Hatched

Chapter Forty-Two

July 4th, 2021

1915 hours

Barnes screamed and jumped up as the creature heaved its bulky body over the ruined side of the tank, vaulting over Garcia's head as he fled, his steel toe boot clipping the lieutenant in the temple. Garcia yelped angrily and reached out a hand just as the deputy's feet landed, grabbing hold of his ankle and yanking, hard. Barnes' body hung suspended for a second, like an action sequence in a cartoon, before his thin frame landed with a loud thump on the floor.

"You aren't getting away that easy." Garcia growled, fingers in a death grip on Barnes' calf. The deputy flailed, but Garcia's resolve was solid: monster or not, he wasn't letting a slimy, two timing stool pigeon get the better of him.

That resolve was quickly dissolving, however, as a low, guttural growling neared where they lay sprawled on the platform. Garcia watched in horror as the monster crawled closer, its large eyes narrowed as it stared them down. He suddenly knew what a gazelle felt like as the huntress closed in, the pack of lions pressing in on all sides, ready to strike. The beast moved almost serpent like, body writing as it advanced, its talons digging into the sheet metal rigging. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard, a pitchy grating that made Garcia cringe, his skin tingling in protest.

"Shit!" He cursed, clambering alongside Barnes, grabbing the deputy by the arm and jerking him up roughly. "Move, Barnes!"

Barnes managed to find his footing and Garcia gave an almighty lurch toward the door, still clinging to Barnes' bicep. Unfortunately, the creature had no intention of letting its prey escape: behind them came a burst of noise, loud, galloping steps gaining on them as the thing sprang into motion.

Garcia's heart was in his throat as he sprinted the last few feet. Summoning the last strength he had, he shoving Barnes through the small doorway, grunting with effort.

"Run, Barnes!" He bellowed, just as a massive weight like a freight train slammed into his back, sending him flying to the side, into the computer just inside the entrance. It knocked the breath out of him when he landed, his ribs cracking sickeningly where his chest made contact.

Every breath was excruciating, forcing him to breathe shallowly, his vision blurring with the pain and lack of oxygen. His mind was firing warnings, telling him to get up, before his insides were ripped apart, splattering the room like a Warhol painting.

A putrid, rotting stench clogged his nose as he lifted his torso to move. He tensed, stilling, slowly turning his head enough to see. He wished he hadn't, because he ended up staring at a set of large, dagger like teeth. Saliva dripped from the sharp points onto his splayed arm, the reptilian lips curling in what he could only imagine was a victorious snarl.

Prayers he didn't remember he knew spewed from his subconscious, garbling over each other on manic repeat in his brain. Lord help me, he pleaded, shirking as the creature inched closer to his face. Anything I forgot to confess my last reconciliation; I confess now.

Garcia didn't know if it was his desperate Hail Mary, or the fact that Barnes was a fucking idiot, that saved him. From the hall he heard an echoing crash as the deputy ran into something. How he managed that, Garcia couldn't imagine. There wasn't anything in the corridor to bump into, as far as he knew.

The hot breath on his cheek ceased as the beast raised its scaled head, lifting its snout to sniff the air. The tinkling of more objects breaking reached its ears and it spun toward the sound, bursting through the door with such speed it threw Garcia for a loop. That bastard was fast, agile, and a lot more powerful than he'd thought.