HUSK

An Endless Tide

Only thirty seconds had passed since the monsters had tore free of their cocoons. Those thirty seconds felt like hours. Hundreds of rounds had been fired; many monsters had fallen. But they just kept coming. No matter how many fell at their feet.

They just kept coming. And coming. And coming.

The brown pulsing growth around the room moved with a life of its own. Hawkins shrieked when a tendril pulled her off her feet and began dragging her away. Tai Ndege, the team's marksman, had to cut her loose while Fjellsson covered them both. Malik and Richards had to switch over to their sidearms every so often to keep their guns from overheating. Malik was in a trance. He was emotionless. There was only him, his rifle, and his targets. Nothing else mattered. Self, rifle, target.

Suddenly, he was back on the Frontier. He was on Ceres. This had been one of the bloodiest battles of the war. One which the Commonwealth had lost. His rifle cut through rebel after rebel. He was behind the twisted wreckage of a Commonwealth riot tank, the bodies of his fallen brothers and sisters piling up around him. Orbital artillery exploded in no man's land, but there were no flames. There were only flying metal shards that ripped and tore and sundered. There was no sound, but the screams of the wounded could be heard in one's helmet. The blood floated free. Malik couldn't breathe. They were advancing. He sliced through their ranks like a knife through butter, and yet they just kept coming. The rebels were almost to him now. They were climbing over the tank like ants. Malik kept firing, but it was no good. They were on top of him. He couldn't breathe.

They just kept coming. And coming. And coming.

"MAJOR! LOOK OUT!"

A frantic voice ripped him from the Frontier. One of the huge beasts loomed in front of him, its massive claws raised to strike. Malik braced himself. A flash of light, and the creature's head exploded. Malik wiped his faceplate and looked up, dazed. Richards. The rookie had saved his life. In his trance, Malik had overextended. It was only thanks to Richards that he was even alive. Malik had had some kind of...episode. He scrambled back to the others, and levelled his rifle. But his finger paused on the trigger. Not because of the trauma of a past life, but because he noticed something.

Every monster the troopers had killed was slowly disintegrating. There weren't many bodies on the floor, but Malik alone had killed so many. His eyes traced the fleshy tentacles from the floor on which the bodies had fallen, to the walls, back to the grotesque beaked abomination itself. Even as he watched, the pile of flesh gurgled and convulsed. The beak jerked open, and a brand new monster fell to the ground. That's it! The biomass acted as a sort of recycling plant; it was an endless source of soldiers for this twisted alien army. They were only feeding it!

"Richards! You see that beaked thing at the back, there?"

"Yeah, I see it!"

"Focus all your fire on that target!" He turned to the others. "Hawkins, you and Tai focus your fire on the biomass! Fjellsson, keep that shield up!"

"Got it, chief!" Rosemary Hawkins hefted her heavy repeater, and Ndege took aim with his beam rifle. Fjellsson's shield held against the horde. The team unleashed their full measure of Commonwealth firepower. The beak gaped in a screech of pain, but it and the hundreds of eyes on the biomass's exterior all quickly closed. The skin appeared to harden. The soldiers's guns appeared not to hurt it anymore.

"Hold your fire! I have an idea, but it's a risky one."

"Sir," said Ndege with a hint of a smirk, "we're void troopers. We are good at 'risky'."

Hawkins leaned on her repeater, catching her breath. "He's gotta point, boss. Just tell us whatcha need."

Fjellsson struggled with the shield. "Whatever this plan is, you'd better do it quickly! I can't hold them all!"

Malik stowed his rifle, readying his pistol instead. "I need a path straight to that thing. Richards, Ndege, Hawkins, you cover me and widen my path. Fjellsson, keep the trailblazers clear of hostiles, and whatever you do, don't drop that shield." He readied himself. "Alright. Three...two...one!"

Malik vaulted over the railing and landed on the mess hall floor amid a hail of plasma. The creatures howled and died around him. He raised his pistol and broke into a run straight for the biomass. His team was doing a good job. He was proud to serve alongside them. He discharged a high-powered laser round straight into the face of a charging alien, leaving a smoldering hole. He was almost there. The noise of the guns was deafening.

Finally, he reached the biomass. Malik took a deep breath, put away his pistol, and began clambering up on his hands and knees. Hundreds of eyes watched him closely. He reached the top, but the beak was sealed shut. Malik tried to pry it open with all the strength within him, but to no avail. In one hand, he held his combat knife. In the other, a high-yield concussion grenade. He reared back and plunged the knife into the flesh. The beak opened, but not out of pain.

A towering monster, dripping with primordial fluid, emerged from the bowels. The creature unfolded itself and stood at full height. With four deep black eyes, it watched. Its hands were adorned with glistening claws, made for tearing and killing. The Husk opened its vertical mouth and growled. Malik shakily levelled his pistol. The Husk grabbed it, and crushed it with ease. It curled its claws into a tight fist and smashed Malik in the chestplate, sending him flying. It caught up with him before he realized he'd hit the ground. He looked around; he'd dropped the grenade. The monster knelt over him on all fours, growling and salivating a greenish liquid. Malik couldn't move. The thing had him pinned. It opened its jaws, closing them gently around Malik's head. Its claws dug into his arms. He could see down its throat. The Husk's jaws tightened. His faceplate cracked.