Hopestar Chapter 3 Insanity
Posted By: sam_fisha<sam_fisha@yahoo.com>
Date: 11 January 2005, 5:40 AM
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Hopestar Chapter three, Insanity:
In A situation like this the question arises how long can a Human hold to sanity under these conditions. Sitting on an alien ship in a cesspool with a broken leg while hundreds of dead but alive flesh eating creatures wander the area searching for you. Physicians and psychiatrists alike will tell you how long someone can last depends on any number of things from childhood pets to what you had for breakfast, but it isn't long.
Corporal Trudy sat in the Covenant cesspool as he listened to the footsteps of the things in the corridor above him. They growled and walked around the hole he had fallen through to get into the cesspool but seemed uninterested in entering.
He checked all his pockets but found no more ammo; he had only the clip in his pistol. Save the last round for yourself. He thought as he began to clean his leg wound. He sat still as he heard one of the creatures growl something loudly to the others. He heard a shambling sound as they began to walk. Then he heard something that made a large shiver run down his spine. "Human." One of the creatures said in a low, drawling voice. "You will not outlast us; you are the sustenance, the morsel of quenching." It continued to talk as Trudy made sure his helmet recorder was on. "All shall be consumed by the creatures you once fought. All matter in the universe converged under a single banner."
Trudy walked to the hole against his instinct and peered up several feet into the face of the creature which was once a Covenant Elite. Its mouth moved out of sync with the words as if the mouth was not what was speaking. "Our embrace shall come." It said before turning from the hole and walking away. He waded through the alien feces back to the slightly raised platform and sat down in disbelief of what had happened. He had only heard rumors of a flood mastermind which the Master Chief was said to have encountered. A single brain for all the flood.
He thought for a second. Sub-dimensional energy transmissions, that's how they communicate! His fear suddenly subsided as it was replaced by pure curiosity and excitement. Telepathic communication! Imagine what the scientists could discover! He heard more footsteps and his excitement quickly faded into horror again. They were coming.
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Private Kells awoke to find himself in a heap of bodies. Blood soaked his shirt and a disembodied arm laid on his face. "JESUS!" He yelled as he shoved the arm off of his and jumped from the pile of bodies. Most of the bodies Covenant but quite a few were his fellow Marines. He heard a growl and turned to find himself face to face with a head which hung uselessly from the neck of an animate body. "Private?" He asked stupidly as he was disoriented and lightheaded. The thing roared and leapt at him, pinning him to the ground as it raised its whip-like arm. Kells' instinct took over as he drew his SMG and put it to the things chest as he pulled the trigger. The weight of the bullets collapsed the thing's chest and obliterated the balloon like thing inside. It growled and fell limp.
Kells shoved the thing off him and looked around. Bodies littered everywhere and stacked into piles which balloon like things with tendrils groped about and picked at. Strange pale yellow growths of what looked like flesh adhered to the walls. Kells reloaded his SMG and started to remember what had happened.
"Kells, move it up." Sergeant Hills yelled. Kells ran forward to the large door and opened it. Inside dozens of Elites and Grunts littered the ground, their armor riddled with plasma burns and their flesh ripped open. Blood coated the walls and floors and organs were strewn around the bodies. Muscles and tendons hung out in plain sight and the faces of the dead had a look of terror and pain frozen on them. Kells walked to the bodies of one of the Elites in red armor. He kneeled next to it and looked into its black eyes. They stared back lifelessly like the eyes of a demented doll. Kells was disturbed by this and turned away to face the other Marines.
"What did this?" Kells asked the Sergeant. The Sergeant kicked one of the bodies and turned to the other Marines. He let the stub of a cigarette drop from his mouth onto the floor. Kells watched as it hit the ground and fell into pieces of paper and leaves. Kells looked back to the Sergeant who had a very serious look on his face. "Run." The Sergeant said softly, as if he were telling a secret to a friend. The Marines stood, dumbfounded by what the Sergeant had said. "I said run idiots!" The Sergeant yelled as he drew his battle rifle. The Marines turned to leave when they heard what sounded like thousands of little feet hurrying across metal. "Run!" The Sergeant yelled one last time.
The Marines needed no further encouragement as they ran for the fighter bay the pelican was in. Kells began to run as he heard the sound of metal breaking and falling. He turned and saw the Sergeant pushed down by a wall of walking dead. Kells raised his SMG and fired before a large rotting hand smacked him across the face and he sank into darkness.
Kells recovered from his thinking and turned to the balloon creatures which appeared to be feasting merrily on his fallen comrades. He raised his SMG and spewed hot lead into the little bastards before turning and running into the dark corridors in search of the fighter bay where the pelican, and safety, was.
Kells ran and quickly found himself lost in the dark corridors. He turned another corner and found he was facing a locked door. He walked away from it and continued running when he found his feet had nothing to push off of. He realized he was falling at the exact second he collided with thick clumpy liquid.
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The Captain watched the screen as he wondered what was happening to his crew on the nearest Covenant ship. Soon the Civilians would get restless and the Captain would be pressured to do something. My mission is to find safety; maybe I should withdraw my men and get the hell out of here. He thought as he absently ran his fingers along his chair.
He turned to his command console and read the screen. Two hours since last transmission from the team, something was happening. He leaned back in his chair. Something is very wrong. He thought as he watched the com link, hoping the team would report.
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The Prophet of Fury watched the holographic screen which portrayed the battle currently happening around the planet. Flood controlled ships outnumbered his own by four to one. He watched helplessly as the parasite's ships continued to obliterate his. He turned from the screen and spoke to the other Prophets. "It is time; we will fight the battle as the Forerunners once did."
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