Husk

Chapter 2

The slug left the barrel and hit the first man in the head, before passing through brain tissue and skull, leaving the cranium. The way they had been standing allowed the bullet to go straight to the second patrol man, and it entered his skull too, killing him instantly.

Both men fell to the floor in a heap, a spray of blood raining down on the corpses. The remaining sound of the shot bounced around the room before ceasing; the gun had still made sound even with the silencer on.

Acting quickly, Husk put the pistol in its holster and started to drag the bodies to the first mam he killed, leaving great smears of blood on the floor. Nothing much can be done about that now.

He made his way to the metal door on the East side of the room, knowing the other door led to a janitor's closet. He had researched the layout of the building before going on the mission, as he always did, thus he knew where to go.

He opened the door a crack to peer into the long corridor that awaited. Concrete floor, concrete walls, concrete ceiling. Looks like I'm going out the same way I came in after all. He thought wryly.

No one was in the hallway, but Husk waited for a minute, just in case someone had heard the gunshot and had come to investigate. He wiped a bead of sweat away from his brow, his palm coming back blackened due to the paint that striped his face.

Slinking out of the door, senses on high alert, he passed multiple doors that lead away from the corridor and into other rooms. He ignored these; he knew exactly which one he needed.

Looking to hid left, he counted. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. He came to a stop in front of a door identical to the others, with red paint peeling off in strips to display the rusted steel underneath. He held his ear to the door, listening intensely for any sign of life inside. When he heard nothing, he pushed down on the horizontal door handle, only to discover it to be locked.

Crap. He got a lock pick from his belt and his knife from its sheath on his chest. With some quiet fumbling, the lock clicked and he pocketed the items. Once again, he pushed on the handle and it opened to reveal a medium-sized room with several desks and computers. There was no lightbulb, the only light emanating from the glowing screens that surrounded him.

He gently closed the door with a 'click' and stepped cautiously forward, black combat boots barely making noise. He flipped down his night-vision goggles and turned them on, a tiny whining sound being made. He was seeing the room in a wash of green, and could now make out small details such as the mouses that were littered across the tables, connected to computers by thin cables.

He looked to his left, then his right. Confident no-one was there, he strode forward and reached the first computer he could get to. He had to work fast now; they'd be onto him shortly after discovering the bodies of their comrades.

Right on cue, there was a shout from somewhere down the hall. Ah, shit. He ripped out the USB drive he was given back at base and shoved it into the port. Immediately, the screen flicked from the plain glowing blue to a black image, where white columns of coding began to scroll down the page. Husk was thankful for the automatic hacking system on the disk drive, as he was no computer whiz.

Multiple pairs of feet thundered into the hallway, and one voice was heard shouting commands to the other men. Flipping the monitor off, and leaving the tech to do its thing, he sighed and crouched behind a table. He did not want to get into a fight if he could help it, but opted for a surprise attack should the chance arise.

The sound of doors being kicked down filled his ears, the screeching metal giving him shivers. An alarm sounded, signalling the security shutdown of the facility. Husk smiled. His exit strategy wasn't affected by this, just as he planned. The doors being kicked down were getting closer to him, any moment now and he'd have to become a statue -

-BANG!-

The door flung open, swinging so hard and fast on its hinges that it hit the concrete wall beside it with an equally loud sound. Two armed men dashed in with rifles at the ready, torch beams flinging wildly around the room as they scanned for immediate danger. They steadily advanced into the room, torches now sweeping left and right in search of Husk, who was now dead still.

A boot came into his view, followed by its twin. As he was crouched, a torch beam went straight over his head, narrowly missing him. The soldier turned around, completely missing Husk as he and the other one turned and left the room, closing the door with a slam and hurrying to the next room.

Husk let out a breath he had been holding and slowly stood up. He faced the door.

He knew there'd be more, but he didn't suspect they would be coming from right above him.