Read Online Critical Dawn by Colin F. Barnes, Darren Wearmouth - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Colin F. Barnes, Darren Wearmouth
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arc.
The area to the right looked like plowed farmland. Uniformed brown lines reached into the horizon. To his left, forest. Behind the ship, a deep gouge furrowed through the earth, running from the back of the ship into the far distance.
He wondered if they had crash-landed, but how could he breathe?
Black smoke belched from the ship into the clear, blue sky. He heard the noise of an engine straining and stopping, straining and stopping. The platform was around thirty feet long and twenty wide.
He scanned the platform for a makeshift weapon. The surface was clear apart from the bike, a pool of blood, and the man approaching with a raised blade. As the man closed in around one end of the bike, the three of them all scuttled to the other. They faced off, nine feet apart, separated by machinery.
“Why are you doing this? We’re part of the crew,” Maria said.
Ben detected a low, clicking sound coming from the helmet. “Who are you?”
The man sprang up onto the seat, landing into a hunch, then rising to a towering position above them. He raised the blade over his head and then pointed it at them.
Ethan gasped. “We’re gonna die.”
Ben ducked to one side as the blade swung down. It whistled past his ear and clanked against the metal chassis. He staggered back, dropping to the platform to avoid momentum taking him over the side.
The man’s focus seemed to zero in on Ben. He leaped off the seat and advanced toward him, sheathing the blade and reaching for a hip holster. He pulled a black, angular-looking weapon out and aimed with a straight arm, head tilting to one side.
Ben closed his eyes, thinking his time was up.
Two loud cracks, seconds apart, split the air.
Maria screamed.
“Ben,” Ethan shouted.
Something hit the platform, two items clattering with a thud. Ben opened his eyes.
The man was on both knees, clutching his throat, weapon on the platform beside him. Another crack rang out.
The man sprawled back, his blue visor splintered with a small hole in the middle. He slumped against the vehicle, motionless.
Ben jumped to his feet and grabbed the pistol-like weapon. It was smooth and black with just a trigger and a button on the side. No insignia.
He held his finger on the trigger and trained it on the armored man. Hopefully, the threat would be enough if the man was even still alive.
Ben had never seen a real weapon. The closest he got was a wooden toy in the orphan compartment. It felt heavy and solid in his hand. Deadly.
“Get behind me,” Ben said. Maria cautiously approached the body. “Stay away. He might get up.”
She ignored him and reached out. Fumbling with the handle on the thigh, sliding out the long blade, still smeared with blood. “If another comes along.”
“Who the hell was that?” Ethan said. “Where are we?”
“I’ve no idea. We’ll figure it out eventually; let’s just get safe first,” Ben said.
Ben glanced over the edge of the platform. Something moved in the trees below. A threat perhaps? More of these armored people?
“Down there, movement. Do you see it?” Ben said.
Three dark shapes cut through the trees alongside the ship.
Maria pointed. “Oh my God, Ben, look, someone’s coming.”
He followed Maria’s direction to the gouge behind the ship. Erika lay directly below, face down in the mud. Thirty feet along, another man lay flat on his back, dressed in the same uniform.
Jimmy.
From what Ben could see, his former colleague had suffered a similar fate. Jimmy’s twisted figure was deathly still, mouth open, face reddened with blood. His friend of over thirteen years butchered at the moment of retirement. He took a deep breath, trying to remain focused on immediate events.
Ethan sunk to his knees and started to sob. “It’s over. We’ve failed.”
“Pull yourself together. We need to find a way back into the ship. Get somewhere safe, warn the crew,” Ben said.
He searched between the trees for signs of movement.
“How do we get
The area to the right looked like plowed farmland. Uniformed brown lines reached into the horizon. To his left, forest. Behind the ship, a deep gouge furrowed through the earth, running from the back of the ship into the far distance.
He wondered if they had crash-landed, but how could he breathe?
Black smoke belched from the ship into the clear, blue sky. He heard the noise of an engine straining and stopping, straining and stopping. The platform was around thirty feet long and twenty wide.
He scanned the platform for a makeshift weapon. The surface was clear apart from the bike, a pool of blood, and the man approaching with a raised blade. As the man closed in around one end of the bike, the three of them all scuttled to the other. They faced off, nine feet apart, separated by machinery.
“Why are you doing this? We’re part of the crew,” Maria said.
Ben detected a low, clicking sound coming from the helmet. “Who are you?”
The man sprang up onto the seat, landing into a hunch, then rising to a towering position above them. He raised the blade over his head and then pointed it at them.
Ethan gasped. “We’re gonna die.”
Ben ducked to one side as the blade swung down. It whistled past his ear and clanked against the metal chassis. He staggered back, dropping to the platform to avoid momentum taking him over the side.
The man’s focus seemed to zero in on Ben. He leaped off the seat and advanced toward him, sheathing the blade and reaching for a hip holster. He pulled a black, angular-looking weapon out and aimed with a straight arm, head tilting to one side.
Ben closed his eyes, thinking his time was up.
Two loud cracks, seconds apart, split the air.
Maria screamed.
“Ben,” Ethan shouted.
Something hit the platform, two items clattering with a thud. Ben opened his eyes.
The man was on both knees, clutching his throat, weapon on the platform beside him. Another crack rang out.
The man sprawled back, his blue visor splintered with a small hole in the middle. He slumped against the vehicle, motionless.
Ben jumped to his feet and grabbed the pistol-like weapon. It was smooth and black with just a trigger and a button on the side. No insignia.
He held his finger on the trigger and trained it on the armored man. Hopefully, the threat would be enough if the man was even still alive.
Ben had never seen a real weapon. The closest he got was a wooden toy in the orphan compartment. It felt heavy and solid in his hand. Deadly.
“Get behind me,” Ben said. Maria cautiously approached the body. “Stay away. He might get up.”
She ignored him and reached out. Fumbling with the handle on the thigh, sliding out the long blade, still smeared with blood. “If another comes along.”
“Who the hell was that?” Ethan said. “Where are we?”
“I’ve no idea. We’ll figure it out eventually; let’s just get safe first,” Ben said.
Ben glanced over the edge of the platform. Something moved in the trees below. A threat perhaps? More of these armored people?
“Down there, movement. Do you see it?” Ben said.
Three dark shapes cut through the trees alongside the ship.
Maria pointed. “Oh my God, Ben, look, someone’s coming.”
He followed Maria’s direction to the gouge behind the ship. Erika lay directly below, face down in the mud. Thirty feet along, another man lay flat on his back, dressed in the same uniform.
Jimmy.
From what Ben could see, his former colleague had suffered a similar fate. Jimmy’s twisted figure was deathly still, mouth open, face reddened with blood. His friend of over thirteen years butchered at the moment of retirement. He took a deep breath, trying to remain focused on immediate events.
Ethan sunk to his knees and started to sob. “It’s over. We’ve failed.”
“Pull yourself together. We need to find a way back into the ship. Get somewhere safe, warn the crew,” Ben said.
He searched between the trees for signs of movement.
“How do we get
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