3. Unwelcome Guests
WEYLAND YUTANI COMPOUND
Three doctors studied the corpses that were brought back. One was from the wall, the poor miners chest ripped open from the inside. Another was one of the marines, his skin burned away by the acidic blood of the strange creatures in the tunnel.
"This acid is stronger than anything I've ever seen! It has even corroded his bones!" The doctor placed a metal stick on a still sizzling patch of flesh. The acid melted the steel. The doctor dropped the stick and gasped. "Amazing!"
Mac waited with his arms crossed, behind the doctors. "Have you got any idea what the hell these things are?"
"Well, without a sample of the creatures themselves, we are completely in the dark. Your description wasn't very helpful either." The doctor frowned. He picked up a report and read aloud. "An insectiod creature. No apparent visual organs, an elongated head...part of the walls?" The doctor raised an eyebrow.
"If you don't believe me, then go down there!" Mac clenched a fist. Everyone was treating him like he was insane, but they weren't there. They didn't see!
"Calm down sir. I suggest you leave, I'll tell you if we find anything."
Mac sighed and trudged outside the small room where Jack leaned against the wall. He looked up expectantly. "Anything?"
Mac shook his head. "I lose four good men and then they fucking laugh at me! They think I made up the whole thing!"
"But there is clear evidence! What if we gave them a dead...one of those things?"
Mac stared incredulously. "What?!"
"If we have biological proof, then they will have to believe us! They will send reinforcements and we could burn out the whole freakin' nest." Jack punched his other hand and smiled.
"Feel free to go back down, but I'm done! Those things aren't kittens! In It took one of them 30 seconds to take down three soldiers! If there are any more..." Mac trailed off.
*****
OUTSIDE COMPLEX
A thin man leaned against the huge wall of the complex. The building was about four storeys high and that was just above ground. There were three sub-levels as well. The man lit a cigarette and took a long drag. He groaned and coughed several times. Cigarettes were outlawed twenty years ago, but they were re-legalised recently.
Something made a scratching noise in the distance. The man peered out across the flat grey ground. Most of this planet was rocky and mountainous, but there were small patches of rainforest and the occasional flat ground.
What a shithole! I wish they'd put me in one of the colonies.
"Why did I agree to this?" He asked himself. He took another deep inhale of tobacco and sighed.
The scratching sound came again.
"Hello?" The man took an uneasy step forward.
A loud screech made the man drop his cigarette and scream. Nothing happened afterwards and the man cursed loudly.
"I'm getting scared by nothing!"
The scratches came again.
"What the hell is that?" The man walked around searching for the source of the sound. He followed the noise until he came across a small puddle. It was dark red. The man walked on, a shiver running down his spine.
It's probably nothing! Don't be scared...
He stopped once again. A small black shape was snarling at him. With small careful steps he got close enough to see it was a dog. Some of the workers brought pets. Some were a nuisance.
The dog looked bloated and he was panting heavily. There was blood on his stomach, which rose and fell quickly.
"Hey little fella. What happened to you?" The man took another step towards the dog. The black dog whimpered and it's body shook.
"Are you ok?"
The dog barked and yelped in agony. It rolled onto it's back and yelped louder.
"What's wrong?" The man reached out and the dog snapped at him. He drew his hand back and watched.
The dog gagged and a dead bird slid out of it's mouth.
The man laughed out loud. The screech was from the bird. The blood on the dogs stomach would have been from it rolling on the bird. Everything was explained.
I told you it would be nothing! You stupi-
The dog yelped again.
"Oh for gods sake, did you eat two?"
A red dot appeared on the dogs face. Another two were placed diagonally below the top dot. They formed a triangle.
The man tilted his head and the dots disappeared. He turned around but nothing was there. "What the fuck is going on tonight?" The man kicked at a rock nearby.
The rock rolled back to him. A thin dull yellow stick was wrapped around a fence. Another few were spread out around the fence. The man blinked, he swore he saw one of them move.
He shrugged his shoulders and turned away. He walked back to the door to the complex and grasped the handle. The reflective glass showed a large figure behind him. He whirled into a huge fist.
"What the hell was that for?!"
A security guard frowned at him. "You've been told about being out this late! I'm sick of warning you!"
"That's no reason to hit me!" The man rubbed at his bruised jaw. He crawled through the door and went to the medic.
The security guard squinted at a blurry shape off in the distance. It looked like a huge spider, but that wasn't surprising as all sorts of strange wildlife inhabited this place.
The spider was incredibly fast. It scuttled up to the guard.
The guard drew his gun. He had arachnophobia and this thing was creepy! He fired twice but the thing didn't slow down. It leapt an impossible distance and landed on the guards face. He tried to pry it off but it's grip was unimaginably strong.
The guard screamed but a tube went down his throat. He gagged and ran blindly for the medic. He was feeling weaker every second. A tail strangled him. He ran into a wall and fell to the ground. The spider made a noise like it was in pain.
The guard felt for the wall and began bashing his face into the hard concrete. The creature screeched and it tightened it's stranglehold. The guard rolled uselessly onto his back.
*****
OUTSIDE COMPLEX
EARLY MORNING
Jess took a big inhale of the air in the kitchen. A coffee maker released it's fresh aroma. Jess sighed and poured a cup for herself. As she stirred in some sugar she looked around. The whole place was deserted at this time. Everyone was still asleep.
Jess took a big gulp and the bitter flavour left a strong aftertaste.
She took a brief walk to the front of the complex to look out the glass doors at the rising sun. She smiled at the yellow, cloudless sky. She decided to get a breath of fresh air and so she opened the heavy door. As she looked around, she saw Greg, the night watchman, unconscious with a spidery creature affixed to his head.
Jess screamed and she hurled the cup of coffee away. She immediately dropped onto her knees. "Greg?! Greg?! Can you hear me?" She checked his pulse and got no response. She got to her feet and dashed inside to get help.
*****
THREE HOURS LATER
INFIRMARY
Mac and Jess sat alongside a hospital bed. Both stared wordlessly at the spidery creature on Greg's face.
A doctor walked in and forced a smile. "Good morning."
"Doesn't look that good so far to me!" Mac snapped.
"I know this is uncomfortable, but we wanted to know if this was one of the animals that you encountered in the mines?"
Jess' eyes widened and she turned to Mac. "Wait! You work in the mines?"
Mac laughed harshly. "No, I'm the leader of the marine corps here. We were investigating a murder down in the mines. We found a deadly form of insect life."
Jess turned to the doctor. "Why the hell didn't I hear about this?!"
"We know you are a biologist but without a sample of these creatures, you have no purpose." The doctor stated coldly.
"Isn't that a sample?" Jess pointed to the arachnid on Greg's face. The doctor nodded.
"Well, because of the situation, we are still in control until Greg is released."
Jess cursed and stomped out of the room. Mac followed but was stopped in the doorway. The doctor looked very concerned.
"Is this related to the animals in the tunnel?"
Mac nodded and left the doctor to tend to the security guard. Mac called out to Jess and she froze in place. As she spun on her heels, her blonde hair swept across her face like a model in a shampoo commercial. She bounded down the hall and eyed the old soldier warily.
"You wanted something?" She asked innocently.
Mac grunted and scratched the nape of his neck. "Oh yeah, um...I never heard your name."
"Jess." Her hand stretched out in greeting. Mac took it and shook. His powerful grip may have hurt her as she winced.
The two stared awkwardly at each other and an uncomfortable silence followed. "So...what do you do? Like for a job?" Mac stammered.
"I work in the biological labs with doctor Kadinsky."
The name sparked interest in the older man. "Did you say Kadinsky? Did you get a strange firearm from one of my men?"
"What, a gun? What does that have to do with organic life?" Jess asked incredulously.
Mac frowned. This made the girl laugh.
"Yes we received it. The doctor has been playing with it all day." The doctor was the nickname for Kadinsky. Jess looked to the floor. "He sort of scares me."
Mac patted her shoulder. "He is a strange guy, but bear with him. I want to hear what you find on that weapon!" He saluted and then left.
*****
INFIRMARY
NIGHT
Greg awoke with a start. His throat was dryer than the sun. Every breath hurt him. His stomach rumbled like a wild beast. With a groan of effort, Greg hauled himself off of the bed. Something was on his foot. He squinted in the darkness and he recognised the dull yellow spider. He yelped and kicked the thing across the room.
Greg pounded on the door but no-one came. The door was locked tight and the windows were barred.
Great! I'm stuck in here with that...thing! What did it do to me? Am I even alive? Is this a dream?
More questions flooded his mind but no answers. Deciding there was nothing else to do, Greg got himself comfy in the bed and went to sleep.
*****
COMPANY COMPLEX - INFIRMARY
MORNING
A doctor slid his key card into a small slot near the door. A machine whirred and the door opened. Inside, Greg sat with an impatient expression. The doctor stared amazed.
"Where is the-"
"There! It's dead!" Greg pointed to the lifeless creature.
"Dead? What did you do?"
"Nothing, I just woke up and it was dead on the floor." Greg rasped. He rubbed his throat and asked for water. The doctor called out to a nurse who tip-toed in with a cup of water. Greg downed it in a matter of seconds.
"Any food? I could eat a ton!" Greg cradled his stomach.
"We will get you something right away!" The doctor whispered to the nurse and she ran off. After a minute she returned with a plate of sausages, eggs, toast and a cup of coffee. Greg didn't bother with a knife and fork, instead using his hands. He ate without chewing, swallowing whole pieces of food whole.
The doctor and nurse stared on in amazement.
As soon as Greg had finished, he clutched at his stomach and groaned.
The doctor chuckled to himself. "If you eat like that you will definitely get stomach pains! You need to slow down."
Greg shook his head. "No! It isn't that! It's like...AAAGGGHH!!!!" Greg fell to the floor and howled in agony. He began to have a seizure and the doctor and nurse restrained him. The fit became increasingly more aggressive, Greg's limbs flailed about in a frenzy. Foam appeared at the corners of his mouth and a bloody patch splattered onto his shirt.
"What the...?" The doctor's eyes widened and his hand trembled. He had never experienced anything like this and his nerves were taking over.
Greg screamed a hideous noise. His voice cracked and reached a terribly high note. His body stiffened and his stomach erupted in a shower of blood. The doctors usually white coat was instantly stained in crimson. The doctor screamed as a head poked out of the ragged hole in Greg's chest. His ribs were bent outward so the head could manoeuvre out.
The eyeless head shrieked like a crying baby. It slid out and more of it's body was revealed. It had a worm-like body that was coiled inside Greg's chest cavity. The worm opened it's tiny jaws and silver teeth reflected the lights. The creature sprang out of Greg and landed on the doctor. It's small fangs burrowed into the doctors neck.
The doctor wailed and fell back against the wall. His eyes darted around looking for a weapon but his gaze met the non-existent stare of the serpent. It's head was caked in skin and organs. It tilted it's head as if confused and then slid closer. It was so close, the doctor could touch it with his nose. The serpent opened it's jaws wide and it's mouth hovered in front of the doctors forehead. A secondary mouth shot out like a bullet and dug into the mans head.
The nurse ran for the door but the serpentine creature had already coiled around her leg. It bit into her calf and severed her Achilles tendon. As she fell, her head collided with the corner of an operating table. Fortunately, she was unconscious when the worm slithered up to her neck and started to feed.
*****
BIO LABS
Mac and his team sat on cheap, uncomfortable chairs. They were waiting for a report from Kadinsky. Jerry rolled his thumbs over each other endlessly. Mark scratched at his scar. Jack asked Chase about the strange weapon. Mac struggled to stop thinking about that girl he met this morning, Jess.
He found it odd that he would be thinking like this about a girl at least ten years younger than him. He tried to think about other things but sure enough, each time, her face would pop up in his mind.
She may be half my age but...but...What am I thinking?!
Mac considered that question for another ten minutes before the thick, reinforced doors opened with a creak. Jess bounded out with a white lab coat. She smiled when she saw Mac. This made some of the marines call out dirty jokes. Mac silenced them with just a glare. His men feared and respected him making it so much easier to bring them into line.
Mac signalled for Jack and Chase to follow him into the lab, the others waited longer.
Jess led the troops down a long corridor. The walls were littered with notes and experiments. Pictures of dissections and discoveries added some colour to the white walls. Just when the corridor seemed like it would never end, it veered off to the left. Doors lined each side of the corridor. Most were empty but the occasional few contained animals like primates.
A thick steel door stopped them from going any further. Jess slotted a key card into a small pad and then punched in an access code before swiping the card again.
"Quite a lot of security for just a few animal experiments." Chase observed.
"Yeah, I have no idea why, it was just made this way." Jess pulled a lever and pressed several buttons. The door opened silently, which was surprising taking into account the size and weight of the reinforced steel. A layer of concrete was crammed between the two layers of metal.
"This is even higher security than at area 51!" Jack commented.
Inside the expansive lab, a man in a green coat leaned over a table. He froze and then whirled around. "Ah, welcome captain Macintyre! I trust you are well?"
Mac forced a smile. "So, Mr Kadinsky, have you found anything useful about that weapon?"
Kadinsky made a strange noise and picked up the weapon from the table. "It is a marvellous mechanism! Based on what Chase has told me, I have worked out a few of the symbols!" He went on about the symbols but his voice sped up so that his words were indecipherable. Mac and Chase shrugged their shoulders and looked to Jess.
She smiled and mouthed the word "Crazy."
Kadinsky finished his explanation and wandered over to another table. He called out to another scientist and he strolled over, his body hunched over. "This is dr Hirsch. I want you to take him out to where you found the...object."
"Are you joking?! That place could be crawling with those monsters! We aren't going back!" Mac roared furiously.
"Well, then give directions to Jess here and she can go instead." Kadinsky waved a hand to her.
"I will not allow her to go down there!" Mac snapped.
"That is not for you to decide Mr Macintyre! Now take them or tell them!"
Mac scowled and bowed his head. "Fine, I'll take them."
Sorry for the wait, I have been busy with other stuff. This chapter was much longer than the others, I'll try and keep chapters nice and long. I hope you have enjoyed the story so far, make sure you review!