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This does not bode well, though Kevin Harrison. He was standing in the entrance to the cave network Cold Force troops has scoured clean of aliens the day before. Or, at least, what was left of the entrance. It was mostly heaps of rubble now, boulders and ice crushed together to form an impenetrable barrier. Kevin’s own high explosive charge had done that. It had also wiped out an entire snakeman death squad. Fair trade, though Harrison. Only problem is, we are now without shelter. Damn my short-sightedness!
Another strong blast of icy wind struck him, and he shivered, pulling his furs tighter around him. He hated the damn things – they were so clumsy to fight in – but without some form of protection from the cold a man would freeze to death out here.
But he was wandering. Where could they find shelter? Lieutenant Clark was severely wounded – he had had his hand torn off by an alien plasma bolt – and might die if they didn’t find somewhere quiet to correctly administer some medical attention.
He turned to the private standing beside him. ‘Go find the boss,’ he ordered. ‘I think the caves are still our best bet. We can at least shelter for a while in what’s left of the entrance here. We’re protected from the wind there. And the aliens won’t be able to see us in a snowstorm like this.’ The private nodded. It had been snowing steadily for days now.
‘Make sure you’re not seen!’ shouted Harrison after the private, whose figure was already indistinct amidst the whirling flurry of snowflakes. The figure turned and gave a thumbs up, so Kevin assumed he’d heard. Now he simply had to wait for the others to arrive. He sat down on one boulder, and began to think.
He was in the middle of pondering their next move when he realised that he could make out a shape through the snow. Squinting, he realised that it was large… far too large to be a man. In an instant, his rifle was in his hands, and a thumb suddenly slick with cold sweat was pushing the safety off. He aimed directly at the centre of the large bulk that was approaching.
‘Halt! Who goes there?’ he demanded. The shape halted.
‘It’s only us, liuetenant,’ came the reply. ‘We’ve got Clark.’
Harrison relaxed. That’s what it was. Two privates carrying Clark. No wonder the three silhouettes had seemed as one in this weather. He lowered the rifle. ‘My apologies. Just head towards my voice; the cave entrance is here.’ He just about made out a muttered affirmative.
Before long, the other members of Cold Force had congregated inside the entrance to the caves. ‘This is ridiculous,’ complained the CO, Sam Wychin. We can’t all fit in here. We have to find access to the caves proper!’
Kevin nodded enthusiastically. ‘I agree, sir. Problem is, I don’t-‘
He was cut off by the sound of a heavy ‘thump’. Harrison and Wychin whirled, so see a sheepish private standing beside a frost-covered boulder. Where the boulder had sat, there was now a large, dark hole.
‘Um, I think I found a way in, sirs.’
Written on September 25th by Shaun Green aka. Kevin Harrison