Chapter 1: The Encounter
"If there's anything I might have missed, why don't you read it over for me and I'll be back later tonight," said the student as she walked out of the room. I yelled back "it might take longer to read this whole thing come back tomorrow." I hear her give me an ok and start reading.
My name is Robert Garrison. I'm eighty years old, retired Admiral of the second fleet for the U.S. Navy. I reside now in the mountains of California.
The person who was just here was a young girl named Helen, a student at the nearby collage. She's doing a report about The War Of Zarefor and she wanted information from someone who was there.
As I read the notes she gave me horrible memories came flooding back. I stopped reading because one of these memories takes hold of my concentration. This is something I remember every day; a horrible,demonic memory. Except something's different this time, it's more vivid, more mesmerizing, as if I'm reliving it.
It ends as suddenly as it began. I realize that if I don't tell this dark part of my life to someone I'll go insane before I die. I think of the girl, Helen, and say to myself "If anyone her at least." Turning to the phone I dial the number she gave me for if something came up.
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She comes over at around 7:00 P.M. She asks, "You said you can think of more." I nod and motion for her to take a seat. After taking some time to think about how to start and how to end I begin.
"As you know I was an Admiral during The War Of Zarefor." She nods so I go on with this tale.
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In charge of 2 squads, 8 marines each, my mission was simple. Find and neutralize a nearby hostile encampment in the woods. The worst we expected was enemy fire, but we knew the terrain better than them so we should be able to hide. The encampment resides in the middle of the wood. It is guarded by about 15 men. It was used as a small mining camp because the nearby caves were full of iron.
Like I said easy mission right; so naturally we didn't expect something unspeakable to be living in those woods.
We set out at dusk for the cover of the night would help us. Jackson was the first to notice something was terribly wrong with this place.
snap "What the hell was that?" Jackson whispered, twirling around quick. "Just a squirrel or something boy your too jumpy," Johnson said. "Yeah your prob…," Jackson started.
"Roar" smack shove. "Not cool Salazar," Jackson said as he fixed his helmet. Salazar laughed as he said "Oh is it my fault little Jacksons afraid of the dark." "It's your fault I almost shot…" Jackson began. "Shut up you idiots were about to close in on our target." "Roger that sir," Salazar said, "so don't go pissing yourself when another squirrel comes up Jackson."
"I'm about 2 seconds from giving you a grave right h…," Jackson began but was hit by the butt of Johnson's gun. "Fuck what was that for," Jackson asked. "Be glad it was my gun and not the admirals, he said shut up and when he gives an order he expects you to do it right away, no questions," Johnson said. "The admiral would have probably knocked your brains out," he added. "That's right and I said shut up, now, that goes for all of you, understand," Admiral Garrison said. "Understood sir," all the marines answered.
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I put marines all around the encampment. Having 16 it seemed logical to break them into 4 squads of 4. One squad in the north, one in the south, one in the east, and one in the west.
"Johnson, get up that tree we need to see what's over that wall before we can go though with this attack," the Admiral said. "Yes sir," he answered and was up and climbing.
The wall was at least 20 feet high, but could easily be broken. It was mainly there to keep out enemy eyes. As Johnson climbed, Jackson came to Garrison to say something.
"Sir, if I may speak," Jackson asked. "Speak," the Admiral instructed. "Sir I don't need Johnson to tell me what's on the other side of that wall, that thing back there was no damn squirrel," Jackson said. "I know," Garrison said. "I saw it just as clearly as you saw it Jackson, only a glance cause whatever it is, it's a fast little fucker, but until we bring this camp down were not to return."
"Don't you get it, you might have saw that thing in the woods like I did but I can easily tell you, your not going to find anyone alive behind those walls, it was coming from this direction," Jackson said. "And I have a feeling it's going to circle, don't you get it that thing is going to come this way."
"Admiral," Johnson said. "Damn it Johnson, if you yell from atop the trees you'll give away our position," Garrison said. "There's no need to worry about that sir, we can just walk right in there but you're not going to like what's on the other side of these walls, it's not the enemy but it would probably be better if you just see for yourself," Johnson said, now climbing down the tree.
The Admiral took a quick look at Jackson then said, "All men close in." Then to Jackson he said, "Boy I hope to all the gods what we find behind those walls isn't what you say it is." "I hope so too sir," Jackson said.
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What they found behind those walls was indeed what Jackson said would be there. Bodies torn to shreds thrown all over the place. Limbs, intestates, you name it, if it came from a human it was scattered on the ground or hanging from a tree. The ground was soaked with so much blood you could barely see the dirt. That wasn't all, tents, tanks, structures all destroyed.
Jackson bent over and blew chunks. "Looks like someone beat us to the extermination," Salazar said. "Take a look around, find information on what might have done this, this place is close to one of our bases we need to be ready if it decides to come that way," Garrison ordered. "Yes sir," They responded.
"Johnson, look after Jackson so he doesn't end up going mad," Garrison said. "Yes sir," Johnson said anxiously, any reason to keep him from having to look though those corpses was good enough for him.
"What creature could do something like this, I want to say zerg, but there's no way it could possibly be them, there's no signs of a zerg attack," Salazar said. "Maybe that damn squirrel did it," Garrison said. Right then Salazar knew that Jackson had been right and there was no reason to fuck around now.
"Sir I found this," a marine said. He held out a sharp spike like object. "Looks like it came from a hydralisk sir." said another marine. The Admiral took the spike examined it, then threw it dead on like a spear straight at an armored tank.
"I know I'm not that damn strong and I know that any zerg spike, on the exception of the ultralisk, isn't sharp or heavy enough to do that." Garrison said. "So what do you suppose did this that's way to small for it to have belonged to an ultralisk." Johnson asked.
"Whatever it is I don't want to stay around to fin-" Salazar began, but Garrison motioned to him to be quiet. "You hear that." Garrison stated. Salazar was about to speak, but a marine sitting by a tent on the outer part of the base cut him off before he began.
"Don't fuck with us man, like Salazar said, we should get the fuck out of here why we can, before we end up dead like th…" Cut off by the horrible noise of blood splatter and tearing flesh, followed by the most horrible sound you could imagine.
A screech so high pitch and strong it sent you deaf for a couple minutes. None of us had to turn around to know that the marine was dead, but we did anyway because of a natural movement. At first it looked like a spike was coming out of his mouth, but under further examination it showed that the spike had entered though the back of the neck, up and out of the back of his head, over the head and around into his left eye socket, then out his mouth.
Before we could think the whole thing burst its way out of the marines head and strait at us with incredible speed. It hit another marine dead in the chest and out though his back and pushed its way even further though the marine behind him. In a flash they were both pulled into the bushes. The screaming that followed after was unimaginable. There death was quick, maybe 5 seconds, but that screaming indicated that it must have felt like 5 long years.
"Open fire," Garrison ordered to his men, and the world was dead silent except for machine guns blazing like crazy, as if the weapons themselves knew how dangerous this creature is. Jumping out of the bushes at an alarming speed came the creature. It pounced on a marine ripping him to shreds with its powerful legs that of a dog, and its teeth razor-sharp. Its front legs looked like that of a hydralisk only bigger, heavier, stronger, and sharper. Its face looked like that of a human with a plastic bag shoved nice and tight around his head. It had silver like gleam to the carapace it wore, but the tail that seemed to be so long looked nothing more then a stub.
Soon the answer why was clear. As a marine tried to stab it, the things tail went flying tearing up thought the marine's chest, lifting him up 20 feet above the ground. Another question was answered of how the bodies ended up like this, the tail split inside the marine to a 5 pronged weapon and spun with that astounding speed. The marine was helpless, like fruit in a blender; he spilled to the floor with a nasty splat.
The battle was short before we lost the other 7 marines, now only Garrison, Salazar, Jackson, and Johnson were left. Jackson had already lost his mind and was hanging on to a tent begging for dear life. Johnson though a grenade, but the creature dodged it, ran forward and pinned him to the ground. Before the monster had a chance to strike, an explosion came upon them. Johnson had pulled the pins out of his other grenades right after he though the first. It was an excellent plan if the creature's carapace wasn't so tough. It ran at us fast and Salazar did the only thing he could think of. He caught the creature and held it steady.
If Salazar was anything it was a brute, he could match an ultralisk in strength if he had to.
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"That tail was the only problem then," Garrison said. "So what happened next?" Helen asked. "Don't know, the tail hit a branch above me and I was knocked out cold." Garrison responded. "When I woke, Salazar completely disappeared, the creature was dead, and Jackson was insane."
"That must have been a horrible experience," Helen said. "It was child, it was, I'm sorry but I'm done for tonight, thanks for making an old man like me still feel useful." Garrison said as he got up to shake her hand.
Helen got up and shook his hand and said. "I should be thanking you, it was nice to get information from someone who was in that war and I liked listening to your stories."
"You have a good night now Helen." Garrison said. "You too sir, and thanks again." Helen responded and with that she left.