The Dam - Part 4 (An Original Short)
”Where’s daddy?”
A supple, round face rose from the pillow, eyes bleary and reddened from a light sleep. She flicked her head from side to side to check in the far corners of the room. ”It’s OK.” Jim said, kneeling forward. ”Your father asked me to come over and make sure you’re safe. After all, at night is when the dangers are at their highest and we wouldn’t want any harm coming to you.” He brushed an untidy lock of hair away from her brow. ”He also asked if this door be locked for the next hour, at least. Until those lurking dangers outside are certain not to be roaming the grounds. Is that OK?” She looked at him with a churlish grin. ”Why didn’t father come and tell me himself?” Jim was taken aback with her impressive intellect at such a young and tender age, but kept his thoughts disguised. “He’s a busy man, Annie.” He asserted, shifting his tone a little deeper. “And I have the fort to guard. Please can you work with me on this and tomorrow he can tell you himself.” After a moment gazing into the air, she nodded in defeat. ”Fine, but only for an hour. No more.” Jim smiled down at her before rising to his feet. ”There’s a good girl. I’ll be back in no time. You’re a clever little thing. Maybe more so than I gave you credit for.”
With that, he turned and headed for the door. They had decided in situating her quarters within the furthest region of the compound. Away from the sounds of terror on the other side if an attack should take place. And now the hour was upon them. He closed the door, locking it with the large skeleton key. The lever slid into place with a loud clang. Not a second sooner, Jim bolted down the corridor towards the iron gate. Time was running short and the men would already be at their positions. Were it not for the promise to Brain of securing Annie first, many precious minutes would have been saved. But orders were orders and the lip of the dam was still at least a five-minute sprint away.
Brain opened the hatch to a flurry of commotion. Four of his men heaved the enormous over-sized barrel to the edge. Behind him, a separate group carried another. Either side of him, yet two more struggled their way to the huge drop in front of them. For a brief moment, his decision not to include a reinforced barrier around the perimeter of the dam, irked him. One misstep by any of his men and it would be an agonising minute of prayer before they were dashed to pieces below. He clambered out as the air grew thick with smoke. Dozens of trained archers moved in from the east wing, spreading out into a line of defence at the back. Further troops hurried to the front whilst the furnace either end grew hotter by the second. Stacks of paraffin-tipped arrows were piled next to each of the men by busied workers doing their best to stay out of their way. It was all going according to plan. Brian leapt from the small opening in the ground and darted over to the lip. He steadied himself a few paces away, before peering over. The sight was every bit as magnificent as it was horrifying.
Eight individual floodlights, manned by their respective controllers, captured the scene below. A sea of the creatures fanned out in a V shaped formation. It was still unclear whether or not they possessed the ability to collectively act as a co-ordinated mass army, but it sure didn’t look like it from Brian’s perspective. They only seemed to have one objective. Swarm the enemy using vast numbers, regardless of tactic or hazard. A pulsating, focused beast comprising of thousands of lethal components. On their own, they were a deadly force of nature, but combined, it was a whole new ball game. One beam of light shone down as one of the worms stretched it’s head into the air. As if it knew it had been discovered. Rows of serrated teeth arched out of the gaping hole punched within the stem of it’s black head. No eyes, no features. Just a faceless maw intent on devouring anything that comes in it’s way. The hideous dark organism swayed in the cold night air, rippling it’s circular set of teeth at the soldiers high above, before descending back down into the heaving carpeted mass. Brian glanced over at the entrance from where they poured through. It was a relentless push, the likes of which they had never expected.
He then moved into view of the foot of the dam at ground level. The pit of spikes they had dug were now covered in hundreds of the creatures. Some had impaled themselves on a few of the longer shards poking up into the air. The sheets of barbed wire wrapped around the bottom part of the dam face, were a bloodied mess. Several of the spotlights honed in on this part alone, where the creatures were now beginning to infest. Many had their thick skins torn apart as they passed over the wire, pinkish innards streaming out of the rugged blood-soaked fissures. But the sheer amount of the beasts pressing forward meant before long, the dead were crushed by ones coming up the rear and sliding their way across fresh carcasses. And more followed after that. A continuous wave of unearthly terror that seemed to stop at nothing.
Brian prepared for the next phase of attack, but an indistinct structure of meshed steel caught his eye. The last of the dam work. Home to two lone engineering workers stationed there for the past fortnight.
Denver and Coperinus. Now left to the ravages of the horrors beneath. And the time left to save them was running out fast.
