Dr. Creepen's Dungeon - S3 Ep106: Episode 106: I’m a Sub-Contractor for an Agency that Fights Monsters

Episode Date: December 15, 2022

Tonight’s terrifying special ops missions are ‘I am a sub-contractor for an agency that fights monsters’, wonderful tales By Aqibali 1993, kindly shared with me via DrCreepen’s Vault and narrated here for you all with the author’s express permission: https://www.reddit.com/user/Aqibali1993/

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Welcome to Dr. Creepin's Dungeon. Well, they do say that some people will do anything for money, and that is something we will certainly put to the test in tonight's amazing stories. Well, my dear friends, as always, before we begin, a word of caution. Tonight's stories may contain strong language as well as descriptions of violence and horrific imagery. If that sounds like your kind of thing, then let's begin. My alarm clock blared at 6 a.m. as it usually did. I normally went on a run before eating breakfast,

but as I went to snooze the alarm off, a notification popped up. Twelve missed calls from an unfamiliar number. Who could this be? I thought. Curious to know, I left my wife snoring away in the bed and made my way into the conservatory where no one could hear. I called the number back. The line rang for a few seconds until someone hastily picked up. Hello, a man spoke in a posh British accent.

Hey, I, um, received a few calls from this number last night. Oh, right, you must be Mr. McCarvey. Yeah, speaking. Can I please ask why you called me so many times during the night? I was given your number by a former colleague of yours, Colonel Hansen, We have a situation that requires your expertise. Oh, handsome, I sighed. The man was my commanding officer when I worked for the SDF,

a private military company that fought supernatural creatures. Yeah, I know him quite well, but the nature of our work was highly classified, and thus I don't think I'd be of any help to you. Well, he said you were our best shot at dealing with this situation. Hmm. You keep going on about this situation. Care to explain what exactly it is? A few hours ago, the bodies of five teenagers were found in the woods,

deep bite marks in their necks, sucked bone dry of blood. We called the SDF as his protocol to deal with a situation like this. We were notified that their units are currently spread out rather thinly and couldn't deal with the situation presently. And Colonel Hansen gave me your contact number, and said you have extensive experience dealing with the creature that was responsible for the attack. Oh, damn it. I retired from that field years ago. I'm not really looking to get back into it as I have a family and two children to look after.

You will be handsomely rewarded. Considerably more than what you were paid at the SDF. Besides, we will only contact you when your skills are needed. You'll be a subcontractor with the full freedom to work as you wish. if you do a good job on this mission there will be more work for you so what's the pay like I asked without trying to sound greedy

I really needed the cash to pay my mortgage as I was a few payments behind having been unemployed for the last six months times had been hard this opportunity could potentially help me get out of my debt crisis for this mission five grand

what you have to be kidding I'm not going to put my life on the line for five lousy grand. Look, make it ten and you have a deal. I negotiated without sounding too snarky. Please, Mr. McCarthy, you have to understand that we are not made of money. Listen, I cut him off. If you want a proper job done, then it's going to cost you money.

I need to pay for weapons, ammunition and put my own life on the line. The STF had procedures and backup in place in case the mission. went south. This was going to be me working on my own. If anything went wrong, it was my life on the line. You drive a hard bargain, the man said. All right, ten it is. I'll send you an email with the contact and non-disclosure agreement. Please read it, sign it and send it back before my men pick you up at 10 a.m. All right, but please make sure no one fucks around with the bodies. Makes my job harder than it already is with them CSI assholes trampling over everything. Understood.

I'll let you prepare for the mission. The man finished before hanging up the phone. I quickly went down into the basement and began unpacking my equipment that had been in storage for the last few years. A thick layer of dust covered the chest which contained my armour. It took an hour to get everything all cleaned up.

I changed into it and walked towards my gun cabinet. I tapped in the code before it unlocked with a click. I picked out my fully automatic FN SCAR H and attached it to my bulletproof vest before doing the same with my Colt M1911. I filled my ammo patches with the multiple magazines of silver titanium bullets for both weapons and made my way upstairs. My wife caught me in the uniform and stared at me with a mouth wide open. I knew what she was thinking.

I promised her that I wouldn't fight monsters anymore. People's lives were at stake, and I was the only one with the skills to deal with it. I received a call in the morning. They want me to work a contract. I said, knowing quite well, she knew what she was going to say next. I thought you were done with that life. She frowned as her blood began to boil, and her skin turned a rosy red. She fucking hated seeing me in the uniform.

The thought of me leaving never to return probably lingered in her mind. Yeah, I am. This is different. It's a contract. When it's done, I get paid 10 grand and come straight home. People's lives are in danger. Without me, more people will die. Come on, we need the money to pay the bills.

Otherwise, we'll be without a home, I pleaded. She sighed before nodding, giving me the okay. But I knew she wasn't happy deep inside. She quietly made me breakfast before we all ate. I logged into my emails and signed both the contract and the NDA. I spent the rest of my time with my wife and children until the clock struck 10am. The sound of a large diesel engine hummed outside. That was my cue to go, but before I did, I hugged and kissed them all goodbye.

Two men dressed in black suits greeted me at the door and motioned me into the large blacked-out SUV before setting off towards the scene. Once I arrived, a police officer greeted me at the cordoned off area. Mr McCarthy, I've been awaiting your arrival, he said before lifting the yellow strip and allowing me to pass. They weren't messing around when they said they were sending in a professional, he said, staring at my gun. I just nodded and walked towards a scene where I'd noticed the lifeless, deformed bodies of the teenagers. I sure could have used that fancy SDF equipment to examine the murder scene, but, well, I was on my own,

so I conducted it the good old-fashioned way. First body, young male in his tears, suck completely dry of blood, skin shriveled up like a raisin. Bite marks in the neck where the blood was extracted. Deep claw marks on the body pierced all the way through to the bone. No organs were extracted,

large footprints near the body. I checked the other bodies and made sure there was nothing else that was missed. All evidence led me to believe it was only their blood the creature was after. It could be anything. Vampire, ghoul, blood phages, Baoban, rocker akubi. The list goes on. The large footprints in the durn didn't give me much to work with,

as they've been trampled over a few times by the boots of the police officers. The attack was conducted in a fast and efficient manner, as there was no sign of struggle. Upon further inspection of the surrounding fauna and trees, I discovered a trail that led further into the forest. I approached the police officer to explain the situation. Hey mate, so, uh, find anything? He asked. Yeah, I've done my investigation on the bodies.

You can do the CSI thing. There's a trail that leads further into the forest. I'm going to go check it out. All right, I'll get my men to take care of the bodies. Oh, also, before. you go, I was asked to give you this PDA and this headset so you can keep in contact with the boss. The PDA came with a wrist mount and a wiring harness that led all the way to my ear. It should already have his frequency saved in the radio.

Once it was set up, I followed the path for what seemed like hours until I reached a small clearing in the forest where I heard a deep growl and hid behind a small bush to observe the clearing. The broad silhouette of the creature gnawed on a dismembered limb. chomping away through squishy flesh and crunchy bones. I caught my battle rifle and switched the safety off. The creature stopped in its tracks and looked around. Oh damn it, it must have heard that. I'm getting old and rusty.

It could cost me my life. It ran towards me before I could let a round off, and it leaped on top of me and began pounding on my chest. Each blow felt like a... cannonball smashing into me. The only thing that kept me alive was my armour. Kevlarre reinforced with hardened titanium plates. While the creature pummeled my ribcage, I reached from my sidearm and aimed it upwards and led off a few shots. Blood spewed from its chest, raining down upon me and a streamed down its face where a bullet had kissed its cheek. The creature leaped off me and violently

growled in a fit of rage as the silver reacted with its blood. The best way I can describe its effect is that it burned through its skin like highly concentrated acid. Taking my one and only opportunity, I raised my rifle and aim for its head before blowing its brains out all over the dirty grass. My ribcage felt as if it was about to collapse in on itself as crimson streams began to spill from where the armour was compromised. I checked my PDA and called the only radio frequency that were saved. McCarthy! the posh British man caught out. I coughed up a mouthful of blood.

It's dealt with, although it got me pretty bad. I'm bleeding out and I won't be able to make it. Hold on. I've got your GPS coordinates. I'm sending an air ambulance to your location now. He finished as I hit the ground like a rock. My vision began to blur before slowly, I nearly lost consciousness. I noticed that evening loomed and darkness began to blanket the forest.

and a growl emanated in the distance. Oh, fuck, there's more of them. My hand trembled as I reached for my med kit. After a few failed attempts, I finally got it out and placed it on my chest as I laid on my back. I pricked the syringe deep into my leg and let it loose into my system, numbing the pain enough so I could move.

I had about 20 minutes to hold out before it came into full effect. With every little ounce of strength, that remained within me, I managed to drag my almost lifeless body to the foot of a nearby tree and rest in my back upon its coarse skin. I spent the next five minutes fighting the pain away as the morphine did its thing. The sky had darkened to the point it became impossible to see further than ten meters ahead. The shadows of the trees only adding to my disadvantage. Without any sort of night vision gear, this situation had gone from being bad to worse. Just my

In bad luck, eh? But I was determined to get out of this alive. In the distance, I heard the humming of a helicopter as it flew into audible range. The rustling of trees and fauna caught my attention as multiple footsteps closed in. With my sight still blurred, I aim my rifle through the space between the trees where six dark silhouettes emerge through the fingertips of bushes. Their attention was fixated on the deceased body of their kin. before suddenly turning towards me with anger in their gleaming amber eyes.

Oh, I am fucked. All six of these creatures were larger and looked more intimidating than the one I killed earlier. I couldn't see much in the dark, so it's difficult for me to explain what they look like. Without hesitation, I flick the rifle into fully automatic and squeezed the trigger. Silver rained down upon their swift movements as they used. neared. Most of my shots missed their marks. But within a few seconds, only two would not make their end. I realised no more bullets were being fired from my rifle. My magazine had run dry. Oh shit. By the time it was reloaded, I would have most likely met my end, so I went for the pistol, only to realize I dropped

it in the struggle with the first one. Oh, fuck, I screamed. Seconds before they extracted their revenge. I closed my eyes and took a final breath of air and prepared to meet my end. The sound of two high-caliber shots ripped through the air. I squinted my eyes open to the sight of the creatures crashing into the dirt next to my boots with a giant gaping holes through their heads. I'd been saved just in the nick of time.

If they had arrived just a second later, I would have been in the morgue come morning. A sighed in relief as I discovered the helicopter, helped her hovering over my head, the barrel of a sniper rifle sticking out of the side. My radio crackled with a tone. I clicked the button on the PDA to accept the call. McCarthy, are you all right down there? The voice of the British guy asked.

Could be better. I sighed nearly out of breath to get your people down here before I bleed out. The medics patched me up before rushing me to the nearest military hospital, where they conducted some tests. The battle with the creatures had left me with heavy bruising, three broken ribs and a nice scar where one of the metal plates in my armour

had lodged itself in my belly. The doctors advised me to take it easy for a few months and discharge me. I called an Uber and made my way back home. Once I arrived, I noticed a black SUV waiting for me in the driveway. A man in a black suit asked me to get in. Once inside,

I noticed a man sitting in the other rear passenger seats. I'm glad you made it, Mr. McCarthy. It would have been a shame to lose you so early on. It was the same man I'd been in contact with over the phone. Yeah, me too. So I finally get to meet you in the flesh, I smirked. The doctors have told me to take it easy for a while, so don't expect me to be in action any time soon.

Ah, I know, he said, passing me a little. thick envelope. Ten grand as promised. But before I let you go, there's something I need to tell you. Yeah. What is it? I asked, curious to know more. We retrieved the bodies of the creatures and sent them back to the SDF for analysis. The research team conducted some tests on their bodies, and they didn't match anything that they had on their records. There was evidence that their DNA markers had been tempered with. Wait, so you're trying to say that they were created by someone? I was dumbfounded at the idea that some sick asshole actually went out of his way to make these

bloodthirsty creatures. Exactly. Someone genetically spliced the DNA of multiple creatures and modified it to be far superior than what you would normally encounter. Oh, for fuck's sake. That means there could be more attacks. God, that dick's still out there. I nodded my head in disapproval.

More people's lives will be at stake if this person kept creating more monsters. Yeah, get yourself back in shape, and I'll be in contact with you in the coming months. All right, thanks for the prompt payment. I waved in goodbye as the SUV made its way out of the estate. I made my way to the door and opened it with my key. my children jumped me just as I entered, causing a sharp pain in my ribs. Take it easy, kiddos. I'm not feeling too good, I said through gritted teeth, holding the pain back. I hugged and kissed my wife, passing her the large envelope of cash. She snatched it out of my hand

before I could react. It was the only way to keep her from flipping her shit. Well, at least we had enough money to pay off our debts. My wife made me a night. warm meal before I hit the bed to recover. A month had passed, and I began to freely move around without feeling the pain of my injuries. I decided to join the gym and get fit once again. I also started practicing at the shooting range, knowing full well my specialist skills will be needed in the future. I just couldn't believe the stupidity of some people. Why would they want to make their world a more dangerous place by creating dangerous monsters? God, such assholes.

A few months had passed. We were running out of cash, and times were becoming difficult again. I was about to hit the deck late in the evening, as I usually did, when my phone rang. As I went to answer, I recognised the number right off the bat. It was the posh British guy again. Hello? I answered, moving into the conservatory. It's me again. We have a situation.

Are you ready to be picked up? He stumbled through his words in a rush as if something big had gone down. Well, I couldn't contain my excitement. Can help me in? Now I know what you guys are going to say, but fighting these monsters gives me a buzz. The SUV is now parked outside, ready to pick me up. The SUV took me to a farmhouse after a two-hour journey.

Once there the men in the black suits told me to head on inside. As I approached the door, I noticed the other vehicle sat upon the grassy patch before the fields of corn began. I entered the building to be greeted by the British guy who'd been waiting for my arrival. Glad you got here in good time. The others are waiting. Others? I asked. Yeah, you're going to need back up where you're going. He sighed before taking me into a large room where too many. and a woman sat around a large wooden table.

Jessica Stone, the sniper who'd saved me from a horrific demise at the hands of the creatures in the forest, greeted me with a nod. I'd met her once before whilst working at the SDF. She was working with the Ranger unit on the top secret mission that I wasn't a part of. From what I knew of her, she was very skilled in her marksmanship. The other two were new to me. A younger-looking man who looked like he was a special forces operative. The other, a middle-aged African-American guy who was built like a tank. I sat in one of the vacant seats and waited for the British guy to begin his mission briefing.

Right, all of you are here. Some of you have met before, but for those who haven't, you'll have plenty of time to greet each other later. You're probably wondering why I've gathered you here on such short notice, so I'll get to the point. A few months ago, we discovered that someone was genetically engineering creatures. We don't know the reason why, nor do we know their motives. The SDF has conducted a thorough investigation and concluded that samples from various creatures had gone missing around the same time

that one of their research staff had left the agency. We finally have the coordinates of his lab. Your job is to secure it and gather any intel on where he could be. The transport helicopter will arrive to take you there in 50, any questions yeah I put my hand up my armor was heavily damaged last time

could also do with some better weapons the SDF has given us four of their Mark two ranger suits they've been custom built to your specifications along with some of their state-of-the-art weaponry if you'll all follow me to the other room he finished before leading us to the room next door As I entered the room behind the others, I noticed four suits resting upon armour stands.

We all got changed into the suits and instantly noticed they were lighter and more comfortable than all current variants of body armour. The helmets covered out full faces and had a large curved visor which displayed a heads-up display along with settings for night and thermal vision. I'd heard of these suits but never seen them in the flesh. All the SDF rangers wore suits like this now, as standard. Across the room was a large glass weapons case filled to the brim with rifles, attachments and

ammunition. I picked out a modified Mark 17 with a red dot scope, a better grip and a small grenade launcher. I noticed a familiar pistol, the M-1911, took it along too with my ammunition for my weapons. Jessica picked

the Barrett XM-109. I guess it was a better choice for a slender body than the 50 caliber due to less kickback. Brian Anthony, the big tank, poured out a Bernelli M3 Super 90, along with a few boxes of ammunition. Carl Walker, the Special Ops guy, chose to go with the MK16, similar to the Mark 17, except it used 556 rounds rather than 762. According to him, he preferred accuracy and a larger magazine over firepower. The four of us moved outside as an MV22 Osprey prepared to land in the large space in front of the farmhouse.

We all got aboard before setting off. Heard you served in the SDF. Carl inquired after pressing a button on his helmet to switch his comms on. Yeah, I left a few years back. I'm sorry, I don't know much about you guys except for Jessica, I replied. I was in the Navy Seals for five years before leaving last summer. That British guy called me and asked if I was up for a mission. I was itching for some action, so I decided to take him up on his offer.

Big guy over there is Brian. We're in the same unit back in the Navy. He's a decent guy, although he can be quiet sometimes. He'll be all right once he gets to know the two of you. By the way, who's the girl? Yeah, that's Jessica, expert sniper. Save my ass a few months ago while I was on a mission. awesome do you know how long till we get there no idea i hope we get there soon i need a piss i said jokingly

an hour had passed we finally arrived in an old concrete complex surrounded by nothing but endless woodland the helicopter hovered above a clearing big enough to land before dropping down to the ground we all jumped out weapons drawn surveyed our surroundings before we surveyed our surroundings before clearing the Osprey for take-off. Everybody switched their radios on before we advanced upon the entrance of the structure. A large bulkhead door prevented us from entering. Car removed the fascia plate on the intercom

and began to fiddle with the wires until a click behind the wall sounded. Brian opened the door, aiming his shotgun into the darkness that lay before us, leading us in. After the light from the entrance faded, we switched to night vision. A long hallway took us to a large chamber where multiple computers and screens were smashed up littering the floor.

The place was a complete mess, as if everyone had just left in a hurry. Whoever was here left in a hurry and destroyed their equipment, Carl said. Yeah, unless something went wrong with the experiments. Keep your eyes peeled and weapons of the ready, I said, turned to face another open door that led deeper. We entered and discovered five lifeless bodies of research stuff that had been torn limb from limb, covered in puddles of dried, crusty, decayed blood. The disgusting aroma that filled the air was a hundred times worse than the horrific sight before us. I observed the bodies closely, trying to figure out what we were dealing with.

That was when a loud screech emanated from one of the connecting rooms, followed by a plethora of growls, howls and unnatural sounds. Shit, we got company. Ready your weapons. Aim for the heads and keep your distance. I warned the others as the bloodthirsty creatures closed in on our position. I switched my weapon to the burst fire setting and waited for the enemy to appear. The silhouettes of deformed creatures emerge from the dark depths of the corridor.

Jessica fired a rifle. The first wave of creatures hit the cold concrete floor covered with chunks of brain. I need to reload, she stated after emptying her magazine and moving a few steps back. A dozen more trudged through the lifeless bodies of their friends towards us. I stepped forward along with Carl and let loose a shower of silver bullets. Brian, you stay back until we need to reload, then cover us with the shotgun. All right, Brian agreed, stepping to the side to wait for his turn. After about a minute or so, our magazines would run dry.

We moved a few steps back and reloaded whilst Brian pummeled them with silver buckshot. Once his seven shelves had been spent, Carl and I got back to work. In the distance, I noticed the outline of a skinny female. A long dark hair covered her torso and her shriveled up skin looked like the scales of a lizard. Her long, stretched out arms, along with razor-sharp talons at her fingertips, resembled spears. Fuck, keep your distance. That siren scream is powerful enough to pop your eardrums out of existence. We all took a few steps back.

Let me take a shot at her head, Jessica stated before aiming a rifle at the siren's head and squeezing the trigger. Before the bullet could hit her, the siren screamed. dreamed, launching a powerful shockwave in our direction. It knocked us all back off our feet onto the hard concrete floor. The silver bullet had ricocheted off the shockwave and hit the wall behind us. Now, I've killed a few sirens back when I was a ranger in the SDF, but I've never faced one this powerful. The immense power of that attack caused cracks to appear in the face of the reinforced wars

and small chunks to hit the ground from the ceiling. Whoever had created this creature knew exactly what they were doing. A deafening silence filled my ears before I slowly regain my composure and sat up, aiming my rifle at the siren as edged closer to us. My other teammates were still knocked out. Using the already weakened ceiling to my advantage, I loaded a 40-millimeter grenade into my launcher and aimed the shot at its weakest point. Once the siren was directly under, I squeezed the trigger.

The explosion sent large chunks of the ceiling, along with steel rods down upon the petite body of the abomination, squashing it like a pancake. What the fuck was that? Carl asked, getting up. That was unlike any siren I have encountered. It was so powerful it knocked us a few feet back. We're lucky we're wearing these helmets, otherwise we were going to be dead. I replied, keeping my aim on the rubble in case any other creatures appeared. damn that shockwave nearly sent all of us out of existence brian laughed wiping away the dust off his suit before reloading more shells into his shotgun

you're right jessica i asked but received no reply i went over to after motioning the other two to keep an eye on the rubble hey jessica you're all right i nearly shouted i can't hear you what are you saying she asked with a raised voice removing her helmet. Oh shit, I yelled. Your ears are bleeding. I said I can't hear you, she repeated. I motioned to her ears and she touched the blood

before staring at her crimson hand. Oh, for fuck's sake, she screamed, wiping the blood away with a small tissue. I clicked the screen on my wrist-mounted PDA and hailed the British guy's frequency. Hello? The British guy called out. Yeah, we just engaged a group of creatures.

Among them was an extremely powerful siren. Jessica got caught in the shockwave and needs medical assistance ASAP. All right, I'll send a medical extraction team to you within the hour. Have you gathered any intel on the enemy? He asked. Not as yet. We're currently observing the siren in case she makes a comeback. Never know exactly what these people have fucked around with.

We can't take any chances. Well, ready you're back once we've conducted a thorough investigation. All right, stay safe. I will call you once the medical evacuation team is in the air. He finished before the line went dead. The next half an hour was spent walking around the complex in search of any information we could find. We discovered a large lab

where the embryos of the creatures were being incubated along with the facility for splicing DNA. This is fucking disgusting, Carl snarled. Whoever is behind this obviously has to be able to. a lot of money to finance such an operation. I replied, as I noticed a small dot in the corner of the ceiling. Look over there. CCTV. Someone's watching us. Carl and Brian turned to take a look at the camera. There must still be power in this facility. If we find a fuse box, I might be able to get power back on to the lights and computers. Brian started looking around for wires and cables that could

lead us there. Okay, let's split up. Brian and Carl, you guys try to get the power back online. Me and Jessica will try and find some more intel on what's going on. The others agreed to my plan and we went to complete our objectives. What is going on? Jessica asked. Still deaf. I typed a message on the PDA and sent it to her. A motioned to her to check her PDA. She read it and agreed. It was about 20 minutes until the light switched back on.

About the same time, I'd found a room containing a room. multitude of servers. Carl, you there? I asked over the radio. Yeah, is the power back on? Positive. We found a server room. I'm assuming this is where they keep all their data. It's a lot larger than I thought it would be for a complex dis-signs. All right, we're heading back to you now. Carl finished. Took them about ten minutes to reach the room.

Carl booted the main computer of the servers up and began scouring the hard drives for information. He called the British guide from his PDA and began explaining what he'd seen. Looks like this facility is a lot bigger than we initially thought. We're on the first level. There are three more levels, getting bigger as you go down. There's more to this place than we initially thought, he said when suddenly lines of code began to appear on the screen. Oh, fuck, someone's hacking the server. I'm going to begin transferring data over to you before they delete it all. He plugged in a small USB to his PDA. and began the wireless transfer.

Only half of the data was transferred before everything was deleted. That's all I could transfer. Carl frowned at the screen. Well, I'll send this data to the SDF to investigate. The Evac should be there in the next five minutes. The British guy said, when the lights all turned off. What's going on? I asked. It looks like the building's going back to lockdown mode.

Damn it, we're not going to be able to get out, are we? I asked, looking at the screen where I saw the words, Lockdown, initiated. Carl typed endless lines of code into the computer. Look, if I can hack the system, I may able to fool it into lifting the lockdown. Well, his efforts were useless apart from the unlocking of a door, and it led deeper into the facility.

Fuck. He punched the computer screen in anger, causing a crack to a door. pit. Well, there might be a secondary way out in the lower levels, I suggested. Yeah, but we don't have a clue what's down there, he sighed. So, what do you want us to do? He asked over the radio. Look, just investigate the lower levels while I sought something out from my end. We double back to the door where we'd entered the building to check if it was open since Carl had hacked the intercom, but it was locked shut. The lockdown must close all doors via the electronic

controlled system they used. And so, with no other option, we made our way to the staircase, leading to the lower levels, where an electronically controlled bulkhead stood a few inches open. Keep your guns at the ready. We don't know what's in there. I warned the others. Carl stayed back with Jessica and explained the situation with a few gestures before we advanced further into the bowels of this mysterious complex. The lower level was considerably large, than the section that was above ground level. Rows of labs littered the corridors, vacant of any living souls. Tables and chairs had been thrown around, and most of the equipment had been smashed up beyond repair.

Well, this place looks worse than what we saw upstairs, Carl stated. Yeah, I think whatever they were experimenting on must have escaped causing a site-wide evacuation, I replied, glancing around. There's no corpses or any sign of struggle, except all this big mess, which means they either all escaped or something even more bizarre happened here, Brian said before. Something caught his attention. Hey, look over here, he pointed out. It's a doorway. We will turn to take a look, with Jessica understanding the situation moments later. A set of double doors led us to a section of the level where a multitude of high security labs rested. Large bomb-proof glass panels protected us from a variety of blunt there's

creatures behind them, each and their own locked cell. At the sight of us, they began hurling themselves towards the glass, bashing it with their malformed fists, leaving disgusting stains of slime and blood upon its surface. Some even bashed their heads in order to break through, but their efforts were all in vain, as the reinforced prison they were in did an exceptional job of holding them back. Oh, fuck, Carl stated. So these are the creatures they were. were creating. Yeah, I replied. Looks like a group of them had been in the chambers together and left to fight each other to the death. I pointed to the mess of corpses on the floor. Survival of the fittest. Brian added, these assholes were creating super monsters. Let's

look around and see if there's a kill switch. Surely they must have one as a security measure. Good idea, I replied. We looked around for some time, but There was no kill switch. It was as if these cells were just designed for one purpose, to create the strongest monsters in existence. He found a small locked office in the far end of the room, where a security card was needed to proceed further. The only way to get through there is with a security card, Carl said.

I can try hacking it, but it won't be any good with a lockdown in place. Might trigger a complete shutdown. Could result in all the creatures being let out. All right, I agreed. Let's split up and look around for a key card that can get us in. These scientists left in a hurry, so let's assume they left their things behind, as any normal person would when, in a life-or-death emergency scenario.

Keep your radios online. Carl, you go with Jessica since she's having hearing issues. If you find something, radio back. Everyone agreed to the plan when we set out to look for the key card. After a tedious hour of scavenging every last nook and cranny of the level, I finally received word from Carl that he and Jessica had found a keycard in the ladies' restroom. It had been left in a handbag, presumably belonging to one of the doctors who'd worked in this facility. We all met back up at the door and crossed our fingers it would work.

The lock clicked once the card touched the screen. Ah, abracadabra, baby, Carl grinned. We are in. Inside the small room there was a desk along with a heap of paperwork and a laptop. Carl disconnected it from the network and began searching the hard drive for any information relating to the experiments that were being conducted. What we found shocked all of us to our bones. We discovered blueprints for a biological weapon designed to mutate and override normal brain function, which would result in normal people being transformed into the history.

hideous creatures that were locked up in the laboratory cells. We also discovered that all the creatures in the cells were human at one point and were subjected to the bioweapon for testing purposes. I don't know about the others, but that just made me sick to my stomach. Fucking disgusting. They were normal people at one point. I snarled. It's just unbelievable.

Let me transfer this data back to base. I can't look at this shit no more. Carl frowned, connecting his PDA to the computer before transferring the files. Jessica walked a few steps back before turning around to throw up. Brian looked as though he was about to do the same. I don't blame them. The contents of my breakfast were also about to make a comeback. Once the files had successfully been transferred, an error message popped up on the screen.

Unauthorized file transfer detected Initiate protocol alpha Fuck, what's protocol alpha? Carl said seconds before we heard a multitude of locking mechanisms click open Oh shit, the lab doors have opened Weapons are the ready, don't take any chances Aim for the heads and conserve your ammo I shouted, aiming my rifle down the long hallway

where the monstrosities began to flood it with a furious hunger. They moved faster and more precisely than any creature I'd ever seen. Some even dodged our bullets with ease. Brian moved forward with his shotgun and unloaded a heap of shells, which did absolutely nothing to some of them. I loaded another grenade into my launcher and let loose at a group of creatures. Some fell upon the tile floor, but the others began to regenerate and continued on their pilgrimage for our blood.

Out of twenty, only four creatures remained by the time they reached the door. Now these bastards were a giant pain in our asses, kept dodging whatever we threw at them. I couldn't afford to use another grenade in such a short distance, as it could only lead to doing more damage to ourselves. The creatures leaped on top of us, using their arms and hands as batons to beat us down. We all ended up on the floor as the struggle became close quarters. It was four of us versus four genetically modified monsters. With all my strength, I managed to grab hold of the creature's neck

and keep it away from biting a chunk of my helmet off. On a number of occasions it had managed to dig its teeth through the reinforced visor and crack it, leaving streams of disgusting brown saliva. I had no choice but to hold it back with one hand and go for my pistol. When I'd finally managed to grab hold of it, I shoved the barrel of the gun down its throat and pressed the trigger before the lifeless body of the creature fell upon me. I jumped to my feet and shot the brains of the others, painting the walls in a layer of crimson. Fuck, I would have been dead if it wasn't for you, Carl said. Brian looked completely like he'd lost his shit and didn't say a word except for the weird, shivering and heavy breathing.

Jessica cried her eyes out after chucking her saliva-filled helmet away to the side. We need to find a way out of here, I sighed. If the scientists managed to get out then, then we sure as hell can as well. We quickly treated our injuries and reloaded our weapons. We were beginning to run low on ammunition. Only God knows what else this place has in store for us. I just wanted to get out of here. I'm 100% sure the others were of the like mind.

I helped Jessica and the others get cleaned up. We sorted out helmets out before I pressed a button on the PDA and called HQ. HQ, do you copy? Over? I called out. This is HQ, loud and clear. What's your situation? The British guy replied. These assholes were developing a bioweapon capable of mutating normal human beings into creatures, then locking them up with each other to find the strongest. I recommend immediate extraction to level this place to smithereens.

We cannot afford to let this buy a weapon get out in the open. I explained. Something this dangerous had the potential to single-handedly cause the mass extinction of mankind. The British guy went quiet for a moment before replying. Request for airstrike is pending. I'll get back to you as soon as I can once there's an update. Meanwhile, the SDF have been tiously working to... to decrypt the information you sent us.

They've discovered a secret train line that leads to a bunker a few miles away. I think that's your best bet out of there. We're running low on ammo. I don't think we'll have any left if we encounter more waves of creatures. I explained, checking the few magazines I had left. Getting to that tunnel is your best chance

at getting out of there. I'll get back to you once the airstrike has been approved. The British guy finished with a sincere tone. Damn it, there's two more levels of this bullshit before we get to the train line. Carl said, clearly looking frustrated at this whole situation. Yeah, my side. But it's our only chance of getting out of here before they level the place. Okay, we got no choice but to go deeper in this shit hole.

Let's get it over and done with, Brian added, before we all made our way out to the office. We spent another 20 minutes looking around. for a way to the lower level when we found a set of stairs leading down we discovered another control room where a multitude of computers and screens displaying CCTV images of the entire complex presented itself the power was still online here and it looked as though someone had left in a hurry moments before a still warm cup of coffee rested upon the desk along with a journal I picked up the journal and began to scan through it when Brian noticed something on the screens.

Someone was watching our every move, Brian pointed out. There were live feeds of the top two levels, where we'd just come from. Look, there! He nearly shouted, pointing at one of the feeds. There's someone there? There was a man in full lab uniform running to what looked like another set of stairs leading down. "'I bet that's the asshole who's been fucking around with us all this time,' Carl stated. "'We need to follow him.' "'I forced the journal into one of my pockets.

"'You're right. Maybe we can get some answers from him. "'Let's move out.' "'We rushed along the path that led to the man "'and made our way down to the final level below. "'The door had been left open. "'Once through, we found ourselves in a large lab "'covered on both sides with large concrete walls and a multitude of floodlights.

Iron bog-head door surrounded us on all four sides in the face of the structure. The figure of a man in the far end caught our attention. We rushed all the way down there with our weapons drawn. Hey! Carl shouted, pointing his rifle at the man's head. Turn around now. By that point we all had our weapons pointed at the man. Once he turned, we noticed an empty syringe injected into his arm.

A malicious laugh escaped his mouth. It's too late. I've already injected myself. With what? I asked. Hoping that it wasn't the bioweapon. This is a combination of years of advanced research, and now it's in me. I've created the ultimate bioweapon the world has ever seen.

He laughed once more. Cut the bullshit. What the fuck happened here? I shouted, cutting him off. You kill my children, and now you have the nerve to ask me what happened. In a few months, you'll be dead anyway, and the world will truly know what it's like to live in fear. So, I might as well tell you before you die. I spent years working as a geneticist for the SDF.

After years of working my ass off, I was dismissed for experimenting on gene splicing. Well, it was then I decided I would carry on my work here. care for people who appreciated me. I perfected my formula and created these magnificent, loyal creatures that follow my every order. You sick bastard, what have you done? I asked.

The only reply I received was another malicious reply. That was when dark veins began to appear on his face and his skin began to morph. His body began to increase in size until he was at least eight feet tall. rough scales began to form around his entire body and a devilish red aura radiated from his eyes

ah fuck this carl said as he unloaded half a magazine into the creature's face it was no use as the bullets just bounced off the rock hard skin that had still morphed damn it we everyone get back to a safe distance i have no idea what this bastard is capable of I warned the others when the situation suddenly went from being bad to being much worse. The door surrounding us all clicked open and hordes of humanoid creatures began pouring in like a river of ferocity. Damn it, we're surrounded, Brian stated, as we all huddled up back to back before letting our trigger fingers loose. The radio crackled with a British guy's voice. You have 20 minutes until the...

the U.S. Air Force drop a heap of bombs on the building. Get your asses out of there, he said. We are currently engaged with an army of these fuckers. We found the scientists behind this whole mess. He injected himself with a more advanced version of the bioweapon and transformed into a big ugly fucker. Our bullets have no effect on him. I finished as the hordes of creatures kept pouring out.

You have 20 minutes to get out of there. The British guy shouted. before the line went dead. We held the creatures back for what seemed like ages. Our rifles had run out of ammo, which resulted in us using our sidearms. We need to make our way to the tunnel, I shouted. If we carry on fighting them like this, we'll only end up dead. The others agreed, and we began fighting our way to the mouth of the tunnel.

The giant creature followed us, but due to its larger size, it was considerably slower than the smaller ones. I shot my grenade launcher into the hordes of enemies that were bunched up before I only had one final one left. Carl and Brian had used all their grenades. I kept the last one in case we needed to use it on the large fucker. Then we made our way to the door that led us onto the train track and locked it shut moments before the horde began bashing it down.

The tram that was here once was no longer there. We made our way along when suddenly a large explosion. explosion shook the ground like an earthquake. The fucker had destroyed a section of the wall and made its way along the tracks towards us with its little minions following along. I had no choice. I loaded my final grenade into the launcher and shot the ceiling

over the tracks above the creature before a hail of concrete, dirt and gravel lodged itself in the tunnel blocking all access. We ran along the tracks with only moments to spare before the airstrike was due. Completely out of breath, I nearly fell to the ground once we were in the bunker at the other end. Brian kicked the door down before we ran outside into the wilderness of the forest. A loud, thunderous sound emanated above our heads,

followed by the small outlines of a squadron of B-2 stealth bombers. We ran further into the forest in order to avoid any bombs that could have deviated from their flight path before the entire complex was engulfed in a massive ball of fire, followed by the rumbling of the earth beneath us. We had barely made it out alive. Fuck, that was a close one, Carl shouted, hiding behind the large trunk of a thick tree, as were all of us. Fucking hell, I can't believe we made it out with that one alive.

I laughed, and that was when we noticed heavy footsteps in the distance. We all turned to face the large creature, making it. its way towards us. Shit, Brian shouted. I'm all out, he frowned. We were all in the same situation, with only a handful of pistol rounds to our name. It wouldn't be enough to take down this, son of a bitch.

I called H.Q as we turned to run. H.Q. He there? What's your status, McCarthy? The B-52s decimated the place, but that big one's still alive. we're out of ammo and we need assistance right away i said before we began running deeper into the woods we spent what seemed like ages running through the dense woodland until help arrived to h64

a Apache attack helicopters hovered above us they couldn't successfully target the giant beast through the spines of the dense trees and kept their distance to avoid any projectiles that it might launch towards them a similar tactic that the SDF would employ when fighting creatures of this magnitude. The radio crackled. McGarvey, this is flat Lieutenant Tyrus. Do you copy? The frustrated voice of a man erupted. Loud and clear, I replied, nearly out of breath.

The running had taken its toll on our bodies. We were slowing down almost to a point where the creature had caught up with us. The ground trembled with more force as it approached. I can't get a clear aim with all the trees in the way. You need to lure it into an open spot if we get clearance to fire the missiles, he said. Affirmative.

We'll try our best, but all this running has taken its toll. I see a clearing about a half mile away in the direction of your running. If you can get to that, then I'll be able to get a clear shot. All right, I agreed. Before explaining the situation to the others, it looked as though they were about to drop to the ground at any minute. I looked back and saw the outline of the creature squeezing through the trees. It's getting closer. We need to get to that clearing. I slowed down to let the others get in front

of me so I could keep an eye on them in case one of them succumbed to their exhaustion. With the creature, just a dozen meters away, we finally made it to the clearing where a river cut through the forest. We trudged through the torrent of water, which reached up to our waists. When the creature leaped out from behind the trees and closed in. The creature's height advantage meant it would easily traverse the river faster than us. We were too slow and would be butchered. And then shots echoed from the Apaches, before a hail of armor piercing rounds cut through the giant body of the creature like hot knives going through butter.

The Apaches hovered above the river on both sides, before a storm of hellfire missiles struck their mark. Chunks of flesh and bones showered the area, some falling into the river, with a dark green liquid oozing out from the carcass of the beast, dissipating into the body of the clear water. Oh, for fuck's sake, Carl stated, that shit's going into the river. I tapped the radio and called the British guy. H.Q. Come in. I'm here. What's up? He asked. We have a problem. The remaining. The remaining. The of that creature are contaminating the river. You can need to sort this shit out before it becomes a bigger problem. All right, I'll let the authorities know. Your evac is en route. He finished before the line went dead.

Before we set off back to base, we were treated for minor injuries and were given a chance to rehydrate and dispel our hunger. The military rations sucked, but the pain in our stomachs caused us to silently eat what we were given without complaint. Jessica was flown to the nearest military hospital, where she'd be treated for her ears before they flew the rest of us back to the farmhouse. We happily removed our armour and were given the opportunity to shower up. The British guy brought us some home-cooked food to eat before all of us, minus Jessica, sat around the table once more. The authorities are currently dealing with the contaminated river. It could potentially lead to the local wildlife mutating into creatures.

Jessica is being treated. The doctors are saying she should make a full recovery within a month. The SDF sent a team to gather samples from the creature's dead body. While scouring through the data that you sent us, they discovered an unknown agency was behind the illegal tests that were being conducted on humans. And we have reason to believe that the formula is still in the hands of these inhumane bastards. We don't know who they are,

but we do know they have a ton of funding behind them. the US government has tasked me with setting up a private military company to get to the bottom of it's I completely understand if you guys don't want to sign on but the fate of the entire country depends on us can I count on you guys again in the future we all nodded and agreed that's great there will be plenty of opportunities to make more money the man passed each of us a thick envelope of cash as promised there is your pay fifty thousand each

we all looked at each other and smiled opening the envelopes there's nothing like a good payday especially after the hell that we'd all been through my men are ready to take you all home I'll be in contact with all of you once we're set up and ready to go he finished before dismissing us but before I could exit the room

he called me back "'Ah, McCarthy, can I have a private word with you before you go?' "'Yeah, sure. What's up?' I asked. "'This unit I've been tasked with creating will be working closely with the SDF. "'You have the most experience working with them. "'I want you to take command of the unit.' "'Is that something you'd be interested in?' "'Well, leading the unit will be more work.

"'If the money's right, then, I don't see a problem,' I replied. I'll make sure you're looked after. Take care of yourself, he finished before letting me go. They bid the others farewell outside after we exchanged phone numbers to keep in contact with each other. I entered the black SUV before setting off for home. Well, that's all I have for now. I'll be in contact with you all very soon once I receive word back from the British guy. I still don't know his name, but I think it's better if it stays that way.

I managed to get hold of Jessica to make sure she's alright. She's made a full recovery and ended up with a decent paycheck. Now, you take care of yourselves out there. Until next time. I'm a subcontractor for an agency that fights monsters. The Second Mission By Akib Ali, 1993. Part 1

I was at home enjoying some nice time off with the wife and kids. We were watching a chilling horror movie, munching on some popcorn, when out of nowhere my phone rang, interrupting movie time. I passed the bowl to my wife and gave her a wink after seeing the name that popped up. Mysterious British guy. I showed her the screen, she frowned, gave me the death stare before peering deep into my puppy dog eyes. Finally, after a moment, she gave me the approval with an arm. Thank God, I thought.

Hopefully he's got some more work for me. I had nearly burnt through the entire 50 grand I was paid for the previous mission. I was excited to finally get a chance to kill more monsters and creatures. I'm telling you guys and girls, it's a buzz like no other. So without further delay, I made my wage at the conservatory, closing the door behind me, swipe my finger across the screen. Hello? I answered. After a while of silence he spoke.

Mr. McCartier, how are you doing? he asked in that posh accent of his ah not bad you know how it is when you're sitting at home and playing video games with the children all the time I replied the past few months relaxing at home had gotten kind of boring

well money's getting a bit tight got any more work for me I asked releasing a bit of popcorn that was stuck between my teeth with my tongue you know me I only call when it's something important you'll be happy to know we have another mission that requires your expertise

he answered in a somber tone. So, um, what's the situation? I grinned, I couldn't wait to get my hands dirty again and make some serious money. I'd be high up a nice holiday for the family later in the year, but without more money, it would be impossible. Right, I'll just get on with it. The early hours of the morning, I received a call from an old friend of yours, Colonel Hanson. He explained a situation that is developed in the Middle East.

A group of archaeologists discovered an ancient burial method. near an old cave system deep in the Arabian desert. They went in to explore and have been absent for over a week. The government of Oman has requested assistance from the SDF, who can't spare any people at the moment unless something serious is discovered, he explained. Although the Middle East is primarily comprised of what seems like an endless desert, as much we don't know about what's underneath all that sound.

It could be as simple as the archaeologists got lost in the caverns and can't find their way back to the entrance. Or maybe they touched something they weren't supposed to and awakened something far worse, something that was left there to be kept away from the rest of the world. Yeah, it's understandable they have bigger fish to fry. You realize this could be bigger than just four people going missing, though, I explained. Yes, but we won't know until the area has been investigated, he replied.

And he was right. There was no way of knowing without boots on the ground. All right, I agree. before asking, what exactly is the pagan be like? Again, I won't know the exact figure until the job is done. Depends on how serious the situation is

and how much effort is put in. My bet is the Yomani government don't want this to get out. Four dead archaeologists on their turf is going to be an international scandal to say the least. So discretion is advised, and please don't speak to anyone else about this,

unless it's to someone who has prior knowledge of the mission. He paused for a moment. Are you in? What? Give me a few hours to get my shit together before you send your fancy dad's Uber. I chuckled. You've got two hours.

The fancy lad's Uber won't wait around. Anyway, I need to sort a few things out, so I'll talk to you once you get here. He finished, and then the line went dead. Yes, I cheered under my breath. Finally, I landed myself another job. I wasted no time and got ready before the blacked-out SUV reversed onto my driveway. I kissed and hugged my wife and kids goodbye before entering the car. Nearly two hours later, we arrived at that same old farmhouse as before, right in the middle of nowhere.

I thanked the driver who wished me good luck on the mission before I grabbed my things and made my way to the entrance of the house. Jessica, Brian and Carl sat around the table along with the British guy. They all stood up to greet me Luckily Jessica had made a full recovery from the injury She'd suffered during the last insane mission Brian and Carl both greeted me with firm handshakes And expressed their enthusiasm for working with me again But the honour was completely mine

Even though we were a rag-tag band This little team of ours was capable of doing some great things Now that you've all had your little romance I think it's time to get down to business British guy interrupted, motioning us to all sit down. You've got one hour to get into your battlesuits and prepare your weapons. We're under a lot of pressure right now to get this done in a timely fashion. McCarthy, we'll once again run point on the mission.

Remember, I'll be here as your guide and make sure to keep me informed. I'm hoping this is a simple extraction, but all do you know that things can go sideways at any moment. We're on a bit of a tight schedule, so you better to be. get going, he finished, before leaving the table for his desk. We all made our way to the armoury and caught up while strapping into our new and improved battlesuits that had been updated with better technologies since we'd last used them, reducing the weight. It felt a lot easier to move around, and the helmet's covered the entire head, unlike the previous versions. The suit snugly connected to our wrist-mounted PDAs,

which had also been installed with new software to control the advanced features of the suit. We didn't exactly have the time to mess around with a suit, so I guess it was going to be on the job training. I picked up my scar battle rifle, my M1-9-11 pistol, along with as much ammunition and supplies as my rucksack could handle. The familiar sound of an MV-22 Osprey began to hum in the distance. We got on board once it landed and made our way to our destination. Fast forward 18 hours later, and a very sore bottom, we'd arrived. Yarsbury hovered a foot above the sandy terrain to allow us to jump off with our belongings before leaving us ankle deep in the unstable sand.

Can everyone hear me? I asked, testing to see if the comms works. Loud and clear, Jessica replied with a nod whilst Carl and Brian both gave me the thumbs up. All right, look over there. I pointed out a group of tents where the excavation team must have made camp. The teams don't usually camp so far away from the dig. in my experience. My bet is that there's someone there that can guide us to the right location. The camp was rather empty except for a few men who'd stay behind in case the explorers made it out. The leader spoke some English and agreed to take us to the dig site for a small price.

We explained to the man that we didn't carry any money, but he settled for a silver bullet, which held some monetary value at least, rather than a tool used to kill creatures. so without further delay we were taken to the entrance of the cave and instructions of where the mound was discovered old tools and excavation equipment littered the area along with all sorts of supplies as we moved into the cavern the darkness began to consume us i switched the suit on the LED light strips eliminated the area around us and a small heads-up display appeared in the visor a small map appeared in the bottom right corner the further we moved the more it filled in on the left information on my vitals it was like something out of a futuristic science fiction movie the cave led us to a small crack at the front of the cavern wall we've been told the archaeologists had gone through where a prehistoric burial mound had been discovered however the second time they'd entered no one returned we all took in a few deep

breaths and readied our weapons before taking our first steps through the mouth of this unknown structure. Footprints in the sand led us about half a mile into the dark depths of these ancient caves where the remains of a sandstone temple presented itself. A doorway atop a stairway surrounded by two gigantic pillars on either side that held the giant stone ceiling above. What the hell is that? Brian asked, crouching down with his weapon pointed at the entrance. Looks like a temple of some sorts. Normally burial mouths are not as fancy as this, I replied, admiring the architecture. This was one of the strangest things I'd ever seen, but then again the Middle East was not my go-to.

What's a temple doing this far deep in a cave system? Carl asked while looking around. Well, the only way to find out is to go through there, I said, pointing at the entrance. Once we were inside, we searched the main chamber, and Bright discovered a trail of dry blood. Guys, go on look at this. He caught us over and we followed it to the remains of a shriveled up body. What the fuck happened there? Carl asked, taking a closer look at the remains.

I examined the body. Deep claw marks ran across the torso and gashes across what was left of the arms and legs. A giant bite mark ran across the entirety of the neck and shoulders, which was rather peculiar. The telltale signs point to a vampire, but this is unlike any I've seen before. First of all, the bite marks are larger than an average human's head. Second, they don't normally play with their food. This body has been mutilated for fun.

What do you suggest we do? Jessica asked, moving away from the body, and all of a sudden a loud screech emanated from deeper within the belly of the temple. We all turned to face the sound, and there it stood. at well over eight feet tall, large claws on either side. It moved closer into the light, when I noticed its black tar-like skin, along with a giant mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth

that almost resembled the mouth of a shark, except this was much more sinister. You let loose a hail of bullets which bounced off its skin like rubber. Even headshots were completely useless. I thought you were the expert. How come Silver's not worth? working, Carl asked, taking a few steps back. Listen, guys, we need to get the fuck out of here.

This is something really fucked up. What we have might not work, I shouted, before we covered each other and took some steps back. The adrenaline was flowing through my body like it was about to pop out of my veins, and the hairs upon my neck began to tingle. I had never faced such a creature ever before. The creature inched closer to us when an idea popped. popped into my head. Switched incendiary rounds and aimed for the mouth. I shouted, switching my magazine over. I turned around to face the creature, it was a mere foot away from me, and gave it

a mouth full of fire. It stopped in its tracks and shrieked in pain for a moment, before letting out an angry growl. I think that just pissed it off even more, Jessica shouted, blasting a fifty-caliber sniper round, which dug deep into its tar-like skin. Move out of my way, Brian shouted, barraging the monster in a storm of dragonfire rounds from his AA-12 shotgun, which resulted in the creature setting on fire, running back into the depths of the tomb. We all dropped to the ground and caught our breath. Luckily none of us had suffered any major injuries. We sent out a transmission back to the British guide detailing the events that had taken place.

We still had the mission to complete, which meant running back into that creature again. We switched our suits into stealth mode. All the LEDs were turned off and activated a night vision in the visors. The quality was not that great, but still enough for us to see before we delve deeper into the heart of the structure. We paced down the chasm, weapons drawn and ready to fire if a threat presented itself. The small map displayed in our visors scanned and recorded the layout of the cave to exceptional accuracy to my surprise. technology has gone a long way since I began my journey hunting monsters with the SDF. We made our way back to the body that we'd found earlier,

to double-check for anything we could have missed before when we were ambushed by that thing. Look over here! Gar pointed towards a set of prints that led further into the bowels of this ancient temple. These lead further down. I say we follow them, see where they take us. Hopefully we can find the others and get the hell out of here. Well, let's hope you're right, I replied, taking a look at my wrist-mounted PDA before dropping a marker upon the face of the map and naming it Dead Body 1. The other stared at me with a look as if I'd done something wrong.

I know that may sound harsh, but we didn't exactly find a name connecting us to the body. I shrugged before I led the way, following the footprints. McCarthy? What the fuck was that thing? not supposed to be like the proper professional master hunter out of all of us. Brian asked, covering our backs as we followed the path. Look, I know just as much as the rest of you. This desert is uninhabited for the most part and has been left untouched since our history began.

At first my wild guess was that we were going to be facing a vampire, but I was proven wrong when that thing first appeared. I'm sure it sucks your blood until you're bone dry, but also nibbles on your flesh. Vampires don't do all you can eat human buffet. Especially flesh that belongs to a dead person. It's poisonous to them. My next guess was a ghoul.

But they have a small stature. Did you see the size of that thing? Big as a fucking tank. Now, I'm not the expert in the Middle Eastern monster hunting scene, but I do know someone who is. Now that we've confirmed, this is some kind of monster that's killed some or all of these coffin pokers,

The SDF will now send that expert Ranger, tailed for this specific job. Till then, let's do some poking around our own, find out as much as we can before they get here. I stopped talking, when all of a sudden another path forked off to the side. I looked below and saw the dusty ground had recently been agitated. Hey, over here, let's see where this one leads. Part two. A smaller, more protected chamber revealed itself to us

where a makeshift campfire had been pieced together from what looked like broken pieces of sandstone and fed with scraps of paper. What stood out the most was the various pieces of abandoned equipment that littered the room. What was the point of bringing all this equipment if you're just going to leave it lying around? Carl stated, going through some of the stuff.

I don't blame them, especially with that thing running around. "'You're not exactly going to carry all this shit when your life is on the line?' Jessica stated, taking a seat near what looked like a rucksack. "'Hey, look what I found.' "'What is it?' I asked. "'Moving closer to her to get a better view.' "'It looks like a diary of some sorts,' she replied, opening the cover to investigate.

"'Well, I might as well read it, seen as it's in my hands now. "'Diary entry one. "'I'm writing this diary to record our findings at the excavation site situated deep in the Arabian Desert. The government of Oman had initially hired me to search the deserted dunes of the Arabian desert for underwater reservoirs

to help the local agricultural industry. After two weeks of charging through soft sand with my team, we stumbled upon the entrance of the initial cave. We called the government and requested their support to excavate the site. Within a few days, multiple teams of diggers had arrived with their shovels

and begun to unearth the entrance of this cave. It wasn't long until it was safe enough for us to explore. Please note the names of everyone involved have been redacted at the request of the government of Oman. Diary Entry 2. One of the men working on the team discovered a fissure in the wall of the cave leading to a bigger structure. The other members of the dig team began to argue over the nature of the structure. They concluded that this structure was home to some sort of creatures who go by the name of Jin. Well, that's all just superstitious nonsense that these people have come up with over the years

to dissuade people from exploring these lands in search of resources. I managed to contact a team of British archaeologists stationed at the University of Cairo in Egypt, who were willing to take the lead exploring the hidden caves under the non-disclosure agreements set out by the government of all man. They agreed to fly over as soon as possible. Diary Entry 3 The archaeology team have arrived with all their efforts. fancy equipment and taking the lead on how to approach the expedition.

Most of the dig team have left us, too convoluted in their superstitious tales of the supposed demons that live in these lonely caves. At least these archaeologists are of sound mind and can't wait to be the first people to explore the cold bosom of these prehistoric ruins. After a while, we discovered a structure of some sorts. Upon closer inspection of the architecture, it was noted by one of the older members of the team that the construction dated further back in time than the ancient pyramids of Giza. I know what secrets this place holds for us to all unravel.

After a short safety inspection by the team, we were clear to end to the belly of this beast. Diary Entry 4. Archaeologists are confused. The doorway led us through a main chamber, then down an endless path of caves leading to absolutely nowhere by the looks of it. Why was it built here? Why do these people dig a massive tunnel that seems to go on forever? These questions still have to be answered. Surely there's more to this place than what meets the eye.

Diary Entry 5. Ah, jackpot. We just hit an absolute gold mine of history with what we just discovered. This is going to shake the entire archaeological world. Once we arrived at the end of the tunnel, we noticed the cave had somewhat collapsed upon itself. After a few hours of carefully clearing the debris, it opened up to a massive chamber, large enough to fit an entire town within. The remains of what looked like bipedal humanoid creatures littered the area, almost perfectly preserved in the closed time capsule of the ruins. Could this be another human ancestor?

Or are these humanoids from a completely different genome? Diary Entry 6. Oh, damn it. I believe we've discovered something far more. sinister here one of the archaeologists got a bit too close to an object that resembled an egg of some sorts he cracked it open only to discover a perfectly preserved insect the size of a dog before anyone could take a closer look at the creature it leaped forward at the man inspecting it and stabbed him with its spear-like

tail right in the belly button the man shrieked and screamed in pain as the creature deposited some kind of object from itself through its tail like a tube and into the man the other members managed to yank it off and kill it with a stone without a proper medical professional here i believe he may die soon we should have just left this place when we noticed the bodies and called for a bigger team to survey the fines demotivated we're now heading back the way we came diary entry seven i can't believe what i've just witnessed the archaeologist who'd been a attacked by that creature died a few hours ago. His wounds seemed to be stable with no further blood loss

after one of the others managed to create a makeshive fire from bits of stone and whatever fuel we could find in our backpacks. He heated a small bowie knife and closed the wound. He made no sense, but we covered his body to calm our nerves. A while later we returned, only to discover the body had disappeared, leaving only a trail of liquid as black and thick as tar. What's more strange are these gals? vastly noises reverberating around the cold walls of this hellish tomb.

What an earth is going on here? Diary Entry 8. We're all going to die here. It's coming for us. If anyone finds this plit... And that's where it ends. Jessica stated, passing me the diary to inspect. Well, looks like we stumbled on some kind of Prometheus-level shit here.

Ryan replied as he read it his weapon. I took images of the entries and sent them to HQ, along with a message to send for more help. I just hope it got where it needed, and backup was coming. Right. We're going to rest up here for a moment, then head down that long-ass tunnel, see what the hell's going on down there. Hopefully by then some reinforcements arrive. I don't like the sound of them diary entries one bit. The others nodded in agreement, and we sat down and rested our tired bar.

bodies. Brian took the first watch as the rest of us got some much-needed shutter. A few hours had passed, and we'd rested up rather nicely. I'd switch places with Brian halfway, to give him some rest, it as it would have been unfair to let him take the full burden of watching us whilst the rest of us got some shut-eye. Before making our way deeper down the long and narrow bowels of this demented cave, we loaded our magazines to the brim with as much incendiary ammunition as we'd brought along. Fire was the only thing that seemed to affect that god-forsaken creature. The walk down the main chasm took what seemed like hours,

even more so after reading them diary entries. With every step we inch closer to what could potentially lead to our deaths, Brian and Carl stayed silent as they covered our backs whilst Jessica and I walked side by side through the dusty darkness. We reminisced on the previous. missions we'd worked on in our younger days, whilst I was a ranger in the SDF. Some of the things we did back in the day were so bizarre you could say it was completely made up.

Well, soon enough, the weighing chamber presented itself to us, and we all read it ourselves to confront the unknown. The ghastly sight of decomposing corpses greeted us along with the foul stench that upset our bellies to the core. I guess these are the bodies those stupid archaeologists found. Jessica stated, kneeling down to inspect the closest one before quickly moving back. As if me or does it smell really bad in here? I nodded in agreement.

Yeah, not exactly the nicest of smells, I answered before turning to the others. Carl, I need you to guard the exit route. Make sure nothing gets past that point. Brian, your job is to rig this place up for the 4th of July in case shit hits the fan like he did last time. We can't risk anything other than ourselves getting out of here alive. Me and Jessica will poke around and see if we can do some detective work and figure out what exactly occurred here. I tapped a button on my wrist-mounted PDA to begin a video log from the camera mounted on my hand, as Brian and Carl got to work on their tasks.

I turned to face Jessica. You ready? Hell yeah, I can't wait, she replied sarcastically before Eddie. Oh, you lead the way and I'll follow. follow. I decided to first take a closer look at these humanoid beings that had been butchered. Their limbs had been gnawed at and chewed into mincemeat similar to the body we'd found earlier. Their blood also appeared to be sucked dry. From the ones that were not as damaged, I deduced that their heads were slightly larger and more elongated compared to humans, and their limbs

would have been longer and more slender. They probably stood a few heads taller, and from what remained of their clothing, it appeared to be made out of a synthetic material of some sort. Jessica pointed out something unusual that appeared to be present in all the bodies. Large puncture wounds in the groin, large enough for a fox to burrow in. The marks on the ground near the wound suggested it was caused by something coming out and not an entry wound. Brian was right. This does look like something out of an alien movie.

Except these creatures don't burst out of your chest, but rather your belly. Jessica scoffed. The disgusting thought of these monsters planting an embryo in our bodies before killing us in a bloody explosion for their own birth sent trembling shivers down both our spines. We both took a step back

to take a breather and calm our nerves. I sure hope these battle suits are sturdy enough to stop them from planting that shit inside of us in case we get jumped. I was cut off by the crackle of the radio communicator. McCarthy?

Did you copy? Brian called out. This is McCarty. I hear you loud and clear. What's going on? I replied. Explosers have been planted and ready to detonate on your command. I've regroup with Carl and we're awaiting further orders. How's your investigation going?

Brian asked. Could be better, I guess. I'll fill you in on the details later. Guard that entrance no matter what. We cannot afford to let even one of those things escape. Did you copy? "'I understood, over and out.' "'Ryan finished, before the line went dead

"'and the channel with Jessica returned, "'who stood observing something in the distance.' "'Hey, what is it?' I asked. "'I'd seen that look many times in the past. "'Whenever she noticed something, "'she always had that look about her. "'Over there!' "'She pointed towards a small gap in the wall of the cavern.

"'What is it?' I asked, "'taking a few steps forward. "'Everything looked normal to me. me except for a slight blur in my night vision overlay. It looks a bit blurred to me, that's it. Switch off your night vision, you clown. You'll see what I mean, she explained. I switched off, and that's when I noticed a faint blue glow escaping through the gap.

It would have been impossible to spot whilst in night vision mode. Luckily for me, Jessica had always had a knack for noticing these kinds of things. What do you think it could be? She asked, following my back as I moved closer to the unusual light with my weapon drawn. There's only one way to find out, I replied, inching closer to the gap like a ninja trying not to attract any unwanted attention. Once I was near enough, I motioned to Jessica that I was going to jump through the gap. I gave her a three-finger countdown before rushing the opening with my weapon drawn, ready to pull the trigger at the slightest sight of danger. but what we discovered instead was the surface of what looked like a large metallic structure

where a clawed out hole allowed us to peer inside. A long damaged corridor presented itself on the other side. Otherworldly objects littered the floor, bits of metal hung from the ceiling along with dots of faint blue lights. The construction matched nothing I'd ever seen before. These humanoid creatures we'd found were far more technologically advanced than I'd initially thought they were. Why was it we'd never encountered them before?

What other secrets were hidden away in this long-forgotten metal caskets? This is very different to what I was expected to see here, I stated, glancing towards Jessica. If this cave hasn't been touched in thousands of years before these coffin-pokers came along, how exactly has this structure stood the test of time? Jessica asked, knocking on the metallic wall. I suspect this medal is made out of a very durable alloy.

We should take a sample to take back with us. Even though it's been sealed for that long, I've not heard of a medal that can survive that amount of time unless it's made from pure gold, I explained. This isn't something you see every day even in this job, Jessica stated in awe, before picking out the cleanest chunk she could find and slipping it into a backpack.

Should we cough a backup before we go any further? she added once ready to proceed i think it's better if it's only the two of us it'll be more quiet in case there's more than things lurking around in here i stated before looking down at the floor further ahead where i noticed a trail of viscous slimy blood mixed with specks of that black tar-like substance leading further down the shaft yeah take a look at that let's follow that trail and see where it leads hopefully to some answers Jessica nodded in agreement before we followed the sinister trail through a few junctions of interconnecting corridors. I made sure the battle suit was recording our path as we transversed and amazed. We passed a few bulkhead doors on the way. We tried to open some of them, but all of them had been sealed shut from the looks of them. The more we moved forward, the more the quantity of the slime increased exponentially.

We got to a point where the entire surface of the structure was saturated from head to toe. Luckily, Assoot prevented the slimy gel from getting in, even though we were kicking ankle deep in the stones. Overhead the corridor stopped where a larger boghead was stuck or broken halfway. There was enough space for the two of us to squeeze through them. Once on the other side, we quickly discovered the room was filled to the brim with large eggs, each one the size of a cat. Oh, this is not good, Jessica said in a somber tone, shining her flashlight across the room. to assess the quantity of how fucked we were. Don't make any sudden moves.

We don't want to trigger the end of the goddamn world, I ordered, making a complete halt. This is a lot worse than I imagined. We cannot risk even one of these things getting out, let alone an army. We should warn the others, I stated, but just as I was about to tap the screen to open a channel, a loud snarl erupted from behind us. The sound of claws scratching through metal shortly followed. I turned around with my weapon drawn before one of them let loose a deafening screech. Three towering tanks of tar emerged from behind the broken bulkhead.

They clawed at the door like blood-hungry rats, or bent on making us their next meal, and with every hit they were getting closer to their objectives. Adrenaline raced through my veins and my arms became tense. I noticed movement from within the eggs as the shells began to crack. The small devils from within had broken free from their slumber and made this situation a whole lot worse. I wasn't exactly sure how we were going to get out of this one,

surrounded on all sides with nowhere to go. We had no choice but to stay and fight our way out or face certain death or potential impregnation. At the corner of my eye I noticed a closed door at the other side of the room where a right-angled corner looked like the perfect place to mount our defense. Run over there and give them hell. You concentrate on the smaller ones. I've got a little surprise for these big fuckers.

I shouted, pointing the way. Jessica switched to her sidearm, a nice compact Glock 19 pistol, and set it to single fire mode before picking the little monstrosities off as they emerge from their cocoons. Meanwhile, I loaded my grenade launcher with a high incendiary round and let it loose towards the bulkhead before a ball of fire erupted from one of the creature's chests. The large explosion shook the ground

and tore the creature into many pieces whilst the others were not back during the frenzy. The unstable ceiling collapsed in front of the door, barring the others from entry for the moment. Ignoring the projectiles from the ceiling, I aimed my battle rifle at what was left at the smaller bastards and sprayed them with as many bullets as I could. But there were far too many of them in number.

It wasn't long until they had as surrounded, inching closer with every second. For fuck's sake, we're going to die in here. Jessica screamed, reloading another magazine while I covered her. My clip also ran dry, and it would have taken too long to reload, so I quickly switched to my pistol as fast as I could and picked the closer ones off. All of a sudden, a bright blue light appeared from atop the door near us. A moment later it shot open. Over there, Jessica.

Go through it now, then cover me once you're through. With all her might, Jessica barrel rolled through the door, landing in a crouched position as I followed her through. Somehow the door shut as soon as I'd made it through, cutting one of the closer creatures in her. We both fell to the floor to catch our breath. What an earth just happened? Jessica exhaled.

I rested my head upon the floor. Well, that was a fucking close one. Part 3. We composed ourselves and caught our breath for a moment, in some much-needed silence. The rattling and tapping from the swarm of those vile belly busters slowly faded away. Jessica and I found ourselves at the end of another corridor that led into darkness. Lights in this section must have succumbed to the passage of time. Both decided not to risk the restricted view from the night vision mode,

and instead use the LEDs to light up. About 20 meters ahead of us at the other end, another door stared back at us. A blue light illuminated above its head as if to say, Come here. We need to move from here. Those things won't rest until they get to us. Don't know about you, but I sure as hell don't trust the integrity of this place

to feel safe enough just sitting around here. There's clearly someone else here who just saved our necks and judging from the way the light above that door illuminated. That's where they want us to go next. I explained, breaking the silence. Do you think he could be one of those archaeologists holding out somewhere in here? Jessica asked, taking a look at the scraps of ammunition she had left. Don't exactly have much ammo left.

She showed me three magazines of handgun and half that for her rifle. We can't save a certain until we go further. Besides, I bet you're glad he left that snobes. her rifle at home. I grinned before looking at the scraps I had left. I don't exactly have much hammer myself. Let's see if I can get some sort of signaling here to contact the others. I tap the screen on my PDA to open a channel to the others. This is McCarty. Brian, Carl, G. Carpe, over. A moment passed before a crackled voice penetrated the silence. This is Brian. McCarty, I hear you loud and clear, although there's a bit of noise in the background.

Watch your sit-rep. We heard a whole lot of commotion. Yeah, we got ourselves into a little bit of a pickle. Keep your eyes peeled. There's a metric shit ton of them little fuckers crawling around. Maybe one or two of the big ones. We're kind of stuck inside a strange structure. We're trying to get out of here.

Affernative. Do you want us to come help? Over. Carl interrupted. it. Negative, just guard that entrance. Like I said, this situation is getting more out of control, the more we investigate. Me and Jessica will find a way out of this. We think one of them archaeologists might have survived and is holding out in the control room.

Over, I ordered. There was no reason for them to put themselves at further risk, especially with that swarm lurking around. Brian and Carl both agreed before the channel went dead. We took in an astronomical breath each before inching close. to the other end. I took point and Jessica had my bag as we approached the door. We didn't know exactly what to expect from this damn place. We were both tired and succumbing to the trauma of this mission. I just wanted to get it all over and done with so I could get back home and have a nice warm shower to wash away the blood, sweat and tears of this shit show. The bulkhead

instantly swung open like one of those automatic doors you see at the shopping malls to an area that looked like another large chamber. I gave Jessica a quick glance before we both made our way in. One by one the lights in the room flickered back to life, revealing a plethora of metallic terminals and chairs overlooking a large screen that looked across the rocky service of the cave. Hmm, it wasn't like anyone's home, I stated, turning to face Jessica. She tapped me on the shoulder and silently motioned for me to look towards the far end of the room.

who both stared down the scopes of our rifles and aimed the red dots of our scopes at the bizarre sight. A grey metallic sphere levitated above a strange white aura, hiding behind one of the terminals. It hesitantly moved to the side to reveal something that resembled an arsenal of cameras and sensors, similar to the new smartphones that contained multiple cameras. A blue light rhythmically flashed as it slowly inched closer to us as if it was afraid. Don't move! Jessica shouted, releasing the safety on her rifle. The sphere responded by flinching back, and the blue light began to beat faster as it hit itself further.

Jesuita, put your weapon down. I don't think this thing is a threat, I ordered, before relaxing my weapon and slowly moving closer with my arms up. And if it had wanted to cause us harm, it would have done that by now. Easy now, look, I'm not going to hurt you. The sphere peaked out again from being. behind the console, and once it thought it realized we weren't a threat, it began to move out again and came closer to me until it levitated a meter from me at head height. One of the instruments from its cluster opened and four laser beams scanned me from head to toe. I felt a strange reverberation throughout my entire body as the hairs going down

my neck stiffened. The beams moved closer to my PDA just as the lights on my suit began to flicker before powering down. "'What the fuck is going on?' Jessica asked, clatching the grip of her rifle, ready to fire in case shit hit the fan. I knew she was just as freaked out as I was. "'It just scanned me. "'Nas fucking around with my suit,' I replied, when all of a sudden my suit powered up once again. "'I sighed in relief just as an unknown channel opened within my communication. "'Oh, hello?' I called out in confusion.

The sphere moved back to head height. Who are you? A neutral voice asked. Wait a second. Are you talking to me through my arms? I asked. Yes, that is correct. I am what you people refer to as an artificial intelligence.

I scanned your electronic device and learned your language along with how to communicate with you. I'm sorry for the inconvenience as I had to reset your suit in order to boot the changes to your device. The sphere explained. Oh, awesome. Well, now that explains why I'm powered down. Well, glad you found a way for us to communicate. So, we were sent here to investigate the disappearance of some of our people who would stumble upon some of your nasty friends. I assure you they are not my friends. They were created by the enemies of the people that created me. This ship was carrying these creatures as prisoners.

We were ambushed just as we neared your solar system and crash landed here approximately 134,376 years, 244 days, 7 hours and 56 seconds ago. My creators are now all dead due to the efforts of one of these creatures who would escape during the ambush. My creators all lie dead within the cave and were used as incubators to reproduce more creatures. I understand. That's a whole lot of time you spent down here on your own. How did you survive all that time?

This ship is made from an alloy that can withstand the test of time. My exoskeleton is made from the exact same material. Besides, I was in hibernation mode for most of that time until a week ago when my proximity senses had been activated. The ship's power core will not last much longer. Once that occurs, it won't be long until the other creatures are released from their slump. Hold on a second there. So you're telling me there's more of them creatures on their ship.

Affirmative. Some are far worse than the creatures you have already faced. I turned to face Jessica, who looked just as stunned as I did. Either we were tripping balls on some kind of weird cave fungus, or we actually just stumbled upon some space beef that's been broiling for millions of years. My head hurt, and this entire mission just kept on surprising the hell out of both of us. I could tell by Jessica's face that she wanted to get home and forget this had ever happened. I faced the sphere.

So, how do we go about preventing them other creatures from escaping? If you take me to the engine room, I can force the engine into a feedback loop and self-destruct with what little power it has left. Um, how big of an explosion are we talking? As long as it's not death-star level destruction, I think it's a good idea. There's over seven billion people living on this planet, so I kind of have to make sure, I explained, raising my eyebrows. Do not worry.

There will be enough energy collected in the shield capacitors during the feedback loop to create a barrier seconds before the explosion to take the brunt of the explosion. All right. What about you? I asked. Surely the sphere had a plan on what it was going to do after the blast. My mission will be complete. There will be no further use to me. I will die in the explosion. Now look here, I'm not going to let you kill yourself. Maybe you can help us take care of some monsters of our own.

We're plagued by creatures like this all the time. You probably already know, seen as though you scan my PDA. Help us save lives here on Earth. Maybe at some point we can get you back to your creators. The sphere took a moment to think about its decision before giving us its answer. I agree to your terms. The sphere then moved back when all of a sudden a siren began to sound. The light switched from blue to red,

and the flashing blue light on the sphere began to race faster than my heartbeat. Something strange was happening within the ship. One of my senses has tripped in the prisoner holding chamber. Those creatures are moving towards the control unit for the cryogenic chambers where the prisoners are kept. If they destroy the relays before this ship explodes, our mission will have been for nothing. Oh, damn it. Tell us where we need to go. I shouted when the small map displayed in my visor began to populate the unknown areas of the ship,

and the fastest route of our destination had been outlined. Ah, that's what I'm talking about. Right, get behind us, I finished, before we readied our weapons and marched forward. We navigated the maze of corridors to the engine room, or a giant column cut through the center. On both sides stood terminals obviously connected to the structure via a web of illuminated fiber-optic cables. The sphere moved to the closest one and began to transmit data back and fall. About five minutes later, it was done.

The feedback loop had been initiated, and the capacitors had been set to charge energy until a few seconds before the explosion. According to the sphere, the resulting explosion would have just been felt on the outside. as a minor earthquake. Luckily for us, there was hardly anyone living in this part of the desert. I was about to ask what is the quickest way out of here,

when all of a sudden the sphere turned around and the LED upon its face began to flash faster again. It turned and connected to the terminal once more. What's going on? I asked. The surviving creatures are currently trying to destroy the cryogenic relay that is keeping the prisoners at bay.

We must prevent that from occurring or else our plan would have been for nothing. The sphere warned us before marking the quickest way to the cryogenic relay on the mat. As soon as we arrived, I noticed a swarm of a belly busters gnawing and clawing at the metal wall where I assumed the relay was situated. From the damage I could see on the wall, I guessed it was only a matter of moments before the wall caved in and exposed the heart of the relay. Jessica moved to my side before we both aimed our rifles at the swarm before letting loose a volley of well-placed shots. As soon as the first shot was fired, a small group with the creatures broke off for the main body and concentrated their efforts and derailing our mission.

Their effort was futile as we took them out with ease. It all seemed to go well, that is until one of the large metal grates from the ceiling came crashing down, nearly knocking on the both of us out cold. Countless years of training for situations like this kept us alive as we barely managed to dodge it. Adrenaline raced throughout my body, and just as we were about to begin firing again, a loud screech emerged from the darkness of the vent above. One of the big ones jumped out and landed between the two of us. Deep wounds scattered along its body where the grenade I'd let loose earlier

had sliced its tarry skin. The creature swung its razor-sharp claws at Jessica, who leaped back and hit the wall of the corridor. I finally got an opening that was safe enough and fired. a few shots into its head, which caused it to shift its attention to me for a moment. This gave Jessica a moment to move away and come stand next to me. I'm running out of ammo. You're probably in the same boat, I shouted. What do you suggest? Jessica replied, providing some covering fire as we backed up.

There's no way we can fight the big guy and the little ones at the same time. We need to fall back and regroup with the others. On my mark, we run. I loaded a grenade into the launcher and pressed the trigger. It impacted the ceiling and exploded. The metal grates upon the ceiling rained down upon the smaller creatures, squashing them like pancakes. Whilst another grate hit the larger creature in the head, knocking it to the floor. That was our chance to escape. Now, let's get out of here, I screamed, before we legged it out of there.

But four, we darted through the corridors as fast as we could. At this point my legs felt sore and my back hurt like hell, getting worse with every step I took. The mission had taken its toll on us with no expenses spared. Jessica somewhat limped on with her legs slightly slumped. I know that stubborn woman all too well to know that she'd carry on without saying anything when hurt like she did the last time on the previous mission. As we reached the punctured hull of the ship, the sphere suddenly stopped. I wouldn't have noticed if it didn't turn to check.

of the creatures had caught up to us. It spun around and stared down the empty corridor. Jessica leaped out before turning to see why I'd stopped. What's going on? Why have he stopped? she asked, clutching her rifle tighter in her hands. I no idea. Just get the others. I'll sort it out. I replied, taking a few steps back. Hey, Svira, come on. They're on our tail, I exclaimed, taking a few steps towards it. I sure as hell didn't want those things catching up on us. I didn't have enough energy at that point to loan war for battle. They've destroyed the relay.

It's no use. They will escape before the ship will self-destruct, it explained. Come on, we need to regroup with the others to mount a proper defense. If they get to us here, we'll both die. At least with the others, we have a slither of a chance to survive. The cave has been rigged with explosives. We'll blow this place to smithereens before we allow them monsters to escape. I'd really hope my pleading was going to do the trick.

I was really hoping we could use the sphere to make a difference in the war against these monsters that roam freely above ground. The light on its instrument clustered a flash for a moment as it calculated its response. Then it turned back to face me an inch closer. It sort of gave me a nod of approval. It must have learned that from interactions between me and Jessica. The sounds of metal clanking approached in the distance, and figures back. began to emerge from the far end of the corridor. I turned and hightailed it out of there, remembering to open a channel with the others.

Brian, Coral, do you copy? Over. I yelled. We're here. Jessica's sort of running towards us. Over. Brian replied. All right. Please don't shoot the floating sphere thing. We're coming in hot, I rebut, we're coming in hot. Get into defensive positions now. Over. I yelled once again, before they came into view. "'Wait. Never mind. Understood. Over.' He finished. Brian and Carl both stood where their rifles a few metres apart. The sphere and I rushed through the gap when they both ignited a couple of flares each

and lobbed them into the center of the cave. They anxiously waited for the onslaught to begin, whilst me and Jessica snatched a few magazines from a pile that had been left for us once we'd arrived. We quickly reloaded and took our place in the center of the gap as the horde began to emerge. The sphere inched back a few spaces as a storm of growls and screeches emerge from the darkness, shortly followed by their sadistic silhouettes. Incendiary rounds glowed to the air, hitting their marks. Jessica and Carl took care of the little ones whilst Brian and I tore holes in the larger ones,

turning them into what I'd like to call swish cheese. However, our efforts were not much effective against the larger, more heavily armored ones. our offensive only slowed them down. Brian, how many grades he got left? I asked, blowing the brains out of one of the creatures. I only got two left, replied, reloading his rifle. All right, pass me one and load your launcher. On my mark, we shoot the ceiling of the cave over there.

I pointed out a spot between the ship and the larger creatures. I caught the grenade and quickly popped it into place. Massive chunks of the ceiling rained down upon the far end of the chamber, enough to incapacitate the large ones who bled out between the rocks. From what I could tell, a large chunk of the ceiling ended up blocking the entrance to the ship. It was a risky move that could have killed us. We were lucky enough to be outside the area that was influenced by the pelting. We finished off what was left of them and took a moment to catch our breaths.

Let's get the hell out of here and detonate the explosives. I don't really feel like staying here any longer. Brian pleaded when a large thumping sound emanated from the blanket of rocks near the ship. Oh, it's not over yet, I muttered, as rocks were flung over toward us. A large creature emerged from the wreckage. It easily stood about ten feet tall, his dark, tar-like skin blending in with the darkness. His arms were huge, and think of the Hulk with arms twice as big. Judging from the body language it gave off, it looked pretty pissed off.

The ground shook. it stomped closer. There's no way we could detonate the explosive in time to get out of there, and according to the sphere we had about 15 minutes before the ship went kaboom. I ordered Brian and Carl to spread wider apart whilst Jessica stayed back. As usual, I moved forward, did my best to distract it whilst trying to stay alive. The creature swung its huge arms at me. Its larger size meant its attacks were slow, but they did pack a punch, leaving giant craters in the ground where it had missed. me. I managed to lure it away from the others so they had a clear shot on its back. I was tired,

and my sluggishness began to become more prevalent as the number of close encounters began to increase. Damn it, whilst in the frenzy I misstepped and twisted my ankle. This was enough of an opportunity for the creature to hit its mark. All I remember from this point was a loud crash, as if I'd been run over by a car. I coughed up a mouthful of blood, which covered me. my visor. I remember opening my eyes to blurred vision. My head wrung with a deafening silence. My head felt so numb, it was like I was floating through space. I would have been dead if it weren't for the armoured a battle suit. With what little energy I could master, I managed to remove the helmet. The others ran and positioned themselves between me and the creature who clearly

had a grudge against me. They let loose a hail of bullets, but to no sort of, but to no sort of, success. Get out of here, I ordered. But they didn't listen and stayed put as the monstrosity inched closer. Get out of here and blow the explosives. Brian moved closer to me and knelt beside me. You'll live, I'll stop complaining. I'm only going to blow this place to smithereens as a last result. He took out a morphine syringe from his medical pack and injected me. I felt so good flowing through my body as it numbed the pain. "'Shed, there's more of them coming out of the rubble,' Carl explained. "'On our last magazine, we need to—'

He was interrupted by a popping sound, followed by a large explosion in the creature's ugly face. "'That wasn't one of ours,' Brian said, twisting his head towards the entrance to the cave. A female figure emerged dressed in a similar armored suit as ours, but from what I could see was way more advanced than the ones me and the team was. war she fired some shots from her rifle as she moved towards us the ammunition she used pierced the creature's skin pausing its advance the lady moved towards me and the others McCarthy a familiar voice called out only you will get yourself into a situation like this she said tossing a pouch full of magazines to the others quickly reload your weapons with these she ordered quickly reload your weapons with these Please, she ordered the others, before moving closer to me and tossing a small test tube filled

with a red liquid. Here, drink this. I did as I was beard. A strange feeling erupted within me as my ribs clicked back into place, along with my body's healing process, somehow becoming supercharged. Energy flowed inside me. I stretched my body and got up. Al Hussein, it's been a long time.

There's no time to change. here take my rifle she tossed her rifle in a couple of magazines before reaching for the handles of two short swords mounted upon the lower parts of her leg armour the blades gleamed orange like molten metal and expunged a fiery aura before she made her way to the large creature i was sort of out of the loop with the new weapons they developed recently at the sdf but this shit looked cool as hell and whatever magic they used in that potion seemed to do the trick fixing me up I aimed the rifle and ordered my team to take care of the smaller creatures, while Al-Hussein engaged in melee combat with the Titan. Who the fuck's that? Brian asked.

SDF Ranger Captain Arir Al-Hussein, I replied. This was a blast from the past. She'd worked under me whilst I was a ranger myself in the SDF. We'd worked hundreds of missions together before she got stationed in the Middle East. Well, she's better than you, Brian chuckled, as he'd worked. finished off the last of the stragglers. Hey, listen here. I taught her everything she knows. Just ask her, she'll tell you the same, I replied.

Aria deflected a blow from the Titan before slicing it a few times in the belly. She was much faster and agile compared to myself and had the advantage of youth on her side. However, the creature was unyielding no matter what she did. She went in for a lunge when the creature grabbed her with both arms and lifted her up. It squeezed her enough that she dropped her signature swords. I'd aim for the joints in his legs. Single fire only, I ordered the team, who fired careful shots as to not hit the Ranger. This lessened the creature's grip on Arya, who managed to release her arms from its heinous grip.

Arya aimed her arms at its face, where small metal nozzles emerge from a section of her gauntlets and let loose an inferno of fire like a flamethrum. The creature wailed and took a few steps back, dropping her to the ground. Stop firing, I shouted, as I didn't want to take the chance of hitting her. The ranger picked up her sword and lunged forward, digging them deep within the titan's groin, and rolled backwards to avoid the mammoth as it fell upon its knees. She climbed up on its legs and with a quick motion sliced its head clean off and jumped off, placing the swords back into their sheathes before casually walking back. The ground rumbled as the creature smashed into the ground.

We should think about getting out of here. That ship's going to blow very soon, I shouted. I grabbed the sphere with both arms and dragged it out at the entrance before we all hightailed it as far as possible. Brian flicked the switch on the explosives, sealing the way there under a pile of rubble. We must have sprinted for at least ten minutes when everything started shaking uncontrollably like an earthquake. We managed to make it out of there before the entire cave system collapsed in a sea of dust and sand.

According to the airlift that waited above the ground, it looked as though the earth had swallowed up a chunk of the desert. Well, at least it will get covered up in a day or two, I said, breaking the silence and removing some parts of my battle-suit. I thought you gave up this life, old man. Aria interrupted. What happened to, I won a normal job? And she chuckled.

Yeah, that didn't go as planned. You know how it is, I replied. Well, the Colonel wants your help with the mission. You'll get a decent wage. You in? She asked. It depends who's involved in what it entails. You can ask him in person when we land at the Aludade Air Base.

She finished them before turning to face the sphere, who I sort of held in place next to me with my arm. What on earth is that? The sphere turned to face me, to hear my reply. This here is, um, sphere, artificial intelligence of some sorts. Well, it's a long story, I'll fill you in later. A few hours later, we landed at the base where US Air Force personnel helped treat our injuries. Afterwards, I was called into a meeting room where the British guy and Ranger Colonel Hansen sat across from each other.

Hansen stood up and gave me a hug. before we saluted each other. That man had taught me everything I knew about fighting monsters. I spent the next hour explaining the situation and what we'd discovered. The original mission was to find the archaeologists before it got derailed into a nice hot pile of mess. The British guy wasn't too happy about it,

but Hansen managed to convince him we could cover it up with the collapse of the cave. Another thing that was discussed was what was going to become of the sphere. The British guy, tried his best to keep possession of it as he financed the mission but the SDF had the ability to pull some rather long strings that would have ended badly for the Brit. It was decided that the sphere would go to a SDF research facility where it could help with the fight against the other creatures that terrorized the earth. Well, that's all over. We need to talk, Hansen explained. Here, Ari,

I mentioned something about another mission you have for me. Yes, indeed. Colonel Tamaramo is leading a large mission in Japan. He turned a glance at the British guy who still sulked at his defeat over the ownership of the sphere. The contents of which are very classified. I'll fill you in on the details later on. Here, take my phone and speak to your family. He tossed a military-grade mobile phone which had the ability to call anywhere in the world. I walked out of the exit and stood in the corridor while punching in my wife's number.

She was really glad to hear my voice again. The kids were really excited, but I had to break the bad news to them about the next mission. We chatted for a while longer before I put the phone down. British guy met me just before he left and wished me good luck on the next mission. He explained that he'd send someone to make sure my wife received my wage for the mission. I had some time to myself that night with the rest of my team in the med bay. They wish me good luck with the next mission And explained they'd be waiting for my return

And so once again We reach the end of tonight's podcast My thanks as always to the authors of those wonderful stories And to you for taking the time to listen Now I'd ask one small favour of you Wherever you get your podcast wrong Please write a few nice words And leave a five-star review

As it really helps the podcast That's it for this week But I'll be back again same time same place and I do so hope you'll join me once more. Until next time, sweet dreams and bye-bye.