Redemption

Morning After

Six sharp gunshots ring out loudly through an empty hallway, the familiar sounds of boots thudding against metal replacing the echoing blasts just as soon as they had faded, a soldier soon rounding the corner of this hallway while in a sprint with a grim expression worn on his face and a Reising submachine gun letting out the last traces of smoke in his hands. He races until he's about halfway into this long-reaching space before then stopping to brave a quick look behind him, his eyes darting back and forth in time with his fast breaths as he looked and listened for whatever creature it was he imagined had killed his friend whom he had found lying in his bunk with his throat slit.

He waits for a moment before returning to face forward upon finding nothing only to then take a reflexive step back, his eyes catching a glimpse of a fellow soldier in an equally panicked state as they ran past the doorway in front of the man, disappearing further down the connecting corridor.

The still-panting soldier looking into the now empty doorway grips his gun tighter and brings it closer to his chest in a protective manner, proceeding forward to take up position behind the wall right of the door as quietly as he could while also trying his best to silence his shaky breath, braving a look through the door frame just as soon as he had reached it and retracting back when he had caught a glimpse of his target.

He then settles into a standing position as he takes in a few deep and slow breaths in preparation as he says to himself in a hushed tone, "Jesus H. Christ! The hell is that thing?" before then shaking his head a bit, the straps of his helmet waving about as he presumably tried clearing his mind of any doubts. "Focus up, Thurston. Doesn't matter what that thing is or how it got here, it killed Johnny and it's not leaving here alive!" He finished with a whisper and a serious look worn on his face, checking briefly over his weapon to make sure it wasn't low on ammunition as quietly as he could before then readying himself for the oncoming attack.

He crept ever closer to the door's edge, presumably picking up on the low mumblings of the soldier standing a few feet away behind it, said man struggling to recall just where he was in the ship in his current state of panic all the while the armed soldier behind him closed in on his position.

There was but the briefest moment of realization from the lost man as his ears picked up on the sudden shouting coming from the other soldier hidden behind him as he charged out from behind the doorway and opened fire but whatever screams of mercy and hopes of recognition he must have had in that small moment were quickly wiped out as the man proceeded to open fire on the other and a hail of bullets tore his carapace.

In an instant, there was blood staining both the man's clothes and the wall behind him as a number of small metal projectiles tore through his body and impacted the dripping steel surface he was facing away from. The soldier managing to remain standing for all but a few seconds before he let out a single heavy, wet cough, blood gurgling up from his shredded lungs and staining his gritted teeth and lips before he then fell to the floor in a crumpled and bloodied heap, his tense fingers and limps quickly falling lax as he died.

The man that had just unknowingly fired upon one of his own ended his attack with a look of confusion, his gaze looking to the left as his eyes followed an invisible shape moving in that direction, himself soon following, charging past the fallen soldier like he wasn't even there and disappearing behind the corner connected to the end of the hall.

The fading sounds of boots thudding before soon being replaced by yet more gunfire and men screaming in panic and fear was the last I could hear of this vision before the scene then changed to depict a different moment and location than the one I just saw.

This one is of a soldier hiding from within a locker, his shifting eyes trying their best to peer out through the small ridges embedded into the locker door, the open gaps being both the only visuals he had of the room beyond and also providing his only means of fresh air. He flinches reflexively back as much as his body can allow in such a small space as the sounds of screaming echoes throughout the room, making him cover his ears with his hands in a desperate attempt to shut out the horrible noise.