42. Baron : Into the light

“Keep firing! Don’t stop firing!” The order didn’t need to be cried out. In the madness of the situation I wasn’t even sure who cried out but the horrors in front of us didn’t need an order for us to shoot. Indistinguishable creatures from the stars slopped, flailed and screamed on their advance towards us from the depths which saw Fledger emptying magazine after magazine.

“The depths! The depths have awoken! It’s over!” Yeti was the next to let out a panicked cry.

“Just fucking unload into em.”

“What’s the point shots keep ricocheting!”

Our bullets saw little effect on the chitinous beasts leading the charge with serrated claws. Throwing a grenade the first wave fell. There was no time for celebration as the hoard clambered forth clickering and clackering eager for new flesh to feast on. Another creature slopped it’s appendaged forward dragging itself with a serrated funnel of a maw throwing Fledger over the edge as it gurgled.

“God make it stop the stars already burn how have you set them alight?!” Grabbing him we ran back trying to find some escape from the onslaught behind us. Havoc saw some luck with his rifle as a clapperclaw went for Duke who immediately recoiled from the display of violence.

“Fuck- good shot!” Running forward Havoc only turned to yell making sure Duke followed.

“Keep up if you’re grateful then.”

Continuing our blind assault a black ashen fog enveloped our squad in a laboratory. Leaping forward shadows threw ungodly appendages towards us to rip us from each other. Sending each assailant back into the abyss we ran onwards as I took the lead sprinting simply trying to escape the horde behind. The zone had caused such mutation and malignant growth but these creatures were so abhorrent they couldn’t be of this world.

Our minds were consumed by the gurgles, clickering, screams and sloshing from behind. If the rush of adrenaline failed us we would surely fall to madness. Fledger was already over the edge. Abandoning his rifle to flee with us down the halls wailing and laughing desperate for some escape. Looking forward through the ashen fog a wall quickly approached. Not having the time to stop I careered straight through as if past thin air.

My squadmates quickly passed through the illusion as well to my disbelief. Ahead the floor began to give way leaving a gaping hole into the abyss from where the creatures came. Leaping over the gap I turned to provide the rest of my team with some cover fire. Emptying the magazine as Havoc leapt across slipping Duke quickly pulled him from the depths of hell. Helping him I saw the otherworldly forest below. The origin of these creatures no doubt.

Finding another laboratory to hold for a moment a terrifying creature made of cancerous tendrils and coral growths burst through the wall. Bringing concentrated fire onto the beast saw it emitting a vast red mist as it continued onward. With a large bulged limb it brought a massive growth of the coral crashing down next to Havoc dashing to the side narrowly avoiding being crushed as the mist engulfed his legs.

“Ha! Mis-argh-oh my god!”

Quickly he fell into the mist as he legs ruptured with serrated coral bursting from his flesh ending his anguished cried as it made it’s way through the right side of his chest leaving a large coral growth over his corpse in seconds. Terror held our squad as our weapons ran dry seeing not a shot being fired while the creature continued it’s distorted tortured wailing.

With the mist approaching us we gave up on the will to fight and fled not even taking the time to reload our weapons. The mist held the horde at bay but it also held such terrifying consequence if it caught up with us. With nothing left driving me but the will to survive that will found itself constantly threatened with being overwhelmed by absolute terror.

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Rounding another corner we saw a large open bulkhead leading to a pillar. Giving it everything we had launching ourselves through we saw the remnants of who survived with ropes coming down from all three control rooms above. Dropping the bulkhead securing itself we stood breathing heavily barely able to catch our breaths choking on terror as Fledger continued wailing.

“It seeks to consume us first before the universe! The light will be smothered from us all!”

Quickly subdued by the others I looked to the other mercenaries. They stood shaking completely exhausted and mentally shattered. None of us had anything left. Looking to the others it was obvious they hadn’t found an exit yet. Chuckling to myself I fell back to sit down with head in my hands. Even witnessing the death of our squadmates who might as well have been family I felt nothing but overwhelming terror.

The screams of the creatures resonated in my mind but I knew they couldn’t be heard by the others yet. My other squadmates heard them too. I could see it in their faces. They all looked blank. Hope had been drained from us and all that seemed left to do was abandon everything. Looking up to the ceiling restored that sense of absolute terror inspiring action.

“The coral! It’s coming through the rooms above!”

With everyone looking up we saw that terrifying red mist beginning to descend upon us. Already scrambling to our feet we ran to the other end of the room containing the pillar where a bulkhead that failed to close properly offered barely enough room to crawl through. With Flux going first followed by Artur and Bishop the rest of us waited terrified by the approaching mist.

Standing at the wall as the others crammed through it approached as a wave enveloping the room. Fledger was pulled through regardless that he had already given up while me and Duke were last. Pushing him through I scrambled under too afraid to look behind to see how close the mist was. With Duke pulling me through we caught up to the rest of the squad in an atrium filled with a spectacle of violence that was sickening to our very cores.

Looking forward the chamber ahead was filled with abyssal creatures tearing apart collective cultists who drove themselves into the hoard trying to reach the pillar. The sight was maddening and if it wasn’t for Flux launching himself into the blood frenzy none of us would’ve braved the violence ahead. Charging in behind with teeth bared and combat highs running at their peak we entered the fray.

Slashing through cutting down the cage of flesh very few of us held any form of composure as we cried out with each strike. Clawing over the corpses our minds threatened to break everything time we clambered over sacrilegious flesh. Looking ahead Flux cut through with inexplicable strength unaffected by the display with more strength in each subsequent blow.

Nearing the end of the grand altar of sacrifice the red mist entered chamber leading to it being filled with the piercing screams of the dead and dying. The coral rapidly expanded and grew in whatever was dead or alive. It was unrelenting. Uncaring. It’s victim's screams were proof that even the ungodly creatures that continued their unprovoked wholesale slaughter were nothing in comparison to the threat growing behind.

Reaching the end of the atrium blood soaked we arrived at an elevator with a train on the platform. A rush of relief and despair went through my mind at once. We could escape the coral but we had simply come full circle. Our efforts had no result. No exit to the zone was found and all that was left was to escape the horror unleashed behind us.

Quickly raising the platform Sparrow went over the train and alerted us that it was functional. With it beaming to life I stood in the control room with Sparrow, Flux, Strider and Artur. Looking up cultists and fallen tumbled down the slope from above onto the platform. Burning through precious little ammunition we still had slowly ascending every threat was dispatched with absolute haste and with one final cry alerting us we were near the top everyone boarded the train.

Reaching the top with a clank Strider immediately ripped the throttle all the way forward. As the train slowly accelerated cultist and fallen desperately clambered aboard to be dislodged by knives or rifle butts. Picking up speed the train careered through the river of blood the tunnel had become as cultists unleashed their fire onto the train.

Hunkering down we all took braced positions as the train began to accelerate faster and faster and the fire became heavier and heavier. Rounds ricocheted through the cabin as cultists fired desperately trying to stop the train before the fire ceased all together. Taking a moment to look up Strider ripped the throttle back to hear the screeching of metal on the tracks as the brakes locked the wheels. He dived down again only to shout one last warning.

“Brace!”

A massive metallic crash could be heard throwing us about in the cabin. The train derailed sliding off the tracks. Hurtling forward it crashed through a section of the metal doors throwing the train onto it’s side grinding against the rails and dirt with a deafening screech. Grinding to a halt I laid still in shock. My body too stressed to even check my surroundings or condition. I did however see light penetrating the bent cabin windows. With a weak chuckle I realized we actually managed to escape.