The air was cold and much too dry. Much like my cooking in many respect. But truly its not my fault, you really can only do so much with dry and canned goods. We were never about to get shipped nice side of beef unless it was for the company men.
I look up from the gently simmering pot. Every one was quite high strung, not that i can blame them. Monsters knocking at the door carrying whispers of that which lays below. I lost track of how many that got dragged off, but i can say it was too many. We only number five now, one chef , one nurse, one marshal, one janitor, and last of all a reactor technician.
I am not quite sure how much longer we can keep going, the good old boys in the front had gotten many of the check points into the caves sealed. They also if the miss is to believed killed quite a few of the beasts in the process. Only issue the devils clearly have yet to be fully cleared out and Karlā¦ well we have run out of his little cocktail. Funny thing really, the only reason any of us are still around is thanks to it.
Still even if we any left, one can only stave off sleep for so long. Frankly i am the only one who had gotten any good sleep what so ever. Even if they try to get some rest, the moment they close their eyes their bodies get filled with dread. Truly a horrid thing not even being able to get even the smallest wink of sleep.
I look down at the pot, it was little more then dried out fast food from one of the tipped over venders tossed into a bit of water. Frankly it would have been better taste wise to just naw on the crusty old hotdogs then eat this slop. But i would rather not get food poisoning now of all times, better slop then getting dragged off with your guts a stew.
āItās done, not much taste wise. But hay at least i boiled out any little buggers in it.ā I begin to scoop up the slop into some rather handy paper cups. I never did quite like the little things, they nether held much, nor held it well. You are better off shipping reusable cups out to dirt heaps like this fine place. After all, its not like we are going to having many parties out here and its likely not great for the bottom line wasting the money on one use cups.
But some how we still got a lot of the things, the company can be odd like that sometimes. Perhaps it was a shipping error? Well no matter, its found good use now. One by one the others grab a cup and down the stuff like one does for shots. I guess that really the only way you can eat such āfoodā.
āLeoā¦do you think anyone is coming?ā Tom the janitor stood next to me, i could see the wariness in his body but he dare not sit down. I looked up at the fellow and didnāt say a word, i was not quite sure what do say. Fact is there is likely āsomeoneā coming after all we are due for a resupply and rotation. The only question is if they will make it in timeā¦ or even be willing or able to hold off the beast for any amount of time.
āWhy of course, the company may be many things but one thing is without doubt about themā¦ is that they got dollar signs for eyes and cash for blood. I am sure the company is sending out a crew to check out what going on. After all they donāt want their assets falling into the wrong hands.ā
I could see a bit of the stress leave his body, the same went for the rest as well. Its a shame that was all bullshit, the Company maybe greedy to the coreā¦ but the whole lot are just as cowardly. Its much more likely the Company is going to pawn off this matter to some dime store Mercs who would just as likely put a few holes in us so they can take our spare change.
Any way i cut it, who every is coming are likely not going to have a pure heart or are just going to be poor shmucks who are just going become feed for the beastsā¦ Speaking of beast i can see one thinking its rather funny. Its trying to claw its way through the hole in the shutters. The rest scramble to ready their weapons, but were much to sluggish.
Thankfuly i was quick to act i tossed a lit glass bottle filled with mix of ship fuel and crushed packing foam. My own little recipe, even if its not quite original. The bottle smacks the Red colored beast right in the head breaking spattering the mix all over the devil, setting it aflame. Its odd really the small red beasts for some reason burn so well.
it tried to back out of the hole and roll off the flames, only to spread the fire over its body more. In the end it thrashed about for a good minute before losing strength and falling still. in the flickering flames still burning on its smoldering body i could see the two other red beast that met the same fate.
It rather funny really, the beasts seemed so damn smart at first. One by one we would get picked off and dragged off into the abyss. But now the beasts to be acting like just thatā¦ a beast and not some sharp devil. If had to give a guess as to why the monsters are throwing themselves, at us with such idiotic fervor nowā¦ they are madā¦ just really, really mad.
Even a lowly rat will throw a fit if canāt get to the tasty treat. its likely the same for the beasts, we keep killing their kin and slipping through their claws to boot. likely had it just about up to here with us. Still better for us in the end so its not like i am about to complain.
āLeo, what ever the hell you mixed sure seems to work well. Maybe we donāt need help to come after all, if we keep this up soon enough the fuckers will be all cleared out!ā The marshal was all smiles again, but thatās likely due to the Karl special giving him right pep in his step. He ended up taking the last of the blend, so still had bit in his system likely. As for the others, not one bit of relieve was had.
There was still more out laying in wait, i could even see them shifting around in shadows. Still i wonder why they didnāt try to help their kin this time. They had the last two times, perhaps the few pot shots we took at them gave them a bit of a spook. Now that think about itā¦ its only had been the Red ones trying to get at us, the rest seem content to just stand at the side lines.
āKeep a eye on the hole will you, i am going to check the backā¦ something doesnāt seem quite right, Tom if you mind watch my back will you.ā The rest nod and keep their eyes glued on the hole in the door. Tom readying up his bat as he followed me into the back rooms of the garage.
Holding a lighter in one hand and a molotov in the other i creep along the wall lettings the head lamp light the room up. every thing seem in orderā¦ at least in this room. i move to the next and see nothing as well. I let out a sigh of relief, i was truly worried the beasts had grown a brain started to dig thin wall in-between the caves and the garage.
āIs every thing good? what is it that you are worry about Leo, isnāt it just solid rock over here?ā I think for a moment, if i should let Tom knowā¦ If we make it out of this, it would look rather bad if got out that i know about that split in the cave. i guess it doesnāt really matter, tom is not the sharpest tool in the shed. He not about to put two and two together.
āThere is split in the caves that lead to the mines just behind this wallā¦ but thankfully it seem the monsters have ether not put it together where it leads or are content to just wait us out.ā My words hit Tom like a sack of bricks. He face was grim, he is not the smartest around but that doesnāt mean he is a idiot. This a rather glaring weak point in our defenses.
I Turn around to make my way back to restā¦ Only to hear some thing horrid, the screeching of metal bending and snapping i was about to sprint off to the front only to be stopped in my tracks hearing the blood curdling screams come from behind me. I damn near fall on my ass as i turn aroundā¦ only to see Tom getting torn into by a massive scythe clawed beast.
It was covered head to tail in a dark crimson red, i canāt tell if it was just its base color or the splattering of toms blood soaking the demonā¦ but it doesnāt matter. I toss the lit molotov at the fucker, but the monster blocks it by using toms body that was impaled on its claws as a shield. The mix spatters onto tom setting him aflame only for the devil to fling Tom off to the side.
āHELP A BIG FUCK GOT TOM!!!ā I Screamed out for help as i scramble back out of the room, the devil hot on my tail it only being slightly slowed having to get on all four to fit through the door way. It the light of the flickering lamps i could see the marshal being torn apart by a red crested beast that looked like mini version of monster on my tail.
i could hear the revving of the Van and saw the nurse diving into the back, but the storm shutters were still closed. I put all the strength i had into my legs and spirited to the controls, the scythed claws of the red devil just barely missing me as the Van reversed right into its face knocking the fiend back.
The Crested one lunged at me, but was grappled down by the mutilated marshal. Giving me time to the hit door release, i rushed for the van that had already started to drive forward towards the opening shutters. legs were burning and were about to give out, but the nurse had managed to grab my arm and pull me into the back. I look back at the marshal, hoping to see him reaching out a hand. Only to see him pulling the trigger on his shotgun taking him and the crested devil out.
āLIGHTER!ā The nurse that never had gotten the name of shoved her hand into my face nearly bashing me in the face as the van lurched to the side as something ran into it. Breathless and rattled i managed to hand over the lighter, despite the thrashing of the van and my trembling hands.
The nurse light up a molotov from the small stock we had stored in the bed of the van and tossed it out the back hitting the Red devil sprinting after us. The sticky mix splattered over the monsters chest, setting it aflameā¦ only for the red devil to not give two shits about it
āFUCK! FUCK!! FUCK!!! ARENāT THE RED ONE SUPPOSED TO BE WEAK TO FIRE!?ā The nurse was not takeing the sight well, nether was i for that matterā¦ The fucking monsters are worst then we thought! As i was getting tossed about as the van lurched and swerved around a corner i started to beat on the part of the bed that was hiding my sin.
A panel came loose and the hidden compartment was exposited, revealing a Folded up M83A2 SADAR and few bricks of c4. I left it as it was to this point, as their was little point using heavy arms on the beasts before now and would like just call trouble to us. But guess if i am going to get any use out this it would be now.
I brace myself the best i can, unfold the SADAR and ready my aim at the red devil with well practiced ease. Then just after the van rounded a corner and leveled out i pulled the trigger, letting the Anti- Armor rocket fly. The smart fucker tried to dodge but thanks to its poor footing after rounding the corner at high speed, the devil only tripped over itself leting the shot land true. I had aimed for the chest but it ened up landing square on its big smart head blowing it clean off.
āCOURTESY OF THE BLT!ā i screamed out at the slumped over body of the red devil, unable to even hear my own voice from the blowback deafening me. It was a small victoryā¦ we are down to only three now, but now the fuckers got three less moreā¦ and the most importantly we got out at all. Even if in the end none of us live to see daybreak, at least we will have gone out in the most spitefully as we can.