Starship Exodus by Tripp Ellis

Author:Tripp Ellis [Ellis, Tripp]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: military, SF
Publisher: self-published
Published: 2017-03-18T06:00:00+00:00

20

The Marines

Carson staggered to his feet and took a position behind what was left of the north wall of the medical center. The fog had rolled out, and the air was clearing. He pulled down his tactical goggles from atop his helmet and activated the night-vision. He blasted at the incoming aliens in short staccato bursts. Muzzle flash lit up his chiseled face like a strobe light.

Murphy was next to him with a belt fed M679 machine gun. It rattled off a blistering number of rounds, and the report was deafening.

A moment later, the LT staggered out of the structure with his weapon and took a position next to Carson. He blasted off several rounds at the enemy. It was a sight Kyle hadn’t seen once in the whole deployment.

Gun smoke filled the air. Incoming energy bolts blasted at the concrete. Fragments of debris sprayed everywhere. The dust filled Kyle’s already congested lungs. He hacked up some greenish/yellow phlegm and spit it on the ground. It was like goopy alien slime.

His heart was pounding in his chest. Once again, the surge of adrenaline gave him the strength to keep fighting.

The aliens were advancing from the north, and were attempting to flank the compound. Marines in various buildings were engaging the enemy. But they were outnumbered and outgunned. To make matters worse, the platoon was running low on ammo. They hadn't been expecting heavy combat on this mission.

Kyle could see the large creatures reach the edge of the compound. At least their massive size made them bigger targets. Kyle lined one of them up in his sights—the reticle square on the alien’s chest. Carson held his breath and pulled the trigger. A flurry of rounds blasted down range. But they seemed to ping right off the creature’s armor.

Energy bolts streaked in Carson’s direction. He ducked behind the wall as bolts ripped overhead and pummeled the concrete. Dust and debris rained down.

Kyle popped his rifle over the edge of the wall and fired at the approaching creatures.

They were even closer than before.

The bolt on his weapon locked out—the magazine was empty. He dropped it out and jammed another one back in. “I’m down to my last mag!”

“Me too,” Talbot shouted.

Just then, a bolt of energy rifled into the structure, eviscerating Stedman. His body bulged, then burst. It exploded into a crimson mist of blood that hung in the air like a cloud.

Kyle was coated in blood and slop. He watched the atomized particles linger in the air. A light bulb went off in his head, and his eyes lit up. This was going to be his delivery system.

Within moments, the Marines were going to be overrun. The aliens were approaching from all angles now. There was only one thing Carson cared about—to save the men he had fought with over the last several months. Despite their differences, they had all become brothers.

“Which way is the wind blowing?”

“Who fucking cares?” Murphy shouted between machine gun bursts.

Carson scanned the street and saw a piece of torn canvas awning flapping in the wind.

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