The House of the Old Ones
Lady Garvel wandered through the mass of her followers, she wasn’t upset that the newcomers had fled she actually smiled non-believers meant more blood for the sacrifice and more strength to the Star Spawn. She approached the alter of her church “No fear my children, the power of the void shall grant us the thing we need to deal with these newcomers” she knelt down on the ground on the centre of the symbol and began chanting “Nog nyth'drnn ot r'luhhor!” Garvel held out her arms moving her hands in rotations as she continued to mutter the ancient words “Hup nog n'ghftnahh, uh'enythh ot n'ghftog, ph' ch'nglui'ahog nnn'drnogg ot syha'h uh'enythh ot Tindalos” she stopped chanting and everything fell silent, the congregation didn’t move they knew what was coming. In the corner of the room behind Garvel a swirling black mist began to form, black tendrils like dead roots began growing partially up the wall, the blind priestess smiled when she heard the growling. From the shadows it began to slowly emerge ebony black in colour with black spiky looking fur, from a quick glance it would have looked like a normal dog but it stood at 4 feet high, it’s head was were the difference showed more it was longer than a regular dog with long pointed ears it had 2 pairs of eyes but they were on the back of the lower jaw, the long muzzle had a set of sharp canine teeth that almost went as far back as the creatures head when the jaws parted a long rope like tongue thrashed around as if tasting the air. After the beast appeared another three of them appeared out of the darkness just as horrific and monstrous as the first, the leader of pack slowly crept to Lady Garvel she put a hand out and her finger ran along the black otherworldly fur as she pet the creature “Beautiful, truly beautiful, Hounds of Tindalos we have some flesh that will not bow to the service of the old ones” in some way the hound understood her growling in anger at the blasphemous comment, Garvel smiled again she knew that the Hounds would serve her well “Go, find the flesh…and drag them screaming into the void” the lead hound reared up it alien head and howled, a sound that was sickening to hear as if putrid and rotten to the soul before it ran back into the corner of the room followed by the others and vanished into the darkness again to begin their hunt.
Control Room
Kay sat in the chair looking at the screen they hadn’t seen what had happened inside the church but they couldn’t find the others, although Kay wasn’t sure what route Paulson had taken they leaned back in the chair covering their face with their hands and letting out a stressful sigh “I hope he got to them in time” as Kay sat there they turned slightly from hearing a faint sound “Kayleigh” Kay shrugged it off but the word returned slightly louder than before “Kayleigh!” they stood up from hearing the name “Is someone there?” they looked about the room but couldn’t see anyone, there was a loud bang from the door but it didn’t sound right this wasn’t their bedroom anymore but that was the sound. Kay moved from the chair and began making their way towards the door as the banging came again “Kayleigh, open the door!” they recognised the voice but it was impossible yet it still sent a chill of fear down their spine, the image flickered of that teenage girl who knew that she was meant to be a boy unknowing of becoming what they were meant to be until later in life, the kid just staring at the bedroom door as it banged away waiting, waiting for the pain. Kay shook their head this can’t be real as they reached for the panel the voice spoke “Stupid girl” the words began to fade as a metal set of bangs made Kay jump and Paulson’s voice was heard although very muffled “Kiddo it’s us open up!” Kay pressed the panel opening the doors. They smiled to see Paulson, Kara and Trent enter the control room Kay relocked the door as the other stopped from running to enjoy a moment to be free from terror, Kara began looking around the room “Where is he? Where’s Ahmid?!” Paulson replied “Wasn’t he with you? I thought those crazies got him” Kara shook her head “No he ran off when they showed up he went into the maintenance access after you two” Kay replied this “We haven’t him at all” Paulson remembered the branching paths “He must have taken another pathway through he could be anywhere” Kara cursed as Kay noticed that another of the group was missing “What where’s Allison?” Kara and Trent kept silent as they evaded eye contact but when Kay looked to Paulson he simply shook his head, Kay began to pace “No, no, no fucking way” the others looked just as sullen.
Kara made her way towards the front of the control room and looked at the holographic projector that lay before her, she flipped a few switches and a 3D map of Fort Haven hovered in front “Right where is the transmission tower?” Kay walked over and looked at the hologram they pointed at large tower on the map “It’s here on the far side of the station, it needs to be kept at a distance to avoid interference from the mining site” Kara noticed the distance and didn’t like it “That’s a long way to go with the colonists roaming around” Kay looked everything over “There is route to take” they pointed out several locations “You’ll need to cut through Horticultural, Medical and Geology that will bring you by two of the generator rooms that are right next to the tower” Trent spoke after looking at the map “But medical is nowhere near Geology” Kay turned to him “Well that leads to the awkward part, to get to Geology you will have to cut through the quarry itself to get there” Paulson added his opinion this time “But that’s out in the open and we don’t know what those people have done down there, they could have rigged it to blow or somethin” Kay agreed “I know but it will save you having to walk through the whole of the station to get to the tower” Kara looked at the route “If it’s the better option than fighting those people then let’s do it” she turned to Kay “Like you said you can access the station systems from here” Kay nodded as Kara gave them more instructions “Keep everything minimal and the door sealed we can’t let anyone else get in her, Paulson stay with them and keep them safe” Paulson also gave a silent nod. Kara then turned to Trent “If you want to stay here then that’s alright” Trent nodded then replied “Yeah, but you ain’t walking through this shithole by yourself so I’ll keep you company” Kara smirked then looked to the whole group “Right we take it step by step, Horticultural first” she readied her rifle and left some of the medical and food supplies with Kay and Paulson then put the pack back over her shoulders and holstered the gun Allison had “You ready Trent?” he put his handgun in the back of his trousers “Ready” the two made their way to the door Kara spoke to Paulson “Seal it behind us, no one in, no one out until we get back” Paulson agreed “I know, be careful you two” the door opened as Kay came over “Hang on!” they had a chip and put it inside Kara’s wrist display “This is a download of the map so you can make your way, there are also these” they opened their hand to reveal two earpieces “So we can communicate with each other” Trent and Kara took them and placed them inside their ears, everything was set and the two headed out of the door which then closed behind them.
Ahmid wandered about the rooms and corridors panicking from being lost, after running he had forgotten were the maintenance access was now he was frantically searching for anyone but all he could find was blood and the dead. He eventually slumped into the corner of a corridor next to one of the laboratories being to sob, through his snivelling he did see the hound appear at the far end of the corridor but the blackened creature certainly saw him, it crouched and its teeth were bared as it began to slowly approached. When Ahmid heard the growling he looked up to see the hound about thirty feet away he gasped “Oh shit! Oh shit!” he wanted to run but his body had seized completely he began to beg “Go away, please leave me alone, go away, go away” the hound was almost upon him its long tongue emerged coiling in hunger, it growled, so close that Ahmid could smell the acrid smell of its breath he closed his eyes to await the killing strike.
The voice that spoke was calm and soothing “Hush now can’t you see he is frightened” the hound stopped growling as its tongue curled back in between its teeth as a hand stroked the course black fur, Ahmid opened his eyes to see who the mysterious voice belonged to he saw the thin well dressed figure standing next to the monstrous dog “Who are you?” the man looked down “My apologies…I’m Mr Blackman, I’m head of research of Fort Haven” Ahmid pointed to the hound “What the hell is that?” Blackman crouched down next to it and smiled as he continued to stroke it “Beautiful isn’t it? I’ve heard of the Hounds of Tindalos but to actually come across them is something truly special, they can walk through walls…well corners from what I’ve heard which means they can go about almost anywhere” he reached under its muzzle and scratched the fur and watched it’s multiple eyes blink “Beautiful” he looked to Ahmid who still refused to move then leaned close to the hound and whispered “Go on now this one is mine, there is flesh elsewhere go find it” he patted it on the head and the hound turned and walked away to carry on its search. Ahmid watched it leave then turned his glance to Blackman who was stood there hands in his pockets smiling down at him “What are you?” Blackman continued smiling “Yell that is something entirely different from who am I, but I won’t go into the details about that right now there is too much planning to do” Ahmid was confused “Planning?” Blackman took his hands out of his pockets and paced as he talked gesturing with his hands “He is coming, eons he has waited and now he is awake but he needs to gather his strength but that’s why the Lady was chosen to gather the others to give themselves to him, but I’m here to do my part make sure there are no chinks in the chain apparently she had to summon the hounds which means your friends are proven more formidable than previously thought. So that’s why I’m here, I’m here for you Ahmid” Ahmid eyes widened “H-how do you know my name?” Blackman crouched down “Oh I know everything about you Professor Madala, who you are, where you’re from and more importantly…what you have done” Ahmid felt a sudden chill in his blood “I don’t know what you’re talking about” Blackman grinned “Please…You didn’t tell the others but you’ve encountered the void before, I heard you saying the words from the wall, repeating them over and over and over again. You said something similar when you killed those people, dabbling in the occult such a taboo world, yet so intoxicating to an academic the pursuit for knowledge always comes with a price and this came with a dark one” Ahmid remembered the night, it was only the once he had found to homeless people and managed to get them to come to his home with the empty promise of food and shelter. What they found was pain and suffering as Ahmid performed an ancient ritual which involved flaying them whilst they were still alive, he disposed of the bodies in the furnace of his home and never thought about the police finding him no one was looking for the missing people, it wasn’t long before he was assigned to come to Theta. Blackman took Ahmid’s face in his hands he could feel the poor man shaking “Do not fear, you prayer was answered it’s why you are here” Ahmid felt tears fall down his face as he felt a sudden leap of hope, he happily sobbed his words “What do you want me to do?” Blackman smiled “Give yourself to the Black Pharaoh, embrace the void and become it’s loyal servant” Ahmid smiled as he looked to the man as if finally finding peace, he didn’t even notice that the man’s hands had changed into the black crooked fingers that took Lady Garvel’s eyes.
Horticultural Sector
Entrance
Kara and Trent reached the door to the horticultural sector the door opened revealing an elevator, Kara looked to her display then touched the ear piece “Kay map says this is an elevator, is this the right way to the garden sector?” Kay’s voice spoke in their ears “Yes it’s in the lower levels the elevator will take you down to it” Kara replied “Alright heading down now” she nodded to Trent and the two of them stepped onto the elevator and Kara pressed the button for it to go down, it juddered before beginning its descent. Trent eyed up the elevator then spoke to Kara “So why would they have a horticultural sector? Usually colonies have garden’s as O2 farms for planets with atmo that can’t sustain human life” Kara knew that was one reason she replied “They do but some colonies also have them to grow their own produce if they can’t grow it on the planet’s natural soil and this planet seems to be a lot of rock…sometimes it’s a place where people can destress especially when stuck beyond the outer worlds, surrounding by metal all the time can be a little…maddening” Trent noticed that Kara seemed to zone out “You’ve been on a lot of colonies and ships then?” Kara came back “Yeah I’ve travelled about a lot” she turned to him “What about you?” Trent shrugged “Done my fair share of off world sites, I always make sure that I get at least one rotation back to Earth now and then helps me stay grounded” Kara watched the panel as it indicated their fall and she risked herself by asking the next question “Any family…back home?” Trent gave a pleasant chuckle “Yeah, a wife and son he’s four, they are back on Earth” she knew she fucked up, she hoped he wouldn’t say it she thought to herself ‘Just stare at the panel’ but then it was asked “Do you have any family you’ve been pretty focused since we arrived” she stood there silent not wanting to say anything all she managed was “I did…” luckily before opening that emotional door the door to the elevator opened, she managed to hide the tear and quickly composed herself “Come on” Trent could tell she was avoiding the subject so he didn’t want to press it further.
The entry to Horticulture was a large room that had pictures of scenes of nature and along the walls was rows of plants, they approached the door and Trent opened it and they were hit by a blast of warmth from the humidity Trent huffed “Jesus” the two stepped inside. It was three stories and on each wall was multiple panels that were covered in a variety of plants, in the centre was numerous columns of greenery making it look like an indoor forest, it was incredibly warm Trent huffed again “Christ why is it so bloody hot in here?” Kara could feel the sweat beginning to form on her neck “This is basically a massive greenhouse so they will need to keep it warm to help grow the plants” they moved slowly Kara gestured to the upper levels “Keep an eye open we might not be alone down here” Trent agreed he took the handgun out but kept it down by his waist. The sound of the misters hissed as they automatically kept the plants watered, it made listening for anyone lurking about difficult but the two remained vigilant, Kara got up the map of the sector “So this place is broken up into three sections this the oxygen farm then we head up and enter into cultivation where they grow food and then at the end is the plant science labs, according to the map there is another elevator in the storage bunker on the far side it should lead us up somewhere near medical” Trent wiped the sweat from his brow “Let’s hope it’s not far because I’m beginning to sweat my balls off in here” they continued on.
Control Room
Kay was sat typing away at the computer going through the video logs of the outposts trying to get some understanding of what happened especially after seeing the video from the man in the O-SEC surveillance room, after wading through data and reports they found something that caught their attention they read the log of the station’s director:
Log of Station Director
Oliver Cartwright
Blackman is in some state of excitement what was uncovered down in the quarry has him in very high spirits and for the whole geology department, over lunch whenever I asked about what it was all he could say was that it was “Something truly special” he plans to have his teams study it further…but after returning from the quarry I find myself feeling a bit out of sorts, well more than usual. I swear I’m hearing things, things that aren’t there and seeing things, they seem so real and then in a flash they are gone, the stories of Fort Haven have always been told since the colonist first began here. Blackman should be back from the quarry soon maybe I can talk to him more about it but first I need to attend to an incident that occurred in the shuttle garage this is something I could do without at the moment.
After finishing Kay rubbed their chin with curiosity “Hmm interesting” Paulson came from behind placing his hands on both of Kay’s shoulders “What you got?” Kay looked up to him and replied “Seems that they found something down in the quarry something that the scientists very excited” Paulson spoke “They found some sign of alien life maybe?” Kay shrugged “Not sure the log doesn’t say but from the time stamp from the footage Kara and me saw in O-SEC and the stamp here on the long it wasn’t long before everything went to hell” Paulson read the log himself “Does this thing in the quarry have something to do with it” Kay nodded “It’s possible, it does seem to correlate but I’m not 100% sure” Kay wondered about the others “Should we tell Kara and Trent?” Paulson nodded as well “I think we need to give them a heads up if they are planning on going into the quarry” Kay agreed with him.
Kay tapped on the coms headset “Kara, we think we’ve found something that you guys need to know about” Kara’s voice spoke into Kay’s ear “What did you find?” Kay shuffled in the chair slightly as Paulson moved away, Kay began talking “So in the last logs it’s seems that the station’s director and someone called Blackman report finding something down in the quarry” Kara replied “Did the log say anything about what it is?” Kay shook their head “No nothing, Blackman only said it was ‘Something truly special’ but it does seem that not long after they found this thing that everything in the outpost went nuts” Kara replied again “Seems like it, appreciate the info Kay we’ll take it careful when we reach the mining site, Trent and I we are still heading through the O2 farm, should reach cultivation soon” as Kay was still talking to Kara Paulson was pacing when his head began to hurt and a voice spoke just low enough for him to hear it “You’re disgusting” he looked around but couldn’t hear anything, he moved away from Kara moving about the other consoles when he noticed on one of them a glass ashtray on it. He saw the lit cigarette burning and recognised the brand, Paulson stepped closer he heard the creak of the floorboards of the old farmhouse, he reached for it when suddenly “CARL!” the shout made him jumped but he realised that it wasn’t Kay saying it, he looked around there was still nothing he mumbled to himself under his breath “Get it together Carl” he thought about reading what the director wrote in the log about hearing things and believed that it was him being psychosomatic. He looked back to see that Kay had finished talking with Kara, they turned to see him standing there looking a bit off “You ok Paulson?” he didn’t want for people to thing he was losing it “Yeah I’m fine” he moved over to the console and sat next to Kay “You can call me Carl by the way” Kay smiled “Thought it was weird calling people by their last name” Paulson agreed “Well Kara and me a used to it being part of military divisions, so it’s something we’re used to” Kay had no links to the military but they were curious to know more about the pilot that brought them here “Have you been with the UNF long?” Paulson had to think about it “Um I been a pilot on several UNF ships for about six years before that I piloted any ol’ junk heap that would have me…I love to fly, goin through space is the best feelin you can have” Kay payed more attention to his Southern American twang “Apologies for any offence but you seem like a guy who should be on a farm” Paulson laughed “That’s because I was Kiddo, my parents owned a farm on the outskirts of Franklin, Tennessee so country boy born and raised. That was until my schools realised I was a bit smarter than the other kids, surprised many at my college that is was studyin thermo dynamics and interstellar physics and engineerin” Kay was surprised “Holy shit” Paulson laughed again “The Genius Hillbilly I what they called me, but that work got me to where I wanted to go”. Paulson looked at Kay, upon their first arrival he assumed that they were quite timid, there was some barriers there but after everything that was happening they seemed to be coming more out of their shell, he leaned back in the chair “So what’s your story Kiddo?” Kay seemed to withdraw slightly “Nothing interesting really” Paulson could tell Kay was holding back “Come on, you here aren’t ya, far away from Earth takes some nerve to get this far” Kay shuffled a bit then responded “Well New Yorker, like you I was a really smart kid I left school at 15 at went to college and got my degrees in mechanics and advanced electronics” Paulson gave cleared his throat showing how he was impressed “Ain’t smart like me at all Kiddo, I don’t come even close” Kay smirked slightly at the compliment “After college I spent time building and selling computers until someone at the Aspen Corporation somehow heard of me and they offered me a job working in their research labs, it was about a year or two before they then put me on assignment to come here…see my life isn’t as exciting as travelling across space flying huge ships” Kay looked up and saw Paulson grinning Kay queried the stare “What?” Paulson responded “You’re cute when you’re nervous” Kay felt a bit embarrassed but still gave a playful smile at the second compliment “Easy big guy” Kay then laughed.
Paulson laughed in return but it quickly disappeared when he saw something moving on the security footage “What in the hell was that?” Kay turned to the screen curious at what he saw “What, what did you see?” Paulson rolled the chair over to get closer “I saw somethin movin about the corridors on one of the cameras” Kay was worried “Do you think it’s the cultists?” Paulson shook his head “No it wasn’t…it wasn’t human” Kay glanced to him but he was focused on flicking through the different cameras “I swear I saw somethin” the screens switched to show one part of the outpost after the other until finally they both saw it Paulson pointed “There!” Kay felt goosebumps at the sight of it “What the hell is that?” they both looked at the strange dog like creature as it moved slowly, its long tongue licking the ground, Paulson commented on the strange animal “Maybe they did find something alien here” all Kay could do was just stare at it.
The hound continued tasting the ground, it growled trembling the black flesh of its neck it could taste something, flesh was near, the saliva was hanging from its lower lip from the thought of feeding when it found what it wanted it would signal to its brothers to join the feasting. It stopped when it reached a large doorway, the hound bared its teeth the scent was stronger here which meant the flesh was close it let out a howl and then ran into one of the corners disappearing in the black mist.
Kay recoiled when they saw the hound disappear into the walls “Shit, did you see that?!” Paulson couldn’t believe it either but he noticed where the door led to you “That door leads to Horticulture!” Kay felt their stomach turn “Kara…Trent!” they rushed at the console to find Kara and Trent on the cameras as Paulson took the second headset “O-SEC? O-SEC it’s Paulson, are you there?!”. Kara could hear the panic in his voice “What’s wrong?” Paulson’s voice spoke frantically in her ear “Kara there’s something on the outpost, some kind of thing it’s coming your way!” Kara turned to Trent who was just looking as worried “What do you mean by thing?” Paulson continued “There’s some sort of freaky lookin animal roaming round” Kara began checking around the surroundings “Are you sure it can get down here? The elevator isn’t on the upper floor” Paulson didn’t know how to explain so he just decided to say the truth “O-SEC this freaky fucker walked through a god damn wall!” Kara frowned in disbelief “Seriously Paulson? It’s this place, I think it can affect your mind” Paulson was determined for Kara to listen “We saw it Kara both Kay and me you have to…” something metallic clanged from behind Kara and Trent that made them jump and turn around quickly. One of the large O2 cannisters rolled out a group of storage racks and across the floor, Kara could hear Paulson still talking “Paulson shut up!” he stopped mid-sentence and glanced down to Kay both concerned he tried talking but quieter “What is it? What’s happening?” there was silence he looked back to Kay “Get the Horticulture sector up on the screen we need eyes on them” Kay typed furiously on the computer trying to find the right camera access. Kara and Trent had weapons ready but making heading through the area but backwards keeping an eye on where the cannister had fallen she spoke softly so only Trent could hear “Move quietly, don’t make any sudden movements” the cautionary attitude didn’t last long when they heard the growling coming from down by the storage rack Kara’s heart skipped “Shit” she saw a ladder that led up to the second level high above them and pointed “Go, go, go now” they scrambled up the ladder trying to be quick but also not to make too much noise.
On the second level they began moving on, they eventually reached the end of the oxygen farm but the entrance to Cultivation was below them, Kara contemplated climbing back down but they’d have to go through decontamination the plan however wasn’t going to work when they heard a loud horrific bark coming from somewhere below, they put their find a nook in between the plants to avoid being seen. Both Trent and Kara leaned slightly to look below and then they saw it, the hound was weaving leisurely in between the large towers sniffing at the ground occasionally its long tongue would unwind out of the cascade of teeth, Trent looked to Kara whispering “The hell is that?” Kara couldn’t help but stare at it “No idea…Paulson we are on the second floor in an alcove , it’s here below us”. Kay saw it on the cameras “Ok I got them, I can see it moving about the farming towers” Kara heard Kay’s voice “Kay we can’t get to the door way to Cultivation without that thing seeing us, is there another way from here to get us through to the other side?” Kay was checking the details of the map that Kay didn’t have access to like ventilation and maintenance passages and they found something “Ok where you are there should be a panel you can remove” Trent shuffled into the alcove further and found the panel and pulled it off reveal something similar to the access way by the control room, Trent spoke quietly “I’ve got it open now what?” Kay explained further “From there you will be able to access the ventilation ducts, there’s only one through Cultivation but you will have to climb down and pass through that area, I can unlock the door that will lead you through the labs” Kara looked back down the alcove hearing more aggressive growls, she wondered if the creature had sensed them she didn’t want to wait she climbed through the opening and Trent followed loosely putting the panel back in place as they crouched under the piping.
The hound sniffed the ground by the ladder and looked up the second led upward, that’s where the flesh had gone but not out of reach, emerging from the corner on the second floor near the ladder the hound licked the ground tasting the scent trail as the claws on its twisted paws clinked against the metal floor. The scent led to a passage that was too small for the hound to fit but the smell was ripe, the flesh had been here but they had slipped away, looking above at the ceiling the hound knew that they had moved into the walls, too small, it growled angrily and moved to find them.
Control Room
Paulson had had enough feeling useless standing in the control playing overwatch he picked up the rifle “Screw we’ve got to help them” Kay turned in the chair “But she told us to stay here” Paulson checked to see if his rifle was loaded and replied “Yeah but that was before there was a mutant hell dog runnin around and who knows if that’s the only one!” Kay was reluctant but they knew that Paulson had a point they would be safer in a group than divided, they got up taking their handgun and headed for the door “Alright let’s go” Paulson watched Kay march past him and followed behind them, the door unlocked and both of them headed out to find Kara and Trent.
Horticultural Sector
Cultivation Centre
This area of the Horticultural Sector was were the people of Fort Haven grew fruits and vegetables, wheat, rye and barley all to be used for the kitchens, the rows upon rows of green vegetation were bathed in a soft glow of the lamps which were mimicking natural light. The vent grate in the ceiling was kicked loose landed on the floor with a bang, a pair of legs began to dangle down and then Kara dropped landing on her feet, she looked around quickly then looked up to Trent “Drop the rifle down” Trent passed her the gun and then she gestured to him “Ok you’re next” Trent swung his legs around and gripped the edge of the vent and then dangled down for a few seconds before dropping down next to Kara with a grunt, she checked on him “Hey you alright?” he waved a hand “Yeah I’m fine, come on let’s keep moving before that thing comes sniffing around” she nodded and the two of them made their way in between the large planters. The door to the other side was close when suddenly Kara stopped, Trent noticed and called over to her “What’s wrong?” the growl was easily heard from the far end of the hall and Kara noticed the black shape moving across the edge of the planters near one of the storage sheds. Trent spotted too “That’s impossible the quarantine handed been done, how did it get inside?” Kara stood her eyes fixed on the wandering hound “Walk through walls, he said they walk through the damn walls” the hound came into full view as it reached the same aisle that the humans were standing in. Kara lifted the rifle taking aim “Open the door” Trent replied “But we will need to decontaminate on this side as well” Kara yelled “I know but we have no choice open the door now!” as the hound drew near Kara fired one round but it missed “Shit, hurry Trent” the door opened and Trent was first in the decontamination chamber he called to Kara “Kara get in!” she fired another round and it struck the hound in the back, it yelped and let out a series of barks the teeth showing in an angry snarl, it began to charge and Kara cursed “Fuck!” she darted into the chamber and the door slammed on the creature which then gave it’s unnatural howl. Kara and Trent stood in the chamber as the cleaning sprays activated, the hound thumped against the glass trying to get in Trent was anxious “Will it hold?” Kara kept the rifle on the hound “I don’t know”, the thumping stopped and black smoke appeared from the right where the hound had been and then the smoke appeared inside the room Trent pointed “What is that?!” the black tendrils emerged from the smoke and began climbing part of the walls. A red warning light flashed followed by a computerised voice [Warning contamination detected: All Functions Have Ceased] Kara looked to Trent urgently “It’s putting the chamber into quarantine mode, Trent there is an emergency release above the door, pull it and get it open!” he nodded as the sprays ceased and scrambled to the handle above the door but it was slippery to pull, Kara watched as the hound emerged from the smoke it’s teeth bared with the hunger of the hunt, she managed to fire another round but the hound leapt forward and pounce on top of her knocking her to the ground. Kara used the rifle to block it and hold it back as it bit at her frantically but it was strong she wouldn’t be able to keep it a bay for long “Trent open the fucking door!” Trent managed to get a firm hold on the release handle and turned it with a heavy clunk then the door opened “Got it!”. The hounds tongue slivered out and licked across Kara’s face, she felt the hound push its weight towards her and her arms were starting to tire, there was the crack of three shots and the hounds reared back shrieking allowing Kara to scramble away and get to her feet, she looked to Trent who had his hand gun raised smoking slightly from the barrel she grabbed his shoulder “Come on!” they rushed out in the labs as the hound got back to its feet.
The lab area was similar to the hallways like the rest of Fort Haven except narrower and had more light, Kara moved down a corridor on the right and gave herself some distance from the chamber door Trent was slightly in front but had is back against the wall. The flashing red light gave a threatening glow onto the floor and walls that were across from the door, then the hound emerged snarling but also it was bleeding at least the thought it was blood it was much darker and thicker than a humans, it dribbled on to the floor from the bullet wounds. It eyed the flesh that stood away from them but the hunt was still on, it barked at them as it crouched slightly and stalked towards them, Kara wasn’t going to give it another chance she aimed carefully and fired several round as quickly as she could with the bolt action, they each hit the mark and the final one struck it in the animal’s head, it took a few more steps tried to bark but it seemed to gagged, it wheezed trying to take in breaths it’s eyes widened as it barked again and the thick dark blood spurted from its maw, after more gasps and blood stained the floor the hound finally slumped to the floor dead. Kara sighed lowered the gun her chest heaving from exhaustion, Trent slid down the wall to sit on the floor he gasped as well “Jesus…Christ!” Kara was hunched over slightly she looked over at Trent “Hey…You ok?” Trent nodded “Am I ok? Are you ok?” Kara straightened herself up “Yeah…I’m fi…” the word bleed into a scream as Kara was pulled backwards as another hound appeared and grabbed her by her left shoulder trying to drag her away, Trent’s eyes widened “Oh SHIT!” he scrambled to his feet and rushed towards her. In the struggle and the pain Kara managed to get the fire axe loose from the back pack straps and it fell on the floor, the hound started ragging her around and she tried everything to break free from its grip, she yelled out from the pain searing through her shoulder, Trent grabbed the axe raising it high then swung down hard hitting the second hound in the neck. The hound yelped but managed to let Kara go but the axe slipped from Trent’s grip as it was still imbedded in the animal’s neck, he grabbed Kara and tried to pull her up but he fell to floor as well, the hound stopped yelping and turned to the two humans who were shuffling backwards to try and get away. Trent was cradling Kara who had passed out and was watching the hound getting closer, he closed his eyes not wanting to see what was going to happen but the air was suddenly filled with gunfire, shouts and the noise of the hound shrieking then crumpling to the ground. When Trent opened his eyes he saw the monster dead and Kay running up to him “Trent? Trent?! Are you alright?!” he was in a daze but he managed to reply “I’m fine but Kara is hurt” Kay looked down to Kara and saw the bite wound on her shoulder “Shit! Carl we need to get her to medical now!” Paulson stomped over and saw Kara “Fuck, alright Kay help Trent up and I’ll carry Kara” Kay put Trent’s arm over their shoulder and heaved him up onto his feet “Come on Trent” they headed towards the elevator. Paulson reached down and placed his arms under Kara’s neck and legs and lifted her off the floor she opened her eyes and gasped out “Paulson” he smiled down at her “Don’t worry O-SEC we’ve got you” he moved quickly to follow after the others and get the elevator up to medical.
Medical
Luckily the group didn’t come across any resistance as they finally arrived at the Medical Department, the group barged in activating the motion lights Kara had regained consciousness and was yelling from the pain whilst Paulson was still carrying her “Right Kay lock the door and Trent help me put Kara down on that bed” Kay let them move on as they locked the door to medical. Trent stood on one side of the bed Paulson began lowering Kara onto the bed she cried out “Fuck! Tell me…those shitting things are dead!” Trent tried to remove her jacket to get to the wound he replied “Yeah, we got them Kara, but you need to hold still” Paulson took one of the medkits from Kara’s bag and opened it, inside was bandages, tape and two syringes and several bottles of painkillers. He took the syringe and one of the bottles and pierced the lid and pulled the plunger so it would take in the clear fluid, he pressed it slightly to remove the air bubble causing a few drops to spit in the air “Ok O-SEC will need to get that shirt off for the next bit” Kara gave out a pain laughed “Dinner would be nice before getting me undressed” Paulson gave a joking expression “Well I’m more of a ‘let’s get to it’ kinda guy, so let’s get it off” he helped Kara pull it up over her head and placed the red stained on the table, Kara lay there with her black bra which had the left strap torn but Paulson kept it on for courtesy. Paulson then looked to Trent and Kay “You two I’m going to need a stitcher and somethin for her to wear when it’s all done” Trent responded with a quick ok and then head off with Kay to look for what they needed, Paulson applied the tourniquet onto Kara’s arm and gave the vein a tap for it to show more, he then took the syringe and slowly pierced the skin, Kara winced slightly “So you’re a medic now?” Paulson glance slightly but kept doing what he was doing “Basic first aid training comes in handy when travellin through space” he pushed down on the plunger “Although I’m not good at stitchin people up that’s why I need the stitcher to do that” he finished the injection and pulled out the needle “Now this shit is strong it’ll kick in soon and you’ll be out for an hour or so but that will be time for the machine to do it’s job” Kara already began to feel light headed as Paulson started cleaning the bite wound, her vision began to blur “I…think it’s…start…”.
The surge of sensation as Kara plummet in the water was enough to almost sap the air from her lungs but she managed to hold her breath and began to swim to the surface, she burst out from the water taking in a big inhale of air, she bobbed in the water as she saw something ahead, it looked like some kind of island Kara swam towards it. There was no beach to walk onto but greenish black stones, Kara lifted herself out of the water and onto the rock, she looked at the ‘island’ it all seemed to made of the same rock but many rose high into the air like huge slanted skyscrapers “Where the hell am I?” she looked up to the sky and although daylight she saw a moon in the sky, a moon she recognised, where ever she was she was on Earth but this place Kara didn’t recognise. She started moving away from the water’s edge and further into the island, as Kara walked she felt let she was being watched like there was someone constantly behind her but when she looked there was no one, this entire place felt wrong like it shouldn’t be here a dark scar on the world. Journey across the rock and peaks Kara reached the centre of the island and before her stood a large stone door way, she stepped cautiously as she approached but her head began to be filled by voices chattering in whispers but there was too many to make anything out, Kara stopped right before it and heard Lady Garvel’s voice speak amongst the others “R’lyeh…the planet is R’lyeh” the chattering was becoming too much when a voice behind Kara silenced them “Beautiful isn’t it” she turned around to see a man stood several yards away from her. The man was Blackman still wearing his suit he stood silent as Kara responded “Where am I?” he held out his arms and waved them to the rocky outcrops and peaks “This is where he shall rise” Kara turned fully to face the man “You mean Cthulhu?” the man smiled “So you finally have learned his name” Kara tilted her head “Wait I recognise you” Blackman began walking towards her “Who I am doesn’t matter right now, what does is that everything must be in place for his return” Kara looked around “What is R’lyeh?” Blackman stopped just feet away from Kara “R’lyeh is his kingdom, where he was exiled millennia ago into waiting sleep, he has dreamed as the ages passed” he raised a hand to the doorway “This place is a fragment of R’lyeh, it’s true place is far beyond the stars” the was filled with a thunderous roar Kara looked around but couldn’t see anything as a fog began to roll in blanketing the sky and rolling over the rocks, the roar faded into a series of growls and rumbles “What was that?” Blackman didn’t take his eyes of Kara “That is him…it is almost time there is still blood needed for him to drink and satisfy his thirst” the ground shook with a loud pound for a moment and was followed several more, Kara realised that these were the sounds of footsteps. The footsteps got louder as another roar tore through the fog ridden air Blackman laughed “Soon the gateway to Earth will open and the Great Dreamer shall take Earth back again and reign over the people that had exiled him!” Kara saw something moving in the fog, a massive shape a hulking great beast stomped passed the high rising pikes of rock, it’s full form was hidden in the fog but it was the size was why Kara was stunned she had never seen anything like it. As the form vanished Blackman stood behind her he leaned in and whispered in her ear “He is coming”.
Kara woke suddenly from the scratching on her shoulder, she glanced quickly to see Kay sat next to her who was also startled by the sudden movement, Kara looked over at her shoulder and saw the machine working on where the hound had bitten her. Stitchers were medical drones which looked like mechanical spiders that were built to quickly cuts and open wounds in emergency situations, they glue the wounds close then cauterise it to prevent reopening then work the healing process leaving scarring tissue, they are messier than stitches but ideal for things like combat scenarios in the military. Kara stared at the ceiling “Jeez that was stupid” Kay moved to be closer “I think it’s nearly done” Kara spoke a bit groggily “How long have I been out?” Kay replied “About two hours” Kara noticed Paulson and Trent were absent “Where are the others?” Kay spoke “We were rotating to look over you, I was first they are resting in a Dr’s office and to get something to eat and drink Kara sat up luckily the stitcher was able to stay on her shoulder to finish the work. She swung her legs over and felt the dryness in her mouth “Do you have any water?” Kay nodded “Yeah sure” there was a jug of water and Kay poured some into a cup and passed it over to her, she took it and sipped it feeling the water loosen her throat she asked Kay “How’s Trent?” Kay answered “He’s fine, he was a bit shaken up when we found you two” Kara was curious about Kay and Paulson being here “Why are you guys here?” Kay drank some water as well “We saw those dog things and we couldn’t sit around whilst you and Trent were alone, we thought it would be safer in numbers, so we managed to make our way through unimpeded getting to you guys but we took the elevator that was on the other side of the Horticultural Sector” Kara drank some more water “Well appreciate you risking your lives to save ours, thank you” Kay smiled “We’re all in this together” Kara noticed that they were in a small isolated room “Where are we?” Kay replied “We decided to put you somewhere not out in the open in case we got attacked by crazy cult worshippers or dogs from hell but it seems we’ve gotten a stretch of luck because it been quiet” Kara put the cup of water onto the table “Too quiet for my liking after what we’ve seen” she rubbed the back of her neck and the stitcher beeped and climbed down off Kara’s shoulder then settled down on the bed and deactivated Kay spoke as Kara felt the scar tissue “Guessing it’s finished, I’ll get the others” they got up from the chair and left the room.
Kara sat staring at the bite mark her mind wandering about the dream, the island, the man and the thing moving in the fog, she placed her head in her hands “What the fuck is this place?” her hands slipped down her face and her eyes looked over the tips of her fingers “I swear I’m losing my mind” she watched her feet dangle off the side of the bed. Paulson arrived with Kay and he moved over towards the bed “Hey good to see that you’re awake” he checked out the fresh scars on Kara’s shoulder “The stitcher did a great job” he turned to Kay and told them to get something to eat and that he would check on Kara. He sat in the chair and looked up to Kara “So how you feelin?” Kara sighed and shook her head “I’m not sure I know anymore” Paulson squinted with interest “What do you mean?” Kara was concerned about telling the others about what she had been seeing. She gained her confidence and looked to Paulson with a fearful expression “I’ve been seeing…things, like things that aren’t there, horrible things” Paulson’s expression was like he had seen a ghost and Kara was being to feel like she was talking crazy “I know it sounds nuts but I can’t explain it” Paulson shook his head “No, it’s like you said this place seems to have some affect on the mind” Kara knew that Paulson knew something and waited for him to answer “I’ve seen and heard things to…only once back in the control room, but it felt so real” Kara gave a relieved exhale “Thank god I thought I was losing it” Paulson was feeling the same way “This ain’t no ordinary planet, maybe what that crazy lady with the blindfold was ramblin about was right?” Kara looked at Paulson sceptically “Space gods?” Paulson frowned and leaned back in the chair “Look at what has been going on, you said it yourself we are startin to hallucinate weird shit and how else can you explain those alien dog things?” Kara despite what she had been seeing insisted on trying to finding some reason behind it all “There must be something other than some ancient cosmic deity, those cultist were brainwashed by that woman the power of suggestion can be a dangerous thing” Paulson paused “Maybe you’re right but that man in the shuttle bay…that wasn’t something ordinary, that wasn’t anything natural” Kara remembered the tentacled man “We no nothing on this planet they could have dug up some parasitic organism” she felt more like she was trying to convince herself rather than Paulson “But parasites, alien or squid gods whatever the reason it doesn’t matter all we need to do is get the fuck off this planet, get to the Lafayette and leave this place far behind us until it becomes a distant memory” Paulson nodded at that comment “That I whole heartedly agree with you, I’m quite ready to get off this rock now” Kara smiled “This would have been so much easier if we could have sent a signal from the control room” Paulson laughed “That what you get when you have shitty construction of outer world colonies, poor layout designs and lunatic cultists” Kara laughed with him and then stood up carefully from the bed “Then we better get moving to that transmission tower” Kara noticed that someone had found a spare t-shirt in one of the medical changing rooms she mentioned to Paulson “Excuse me for a second” she took off the torn bra and picked up the white t-shirt then pulled it over her head, she winced from the pain in her shoulder as she pulled it down. Paulson handed Kara her jacket “I’m afraid it’s torn slightly” she took it and put it on “Damn alien dogs” Kara and Paulson left the room to get Kay and Trent to head to the quarry.
The remaining two hounds had found some flesh that had been hiding in one of the offices, they had killed it and were already tearing into the flesh, muscles ripped away and bones cracked as the hounds fed. Blackman appeared in the door and the hounds looked up from the dead colonist blood soaking the fur of their maws, they both gave a bow of the heads at his presence as he approached “I’m glad you’ve found something to tame that hunger” he crouched down next to one stroking the fur “The hunt has proven difficult, I know that two of the brothers have been sent back to the void but I know who were the ones who killed them” the hound next to him growled and Blackman smiled as he ran his fingers in the blood and rubbed it feeling the tackiness in between his finger and thumb, it was a sensation he enjoyed “Don’t worry I know where the flesh will be” he stood and started walking out of the room and the hounds followed behind him.
To Be Continued...
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