There were about 10 of them in all, brandishing a strange assortment of firearms and launchers, The leader of the group was almost touching the roof of the corridor. Whilst the others, a mixture of humans and Xeno’s Worshippers scurried around him. He towered above them by at least 3 feet, the tall figure boasted a very large double-barrelled weapon with a drum attached, the front was adorned with teeth and a crudely attached circle on the end of it.
By now they were little more than 50 meters away, one of the smaller figures running around examining the bodies as the group advanced down the corridor. I tapped my ear, checking to see if I still had my earpiece on, I whispered “Get on frequency 13323”
A slight shuffle told me that they were adjusting their own ComLinks, a hushed voice whispered in my ear “Com Check”.
“Good check” I whispered. “Should we hit them or let them pass?” I figured that I would give the other 2 options of what to do, I certainly know what I would do.
“Let them pass and then hit them from behind when they pass,” Rahmam said, I thought about it for a moment. It would be dangerous, but at least we could probably take out most of them before they have a chance to react. My stomach convulsed slightly as the scent got stronger. In the dim lighting of the corridor, I still couldn’t make anything out of the tall figure, except his height. As he got closer I could see his face was…distorted. A number of large and bulbous boils plagued his face and I noticed he actually had an additional pair of arms which was carrying some form of crate.
“We’ll let them pass and then hit them” I agreed, not feeling anywhere near as confident as I was a moment before. I continued to watch the group apprehensively trying to make out any important features or discern any vulnerabilities that could help us kill them quicker. A pair of the smaller figures began walking ahead, they were hopping in the gaps between the bodies scattering the floor. With a wide grin on each of their faces, one of them misjudged their jump and landed on a body which wheezed in pain as they landed on it. They shared a look before their glee overtook their sensibilities. They rushed back to the large figure talking excitedly between themselves, throwing glances over their shoulders to where the figure was. Ensuring it wasn’t planning on running off.
After a brief run they reached the tall figure, who was distracted in conversation with another of the figures. Pausing briefly he stopped his conversation staring down at the robed figures as they pointed excitedly to the pile of bodies the trooper was under. A feeling of dread crept in as the figure looked up and stared. Dropping his box on the ground he rushed forward to where the body lay, bending down and grabbing the luckless trooper. A scream pierced the air as he wrenched him from under the pile, the soldier looking like little more than a toy soldier in the arms of the giant.
Letting out an earsplitting roar he punched through the soldier, A yelp of pain echoed and then stopped as the arm was pulled back through the crater in the soldier's chest. I flinched, the sight and sound proving too much for me. Tapping my ComLink to open the channel “I think we should hit them now” I said hurriedly, fear beginning to take root.
A murmur of ascent filled my earpiece, “On my mark”, I can’t believe what I’m about to do. I slowly adjusted my arm, creeping towards the launcher which was over to my left, with the full intention of trying to kill the giant before it got a chance to get close to us. Slowly raising myself I gripped the handle of it and pulled it towards me, standing and pulling the launcher on my shoulders with what on the outside looked like practice, great pains I took aim at the large creature before me.
It stared at me, a mixture of rage and bloodlust filling its eyes as blood dripped down his body, dropping the body he began to approach. The group was within 50 meters. Finding the trigger I pressed down hard, I was greeted by a loud whirring and a small thud. Doubt enshrouded me, did it work or was it broken? I had no idea, suddenly a beam of solid red light shot through the corridor towards the small group tearing a great big hole down the center of the group, Dominchiev and Rahmam were standing up by this point, aiming their rifles they braced for contact.
Stolen novel; please report.
As the beam connected with the largest figure, its skin was reduced to little more than goop, highly concentrated plasma incinerating flesh, bone and clothing in little more than a second. The hole was punched through the right side chest, removing both his arms and half his neck. Behind him a few unlucky worshippers got caught above their necks, leaving their headless corpses to hit the floor. The surrounding figures were suddenly covered in a spray of blood and viscera as their compatriots were used to decorate. The first shot took out 4 of the figures behind, to my right my companions had opened up taking down another 2 more in their first few shots. The group was in chaos now, desperately trying to break into the doors that were spread across the sides of the hall. They made easy pickings for the others, meanwhile, my focus was still on the largest of the group. The damage wrought on it should have put a mortal man down, yet it lumbered uncaring towards me, the rage and bloodlust made greater by the damage I caused.
Casually discarding the launcher it hit the body next to me with a sickening crunch and hiss, the smell of melting flesh filling my nostrils as I gripped my Blade, pressing the receptor sigil it fizzed to life, the luminous pulsating blue lighting up the area around me. Dropping my arms to my side I glared venenously at the monster approaching me, looking like someone out of a Holofilm. I rushed forward, determined to meet the beast on my terms, lifting my sword I struck out at his left arm, attempting to cut it off before he could bring his weapon up to fire at me.
I aimed for the wrist, but I was blocked by the other arm as he wielded what looked like rebar, lifting my sword I struck down again splitting the rebar in half. The creature staggered, bleeding profusely from where the beam struck him, seemingly losing control of his arms. He lunged forward at me, aiming to kill me before he died, and I parried easily. My years of training parrying his lunge easily, bringing the sword up after I parried I struck his arm off at the wrist. The rebar dropped to the floor with a thud and a splash as it struck the blood pooling on the deck plates. Using this momentary advantage I lunged for the creature's neck, aiming to end this quickly. The sword bit in, slicing through the cartilage in his neck and biting into the bone beneath.
I gripped it with both hands and wrenched it from its neck, foul-smelling ichor and blood sprayed from the deep gash. The beast kept on, using one hand to try and stem the bleeding and lunging at me with the other, twisting my body. I lunged the blade down towards his neck again. Slicing through the fingers on his hand and removing the remains of his head. It stepped towards me before it began to slowly drop forward, the corpse landing on the floor with a satisfying crunch.
With the sudden halt of gunfire, the corridor has been left eerily silent, the earlier alarms had all but stopped by now. I stepped aside from the body of my slain foe, taking a moment before surveying the grim tableau of death that sprawled ahead of where I stood. The scene was unrelentingly brutal, with more slain corpses littering the corridor where the fresh worshippers' corpses now lay, the additional carnage we added was a testament to the ferocity of the firefight that had just come to an end in the dim and haunted confines.
The corridor was now little more than a charnel house, littered with the lifeless forms of the worshippers and the dead guardsmen. The contorted features on the worshiper's faces, a peculiar mixture of pleasure and pain splattered with blood. The corridor was choked with the contorted corpses of the fallen.
Amidst the firefight that had just ensued, a lone worshipper had survived. He wasn’t unscathed though, he was a pitiful sight bearing grievous wounds from the firefight, dark and corrupted flesh had made his already grotesque features more marred from the burns and scorched shots. One of his arms hung limp, bleeding profusely, a perfect reminder for him of the price he paid for his corruption.
Desperation radiated from the worshiper, as he staggered down the corridor, clinging to the wall to keep himself able to walk, a feeble attempt to retreat from us as Rahmam was doggedly pursuing him. As blood continued to pour from his wounds, he left a crimson trail in his wake, tripping over a corpse he staggered, attempting to keep himself upright. The dim emergency lights overhead continued shining their grim light over the scene, as it plays itself out.
Rahmam’s footsteps echoed through the silence of the corridor, the sawing breath of the wounded worshiper punctuated by small yelps of pain. He closed his fingers around the injured shoulder with a crushing grip, spinning him around with a forceful motion so hard he hit his head hard against the wall. From this distance, I couldn’t make much else out as they fell amongst a pile of bodies.