Bounty Hunter 2: Redemption (8 page)
Read Bounty Hunter 2: Redemption Online
Authors: Joseph Anderson
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bodies had piled up at the bottom of the wall that the Dross were getting close
to the top. Each upwards leap brought their claws and fangs a little closer.
They could stop firing and risk one making the jump and killing them, or
continue firing and feed into the pile of bodies that made it easier for them
to jump. It was during Jack’s bleakest reflection on this fact that the earth
below the pounder gave way.
The
tunnel opened and the pounder annihilated the first group of Dross that clawed
their way out. Their bodies popped like grapes and were compacted so finely
that a green mist hung in the air around the tunnel when the cylinder continued
its ascent. The aliens must have sensed the new opening and began to screech
their victory as they burrowed down.
The
marines answered by cheering in unison.
“The
central tower has been reached. Good work. Everyone proceed up the tower for
evacuation.”
Jack
followed the other soldiers around the tower, eager to meet the air transports
that had stopped firing and were steadying themselves close to the middle of
the tower. Some of the Dross were retreating outside of the base and into the
tunnels to join where they had breached under the tower. Aliens were already
spilling out of the hole under the pounder faster than it could crush them into
paste.
As
one of the last in line Jack found himself often turning around to fend off one
of the faster aliens. A few shots were enough to knock them off balance so they
fell off the barricade from the bottom of the tower. If he was lucky they would
fall directly into the tunnel and slow down those still trying to climb out.
The
pounder had stopped by the time it was Jack’s turn to board the transport. He
was the last on and after the doors closed behind him he turned around to face
the tower. Through the window he saw the bottom of the cylinder open up, split
it half, and slowly retract back. He knew the commander had activated the final
stage of the tower once the Dross had broken through the purposefully funnelled
flaw in the foundation of the wall.
With
the cylinder’s base fully opened, Jack saw a fleeting glimpse of the warhead
hidden within before the tower thrust its payload down for the final time. The
tunnel would be a major one, connected to the entire network in this area
because of all of the Dross flocking to it once it had been opened. The tower
struck the ground and instead of sending shock waves of sound and vibration it
propelled the warhead into the tunnel, cutting through any aliens in its path
as it hurtled down into the heart of the network.
The
transport and Jack were high in the air when the explosion triggered. He never
witnessed the detonation but from the height he was at he saw its cascading
effect. He saw smoke and clouds erupt from what must have been hundreds of
tunnels on the surface. It was almost as if the blast was an echo underground,
spreading from the central point and collapsing more of the network as it
reached further out.
In
orbit Jack saw how insignificant the patch of land they had cleared looked in
comparison to the entire world, but at that moment it didn’t matter. The
soldiers around him were proud. Tired but alive, victorious, and cheering. The
mission had proven that the Dross could be beaten and that the war could be
turned against them.
It
was only a matter of time before they could free Earth.
The following is the
first scene from the next in the Bounty Hunter series: Vampire.
Lindsey
Keeping had no idea that she was dating an alien. If she had known, it would
have bothered her. She had lived too sheltered a life to be friendly with
aliens. At best she tolerated them. At worst she stared, disgusted, when what
she thought were their backs were turned. She was young, and the prejudices
learned in her youth had not yet been worn out of her.
She
grew up on a small planet in a large, predominately human system. She didn’t
see her first alien until she was twenty years old and left her planet for
work. She had dreams of working on a trade ship, hopefully owning one herself
some day, and had moved to a space station thinking it would increase her
chances. When she turned twenty-two she was still working at a diner on the
station. She hadn’t set foot on another ship since she arrived.
The
station was the largest in the system and served as a central trade hub for all
of its planets. It was in the center of the system, in a close orbit with its
star. A variety of species came into the diner for food and, to Lindsey’s
relief, most used the automated services instead of bothering her in poorly
translated English. Her alien was different. Her alien spoke perfect English.
Her alien looked human, just like her. Her alien never ate anything when he
visited the diner. What her alien ate wasn’t found on the menu.
The
man was charming. He would sit at the diner’s counter for hours and talk to her
when she wasn’t serving someone. He never ordered food, only water. Always
water. He always had a drink. Sometimes, when business was slow, she would lean
over the counter and kiss him. He would hold her hands and his skin would be so
warm to her touch. The heat would linger in her fingers when she moved away,
tingling her skin as if she had been inflicted with a pleasurable burn.
He
would walk her home after her shift. It would usually be late in the station’s
day but she would walk slower than usual to have more time with him. The star
she had grown up so far away from looked, to her, impossibly close above them,
bombarding light against the station’s windows that dimmed further throughout
its night cycle. It was their equivalent of a sun set and they would watch it
together.
Lindsey
invited the man into her apartment each night that he escorted her. Most times
he would accept. They would fuck, fall asleep, and he would be gone before she
woke up. She never bothered him by asking about his disappearances, too
blissfully pleased with their nights together. It was like he was in tune with
the responses of her body, always knowing exactly what she wanted while they
were in bed. She had only known him for a few weeks and already she had
forgotten about her dream of living on a star ship. He was her life now.
The
night that she was invited to his apartment was exciting for her. She had never
seen it. She hadn’t even known where he lived until he took her there. She was
giddy as he linked arms with her and led her inside. For her, it was like their
relationship was growing. For him, it was something different.
The
apartment was warm. It was the first thing she noticed. As excited as she was,
she still thought it was odd. The man’s skin was always so warm that she
expected his home to be cooler than most. The air was different too: humid,
heavy with moisture like the never ending glasses of water he drank. He left
the living room for a moment and she felt uncomfortable. Something wasn’t right
and she felt vulnerable and exposed.
When
he returned he left the bedroom door open behind him. He smiled and she felt
all her doubts melt away into silly little nervous thoughts. He walked over to
her and she saw something in the bedroom behind him. Something that wasn’t
right but he was kissing her before she could recognize it. She was always lost
in his kisses. His mouth always felt perfect: his lips were never dry and his
stubble never pricked her skin.
He
pulled back from her and she opened her eyes. She wasn’t looking at him. Her
eyes were resting on the doorway. The air was distorted with the heat in the
room. It was why the apartment was so hot, she realized. The walls looked
strange, like they were covered in a foreign substance. There was no furniture
either, only odd layers of shapes. She felt her chest tighten as she looked at
them. They looked like egg sacs.
She
felt something drip onto her shoulder and she snapped her eyes back to the man.
His lower jaw was gone, dribbling down his chest and onto her as if it had
melted away. She screamed and recoiled from him but his arms were strong around
her, still cradling her from when they kissed. His eyes were all white and
leaking, pouring water down his face like it was coming out of his mouth. His
skin, his perfect warm skin, was pale and bloated like a corpse.
She
screamed louder as his teeth began to change. They extended and swelled up,
hissing when the water touched them and was boiled away. The fangs grew as he
leaned down into her neck. There was a jolt of pain as they penetrated her
throat. It was the last thing she ever felt.
Also by Joseph Anderson:
Science Fiction
Bounty Hunter Series
The
Bounty Hunter Series One, Complete
Fantasy
Monster Slayer Series
Werewolf
Zombies