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Cornered |
| Written by Robert Quintin Penn | |
| Saturday, 24 May 2008 | |
Flickering light above showed the man, sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. He was in dressed in the standard military uniform of the installation, with a simple, lightweight, black armored vest that went from his shoulders to his waist. Across his back was a simplistic 10mm battle rifle. It reminded him of his great grandfather with his M16A2. In the thigh holster was a high capacity .45 automatic. Sweat was running down the young man's brow. Outside there was hissing, crashing, and the sounds of screams. Not only had it hit the fan, but that fan is now stuck.
No one had to tell him, even if someone was with him, that his time was coming. They just had to defend the outpost from the outside. He recalled the not to distant events. Fellow soldiers just feet behind him were grabbed and bisected. Blood painted the floors and walls. Sure they had gotten a few, but the human causalities were three times as much. He had no choice but to split from the group, firing back every few feet. Then he found this room. It was the only one without damage to it, without blood or bodies or even grizzly amputated limbs for that matter. It was a sanctuary amidst a sea of chaos.
The soldier's breaths came in quick gasps making it difficult to sit still. Finally after a long period, he managed to spout out a word: “Dammit...” Yes, he certainly knew it, they certainly knew it, everyone within a ten mile radius knew it; no one was going to get out of here alive. What could he possibly do? Put a round in his head and end it all? He began thinking. “Should I save myself from an even worse fate? Or should I simply go out and try and take one with me?” A far off scream echoed in the outside hallway. “Cannot contact anyone from here even if I wanted to.” The man got up and began to slowly and quietly pace back and forth. “Aw hell” he breathed out.
He was part of a pioneer colony, one of the first on the planet. Contrary to what he originally believed, he was here to keep the civilians in line, not to defend them. But nevertheless, he did as he was told. This thought made him take one step then stop. Here he was, a man only 19 years old, who was going to die. And a virgin no less! He realized. This thought caused his breathing to slow, but deepen significantly. None of his friends back home would get a chance to speak with him now, nor would his family. Now he could feel the anger really welling up inside of him. There was a bang at the door, but he did not even notice. Then there was young little Maria. He always had difficulty dealing with the opposite sex as they always had some predispositioned hatred for him, as he thought. But Maria was the only girl he met that he could speak with and feel that he was dealing with a civilized human being. She cared for him, respected him, and let him keep his dignity. As for his overall opinion, she was the only girl that he did not feel like killing or fornicating with. She was the only girl that he could say he truly loved. And now she was somewhere on this base, either dead or dying, without getting to see her man. Maria was utterly alone. He would never see her again.
His fists clenched, his teeth grid, every muscle pulled. Each breath was larger and quicker than the last. Heat came forth from his body and continued to rise in temperature. The culmination of all these events as well as the tragic nature of the situation caused his anger to grow tremendously. And because of that, he would not become a victim of natural selection. Two quick blows hit the door, and it burst open as two of the creatures charged in.
Screaming in rage, he kicked the closer of the two as hard as he could, shouldered his rifle and fired two shots into its head. The second was a foot away when he connected the stock to its jaw, causing it to squeal as it fell to the ground. Lifting his foot high, he stomped the creatures head in until is crushed under the force. In two steps he was in the hallway, with a pair of beasts coming from either side. His rifle unloaded on the two on the left, clicking as it went empty, and he double tapped the other two with his sidearm just in time. Continuing on, the soldier took out a group in the hallway within seconds. Now he was out of ammunition. Drawing his knife, he went towards the exit.
The man's heightened, anger-fueled senses alerted him the presence behind him. It jumped on him just as he brought his knife into its abdomen, spilling blood all over him. The heavy mass rolled off of him and laid motionless on the ground.
With a whoosh and a gasp of wind, the heavy door slid upwards revealing the dark, rocky landscape. A whole drop ship from the second wave of colonist had arrived, using its on board machine guns to blast out a majority of the enemy forces with precision. In a burst of speed, he ran to the ship waving his arms madly.
“You were very lucky to survive.” He said nothing. “...I can understand your silence. I will leave you alone.”
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The true is same for anger. Now the effects of depression and fatigue had reached his mind and body. Moving slowly, he ran his hand through his hair, stopping halfway to support his head as he stared down at the floor. Urgent footsteps turned his attention back to reality. “We have received a message...from inside the base.”
Copyright 2008 Robert Quintin Penn |
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