The Gorge
About 2 hours had passed since the two teams reunited and rendèzvoused at the crash site, and night had fallen around Bentzen Lake Campgrounds like a thick, dark blanket, forcing the group to use their flashlights. The thick branches of all the trees seemed to interlock, forming a canopy over the area, allowing only a few glimpses of the full moon and starry sky above. After Liz explained what kind of virus they were likely to be dealing with, the two teams travelled together for a brief stretch. The trip had been relatively uneventful, but the sole survivor of the forced plane crash, Taylor Alden, had obviously grown attached to Bravo Team leader Dan Redfield, and vice versa.
"It's so hard to believe that so many horrible things have happened in the last couple of days around this place."
Dan gently placed a comforting arm around her, and she leaned her head into his shoulder, as her tears flowed silently down her pretty face.They all looked at Taylor with silent sympathy, and she knew she was among friends, which cheered her up, ever so slightly. They could see that she was still mourning the loss of her brother and his wife, which was understandable, as the now parted siblings were very close. Suddenly, the group came to a large clearing, and halted. They had come to a dead end, or so it seemed. As they surveyed the surrounding area, they noticed that there was a very high cliff-face to their left. To the right, the trail they'd been following continued. Directly in front of them however, there was a deep gorge, easily a hundred feet down. Then they heard a series of spine-tingling howls that seemed to come from the gorge-bottom. As they began to move to the right, they noticed what looked like an old rope ladder. It was lying in a pile at the edge of the cliff, and it appeared to be in good condition, as if it had been used recently.
"Hey Ken," Rick called. Ken came up to him quickly, and responded, "What is it mate?"
"Do tourists often explore the gorge?"
"Yeah. Especially in the last month or so. They used this location on one of those outdoor survival shows, and people have been downright batty over it ever since."
"Alright, then. This is where we split up again."
Everyone looked at their captain in disbelief.
"What're you talkin' about Rick?" asked Dan.
"Alpha team will explore the gorge, and Bravo team should move on ahead. If there are any of those things down there, we need to take them out before they can start to spread the virus. Who knows, if we're lucky, maybe we can find some clues about whoever is behind this mess."
Dan was prompted to question Rick's decision. "Well then, why don't we all go down there together?"
"Believe me cuz', I'd like to, but you guys might be able to find something of importance further ahead. Trust me, if it's a dead end, we'll be back up here to rejoin you."
"Well," said Mike, "In that case, why don't we stay up here and wait. You know, play back-up in case something happens down there?"
"That sounds like a good plan Rick." Liz added.
"You're right. Fine, we'll do as Mike suggested. Alpha team, let's go. Dan, stay near your radio. If we need you, you'll be the first to know."
With that, Rick and the rest of Alpha team lowered, then descended the ladder. Joe was a bit hesitant, as heights were never his strong suit, but with the encouragement of his teammates, he was able to finish the downward climb. As they began to explore, they heard a deep guttural growl. They flashed their lights in the direction of the sound. Suddenly, the growl was replaced with a soft whimper, as a medium-sized, uninfected dog came up to them. They could tell by it's gentle nature that the dog had probably been left by it's owners. It was in good condition, so they realized almost immediately that the dog had certainly not been abandoned. The dog lurched suddenly, and as if to beckon them, it headed back to where it had come from. As they followed, Tiffanie stepped in something soft, and rather squishy. When she looked down, she saw a deep red pool of blood, which was pouring from a very dead young man, who's headless corpse she had just invaded with her foot.
"Oh my God."
The rest of the team looked at the discovery. They noticed a leash near the body, and concluded that this poor guy had been the dog's owner. Liz walked up to the whimpering dog and began to pet it gently.
"You poor thing. What could have done this to your master?"
Her answer suddenly arrived. The dog jumped up and began barking fiercely at the darkness. Suddenly the dog rushed forward, barking and baring it's teeth. As the rest of the team followed, they heard a skull-splitting, squeal-like roar, followed by a loud yelp. As they approched the fray, the dog's lifeless, mutilated body came flying at them. It landed in front of Liz, and it's blood splattered on her boots, and part of her uniform pants. In their lights, the team could make out about four humanoid forms, crawling toward them. The creatures were reddish brown, and resembled skinless humans. Their long arms looked human enough, as did their legs, but instead of hands, they were equipped with long, deadly-looking claws. Their heads were uncovered, showing their exposed brains. The group stared in awe as the creature in front flicked it's pointed, five or six foot long tongue in a show of intimidation.
Rick remembered seeing a picture of these creatures in an Umbrella file back at S.T.A.R.S International HQ, and uttered one fear-inducing word: "Lickers."
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A/N
Finally, an update! Sorry for the lack of updates y'all. I've been suffering from a very bad case of writer's block. I have some pretty big plans for future updates, including a couple sad deaths, more action, and hopefully, great suspense. I don't know exactly how I'm going to put it all in story form, but my ideas are written down. Please, read and review. Let me know if I'm doing well or not. No flames please, but constructive criticism and reader ideas are always welcome. Let me know who you think should survive, and who you think should become BOW feed. I won't necessarily kill the suggested characters off, but your suggestions and ideas will help me as I continue the story. Again, apologies for my recent neglect.
About 2 hours had passed since the two teams reunited and rendèzvoused at the crash site, and night had fallen around Bentzen Lake Campgrounds like a thick, dark blanket, forcing the group to use their flashlights. The thick branches of all the trees seemed to interlock, forming a canopy over the area, allowing only a few glimpses of the full moon and starry sky above. After Liz explained what kind of virus they were likely to be dealing with, the two teams travelled together for a brief stretch. The trip had been relatively uneventful, but the sole survivor of the forced plane crash, Taylor Alden, had obviously grown attached to Bravo Team leader Dan Redfield, and vice versa.
"It's so hard to believe that so many horrible things have happened in the last couple of days around this place."
Dan gently placed a comforting arm around her, and she leaned her head into his shoulder, as her tears flowed silently down her pretty face.They all looked at Taylor with silent sympathy, and she knew she was among friends, which cheered her up, ever so slightly. They could see that she was still mourning the loss of her brother and his wife, which was understandable, as the now parted siblings were very close. Suddenly, the group came to a large clearing, and halted. They had come to a dead end, or so it seemed. As they surveyed the surrounding area, they noticed that there was a very high cliff-face to their left. To the right, the trail they'd been following continued. Directly in front of them however, there was a deep gorge, easily a hundred feet down. Then they heard a series of spine-tingling howls that seemed to come from the gorge-bottom. As they began to move to the right, they noticed what looked like an old rope ladder. It was lying in a pile at the edge of the cliff, and it appeared to be in good condition, as if it had been used recently.
"Hey Ken," Rick called. Ken came up to him quickly, and responded, "What is it mate?"
"Do tourists often explore the gorge?"
"Yeah. Especially in the last month or so. They used this location on one of those outdoor survival shows, and people have been downright batty over it ever since."
"Alright, then. This is where we split up again."
Everyone looked at their captain in disbelief.
"What're you talkin' about Rick?" asked Dan.
"Alpha team will explore the gorge, and Bravo team should move on ahead. If there are any of those things down there, we need to take them out before they can start to spread the virus. Who knows, if we're lucky, maybe we can find some clues about whoever is behind this mess."
Dan was prompted to question Rick's decision. "Well then, why don't we all go down there together?"
"Believe me cuz', I'd like to, but you guys might be able to find something of importance further ahead. Trust me, if it's a dead end, we'll be back up here to rejoin you."
"Well," said Mike, "In that case, why don't we stay up here and wait. You know, play back-up in case something happens down there?"
"That sounds like a good plan Rick." Liz added.
"You're right. Fine, we'll do as Mike suggested. Alpha team, let's go. Dan, stay near your radio. If we need you, you'll be the first to know."
With that, Rick and the rest of Alpha team lowered, then descended the ladder. Joe was a bit hesitant, as heights were never his strong suit, but with the encouragement of his teammates, he was able to finish the downward climb. As they began to explore, they heard a deep guttural growl. They flashed their lights in the direction of the sound. Suddenly, the growl was replaced with a soft whimper, as a medium-sized, uninfected dog came up to them. They could tell by it's gentle nature that the dog had probably been left by it's owners. It was in good condition, so they realized almost immediately that the dog had certainly not been abandoned. The dog lurched suddenly, and as if to beckon them, it headed back to where it had come from. As they followed, Tiffanie stepped in something soft, and rather squishy. When she looked down, she saw a deep red pool of blood, which was pouring from a very dead young man, who's headless corpse she had just invaded with her foot.
"Oh my God."
The rest of the team looked at the discovery. They noticed a leash near the body, and concluded that this poor guy had been the dog's owner. Liz walked up to the whimpering dog and began to pet it gently.
"You poor thing. What could have done this to your master?"
Her answer suddenly arrived. The dog jumped up and began barking fiercely at the darkness. Suddenly the dog rushed forward, barking and baring it's teeth. As the rest of the team followed, they heard a skull-splitting, squeal-like roar, followed by a loud yelp. As they approched the fray, the dog's lifeless, mutilated body came flying at them. It landed in front of Liz, and it's blood splattered on her boots, and part of her uniform pants. In their lights, the team could make out about four humanoid forms, crawling toward them. The creatures were reddish brown, and resembled skinless humans. Their long arms looked human enough, as did their legs, but instead of hands, they were equipped with long, deadly-looking claws. Their heads were uncovered, showing their exposed brains. The group stared in awe as the creature in front flicked it's pointed, five or six foot long tongue in a show of intimidation.
Rick remembered seeing a picture of these creatures in an Umbrella file back at S.T.A.R.S International HQ, and uttered one fear-inducing word: "Lickers."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N
Finally, an update! Sorry for the lack of updates y'all. I've been suffering from a very bad case of writer's block. I have some pretty big plans for future updates, including a couple sad deaths, more action, and hopefully, great suspense. I don't know exactly how I'm going to put it all in story form, but my ideas are written down. Please, read and review. Let me know if I'm doing well or not. No flames please, but constructive criticism and reader ideas are always welcome. Let me know who you think should survive, and who you think should become BOW feed. I won't necessarily kill the suggested characters off, but your suggestions and ideas will help me as I continue the story. Again, apologies for my recent neglect.