Chapter 64: The Monster And The Massacre

Zarek stepped into the corridor, his eyes fixed on the enormous mass of roots ahead.

At first, he couldn’t tell where the plant ended and the creature began. Thick roots covered the walls and ceiling, twisting around broken pipes and cracked concrete.

Some had forced their way through the floor, while others stretched across the passage like veins beneath rotten skin.

Then something moved inside the growth.

A huge arm emerged from the tangled mass.

It was unmistakably human, though its skin had darkened and split in several places. Thick roots disappeared beneath the flesh, spreading from the shoulder down toward the wrist. The fingers twitched once before curling into a fist.

Zarek followed the arm with his eyes.

The rest of the body was buried deeper inside the plant. A broad chest remained exposed, rising and falling with slow, uneven movements.

Roots had penetrated its abdomen and neck, binding the body to the surrounding growth. Above them sat a distorted human face, its features swollen and stretched until the original shape was barely recognizable.

A man.

Or whatever remained of one.

Several tentacles hung from its body, swaying above the floor. They were thicker than a man’s waist, their dark surfaces covered with smaller roots that crawled over one another.

Behind Zarek, one of the armed men whispered a curse.

The old man said nothing. His white hair was damp with sweat, and his gaze remained fixed on the creature.

Zarek took another step.

The monster’s head snapped toward him.

Its mouth opened.

"AAAAAAARRRRGH!"

A deafening, inhuman scream tore through the corridor. Its jaw stretched unnaturally wide, its neck bulged, and the roots buried in its flesh shuddered with every violent pulse of sound.The monster’s head snapped toward him.

One of the younger guards recoiled, covering an ear.

"What the hell is that thing?"

Another man stumbled backward. His rifle slipped in his hands, and he nearly dropped it.

The scream finally stopped, leaving a painful ringing in their ears.

For one brief moment, nobody moved.

Then the old man shouted, "Open fire!"

The guards raised their weapons.

Gunfire filled the corridor. Muzzle flashes lit the walls as bullets tore into the creature’s exposed chest, shoulders, and face. Several men fired in short, controlled bursts, while others continued shooting until their weapons ran dry.

"GRRRRRAAAAAAAAH!"

The monster unleashed a furious roar as bullets tore into its face. Its head jerked sideways, thick, dark fluid spilling from its wounds.

It should have fallen.

Instead, every tentacle around it began to move.

"Spread out!" the old man roared. "Don’t stand together!"

The order came just as a tentacle swept across the corridor.

A guard at the front tried to duck. The thick strand struck him across the side, lifted him off his feet, and hurled him into the wall.

The impact broke something.

His scream changed into a strangled gasp as he slid down the concrete, leaving a dark smear behind him. He tried to rise, but his legs refused to support him.

"Medic!" he cried. "Somebody, help me!"

There was no medic.

His companions were already fighting for their lives.

A second tentacle whipped around another man’s waist. He barely had time to shout before it lifted him into the air.

"LET GO!"

He fired his rifle directly into the strand wrapped around him. Bullets tore through its surface, spraying dark fluid across the wall, but the tentacle only tightened.

The man screamed as the pressure crushed his ribs.

His rifle slipped from his hands and clattered to the floor. He grabbed the tentacle with both hands, trying to force it away from his body, but it dragged him toward the creature.

A fellow guard rushed forward and seized his wrist.

"Hold on!"

The trapped man clung to him desperately. Their hands slipped against each other as the tentacle pulled harder.

"Don’t let go! PLEASE!"

The rescuer planted his boots and pulled with everything he had. For a second, he managed to slow the movement.

Then another tentacle struck him from the side.

He flew across the corridor and hit the floor on his shoulder. His scream echoed off the walls as he rolled, clutching his arm.

The first man disappeared into the roots.

His final cries continued from somewhere inside the growth, becoming muffled and distant until they stopped.

The rescuer stared toward the place where his companion had vanished.

He had no time to mourn him.

A dark strand shot out from beneath the ceiling.

He screamed when it wrapped around his injured arm and yanked him upward. His boots kicked wildly as he struck the wall, his face twisting in agony.

"NO! NO, PLEASE!"

He reached for a root protruding from the concrete, catching it with his good hand. The root bent under his weight.

Another guard raised his rifle and fired.

The bullets struck the tentacle. It loosened just enough for the trapped man’s fingers to slip free.

He dropped.

His body hit the floor with a heavy thud.

For a moment, he lay still. Then he began screaming again, clutching his broken arm against his chest.

"GET ME OUT! GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

The old man moved toward him, firing at the tentacles closing around the corridor. He reached the injured guard and grabbed the back of his vest.

"Move your legs!"

"I CAN’T!"

"Then crawl!"

The old man dragged him several feet before another tentacle slammed into the ground between them. Concrete shattered, sending fragments across their bodies. The old man stumbled but kept his grip.

The injured man scrambled away on his knees.

He had almost reached the entrance when a root burst through a crack in the floor and caught his ankle.

His scream was immediate and terrible.

He clawed at the concrete, trying to drag himself forward. His fingernails broke against the rough surface, leaving thin streaks of blood.

"PLEASE! PLEASE, SOMEBODY!"

The old man turned.

Two guards were already firing at the root, trying to free him. Their shots tore through its surface, but the strand held firm.

"GRAAAAAARRRHHH!"

The monster roared, its throat rattling with a deep, guttural growl. Its tentacles thrashed violently, one sweeping toward the two rescuers.

One guard threw himself aside. The other wasn’t fast enough.

The strand struck him across the head and sent him tumbling into the wall. His body collapsed at its base, and he made no sound when he hit the floor.

The remaining guard stared at him in horror.

"NO!"