Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #17 August 2015 | Page 18

Donny readied his Mk 3. “Okay, Alpha is in
position. We go in five, four, three, two, one…blow
the lock.”

The man with the shotgun took aim at the lock
and fired. A chunk of the door splintered. He kicked
the door in and stood to one side as Bravo team swept
into the room, Mk3’s at the ready. He followed, leaving Jessica and Stewart alone in the corridor. Jessica
heard the distinct hum of the EM weapons firing, then
of men shouting “Clear!”

Jessica, attention fixed on the doorway, didn’t
notice a broken wooden chair on the floor behind her
begin to vibrate. Waiting for their chance to enter the
room, Jessica and Stewart failed to see the chair rise
into the air. The moment Jessica realised that there
was trouble was when the chair slammed into her
back. She crashed to the floor, helmet spinning off of

her head.

Stewart rushed to her prone body. “Are you
alright?” he said.

She wanted to speak, to say something, but she
couldn’t. Something cold and hollow was worming its
way into here. She tried to scream. The sound died in
her throat. She just stared at him, a bewildered look on
her face.

Stewart grabbed her helmet and handed it to
her. “Here,” he said. Then he went to the door. “Hey,
I think one of those things is out here. Jessica just got
knocked down.”

A moment before Donny rushed out, the cold
presence within Jessica whispered, “Put the helmet
on.” She found she couldn’t resist the voice.

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