Into the Darkness of Hell (Halo Fan Fiction)

Chapter Eight (Survivors)

Chapter eight (Survivors)

The pelican hung in the embodiment of twisted vines and thick wooden branches, its interior peirced with the trees branches, protruding from the wooden trunk. The flames had deminished since the crash, only scortching the branches above and peeling paint from the aircraft. All passengers aboard were unconcious...all but one.

Hayes rolled onto his back, feeling the cool metal floor beneath him shift. His head ached with immense pain and the bright light of the jungle blinded him as it streamed through the windows. He squinted his eyes, trying to clear his vision. Pain was about him, crawling amidst his shoulders and legs.

"Ugh," a low grunt escaped his lips.

A pain in his right ribs shot into his back, causing his teeth to grit when it reached his jaw. The thought of everyone elses safety and condition was hanging in his mind. A thud echoed in the silent ship. Hayes froze, was someone awake?

A humming sound, almost mechanical, filled the atmosphere, the sound of metal rubbing against each other following. Hayes turned his head to his right and saw Wyatt and Kiara, their heads hanging over their straps. They weren't covered in blood or anything, but their conditon was still effected by the crash.

Wyatt had a scratch over his cheek, see able through his oxy-mask and Kiara's helmet had a crack that ran from on corner of her visor to the other.

Haye's helmet had been removed when he was thrown from his seat, his space suit barely protecting him from injury.

Finishing, he looked to his left, and a knot formed in his throat. Something was awake, but it wasn't one of his team. Its suit was unlike the soldiers armor and the mass of the organism was too great for a human.

The black metal plates of armor, bulky and scratched from aged battles, had a large weapon attached to a silver cylinder on its shoulder plating.

It moved, its black gloved hands, four fingers gloved among it, reaching for the cylinder and clasped a small dial. As the armored figure turned it, the dial lit up with a blue light. A beep sounded and it turned green.

It was no damn covenant, that was for sure.

The thought of missing people ran through Hayes' s thoughts. Cameron, Travis, Jet, and Dex were all not accounted for. Dex and Cameron were known to be piloting, and Jet and Travis were gunners. Everyone was here but the red haired man.

The figure was still busy, but who knows for how long. Hayes reached slowly for his waist where his magnum should be holstered along his belt. He was relieved to find it there. He pulled it out and lifted it, but his shaky hands couldnt grip it for long. It fell, the clink of the guns body hitting the ground echoed in the silent pelican. Hayes froze and turned his head away from the alien as it's came to gaze his way. Still he layed ok n the ground.

The ground, though covered in dirt and small debris, reflected a blurred image of the figure in front of the man. Hayes held his breath as the image became clear.

The blue visor of its helmet was solid in color and could not be seen through by the naked human eye. The figure raised its head to the roof and inhaled the scents in the air, sensing the humans on the aircraft among him. Nothing had changed. Its grip on an object it had in its hand tightened. The noise had left now. It turned back to continue its search.

Hayes inhaled, noticing he had been holding his breath. He had to kill that thing. He rolled onto his side and placed his hands under him, the gun tightly staioned in his right hands grip.

He used an arm to prop himself up and aimed the weapon at the figure. He shakily aimed for the head and held his finger still, waiting till his hands would become still.

A beam of blue emmitted from a hand held device the alien was holding. The beam scanned over something, a body. Hayes lowered his weapon. The face of the ODST, Lucas was illuminated with the blue beam, his helmet placed nicely on his lap.

James was seated by him, a branch protruding through the window. His ODST helmets visor was shattered and blood was dripping onto his lap.

He was long gone.

Why was this alien scanning Lucas. His head hung loosly on his shoulder, but his eyes were open. Was he dead? The light turned green and flashed off. Lucas' s eyes closed with the light fading.

Hayes drew his gun and winced as he pulled the trigger. Peircing the armor of its helmet, the figure fell to the floor, its body crumpling in a heap.

Hayes rolled onto his back and let a sigh of releif leave his mouth. It was dead.

Hayes sat up, the pain in his back like a knife cutting his spine. He let out a groan as he was finished. It was too much. Footsteps were sounding above him, and when he heard them, he was far too late.

He looked up, and saw the ceiling of the pelican was dented, folowing it, his gaze came to the window, in which something appeared. A small snake looking creature stared at him. Its beady eyes focused intentively on him.

Hayes glanced to his gun in his hand. The creature could be dangerous. He aimed, ready to shoot, but it was gone as he came to look to the window.

A crack sounded, almost that of a whip and something hit Haye's head with immense force. He fell forward, his gun sliding across the floor. He looked up to it, the image spinning in his head as his mind swam. He reached, his hand close. But pulled back as a metallic foot crushed the weapon under its weight.

Hayes groaned as another strange figure rolled him onto his back. A large weapon, glowing a dark purple, aimed at his bead.

A series of grunts and clicking sounded and a light grey mist escaped a small vent in its helmet. This creature looked like the one Hayes had killed moments before. But when he looked over, the body was still laying in a heap.

A pause sounded, silence taking over the pelican. Hayes looked at the tall figure, Seeing beady eyes through its visor.

Hayes bit his lip and let the words escape with his breath. "We're all fucked."