Exterminator : The Dark Beneath

“When you’re huntin’ sometin you’re a hunter, an’ you’re strong. Can’t nobody beat a hunter. But when you get hunted - that’s different. Sometin happens to you. You ain’t strong: maybe you’re fierce, but you ain’t strong.” - Muley” ― John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath

14:56, Mine works

Jack pushed on ahead of the workers, his lights letting him check the tunnels ahead of him far more quickly, and the suit boosting his tired body. He could her them panting behind him through their masks, their oxygen bottles and filters beginning to fail from overuse, but he couldn’t slow for them, not if he wanted to reach Amani and the others in time. They reached a large set of blast doors and he recognized the area, so he turned and waited for them to catch up, standing by the door as they huddled around his lights, panting to regain their breath.

He turned off the exterior speakers and spoke quietly into his helmet mike.

“SAM, order the MUTT to stay back here, It’ll just get in the way if we need to move quickly.” He then turned on his speakers to talk to the workers

“Ok guys, we’ve got to be careful now. If the others have led those creatures back here we need to grab them and Amani and run. There’s a bulkhead door just up ahead that we can use as a fall back point, if anything is following us we close it and it should buy us some time to head back to the elevator and from to a better way up. Do any of you remember the route?”

A few men raised their doubtfully hands and he sighed.

“OK, everyone make sure you follow one of these guys. I can find the way back, but if something is down there I’m going to have to hang back and keep them off you, so don’t wait for me OK? “

They nodded, so Jack turned to David.

“Right, you’re in charge of getting Amani out of the workroom.” He took a breath and looked down the corridor “Right, let’s go!”

He began walking along the corridor, playing his lights into every shadow and vent he could spot; behind him the workers hefted their improvised weapons nervously and followed him, whispering encouragement to each other. He moved through the blast door, giving it a quick wiggle to check its hinges were free before continuing down the corridor towards Amani’s workroom.

“SAM, are we getting any feedback from the drones I sent out or Andrews suit?”

“The drones are not responding Jack, although the signal dampening due to the amount of material around us made that likely. However, I am getting a weak return from the second Exosuit. Its feed is very compromised so I’m afraid I cannot obtain any information on its status or location beyond a general level of proximity.”

“So he’s close?” he whispered, the absence of any movement ahead of him increasing his unease.

“Indeed, most likely within thirty metres.”

He could see the junction up ahead but he paused. The door to Amani’s workroom was open, and he could see light moving inside. He turned up his external microphone pickup and was faintly able to hear the whine of servos.

He laughed in relief, causing the men behind him to jump. “It’s OK, looks like a friend has joined up guys. Another Exosuit and lancer wouldn’t go amiss now would it?”

He started off along the corridor towards the workroom, grinning at the good news. Andrews might be an asshole but having another Exosuit to watch his back was really going to help, hell, whatever else the ex-soldier was he was a survivor.

He was just about to reach the workroom when he noticed a flicker of movement from the doorway along from it and froze, quickly shining his beam inside to catch the glimpse of a pale face just before it fled back into the room. The door began to close so he quickly moved forwards and pushed back, easily opening it despite the resistance. He peered inside to find a worker cowering in the corner, trying unsuccessfully to hide behind a broken crate.

“Go away!” the man whispered, his voice quavering “you’ll lead it to me!”

“Hey, it’s OK” Jack said carefully, raising his hands in a non-threatening way.”I’m a friend. We’re here to get you out of here”

The worker made frantic motions to be quiet but a sudden clang from the next room caused him to freeze like a rabbit in a headlight.

“Please leave!” he begged almost inaudibly,” He’ll hear you!”

Fear began to trickle into Jack’s mind as he looked at the worker before slowly turning and quietly moving out into the corridor. The workers behind him were waiting and Jack held up a hand to stop them speaking, before pointing at the workroom. The men seemed to understand and moved backwards, raising their weapons.

He began creeping towards the room, terror building with every step, as if the primitive part of his brain was screaming for him to leave, to back away. To run.

He reached the door and tried to glimpse inside, but the shelving that had been neatly arranged out in rows before was scattered around the room, blocking his view. He carefully pushed the door open, biting his lip as the door brushed against metal. He listened for any movement but became aware of another noise, something wet and organic. Suddenly having enough he pushed with all of his might, throwing the door open and sending the shelf tumbling, revealing the room to him in all its horror.

Blood seemed to coat the entire back wall, horrifically illuminated by two burning flares lying on the bench, but it was the figure ahead of him that drew all his attention. Andrews’s armour was covered in rents and cracks, plates of ceramic and metal barely attached to the buckled frame underneath, through which he could see patches of oddly coloured skin. The other man stood hunched over the workbench, his face and hands buried in something Jacks mind struggled to recognise for a moment, the body moved and he spotted a head, flesh partially ripped from its face but still recognisable by the patch of dreadlocks on its torn scalp.

“Amani,” he whispered in shock, causing the figure to freeze. Jack’s mind was screaming at him so he began to back away, his head spinning, but the figure suddenly span around, causing him to cry out in horror.

Andrews face was something out of a nightmare, the skin of his face mottled and scabbed under the brow of his helmet, miraculously still holding firm to a head and jaw that had warped beyond its original dimensions. The jaw hung huge and distended, filled with heavy jagged yellow teeth that were still chewing chunks of what had until a few hours ago been a living human being. Andrew’s brow line had bulged out, overshadowing red eyes that seemed to glow with a unholy hunger. The thing stared at Jack for a moment, its jaw still working, before it suddenly swallowed and leapt towards him.

Jack threw himself backwards, managing to pull the door shut behind him.

“RUN” He bellowed at the workers along from him “I think..”

Something smashed the door from its frame, punching Jack backwards and sending him skidding along the floor with the door crumpled on top of him. The impact drove the breath from his lungs and his head rung. He stared up at the metal uncomprehendingly for a moment before the door was wrenched off him to reveal the Andrews thing standing above him, its gauntlets cracked and dripping blood, white claws spearing through the end of its fingertips. With a bellow it grabbed his front armour and hefted Jack upwards as its jaw opened and tried to take a bit out of his shoulder. Jack hammered his fist upwards and caught it under the chin, snapping its jaws shut and causing a few teeth to snap off. He tried to break the things hold, but its grip was incredibly strong, causing pressure warnings to spike in his helmet as it’s grasp strained against the armour of Jack’s chest piece.

It roared and spun to throw Jack along the corridor, his trajectory smashing into a fleeing worker and crushing him against the wall, his skull and chest crumpling under Jacks armour. He barely had time to get to his feet before the beast lumbered after him, its unbalanced gate still allowing it to reach him in startling speed. It swung at him and a shower of sparks leapt off Jack’s breastplate as the beast’s claws scraped across it. He kicked forwards, catching the creature’s knee and sending it stumbling backwards even as he launched himself at it.

Whatever had caused Andrews to mutate, it was obvious to Jack that the beast he had become wanted nothing better than to feed on the survivors and Jack was the only chance they had to flee. He just glimpsed the workers springing away done the corridor before his body struck the beast’s with bone shaking impact, his opponents greater mass almost stopping him in his tracks. Luckily his armour was in far better condition, powerful servos helping him counter the creature’s unnatural strength. He hammered blow after blow into its face and head, shouting wordlessly in fear and anger as he tried to force it backwards, but after a moment of reeling backwards the beast swung its arm in a mighty haymaker. Jack just managed to duck underneath but the backhand swing caught him in the side, lifting him off his feet to sail 3 metres down the corridor. Something snapped in his chest and his helmet trilled with new alarms, and he could feel the floor tremble as the beast approached. Cruelly taloned hands grasped him and pulled him upward as his head still swam, and he glimpsed a sea of teeth before its jaw crunched down on his left shoulder.

Jack screamed as he felt his armour straining under the unbelievable amount to pressure the beasts jaw was exerting but his right arm was pinned, and the left could only grasp weakly at something on the beasts back. He kicked at the things shins in desperation, but it remained locked onto him, his HUD filling with warning signals as his armour began to buckle. He glimpsed the beasts blood red eye beside his head and, in a moment of mad inspiration, triggered the dart launcher in his right shoulder, firing a flare dart into it. The beast released him and scrambled backwards, screaming like a thousand steaming kettles as the burning dart boiled its left eye from its head.

Jack fell heavily on the floor coughing and spluttering. His chest burned, but as he managed to scramble to his feet, his right arm slamming into the wall beside him for support, he realized he’d pulled something free from the creature’s suit. Its lance! A bellow behind him made him turn to see the beast writhing on the floor, its face covered in blood and fluid from where it had finally torn the dart free, and it turned to look at him, revealing a torn and burnt socket. Jack stumbled backwards as it leapt to its feet, desperately fumbling with the stolen lance on his left hand before triggering a bout of flame. The beast retreated back, apparently fearing the fire.

Jack grinned in his helmet, tasting blood from his torn lip and battered face. He triggered another burst to drive it back, slowly retreating along the corridor, eyes locked on the once human creature before him.

“That’s it you fucker, that’s it. You know what this can do to you. Back the fuck off!”

Jack moved backwards as far as he could, the beast following him, snarling and roaring at him, lunging forwards only to be driven back by the fire. He risked a glance behind him to see the turn towards the blast door only a few metres behind and grinned. The door wouldn’t hold the thing long, but it was much sturdier than the workshop door. Hopefully it would give him and the workers time to make their escape. He backed around the corner and called out behind him.

“Get ready to close the door, I can keep him back with the fire but I need you lot to help!”

He kept moving backward but heard no reply.

“You there? I said I… “

Something crunched beneath his boot, causing him to glance downwards. He was stood on a human hand; the weight of his suit had crushed the palm, leaving a few sad and torn digits peeking out from underneath his boot. He shouted and turned to find the corridor behind him swarming with creatures, the bodies of the workers already being torn apart and consumed. He didn’t have time to react as the beast turned the corner in front of him, bellowing as it saw the bodies and surging forwards. Jack hastily flamed again to drive it back, but had to turn the lance around to fire a burst at the creatures in the corridor, which had finally torn their attention from the meal in front of them to move at him.

Ha backed into the wall swinging the lance between his approaching enemies before cursing his own stupidity. He reached his right hand over his shoulder and pulled out his own lance, locking it to his right arm and firing a torrent of flame into the approaching rodents. His left shoulder was screaming with the strain of holding the other lance steady, the damage to its shoulder pad and muscles making him gasp slightly in pain, but he managed to keep both weapons pointed.

He lent back against the solid stone of the wall and tried to think, his eyes flicking between the beast crouched to the left of him and the creatures waiting to his right. His HUD was showing both lances low on fuel so he wouldn’t be able to keep them at bay for ever, and with the more creatures moving to join their compatriots they’d soon have the numbers to swarm through his fire to reach him. He had to reach the blast door and shut it.

Moving carefully, he slid along the wall towards the door, the Rats retreating before him and the beast wearily following, its remaining eye locked on his lance in fear and hate. He tried to avoid stepping on the bodies of his fallen compatriots but still heard the crunch of bone or squelch of squashing flesh underfoot, but by this point his mind was almost blank, his adrenal still pumping to fight his fatigue. For a moment he was worried the Rats would be driven through the blast-door to cut off his retreat, but instead they moved into the darkness of a side corridor, apparently reluctant to leave the meal before them. He carefully stepped through and retracted his lance, re holstering it as he watched the beast hover a few metres away, its taloned fingers grasping the air as if imagining his flesh tearing beneath them. The once human thing was crouched above a corpse, absently reaching down to pick up a severed arm to gnaw on, its eye never leaving him. The Rats in the side corridor hissed at the beast, apparently not pleased with this competition.

“Well at least you’re not best friends!” Jack said with a giggle, his mind spinning from pain and fatigue. Slowly he moved his free arm to the door and started to push it closed, grimacing in pain as he struggled with one arm, his shoulder and side crying out as he kept the left lace aimed. The beast seemed to catch on to his goal and roared, leaping forwards only to be scared backwards by another burst of flame. Jack quickly dropped the lance and used both arms to slam the door shut, spinning the wheel madly just as the beast slammed into the other side of the blast door, a huge hollow boom reverberating around the empty corridor Jack found himself in. Muffled bellows of frustration and hunger sounded from the other side, and the heavy metal shook as blows rained down on it, but the door held.

Jack painfully knelt and retrieved the lance before turning and limping down the corridor, the MUTT moving to join him from where it had sat throughout the whole ordeal. His pursuers were separated from him for now, but they’d be able to find their way around the barrier soon enough so he needed to put as much distance between himself and them as possible. His shoulder and ribs were screaming at him, his face was bloody and his whole body felt like he’d been beaten with sticks, but he was alive for now. Alive but alone, down in the dark, with nothing but monsters and madmen for company.