fourth agent stood his ground and
continuously fired his weapon into the monster who quickly turned away from the
determined shooter.
The dozens of bullets already inside Arrington managed
to slow him down to normal human speed, but he was still able to run towards
the open field. One of the countless bullets Charlie and Bravo teams were
firing at the killer finally severed his spinal cord. The monster dropped only
twenty feet from the cornfield that may have offered him an escape. He pushed
himself up with his arms and tried to crawl away from his pursuers. As the lead
agent on Bravo team approached, Arrington’s head exploded like a watermelon
being smashed with a sledgehammer. The impact was so violent that it caused the
agents in pursuit to hit the deck; a sniper would be claiming the kill shot.
Ryan and Dallas bolted through the back door seconds
after Arrington fell. Tom and Michelle, who were trained medics, stayed with
the victim in the basement. A few agents were still on the ground after the
sniper shot. Ryan and Dallas kept their weapons aimed at the headless corpse as
they approached.
“Bravo and Charlie, do not approach the target,” ordered
Ryan. “Check on the downed agents. I don’t want you to re-enter the house
either. We’ll clear the rest of the rooms.”
Nobody spoke as Ryan gave instructions. They were all
baffled on how the Marine took dozens of rounds and stayed on his feet. They
were also baffled on how he managed to nearly decapitate one agent and punch a
fist-sized hole in the abdomen of another; it was obvious they both died
instantly. Ryan and Dallas knelt beside Arrington’s body after they were
convinced he was truly dead.
“Look at his hands,” said Dallas, observing the long
fingers with two-inch nails resembling claws.
“I knew there was going to be some deformity, but I
think it was slightly understated in the briefing,” responded Ryan.
“Slightly understated? Did you see his fucking face in
the basement?” asked Dallas. “He was pale as a ghost. Look at the skin around
his neck. He looks like a zombie.”
“There wasn’t much light down there, but I agree,” said
Ryan. “You definitely don’t see that every day. Could just be blood loss.”
“I guess,” acknowledged Dallas. “But still.”
“I know, Dallas,” said Ryan. “I have a few questions
myself. Stay here with him until I come back. Nobody gets close. Understand?”
“I don’t think that’ll be a problem,” said Dallas,
looking over at the agents huddled around their two downed men.
As ordered earlier, Ryan slid a battery in his cell
phone and immediately called the deputy director. He informed him Arrington was
dead and the scientists were cleared to enter the property. He returned to the
basement to check on Michelle and Tom.
“Is the freak dead?” asked Tom.
“Very,” replied Ryan. “Sniper literally took his head
off. But he killed two of ours before he went down.”
“Damn it,” said Tom. “I really thought we had the drop
on him. It was like he didn’t even know we were there until you interrupted
him.”
“This poor girl was probably dead before she hit the
wall,” said Michelle, kneeling over the victim. “She’s nearly decapitated. Did
he have a hatchet or a knife?”
“Not that I saw,” said Ryan. “But his fingernails are
about two inches long. When he rose up, I just saw blood pumping out of her
neck.”
“They weren’t joking about his speed and strength,” said
Michelle.
“No, they weren’t,” said Ryan. “We need to assemble
outside and wait for the forensic team. There’s nothing we can do for her now.”
“Boss?”
“Yeah, Tom.”
“Take a quick look down here before you go up. I cleared
the other rooms when you and Dallas were upstairs. You’re going to want to see
what’s in there.”
“Not a word to anyone else about what we saw, Tom,” said
Ryan, in a commanding tone. “You either, Michelle. This stays with us for