Arachnapocalypse! The Anthology (Arachnapocalypse! Universe) by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: VeryGood Collab Books
Published: 2022-09-06T04:00:00+00:00

Survivor

Elvan awoke to the rattle of tent poles. Ketil was still fast asleep in his arms. The dark living space came into focus as he blinked away the sleep, and the pounding in his chest came to the fore. Something was terribly wrong. Then, his nose caught it on the wind: the unmistakable stench of ochre spore ammunition.

“Get up!” He practically threw Ketil from the bed as he made a dash for the emergency mask-and-suit-kits.

“What’s going on?” Ketil asked, catching the emergency pack Elvan tossed to him.

“The front shifted. The front shifted and they didn’t tell us!” Elvan shouted above the not-so-distant boom of artillery. He scrambled to zip up the early-issue anti-spore suit, rushing to seal the rebreather on his face. He recalled the stories of battle taking a turn for the unpredictable and trampling any nearby scrubber camps in the way. He recalled hoping it would never happen to him.

“Wait… what?” Ketil had a leg in his suit, and his mask was on, but he wasn’t moving fast enough. He must not have heard the stories. Or perhaps he was still a little drunk. Elvan did not have time to figure it out.

“Get dressed, K! We’re exposed!” The sound of a spore rocket smacked the night as Ketil struggled with the suit’s closure fasteners. There was a soft thump as the large grenade landed just outside their tent. “Get down!” Elvan tackled his lover to the ground, and the device exploded. For a moment, there was pristine silence. Then, with a rush and a ragged breath, he was overwhelmed with the stimuli of a very active battlefield.

The dull ache in Elvan’s head fed into the icy trill that dominated his soundscape. Anything beyond the ringing in his ears was muffled, like he was underwater. He tried to gather his bearings, shoving the tent's tangled and torn debris to the side, then rolling on his back to look at the carnage. Already, the orange dust was everywhere. Tendrils were quickly taking hold, but there was still time to escape.

He reached for Ketil, but his gloved hands grasped only debris. “Ketil! Where are you?” For a moment, there was nothing, then the pile beside him moved and his lover’s face emerged. “Oh thank god...” He scrambled on his hands and knees to Ketil’s side. “Come on, you have to get up, we have to go. We have to leave, now!”

Ketil just shook his head and his lips formed the word, “No.” His eyes fluttered closed. He was pale, but it seemed like he had managed to get his suit and mask on in time.

Elvan figured he was probably concussed. He grabbed Ketil’s shoulders and shook lightly. “You don’t have time for a nap, love. We have to get off the battlefield.”

Ketil looked at him groggily, tears pouring from his eyes. He tried to smile, but he gagged and coughed instead. Blood splattered the window of the rebreather.

Elvan’s heart sank. He knew what it meant. He did not want to accept it.

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