Martian Ghosts: Story
Jun 10, 2020 20:59:06 GMT
mikedski, David N.Tanner 07011959, and 2 more like this
Post by xaxiuscolnier on Jun 10, 2020 20:59:06 GMT
This is a story I wrote for my Martian Ghosts unit concept way back when but hadn't ever gotten around to posting on the AD forums I found it today looking for the unit rules for the ghosts and decided to finish it and post it.
The ambush had gone off well, the Rough Riders had drawn the scout tripod down the street past the old sugar factory when the Machine Guns opened up from the third floor as we threw our grenades from the roof. The scout had just stopped and turned to burn us when the forlorn hope rushed it from the ruins behind it and blasted it with their dynamite. We only lost a dozen men, but the lieutenant said we had to go, the scout was our target and we didn't have the firepower to fight when his friends came looking for him.
We spit up by sections and headed through the ruins to the rally point while the rough riders took off to inform command of the mission success. We were almost to the rally point when Sgt. O'Brian signaled a stop and to be silent. Tense and alert we all strained to detect what had put Sarge on edge, and then we heard it. The wail of a crying child. Sarge ordered Private Hernandez, our runner, to go to the rally point and let the Lieutenant know what we heard and that we were going to check it out. As he took off we headed towards the direction we thought the cry came from. As we filtered through the ruins we occasionally heard the wail again louder, we were getting closer. As we came out around a burnt out building to a main street we found across the street from us, an intact two story house and again heard the cry. It was coming from an upstairs window in the house.
Sarge ordered Corporal Lansing to overwatch from this side of the street while we went to get the civilians out. They set up in the burnt building as we rushed across the street into the house. the door was ajar and Sarge knocked and called out "US Army coming in" before we filed inside. No one responded to Sarge but the crying stopped. Sarge had Corporal Hardy and Private Walsh hold in the living room while he took the rest of us upstairs. He lead the way with Pvt. Jones and Clayburn behind him, then myself, with Pvt. Sampson in the rear. Sarge called out again a little louder. "US Army coming up" then after a short pause "we are here to get you to safety" right after Sarge said that we started hearing a woman cry. We moved up quickly and heard the crying coming from a open door at the end of a hall up the stairs.
Moving forward we saw a figure sitting on a bed facing away from us dressed in a tattered dress with a shawl over her head hunched forward and crying. Sarge approached the doorway and called out to her "ma'am? Can you hear me?" He took a step forward into the room and as he did she stopped crying, and slowly turned. Suddenly she screamed and lunged, and that's when I saw it wasn't a "she" at all this "Thing" was dressed as a woman but it had no face, just a metal box full of holes where the most horrific blood curdling scream I had ever heard was coming from. And as it lunged for Sarge it's bony looking metal hands folded back and blades swung down and out from it's forearms. Before we realized what was happening it was on him, tearing into him with those blades... Tearing him apart, as it screamed. As we all screamed... Clayburn was the first to react he fired his rifle into its head and it dropped to the ground on top of Sarge's corpse. but the screaming didn't stop, it was louder, all around us, that's when Sampson screamed.
I knew it was him because it cut off half way into a sickening wet gurgle. I turned in time to see another one of those things pulling it's blades out of his body. I fired my rifle into it and it fell but another took it's place. They were coming from the other rooms. We fired again and again, we could hear firing from downstairs too but it ended quickly, not the screaming though, the screaming never stopped. My rifle was empty I backed up trying to reload but I tripped on something and fell into Jones fouling his shot. Clayburn was out too but seeing me and Jones fall he charged in swinging his rifle, but there wasn't enough room, he couldn't get a good swing and they tore him apart too. I scrambled back dropping my rifle as I got up as Jones fired his last shot, but there were more of them and we had no time.
That's when Jones pulled out a grenade and told me to jump out the window, I thought he was going to be right behind me. I turned and dove for the window and as I did I heard Jones scream and then I was through. I hit the ground outside a moment before the grenade went off and knocked the wind out of myself. As I staggered to my feet gasping for breath I felt something grab me, I screamed and swung only to have Corporal Lansing stop my hand, "RUN" he yelled and pulled me along, I ran, we both ran. I don't think i could have done anything else at that point I remember seeing some of the others from his squad as we ran. But I couldn't think couldn't focus I could hear them screaming, following. All I could do was run. Suddenly the squad stopped, I didn't understand couldn't they hear them screaming right behind us I tried to keep going but they grabbed me, tackled me, held me down. I tried to get away, I had to, they were coming! But they wouldn't let me go they pinned me down and covered my mouth, and the Corporal yelled at me to stop screaming. Then I saw the Lieutenant, standing over me. I looked around at the rest of the platoon. And I realized that we weren't being chased, that the screaming had been my own... And in that moment of silence I heard faintly in the distance the wail of a crying child.
I hope you guys enjoyed it.
The ambush had gone off well, the Rough Riders had drawn the scout tripod down the street past the old sugar factory when the Machine Guns opened up from the third floor as we threw our grenades from the roof. The scout had just stopped and turned to burn us when the forlorn hope rushed it from the ruins behind it and blasted it with their dynamite. We only lost a dozen men, but the lieutenant said we had to go, the scout was our target and we didn't have the firepower to fight when his friends came looking for him.
We spit up by sections and headed through the ruins to the rally point while the rough riders took off to inform command of the mission success. We were almost to the rally point when Sgt. O'Brian signaled a stop and to be silent. Tense and alert we all strained to detect what had put Sarge on edge, and then we heard it. The wail of a crying child. Sarge ordered Private Hernandez, our runner, to go to the rally point and let the Lieutenant know what we heard and that we were going to check it out. As he took off we headed towards the direction we thought the cry came from. As we filtered through the ruins we occasionally heard the wail again louder, we were getting closer. As we came out around a burnt out building to a main street we found across the street from us, an intact two story house and again heard the cry. It was coming from an upstairs window in the house.
Sarge ordered Corporal Lansing to overwatch from this side of the street while we went to get the civilians out. They set up in the burnt building as we rushed across the street into the house. the door was ajar and Sarge knocked and called out "US Army coming in" before we filed inside. No one responded to Sarge but the crying stopped. Sarge had Corporal Hardy and Private Walsh hold in the living room while he took the rest of us upstairs. He lead the way with Pvt. Jones and Clayburn behind him, then myself, with Pvt. Sampson in the rear. Sarge called out again a little louder. "US Army coming up" then after a short pause "we are here to get you to safety" right after Sarge said that we started hearing a woman cry. We moved up quickly and heard the crying coming from a open door at the end of a hall up the stairs.
Moving forward we saw a figure sitting on a bed facing away from us dressed in a tattered dress with a shawl over her head hunched forward and crying. Sarge approached the doorway and called out to her "ma'am? Can you hear me?" He took a step forward into the room and as he did she stopped crying, and slowly turned. Suddenly she screamed and lunged, and that's when I saw it wasn't a "she" at all this "Thing" was dressed as a woman but it had no face, just a metal box full of holes where the most horrific blood curdling scream I had ever heard was coming from. And as it lunged for Sarge it's bony looking metal hands folded back and blades swung down and out from it's forearms. Before we realized what was happening it was on him, tearing into him with those blades... Tearing him apart, as it screamed. As we all screamed... Clayburn was the first to react he fired his rifle into its head and it dropped to the ground on top of Sarge's corpse. but the screaming didn't stop, it was louder, all around us, that's when Sampson screamed.
I knew it was him because it cut off half way into a sickening wet gurgle. I turned in time to see another one of those things pulling it's blades out of his body. I fired my rifle into it and it fell but another took it's place. They were coming from the other rooms. We fired again and again, we could hear firing from downstairs too but it ended quickly, not the screaming though, the screaming never stopped. My rifle was empty I backed up trying to reload but I tripped on something and fell into Jones fouling his shot. Clayburn was out too but seeing me and Jones fall he charged in swinging his rifle, but there wasn't enough room, he couldn't get a good swing and they tore him apart too. I scrambled back dropping my rifle as I got up as Jones fired his last shot, but there were more of them and we had no time.
That's when Jones pulled out a grenade and told me to jump out the window, I thought he was going to be right behind me. I turned and dove for the window and as I did I heard Jones scream and then I was through. I hit the ground outside a moment before the grenade went off and knocked the wind out of myself. As I staggered to my feet gasping for breath I felt something grab me, I screamed and swung only to have Corporal Lansing stop my hand, "RUN" he yelled and pulled me along, I ran, we both ran. I don't think i could have done anything else at that point I remember seeing some of the others from his squad as we ran. But I couldn't think couldn't focus I could hear them screaming, following. All I could do was run. Suddenly the squad stopped, I didn't understand couldn't they hear them screaming right behind us I tried to keep going but they grabbed me, tackled me, held me down. I tried to get away, I had to, they were coming! But they wouldn't let me go they pinned me down and covered my mouth, and the Corporal yelled at me to stop screaming. Then I saw the Lieutenant, standing over me. I looked around at the rest of the platoon. And I realized that we weren't being chased, that the screaming had been my own... And in that moment of silence I heard faintly in the distance the wail of a crying child.
I hope you guys enjoyed it.
