Sword of Ares
His back was to me and he did not seem to hear my approach, probably because it was drowned out by the howling winds. No, he did not hear or see me but I saw him and the grotesque site at his feet. He stared down at another mutilated corpse. In Khan's hand he held a sword and I recognized it to be that of Samurai origins. This itself was not an unusual sight as I knew he was a collector of ancient swords. Furthermore I knew he occasionally carried a sword on patrol, not because it was needed but rather to put him in the mindset of a warrior. But as I drew closer I saw that blood streamed down the weapon and pooled on the ground. The shocking acknowledgement hit my brain like a bullet. I did not know how or if he had orchestrated the previous murder I had responded to, but I knew he then stood there over a butchered body, apparent murder weapon in hand still oozing with gore. Several theories flashed through my mind over the next few seconds that felt like hours. Perhaps the creature was some kind of illusion meant to distract attention away from him and one or more accomplices. Being in league with others would explain how the other murder had occurred while he was not present, but if so, why was their Nanobot matrix not detected. Perhaps there was some kind of life form here that he had joined in this evil endeavor.
As these thoughts bombarded my consciousness my training once again took hold and I drew my rifle.
"Khan! Drop the weapon!", I shouted the words although I did not need to because of my transmitter.
He turned quickly to face me and complied with the request. As this happened I stepped cautiously closer to him, drawing close enough that I could now see the details of his face through his mask. His mouth moved as if he was starting to say something but then paused as his facial expression quickly changed from surprise to something I recognized well. His eyes widened and the muscles of his face transformed his expression to that of a warrior ready to engage the enemy. He drew his 20th century style pistol designed to fire simple bullets rather than the electrically charged variety that I carried. I started to pull the trigger when I saw some in his eyes that altered my action. He was not focused on me.
In an instance I knew something malevolent was behind me and I dropped to the ground as he fired the pistol five times. Before I could roll around to face the creature I heard it howl, not in pain but what seemed to be a cry of defiance, its own horrific, inhuman war cry. The sound ripped through the thin Martian air, penetrating my helmet and reverberating through my ears. It came across as a screech of an eagle combined with the deep growling tones of some kind of medieveal troll. It is in fact a difficult thing to describe as I had never heard the likes of it before and hope to never again. Again I noted the large creature that seemed impossibly proportioned with muscle as well as the armor that projected from its body like an exoskeleton. But now I saw the demonic face up close for the first time. It had eye sockets so deep the eyes, if they existed, could not be seen. Large bone structure protruded from several angles of its face giving it the look of some germanic gladiator forced into the Roman Coliseum to fight. Skin color was hard to see but I noted an unnatural grey hue. As it bellowed forth its terrible battle cry I saw large, strong teeth that looked capable of grinding bone into dust, teeth within a mouth that formed a sinister smile. It had only the semblance of true human appearance, yet it had the look of a human psychopath and despite all the training and horror I had seen in my life, I trembled in its presence.
YOU ARE READING
Excerpts from my Supernatural Suspense anthology "Warp Spasms of the Mind"
ParanormalInitially, writing short stories was a hobby. It started soooooo many years ago in Jr High and continues to be a mix of Supernatural and Science Fiction. It's been quite a while since I wrote and drew one of my comic books, so the likes of Black W...
