Chapter Eight: Battle
"Jack!?" Where are you?" Colin roared as he spun, hearing the shots behind him. Advancing into the trees, he kept his weapon ready as he heard rustling up ahead. Tearing away the leaves, he looked down and saw what remained of Jack. He was lying flat on the ground, ribcage and stomach torn wide open with blood everywhere.
He didn't have time to react as a swinging claw missed his head by inches causing him to dive to the ground. A monstrous humanoid creature was clambering over a collapsed tree to get to him. Colin quickly squeezed off five rounds, which sent the monster tumbling back. More shots rang out as Jaxx appeared, firing blindly at the creature. "C'mon! We have to get outta here!" She roared. "It got Jack! Fuckin' tore him apart!" Colin shouted back as he jumped to his feet. Gunshots rattled further ahead as the others engaged the enemy.
"Alright, Tommy, you get Shepherd." Jaxx ordered. "Me, Terry and Morse will provide cover fire while you and the Sarge run!" Whirling round, she raised the sights of the submachine gun to her face and saw the enemy were charging
They were fast. Running at them at full speed, there were four of them, cloaked in darkness only visible by their incredibly fast silhouettes and glowing eyes. "Target!" Terry yelled as he opened fire, the bullet knocked one of the creatures to its' knees but it quickly got back up and started running again. "Coming up on both rear flanks!" Morse cried out, also opening fire.
"They're circling us!" Colin roared as he slammed another magazine into the rifle. "Just fucking leg it!" Terry replied as he spun on his heel and began to run. "Covering fire!" Jaxx yelled as she shot one of the creatures to the ground and took off running. The creature leapt to its' feet and gave chase. "Get down!" Colin shouted out as he continued firing.
Terry fired blindly over his shoulder as he ran, not bothering to see if he hit anything because even if he did, it wouldn't matter. Morse had already caught up with Tommy and Shepherd as they reached the edge of the forest. The shape of a small building came up ahead; the farmhouse. "Up ahead!" She called out "The farm! Run for it!"
Kicking the door open, Morse burst into the hallway of the small cottage, holding the wooden door open for Shepherd and Tommy who were right behind her. Terry was next, whirling round through the doorway to provide cover fire. Colin and Jaxx were still outside, with one of the creatures making a full-on sprint behind them. "Don't look back! Just fucking run!" Terry cried as he tried to line up a shot on the pursuer, but Jaxx and the Sarge were in the way. "Come on!" Colin burst into the house followed by Jaxx as Tommy slammed the door shut.
There was a brief moment of quiet before the door began to jolt as the creature tried to get in. The door opened wide enough for a long muscly arm to burst in, violently jerking as it tried to grab at its' screaming and shouting prey. "Hold the door!" Jaxx yelled as she picked up an SMG and rammed the barrel into the gap of the door and held down the trigger. The gunfire knocked the monster away from the entrance and the door shut again.
Silence quickly descended again as the squad caught their breaths. "What the hell just happened?!" Tommy cried. "We were just attacked by huge fuckin' growling things that's what 'appened!" Terry shouted back. Colin stood up. "Right. Terry, Morse; Keep an eye on the windows. I want you watching what they're doing out there." He barked.
"Where's Jack?" Tommy asked. There was a moment of quiet as Colin grimly shook his head. "Didn't make it." He said solemnly. "I just want to know what the hell those things were." Jaxx said. They all looked towards Shepherd, who was sat at the bottom of the stairs, clutching his shoulder, he didn't even look up at them. "Lemme guess." He said quietly. "You think I've got something to do with this?"
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More on the way soon :)