Of Wolves and Weasels - Day 607 - Terror on Moonbase Alpha - Chapter 8, Part 2
Hey all, GoodShibe here!
So on Friday I completed Chapter 8, Part 1 of Terror on Moonbase Alpha.
If you're just joining us now, please feel free to get caught up here:
Without further ado, here's Part 2 of Chapter 8
Terror on Moonbase Alpha - Chapter 8, Part 2
It was out?! How in the hell did it get out?!
Jacob's mind raced as he watched the goop climb its way up from the floor into the bed of the patient and he too began to scream as it dissolved his blankets and gown and legs. The man was still staring at the TV in the room, actively watching a soccer game back on Earth, but he was screeching in agony as it snaked its way up past his groin.
"I can run," he thought. "Now's a chance to make it, it's distracted, it'll never know I was here."
But the man kept screaming.
"What can I do?!" his eyes flicked guiltily around him, trying spy anything that might help him fight back.
The man was no more than a memory now, the bones, the bed and the bedding were gone, consumed by the goop, leaving nothing but the metal rails and supports. The goop itself had easily doubled in size and began to eat other parts of the room: papers, bedding, TV sets. Anything that wasn't metal or glass or concrete was consumed utterly.
And still, floating in the middle of it, was that thick, hideous, black burn scar.
Jacob saw it clearly now, the heavy bubbled texture, like the time he and his buddies had burned a tire out at the campsite. They had spent the summer throwing random things on the campfire - starting with twigs they eventually worked their way up into much more dangerous fare. One friend had taken a new can of spraypaint and thrown it on the pyre. They'd each run for -- something was wrong.
He was under again, and this time he knew it - it had gotten in.
Wake up. Wake up. Wake up! WAKE UP!
In his mind he ran past his friends, their imaginary, shocked faces frozen in terror as Jacob leaped into the pyre and felt the flames engulf him.
Eyes focusing, hallway, Infirmary. Goop.
It was there and it seemed just as shocked as he did that his impromptu plan had worked. Jacob backed away then, away, away -- "try not to think about where you're going".
And then he saw it, on the floor, speeding out toward him like a stream: A tendril of goop, racing toward his feet. One touch. That's all it would take.
Jacob turned and bolted, taking turns, left and right without thinking, without processing. Run, just run. He ran until he found himself in the furthest corners of Sector 1A, at least half the length of the moonbase away from it.
He was tired and sore and spent, his legs ached and his chest heaved but he was alive.
Help. Look for help. Maybe he's far enough away, maybe it can't reach here just yet.
The sign on the wall pointed to a cafeteria just down the hall away from him. Maybe there was a chance, maybe he could warn them, get them to safety.
"Forget them. Get to a pod."
The thought was crystal clear in his mind and, to his dismay, it was his own. The thought grew and bloomed within him as the full weight of all that he had seen took hold of him.
He would be tried, found guilty, most certainly spend the rest of his days behind bars. But he'd be alive. Truly, undoubtedly, assuredly alive.
He started walking then, his gut churning as his walk turned into a run.
"Everyone, up! Get up, get out!" he yelled as he burst through the cafeteria doors.
And that wraps up Part 2 of Chapter 8, I hope you enjoyed it!
It's 8:57AM EST and I'm sending positive vibes your way. Have a great day, my friends! Our Global Hashrate is up from ~1000 to ~1010 Gigahashes per Second and our Difficulty is up from ~18575 to ~20638.
As always, I appreciate your support!
GoodShibe
Posted Sep 7, 2015, 1:05 PM UTC · edited