Skitter Scatter (My Time At Sandrock Fanfic)

Skitter Scatter

—skitter scatter—

The wood above creaked under the weight of the creature. Unsuur leaned against the wall, his eyes on the ceiling of the abandoned building. The desert heat radiated off his metal gun onto his cheek as he clicked the hammer in preparation to shoot.

What should have been a simple reconnaissance by a Civil Corps member of the newest abandoned ruins discovered near Sandrock turned into anything but.

—skitter scatter—

Silence.

Silence was what Unsuur heard from the room in the abandoned ruins right before he entered, his entire body tensing upon seeing the rather grotesque tubes glowing a neon green with the hybrid between a rat and a lizard suspended in the fluids. And for a brief moment, he'd thought the creature some experiment from the corrupted age persevered for all times, never to see the light of day as it failed.

And then it moved.

First, a rat-like digit twitched.

And then it twitched again as Unsuur started backing away from the genetic experiment of the forgotten age. One hand started lowering to his gun when the eye—red like a blood red sun snapped open, eying him—its prey.

Glass exploded outward, as did the sound of gunfire. The creature, which launched itself at him, now lay on the ground, the digit twitching. Slowly, Unsuur started backing away, watching the creature carefully, and he saw the head lifting right before he slammed his fist into a rather large red button just outside of the door to the room as the creature launched itself at him again.

A loud thud came from the other side of the door and the young deputy stood there, staring at the metal door. Another thud came, his mind processing what he'd just seen—a rat with scales and a lizard's tail, along with a tongue that darted out like a snake. A third thud came from the other side. The metal door bent from the force.

Slowly, Unsuur backed away, then turned and ran, purposefully hitting the button which would close the next door between him and the exit of the abandoned ruins as red dust from the desert rose from the floor.

The door started closing just as the other one gave away and—

—skitter scatter—

The creature was after him again, slamming into the next door as he headed straight for the exit. "Definitely prefer rocks. And glad Captain's not here. That thing would try and make Captain its snack, albeit Captain would be a major help here. Justice as well."

His first reached out, slamming into the last button—the button which opened and closed the entrance to the abandoned ruins and he continued forward, towards his horse, expecting to get on in a matter of moments, when he heard a sound—the groaning of gears from the old world tech freezing up and then

—skitter scatter—

Unsuur turned his head as he hurried towards his horse in time to see the large door which would close off the entrance of the abandoned ruins stall out, thus leaving a small gap under the metal door—which was more sturdy than the other two doors.

—skitter scatter—

He heard the rat-lizard approach, its nose with the reptilian scales mingling with the rodent nose poking out. His horse screamed, making him turn his head in time to see the horse bolt, fearful of the monstrous creature that humans—the forerunners to those who lived in the world now, had created during the Age of Corruption. Unsuur took a deep breath. "Shoot."