Salvage Station 23

Chapter 1, Part 10

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Max's hand trembled slightly as he reached for his walkie-talkie, his eyes never leaving the Jack perched above them. He pressed the button, his voice tight with tension:

"Olivia? We've got a situation. There's a Jack-"

Suddenly, the creature launched itself from its perch, moving with inhuman speed. Max dropped the walkie-talkie, diving to avoid the Jack's razor-sharp claws.

"Aiden, watch out!" Max shouted, rolling to his feet and brandishing his light-up spear.

The sound of the walkie-talkie clattering to the ground was drowned out by Aiden's shout and the unmistakable sounds of combat that followed.

Max and Aiden stood frozen, their eyes locked on the Jack perched above them. The creature's grin seemed to widen impossibly as it tilted its head, studying them with an unsettling intelligence.

"So," Max whispered, his voice barely audible, "I guess this is where we find out if all that training paid off."

Aiden nodded grimly, his knuckles white around his crowbar. "Remember, they're fast. Don't let it get behind you."

Max gripped his makeshift spear tighter, feeling a surge of gratitude for Eli's ingenious modification. The flashlight attached to the end gleamed, a beacon of hope in the darkness.

As if triggered by Aiden's words, the Jack suddenly launched itself from its perch, moving with inhuman speed. Max's quick reflexes kicked in, and he dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the creature's razor-sharp claws.

"Aiden, flank it!" Max shouted, rolling to his feet and brandishing his light-up spear.

The Jack's head snapped between them, its glowing eyes tracking their movements. It let out a bone-chilling laugh, a sound that seemed to echo from everywhere at once.

Max thrust his spear forward, the beam of light cutting through the darkness. The Jack hissed and recoiled, momentarily blinded. Seizing the advantage, Max pressed forward, keeping the light trained on the creature's face.

"That's right, you ugly son of a gun," Max taunted. "Not so tough when the lights are on, are you?"

The Jack snarled, its inhuman features contorting with rage. It lashed out wildly, its claws raking the air dangerously close to Max's face. But the constant light seemed to disorient it, its movements less precise than before.

Meanwhile, Aiden circled around, looking for an opening. When the Jack lunged at Max again, Aiden saw his chance. He swung his crowbar with all his might, connecting solidly with the creature's back.

The Jack let out an inhuman shriek, whirling to face Aiden. Its grin had transformed into a snarl, all pretense of humanity gone.

"Max, light!" Aiden yelled, backing up to give himself room.

Max swung his spear around, the beam of light catching the Jack full in the face just as it was about to pounce on Aiden. The creature stumbled, momentarily blinded and off-balance.

Aiden didn't waste the opportunity. He charged forward, driving his crowbar into the Jack's midsection with all his strength. The creature doubled over, its screech of pain echoing through the night.

"Now, Max!" Aiden shouted.

Max lunged forward, driving his spear deep into the Jack's shoulder. The creature's scream was deafening, a sound of pain and fury that made both boys' ears ring. It thrashed wildly, trying to dislodge the spear, but the constant light from the attached flashlight seemed to sap its strength.

"Hold it steady!" Aiden yelled, raising his crowbar for another strike.

Max gritted his teeth, using all his strength to keep the spear in place as the Jack writhed. Aiden brought the crowbar down hard on the creature's head, once, twice, three times.

The Jack's movements became erratic, its glowing eyes flickering. But still, it fought, its claws slashing dangerously close to Max's arms.

"It won't... go... down!" Max grunted, struggling to maintain his grip on the spear.

Aiden looked around frantically, searching for something, anything that could turn the tide. His eyes landed on a length of chain nearby.

"Max, can you hold it for ten more seconds?"

Max nodded tightly, sweat pouring down his face from the effort.

Aiden sprinted for the chain, scooping it up and racing back. In one fluid motion, he looped the chain around the Jack's neck and pulled tight.

The creature's eyes bulged, its hands coming up to claw at the chain. Its strength was inhuman, but Aiden held on with grim determination.

"Now, Max!" he shouted.

Max yanked his spear free and immediately plunged it back in, this time aiming for the Jack's heart. The flashlight's beam illuminated the grotesque spectacle as the creature jerked violently, its scream cutting off into a gurgle.

For a moment that seemed to stretch into eternity, the three figures remained locked in their deadly embrace. Then, slowly, the light faded from the Jack's eyes. Its body went limp, slumping to the ground.

Max and Aiden stumbled back, panting heavily. They stared at the fallen creature, hardly daring to believe it was over.

"Is it... is it dead?" Max asked, his voice hoarse.

Aiden prodded the Jack with his crowbar. No response. "I think so. But we should-"

His words were cut off by a cacophony of inhuman shrieks echoing from different parts of the compound. The boys exchanged a look of horror as realization dawned.

"There's more of them," Max whispered, the beam of his spear-light dancing nervously across the shadows.

Aiden nodded grimly, hefting his bloodied crowbar. "Sounds like the others are in trouble. We need to regroup."

As they turned to head towards the sounds of battle, Max couldn't shake a chilling thought. If one Jack had managed to infiltrate their defenses and hide among them, how many more might be lurking in the shadows of Salvage Station 23?

The night was far from over, and their fight for survival had only just begun.

To be continued...

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