Read Online Ashlyn Chronicles 1: 2287 A.D. by Glenn van Dyke, Renee van Dyke - Free Book Online
Authors: Glenn van Dyke, Renee van Dyke
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more spheres of spiders rolled at them from the left. The two flamethrowers lit them up. The shrill screams of the frying spiders echoed, challenging their sense of reality. “This is crazy! Their attack is organized!” yelled Martinez.
Though their cooling systems were maxed, beads of sweat ran down the faces of both men. Their anxiety grew as they gave ground.
“Four o’clock,” shouted Stratton, as he simultaneously noticed that the drumming vibration grew louder.
The two men turned. Behind them, four more spheres were rolling toward them. “My tanks are down to 12 percent,” said Cole, as he sent a narrow stream into the heart of another ball.
Behind them, Stratton spotted the horror of which Steven had spoken. It came up out of the tunnel. “Dammit you two, get inside now,” shouted Stratton. “That’s an order!”
Martinez turned and ran. Cole backed up, laying down cover fire. Though each ball was in flames, they kept rolling toward him, growing smaller as they discarded the bodies of those in the fried outer layer.
Three of the flaming spiders broke free and came charging at him. “All right, you want a piece of me? Come and get it.” The first spider launched itself through the air, but with the battle armor’s heightened strength, a good backhand with his right fist sent it flying back into the wall of flames.
The next landed at his feet, where it lunged, rocking back and forth trying to bite him. A good kick sent it sprawling against the far wall of the cavern. The other landed atop his chest, its face staring straight into his faceplate, its fangs scissoring near his neck. “I almost forgot how much I hate you ugly maggots.” Grabbing it by the head, he tore it from its body.
Such was the battle, he never noticed the ground shaking, vibrating beneath his feet.
Having reached the door, Martinez spun around. Standing beside Stratton, they were awestruck.
“Cole, get—get back here now!” yelled Martinez.
“I’m coming.” At that moment, a fourth spider jumped through an open gap in the flames and wrapped itself around Cole’s legs. Though Cole wore the regulation armor that could take a tank blast at fifty meters and still leave its wearer no worse for the wear, this spider seemed to understand the armor’s weakness. Its fangs bit deep between the layered plates into a virtually invisible seam just behind the knee. Cole screamed out in pain as the spider’s bite sent virus-laden enzymes into his bloodstream.
Even as he sent the spider sprawling, hitting it with the butt of his flamethrower and then finishing it off with a stream of plasma, the blood vessels in his eyes had already begun to grow and extend.
He had never personally witnessed the rage , but he had heard about it from others who had. His mind raced, trying to separate fact from fiction, fear from hope—he realized just how little he knew. However, there was one inescapable fact—the rage was always fatal.
The spot where the spider had bitten him already grew numb, unresponsive.
Before him, coming at him from all directions, were twenty or more spiders. With a quick glance at Stratton and Martinez, who stood in the doorway, his situation became instantly worse. They stared wide-mouthed at something high above him.
Looking up, Cole hobbled around to see a spider more than twenty meters tall. It was like the others in appearance, but ten times bigger. He staggered back a step, half in shock from the sheer size of the thing and half because of the painful venom in his right leg. “Gena, all systems to maximum,” he managed to say, just as the spider flipped him high into the air with a swipe of its front leg. Though his inertia dampener was at maximum, he landed hard against the glowing crystalline wall of webs. He fell to the ground far below. The spiders around him skittered away, making room for their queen.
Letting out a heavy sigh, he rolled over onto his back. Looking up, he saw that the spider was already
Though their cooling systems were maxed, beads of sweat ran down the faces of both men. Their anxiety grew as they gave ground.
“Four o’clock,” shouted Stratton, as he simultaneously noticed that the drumming vibration grew louder.
The two men turned. Behind them, four more spheres were rolling toward them. “My tanks are down to 12 percent,” said Cole, as he sent a narrow stream into the heart of another ball.
Behind them, Stratton spotted the horror of which Steven had spoken. It came up out of the tunnel. “Dammit you two, get inside now,” shouted Stratton. “That’s an order!”
Martinez turned and ran. Cole backed up, laying down cover fire. Though each ball was in flames, they kept rolling toward him, growing smaller as they discarded the bodies of those in the fried outer layer.
Three of the flaming spiders broke free and came charging at him. “All right, you want a piece of me? Come and get it.” The first spider launched itself through the air, but with the battle armor’s heightened strength, a good backhand with his right fist sent it flying back into the wall of flames.
The next landed at his feet, where it lunged, rocking back and forth trying to bite him. A good kick sent it sprawling against the far wall of the cavern. The other landed atop his chest, its face staring straight into his faceplate, its fangs scissoring near his neck. “I almost forgot how much I hate you ugly maggots.” Grabbing it by the head, he tore it from its body.
Such was the battle, he never noticed the ground shaking, vibrating beneath his feet.
Having reached the door, Martinez spun around. Standing beside Stratton, they were awestruck.
“Cole, get—get back here now!” yelled Martinez.
“I’m coming.” At that moment, a fourth spider jumped through an open gap in the flames and wrapped itself around Cole’s legs. Though Cole wore the regulation armor that could take a tank blast at fifty meters and still leave its wearer no worse for the wear, this spider seemed to understand the armor’s weakness. Its fangs bit deep between the layered plates into a virtually invisible seam just behind the knee. Cole screamed out in pain as the spider’s bite sent virus-laden enzymes into his bloodstream.
Even as he sent the spider sprawling, hitting it with the butt of his flamethrower and then finishing it off with a stream of plasma, the blood vessels in his eyes had already begun to grow and extend.
He had never personally witnessed the rage , but he had heard about it from others who had. His mind raced, trying to separate fact from fiction, fear from hope—he realized just how little he knew. However, there was one inescapable fact—the rage was always fatal.
The spot where the spider had bitten him already grew numb, unresponsive.
Before him, coming at him from all directions, were twenty or more spiders. With a quick glance at Stratton and Martinez, who stood in the doorway, his situation became instantly worse. They stared wide-mouthed at something high above him.
Looking up, Cole hobbled around to see a spider more than twenty meters tall. It was like the others in appearance, but ten times bigger. He staggered back a step, half in shock from the sheer size of the thing and half because of the painful venom in his right leg. “Gena, all systems to maximum,” he managed to say, just as the spider flipped him high into the air with a swipe of its front leg. Though his inertia dampener was at maximum, he landed hard against the glowing crystalline wall of webs. He fell to the ground far below. The spiders around him skittered away, making room for their queen.
Letting out a heavy sigh, he rolled over onto his back. Looking up, he saw that the spider was already
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