We started to move down the sewer canal slowly, using our torch lights to light the way. The water was spilling down the walls, and dripping from points making ripples all over the water. Since I was soaked, my nose got used to the smell and I could actually ignore it. As we moved down Goat's light flickered and went out.
"Shit." He cursed looking over his shoulder to me.
"It's ok, we've still go my light." I confirmed sweeping over the area we were in. "Can you fix it?" I asked glancing to Goat. He hit the side of the light and it flickered back on.
"Shall we?" Goat smirked as we continued down the tunnel. I covered our backside while Goat led the way. We moved nearly silently through the tunnel, sweeping the area for any sign of the thing he and Reaper had chased down here. We knew it was fast, big and apparently a killer, Willits jacket accounted to that. I just hoped that in the water it would be loud, sluggish with the resistance from the sewer water. My light flickered slightly and I shook my gun, making it stay on. "Trouble with your light too?" Goat asked glancing over his shoulder to me. He looked a little concerned but not too worried.
"It's ok, been doing it all mission." I sighed out softly as we paused and swept a circle.
"What made you want to join the RRTS Doctor?" Goat suddenly asked, his eyebrow arched as he looked at me. "You don't strike me as the type to join up." He added watching me readjust my P90 strap.
"John." I replied with a small smile. Goat looked surprised at my answer, so I went on to clarify. "I just wanted to be a field medic, he wanted to join the RRTS. Convinced me I could do more good being a privatized marine. So we signed up together." I shrugged as Goat's light flickered again and went out. He frowned at his gun as I sighed. "Can you fix it this time?" I asked softly in my gut I already knew the answer.
"No." He said hitting the side of the light and getting nothing.
"I'll take point, you stay on my six, ok?" I offered sweeping the area, not that my light showed me anything useful.
"Ok Bones." Goat nodded as we switched positions so that I was in front. "Sarge my light's out, Bones lighting the way." Goat informed the others.
"Copy that Goat, keep your eyes peeled. Over." Sarge replied as we continued a few more steps when I thought I heard something behind us. I turned quickly, sweeping my light left to right. My heart was racing in my chest as I looked out into the darkness and saw nothing, not even a ripple in the water.
"This place." I huffed seeing nothing. I was starting to get jumpy, I knew it wouldn't do any of us any good being jumpy. Least of all Goat since he was relying on my light as well as myself.
"This is mealy another challenge thrown to us by God, he gives us nothing we can not handle Bones." Goat repeated his words almost like a script, clearly he had said it all before, he looked at me with so much conviction in his words. I opened my mouth to ask Goat why God gets to choose how much you can get through when my light flickered and went out.
"Another challenge?" I asked dryly, smacking the side of my light in hopes it would flicker back on again. I took a better look at my light and could see water inside the actual bulb area. The little fishing trip with Portman had done more damage than just wet clothes and bad smells.
"He likes to challenge us." Goat smirked as I looked up and met his gaze. I opened my mouth to argue when the comms kicked in again.
"Goat, Bones, I think there's something coming up on you." Reaper whispered and I cursed under my breath tightening my grip on my P90.
"This isn't happening." Goat uttered in a hushed whisper. "Both lights are down." I reached into my pocket and pulled out my pen light, clicking it on.
"I trust you've got the better aim on me." I whispered holding the light out to Goat. "Take it, shoot whatever moves. We'll go back to back, that way nothing can jump us, ok?" I offered as Goat took the pen, I pulled out a hair bobble and passed it over. Goat attached the pen light to the top of his gun. It really didn't give much light, but it was better than nothing.
"I have Bones pen light, it's not much, neither of us can see anything." Goat explained to the others in a hushed whisperer again as we went back to back. My heart started to race as I took a deep calming breath. I tightened my grip on my P90, my eyes scanning the darkness for any movement. Finally the adrenaline kicked in and my training took over.
"Stay where you are, I'm on my way." Reaper replied softly as I felt Goat's back tense up.
"Pinky, can you see anything?" Goat whispered as I struggled to make out anything in the darkness. My night vision was ok, but with the moving water, I had no chance. Everything looked like something in the darkness.
"No, nothing." Pinky replied when we heard a hissing noise come from just behind us to my left. I tapped Goat on his right arm and we both back up slightly so we could get a better view. Goat turned so he was facing the thing and I moved so I was stood by his side. The small pen light landed on a pair of eyes in the darkness, it was all you could make out from the dim light.
"Doctor Willits?" Goat called out softly when another eight eyes opened and it lunged at us. The Thing went straight for Goat's neck, slamming me away with one strong arm. I went spinning as Goat's scream bounced off the walls.
"Goat! Bones!" Reaper cried out in my ear as my head smashed into the corner of some torn metal. I slipped into the water, my vision turned black as I lost consciousness for a few seconds.
"Report in!" Sarge barked in my ear, but it was fuzzy, gargled and distant sounding. It was enough to bring me round though, and made me realise I was under the water.
"Bones! Goat!" Reaper cried out, the fear in his voice coming through loud and clear. I started to choke and forced myself to push up out of the water. My whole body felt like jelly. Everything was screaming out in pain and I had no idea what was happening or where the hell I was. My vision blurred as I tried to focus on anything, something to keep me from dropping back into the water again.
"Goat, Bones what is your position damn it?!" Sarge barked as I gasped for air, I found my P90 and aimed at the Thing, it was sucking on Goat's neck. I couldn't believe my eyes, the Things tongue sticking out, latching onto him. My vision blurred as I squinted to try and make a single image. I didn't want to shoot Goat by mistake. I couldn't really describe the Thing, it was grey, had way too many eyes and muscle upon muscle. Thing was the best description I had for it. It instantly reminded me of the monsters I had seen through my Ark travel. A shiver ran through me, quickly fallowed by vomit shooting out of my mouth uncontrollably.
"Where are you?!" Reaper cried out in my ear as I jumped and squeezed my trigger. I wasn't sure I could even shoot straight, I felt the blood run down the side of my face, into my eye, stinging it. My heart was racing; the fear had gripped me tight, crushing me under my own weight. I blinked, realising fear wouldn't help Goat, and I had to help Goat. I was the only one who could help him right now.
"Contact, North sew-" I started to explain when the Thing turned to me detaching it's tongue. It let out a roar, clearly being pissed off at being shot at.
"Danica!" Reaper screamed as The Thing charged, grabbing my face with one hand and using its other hand to the rip the gun from me. It let out an almighty twisted cry before plunging me into the water. The fight or flight instinct kicked in and I panicked as I clawed at it's hand, trying anything I could to make it let go of me. I thought I was going to die in the water. I thought I wouldn't be able to help Goat. The hand started to squeeze, it was slowly crashing my skull. I loosing oxygen fast and knew I needed to get out of the water. What the hell you think you playing at Marine? Don't just lay there, react! My old drill Sargent's voice bounced around my head snapping me from my primal instincts. I stopped clawing at the Thing and ran my hand down my leg to find my knife. I wrapped my fingers around the handle when the Thing dragged me around one hundred and eighty degrees, screaming at something above the water. The movement totally threw me and I lost grip on the knife. I'm going to die... I'm going to die in Hell. The next thing I knew bullets were being fired and the Thing let go of my face, running down the tunnel. I dove up out of the water, gasping and spluttering for air as I looked for my P90 on instinct. The air stung my lungs, burning my airways as I tried to remain above the water. My fingers wrapped around the strap as I pulled it closer to me.
"Contact!" Reaper yelled as he charged up to me. His eyes widened as his light landed on me, I could only imagine what I looked like. My eyes stung with a mixture of the blood and sewer water, my skull felt too small for my brain and I wasn't sure if I could even stay vertical.
"Contact... confirmed!" Sarge's gargled voice came through my ear piece as I looked at Reaper.
"Can you move?" Reaper asked softly, his eyes locking with me for a minute before his eyes scanned around us.
"I... yeah." I slurred as his eyes darted to me. He didn't look convinced but I just held my P90 firmly to show I could still do my job. Granted I was working purely on adrenaline, but it was keeping me going for now. He nodded for me to fall behind me. I started to move but fell back into the water, my legs wouldn't work properly. He grabbed me, pulling me out of the water and shoving me behind him. I stumbled back towards Goat, reaching into my pocket for another medical kit as Reaper moved forward. My fingers shook as I tried to focus through the pounding in my head. My body was going into shock, and I didn't have the luxury of letting it happen. Goat was bleeding out from his neck, I needed to stop the bleeding. That was as complex as my brain would work. I heard the Thing roar as Reaper shone his light on it. I took a second to glance as Reaper punched the Thing and shot at it. I looked back at Goat and pulled out a sterile bandage, pushing it down on his neck. The blood instantly started to soak through, the red spots forming within seconds. I heard something splash into the water and I prayed it was the Thing and not John. I held the bandage on as I used my forearm to wipe the blood from my eyes. I used my free hand to route in my pack for some quick cot when I heard movement coming towards me. Please be John, please be John, please be John.
"Man down! Man down!" Reaper yelled as he rushed to my side, taking the kit from me as I slumped into the wall next to Goat. That was it, now I knew I was safe the adrenaline left me with a rush. I felt the bile rise into my throat and did everything I could not to throw up. There wasn't a part of me that wasn't screaming out in pain. "Dani, hey stay with me." Reaper begged opening the kit and tossing it onto Goat's neck.
"Trying..." I mumbled as the others appeared and my vision fell in and out of focus. My body screaming out to just shut down to get away from the pain.
