Planet Genocide I (Galaxies Collide Book 3) (10 page)

Tony Shelley sat shivering on the sand as the light began to break over the horizon, a dull dawn beginning to cast light across the beach. Approximately thirty teenagers sat in a small subdued group, most of the bodies shivering as they wept in fear, some staring sullenly at the sand below them, their heads in their hands. Their bodies shook, most from sleep deprivation, fear and the diminishing drug and alcohol levels in their bloodstreams.

The smouldering fires sent wisps of black smoke into the air, several charred bodies lying amongst the burnt and crackling embers. A number of Morgon black troops sat some distance away with their backs to the dishevelled and withdrawn group, their jaws chewing on human flesh as several tracked transporters rose onto the sands in the distance.

The waves lapping the beach were blood red, the broken bodies and limbs scattered across the crimson soaked sand. The group winced as they heard the cracks of bone, the shattering of ribcages and frames as the Morgon infantry sought gruesome bloodied souvenirs. There were less armoured infantry now, the majority having moved towards the surrounding islands and to intercept the morning boats that were coming to retrieve the party guests.

Tony cautiously glanced round, the strange squeal of the enemy engines whining as the six vehicles climbed the sandy slope. The youth’s eyes scanned the gruesome scene, mutilated bodies scattered across the sand and between the smouldering fires. Destroyed and damaged speakers and lighting equipment lay across the upper beach, the headless torso of the DJ slumped across his decks, his skull removed as a trophy. He shook his head in an attempt to push out the horrifying sights, wondering how many visions of horror were concealed in the undergrowth, his mind drifting back to the darkness as he had lain still in utter terror amongst the ferns.

The beautiful girl had licked his fingers seductively in the darkness, removing the cocaine and then kissing him deeply, their bodies pressing against each other in lustful hunger as the drug sensation swept through their bloodstreams.  As their nude bodies intertwined forcefully, the initial distant screams spread across the beach, Tony initially resisting the vague, seemingly distant interruption to his intensely rising sensations.

Bodies had run past them in the darkness, his mind blocking out the distractions until two fell over them, his chest heaving as he fell to one side. The male struggled upwards, the shadow above him as he cried out, the blades slicing through his back as the body dropped forward across Tony, blood squirting across the nude youth’s face as the body above twitched violently in final death spasms. The youth had lain there, the red gleaming eyes sweeping over him and advancing further on, most of the fleeing teenagers running towards the island’s only small wooden pier.

The two small motorboats that had brought additional drugs to the island had slowly sank beneath the waves, their hulls punctured and pilots killed as the shock infantry hungrily awaited the fleeing revellers. As the hundreds of tanned bodies converged towards the remote rocky outcrop, black armoured soldiers swept in from the surf, cutting and slashing at the fleeing teenagers, the frantic screams of the survivors spurring them on in excited blood lust.

Gradually the fleeing and terrorised teenagers were herded round the beach, their numbers slowly contracting as the twin bladed swords swept through the slower and weaker members. Several had waded into the sea, attempting to swim away, their struggling bodies dragged beneath the waves as one by one the limbs were snapped. As the oxygen escaped from their lungs, their limp silhouettes drifted downwards into the depths, buffeted by the undercurrent, the breakages preventing them from swimming upwards…the Morgons were learning the physical structure and weaknesses of their new enemy.

Tony was jerked from his thoughts as the black armoured trooper moved towards the huddled shivering group, an assault rifle held menacingly towards them as the soldier indicated towards one of the transport craft. The eyes glowed within the helmet as the armoured soldier indicated again more determinedly, his patience clearly diminishing quickly.

Several of the group whimpered in terror as the black infantryman raised his rifle menacingly, Tony jumping to his feet and encouraging the others, ‘Come on…we have to move…close your eyes to the sights and head for the nearest vehicle.’ His nudity forgotten as he saw several others were without any clothing, several more reluctantly rising to their feet and reaching down for the others.

The demoralised group trudged along the lower beach, their bare feet soaked in blood as several cried openly, their shoulders shaking in fear and emotion. Tony walked pensively next to the black armoured trooper, his muscles flexing against the breeze from the open sea, his tongue running across his lips continuously from the after effects of the drugs.

His eyes widened as he took in the hundreds of motionless bodies in the brightening daylight, arms and heads sliced from torsos during the darkness. As the thirty survivors approached the angular and dark transporter, it’s engines whined once more, tracks churning over body parts below as the vehicle turned slowly to reveal a darkened interior, the rear doors lowering. Strange shapes and lettering emblazoned the sides and rear compartment, Tony swallowing hard as the lead teenagers entered the metallic structure and darkness.

His breath caught as he looked away, the gruesome sights across the beach causing him to glance down, his eyes widening further as he stared at the mutilated body to the left of his blood soaked feet. The soldier next to him indicated with the rifle once more, Tony stepping forward towards the rear of the carrier and the enveloping darkness, his head shaking in defeat…he had seen the shorts Peter had worn…a mush of human remains still within the fabric.

Tony spun round, staring out into the light as the doors whirred, the humans packed tightly into one carrier and only able to stand. Gradually the darkness closed in around them as the doors closed, then the cabin was pitched into complete blackness, a gush of air as several of the prisoners whimpered in fright, the seals closing on the interior.

The vehicle surged forward, turning once more and accelerating into the water, the tracks retracting as the vessel began to descend beneath the waves, then into the depths below.

The black and camouflaged bodies swept through the many narrow makeshift tunnels beneath the Ukraine, the routes dug secretly over the preceding years, a number extending into the Pripyet marshes and far beyond the boundary of the radioactive exclusion zone. In the devastated and abandoned streets inside the cordoned area, an army was amassing, camouflaged and black armoured soldiers moving silently along streets next to long abandoned rusted vehicles and building structures eroded over time.

Numerous Morgon walkers rose from the overgrown fields one by one, their mechanical legs extending beneath the armoured cabins as their crews manhandled laser, acid and heavy machine guns towards their designated charges.

At the checkpoints on the roads leading into the restricted area, the Ukrainian sentries stood around chatting, their voices strained through their Radioactive Protection suits. At checkpoint Delta, the soldiers checked their thick rubber encased watches, then stiffened, realising the predictable visit from their commander was now overdue.

Glancing through the trees into the restricted zone, they moved to either side of the barrier, staring along the darkened road in either direction as their watch officer emerged from the makeshift sandbagged bunker shrugging, ‘The radios are still out and computer comms keep crashing!’

He strode confidently towards the four sentries, ‘There is one earlier communication saying to stay alert…the Americans are experiencing some problems apparently…but we don’t know what.’ He pointed as the distant headlights roamed into view at the end of the long straight road heading towards the area, ‘Here is the commander now…stay focussed!’ His eyes narrowed in suspicion as he stared back towards the lights, the clatter of tank tracks echoing along the tarmac towards them as more lamps appeared behind the jeep, ‘It appears he has an escort tonight…’

The soldiers stood pensively, their automatic rifles slung over their shoulders as the lights slowly got nearer, the officer inspecting them briefly before turning to face the oncoming vehicles. The camouflaged jeep pulled up with a jolt at an angle, the commander swinging his legs out as the waiting soldiers snapped to attention. Saluting the officer, he indicated for them to walk towards the command post, the soldiers staring as two armoured carriers pulled up, a medium tank stopping behind.

The commander’s voice was stern, surprising his subordinate, ‘Is there anything to report?’

The officer shook his head nervously, ‘No Sir…the scientists completed a sweep earlier today of the immediate area and our patrol is currently out…nothing unusual.’

The senior officer nodded, ‘Good…on the orders of the High Command we are moving to a high state of alertness. All communications are restricted across the world and some alarming reports are coming in…although not confirmed.’

The officer moved uncomfortably, ‘What kind of reports Sir?’

The unit commander turned to stare at him through his sealed suit, ‘The Americans are apparently mobilizing their national guard and there are reports of street fighting in some parts of the USA. The Russians seem to have temporarily lost communication with their fleets and have sent out spotter aircraft…’ He stiffened, condensation running down the thick protective plastic, ‘…They have lost contact with them and also with St Petersburg Naval Base…’ He sighed, ‘After our troubles with them before, we are assured of our border integrity by the Kremlin…they are apparently moving a considerable number of reserve forces towards their southern and northern borders, including into Chechnya and northern Syria. We have therefore escalated our own state of alertness…you report anything unusual…do you understand?’

The subordinate grimaced, grinning beneath his suit, ‘How do we report Sir? The radios are not working and the computers are down…’ He spun round, one of the sentries shouting in alarm, his arm extending and pointing down the road into the protected zone, ‘Sir…flare!’

The two commanders stared into the darkness, the red flare spiralling upwards in the distance, its pulsing light flickering across the night sky. The officer strode back towards the road block, his eyes straining into the darkness, ‘Probably an animal…’ He stiffened, another flare shooting skywards, then another, his voice rising in alarm, ‘Defensive positions…’

The soldiers lunged forward, dropping behind the sandbagged positions on either side of the road, a whir behind them as the upper turrets on the armoured carriers turned, their rear doors opening and troops in protective suits spilling from the darkened interiors.

Branches cracked in the trees to either side, the soldiers tensing as they stared nervously into the darkness, the commander striding behind them, ‘Keep alert…’ A flash in the far distance, the senior officer falling backwards as blood pumped from his shattered helmet, a clatter as his rifle bounced on the tarmac.

The officer ducked instinctively, a high powered bullet sweeping over his head, his voice shaking, ‘Keep down!’

Flashes filled the air, the high powered machine gun turrets opening up in unison as tracers swept along the road into the darkness. More flares rose in the distance, a scream as a sentry slumped forward, his arms hanging lifelessly against the top of the sandbags as his body crumpled behind.

The officer bit his lips, the tank turret moving behind him as the machine guns fired out, the lights flashing across the trees with tracers bouncing off the tarmac in the distance. Then shrieks filled their air, the soldiers gasping as they realised the enemy were nearby in the undergrowth, the clatter of grenades as the sentries and infantry rose to run.

The flashes from detonations propelled razor edge shrapnel through the defenders, screams filling the air as several men staggered to their feet, their senses disorientated and eardrums perforated from the pulse grenades. One by one, sniper rifles cracked in the distance, the soldiers falling to their knees as the officer stared in near panic, his intense and overpowering fear rising further as the flashes showed numerous silhouettes through the trees, the glowing red eyes, the roar of the tank’s main gun complimented by the chatter of machine guns. The explosion in the trees threw debris upwards, the bright flash virtually blinding as the four surviving soldiers rose to run.

A rocket swept past, the after burn scorching the sides of an armoured carrier as the panicking driver attempted to reverse, crashing into the undergrowth to the side of the road, the engine roaring as he heard the clamps of armoured gloves on the sides, the gunner turning his turret in frantic alarm. The explosion rocked the woods, flames engulfing two of the running infantry as the ammunition began to ignite.

The officer ran past the tank, the tracks grinding and squealing as the driver began to reverse, another explosion as the jeep rose into the air in flames, the two surviving soldiers and the officer lumbering in their heavy suits away from the barricade as more inhuman shrieks filled the air. Then the black armoured infantry surged from the undergrowth, the remaining high calibre machine gun cutting several down as they advanced on the vehicle. The driver slammed into reverse as the large eight wheeled vehicle sped backwards, the grinding of metal as it hit the tank, the black figures swarming over the hulls as they clamped armoured piercing charges across the protective plate.

The two surviving soldiers and their officer were running as fast as they could through the darkness, hearing the loud explosions behind them, fuelled flames soaring into the night air as the tank and armoured car erupted. Discarding their weapons in the eagerness to escape, the heavy weight of their suits bearing down on their frames as they desperately attempted to remove items whilst running.

Sweat poured from their bodies beneath the heavy protective suits, their hearts pounding as they awaited the sniper shots. There were none, the inhuman shrieks behind them seeming to fall into the distance as they ran further along the long straight road…away from the horror.

Then suddenly the officer slowed, the two men either side shouting through their condensed screens for him to keep up…to escape with them…their eyes widening in terror as they glimpsed the five tall and muscled figures stood on the road ahead. One dropped defeated to his knees, the sobs of frustration spluttering across his protective screen as he rolled onto the tarmac, his body shaking uncontrollably as the officer stooped down next to him, a protective glove falling to rest on his shoulder.

The other soldier ran blindly into the trees to his right, his heart pounding with adrenalin as he crashed through the undergrowth as armoured figures stepped towards the soldiers on the road, the officer looking up in submission as one stood over him, his voice trembling, ‘Pozhaluysta…(please).’

The camouflaged armoured figure stared down at him, a strange cackle coming from the helmet as the officer heard the drawing of a long knife, his eyes closing to blank out the world as he glimpsed the soldier behind step forward with a large two bladed ceremonial sword.

His breath was coming sharp and short, his heart pounding in his chest as he thought of his wife and children…then he twitched, his right eye opening slightly as he heard the alloy boots depart, the soldier crashing into the undergrowth after the fleeing Ukrainian. He looked up, tears forming in his eyes as he heard the numerous alloy boots begin to approach from behind…the camouflaged helmet was staring at him…the eyes glowing red.