Chapter 8: The Rain Cometh...

“Oh my god,” Zalika replied as she froze at the terminal. She practically dropped the tool from her hand as Carlos responded in kind to what they saw in the camera feed.

“Wei, get the fuck out of there now!” Zalika yelled.

“Master Sergeant,” Kole replied on the comms. “Get the team out of there immediately.”

“Backup! Backup team!” Wei ordered his marines. “Back in formation. Orderly retreat!”

“Foooood,” the ensign walked on his magnetic shoes. It kept him glued to the floor while he seemingly stumbled towards Uluwehi and Wei. They began to back up as Harper and Felix quickly got into position with their guns, maintaining their firing positions. Penn kept a close eye on the rear, but Cassidy was on the other side of the forming team.

Almost running across the two doors, a massive silver tentacle whipped out of the crew lounge door. It quickly wrapped up the beleaguered woman in its tentacle. Like the tongue of some frog, it stretched and latched out of the door of the crew lounge.

“Help! Ahhh!” Cassidy yelled, but it was so fast and so quick. The whiplash alone was almost enough to snap the woman’s neck in twain, but she was still screaming before it took her whole body with her directly into the crew lounge.

“What the holy fuck!” Felix screamed.

It was happening so hard and so fast that it couldn’t be explained in simple words alone. Everything was happening all at once. Screaming could be heard from the crew lounge. To the horrors of the marines, they could see the camera feed from Cassidy’s gun as they could see the trail end of the tentacle. It melted in place around her and covered her body up. Her armor was protecting her as the mercury-like substance enveloped her. All she could see was red and silver liquid around her.

“HELP ME!” Cassidy screamed.

The marines had gotten away safely from the doors. They began to back out more and more in an orderly retreat. They watched as Ensign Barton and other crew members with silver-like eyes started to exit the rooms they were in. To the soldiers’ realization, the crew of the Columbus had never left. Their eyes all looked at the marines as they began to move directly toward them.

“AHH!” Cassidy screamed more and more. A breach alarm could be heard from her suit as the mercury-like substance began to melt through her armor. A sizzling sound could be heard as the armor was breached. The silver-like substance had her. It had penetrated her body. The sounds of the visor snapping were the last they heard of the screaming woman. The camera feed from the captured marine went dead.

“What the hell?” Uluwehi replied as his gun shook near his scanner. “Picking up ... picking up ... silicon ... carbon ... biosignature readings ... all in one. Lost Cassidy’s signature ... fuck...”

“Fooood ... mooooreee...” one of the silvery-eyed crew members said, pointing his fingers at the marines.

“Wei,” Bekra almost stumbled in her words over the communication channel. “Do not shoot them!”

“What?” Felix replied. “Did you see what it did to Cassidy?”

“Don’t shoot them!” Bekra pleaded, her voice filled with chirps and clicks. “Please...”

“I won’t shoot them!” Wei replied. “I saw human beings! Crew from the ship.”

“Master Sergeant,” Kole replied through the comms. “Just get the team out of there now!”

Bekra’s words seemed maddening to hear. The crew of the Columbus appeared to be entirely possessed. A marine was most likely dead or turned into something else. Wei simply shook his head in disbelief. Fear, disbelief, and adrenaline were in the hearts of the men. The marines were making ground as they kept their guns trained on the stumbling crew members that were pouring out of the crew lounge. A few more came out of adjacent rooms and were also giving chase to the marine team. Some lumbered, and others walked towards them like shambling zombies.

“Attention, crew of the Columbus!” Wei yelled. “We’re on your side! Stand down! I repeat, stand down!”

It was like talking to a wall of wiggling flesh. All seemed to move as one. The horde of crew members numbered in the twenties. It was here that one brandished an M71 pistol. This seemingly possessed woman pointed her gun with her silver mercury eyes and carefully aimed at the marines.

A shot rang out. The woman fired a round as it flew and bounced off Harper’s armor. She fired again, but the shot missed.

“Shots fired!” Harper called out.

“Get out of there!” Bekra repeated. “Don’t let them touch you!”

“Eh ... you don’t have to tell me twice...” Felix repeated.

“Foooood...” the horde was repeating as the other woman fired her pistol again. This time it clicked as she ran out of rounds.

“Moooorrreee...,” a possessed man said as he lifted up a PDW-20 and took careful aim at the marines. Set on full automatic, the rifle began to spray a series of bullets. The man had no issue holding onto the gun as the accuracy went awry for a split second before the shots started to shower the marines.

The rifle bullets had little to no effect on the marines. Their armor held true, but even then, the fear factor remained. The marines were scared as they kept reversing course towards the elevator shaft to make their escape.

“Taking fire!” Uluwehi yelled out.

“Master sergeant, we’re en route to your location to render assistance,” Karine replied through the comms.

“No! Stay where you are!” Wei informed her. “Tell the captain we’re in contact with...” A bullet slammed into his armor as he shrugged it off. “You have your orders!”

“I’m picking up nothing but concentrations of mercury and silicon in their systems,” Uluwehi commented. “Their body fluctuations are...”

“What the hell?” Felix replied as he turned around. He could see they were getting closer to the elevator shaft. The moment he could see the door, he could see more bodies coming from the other side of the passageway.

“They’re trying to cut us off!” Penn yelled. “Picking up four ... no, make it five bodies coming from the other side of the ring. They’ll block our escape.”

As they continued their walk back to the elevator shaft, they could see the small horde of bodies coming towards them. The man firing his rifle stopped. He simply smiled and holstered his rifle like nothing wrong was happening. The horde, in general, all seemed to give some grievous smile as they walked together. Their silvery eyes almost seemed to glow in the pitch darkness.

Amazingly, the marines had not opened fire yet. Perhaps it was Bekra’s words or the training in general. Most of the small arms used on the battleships could not punch through the marines’ powerful armor, and the marines already knew this. Regardless, adrenaline was a powerful thing, and the sight of the horde and them cutting them off would become a breaking point.

“Halt!” Wei yelled as he could see the five human bodies shambling towards them. They had indeed walked past the entryway of the elevator. Two of them were armed with pistols. One began to open fire on Felix as the bullets smacked his arm and helmet. The person stopped as they just kept closing in.

It was now or never. The marines were trapped. There was nowhere to go, and the crew of the Columbus was simply getting closer and closer. Wei had to make a choice, and it was one that had to be made then and now.

“Crew of the Columbus! Back away, or we’ll open fire!” Wei issued.

“Foooood...” The horde almost replied in unison. The master sergeant was not going to hold back anymore. It was as if the crew did not care.

“God forgive us...” Wei announced. “Open fire!”

It was a command that no one but the very few argued against. The team didn’t hesitate to listen to the master sergeant’s words. The order had been made and it had to be carried out.

Every M18 and PDW-20c was aimed at every random close body of the team. The weapons were set on semi-automatic. Even with the ability to spray bullets, the guns were seemingly powerful against unarmored flesh. The M18 alone was devastating in its raw form. Capable of firing 50 caliber rounds, the gun was little more than a mini cannon. From Harper’s view, the gun was accurate and true. Harper had taken aim at the man who had a pistol. One, two, three rounds, the weapon tore into the man. One shot hit the chest, another hit the arm, and another hit the head. Blood, gore, and a silver mercury-like substance began to fling all around the horde.

Wei, Penn, and Uluwehi were cutting down the main horde that was closing in on them. One by one, the bodies would be struck. Some kept going despite being hit by the bullets. Other bodies seemed to freeze a little bit. Only the blown limbs had any effect. The Columbus crew had their magnetic shoes or boots to keep them anchored as the marines were tearing their bodies apart. Only the arms or legs would fling off into zero gravity.

The ring had turned into a warzone. Felix could see that his shots were slowing down the small horde near the elevator. Seven rounds were enough to cut down another person. Her jumpsuit was thrown into tatters as her pistol was knocked loose.

“Keep moving to the elevator shaft!” Wei yelled as the marines continued. “We...”

“Wait!” Felix yelled out. “We can’t!”

The master sergeant turned around and looked at the man who was hit by the M18. The three holes in his body leaked blood and silver into the air for a short bit. Even in an environment without gravity, the substance seemed to control itself. One of the zombie-like crew had liquid tentacles with blades on them, seemingly trying to reach out to the soldiers. Finally, it stopped as the body completely shut down. The silver mercury-like substance began to flow downward, ignoring the zero gravity deliberately, and toward the deck itself. Crawling on the body, it flowed down and toward the deck. The body was empty of all its internal liquids, while the mercury-like substance had formed a pool near the man’s feet. Gripping onto the deck, the liquid metal-like began to move toward the marines.

“Keep firing!” Wei yelled out.

To the horror of the marines, they saw men and women that were lumbering toward them. It was like they didn’t care that they were being shot to pieces. A woman with a severed back flipped around and began walking backward toward the marines.

Harper was the man tracking the mercury-like substance. His M18 was aimed directly at it before he began to fire into it. The heavy rounds splashed into the substance but did nothing. The marines were shooting into the liquid. All it did was move it around a little bit, but it was meaningless. Nothing could be done. It could not be stopped. Perhaps this was what Bekra had warned about, but it was too late.

“What is that?” Harper yelled. “It can’t ... it can’t...”

Closer and closer it got, the horde seemed to slow its advance. The crew’s silver eyes were hollow and alive almost as if it were watching. The marines couldn’t explain what was happening.

Harper could do nothing. The silver-like substance sped its approach on the deck, almost seeming to leap at him. The other men were thrown into shock as they tried to scramble around him. The puddle of liquid had found its prey. Wrapping itself around Harper, the mercury-like substance immediately climbed up onto him. His screams and confusion were all that could be heard as it closed in towards his torso.

“Get it off me! God, get it off!” he screamed.

Wei was in shock. They continued shooting the other bodies, but more silver-like mercury was leaking out. The more they hit, the more they pooled on the bulkheads. One pool formed on the ceiling. It was gathering in size almost to the same size as what had enveloped Harper.

Harper could do nothing but watch in sheer terror as the mercury burned into his armor. It had aimed at his chest as it was cooking into it. His gloved hand tried to swipe it off, but it, too, was burning and only getting it onto it as well.

Within less than a couple of seconds, the breach alarms of his suit were going off. The liquid had won its battle before it penetrated his armor. His screams were all to hear for every marine on the ship. The liquid was burrowing into his heart and lungs.

“I ... I...” was Harper’s last and final words as he stopped. His breathing had become staggering. He was still in the weightlessness. The other marines were nearing the horde of four bodies, almost to the point of touching them with their hands.

Uluwehi stopped firing as he watched a crew member look at his own arm. The silver eyes glistened before the zombie used his other hand to grab onto it. “Foooood...” it said as it began to pull on it. Suddenly, the arm began to pull off. Red and silver could be seen as the arm slowly came unglued. Exposed bone and blood could be seen as the crew member simply smiled and held his arm for the marines to see. The arm was completely severed before he threw it at the marines.

It was Penn that would get hit by it. He had fired more rounds into the horde. The M18 was blowing apart their body parts as he didn’t see the arm coming. It was totally unexpected as the arm began to leak a silver-like substance. The moment that it hit him, the liquid hit his helmet. Immediately, the acid worked on him. It wasn’t a large concentration, but it was enough that it was burning through to his helmet. Breach alarms were going off in his suit.

It was staggering for him. He recoiled a bit as the marines tried to slip past the remaining group of bodies, blocking their path to the elevator shaft. Penn was still aimed at the horde as one of the three active bodies grabbed him. With silver leaking from his fingertips, the man grabbed Penn’s helmet. His hand went cleanly into the breached visor.

“Ah, get it!...” were his only words as the mercury began to pour into his body. His body fell still as Wei, Uluwehi, and Felix were the last ones still left from the team.

The remaining men just about reached the elevator shaft. Felix went and could see what was happening. Harper, who was still, was now twitching. His eyes had turned silver and hollow. “Fooood...” He said in his words. He had the same smile as the rest of the horde.

“My god...” Uluwehi said as he could see what had happened to Harper. The man was possessed by whatever it was. His M18 lifted up to the remaining marines. Uluwehi was only armed with his pistol.

Shots rang out as the M18’s powerful rounds cut into Uluwehi. His armor could do nothing to stop it. Harper, or whatever it was, was now shooting at the remaining team. Set at burst fire, the M18 was tearing into Uluwehi. Nothing could be done. His pistol continued to fire until his body ceased moving.

Wei was next as he could feel his arm getting hit by a spray of bullets. His M18 was aimed at Harper before he unleashed back into him. Almost both men had succeeded in their goals. Harper was cutting into his former team leader, and the team leader was trying to kill him. Felix watched as both had achieved in their work.

Wei was barely alive while he continued to back up. Harper’s body fell limp once again as the silver mercury-like substance was trying to vacate from his body. Wei watched in further shock as he could see another body in the horde. It was Cassidy.

Walking in her power armor and with an M18 at the ready, Cassidy was just as well-armed as Harper. The same smile and silver eyes showed what she was. She was little more than a husk of whatever it was. Felix and the badly wounded Wei had little that they could do but keep running.

Cassidy fired several rounds from her weapon. Each bullet seemed to hit exactly where it was intended. Wei fell limp. Felix’s rifle was useless against the armor, and he already knew it.

“Fuck this!” Felix yelled as Cassidy’s gun was aimed at him. He managed to reach it. The busted elevator shaft door was there, but a round struck him and penetrated his lower left leg. Pure adrenaline was pushing him to the shaft as he was hit in the left arm. Blood spattered from the pierced areas of his suit.

Another limb was thrown into him, this time a destroyed leg from one of the women. Cassidy had stopped firing as the horde seemed to be almost in cheer. The acid from the leg hit him in the lower torso, but it wasn’t enough to penetrate it. Regardless, his effort was to escape.

“More ... fooood,” the horde repeated.

“What ... horrors...” Felix replied. “To bring such..., all are dead.”

It was here that Felix could see it. There was no escaping it. Limping into the elevator shaft, he could see its tail end. A large puddle of silver or mercury was crawling to him. It was the largest he had ever seen. More significant than what had Harper, the accumulation had formed almost into a tidal wave that was closing in on him. It was flowing from the moving bodies. It was moving faster than his limping body.