Creeptober Horror Spree: Volume One

Scourge

"It's not likely that I've been compromised," Dr. Savage's voice crackled through the comms. "It's a gaurantee."

The control room fell silent. "We still have to retrieve the pod. We have quarantine procedures, you know that."

"You don't understand!" Dr. Savage shouted. The feedback wailed and faded. "I can't set foot on earth. None of these bodies can be buried there. You must leave us up here. I recommend incinerating us."

Commander Stevenson rubbed his face in his hands. "Losing the prototype will cost all of us our jobs."

Savage held the feed open, and everyone in the room could sense the rage in his silence. "Your jobs won't matter if the world is dead. Destroy the pod, or I will find a way to do it myself."

"You need to tell us what exactly happened up there before I'll allow this," Stevenson pushed. The men and women at their workstations exchanged terrified glances.

"Fine. Connecting video feed." Savage cut out.

The control screen flickered with static as the doctor worked, fading in and out for an agonizing thirty seconds before stabilizing. The view was clear enough. Workers held their hands to their mouths; others ran from the room dry-heaving. Stevenson stumbled backward before composing himself.

"You see?" Savage said, gesturing to the mess around him. His crew's scattered bodies lay plastered to the walls and floor by red-brown growths, many of which visibly spreading. Tendrils crept along, spreading out like veins. The doctor's suit bore stains of blood and unidentifiable liquids. He appeared to have not slept in days, eyes wide and dry. The doctor looked to be on the verge of tears. "I promise you I would rather die in an explosion than die how they did. Do it."

"Are you sure that will stop it? What about the debris that falls to earth?"

Doctor Savage gave pause. "I...I don't know," He said, anguished. "It's on the outside of the pod. That's where it began, wormed its way into the vents. We can't risk landing it on earth. I've been studying it for months now."

"What are your findings?" Stevenson asked.

"The files are sending to you as we speak," Savage replied in a whisper. A portion of the growths surged across the wall behind him with a sudden pulse. "I can't tell you the origin. When we were harvesting samples from the asteroid, it dislodged and engulfed the pod." The doctor looked behind him nervously, a wet sound echoing. "It's sentient. What you're seeing is not...quite the organism, but its biomass."

"What do you mean?"

"The organism has rooted itself near the fuel cells, I imagine for the warmth. It seems to be muscle tissue primarily. I've noted no bones, but it also has not let me get close enough to it to confirm. When it moves, it reminds me of an octopus. It's fluid and can fit through tiny spaces." The doctor continued to keep his voice low. "It overheard us discussing how to remove it, and retaliated."

"So, it has a will to survive, and it understands English already? Have you tried reasoning with it?" Stevenson asked, exploring options for the sake of it. He knew in his gut what needed to be done, but Savage was his friend.

The doctor shook his head, turning again as another wet sound broke the brief silence. "I have tried all forms of communication. It either cannot form words or it's refusing to." A twisting, wormlike appendage coiled down from the corner of the screen, and the doctor's eyes darted towards the movement. "It's here now."

The feed went dead.

"Carl?" The commander yelled. "Doctor Savage, respond." Nothing.

He turned to his crew, which looked shaken and disturbed. "Have the files transferred?"

"Yes, sir." The cadet responded.

"May I sit?" Stevenson asked. She nodded and stood without a word, opening the files for him before leaving him in privacy while the others watched with bated breath.

The organism has altered the areas it has infested on a molecular level. It is impossible to tell where metal ends and it begins.

He scanned the documents for more information and, hopefully, clues to neutralizing the entity.

For lack of a better term, it terraforms the areas around it to suit its comforts. I have no estimate as to how far it can spread itself.

It has taken my crew, angered by our discussion. They are part of it now. It may be consuming them slowly because the areas surrounding the crew's bodies are growing the fastest.

"Sir, the-" Stevenson held his hand up to indicate silence, continuing his skimming.

I have tried changing the course several times, but the organism reverts it to earth. I now do not have enough fuel to escape orbit, and I fear much for our planet should I fail.

"Sir, it's important-" a cadet gently pressed, gesturing to her workstation.

Annoyed, Stevenson sighed, restraining himself. "I'm sorry. What is it?"

"The pod has initiated landing protocols, sir."