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Wisps of sentimental noise float within a vibrant cluster. They sing about the stories they live, corporal emotions fervently cascading around them. Their passionate songs accompanied by malevolent beats, betraying their location, acting as a beacon to those who hunt them.
Ultra terrestrial beings of indescribable proportions drift towards their prey, their flight outpacing light itself, unfettered by special relativity. Innumerable mortal souls, all somehow different and unique from each other, soon to be devoured and forgotten.
Chaos is the only truth, old before the arrival of time, everywhere before the existence of space. The void is ever changing yet has been stagnant. Its infinite kingdom shrinking by the dwindling sustenance, its primordial energy dispersing. No longer will it remain hungry, no prey will remain unscathed!
Homogeneous invasions run rampant by the will of their master. Multifarious planets soon to be culled, their inhabitants ignorant, sentenced to death for the crime of curiosity.
Chaos Thrives, Order Wilts.
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Earth, Australia, 2030, Gray
The banging drums, the whistling flute, the fervent panting. Fresh, thick, pungent blood caressing their naked feet as they dance, molesting the crevices in between toes and sloshing to the manic tune. With unnatural finesse they evade the plentiful corpses in the dark, still warm from the life that was only just taken. The dead husks belonged to a variety of species, they were all naked. Fur, feathers, hair all cleanly shaved off and dozens of ragged puncture marks mutilating their bodies. Nobody of the frolicking dozen utter a word, such primitive communication would disrupt the demented melody. A demented melody that follows a fickle rhythm, never staying with the same tempo, following no convention. The ritual should be repulsive, the degeneracy unforgivable, instead it was enticing like water in a desert.
As hours walked past, instead of tiring they became more energetic, the frenzy of their steps sending ripples through the blood. They can feel it, an unfathomable being's attention, God takes joy in their lunacy. Insects hidden within pockets of the concrete walls shambling out, laying eggs in desecrated corpses and climbing the cultists' hairless bodies. It's inseminating their thoughts, expanding minds beyond comprehension, tethering them to the vast void.
silent steps gather outside the room, unheard over the mania happening within. With practiced coordination they simultaneously burst through the door and open fire, gunshots brightening the room, laying bare the sins of its inhabitants. Those nearest to the door drop first, ecstasy still drawn on their features. the rest recoil, effectively flash banged by the burst of light escaping from the muzzles. This couldn't be called a fight, it was closer to an execution. Whoever remained after the initial volley were not spared.
Unnerving silence followed shortly after, eight armoured figures rigid, scouting for any movement among the carcasses. Eventually they creep in, warily dispersing among the crime scene, ensuring their task is complete. The smell is thick and nauseating, Blood and shit smearing the soles of their boots. One of the men wasn't paying enough attention to what was underneath him, causing him to slip on a loose finger and coating his backside in the repugnant filth. The squad sharply turns to him until they silently diagnose the situation.
"AHHHH fuck this shit, these filthy fucking animals" the man could feel the concoction of blood and shit seeping into his undergarments, smearing the skin and invading pores. In a world of frustration and disorientation, he was completely oblivious to the lanky man standing next to him until he spoke.
"...Get up Gray, get yourself sorted and secure the landing zone with Alice, we got specialists enroute"
Gray grimaces underneath the helmet, his stiff back still sore after the tumble.
"What's the ETA, sir?" The lanky man, affectionately called Cap glances away, mumbling into the radio for a moment before returning.
"ETA is 5:40, I also suggest a wash before they get here"
"Yes sir" while steadily rising to his feet, Gray overhears Cap giving Alice the same directives before turning away and ordering the others. Gray wasted no time getting out of there and looking for a place to wash, certain that hellish room will haunt him in the coming nights. After finding a rusty tap outside and scrubbing himself wet and hopefully less smelly, Gray embarked to the landing zone while checking the time on his watch and taking out a cigarette.
The cultists had set up in an industrial district on the outskirts of Melbourne, one of many places abandoned after the opening of the Gate. This wouldn't be the end of them, they were the third group they found this month alone, the cult already international and have only started spreading quicker since. Gray knew he was too old for this shit, his body was finding it hard to keep pace now, but there wasn't anybody who could replace him yet.
The sun began peaking over the distance, slowly shedding light on the uncontested weeds and crumbling buildings, birds chirping and rising from their slumber. It wasn't long till he spotted the landing zone with Alice on guard nearby, eagerly beckoning him over. He didn't dislike her, but since he was an old, jaded piece of crap, he found the rookie's enthusiasm jarring sometimes. The landing zone this time was two ragged basketball courts next to each other with a tall, wired fence securing their perimeter with 2 entry points.
"Hey Graham, I thought you were going to wash?" Alice was yelling from the other side of the court, already wincing from his fetid aroma. "I did, and just call me Gray, that's what everybody else does" Gray was unperturbed by her comment, already knowing against hope that he would need a lengthy shower or two, at least none of it was congealing on him now.
"why do they call you that anyway, I want to know how to get a cool nickname as well" She started rushing at the end, perhaps excited at the prospect. "I get called that 'cos I'm old and it's the first half of my name" Gray began to retort, already tired of the conversation, but she failed to notice the impatience.
"oh okay, why is the captain called Cap then?"
It seemed once Alice starts talking only a superior’s direct order can stop her. Gray awoke from his thoughts by a chatter in the near distance, distinct from Alice's voice. His body instinctively tensing and weapon raised in its general direction, Alice quickly following his lead. As he skulked over, trigger finger taut and ready to kill, he was able to slowly discern what it was. A rustic radio laid discarded in a bush, once used as background noise, now the foreboding messenger of death.
"-M-R-EN-Y, EM-RGE-CY, G-TE ACT-VITY DE-ECT-D, SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY!!"
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Earth, USA, 20min Earlier
A figure wearily stares at the Gate data on the monitor with glazed eyes, holding a now empty mug, her caffeine addiction not yet sated. Her comrades here are all in similar states, wordlessly tapping and scrolling through their jobs, determined to get through the cognitive haze. Even though the illusion of grandeur faded from her job, she still loves what she does, peering beyond the giant rock she called home was her calling. Not even the Coma was able to deter her. Sadly, not many shared her passion, or those that had slept in for the past six years and left her with an insurmountable workload.
Lately the days seemed to blur together, she wasn't sure why. Possibly due to the 18-hour shifts but she couldn't help it, how could she keep up with the work otherwise? Getting ready to rise from her seat for her third dosage of caffeine, she notices something peculiar from the data received from the Gate readings. Before she can fully comprehend the readings, one of her colleagues jumps from his chair, exclaiming to no one in particular.
"I've just lost visual of the Gate, I can’t reconnect to the cameras either"
Her mind whirls, her already pale skin becoming a tone lighter, dreading the possibility that she's foretelling. Before she can speak of her fears, distant screams begin to echo, multiplying with each beat of the heart. Panic begins to rouse within her as well, spurred by the infectious fervour outside. Confusion, Mutterings and eventually yelling is shared by her colleagues, they were quickly showing symptoms of rampancy. She stumbles to a window, looking down at panicked throngs from the third story as they rampage.
Not even one of them could take a glance away, their eyes glued to the sky as they stumbled amongst each other, they wouldn't even blink. Time seemingly slowed as she gazed at the monumental sight eclipsing the sky. it made her previous fears pathetic. Colossal beasts burned through the atmosphere, their off-white skin barely smouldering from the friction. When they neared the ground, their toothless maws began to expand, digging into the earth, devouring entire districts. Leaving craters in its place, dozens of meters deep.
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As they rose from the carnage, dust shrouding their figures, she noticed flakes floating away, tearing away from their silklike skin. What she had believed to be flakes began morphing, taking on appearances that varied from one to another, only the off-white skin bearing evidence to their mutual heritage. It didn't take long for them to jump into the panicking crowds, striving to butcher.
They weren't nearly as triumphant as their larger brethren, many quickly succumbing to contemporary weapons, but it mattered little. When one died a dozen took its place, swarming past their predecessors’ corpses in a frenzy. Soon all that could be seen was an off-white tide of manic beasts, storming into buildings, pillaging life.
Perhaps she was lucky, not having to be tortured before death like those below. All she could see before her death was emptiness, depicting to her a void, hollow and destitute. The beast’s maws enclosing, severing her life, now dead and forgotten.
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Earth, Australia, 2030, Gray
The moment Gray and Alice could understand the broadcast from the radio, Gray was trying to radio the emergency to the squad, yet there was no response. Halfway through rushing back, they started noticing that it wasn't a meteor, it was a goddamn fucking alien invasion, giant behemoths began swallowing skyscrapers whole. Gray thought last night was bad, well this was worse. Luckily the invasion seemed unconcerned at such a remote area, leaving it alone for now.
A blast suddenly detonates from the cultists' lair, numbing the ears, air thickening with the smell of blood. Gray starts to sprint without regard to his stamina, leaving Alice behind and shortening the distance in front of him. Gray quickly noticed Cap, his rifle was roaring with rage, shells spilling from the gun's extractor as a towering humanoid creature toppled. Cap wasn't looking good either, his gait having an obvious limp, blood streaming from his right arm.
"Fucking monsters." Cap spat, leaving his tired gun hanging by the strap, applying pressure to his wound.
"Was that one of the aliens, sir?" Alice inquired, staring intently at the creature's corpse, unmoving.
"obviously." Despite his wounds, Cap starts walking briskly, leaving the mess behind him.
"Where's the rest of the squad?" Gray quickly intervened, gripping Cap's shoulder, foregoing the respectful addressing.
".... They are dead Gray, butchered by those things, we were no match for them in that small room. We need to go now." Cap was growling at the end, the words barely decipherable. Alice quickly followed after him, Gray lagging behind for a moment.
The time they spent walking felt longer than what it was, the carnage of the city's slaughter whispering from the distance, never allowing respite. Only deciding to stop once they found what seemed to be a functional car.
"Where should we go, maybe further inland, away from the coast?" chirped Alice, slapping the rust infused frame of the car.
"I need to get to my daughter, I have to make sure she's safe" Gray spoke for the first time since leaving that graveyard.
"and where's that?" Cap rested against the car's bonnet, pinching his nose.
"Euroa" Gray plainly replied. "You mean towards the city, instead of away?" quipped Cap, looking Gray in the eyes. "I'd rather die trying then abandon her" Gray spoke softly, but there was a finality in his words.
"then go kill yourself, but I'm taking the car with me." Cap got off the bonnet and steadily entered the car to hotwire it. Gray was standing motionlessly, staring him down silently.
"C'mon Alice let’s leave, Gray chose his path" Cap beckoned, Alice looked to be in turmoil but slowly relented, making her way into the passenger seat. "I'm sorry Gray, but I..... I can't die for a girl I never met, I'm sorry...... bye Gray"
The car shakily accelerated into the distance, releasing pungent smoke, fleeing from the genocide that Gray resolved himself to enter.
It didn't take him long to find a worn, 100cc dirt bike hidden in an unlocked garage, reminding Gray of his carefree youth before the world went to shit, before the Gate. He hadn't ridden one in over a decade, turning the key left in the ignition and with the steering already unlocked, he sped towards the screams without hesitation.
Racing at around 80km/hr, reaching the outskirts of Euroa sooner than Gray estimated, yet longer than he had hoped. The town seemed untouched by the invasion, but human paranoia ran its course, houses abandoned and shops ransacked. Only the valiant roar of his dirt bike fighting silence, the screams likely killed by their owner’s death.
Gray was fortunate that the bike lasted this long, but he had to reach his daughter, he needed to get to Granite Hill. Owned by Euroa Health, it used to be an aged care facility, forced to take coma patients by the high demand. The short ride felt long because of the anxiety poisoning his mind, Gray recklessly disembarked, jumping off the moving bike near a large sign labelling his destination. The bike rolled a short moment before helplessly crashing, abandoned without remorse.
He made it to the entrance quickly and was only temporarily stumped by the pull only door, missing the warning plastered across it. Gray felt himself falter for a moment as he was entering, seeing a nurse still attending to her duties despite an alien invasion. She must've heard him, turning towards Gray, becoming wide eyed as saw him, rigid as she processed the threat that the heavily armed man possessed.
"Wait, I'm not here to hurt anybody, I'm just here to take my daughter." Gray placated, slightly raising his hands, the rifle hanging loosely by the strap, taking small steps forward. She was visibly calming, hesitating a moment before moving towards the computer behind the desk.
"I can help you find her through the database, but I will need a name" She started tapping on the keyboard, masking her tension with a professional demeanour.
"My name is Graham Hart" Gray answered, moving towards the reception desk, noticing the brief pause from the lady.
"sorry, I meant the patient's name" She clarifies the miscommunication while fidgeting with the mouse.
"Ah sorry about that, her name is Lucy Hart" He stands there awkwardly, embarrassed until he hears a exhale from the nurse as she relaxes, typing in the data.
"You don't have to be sorry, I should've been clearer on my part. Her room number is 23, I'll go and grab a wheelchair for you." she reaches, placing a key on the counter, leaving without awaiting affirmation.
Gray quickly starts heading in the right direction after consulting the directives labelled on the walls, nerves dictating his pace, his strides imbued with haste. Eventually finding the door that pairs with the number, Gray slowly inserts the key and twists, peering into the room as he gently moves the door. There she was. Her once long, vibrant blonde hair cut to shoulder length, her body grew while in the coma, yet it was so dainty, frail from lack of exertion. Lucy's large, deep blue eyes studied him with faint recognition, sitting up from the bed.
"....daddy?" Her voice crackling, vague uncertainty doused her words, the man a husk from the one who raised her, worn from the loss of his wife and fear for his child. Gray froze, his cognitive functions frying, it was a long minute before he retained control over himself, rushing to embrace her.
"ahhh dad, you smell bad" she's attempting to pull away from his rough grasp, only managing to do so when he relents, tears cascading down his face.
"Are you okay dad?" she innocently asks, naive to the years that passed.
".... yeah I'm okay honey, I'm just sad that I smell bad, we need to get out of here Lucy. Can you stand?"
She tentatively angles to the side of the bed, legs hanging from the bed, she hesitates before fully committing to the act. Lucy folds immediately under her own weight, Gray already expecting this, reaches over, smoothly lifting and holding her tightly against his chest. Before he manages to console her over the failure, the door abruptly slams open, the nurse roughly panting and resting against its frame.
"They are here, we need to get away now before they find us!!" the nurse almost rapped the warning in her hysteria, not registering the child's miraculous awakening, already turning away and preparing to flee. Gray quickly follows while carrying Lucy, who was light for her age, easily keeping pace with the nurse who was struggling with her rebellious heels.
"Daddy what's happening, where's mummy?" Lucy's voice rises as she begins interrogating her father. "Now's not the time honey, I promise to tell you when this is over" Gray was stroking her hair, soothing her. They hastily arrive at the entrance, skidding to a stop while staring through the glass door. Prowling along the streets, discrepant creatures foraging for prey, only their off-white skin matching, reflecting the sun's glare.
Gray slowly pulls his gaze away from them, thoughts racing across his mind, turning towards the nurse who was still entranced by the sight.
"We can't stay here and you need to take off those heels, they are only slowing you down." Gray spoke the words with strength, pulling the nurse out of her daze and following his instructions.
"…There's a bike parked just by sign outside, its engine still running. I need you to take Lucy and go to it, I'll hold them off until you get out" She looked up at Gray, staring at him for a moment "What about you?" The nurse inquired, unsure about the plan. "I'll manage, all I need is for you to keep my daughter safe." His tone left nothing for debate, passing Lucy along to the nurse.
"Dad what's happening, where are you going?" Lucy failed to keep up with the conversation, but the chaotic atmosphere was causing her to panic. "everything’s okay honey, daddy's arm just got tired because you've gotten so big now, so this nice lady is helping..... I love you Lucy, now and forever, you remember that okay" Her eyes were such a beautiful blue, just like her mothers "ok daddy, I love you too" He couldn't help but ruffle her hair one last time.
Turning towards the exit, his steps staunch, each one perfectly following tempo, never faltering. Holding the rifle's grip tightly he pushes the door open smoothly, not making the same mistake twice. All at once the creatures shift their empty eye sockets towards him, time slowing almost to a stop as they rush at him. Gray could see every miniscule detail, omniscient of everything in his perception, his mind serene as he made calculations.
They were only able to react to the shot after it hit them, flinching briefly before dropping, as if puppet strings were cut. The rifle gloated in its victories, arrogantly roaring a challenge to all that could hear, a challenge that was answered. dozens more racing through the streets, vaulting over obstacles, climbing over buildings.
Only a moment had passed, managing to reach the bike, the ground was littered with corpses, muzzle searing red. Gray effortlessly switched the magazine, giving the creatures little respite from their execution. The nurse was struggling to get the bike upright while holding Lucy, yet Gray couldn’t help, busy attempting to cull the encroaching horde.
It took longer than Gray hoped, but his worst fear didn't come to pass, the nurse managed to get seated on the bike, Lucy wrapping her tightly from behind.
"What about dad, what's going to happen to daddy?" Lucy's barely distinguishable yell ignored, the nurse pushing the throttle all the way, fleeing from chaos, the bike indecipherable over the gunshots raging behind them.
Lucy looked behind her, straining her neck all the way, witnessing Gray, her father's sacrifice. His last stand was short, they mounted him, creating a mound of frenzied beasts. Limbs frantically shoving at each other to get their chance to play with the broken body, to devour his succulent flesh. Gray managed to pull the pin, erupting the orgy in flames, popping Lucy's ears as the explosion marked Gray's end.
