Battery is getting low now, and the vodka has been depleted. Igor hasn't returned either and I'm concerned that whatever that thing is, is still out there. We've been waiting another hour since the last post and unsure of whether to return the way we came or head deeper inside this cave. It could be a dead end or it could lead somewhere. It's going to be a tough call, and one decision I need to make with Mikhail.
"It's been too long Carl. Maybe we go check."
"Maybe it's waiting for us. We can go check, or we can head deeper and see if it leads anywhere."
"Hmm. Perhaps we head deeper first. Or we risk exposing ourselves to that thing should it still be there."
His train of thought was what I hoped it would be. If it did indeed lead somewhere else, we would be moving further away. If not, we would risk leaving. Damn caves, the bane of my life. If I ever see another one it would be too soon. Checking back up the tunnel revealed nothing untowards, so we grabbed our gear and made our way further in. It was dark and the air was dry, by the temperature grew milder the further we descended. Loose stones gave us little grip causing us to lose our footing several times, which when you're trying to escape a predator is actually quite scary. But we soldiered on. Excuse the pun.
Eventually the tunnel levelled out and opened up into a large cylindrical chamber. It didn't expose the open skies above as I'd have wanted. But below us was a long drop into water. Was that the dead end? Or was there another way out down there. I was ready to give up and turn back when I heard that scream again, bringing with it that buzzing sensation that filled my skull and I felt like my eyes would burst out of my head. It subsided, allowing me to regain my composure, but damn it was painful like a sudden migraine invaded my whole body. This thing was definitely stalking us, waiting for us to slip up so it devour us as it had so many people before. Not today, not ever. I was getting out of here by any means necessary.
"Mikhail, we need to set a trap. One of us needs to play bait though."
"Ok, tell me what you got. But make it quick."
"One of us needs to stand in the open by the edge, and wait for it to get within touching distance. Then they dive out of the way and the other can charge that fucker off into the water below." It sounded good, but the big question still remained. Would it take the bait? Only one way to find out.
Mikhail considered this before breaking into a wide smile. "Good plan my friend. I'll be bait, as you're a bigger man and can put more weight behind you. However, I have a special something I always carry with me in case of a special occasion." He handed me a grenade still smiling like a little kid.
"A grenade? Mikhail, you are a genius. If I can knock that bastard down there, consider it taking a grenade to the face." I chuckled, as anyone who has been lucky enough to fuck about with ordnance in the military will tell you, it's bloody good fun.
I took position out of site, ready and waiting for my cue. Mikhail backed up against the sheer drop below, which must have been a good 100 foot and waited. It wasn't long before he saw it emerging from the darkness.
"Shit, get ready Carl here it comes." He muttered quietly.
I could hear it's footsteps as it drew closer to it's target Mikhail who must have been crapping himself, but wasn't showing any fear. At the point of imminent danger, the mind can make a human do one of 2 things. First off, it can leave you a gibbering wreck and crying for mommy. The other, will have you ready to charge down anything in your path and fight to the death. The latter certainly applied to myself, and given the look on Mikhail's face it applied to him too. It was now or never. The final stand which I had every intention of winning.
From my vantage point I watched in horror as it emerged into the chamber, and thanked every god known to man for the fact it had either ignored me or not seen me crouched next to it. A few feet left to go before we initiated our battle plan.
Just watching it linger as it stared down Mikhail was one of the more unnerving aspects of my life. Eyeing him up and down, examining him like he was a science lab experiment, waiting to dissect him. But that wasn't happening today, not on my watch.
Mikhail look over at me anticipating action. I stood up with the grenade in my hand and pulled the pin at the same time as Mikhail dived the opposite way to me. The creature looked confused as I roared my battle cry as loud as my lungs would permit. I charged as hard as I could, pushing with my legs as I leaned into the forward thrust. Within seconds I crashed into it, and although it was a scrawny and slight looking thing, it must have weighed more than I did. I didn't push it over the cliff, but it lost its balance and teetered on the edge. I was about to get up and have another go, when I heard Mikhail shout.
"Get down comrade!"
I hit the floor and looked up. Mikhail hold a hold of his gun by the barrel and swung it like an All-Star baseball player looking to hit a winning home run to win the World Series. The smack it made on contact with its face was one of the most satisfying sounds I'd heard in a long time. It fell backwards and into the pit, then I released the grenade from my hand as I launched it towards that creature. Just as it reached its intended target, it exploded sending shrapnel everywhere. The explosion rocked the very foundations and chunks of rock were shaken from their moorings. A loud crack and a large tank sized piece of rock fell down, thumping of the walls of the pit as it pinballed it's way down.
The screeches of the creature were soon silenced as all the rubble joined it in the water below. I stood on the edge staring down at our handiwork alongside Mikhail. He slapped me on my back and congratulated me on the plan that thankfully worked out in the end. Relief filled me, my body relaxed a bit and I realised not only how exhausted I was, but also how bloody sore my wound still was. Had I been running on adrenaline all this time?
We hurried out of the cave as quickly as we could. No point in staying around to watch it do a horror movie cliché and resurface angrier than ever for the real final battle. As we approached the maw of our temporary prison, we heard a noise that we hadn't expected to hear so soon. A chopper was nearby. We sprites out even faster, hoping to catch it's line of site.
As we re-entered the outside world, we noticed it was circling overhead. Lady luck was smiling on us today. I sighed and fell on my knees in pure joy, full knowing that we was evacuating soon. Mikhail cheered as though Russia had won the World Cup. The pilot spotted us and lowered the chopper to land a safe distance away and awaited our boarding. I climbed aboard and strapped myself in the seat. Mikhail followed suit. An important Russian General sat opposite us and eyed us both. I didn't care about the questions, I was a relieved man.
Mikhail addressed him in his native language and I let them talk a bit before it was my turn.
"We understand you have been here a while, and many lives have been lost. We have people on the way to clean up base camp."
I confirmed what had happened as at as I knew, and Mikhail filled in the gaps after the scenes at my camp. When we explained what the cause of all the deaths was, he gave us a serious look. He knew something, but I didn't feel in a position to question.
"Hmmph. Very well. We shall look into it and record findings." His gravelly voice were the last words before I took a well earned sleep as we made our way back to Moscow.
It was several days later when I managed to acquire a phone charger. Thank you Mikhail. I had been awaiting arrival of personnel from home to debrief me. It was a relief to get it all off my chest, and document everything that has happened. Knowing that whatever it was that killed all those people and harvested body parts was no more. I was informed that it was an unknown lifeform and was indeed dead. Apparently they had to drag several nets through the water at the bottom to collect all the pieces. Job done I'd say.
A few hours later we departed Moscow, and I had chance to bid farewell to Mikhail. Without him I would have been a dead man for sure. I wondered to myself if I would ever see him again, as he was a valuable ally and a quick thinker in a sticky situation. Maybe one day, but for now as our chopper took us skyward I just wanted to get my wound dressing changed. The cold had kept infection at bay, and I needed to clean it out.
Before I fell asleep, my superior who sent me on this crazy adventure spoke.
"You've done well Carl. You never fail to impress, and always find a way to come out on top. Once you have recovered and had a few weeks rest, I have something to offer you." A teasing sentence, and one that I jumped at the chance of.
"Sure, what is it this time? Fighting aliens on Mars? Journeying to the earth's core to destroy a bomb?" I managed a smart mouth comment knowing full well I could get away with it.
"Still got that sense of humour. Good. You're going to need it. I've a promotion available for you, your call though. It's an offer, and if you reject it then no big deal. But I hope you will at least consider it."
I listened carefully to his words. That promotion would put me into legend among the military, hushed whispers about my life would be passed down to every rookie at some point, as they hoped to follow in my footsteps. A dream come true for me, or a nightmare just begun? I had no idea as the mission parameters wouldn't be geared until I was fit and ready.
The promotion in question was for Captain of an Elite squad of the finer hand picked personnel from across Britain. We are to be a team of the best, although no amount of people have been mentioned. The name? Black Centaur. The name would only be known to the highest security clearance officials, but our actions would be revered.
For now, it's time to rest. I've been sent to a safe location again to recuperate and get fit and healthy. The rest will be most welcome, and the future? Well, that's a whole different story.
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