Chapter 2 – Chap 2

A few years back, if you’d have told me that the gates of Hell were in a frozen sea with some lost tribe of assholes camping out on an iceberg, I would’ve laughed and told you to sober up. Now that I was standing on the iceberg, mostly unarmed, surrounded by said assholes and on my way to discuss a human sacrifice, I didn’t think it was so funny.

Compton was first in our procession, followed by Serrano. Myself, Blake, Hopper and Cook. Without our rifles, our hosts didn’t seem as on guard. They led us through their ramshackle little village and looking around at it, I’ve got to admit that I was underwhelmed.

Not that I was ever expecting to encounter a lost tribe, but I still had some expectations. A more elaborate village was one of them. Instead, all these people had were simple wooden huts that seemed few and far between. I didn’t have time to do a headcount but I can’t imagine there were more than fifty or sixty people living there. Maybe we could have fought them off, if it weren’t for the fact that most of the ones closest to us would have turned us into fucking kebabs the moment we’d so much as thought about opening fire. Regardless the call had been Comptons on whether or not we surrendered. He’d made his call and I still trusted him enough not to question it out loud. I suppose I should have been grateful that our hosts had left us unbound. As we were herded through the village, it was nice to feel like a guest and not a prisoner.

Up ahead, the masked figure who’d been escorting us was headed to one of the larger huts. It was only slightly bigger than the living room of my apartment back home but the wood on the exterior looked like it had been carved with precision. The masked figure said something in their butchered Italian and Dr. Serrano was quick to translate.

“The Chieftain is just inside. Seems like he’s expecting us.”

“Let’s not keep him waiting then.” Compton said. The Masked Figure stepped out of his way as he stepped up towards the wooden hut and Serrano followed at his heels.

I could smell the thick smoke billowing from the inside of that little wooden hut as soon as the door opened. Compton and Serrano vanished inside but as they did, I caught a glimpse of an older man waiting for us inside. His eyes were a cold blue and he had a grey beard that obstructed most of his face… But he was definitely human. At least, he seemed to be. He sat on the floor in front of a simmering flame, watching us as we filed into his hut. Smoke rose up through a vent in the ceiling and up into the sky.

He spoke a greeting to us that Serrano translated.

“The Chieftain welcomes us. He’s invited us to sit.”

Compton seemed to hesitate for a moment before Blake took him up on the offer. Thankfully he did so silently, a cue that the rest of us were quick to follow.

“Dr. Serrano, can you tell the Chieftain that I’m grateful for his hospitality.” He said quietly. He waited for the message to be relayed and for the chieftain to reply.

“He says it’s been some time since anyone has come through the ruins of the temple. Apparently his people destroyed it many generations ago in hopes of preventing anyone else coming through.” Serrano said.

“Well, I’m sorry that we’ve intruded on his people’s territory. However we’d like to find our way back home as soon as possible.”

As Serrano translated, I saw a mournful look enter the eyes of the old man before us. He spoke and I could see Serrano tensing up at his response. Compton noticed it too.

“He says that there’s no way back.” Serrano said quietly. “He… Uh… He offers his sympathies and says that if leaving were possible, his ancestors would have done so long ago.”

“The fuck do you mean there’s no exit?” Blake cut in, “We got here, right? Why can’t we leave the same way we came in?”

“Whatever gateway we came through, it’s broken on this side.” Serrano said, “It’s like a one way door at this point. You can go in, but you can’t get out.”

“Well there’ve got to be other doors, right? There’s no way they only made one!”

“Blake! Lower your voice!” Compton growled as Serrano began to speak with the Chieftain again. The old man didn’t seem all that offended by Blakes little outburst and answered whatever question the good Doctor had asked him.

“He says that there may be other temples but he only knows the location of one… Inland, buried deep in the mountains. The final resting place of the Vast Serpent.”

The Old Man continued to speak and Serrano continued to translate.

“He says that his people don’t go inland…” He paused, struggling to translate what he’d heard for a moment, “Yan Naa’gha will not let them… and… and the Prince of Roses? No… The Rosen Prince lies beyond the shores.”

“Can you ask him what those things are?” Compton asked, brow furrowed. Serrano complied and The Old Man answered.

“He’s not making a lot of sense.” Serrano said, “Yan Naa’gha is… some sort of Knight? Part of a trinity of some sort. He didn’t want to discuss the other one.”

Compton sighed and rubbed his temples.

“Well. We’ll find out for ourselves then. Ask him if we can commandeer a boat. We’ll head inland. Find this temple and get back home.”

Serrano spoke to the Old Man once more.

“He’s declining our request.” He said after the Old Man had finished speaking, “No one is allowed to leave lest they summon the Rosen Prince. He says that… We are now of his village.”

“Like hell we are!” Blake snapped and Serrano cut him off.

“As a courtesy he will provide us with what food and shelter he can… However our citizenship comes at a cost.”

“Sacrifice.” Hopper said quietly. Serrano looked at him and gave a solemn nod.

“Due to the scarcity of resources… We must provide tribute to Yan Naa’gha.”

“So what? We feed one of our own to whatever’s out there in the water?” Compton asked, “That’s not going to happen!”

“I don’t think he’s taking no for an answer.” Serrano said gravely. The Old Man spoke, giving him pause before he translated.

“If we can’t choose amongst ourselves, then we will all be sacrificed one after the other.”

“Well since you’re the one who fucked with the ruins, you can get fed to the giant sea monster!” Blake snapped.

“And throw away our only translator?” I asked, “Are you insane? How about we feed you to that fucking thing since all you’ve done since we got here is run your goddamn mouth!”

“Me?!” Blake squealed, “Well what the hell have you done lately? Maybe it should be you out there!”

“Nobody is being sacrificed!” Compton tried to say before Cook cut him off.

“For Christ’s sake, I’ll do it!”

The rest of us went quiet.

“Absolutely not.” Compton said, “I just said-”

“We don’t have any alternatives. It’s either one of us or all of us. I saw boats out on the water. Probably for fishing. You just need to get your hands on one and make it inland. I’m buying you some time.”

“And killing yourself in the process.” I added, “Cook. Don’t do this.”

“I’m doing it. Doctor Serrano. Tell the old man.”

I could see Serrano hesitating to speak.

“We’ll figure something else out!” Compton said as Cook rose to his feet.

“Tell him I volunteer.” He repeated and I saw Serrano stammer for a moment before he finally spoke.

The old man nodded slowly.

He called out to the masked figures posted outside and one of them entered. He gestured to Cook, who didn’t put up a fight as the masked figure took him by the arm to lead him out.

“Get to a boat.” He said, “Find a way out of here. Don’t worry about me.”

I opened my mouth to speak but my voice died in my throat. All any of us could do was watch as Cook was led outside.

When we left the old man’s hut, we were led to a different, smaller and empty one. Presumably that was where we were to stay for the time being. There were even fresh embers in the firepit to warm the place up. A heavy silence had settled over what was left of us. Through the door of our hut, I could see that our guard had left us. We were well enough alone.

It was Hopper who broke the silence.

“Cook’s not dead yet.” He said, “Let’s stop fuckin’ moping around like he is.”

“Well he’s gonna be soon!” Blake snapped, “Who knows how much time he’s got left until they throw him to the wolves… sharks… whatever the fuck is out there!”

“Exactly. Which means we need to act quickly.” Hopper replied, “The plan is still to get our hands on one of those boats, right?” He looked around expectantly, “Right?!”

“Those boats won’t be easy to grab.” Serrano warned, “They’ll probably be guarded and the last thing we need right now is to start picking a fight with these people!”

“I don’t give a fuck about these people!” Hopper replied, “I give a fuck about our people!”

“They took our guns after we got topside.” I chimed in and as I did, I pulled my pistol from its holster. “Most of our guns, at least. They’re probably being kept somewhere in the village. If we can find out where, we might be able to catch them more off guard.”

“I was thinking something similar.” Compton said. “Staying here is not an option. We’ve got lives back home, families. I’m not about to leave mine behind and I doubt any of you are.”

“Depends on if we all get to breed McKay.” Blake said, his shit eating grin coming back. I hadn’t missed it one bit.

“You wanna get shot, Rookie?” I asked.

“Cut the bullshit until we’re on the water.” Compton warned. He glared at Blake before continuing. “We’ll split up. Work in teams. Hopper, find Cook. Don’t try and spring him just yet. Let’s make sure we’re properly armed first. McKay, you’re going to find where they put out weapons. Doctor Serrano, you’re with McKay. It’s obvious that these people aren’t familiar with guns. Maybe you can get them to give them back. Blake, you and I are going to see where they moor the boats. We’ll plan an escape route and link up with McKay and Serrano. Then we link up with Hopper, bust out Cook and be on our merry way. I’d prefer to keep casualties to a minimum if at all possible. Anyone causes too much trouble…”

Compton pulled a combat knife from his belt.

“Keep it quiet.”

“Thank God we got captured by the worlds stupidest fucking tribe…” Blake murmured.

“If they haven’t seen any outsiders for generations, they might not know how to best reac-”

I holstered my gun and put a hand on Serrano’s shoulder and pulled him towards the door. Hopper went out behind me. Looking out over the cold landscape. This place seemed so hopeless and miserable.

I could only imagine that the people here were the descendants of the last idiots who tampered with that machine beneath the temple. I’m sure that those people never wanted their great grandkids to eke out a miserable existence, trapped on an iceberg in the middle of nowhere. Looking out at the glimmering sea just past the edge of the village, I saw nothing but a few more distant icebergs.

I suppose to an extent, I understood why those people were the way they were. After all, it didn’t seem like they had anywhere else to go or anything else to do. There was probably no one left there who even remembered the world we’d come from. I imagine that most people would have knuckled down and gone native if that’s what was necessary to survive. Maybe I would have too, under different circumstances… But these were not different circumstances and I hoped to do a lot more than survive. I wanted to win. Plain and simple.

I scanned for anything that might resemble an armory. Nothing in particular stood out save for a few guards who watched as we left the hut. I locked eyes with one of them.

“Alright Mr. Translator.” I said, “You don’t want anybody to die and I don’t want to hide a body today. So let’s start by asking nicely.”

“Right…” Serrano murmured, “Should I start by asking about your equipment?”

“No shit. Say whatever you need to say. Let’s just get it back.”

I nudged Serrano in the direction of the guards and stayed close behind him as we approached.

I could hear the nervousness in his voice as he spoke. I couldn’t make out the guards expression behind his snarling mask but his tone didn’t sound too friendly.

“Only guards are permitted to carry weapons in the village.” He said, “Also I don’t think they fully trust you yet.”

“Yeah I figured as much.” I replied, “If the weapons are for guards only, then let’s find out where the guard station is.”

Considering that the village itself wasn’t all that big, it didn’t take me long to come up with a solid guess as to where. There was one hut near the edge of the village, near the foot of a path that led a little further up onto the iceberg. I could see two men guarding it, which meant there was something worth protecting inside.

“There.” I said as I gestured to the building, “Let’s go for a walk, Doc. We’ll have a chat with the guards. Tell them we’re getting familiar with the town.”

Serrano didn’t reply and just followed me over towards the hut. From the corner of my eye, I spotted one of the guards from before following me. I figured his companion had gone after the others. Either way, I’d need to take care of him.

As we approached the hut, I let Serrano do his thing. He spoke to the men guarding the door before relaying what they said back to me.

“It’s a guard house.” He said, “Might be what we’re looking for. I didn’t ask about the guns.”

“Call it an educated guess but I don’t think we need to.” I replied. I looked back towards the guard who had been following us. “Let’s keep walking, Doc. We’ve got a guest and I want to give him a scenic view.”

Serrano looked back towards the guard. He’d kept a good distance and I doubted he thought he was being discreet. I tugged on Serrano’s sleeve and pulled him up towards the path just past the guard house. As I’d expected, we were followed.

“So how exactly are we going to get into the guard house?” Serrano asked as we ascended the slope. “I doubt there’s a back door.”

“Look at the village, Doc. What do you see?”

“Huts?” Serrano asked, looking out over the scarce buildings.

“I don’t suppose you noticed how they warm those huts.”

“There’s a fire pit inside and a… The vent.”

“You’ve heard of Santa Claus, right Doc?” I asked before I glanced back at our follower. We were a good ways up the incline and I led Serrano away from the village.

“But first things first. We get rid of our chaperone.”

Serrano kept walking until we were well enough alone and out of sight of the village. The cold air had a bite to it and the guard kept his distance from us.

I stopped in my tracks and bent down as if to lace up my boot.

“Doc. Slip and fall.” I said.

“What?” He asked and I didn’t have time to explain to him. It had to look natural. I pulled the knife from my boot before I pushed Serrano off his feet. Just like I’d expected, he fell with a startled cry and rolled down the incline. Not far. But enough for the guard to react.

Despite killing people being part of my job, I don’t think that people are inherently bad. I’d expected the guard to move to help Serrano up and I was right. He probably thought I was running towards him to help him up. He probably thought that he got to Serrano first because he was faster. If nothing else, the guard died a good man. I made it as painless as I could. While he was focused on the Doctor, I cut his throat. Then I tossed the body aside and pulled Serrano up off the frozen ground.

“Jesus! Are you out of your fucking mind?!” He cried, looking at the body in disbelief. I can’t imagine he’d ever seen someone die before. It’s never pretty.

“He would’ve done the same to us if necessary.” I replied.

“You didn’t need to kill him!”

“I did if we were going to get out of here with Cook. Take a deep breath and calm yourself down. We’ve got a job to do here.”

Serrano just stared at me, wide eyed and seemingly in disbelief. I patted him on the shoulder and returned my knife to its hiding spot in my boot.

“Breathe. Focus. You’re going back down to the guard house. I need you to chat up the guys out front while I get on the roof.”

Serrano paused, struggling to speak for a moment before he exhaled.

“Alright… And then what?”

“Once I’ve got the guns, link up with Compton and Blake. Bring them to the Guard House. We’ll get armed, grab Cook and make a move for the boats.”

I could tell he wasn’t thrilled by the idea, but considering the fact that I’d just killed a man in front of him, he didn’t seem willing to talk back. He sighed, rubbed his temples and nodded.

“Alright…” He said quietly. “Alright. How will you know when they get there?”

“Send Compton and Blake in the same way I got in. Then get clear. We’re going to hit hard and fast.”

Again Serrano nodded and when I turned to leave, he followed me in silence.

When we reached the village, I hung back and watched as he went down to the front of the guardhouse. From there, I had a fairly easy time climbing on top of the hut. The smoke from the inside did enough to hide me from the village and I knew I wouldn’t be up there for long.

Near the waterfront, I could see a gathering by the setup from before. I recognized the Chieftain amongst the people there and I felt a familiar stab of panic. They were gearing up for the main event. No sign of Cook… Yet… But we were short on time. Hopefully Compton and Blake wouldn’t keep me waiting.

The vent was just barely large enough for me to slip through. On the other side, I could see that there were only a few stoked embers keeping the place warm. It wouldn’t make for a great landing but I’d had worse. The charcoal and embers crunched beneath my boots as I dropped down.

The guardhouse was small but thankfully empty. I spotted a few spears mounted on a wall and in one corner sat the weapons they’d confiscated. I went for my own C7 carbine first. Thankfully those people hadn’t known to remove the clip. I made sure it was set to semi-auto before slinging it over my shoulder. From the corner of my eye, I spotted Cooks gun. Like mine it was a C7 although his had an M203 under barrel grenade launcher. A bit heavy duty for our purposes. I couldn’t imagine that he’d bothered to load it given the circumstances. Still, better to have it for him.

I exhaled. This was it. The calm before the storm. So long as Compton and Blake showed up on time, we were leaving this little village. I can’t say I took any pleasure in the thought of hurting these people any more than I already had. I enjoy the adrenaline rush of combat but not the act of ending a life. I’m a soldier, not a murderer. Maybe there’s not much of a difference to some but there is to me.

I heard movement up on the roof. I don’t know how much time had passed. Enough, I suppose. I headed for the fire pit just as I saw a pair of legs coming down the vent. Blake was the first one to drop down, grinning from ear to ear as if he’d just won the fucking lottery.

“Alright! Is everything in here?”

I jammed his rifle into his hands. A C7, just like mine, Cooks and Comptons.

“Shut your mouth, Rookie.” I growled as Compton dropped down to join us.

“These people don’t waste time. They’re bringing out Cook. Looked like they were rigging him up when we got here. We need to unass and get him. Now.” He said. I watched as he picked up his gun as well as Hoppers C9 LMG. The former he slung over his back, much like I was carrying Cooks rifle. The C9 would be good for laying down fire. We’d need it.

“Where’s Hopper?” I asked.

“I caught a glimpse of him near the crowd. Don’t worry I’ll hand deliver his rifle to him.” Compton said. He glanced around at myself and Blake. Both of us were ready to go. He nodded before heading for the door.

“Whisky, lets move out. Weapons free.”

This was it.

Compton threw open the door. The guards outside never stood a chance. He dropped the first with a spray of automatic fire and dropped the second before he could react. I saw Serrano making a point to stay out of the way and as the three of us left the guard house, he meekly trailed behind us.

Compton made a beeline for the shore, where I could see Cook rigged up. They hadn’t moved him over the water yet. We still had time. From the crowd, I heard several gunshots and caught a glimpse of Hopper with his pistol in the air, firing off warning shots. People are predictable. When they’re scared, they run for safety. These people weren’t any different.

I spotted a few guards approaching our position. Blake saw them first and cut them down. We didn’t see much other resistance though. Most of the guards that were around seemed more concerned with the safety of their civilians. I was content to leave them alone so long as they kept their distance.

By the time we’d reached their little sacrificial setup, Hopper had already gotten to Cook and had one of his arms free. I saw a pair of dead guards on the ground. No doubt Hoppers work. He cut away the other binding on Cooks wrist and I’ll admit, I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw him free.

“Hopper!” Compton called and tossed his C9 to him. He caught it with ease.

“Much obliged, Captain!” He said as I ascended the sacrificial gallows to arm Cook. The look on his face was hard to read. Stern but not angry. Not surprised either.

“What?” I asked, “You didn’t think we were going to let you die, did you?”

He took his gun and shook his head.

“Didn’t think you’d be this damn reckless.” He replied.

“Put the reunion on hold, we’re not clear yet!” Compton warned. He glanced over towards the village which now seemed mostly empty. In the distance, I caught sight of several figures who I knew were archers. Compton saw them too and fired his rifle. He took down one of them before he made his way towards the boats.

The first arrow struck the sacrificial gallows, missing me by only a few inches. I leapt down to the ice and started to haul ass over to the docks. We were almost out of there. Almost.

The whole iceberg suddenly shook violently. I saw snow crumbling off its higher peaks and onto the huts below. Blake lost his footing and collapsed as something burst from the freezing waters immediately off the shore. It rained down upon us, drenching our clothes as something rose from the depths and into the dusky pink twilight.

Describing it would be… difficult. There was definitely a solid shape to it but at the same time it seemed hazy, like it was shrouded in a dark mist that seemed to drip off of it like liquid. Its body was serpentine, that much I was sure of and there seemed to be dark tendrils of some sort leaking off of its body. Mostly around its head. It had no eyes that I could see but its breathless, gasping cry almost split my skull with its deafening volume.

This was the thing that those villagers feared. The thing that demanded their sacrifice. The thing they called Yan Naa’gha.

It seemed to survey the village before it, as if looking for what it was owed. My eyes were locked onto it and I barely heard Compton yelling out to us.

“Whisky! Double time it!”

His words didn’t register until I felt Hoppers hand on my shoulder, pulling me away. That thing stared down at the village, taking in the sights for only a moment before those black tendrils were launched at the simple wooden huts it saw. With the same effort of a child kicking over a sand castle, it demolished them. Reducing them to little more than splinters.

That village barely lasted a few minutes.

I’ve seen death before. I’ve killed people for no other reason than ‘that was the job.’ But in every scenario, the people I killed were just Me in another uniform. Another piece in the same stupid game, doing the same job I was and in the moment it was always them or me. This was something else though. Watching the ease with which the village was laid to waste… Lives lost and destroyed. I don’t know. For the first time in my life, that adrenaline rush didn’t feel so good.

I think more than anything, there was a sickening realization in my gut that we’d caused this. In our selfish haste to save one of our own, we’d denied that thing it’s sacrifice and we’d pissed it off. It was enough to make me wonder if we should have left Cook to die.

The wise who weren’t yet indoors fled for safety. Some went up the slopes of the iceberg in the vain hopes of staying out of reach of that entity. Some ran for that lift that had taken us out of the glacial caverns below. Others seemed to be heading for the boats.

The thing in the sea focused on those heading up the slopes first. It bore down upon them, staining the ice black as it seemed to swallow them up in whatever twisted maw that it hid. I suppose we should have counted ourselves lucky that it attacked them first. We were almost at the boats ourselves.

The sound of gunfire grounded me. Took me away from my awe at the destruction around me. I looked to see Blake firing into a crowd of fleeing villagers. I don’t know how many he killed. Compton and Cook were already on one of the boats and I could see a wide eyed look of horror on Compton’s face.

“Get the fuck back!” I heard Blake say before Hopper grabbed him by the shoulders and hurled him to the ground. With an enraged roar, his fist slammed into Blakes face, breaking his nose.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” He roared as he looked down at him.

Blake coughed and choked on his own blood before he replied.

“They’re trying to steal our boat!”

“There’s more than one!” Hopper growled as Blake tried to push them off. Compton raced away from the boat, leaving Cook to secure it. He put a hand on Hoppers shoulder, coaxing him to go. I saw Hopper hesitate for a moment before he stood and looked up at the creature that rose from the sea. Its writhing mass twisted and though it had no eyes, I could see it looking at us. Blake scrambled away like the little cockroach he was, heading for the boat. He just barely avoided being trampled by Serrano and I breezed past him in my race to safety.

As I made it to the boat, I could see Cook loading his grenade launcher. Compton and Hopper were right behind me although I saw Hopper pause and look back at Blake. Cook fired his grenade, striking the creature in its ‘head’. I saw it recoil, its body seemingly shriveling up from the impact as it loosed a deafening howl of pain. From the corner of my eye, I could see Hopper running to help Blake up and drag him to the boat.

I saw the tendril coming before Hopper did but by the time I’d opened my mouth to warn him, it was too late. It seemed to only just graze him, but the spray of blood on the ice told me that it had cut him deep.

I saw Blakes eyes go wide as Hopper’s body was cast aside. He picked himself up, hesitating for a moment before rushing to his side. Without a second thought, I left the boat and raced towards Hopper as well. His eyes were open. He was breathing and for all intents and purposes, still alive. His face was red with his own blood and I could see bone through the diagonal slash across his torso. He didn’t speak. I don’t know if he had the energy to do so.

Blake stood before him, dumbstruck and almost useless. He looked at me like a deer in the headlights.

“Help him up!” I ordered as I took one of Hoppers arms and lifted him over my shoulder. Blake did what I asked and he did it in silence.

From the boat, I saw Cook fire off another grenade at the creature. It recoiled from the explosion. Its tendrils flailed but thankfully we were out of its range. Blake and I pulled Hopper up onto the boat and set him down on the deck. I could see Serrano struggling to unfurl the masts and steer us out while Compton rushed to my side to inspect Hopper.

“How is he?”

“Bad.” I replied. Moving him hadn’t done him any favors. His gash seemed wider than before and I could see his entrails peeking out from the bottom of the wound.

“Let me handle him. Blake. McKay. Get us out of here and get that fucking thing off of us!”

I pulled myself away from Hopper as Compton did what he could to apply first aid. The boat lurched as Serrano got us moving. I picked up my rifle, taking aim at the writhing serpent as it tried to gather itself for another attack. Teeth gritted in rage, I opened fire on it, emptying my clip in its direction. My bullets didn’t seem to affect it but Cook’s third grenade sure as hell did.

The creature coiled over and tensed up, howling in rage and pain as it did. Black blood that looked like tar dripped from its body, onto the ice. The haze that surrounded it seemed weaker and I caught a glimpse of its deformed shape through it all. I could see a skeletal mouth opening up to scream before it turned back and dove beneath the waves. It had had enough abuse.

“Where’d it go?” I demanded.

“Could be retreating.” Cook said as he loaded another grenade. I only saw one more on his belt. He watched the water carefully but the creature did not resurface.

I looked back towards Hopper. Compton stood over him, as did Blake. Slowly, I took a step back and headed for them, lowering my gun as I did.

“Hopper?” I asked, “Please tell me there’s something you can do, Captain.”

Compton didn’t reply. He didn’t need to. He’d sat Hopper up against the mast and removed his shirt. Somehow, Hopper was still breathing and conscious. He looked up at me and managed a weak smile, showing bloody teeth as he exhaled a raspy breath. Fresh blood dribbled down his beard.

“Hey there, McKay…” He rasped. I was dead silent. He tried to laugh as he looked down at his wound. His skin seemed so much paler than before.

“Isn’t this some fucking bullshit… Huh…” His head sank back against the mast. “Think they’ll pay me overtime for this?”

I managed a weak laugh.

“God they fuckin’ better…” I replied. I tried to force a smile. I don’t think I did it well. Hopper just smiled back at me. But he didn’t say another word. His eyes just stared vacantly ahead. He was gone.

Quietly, Compton reached out to close his eyes. He was silent as he stood up, leaving Hopper to his rest and gripping his rifle tightly enough to turn his knuckles white.

“Cook.” He finally asked, “Where the hell is that fucking thing?”

“On the run, Captain.” Cook replied.

“Serrano, can you steer this thing?”

From his place at the helm, Serrano seemed to jolt a little.

“I… Well… Um…”

“Can you steer this fucking thing?”

“I- Yes. It’s similar to-”

“Find that eel. I want it dead.”

I looked over at him, half in disbelief.

“Captain I don’t know if we should go after that tha-”

“It’s wounded. Let’s kill it now so it doesn’t come back.” Compton snapped. Looking into his eyes, I knew that he was after something else entirely. I knew better than to argue with him, though.

The sea was a perfect azure beneath the eternally pink sky. It made it easy to find the trail of inky black blood that leaked from the wounded creature. Compton had taken up Hopper’s rifle and he stood near the bow of the fishing boat we’d stolen.

We weren’t looking for more than about an hour before we found it… Or at least, what I think was it. The misty haze around it had mostly faded and what I saw beneath was enough to make my stomach turn. I could smell the burnt, rotting flesh from several kilometers away and it was enough to make me gag. There was no way it had decayed that quickly and yet it looked as if it was starting to rot.

The creature had no skin. Its muscles, bones and tendons were on display for all to see and they looked… malformed…

It’s exposed skull seemed almost human. The face was elongated and the mouth hung open, revealing countless rows of jagged teeth. At a glance, I could have sworn it was dead but the flaring gills on its body told me that it was still struggling to breathe.

“What the hell is that…” Cook murmured as he approached the edge of the boat to stare at it. Compton remained silent, studying it as if making sure it was the same creature we’d encountered. Judging by the burnt, ragged wounds in its body I assumed it was. The grenades had broken bones, burnt and blasted away muscle and black blood leaked from the wounds. The creature’s lidless eyes fixated on us and there was something in them that sent a chill through me. Something intelligent… Human almost…

Compton glared at it, as if he aimed to kill it through sheer force of hate. The creature didn’t move and when Compton raised his rifle and opened fire on it, I knew it was out of hatred but it might as well have been mercy. Chances are he’d saved it the agony of dying slowly of its injuries just to avenge Hopper. I’m still not sure if that’s something I admire or not.

The creature exhaled as the bullets tore through it. Compton wasted almost an entire clip on it. 220 rounds just to make sure that thing was dead. When he was done, when the gills stopped moving, he just glared at it and turned away.

“Serrano. Let’s find a course inland.” He said as if nothing had happened. Serrano just stared at him from behind the helm and didn’t offer a word of protest as he turned the ship away from the carcass of Yan Naa’gha.