Eric Brown - The Kraken Rises

The ensuing explosion shook the corridor. Black blood and bits of gore were thrown into the corridor where the group was splattered through the air onto its walls and floor.

“Move!” Larson yelled, already charging into the corridor that led to the exterior doorway.

Most of the squid creatures had died in the grenade’s blast. Others flopped about on the corridor floor, their tentacles twitching in the death throes that shook their bodies. There were some of the creatures that had only been wounded though, and they rushed forward to meet the members of the advancing group. One of them came straight at Larson. A high-pitched cry arose from its mouth. Larson squeezed his rifle’s trigger and sprayed the thing with a stream of automatic fire. The bullets struck its central mass, hurling it backwards as they ripped through it.

Hawks and Chuck took aim at the creatures on the ceiling. They had been the least affected by the blast and came scrambling across it towards the group. Their rifles chattered, blowing squids apart as they advanced. Hyatt shoved his way passed them, careful not to step into their lines of fire. His automatic shotgun thundered in rapid succession as he emptied its magazine into the remaining squid creatures. Larson had seen Hyatt coming and knew what the big man planned to do. He hit the corridor floor in the fraction of a second before the rounds from Hyatt’s weapon reduced the last of the squids to pieces of shredded black pulp.

“Keep moving!” Larson shouted as he got back to his feet. Hawks and Chuck darted by him as Hyatt held back to reload.

Hawks and Chuck approached the doorway. A howling wind was blowing rain into the corridor through the opening. It was dark outside. The storm that had the Braxton had known was in the area had appeared to finally reach the platform. Hawks squinted, his eyes straining to see clearly in the darkness and rain outside. As far as he could tell, the path ahead was clear.

“Whoa.” Chuck caught him by the shoulder as he started forward. “Are we really going out there?”

“You’d rather stay in here?” Hawks asked.

“Good point,” Chuck admitted and let go of him.

Larson and Robbie caught up to them at the doorway.

“Robbie, let the Braxton know our new count and that we’re ready for extraction,” Larson ordered.

“Already trying, sir,” Robbie answered. “This storm is getting worse and messing with the comms.”

“Is that normal?” Riggs and Hawks asked at the same time. The two men looked at each other in surprise.

“No, it most certainly isn’t. Not on the level it’s happening,” Robbie told them.

“Can you get a message through or not?” Larson snapped.

“I think so,” Robbie said. “Give me a second.”

“I’d say going back down to the boats is out,” Hawks commented. “Trying to climb down in those winds would be suicide.”

“No kidding,” Larson growled. “But we can’t stay here either.”

“I’ve gotten through to the Braxton , sir!” Robbie called out. “XO Ennis is advising us to hold position until the storm clears.”

“Frag that!” Larson snapped even as he looked out at the raging water through the rain and knew the XO was right. Even if there was a copter aboard the Braxton , the weather would have made it impossible for it to come for them.

“We need to find somewhere topside that’s secure or at least defensible,” Hawks said.

“Ha. There ain’t anywhere,” Riggs chuckled darkly.

“Wait!” Bailey came up to them. “What about our boat, Riggs?”

“The Hunter !” Riggs broke into a smile. “I had forgotten all about her.”

“You have a boat?” Chuck asked.

“Of course they do, you idiot,” Larson snarled, maybe hiding his own stupidity in not thinking to ask. “This is an exploration platform after all.”

“If those things haven’t destroyed her, the Hunter will get us to your battleship. Count on it,” Riggs told Larson. “She’s a modified small yacht.”

“Then why are we all just standing here and getting rained on?” Larson asked. “Lead the way, Riggs.”

The Hunter was moored to the platform’s north side. There was a ladder leading down directly onto its deck. The group reached the top of the ladder, standing in the howling wind and being battered by the heavy rain as they looked down at the boat.

“Who’s going first?” Hawks asked.

Larson laughed. “I figure that honor belongs to you and Chuck. Get down there and make sure there aren’t any of those things aboard her.”

“Yes, sir.” Hawks flashed a defiant grin at Larson and motioned for Chuck to follow him.

The rungs of the ladder were slick. Hawks and Chuck had to take them carefully with their rifles swung onto their backs. Thankfully, there was no sign of the squid creatures moving about on the boat’s deck. The Hunter rocked on the angry waves, tossed about by the high winds. Hawks got as close to the deck as he felt he needed and then let go of the ladder dropping onto it. He unslung his rifle as quickly as he could and swept the area about him with his gaze, half-expecting one of the squid creatures to come charging at him from out of the shadows. He heard a thud as Chuck dropped onto the deck behind him.

There was also the threat of the squid creatures in the water scaling the sides of the boat and coming squirming onto its deck, but so far, it looked like the storm had driven them away for the time being.

“You watch out here,” Hawks ordered Chuck. “I’ll check the cabin.”

Hawks moved slowly toward the cabin door. When he reached it, he tried the door and found it unlocked. He threw the door fully open, leveling his rifle at anything that might come bursting out at him. Hawks breathed a sigh of relief as he saw that cabin was clear. He stepped into to it and took a closer look around to be sure before giving Chuck the signal to tell the others to join them.

Chuck and Hawks stood watch against any squid creatures that might decide to brave the storm and attempt to board the boat as the others climbed down. Within a matter of minutes, everyone was ready to roll. Riggs was the only one with experience handling the modified yacht so Larson delegated that duty to him. Hyatt, Bailey, and Cheryl worked to free the boat from its moorings as Robbie sat in the cabin, informing the Braxton that they were on their way.

“Take her easy,” Larson ordered Riggs from where he stood behind him watching his work.

The Hunter ’s engine rumbled to life, and Riggs steered the boat away from the platform on course for the Braxton. Robbie had given him the coordinates. The Braxton was still in its original holding position not far from the platform at all.

The water was as dark and ominous as the skies above the Hunter as the small yacht bounced over the waves in route to the large battleship on the horizon. Hawks, Chuck, and Hyatt remained on its deck keeping guard. Everyone else packed into the Hunter ’s small cabin as best they could to take shelter from the storm.

“I still can’t believe all this is really happening,” Riggs commented without taking his eyes off the waves ahead of the boat.

“Tell me about it,” Larson agreed. “I didn’t sign up to fight monsters.”

“They’re not monsters,” Bailey argued from where she sat next to Robbie and Cheryl, a towel taken from the boat’s stash of supplies wrapped around her shoulders.

“Oh they’re monsters alright,” Riggs spat. “Those things shouldn’t even exist.”

“Come on, Riggs,” Bailey challenged him. “We know less about the depths of this planet’s oceans than we do about space. What gives you the right to say these things shouldn’t exist? They’re no different than sharks or other predators.”