Read Online A Cold Black Wave by Timothy H. Scott - Free Book Online
Authors: Timothy H. Scott
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two machines at most could have fit in there. This was a military outpost. The question now was who created the machines and for what purpose? Josh would need to locate whoever had fought this machine to find that answer.
As he stood he took a step back and didn’t see the dry branch and his weight snapped it in half. He cursed himself for being clumsy, glancing at the machine before heading towards the bunker to investigate.
A barely audible hum stirred the air, stopping Josh in his tracks. His mouth went dry, and he wanted to turn around but already knew what awaited him, and the fear paralyzed him.
The machines arms slowly lifted off the ground, ripping away the dry vines with its mechanical fingers. It placed one arm down to brace itself, and lifted its body from the ground and stood fully. Josh forced himself around and faced the alien creature which now stood in a defensive posture, its slatted eyes flickering as if identifying a target, its entire body moving subtly as if it were human.
The machine blasted the air with a deafening concussion as it raised an arm at Josh. Josh f ired from the hip. A projectil e from the machine shot past his face. Josh’s bullets penetrated in several spots, felling the machine to its knees as it struggled to regain itself.
Then he turned and ran. He slung the rifle without missing a step and pushed hard, suddenly and entirely focused as the elite student of the academy he was trained to be. The adrenaline ran through him as he sprinted and leapt over fallen branches and bounded up and over rocks. It wasn’t until he reached the gully that he stopped. Trapped, he took a defensive position and aimed his rifle out into the forest and waited.
Chapter 5
He calmed himself, controlled his breathing. It wasn’t long until the snow accumulated an inch on his body while he waited like a stone. Unless the thing had a heat sensor , or some other way of identifying his position, he may as well have been a part of the forest now.
A half an hour passed. Then an hour. Nothing came. As the heat dissipated from his body the cold chill settled in, yet he remained motionless. When he felt it was safe to move he tried to figure out how to get back over the gully. He had only brought one rope and there was no way of negotiating the gully without it, not without risking getting trapped at the bottom. There was no choice but to walk its length and hope for a better crossing site.
It was dusk, nearly a full nine hours since Josh had left, when Leah saw something in the snow making its way towards the shuttle. Having found binoculars earlier she had been using them, first to admire the intricate details of the craggy mountains and wayward birds, then to search for signs of Josh returning when it became late. She saw plainly now that Josh was approaching her. He was nearly slumped over and his feet pounded laboriously in the thick snow. She put her coat on and ran out to meet him.
“Oh my God, Josh! You’re freezing!”
“I’m fine,” he wheezed as the snow blasted their faces. Ice had formed across his exposed skin and icicles hung from his nose and eyes.
Leah tried to take the rifle to help him but he shrugged her away, so she simply walked with him until they climbed into the shuttle and slammed the door shut. Josh put the rifle aside and dropped the heavy pack to the ground. Going straight into the supply room, he paid no attention to Leah and didn’t take any time in collecting himself. When he entered the room, the supplies were completely organized and for some reason that annoyed him.
“Where’d you put the armaments?” He asked loudly.
“The what?”
“The goddamn weapons, where are they?”
“I didn’t touch those ...”
After a few minutes passed he came out holding burlap that was sagging with weight, grabbed his rifle, and went back
As he stood he took a step back and didn’t see the dry branch and his weight snapped it in half. He cursed himself for being clumsy, glancing at the machine before heading towards the bunker to investigate.
A barely audible hum stirred the air, stopping Josh in his tracks. His mouth went dry, and he wanted to turn around but already knew what awaited him, and the fear paralyzed him.
The machines arms slowly lifted off the ground, ripping away the dry vines with its mechanical fingers. It placed one arm down to brace itself, and lifted its body from the ground and stood fully. Josh forced himself around and faced the alien creature which now stood in a defensive posture, its slatted eyes flickering as if identifying a target, its entire body moving subtly as if it were human.
The machine blasted the air with a deafening concussion as it raised an arm at Josh. Josh f ired from the hip. A projectil e from the machine shot past his face. Josh’s bullets penetrated in several spots, felling the machine to its knees as it struggled to regain itself.
Then he turned and ran. He slung the rifle without missing a step and pushed hard, suddenly and entirely focused as the elite student of the academy he was trained to be. The adrenaline ran through him as he sprinted and leapt over fallen branches and bounded up and over rocks. It wasn’t until he reached the gully that he stopped. Trapped, he took a defensive position and aimed his rifle out into the forest and waited.
Chapter 5
He calmed himself, controlled his breathing. It wasn’t long until the snow accumulated an inch on his body while he waited like a stone. Unless the thing had a heat sensor , or some other way of identifying his position, he may as well have been a part of the forest now.
A half an hour passed. Then an hour. Nothing came. As the heat dissipated from his body the cold chill settled in, yet he remained motionless. When he felt it was safe to move he tried to figure out how to get back over the gully. He had only brought one rope and there was no way of negotiating the gully without it, not without risking getting trapped at the bottom. There was no choice but to walk its length and hope for a better crossing site.
It was dusk, nearly a full nine hours since Josh had left, when Leah saw something in the snow making its way towards the shuttle. Having found binoculars earlier she had been using them, first to admire the intricate details of the craggy mountains and wayward birds, then to search for signs of Josh returning when it became late. She saw plainly now that Josh was approaching her. He was nearly slumped over and his feet pounded laboriously in the thick snow. She put her coat on and ran out to meet him.
“Oh my God, Josh! You’re freezing!”
“I’m fine,” he wheezed as the snow blasted their faces. Ice had formed across his exposed skin and icicles hung from his nose and eyes.
Leah tried to take the rifle to help him but he shrugged her away, so she simply walked with him until they climbed into the shuttle and slammed the door shut. Josh put the rifle aside and dropped the heavy pack to the ground. Going straight into the supply room, he paid no attention to Leah and didn’t take any time in collecting himself. When he entered the room, the supplies were completely organized and for some reason that annoyed him.
“Where’d you put the armaments?” He asked loudly.
“The what?”
“The goddamn weapons, where are they?”
“I didn’t touch those ...”
After a few minutes passed he came out holding burlap that was sagging with weight, grabbed his rifle, and went back
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