SWNOVELS Chapter 40
EDEN PACK HOUSE
The air is still. The city sleeps as you keep low. You motion to the two others with you to follow and keep to the shadows. Your black ops gear will keep you hidden.
Checking the monitor on your watch, the signal comes from within the large house. You’ve done thousands of these missions, but it never stops you from feeling a little nervous.
You cross the large driveway and find the electrical panel to the security. With a wave of your hand, you motion your team to the front door as you carefully remove the cover. Your eyes scan the multi-colored wires and you follow them to find the right one. Once you have it, you hold the blue wire in your fingers and pull out a pair of snips. You cut the wire and run back to the team.
When you reach them, you lift your full auto out in front of you and turn on your light. You nod to your soldier and he picks the lock.
He stands and the second soldier grabs the handle.
You get your head in the game and ready yourself. Once confident, you silently nod.
He opens the door and you stealthily walk in, your sight scanning the rooms and dark corners. You sweat under your black mask as your boots cross the stone floor.
The light on the top of your gun runs up the marble statute in the center of the foyer. Your team splits and you all walk around the pedestal, following the signal.
“Kitchen.” You motion your team to follow through the darkened house.
You walk through the stainless steel kitchen to a door. You open it to find a set of stairs.
“The signals down there.” You shine your light down into a basement. You quietly take a deep breath and cautiously step down the stairs.
“Over there.”
The signal directs you to a room on the left. You enter and look around the innocent looking sewing room. You know it’s not innocent.
Your team member finds the panel.
You drop your weapon and pull a hacking device out of your black vest. After hooking it up to the keypad, the device unlocks the door and it opens.
Your heart pounds at the sight beyond the hobby room.
You aim your weapon and step into the dark, metal, glass and linoleum hallway. As you exit the hall at the other end, you find a room with desks and computers. You find doors with signs above them.
“Command. We're in.”
‘What's your location, Unit 3?’
Your military boots step down the supply hall.
“On level one, proceeding to the lower levels.”
“It’s active, command. I repeat, the lab is active.”
‘Just get it and get out.’
You turn down a hall to the elevators that will take you to the lower level that has your payload.
“You smell that?”
The hall fills with a rancid scent. It turns your stomach.
“What is that?”
‘What's wrong, Unit 3?’
“I don’t know…It smells like…”
“WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?”
You spin around, your light travels around the hall then up.
“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Your eyes widen as the shine from its eyes make it look demonic. It’s long tail swings behind it. It tilts its head at you as its massive, dark body fills the whole width of the ceiling. Terror eats at you as you take in its long drooling mouth, massive teeth and claws and spiked fur.
“Is that a fucking dog?” You manage as your team backs up, guns trained.
He growls loud and you feel it threaten to break your bones. It takes a deep breath and roars.
“That’s NO FUCKING DOG!!”
‘Unit 3?’
“OPEN FIRE! OPEN FIRE!”
The Unit fires on the creature as it jumps from the walls to the ceiling then the floor and comes at you. The hall lights up as you empty your clip. You reach for a fresh one, but its too late.
He grabs your friend and smashes him into the ceiling and floor. You’re hit by a whip of its tail and thrown down the hall.
“NO! GET AWAY!!” Your friend screams as he’s knocked down.
“UNIT 3! WHATS GOING ON?!’
You try to stand, but your legs are broken.
“AHHHH!”
“NO! GET IT OFF!”
“FUCK!!”
Your hands shake as you try your hardest to load the fresh clip. Every half second you watch the monster step on your friends back and rip him apart.
Shots come from behind and the creature turns.
“NO! FUCK YOU!” He fires more shots.
‘UNIT 3!’
“DAVIDSON!” You yell as the creature tears him apart. His garbled cries for help make you even sicker and you finally get the clip in. You pull yourself up against the wall and aim.
You fire shots and it’s fur slams down. The bullets ricochet off it like it was made of stone.
Your face falls. “What?”
It turns and lowers it’s head to you. You try to keep a brave face as it’s yellow cat eyes bore into your soul.
‘UNIT 3! WHAT IS HAPPENING?!’
Your entire body shakes and you grip your gun like it’s your life line. You feel your pants get wet as his long, thin face is mere inches from yours.
You stare into death. Your family runs through your mind as you come to terms that this is it.
It’s lips curl and it’s drool lands on your black pants.
“Fuck you.” You grit.
You shove your gun under your chin, but it grabs it and throws it out of reach.
Your eyes go wide as his massive jaws open.
“HELLLPPPP MEEEE!!”
The last thing you see is the gullet of a thing that shouldn’t exist.
He rips your head off and your limp body falls.
He throws your head and it rolls across the linoleum floor. Your shocked face stares in to the void as the white earpiece in your ear buzzes with voices and the synapses in your brain start to die.
Behind you, the monster eats you as the outside world tries to find out what just happened.
You can’t stop it.
You can’t threaten it.
You can’t defend against it.
It waits inside. Waiting for you to try and beat it. It’s hungry. It’s evil and its home now.
‘UNIT 3! UNIT 3, RESPOND!’
****
OLIVER
I rush through the halls with Ian in front.
“How many?” I huff.
“Three…I think.” He responds.
We run through the supply hall door and I already I see the blood.
“Ollie, who?” Ezra says.
“I’m not sure.” I say as we slow down and get to the hall.
I scrub my hand down my face and plant a hand on my hip. The place is coated with…someone. All over the walls, floors and ceiling.
“Lou says it was three that broke in.” Ezra informs.
“He caught them?” I ask.
Ezra nods.
I bite my top lip and nod. “Anything on cameras?’
Ian shakes his head. “They disabled the cameras. They knew what they were doing.”
I think about this. “OK. So someone knows. The question is who.”
I walk through the sticky, coagulated blood and stop at a vest with half a chest in it. I reach down and pull off a patch. Standing straight, I clean off the blood. It’s three mountain peaks with the sun behind them.
I stare at it as I walk it back to Ian.
“I’ve seen this before, but I can’t place it.” I say.
“Wait a minute.” Ian grabs the patch and analyzes it. He takes off back towards the main room.
“IAN!” I chase after him with Ezra behind me.
He rushes through the main room to the digital map.
He slams the patch on the screen. “I’ve been studying this. There’s 5 underground sections, each under different sections of town. Section three, lower level 6.” He pulls it up and enlarges a room. It has the symbol on it.
“OK. So, what’s in that room?” I ask as I cross my arms.
Ian taps on his tablet. “I don’t know, but I bet they do.” He spins the tablet around and two words chill my spine. ‘The Foundation.’
“They know.” I whisper.
“I bet dad told them.” Ian says.
“I need in that room.” I point to the screen. “Lock this place down and clean up that hall!” I bark as I walk away.
“Yes, Alpha.” Ian says.
Upstairs in the common room, I flop down onto the couch. Ezra slides into my lap.
“Mm…hi.” I smile.
“Hi.” She smiles back and kisses me. I moan on her lips then pull back.
“I’m sorry.” I mumble.
“Why?” She hangs off my neck and kisses my nose.
“For not killing Lefu.” I eye her.
“You’ll get your chance. You have the lab and my army. We’ll defeat him. I have faith in you.” She smiles.
“I love you.” I pull her into a deep, passionate kiss.
She pushes me back and fixes my shirt. “Oh. You got blood on you.”
I look at my white button down. “What?! You’ve got to be…Damn it!” I sit Ezra into the seat next to me.
“Ollie, it’s fine. You can hardly see it.” She giggles.
“No. It’s not fine. Fashion is important. Now I have to fucking change.” I growl as I get up. I can hear Ezra laughing behind me.
I turn to say something and look at the floor. Red bloody footprints follow me from my shoes. “DON’T LAUGH AT ME!” I yell back.
Her cackling laughter follows me all the way to our room.