Let me catch up.” He chugged some down. She playfully slapped his arm.
“Am not. I can hold my liquor, thank you.”
“Glad I’m stuck here with you, you know that?”
She blushed. “How long do you think they’ll be?”
“Twenty minutes. Half an hour tops.”
“Well, that’s some time.”
“Some time for what?”
“Just, it’s you and me here. Kind of boring. We’ve got a drink, that’s good.” She rambled, and her hand found his. Lightly rubbing him.
“Oh, that kind of time. We’ve got…” He leaned in and pushed a hand through her hair. “Plenty of that.” They both kissed. He pulled her into his lap. But before long, the door to the room opened. Rei whirled around to her feet and grabbed her pistol. Vince gripped his as well, then he eased back.
Adrian walked in, gun at his side.
Vince noticed that Riley and Liam weren’t with him. He took a step forward but didn’t get too close. There was something about Adrian that seemed off. He looked in their direction, but Adrian didn’t seem to see them. Didn’t acknowledge them. He wandered around the room, aimlessly.
“No… No… Not here. Not this place.”
“Adrian?”
Vince motioned for Rei to get behind him.
“Adrian, where is Liam? Is he still outside? What about Riley?”
Adrian said something in Sekrusian, Vince didn’t understand it.
“Listen to me, Adrian.”
“Lost, so lost. Dead. All dead.”
“Who is dead, Adrian?”
“Everyone. They’re all dead. I need to get out of here…”
“Is he saying Liam and Riley are dead?” Rei asked.
“I don’t know. I don’t think so. He’s not talking to me.”
Adrian walked towards the window and got down on one knee. He pressed his hand to the floor and stroked the tile. Again and again and again. Like that tile was his closest friend.
“Dead. All dead. Need to get out…”
“Hurry up and upload the data files.” Riley leaned up against the wall and covered every corner with her viewpoint. “I don’t want to run into any more of those freaks.”
Liam went up to the control panel and plugged in a file jack. “I’m going to play the voice files as it downloads, that alright with you?”
“I don’t really care. Listening to something might keep me at ease.”
“It’ll play once it gets to the voice files. Meantime, we could talk.”
“Or we couldn’t.”
“You saved my ass back there. Thank you.”
“Was I supposed to let it cut your eye out?”
“It? That was a human being. A fucking soldier from this outpost.”
“He wasn’t anymore. You saw him. You listened to him. I don’t know what that was. And it doesn’t matter anymore. It… ‘He’, is dead.”
Liam slammed his fist on the control panel.
“Just fucking talk to me. We’re going to get out of here as fast as we can. I have no idea where Adrian is. We can’t get through to Vince or Rei. Everyone on this outpost might be dead or if there are some survivors, they might be like the man you killed outside.”
Riley took a deep breath. “Fine. I’m sorry. What do you want to know?”
“You said everything earlier was true, right? What you said anyway.”
A loud rumble outside. Liam flinched and raised his rifle. Riley could hear pattering on the outer walls.
“Relax, it’s just thunder. And rain. Probably dark out now.”
Liam looked at her expectantly.
“Yes, what I said was true. The first company of ARMS are known as heroes for their campaigns in the Radoral Sector. You hear that outside? More than half the month in each planetary battle was just like that. Rain, thunder and darkness. There was also scorching hot sun. Little water… Sometimes we had to drink our own piss when our supply lines got cut off. We can all go a while with water on hand without food. But no water kills you fast. It can make you go crazy.”
Liam had nothing to say and he listened to her go on.
“When we first arrived, it seemed like no one was there. For days we didn’t encounter an enemy. Then the traps hit. Landmines, and trip wires that brought wooden stakes into the guts of our troops. But we couldn’t find a single one of those fuckers. It drove us insane. We were sleeping one night when they charged our encampments on all sides. Luckily our training came through. Our heavy guns mowed down their numbers. Dropping them like flies. We suffered a lot of casualties. But the battles aren’t the worst. It’s the bombing runs. When you’re sitting there in your mud and shit-filled hole. Not knowing if it’s you who is going to be next when the bomb falls on you and blows you to pieces. Because your friends are getting torn apart on all sides of you. And you can’t sleep because they send bombers over head during the night to keep you awake. Once we caught a few of them unarmed… The fucking animals. They surrendered and we took them in. Only they were strapped with explosives. Killed themselves and took some of us with them. I think a lot of us lost part of ourselves at moments like that. Even me.”
“Jesus Christ…” Liam choked on the words in his throat. Finding the right things to say to her.
“Say what’s on your mind.”
“Why do you hate-“
“Suicide bomber killed my fiancé.”
“… Riley. I’m so sorry. Christ, I didn’t think…”
“Didn’t think war was like that?”
“No. I, I wanted to serve my nation. Defend our freedoms and be apart of something great.”
“They train you, get you in shape, and teach you to fire a gun. All the tools to kill another soldier. I learned how to kill Lyanaise soldiers, and I got pretty damn good at it. But the one thing they don’t tell you about is what it’s like. They can’t. If we knew, we’d never go. Never fight. But you will if it’s for a good cause. If you’ll be called a hero.”
“Why did they ship you back? You did something, but they never told me.”
Riley glanced down to the floor. “I…” She grasped for the words.
Murderer.“What?”
“Huh? What do you mean what?”
Killer.“No!”
Monster…“Riley what is it?”
“Nothing, it’s nothing. I don’t want to talk anymore.”
The control panel began to beep. A robotic woman voice began to speak.
“Voice Data Records. Derai Outpost 01. Lab Facility. Doctor Gerard Leron Test Library. Reading File 001….”
The voice changed into that of a man.
“This is Doctor Gerard Leron of the Aratan Republic Weapons Development Division. I’m here with my assistant Mara Woods, and my colleagues Daniel Green and Garret Fletcher. This is day one of the Dimensional Rift testing. Over the past months we have constructed a new form of warfare. As many know, we fly thousands of ships using millions of dollars on fuel. Billions. From planet to planet with our new engine systems that move us at incredible speeds. But, we believe we can travel faster than the speed of light. This is exciting because we can create warp travel. Means of getting from one planet to the next in minutes. One galaxy to another in say an hour or even less. And for future wars, we could send troops into a decided location without having to deal with the front lines of battle. We’d be virtually unstoppable. Today we tested the power links to the warp drive. Everything seems to be set. Tomorrow we will open the dimensional rift.”
“Doctor Gerard Leron Test Library, Reading File 002.”
“Day Two has been a massive success! I can’t believe it actually worked. The portal opened. We’ve successfully closed it. This is absolutely incredible… Mara! Open up the champagne!” He laughed on the recording. “We’ll be running tests over the next few days to make sure it’s stable. Then it will be ready for ship attachment and further tests. I, I’ve changed everything.”
“Doctor Gerard Leron Test Library, Reading File 003.”
“Everything is stable. We’ve gotten a few strange readings on different members in the lab, and soldiers in the outpost. Energy readings have skyrocketed. Nothing to worry about at the moment. Most likely it’s remnants of the rift being opened. I probably need to get some sleep. I’ve stayed up so often the last few days that I think I might be hallucinating a bit. Hearing whispers.”
“Doctor Gerard Leron Test Library, Reading File 004.”
“Everyone is hearing whispers. It’s not only me. My colleagues believe I should keep the rift closed and abandon testing. This is what I’ve been working for my whole life. This will change lives. Save lives. My name will go down forever in the annals of history…”
The panel beeped several times and seemed like it malfunctioned.
“Doctor Gerard Leron Test Library, Reading File 011.”
“Whispers, whispers are more frequent. Footsteps. I feel like there’s something with me at all times. There might be something here. Maybe not. It’s speaking to me. I’m not a fool! Even now it speaks to me. I’ve let something in. There must have been some sort of entity that crawled out of that rift. A dimensional entity. What its intentions are, I can’t say…. No, no! I didn’t do it. Did not!”
“Doctor Gerard Leron Test Library, Reading File 016.”
“Daniel slit his throat. I saw him. Right here in the lab. Walked and walked. Talking to himself or someone, or something. But not to us. He broke the glass. Picked it up and he looked at me. He smiled as he slit his throat. Called me a rapist. I’m not… I’m not.”
“Doctor Gerard Leron Test Library, Reading File 019.”
“Three soldiers gutted themselves with knives in the cafeteria. So much blood. I didn’t rape her. No, I didn’t. I won’t do it again. I did not admit to it! You’re twisting my words. Can’t test the rift. I won’t. Have to keep this thing, whatever it is… at bay.”
“Doctor Gerard Leron Test Library, Reading File 022.”
“Fletcher’s gone. I don’t know where. Thing, it wants to escape. Only one ship here. I know what I need to do. No, I won’t do it! NO!”
“Doctor, what’s wrong?”
“Mara! Get out of here, run… run!”
The sound of Mara’s scream sounds over the recording.
“Doctor Gerard Leron Test Library, Reading File 024.”
“She felt so good. I wanted her… So attractive. Bitch would never be with someone like me. Never. Had to do it, had to. I didn’t want to, you made me. You made me do it! I have to do something.”
“Doctor Gerard Leron Test Library, Reading File 025.”
“Ship is down. I’ve won… What? No, I won’t call them. I won’t stay! Where is Mara? Oh God… I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry. This isn’t me I swear it. Test is an absolute failure.”
A door opens.
“Oh God! Mara, what did you do?! What did you do to her? No, don’t get any closer. No! Get her off! Get her off! GET HER OFF!” His screaming goes on painfully long.
“Doctor Gerard Leron Test Library, Reading File 030.”
“You will come. You will all come. Can pick up the radiowaves. Yes, yes. Five will come. Five will die. We shall leave, I shall leave. Be free. Burn it. Take you to places you wouldn’t believe. No one understands the meaning of pain. But they will. No eyes, no eyes to see. No eyes to hear. No tongue. Not needed to truly see as I can.”
“Doctor Gerard Leron Test Library Ended. Download Complete.”
Riley and Liam were frozen still. Staring at each other. Weapons held close as possible. The dawn of realization coming over them. The doctor was alive. Maybe two of them.
“We need to find our team and get out of here. I’m not staying in this fucking place.” Riley began to panic.
Liam rushed to her and gripped her shoulders. “Whatever is here needs to get out. But we also need to destroy the gateway. No one should ever have this. There has to be a self destruct sequence.” He entered in keys on the panel, and soon he found the sequence. The failsafe.
“I’m going to enter in the timer. I’ll set it for an hour in case we encounter heavy resistance getting back to our ship. Riley, I need you to watch outside. Shoot anything that looks fucked up.”
“Trade me the rifle.”
Liam tossed the rifle, and he took the handgun while Riley went outside and took up her post. He pressed on the keys to activate the self-destruct. A passcode entry bar appeared.
“Son of a bitch!”
He typed in a word. “Passcode denied.”
He curled up his fist. Taking time to think about what he had heard over the file recordings. There had to be something there. A clue to what the code might be. Liam clawed desperately though his mind to find the answer.
I can’t let you do this. Won’t.Liam turned his head around.
You don’t see. But you will.Back to facing the panel, Liam tuned the voice out of his mind. Even if the whispers continued, he refused to acknowledge them. There was nothing there for the voice to dig out.
Not a hero. Never will be. No one will remember you. Not like your father cared about you.“Shut up…”
Touched you. Beat you. Not pain.“Shut the fuck up!”
You don’t know pain. Not yet.He entered in another code. “Passcode denied.”
“Fuck!”
Adrian kneeled alone, in the midst of a jungle. Rain poured down on his helmet. Flashes of lightning illuminated the dark void that engulfed him. Bodies were everywhere. Corpses being covered in water and mud. Their blood seeping into the rivers of water. Crimson streaked mud streams flowing down the hill. Adrian had his hand on a man’s face. Caressing his cheek.
“Not this place, please. Anywhere but here. I’m sorry… I’m sorry I ran. I should’ve been here.”
He stood up and walked over the field. Aratan and Lyanaise bodies everywhere. His entire team wiped out. There were so many.
“All dead… All dead.”
He walked around and fell to the ground. Sobbing inconsolably. He heard squishing steps in the mud. It was him, all armored up with his heavy machine gun.
“That’s not me.”
But it was. The other Adrian fired off every single bullet of his machine gun into the air. When nothing was left, he dropped to the ground and lied there. Looking up into the night’s sky. Letting the raindrops pound his face. Morning came… Hero born. Last soldier standing in his squad. Killed several Lyainaise. Hero. A hero.
Liar.
“I am. I am a liar.” Adrian wept.
Rei and Vince got closer to him.
“No, no!”
“Adrian, what’s happening? Tell us.”
Adrian backed up to the window. He raised his gun at them.
“Adrian, please!” Rei pleaded. “Stop this, put the gun down.” She felt the shiver of fear stab down her body. Causing her to tremble.
You could have saved them. Saved a few.“Could have saved them.”
Hero. Could have been a true hero.“True hero.”
“Adrian!”
Liar. Fraud. Worthless. Pathetic.Adrian couldn’t stop the tears as the one thought came to his head.
Do it.He moved the gun up and over to point to his head. Vince pushed off Rei to stop him, rushing towards him.
“Adrian, no!”
BANG!
Blood splattered across the window. Adrian’s lifeless body fell with a sickening thump to the ground. His life bleeding out onto the floor in a puddle. Rei let out a bloodcurdling scream. She clung onto Vince’s arm, refusing to let go. Vince was speechless, standing over his ally’s body. He was drafted. Going to be a pilot who never saw the front lines. Not meant to see things like this.
Coward.“We, we need to get out of here.”
“But the others. Liam and Riley.”
“There’s something wrong with this place. We need to get out of here!”
Run run run. Fly away if you can little birdie. If you can.The voice was feminine. And it began to sing a sick lullaby.
Fly, fly. Fly away. If you don’t, you’re here to stay.“We can’t just leave them behind!”
If you don’t, I’ll tear your eyes out you stupid bitch. The whisper came to her in the sound of Riley’s voice. Rei shook her head. That wasn’t Riley. It couldn’t have been.
“Vince!” She yelled after him when he took off. One of the doors he went to closed before he got there. The lights in the room began flickering. Rei chased after him as he charged towards one of the different exits. She stopped cold as his way was blocked by the woman with her eyes sowed shut. Streams of crimson trickling from her lack of ears down her neck. Drip drip dripping to the floor.
“Here to stay.” She said and grabbed a hold of him. Vince screamed and shot blind shots. Hitting her stomach but she didn’t react to it. Dragging him out into the hallway as the door closed. Only a window out to the flickering hallway. Rei could only see their two shadows in the hallway and heard Vince’s horrible terror. His shrieking. Shadows of blood and limbs flying on the wall. Sprays of blood splattered on the window. The screaming stopped. Rei’s pulse beat nonstop. THUD! She screamed when Vince’s removed head was slammed against the window and dragged across until all she could see was the face of the woman.
Fly, fly. Fly away. If you don’t, you’re here to stay.Rei ran out of the room. Firing random gunshots behind her.
Riley stood guard watching for everything. If anything moved, it was going to die. The only way to survive was to kill. That was true on the front and it was true here. Her nerves were shaky, but her trigger finger felt steady. Alert and unable to relax, like she never left the front lines.
You are my puppet.Monster. Murderer.She told herself not to listen to the whispers. Ignore the voices that the Doctor could not. Riley controlled herself, nothing else.
Are you sure? What about then?That was different. Had to be different. Days, weeks, months with lack of sleep. Tired, thirsty and hungry. Tragedy struck and many soldiers were snapping every day. She snapped. Didn’t mean she was a monster. She was forced into it. No trust, there couldn’t be any. Them or her.
The voice laughed cruelly and Riley nearly broke down crying. But she sucked the breath back in and stood still.
You can never leave… Animal.Riley found herself on Rylieu at her encampment. She was cuddled up next to Leon. Ring on his finger. A ring on hers. He smiled down on her with that grin which never failed to soften her. His hand glided through her hair, soft touch soothing the pain and exhaustion that weighed on her body. Then there was the sound of men outside. Moving and talking.
She knew where she was.
“Don’t go!” But he couldn’t hear her. Like she wasn’t there with him. Leon got up and grabbed his weapons. He put on his pants.
“Just stay put and get rest. I’ll be right back.”
“Stay here!” She reached out but it was too late to grab him. He had taken off. Riley jumped up and chased after him. There was a Lyanaise man, and his son it seemed. Hands raised. Walking forward. Just a kid, just a kid. Everything’s fine. Leon and another soldier went on both sides of the two of them. He reached around the kid and felt something under his shirt. Leon looked down and the father saw. The father yelled words in Lyanaise.
Great flash. The boom rung in her ears as she fell to the ground. Ringing not stopping. A year later and she felt like she could still hear the ringing of the bomb. Could never forget the sight of Leon after that. Frozen still with pain and agony boiling inside. Surging up inside of her.
Riley screamed with utter rage as hatred consumed her heart. The Lyanaise were no longer people. Animals that needed to be put down. Monsters and killers. Not worthy of trust.
She found herself with surrendering captives. Riley slaughtered endless troops. The dead soldiers etched on her soul forever. But then there was that village. That home. Husband, wife, child. Locked inside, begging for help but unable to leave with bullets lodged in their legs. Her bullets. She saw herself click open the lighter. Flame waved into the air. Then the terrible shrieking as the fire burned and burned. Until the hut was ash, and the family scorched. Revenge. Collateral damage. The words she used. Deserved it. They had to have deserved it.
Riley cried herself to sleep that night.
“Murderer.”
Riley turned to see a woman standing there. She turned away after seeing her horrifying face. But the woman only came closer. The chiding tone in her voice as she whispered into her ear.
“Afraid to look at me? Do I look like a monster? Why, I’m only you. Only you.”
“No…”
The woman’s laughter came out unnatural, like a sputtering series of fingernails scratching against a chalkboard. And it never ended. Her laugh went on and on and on. Dragging. Becoming louder in Riley’s head until it was booming. Her head felt ready to burst. Until at last she screamed in fury.
“Come on, come on!” Liam tried again.
“Passcode denied.”
Failure. What he saw in you. Nothing. Nothing but failure. He was right.He sunk his fingers against his head, almost scratching himself. Don’t listen to it. Lies, or truth. A bit of both to get at him. There had to be something for the password. But nothing scientific was working. Not the names of others. None of it made any sense. Perhaps… Perhaps it was changed later.
Can’t see. Won’t do it. Blind to pain. Real pain. Never sees.Liam tried one last word. He typed in ‘see’.
“Passcode accepted.”
Now he set the explosion time. The self-destruction of the entire outpost was set. Time began to tick away when Liam ripped his head around at the sound of Riley’s scream outside the door.
Half Pint
TokyoPewPew
Maksart
