SCP-3288; Part 11, Escape

Needles saw to Jester's wounds best she could and Bible guarded the way up to the house. Top sat at the old, damp rotting dining table and stared at the still smouldering corpse of the thing that called itself The Empress. The stench that crept in to his nostrils was repulsive, but also had a sweet beautiful scent to it, the scent of victory and life.

Top got to his feet and haunched his back and spat on the floor near the slightly smoking body, its eyes black, nostrils, ears, eyes and mouth burnt and lifeless. Top smiled and looked over to where Needles was bandaging Jester up, hearing his friend telling joke after pick-up line to the medic who gave nothing back but a needle through his torn flesh and stitched him back together with a smile Bible had spare night goggles and had loaned them to Top and Jester.

Guess the Rookies are good for one thing, over preparation.

Usually soldiers took in to battle what they needed and only carried spare ammo as to not weigh themselves down too much. Rookies on the other hand usually overcompensated and overthought, Top had mocked them in the past for it, giving themselves too much weight to carry on a short mission, but he now mocked his own stupidity as he gladly took the goggled in the darkened tunnel. All of the flamed torches had gone out when the Fell Born's had commenced their assault in the cave and Top rather didn't fancy setting them all ablaze again, and giving away their position more than Jesters attempt at flirting was.

"Done" said Needles as she cut the final stitch and patted Jesters chest firmly. Jester got to his feet enthusiastically and patted his chest in imitation of Needles. "Done! Good as new! So, anyway, this fat git waddles in to a bar and says..." Jester was interrupted by a perverted chuckle.

"Annnnnnd what did... I say?... I do... love a joke...about me." breathed the disgusting rasped voice from the shadows near Jester and Needles. "Hmmmmm... delicious." A fat swollen arm dotted with boils, scars and crystallised plates moved swiftly and plucked the flailing body of Jester from the darkness. "Ghaah!" he cried in surprise, Needles dodged to the side, raising her weapon, cursing. Bible and Top swivelled to see the source, their night goggles illuminated the disgusting abomination that sat haunched upon a stone ledge in a crook of the sharpened wall. The swollen body, naked and glistening with sweat or blood or puss-ooze. The belly of the thing pulsated with hunger. The face round and lustful, staring at the jerking body of Jester hungrily.

"come on then! Get some!" roared Jester firing his rifle on full auto blindly at the thing. The grotesque Alpha batted the weapon away harmlessly and slowly lifted Jester bodily by his upper torso closer to his waiting jaws. Jester unsheathed his knife and began violently swinging it, slashing at the rotting skin of the creature. "You dirty fucker! 'Av it!" he called out again, stabbing the blade in to The Alpha's bulbous eye and it exploded with a viscous ooze, The Alpha reacted by throwing Jester aside, colliding with the jagged crook entrance, Jester let out a croak of pain as he fell limply to the uneven floor. Top could make out a dark puddle beginning to pool beneath his comrades motionless body. "Run!" called Bible from the far end of the cave, in the passage leading up to the house. Needles fled towards Top and they both sprinted down towards the cave entrance that The Fell Borns and The Rookies had used to gain access to the tunnel system. Bible squeezed the trigger and release a volley of hatred and fire, the lead rounds piercing the abominations skin and chipping away small parts of the crystalline armour plates. The thing moved with unprecedented speed and agility, faster than something of its size and swollen bulk had any right to do so. Top heard the deafening echoes of Bible's weapon barking away, followed by a roar of hatred and defiance that Top recognised as someone meeting a knowing end and being contempt with their final actions.

Silence followed thickly behind Needles and Top, their green vision bouncing as they ran, the goggles rattled on their night black helmets, The stone hewn passage turned left, right, up left sending their internal compass in all manner of directions. The humidity of the cave suddenly broke as they rounded a jagged corner and a soft bitter breezed kissed the two surviving members and embraced them as long lost family. The sudden coldness of the night air caused them to slow their pace, giving them the sense of escape and freedom from the danger.

Gasping for breath, the pair doubled over, trying to catch what little air they could before pressing on. Ahead, they could make out the slightly less darkness of the night sky, and could spot a star or two attempting to hide behind a cloud and the odd flashing of red and blue against what looked to be leaves over the stone entrance. The cave mouth yawned in to a shrubbery, shielding it from passive passing eyes. Top and Needles stopped to observe their surroundings as they drew closer to the mouth.

The scene of which they gazed upon was a bloodied massacre. Four Police cars and two ambulances with the previous human counterparts strewn across them and the blood soaked crimson grass garden and roadside that looked upon the front of the dully lit crumbling mansion that stood stubbornly in defiance and refused to die and reduce itself to ruin.

Needles ventured out first in to the gardens that resembled a mass grave, she had seen this when entering the cave. As she exited the mouth, she paused for a moment, lowered her head in to a soft slow nod and carried on in to the massacre garden. Top followed numbly to where she paused and looked down, the remains of a M.T.F. Soldier, torn and shredded all over, and with the murdered corpse of one of the lower class abominations laid out over their lap. The other Rookie that they spoke of.

Needles checked the ambulance for any supplies as she had used most of hers patching up Jester.

What a waste of time that was!

She began packing her bag from the back of the closest ambulance and Top shyly approached the scene. One officer was cut in half at the waist and his body sat equally over the front bonnet of two police cars, legs flayed in awkward and uncomfortable positions. Pistols thrown over the ground, their handles slick with clotting blood, Top's radio crackled.

"Eyes on, confirmed Mobile Task Force Personnel, Copy I.D's." came the distant voice of command. Top listened for the familiar high pitched buzz of the Eye Drone and eventually, after minutes of straining, he found the comforting buzzing drone just above the roof apex of the house and slowly banking its way over to them.

"Multiple casualties. Top of Mandrakes and Needles of Rookies still operational, all others considered lost, over." Said Top flatly in to his shoulder radio, pressing his ear in to the meat of his shoulder.

"Copy. Status, over?"

"Local Law Enforcement and medical staff on scene, all dead. Multiple hostile within caves and put down, however an Empress was present, now deceased. Alpha is in Stage six of transformation, status of Alpha is unknown Extraction and Alternative Extermination method requested, over."

A long pause came over the radio, Needles continued stocking her bag and seemed to be paying no attention to the conversation on the radio's

"Copy. Alternative Extermination granted. Extraction inbound, nineteen minutes. Extermination to follow extraction helicopter. Out."

Top felt his heart leap with joy.

It was nearly over.