H λ L F - L I F E: Bishop's War✔️

CHλPTER 19: Collapse

The elevator was big enough to accommodate them all, but it was really slow.

Eric studied their latest addition. Lance Corporal Li was a slight woman with short, dark hair, pale skin, and distant, haunted eyes.

"So, uh, Li, how'd you wind up here?" he asked.

She seemed startled, like she'd forgotten he was there, and glanced over at him. "I was among the first wave," she replied quietly. "When we actually hit dirt, they sent us into a refinery on the surface and kept our orders from us for as long as they could. We didn't get them until we were actually in the refinery. That's when they dropped the twin bombs on us: we would be fighting aliens...and killing all human survivors. My Sergeant wasn't having it and started arguing, and we followed in his footsteps. I don't really know what would've happened if we hadn't been ambushed by those lightning bugs," she explained.

"Lightning bugs?" Maria asked.

"The ones that shoot green lightning and look like giant bugs. With the metal around their neck and wrists," Li replied. "What do you call them?"

"Alien slaves," Eric replied. "Though I've also heard zappers."

"Huh, zappers is a better name. But a bunch of them started teleporting in. We got hit so hard. There were ten of us in the beginning. Five got wiped out in that ambush and at one point we all broke and ran. They kept coming. I ran around the refinery, and then managed to get into an underground storage section and just kept pressing deeper into the facility for a long time. Eventually, I regrouped with two of my squad members, and then we ran into some scientists and security guards. There was a really close call. I think we were maybe three seconds from pulling triggers. But, given I was the highest ranking one left in the trio, I stood down and made the other two do the same. I thought they still might kill us, some of them were so mad, they'd seen Marines cut down their friends, but their leader finally calmed them down."

"Damn," Maria muttered.

"After that, there was just...a lot of running around, and shooting, and fighting, and dying. A lot of people died. Mostly we were just running around like chickens with their heads cut off. We didn't have much of a plan beyond: get to this place I heard is safe. And then we'd get there and everyone would be dead. Eventually, I and what remained of that group got here. Laidlaw was with me. Everyone else who showed up is dead now." She sadly shook her head.

"Are you...battle ready?" Eric asked uncertainly. He didn't want to be an asshole, but she seemed out of it.

"Don't worry, I'm here. Just...tired. I know I seem messed up, but I'm here."

"All right," Eric said, deciding to trust her. She did seem more coherent now than when he'd first seen her, at least.

The elevator grinded noisily to a halt and the doors opened up. Eric and Maria went first, guns out, and stepped into a very dim room beyond.

"Damn, it's dark," Maria muttered.

"Flashlights," Eric replied, pulling out his own flashlight and sticking it in the appropriate pocket on his vest. He turned it on. The others activated their own sources of light. The darkness was pushed back, but the shadows still ruled the room. There were two ways to go, two big concrete tunnels, one dead ahead, one to the left.

He pulled out his radio. "Harrington, Bishop here. We're down and starting the search."

"Understood," Harrington replied.

"Let's do this fast," Eric said. "But stay sharp."

He set off, taking the lead, down the dank passageway. All around him, the concrete was old and worn and cracked in places. There were puddles of standing water here and there. They passed the occasional offshoot alcove or door, and paused to check each one. They didn't find anything, but...something was wrong. There was something down here, he could almost feel its presence on the air, almost like...an electrical charge or something. Anything could be down here with them. Anything at all.