"Death shows face in times of tension." Taken from a novel in the Imperial Black Library

Kimley Skarr could still see no one. In the distance, he heard small pops, but only thought of them as aftermath fights. Dead fighting the dead. He tried his comm.-link only to hear static. Kimley didn't know what to do. He slouched against a mangled ATV and muttered to himself.

"How could I lose them? Why'd I have to run ahead? I can only assume they're dead by now, meaning I'm the only one left. Therefore, I must succeed. I must get back to friendly territory."

Kimley loaded his lasgun and stood up. He saw friendly territory as clear as day and took off running. Yards became feet, closer and closer Kimley got. The bittersweet smell of freedom consumed him. Without thinking, Kimley dropped his lasgun and took off various pieces of equipment so that he could run faster. He could see the Cadian flag. How marvelous it looked, slowly rustling in the wind. Kimley stepped foot into friendly territory and let out a large sigh. His foot sank a tiny bit into the ground, causing Kimley to look down.

"What the…?"

A tiny click and a second later, Kimley Skarr became a horde of pieces. His body blown to shreds due to a minefield his comrades made to protect themselves from the Chaos enemy.

Cadet John Pearson continued to run as enemy fire gave chase. Leaping over fallen debris and mangled bodies, Cadet Pearson clutched the Chaos weapon and turned behind him. The enemy beasts weren't far behind. Cadet Pearson wasn't paying attention to his front, and crashed into an immobile Chaos Marine. Its blood red armour oozed and pulsed, and the heretical symbol of Khorne shined bright. Pearson backed up slowly. His eyes filled with fear and his lungs twisted with each breath of the Chaos filth. The other Chaos Marines slid to a halt and let out a diabolical shriek. The hound-beasts that were chained next to their masters growled and snapped at Pearson, making him scared for his life. The Marines formed a circle around him. Pearson knew by their symbol that they were World Eaters, extremely talented in hand-to-hand combat. Pearson was in trouble and he was all alone.

He began to whimper, releasing small yelps. He closed his eyes and his mind rushed about. "I can't believe it's gonna end like this," thought Pearson. "If only I didn't drop my lasgun to hold this stupid Chaos weap…" His eyes shot open and darted at the weapon in his grip. He slid his hands down the weapon. It glowed with black aura, but Pearson didn't care. He knew if he wanted to live, he had to take extreme measures. The Chaos Marines stepped closer and the hound-beasts snapped again. Pearson lowered the weapon and his muscles tensed. His eyes closed and his consciousness depleted as the black aura consumed him. No one actually knows what happened during the battle, but when Cadets I'bsa, Parlan and Benny found Pearson, the enemies were dead with Pearson's unconscious body sprawled on top of them. His pupils were fogged and the arm that held the Chaos weapon had mutated and deformed, consumed by living Chaos flesh.

His eyelids fluttered as life flew back into him. By now, he had no idea what was going on and his memory was clouded. He tried to move, but something strapped him down and he couldn't move his shoulders. He stared up at the beige ceiling with pale lighting and wondered where he was. He body ached and his stomach rumbled. Three boys walked into the room. His eyes widened at the sight of the Imperial Eagle engraved in their breast-plates and started to squirm free of his restraints.

"Johnny," Cadet proclaimed. "Johnny, you okay?"

Pearson's stare was blank. His pupils still clouded, and his arm still ached. His mind was filled with images. Some corrupted by Chaos filth, while smaller portions of purity fought back. His sense of good and evil grew distorted. His mouth opened slightly as he tilted his head. What came out of his mouth was not his own voice. It was a scratchy, high-pitched growl.

"You're not going to survive. All of you will die for sure. Chaos will prevail and if you choose to fight against the onslaught, you will surely meet your demise."

Cadets Larz Benny and Xander Parlan stepped backwards, meanwhile Cadet I'bsa proceeded to stand next to the chained Pearson. Pearson, or what beast wore the skin of Pearson, hissed and squirmed once more.

"Johnny, I know you're in there." Cadet I'bsa eyed Pearson up and down. He sighed sadly, witnessing his friend transforming into a monster. He knew that if Pearson didn't fight the beast within, he would surely be killed. Cadet Pearson hissed at I'bsa and tried to escape. Though unsuccessful, it still caused Cadet I'bsa to jump back startled.

"It's no good," muttered Xander, who sat back against the wall. "The Johnny we knew is gone. All we got left is this beast in a Johnny suit. We should just shoot him and get it over with."

"Enough Xander," growled Larz, taking Cadet I'bsa to a chair. "The boy will fight to remain pure, if he's determined to."

Cadet I'bsa took one last look and somberly walked out of the room. Larz turned to Xander and pointed at him.

"Just watch that. If anything happens, go ahead and shoot," pointing to Pearson.

Xander nodded and Larz turned away. He cursed the Chaos name and stepped out. Xander waited patiently for Larz to leave. He hopped off the table and glided across the room towards the man-beast. It struggled with its chains and Xander smirked sadistically. Without warning, Xander punched the man-beast across the face. The beast growled and snapped at Xander. All he could do was laugh.

"Ah shaddap ya stupid thing," mocked Xander as he punched the man-beast again. "You're nothin' but filth. Scum of the universe. I should just kill you right now. No one will question me."

The man-beast shut its eyes and seemed to be fighting within itself as it tossed and turned in its restraints. Xander loaded a fresh clip into his lasgun and stepped back slowly as the man-beast groaned. The man-beast's mouth opened suddenly and a feint voice spoke.

"Xander...help."

Xander cocked his head to the side, taking note that the voice wasn't matching up with the flapping lips.

"It hurts…It won't leave me alone."

"Johnny?"

"It won't go away."

"Whaddya mean?" Xander aimed the lasgun at the beast, wondering what was going on.

"Stop! You're hurting me!"

The voice vanished and the man-beast sank unconscious. Xander slowly stepped forward, using his lasgun to nudge the man-beast. When it didn't respond, he quietly walked out of the room. The air was dense and it smelled of rotting flesh. Cadet I'bsa wrapped himself in his tattered cloak as Larz whispered to him about life back on Cadia. The words seemed to soothe Cadet I'bsa's nerves and he slowly drifted off to sleep. Larz sighed and patted Cadet I'bsa's forehead gently. He looked over at Xander, whose face seemed puzzled.

"Something wrong, Parlan?"

Xander looked at him speechless. He sat on the ground and leaned against a busted truck tire. He shifted his weight uneasily and shivered, trying to sleep and forget what happened. He kept telling himself that maybe he was just hearing things, that the Chaos beast is trying to manipulate him. Larz hung his head momentarily before looking up to the sky.

"The Emperor protects."

Larz lied next to Cadet I'bsa and soon after, welcomed the world of dreams.