Chapter 14- Metal Scrappers
Paxton stood in shock as his gaze met three pairs more. A creature with unfathomable size, with a snake-like head and three pairs of eyes filled with void, onyx tint. It had large neck hoods like a cobra, only these were large enough to act as wings, and its body was large and long….twice that of a train.
Two large iron-like pedipalps stabbed into the Cave platform, as an eerie silence suffused around it.
'Oh…It just had to be the worst of all Underground Glitches….Metal Scrappers'.
He remained silent for a moment, his head spinning in overdrive as he thought of a way out of his predicament, though he couldn't think of one. All he knew was that he was getting out of this alive.
In a single motion, he charged to his left, away from the creature, which suddenly snarled deeply as it stretched its open maw at him in a fit of rage.
"Oh no you don't!". He quickly climbed over the wall and backflipped over the head as the creature smashed its teeth onto the cave, sending a deep vibration down to its very core.
He landed on the Creature's head and ran down, his body moving as fast as he could, as the creature suddenly jumped away from the platform.
Paxton had gotten halfway there when he jumped down, his body landing on the hard surface with his two feet sending a wave of shock through his bones.
He groaned slightly as he moved forward, the creature suddenly smashing against the walls as it rushed after him, its multiple legs slamming against the Cave like a needle through clothing as it rushed after him.
Paxton groaned as he changed directions occasionally, dodging the sudden movement of the creature as it protruded its maw in an attempt to grab him.
'If I had a proper bayonet' he thought, but even that wouldn't be enough to save him right now. He continued running forward, when He caught a glimpse of Lieutenant Ri, hiding behind a pillar with his gaze fixed on them.
The Lieutenant had a snicker on his expression as he smiled in great delight at Paxton's predicament, but the boy had other plans.
He changed directions instantly, turning to his left and leading the creature back into the open space.
The creature snarled in rage as its body was forced into a U-turn, causing it to stumble as it rushed forward
"Hey, Lieutenant Ri! Help a junior out!" he cried out as he rushed towards him, but the Lieutenant wasn't having it.
With panic-filled eyes, Lieutenant Ji quickly moved away from the pillar, turning a corner and leaving the way they came.
'He's escaping?' Paxton thought as he glanced at the pillar he had hidden.
An idea popped into his head, causing him to stir his body in that direction in a heartbeat.
His body moved like a machine controlled by a single processor as adrenaline filled his blood.
His gaze shifted to his back to find the creature closing in on him, and quickly, too, but he had gotten to his destination already.
He suddenly jumped and slid down the ground, using his left leg to hook his body on the pillar, and rotating his body around as he dug his arms into his soldier pants, pulling out all the objects he had on him.
Within the next second, the creature slammed against the pillar, its maw wide open as it rushed toward Paxton in an attempt to swallow him whole.
"Not today" Paxton muttered as he pulled the grenades and flash bangs towards his mouth and bit off the safety pin. In the next second, he threw them all into the creature's maw while he crawled away in a rush.
The creature closed its mouth as it slammed into the wall of the cave, causing a sudden quake that spread throughout the walls.
Paxton noticed a rattling noise as he rushed away from the open space. He looked up to find the embedded source of light rattling in its position as if it were about to fall.
'Hmm,' he thought when an explosion suddenly occurred. The cave shook, but another sudden one exploded, and then another, and then another before a chain of explosions occurred within the Creature maw.
Paxton felt refreshed as the cries of the creature filled the Cave in a fit of grotesque pain. He could hear the agony from its cries as it slammed its body against the walls of the cave in a fit to escape the pain.
He turned around to get one last glance, knowing well enough that the explosions weren't going to slow it down as much as it hoped. It had caused at least 40% of the damage, though.
'it was all my explosives; it had better be done as such.'
He rushed away from the opening and headed in the direction he came from, his gaze scanning his environment once again.
It wasn't until he turned the corner, where the opening leading down the cave was that he was met with brute force.
Lieutenant Ri suddenly sprung from the Dark in an attempt to slam against him, but he sidestepped out of the way causing the lieutenant to rush past him, unable to control his body until he felt himself being pulled back once Paxton grabbed onto his elbow.
"I knew you would do something tricky". Paxton said as he slammed the Lieutenant against the wall and punched him as hard as he could.
"Shit! How dare yo"-"AHH!"
He screamed in pain as Paxton slammed his fist into his face once again.
"You talk too much". Paxton suddenly grabbed him into the air and slammed him on the ground, causing a stir of pain to spread through the lieutenant's body as he struggled to set free.
He grabbed his bayonet from the side and aimed it at Paxton, who suddenly kicked it away as he pulled the trigger.
An eruption of sound occurred, followed by a bullet that pierced through the cave's walls.
Paxton grabbed the bayonet and stumped the Lieutenant on his chest, repeating the action frantically as they struggled to gain ownership of the weapon.
"I won't let you, kid" the lieutenant screamed out as he kicked Paxton away and attempted to pull the trigger again,
Paxton jumped onto the ground, dodging the bullet by a hair's breadth before rushing towards him as he aimed the weapon at him.
Paxton rolled over towards him, grabbing his foot before he could pull the trigger, and pulled his leg across the floor, causing the lieutenant to miss his shot by a mile.
He suddenly slammed his fist against the Lieutenant's face, his face etched with focus.
The lieutenant groaned in pain, but Paxton wasn't done yet.
He pulled the lieutenant by his leg, dragging him across the floor and slamming him against the wall of the cave.
The lieutenant groaned and attempted to aim his weapon again, only to be pulled across the floor and slammed to the other side of the wall.
"You won't quit?" Paxton asked in a low tone as he slammed him again against the wall, and then again. Repeating his action until the Lieutenant couldn't move normally anymore from the constant force and sound that erupted when his body slammed into the wall.
The lieutenant was left dismayed and in disarray on the floor, and Paxton threw his legs away before grabbing the bayonet from the Lieutenant.
In the next second, he aimed the weapon at the Lieutenant's head and pulled the trigger, causing an eruption of sound followed by a sudden large opening on the lieutenant's face.
With a sigh, he placed the bayonet on his shoulder, satisfaction growing in his heart at his action.
'I still remember the feeling of fighting in the war…this feels…surreal'.
It was like he could fight all this time; he just needed the right environment and drive to tap into that ability of his all this time.
'It's expected…I'm a soldier, after all'.
He was about to turn away when the Lieutenant's body suddenly convulsed and grabbed onto his leg.
'What?' Paxton wondered as he glanced down to find the Lieutenant's headless body climbing onto him.
He aimed his weapon at the Lieutenant's body again, ready to pull the trigger when a stagnant vibration spread throughout the Cave.
This wasn't a vibration caused by their fight; no, it was something far worse.
'Shit. She's coming'.