Categories > Original > Horror > The Quiet Ones
-Jason scanned the gnarled beach where his soldiers would soon be setting foot. The relatively flat coast was surrounded by jagged cliffs that Jason didn't trust. His scouts had told him that this spot was the only one with a beach where they could land for three miles in either direction. He detected no sign of activity, but that didn't mean the area was abandoned. After everything he had been through, he knew better than to let his guard down.
-Jason sent in the first wave, lightly armored, fast moving troops, to scout out any dangers that could be waiting for the main force. Half a dozen landing crafts sped forward unhindered. They grounded themselves and the front of the boats lowered down to the beach, creating a ramp for the soldiers to rush out. Two hundred men charged the beach, pointing their weapons at anything that looked even remotely suspicious.
-They took cover behind several boulders that pockmarked the area, providing natural protection from anything that might attack. They peeked out around the obstructions and scanned their surroundings, looking for any sign of movement. They spotted the bones of long dead demons, and even a fresh corpse at the base of the cliff, but nothing that was living. When the soldiers found no sign of an enemy threat, they signaled for the rest of the fleet to move in.
-Dozens of more landing crafts moved in, unloading over a thousand fully armed soldiers. They moved across the beach with less haste than their predecessors, but no less wary. They joined their smaller companions by the rocks and began to establish a base camp, when all hell broke loose.
-The earth began to shake as the boulders that the men had used for cover lifted off of the ground. Black sand fell off of the massive objects as they lifted themselves up with eight jointed legs. They towered over the startled soldiers that began firing at the creatures reflexively.
-Two eye stalks protruded from the tops of the domed bodies, and two massive claws lashed out at the humans before the beasts. Several men were snatched up and crushed in the jagged vice grips. The beasts then brought the mangled bodies to mouths filled with dozens of quickly slashing mandibles that turned the bodies into minced meat. One unfortunate soldier was still alive as the grinding mouthparts shredded his body.
-The rest of the soldiers began to fire their weapons at the lumbering monsters, but their explosive bullets only chipped away at the thick exoskeletons, doing nothing to discourage the monsters' assault. Even the heavier weapons failed to draw blood from the creatures.
-Jason recognized the giant crab monsters from his arrival in Europe. It reminded him of how he and Sarah had fought side by side to destroy the beast; she had even saved his life during that fight, but it had all been a ruse. She hadn't cared for him; she hadn't even been human.
-Jason snapped out of his reflections and ordered in reinforcements to aid his men. Several more boats surged forward, but they came under attack by several aquatic beasts. One of the boats heaved up as a massive turtle head clamped down on the hull from below. Its sharp beak crushed the metal and tore open holes to sink the vessel. Several more giant turtles attacked nearby vessels, and the reinforcements were stopped cold.
-Jason snickered at the ambush, but his spiteful grin slowly drained from his face as the image of the monster's head made him remember the day he first met Sarah. He remembered how she had warned them of the danger and then asked to join them. He hadn't suspected a thing, despite how convenient it had all been. His amused snicker turned into hateful rage as he glared at the shelled monsters. "Same old tricks. Try something original."
-The heavy guns of the battle ships came to bear on the aggressive reptiles. They blew holes straight through their protective shells, throwing pieces of bloodied bone out in all directions. The beasts quickly retreated from the attack, and the boats continued on to the beach uninterrupted.
-When the reinforcements got to the beach, they found less than half of the men that had landed still alive and fighting. They were being chased towards the water as the towering crabs pursued them, their pillar-like legs driving into the soil, pushing them onward.
-A lucky shot with a rocket launcher managed to take the leg off of one of the creatures, but its remaining seven easily took up the slack. Dark blood oozed out of the wound, spilling onto the sand and instantly hardening. Some of the splatter landed on a soldier and quickly expanded to envelope his entire body. Within seconds he was nothing more than a frozen statue on the battlefield.
-The battleships fired their heavy guns to tear into the lumbering crabs. The artillery shells ripped through the creatures' bodies and blew off their limbs. The monsters crumbled to the ground, spilling their bloody concrete onto any nearby soldiers. Some of the beasts dragged themselves forward with their claws and remaining legs, refusing to die. The soldiers threw grenades into the open wounds and put the monsters down for good.
-Satisfied that the first wave had been dealt with, Jason ordered another surge of troops onto the beach. The men quickly established a base to coordinate their efforts in the Dark Territory. Jason's vessel came close to shore, and he leapt off of the deck, landing on the ground a good distance away.
-One of his men quickly came up to him, offering a salute. "Sir, we have completed scouting the beach; no sign of hostiles."
-"Oh they're here, make no mistake," Jason said as he dismissed the man. Jason realized that the crabs and turtles hadn't been meant to attack his men so much as they were meant to mess with his head. Jeffery was teasing him, forcing him to think about Sarah instead of the battle. Jason didn't know what Jeffery hoped to accomplish, but he was getting tired of the head games.
-The rest of his men began to fill the beach, and Jason ordered scouts to find a way up the cliffs. Everything seemed to be going well.
-A squad of four scouts slowly made their way up the vertical cliffs. It was hard going; the rocks were jagged and as sharp as glass. The black material cut into their palms, but they paid no mind to the pain. They made their way to the top of the cliff where they could get a better lay of the land. Instead, they saw their own deaths.
-The men stared wide-eyed at a sea of demons waiting for them. The scouts realized with growing horror that the demons were waiting in ambush for their comrades. If the human forces were caught off guard by such an overwhelming host of enemies, even Jason wouldn't stand a chance. The scouts knew that they had to warn their commander of the threat.
-They turned to make the descent back to their men, but a woman with black leathery wings landed behind them, cutting off their retreat. The men looked at her in awe; she looked nothing like the demons they had fought before. She could almost pass for human. Her silver hair stood out in contrast to her dark skin. The black leather she wore tightly fit her figure.
-Her bat-like wings spread wide and then folded in against her back, appearing as nothing more than a cloak. She drew her long, narrow sword and pointed it the men.
-"Don't go just yet boys," she said with a smile. "The fun is just beginning.
-Jason sent in the first wave, lightly armored, fast moving troops, to scout out any dangers that could be waiting for the main force. Half a dozen landing crafts sped forward unhindered. They grounded themselves and the front of the boats lowered down to the beach, creating a ramp for the soldiers to rush out. Two hundred men charged the beach, pointing their weapons at anything that looked even remotely suspicious.
-They took cover behind several boulders that pockmarked the area, providing natural protection from anything that might attack. They peeked out around the obstructions and scanned their surroundings, looking for any sign of movement. They spotted the bones of long dead demons, and even a fresh corpse at the base of the cliff, but nothing that was living. When the soldiers found no sign of an enemy threat, they signaled for the rest of the fleet to move in.
-Dozens of more landing crafts moved in, unloading over a thousand fully armed soldiers. They moved across the beach with less haste than their predecessors, but no less wary. They joined their smaller companions by the rocks and began to establish a base camp, when all hell broke loose.
-The earth began to shake as the boulders that the men had used for cover lifted off of the ground. Black sand fell off of the massive objects as they lifted themselves up with eight jointed legs. They towered over the startled soldiers that began firing at the creatures reflexively.
-Two eye stalks protruded from the tops of the domed bodies, and two massive claws lashed out at the humans before the beasts. Several men were snatched up and crushed in the jagged vice grips. The beasts then brought the mangled bodies to mouths filled with dozens of quickly slashing mandibles that turned the bodies into minced meat. One unfortunate soldier was still alive as the grinding mouthparts shredded his body.
-The rest of the soldiers began to fire their weapons at the lumbering monsters, but their explosive bullets only chipped away at the thick exoskeletons, doing nothing to discourage the monsters' assault. Even the heavier weapons failed to draw blood from the creatures.
-Jason recognized the giant crab monsters from his arrival in Europe. It reminded him of how he and Sarah had fought side by side to destroy the beast; she had even saved his life during that fight, but it had all been a ruse. She hadn't cared for him; she hadn't even been human.
-Jason snapped out of his reflections and ordered in reinforcements to aid his men. Several more boats surged forward, but they came under attack by several aquatic beasts. One of the boats heaved up as a massive turtle head clamped down on the hull from below. Its sharp beak crushed the metal and tore open holes to sink the vessel. Several more giant turtles attacked nearby vessels, and the reinforcements were stopped cold.
-Jason snickered at the ambush, but his spiteful grin slowly drained from his face as the image of the monster's head made him remember the day he first met Sarah. He remembered how she had warned them of the danger and then asked to join them. He hadn't suspected a thing, despite how convenient it had all been. His amused snicker turned into hateful rage as he glared at the shelled monsters. "Same old tricks. Try something original."
-The heavy guns of the battle ships came to bear on the aggressive reptiles. They blew holes straight through their protective shells, throwing pieces of bloodied bone out in all directions. The beasts quickly retreated from the attack, and the boats continued on to the beach uninterrupted.
-When the reinforcements got to the beach, they found less than half of the men that had landed still alive and fighting. They were being chased towards the water as the towering crabs pursued them, their pillar-like legs driving into the soil, pushing them onward.
-A lucky shot with a rocket launcher managed to take the leg off of one of the creatures, but its remaining seven easily took up the slack. Dark blood oozed out of the wound, spilling onto the sand and instantly hardening. Some of the splatter landed on a soldier and quickly expanded to envelope his entire body. Within seconds he was nothing more than a frozen statue on the battlefield.
-The battleships fired their heavy guns to tear into the lumbering crabs. The artillery shells ripped through the creatures' bodies and blew off their limbs. The monsters crumbled to the ground, spilling their bloody concrete onto any nearby soldiers. Some of the beasts dragged themselves forward with their claws and remaining legs, refusing to die. The soldiers threw grenades into the open wounds and put the monsters down for good.
-Satisfied that the first wave had been dealt with, Jason ordered another surge of troops onto the beach. The men quickly established a base to coordinate their efforts in the Dark Territory. Jason's vessel came close to shore, and he leapt off of the deck, landing on the ground a good distance away.
-One of his men quickly came up to him, offering a salute. "Sir, we have completed scouting the beach; no sign of hostiles."
-"Oh they're here, make no mistake," Jason said as he dismissed the man. Jason realized that the crabs and turtles hadn't been meant to attack his men so much as they were meant to mess with his head. Jeffery was teasing him, forcing him to think about Sarah instead of the battle. Jason didn't know what Jeffery hoped to accomplish, but he was getting tired of the head games.
-The rest of his men began to fill the beach, and Jason ordered scouts to find a way up the cliffs. Everything seemed to be going well.
-A squad of four scouts slowly made their way up the vertical cliffs. It was hard going; the rocks were jagged and as sharp as glass. The black material cut into their palms, but they paid no mind to the pain. They made their way to the top of the cliff where they could get a better lay of the land. Instead, they saw their own deaths.
-The men stared wide-eyed at a sea of demons waiting for them. The scouts realized with growing horror that the demons were waiting in ambush for their comrades. If the human forces were caught off guard by such an overwhelming host of enemies, even Jason wouldn't stand a chance. The scouts knew that they had to warn their commander of the threat.
-They turned to make the descent back to their men, but a woman with black leathery wings landed behind them, cutting off their retreat. The men looked at her in awe; she looked nothing like the demons they had fought before. She could almost pass for human. Her silver hair stood out in contrast to her dark skin. The black leather she wore tightly fit her figure.
-Her bat-like wings spread wide and then folded in against her back, appearing as nothing more than a cloak. She drew her long, narrow sword and pointed it the men.
-"Don't go just yet boys," she said with a smile. "The fun is just beginning.
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