CHAPTER NINE

BEYOND THE INVISIBLE

Gnawed and slashed roads lead to fractured structures bleeding grey brick dust. Half-open they showcase their insides of tattered furniture in an unwanted grotesque display. Only the cape of

ever-flowing dust covers their indignity... where it can. Distant sounds of explosions echo loud, louder, loudest. Little by little but more and more. And with every new bang, they bring forth more dreamers into this sleepless nightmare. Yet, these dreamers shall never wake. They'll forever sleep here and there amid the scenery of descent.

With naught but whispers remaining. Whispers and tears.

A soldier runs through the bullet storm carrying a brother in arms on his back. He runs to the first shattered giant in seek of shelter from the deadly rain. An explosion paints the distant scenery in fiery red as it calls for silence in its wake. The call of silence is headed. Then, it is proceeded by a loud ear-shattering buzzing. The soldier enters the ruined heaven.

He puts his comrade down as he takes five deep breaths to regain some strength.

The old soldier lying on the ground regains consciousness.

"John? John? Where are we?" the old soldier asks as he looks with his hands. But only his hands.

"We're safe, Captain. We just need to hold on and... everything is going to be okay," John, the young soldier, says as he grabs his Captain's hand.

"I can't see, John. Tell me honestly, how does it look?" the Captain asks.

John looks at the wound.

There used to be a bulletproof vest there and green fatigues underneath yet now there is only a hole. A bloody hole.

The wound showcases the mangled insides in an unwanted grotesque display. Only streaming blood covers its indignity.

"You'll live," John says as he turns away and clenches his teeth.

The old soldier softly chuckles two times.

"You need to learn to lie better," the Captain says as he grips the young soldier's hand, "Listen. You are next in command. Make sure to look after your squad," he adds.

"Captain, I'm..." John tries to speak but gets cut off.

"Shut it. Don't lie to a dying man, son. It does have a nice ring to it," the Captain says.

"What does, Captain?" John asks.

"Captain John Rayne."

Rayne wakes with a loud gasp.

"I'm alive?" Rayne blurts out.

He immediately looks at his stomach, at the stab wound he got from Billy.

There is no wound, Rayne wonders, slightly perplexed? No! I definitely got stabbed.

He looks at the place of injury again; there is a hole in the bullet-proof vest and the military fatigues. Red paints the area around his uniform.

There was a wound there it wasn't in his imagination.

Rayne feels the "wound" with his right hand. Maybe he is missing something?

It's not there. Not only is the wound not there but there isn't even a scar.

How is this possible, Rayne wonders?

"Hey, the Cap is awake," Davenport yells.

His unit with Olivia and Yui go to him.

"Back from the dead. How do you feel?" Big George asks as he extends his hand.

“The Doc saved you, Captain,” Davenport cheerfully adds.

Rayne looks around at the familiar places inside the chapel.

He grabs Big George's hand and stands.

"You saved me." Rayne says as he looks at Olivia, "But how?" he asks.

Olivia scratches her head, unsure how to explain the unreal occurrence.

"Superpowers," Akira and Davenport say in unison.

"She awakened," Yui adds.

"Superpowers? Awakened?" Rayne blurts out, "Never mind," he adds.

Looking at what's happened and is happening there is little to no point in trying to figure things out. There are more pressing matters to focus on like finishing the mission and getting his team out of this hell.

"So we got the Doctor 2.0 with the ability to heal," Davenport smirks.

"She also... has a gift," Olivia says as she looks at Yui.

A knife floats in front of him.

"Jesus!" Davenport blurts out as he jumps back caught by surprise.

"Why didn't we get any powers? Are these some sexists powers, man?" he asks.

"I got all the "power" I need," Big George remarks as he cocks Billy's combat shotgun.

"Enough chatter. We need to proceed with the mission. We need to get to the station and retrieve the research data. Any ideas?" Rayne says stopping the trivial chitchat.

No one says anything.

"You can take a boat at the port and drive there," Yui says breaking the silence.

Davenport thinks for a moment as he tries to remember something. Something at the back of his mind. He snaps his fingers.

"I know, man. I know how we can get there. This is going to sound strange but I had a dream where I was this big ass nerd who was..." Davenport speaks.

"You are a big ass nerd," Akira adds.

Davenport pauses for a moment as he gives Akira a sour look.

"As I was saying I was this person called Joseph who worked at the dock. And I was in love with like her but only her name was Sara," Davenport says looking at Yui.

"I had a similar dream. I was an old man who drove this woman called Sara," Akira adds.

"This is weird. I was Sara's coworker, Kendrick," Big George says.

They turn to Rayne.

"What?" Rayne asks as the others look at him.

"Did you have a dream like that, Captain?" Akira asks.

"Yeah. I was the woman in question Sara," Rayne says.

"What could this mean?" Davenport asks.

They take a moment to think about the weird connected dream they all shared.

"It's directing you, the small god. Like crumbs of bread leading a chicken to slaughter," Yui says.

Her words ring true. They concluded the same but the thought of being nothing more than a glorified puppet is a hard thought to stomach.

The worst thing is that they can't do anything about it.

"Then we follow," Rayne says.

No point in delaying the inevitable, he concludes.

The captain's order along with limited options solidifies their next discourse. But sometimes our

deep-rooted fight or flight instincts choose the flight option rather than fight. Even for fighters.

"What if we just stay here and like wait it out?" Davenport suggests as hesitance seeps from every poor like sweat.

The others turn to him. There is some comfort in this idea. If only they could escape the nightmare instead of living it through? But such thoughts are nothing but thoughts. They pass as a smirk turns serious.

"You remember what happened last time we didn't do as that thing wanted," Big George remarks at their experiences in the hive-like place.

He looks at Davenport and Akira as if waiting for a word or two to dissuade him.

They speak no such words.

"Maybe we will learn something when we get to the station that will give us a chance to turn the tables." Rayne says as he looks at the others, "But I think for now we go by the flow," he adds.

He looks to the side as he takes a moment to think about his own words.

Sometimes what we say isn't meant for others but us.

The Fang Two unit stands in silence.

Yui looks at the motionless soldiers.

"Okay, let's go," Yui says, breaking the silence.

"Wait. You should stay here, I'm not sure we can keep you safe," Davenport adds. As soon as he finishes his statement a knife appears in front of his face, floating in mid-air.

“JESUS!” Davenport exclaims, shocked again, "Oh yeah. Never mind," he says as he shrugs.

The reinforced Fang Two unit exits the chapel.

Outside, snow falls. It falls and swirls in a gentle ballet. Rayne looks up.

The Entity still covers the sky and the area around the city and the lake.

He pries his eyes at the opaque surface. It's hard to see but there are cracks there. The giant chromatic whirlpool at the center of the Entity thunders and roars as its colors darken.

"What is happening?" Davenport blurts out.

"It is the end of the world," Akira says in an over-dramatic fashion.

"Not funny, man," Davenport adds as he shakes his head.

"Who says I'm joking," Akira says.

"Cut the chatter. Fang Two move it," Rayne orders.

Six braves move through the streets of Odette carefully eyeing every corner and shadow.

The once clear sky instantaneously fills with glimmering ice crystals like a shaken snow globe. Sparkling white illuminates the quiet, grey town of Odette. Quiet for now. And as the snowflakes dance through the air accompanied by the sound of silence so does the Fang Two unit move closer and closer to the minute settlement's port under its cover. Somewhere up above, the translucent, opaque form changes from a more fluid, wavy state into a solid, stiff one. The invisible cracks from whence the ice seeps seal up. Rayne looks up as an uneasy feeling passes through his body like a jolt of electricity.

He cannot see the difference but he can see the sky clearing up. No more snowflakes fall through the Entity. The chromatic eye thunders across the hushed area. Its colors darken and fuse together.

Now, only a few shades of shadowy red and green converge into a dark eye as the last of the snow dances a one-two waltz. Momentarily stopping before falling but falling nonetheless. Their waltz ends on the grey cracked roads. And as the snowflakes touch the ground so do they evaporate into oblivion.

The temperature rises. But immersed minds look only forth; failing to notice the obvious. Yet despite this their bodies do. Sweat comes pouring their face; one drop at a time. The structure's end as the Makpik lake stands in front and their destination, the small port, in sight.

It's here, they silently cheer.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Voiceless cheers yell as motionless lips smile.

They've arrived without a fight.

How lucky, Rayne thinks. Almost too good to be true; especially in this place. Too good?

"Fang Two STOP!" Rayne orders. The squad halts.

Rayne raises his pistol. Davenport, Big George, and Akira glance at him in confusion but only for a mere second. They do the same.

"What's wrong?" Olivia asks, perplexed at their reaction. There is obviously nothing here so why?

Big George remembers.

"The invisible creatures Billy talked about," Big George remarks.

Invisible, Olivia thinks?

A cold shiver travels through their spines.

Davenport readies his lips to comment on the situation.

"Shit," Akira anticipates him.

The squad watches carefully around them in alert, back to back; all except Yui who focuses more on keeping at least some physical distance away from the others.

"What now?" Davenport asks as a stalemate develops.

Glances erratically look left and right trying to see the unseen.

But how can they?

Was this a mistake, Rayne wonders?

If they rushed to the boat they could have evaded the danger. But rushing could have been the thing that put them in danger. The situation is like flipping a coin. The question is what is correct, heads or tails?

"Rayne, look," Olivia says as she points to the road.

"What?" Rayne asks, unsure as to what the Doctor is pointing at.

"The water," Olivia says.

The snowflakes that fell from the sky melted into puddles of water. Not a lot of water but enough... Rayne figures out why Olivia pointed at the water.

"Fang Two unit, watch the water for steps. If something moves shoot it." Rayne says, "Move to the boat, stay frosty," he orders.

They move while keeping a vigilant eye on the puddles, step by step. Each step drags out slow and heavy as if a giant weight encumbers them.

One by one they move closer to the lake as they drag through the hidden net of fear.

The minute puddles of water sleep undisturbed; only momentarily quivering with each step of the surrounding humans. They tread lightly but the water is gentle and the surroundings quiet. Weapons maniacally shift from one puddle to another. Blinkless eyes vigilantly watch.

They do not know if the creatures Billy talked about are here or even exist but after hearing and seeing his fate it is more than reasonable to be wary.

Vigilant eyes scrutinize the surrounding expecting the unexpected.

The only exception amongst the six is Yui. Only her eyes watch her compatriots. As soon as someone comes close she steps a little further away, just enough to keep distance. Just enough to keep from touching. Her hands shake at the thought. She can and she has kept her "demons" at bay but preferably it is best to avoid them altogether.

They approach the port. Only a few steps to two docked boats tied to the minute marina.

Something steps into the puddle as the water violently splashes.

Fearful eyes instantaneously focus on the spot as blood rushes to the extremities.

Akira and Rayne fire a burst of three bullets each into the air. They hear a loud groan as the air bleeds a thick green liquid. Something crashes on the ground. Electricity surges over the phantom; as the surge passes it reveals a light green creature.

Its attributeless face is akin to a fleshy hockey mask; the creature has two thin legs and no arms.

Around its green scales are numerous, scattered glowing ember tumors. As the creature's life departs from it the glowing tumors dim. And in the middle of its chest is a singular limb with a sharp fang like a scorpion's tail. The "tail" still wiggles even in death.

"What the hell is that?" Davenport blurts out.

"Another demon," Akira adds.

"Stay alert. There may be more out there," Rayne warns.

The water on two more puddles gets disturbed. Then another! And another!

"FIRE AT WILL! FIRE AT WILL!" Rayne yells as the Fang Two unit lets loose.

Every shot hits a phantom. And as it hits a phantom its green blood splashes, covering other nearby monsters. Every dead creature reveals two more. And every two dead reveal forth. So it goes as the bullets run dry.

"Shit!" Davenport yells as his A-10s secondary magazine runs out. He throws it and draws his sidearm.

"I'm empty," Rayne yells; Big George throws him a spare pistol magazine as he continues blasting with Billy's shotgun.

"Reloading," Akira's voice soon follows.

Olivia shoots one creature down, then two more. She turns to the fourth and as she pulls the pistol only a hallow click comes forth.

They are coming!

As the phantom descends Yui defenselessly watches. Her hand's quiver. Then her legs. She remembers the sight of blood. She hears the screams.

"NOOO!" Yui screams atop of her lungs. And as she screams an invisible wave unleashes forth.

The supernatural force crushes and knocks out everything in front like a tsunami to structures and flesh. Glass explodes, steel bends, bricks shatter and flesh renders.

The Fang Two members turn to the falling girl. Her world turns dark.

Yui falls unconscious. Davenport catches her as she falls.

Suddenly, hollow laughter echoes in the distance.

"Shit!" Rayne blurts out, "Quickly to the boats," he orders.

The boats are close but time is scarce.

They run to the small port. There's no time to waste.

One out of the two boats appear to be in working condition.

They jump to the closer one; the one with the number two on it.

Davenport puts Yui down.

Rayne looks around, unsure. There is a machine gun mounted on the boat.

"George," Rayne says.

"I got it," Big George confirms as he mounts the turret.

"We need the key." Akira remembers as he looks at the control panel at the front of the boat, "I'll get it," he adds jumping outside the boat.

The wooden planks scream as two boots land on them. They exclaim in relief as the weight leaves. Akira runs to the nearby structure, the one where the old man Bob worked, as he forcefully opens the door by slamming it with his shoulders. The door breaks!

Without losing a second Akira heads to the place where the keycards are, behind a cage wall; the same place as in "his" dream. Akira tries to open the door but it's locked. No time to waste, he shoots the lock clean off with a single shot. The bullet echoes loudly, disturbing the peace; somewhere in the dark, two red eyes open.

Akira takes the keycard corresponding with the number on the boat as he turns to the exit.

Suddenly, the wall breaks.

A hulking monstrosity appears behind the crumbling dust staring at him with small, beady, red eyes. Its rock-like frame is almost three times as wide as a human. The monster lunges at him. Akira shoots the hulk five times in the head; momentarily slowing the approaching ogre.

The hulk awkwardly waves its hands trying to protect its head while blindly rushing like a bull.

Akira jumps to the side as the hulk smashes through the cage wall; making the thin steel net twist around its body. Seizing the opportunity Akira quickly shoots the creature four times as the creature clumsily tries to free itself.

The pistol empties. Akira reaches for another magazine but there are none.

"The weapons?" Akira blurts out as he remembers something.

The way outside is clear but he doesn't take it, instead opts for a different direction inside one of the rooms.

The hulk violently shakes off the encompassing steel. It turns around looking for its prey but the prey is nowhere to be seen. The creature moves, searching. Then...

"Hey, akuma," a voice calls to it.

Akira raises an old school XM5. He pulls the trigger.

Almost instantaneously the 20 bullet magazine empties into the hulk. The creature's rock-like skin shatters and leaks. As the bullet storm stops so does the hulk fall to the ground unleashing first a growl and then a whimper.

"You're quite sturdy," Akira says standing tall over the almost dead foe. He puts in another magazine and leans the rifle muzzle on the creature's head at point-blank range. The monster cannot speak but it pleads with a hushed moan.

Akira does not hesitate. He ends the creature with a quick burst as its head explodes like squished meat.

The ground violently shakes as heavy gunfire precedes it.

The boat machine gun, Akira concludes.

He runs outside.

A swarm of the melted flesh humanoids descends on their location.

His team waits on the boat; Rayne waves to him to hurry.

Akira runs to the boat with all the speed he can muster as Big George lays down suppression fire with the mounted weapons.

"Akira!"

"Run!"

Quickly!"

Voices give courage as the brave soldier runs without hesitation.

The boat is close.

Only a few steps away. He is there.

Akira can see them.

Suddenly, his teammates are below him.

How, Akira wonders?

Something abruptly picks him up as his weapon drops.

Two cold hands. Squeezing hard.

He hears an unusual laugh. Mocking him. Sneering at him.

Hollow laughter that echoes like inside a tunnel.

There is a Shadow behind but not his own.

Without hesitation, Akira jams the keycard in his wakizashi.

"AKIRA!" Davenport yells as he runs to him.

"Take care of my sister, Ash," Akira says as he throws the weapon with the boat keycard.

The Shadow rips Akira's arms out as his body slips down like a bar of soap.

Rayne's eyes turn crimson red.

"GEORGE," Rayne yells with malice.

Big George turns the machine gun from the incoming hordes in the back to the Shadow.

As one tear falls from his eye he squeezes the trigger with a scream.

"DIE!"

Davenport joins him as he empties his sidearm. The Shadow laughs as bullets riddle its body. And as the bullets stop and the monster falls the screams remain. But they fade. Eventually, they must fade.

Davenport watches his dead friend lying in front of him in a mortified paralysis as the horde approaches in the background.

The Shadow rises.

"DAVENPORT!" Rayne yells from the top of his lungs. The yell is loud enough to shake Davenport awake.

He grabs his friend's wakizashi, grits his teeth as he turns away from the creature that took his friend, and runs to the boat.

Behind him, the all too familiar laughter.

The Shadow walks forward fused with the incoming wave of melted flesh humanoids.

Davenport jumps on the boat.

Quickly, takes out the keycard and turns it on.

They turn the boat on and drive away at full speed.

Behind them, they leave their dead comrade in a wave of nightmares and hollow laughter.