Hell on Earth

Andrew's breath rasped through his throat as he ran. His heartbeat sounded loudly in his ears, his legs ached and his lungs burnt with effort. He could taste bile in his mouth.

For almost half an hour now he and David had been running through the wreckage that had once been a Coventry suburb. Running for their lives.

Not far behind him he could hear David panting. Though the other man was younger than Andrew he was less fit and clearly only just managing to keep up. From a little further back came the sounds of the pursuing squad of Grunts. Their guttural alien cries were close. Too close.

The crack of a force bolt cut through the air. It passed over Andrew's head and hit a tree, vaporising several branches. He ducked instinctively, almost loosing his footing on the rubble. The tang of ozone filled his nostrils.

Sweet Jesus. The Grunt hand guns had only a limited range so they must be very near indeed.

The Grunts were gaining on them. What the stocky, porcine humanoids lacked in speed they made up for in stamina. Their eyes saw well even in the gloom of the evening and they never seemed to tire. They were well equipped for a long chase over ground strewn with concrete and steel debris - the wreckage of human civilisation.

Andrew tried unsuccessfully to put on another burst of speed. His legs refused to work any harder. He could guess that David too was exhausted.

The Grunts would soon run them into the ground, then they would either kill them or take them prisoner. No-one knew which was worse.

Andrew made a decision.

Clutching his precious bag closely he leapt over a fallen tree trunk. Then he veered left past the remains of a bus shelter.

"This way", he called out as he ran.

"But the Koan!" David's voice came from behind him.

"Exactly."

Andrew didn't waste energy explaining. For the first time in his life he might have reason to be grateful to the Wyrms.

+++

The Wyrms. Huge slug-like creatures that dripped slime and used a bizarre organic technology. Alien invaders that had hardly seemed to notice the lasers and nuclear warheads humanity had sent against them.

They communicated telepathically but rarely bothered conversing with humans; they simply didn't care. All that mattered to them was their relentless war with the Grunts. If humans were in the way then humans died. The aliens had casually slaughtered millions of people as they single-mindedly turned the Earth into a military outpost.

It had taken them six months of work, but finally the Wyrms had been satisfied. They had what they wanted, a fortress planet. For a few weeks the killing had stopped. It seemed that humanity would be allowed to at least continue to exist in peace on those parts of Earth for which the Wyrms had no use.

Then the Grunts had arrived. The initial exchanges had been orbital, the Grunts' relentless firepower grinding away at the Wyrms' defences. Then had come the planetary bombardment, during which millions more humans and most of the Wyrms had died. Finally the Grunts landed on Earth, driving out the few remaining invaders.

Those humans left had at first been grateful, even cheered the newcomers. Any enemy of the Wyrms was, they reasoned, a friend of theirs. At least the Grunts were humanoid.

Naive. The Wyrms had killed people coldly and clinically simply because they were in the way. The Grunts hunted and killed humans because they enjoyed it. Those they didn't kill were taken away and never seen again. There were many rumours as to what happened to these lost souls but no-one really knew.

+++

Andrew pushed his way through the vegetation that was slowly reclaiming the world. Ahead he saw the white glow of a Koan.

The English Midlands had been a centre of Wyrm activity in Europe and the remnants of their organic technology were everywhere - always incomprehensible, often deadly. The massive Koans were both. No human understood their purpose, but that didn't matter now. What mattered was that the Grunts were almost superstitiously terrified of them. The twenty foot high cone of oozing flesh might be Andrew and David's only chance to survive.

Andrew's eyes scanned the area quickly. He remembered the neighbourhood well. As a teenager he had come here frequently to play cricket on the nearby fields. That had been just a few years ago. Now the English tranquillity had been replaced by devastation, the area dominated by something vast and totally alien. The Koan

Its massive white bulk pulsated sickeningly. Around it were wrapped half a dozen translucent tendrils. These could strike out at any moment, unravelling to their full length of about ten feet. Occasionally they twitched as pulses of light ran down them. Some said that the Koans could rotate, possibly even move around, but this one at least had been in the same place since the initial invasion.

Andrew saw what he was looking for and mouthed a silent prayer of thanks. About fifteen feet away from the alien mound a small length of a wall remained standing. An old sign identified it as once part of an arts centre - now it stood in the bleak landscape like a piece of modernist installation art itself. All that mattered to Andrew was that it would shield them from the Grunts whilst being a safe distance from the Koan. Their alien pursuers would not venture that close to the deadly creature.

"Over here - carefully," he called.

The two men made their way towards the wall. The wind had piled dirt and debris against the base and they had to climb cautiously up a small mound. Clasping their bags of plunder tightly they leant against the concrete. Andrew took deep breaths and began to relax.

"Safe here..." he gasped, "they won't come closer."

"The wall... won't they just shoot it away?"

Andrew shook his head "Not... with those handguns."

As if to challenge this assertion the crack of a force bolt rang out. The beam of energy hit the wall which held but jolted slightly.

David started and lost his footing. He began to slip down the mound of rubble, towards the Koan. Andrew's arm snaked out and grabbed his shoulder. David regained his balance but dropped his bag. The precious cans began rolling away.

"The food!" David shouted, wrenching himself from Andrew's grasp. He ran after the cans, picking them up as fast as he could.

"No!" cried Andrew. He made to go after David then stopped. The younger man had already moved too far from the wall. Too close to the Koan.

One of the tentacles unwrapped itself rapidly, sparks of light flying along it. It struck out through the air and wrapped itself around David's ankle, yanking him off his feet. He fell heavily and the tentacle began to pull him in. David yelled out, at first in shock then in pain as the tentacle's acidic slime burnt through his clothing and into his flesh.

Andrew reached out, but he knew that David was already too far away. The tentacle withdrew into the Koan, dragging David with it. The young man screamed in pain and terror, trying unsuccessfully to clutch on to roots, rocks, anything. The first tentacle pulled him back all the way to the Koan where a second wrapped itself around him and the structure several times. The struggling David was held tightly against the Koan. It shuddered gently as its organic surface began to secrete digestive juices. A low, humming sound emerged from it; a disgusting purr.

"Oh Jesus... sweet Jesus Christ" Andrew muttered. Guilt pierced him even though he knew that there was nothing he could do as David struggled and screamed in agony.

Andrew closed his eyes and wished he could close his ears as well. To block out the noise he shouted out a prayer to a God that had apparently long forsaken the human race.

+++

"No!" the Director slammed his fist down on his desk. "We are not sending out a search party."

"We can't just abandon them!" Bel shouted back, her green eyes ablaze with fury. Taking a deep breath she began pacing up and down the dingy underground room. Lowering her voice she spoke slowly and reasonably. "They're overdue by three hours now. It was meant to be a simple foraging mission to the old supermarket. Something must have gone wrong."

"Exactly."

"They might be injured, in trouble..."

"Or they might have been captured, in which case they're dead or worse. I can't risk sending out a party at night, they'd be too vulnerable. At first light..."

"That could be too late!"

The Director stood up and turned to face the wall. He ran a hand through what remained of his hair then turned back to face Bel. "I'm sorry. We can't afford to lose any more people, the Grunts have taken five of us in the last fortnight. "

"So we just abandon them?"

"They knew the risks; they volunteered. I know he's your husband - I'm sorry."

Bel stopped pacing and stared the Director straight in the eye. "My husband. And your son."

He lowered his head. "Do you think I've forgotten? I wish I could do something but my responsibility is to the whole community. There're too few of us left to risk losing anyone else. I'm sorry."
"Then I'll go alone. With your blessing or without." Bel spun round and stomped towards the door.

"Wait".

Bel stopped and turned back, glaring. The Director walked over to a cupboard and unlocked it. From inside he took out a Grunt handgun. Of the dozen or so they had captured over the years, most had apparently run out of power and simply stopped working. This was one of only three that still appeared functional. The Director threw it across the room to Bel who caught it with one hand.

"Take the gun," he said, "And my blessing."

+++

Andrew glanced at his watch. Just gone 10PM. The night was as dark as it ever got nowadays, the belt of rubble that had once been the moon casting down a constant dim light.

David's sobs had stopped about an hour ago. The Koan had taken three hours to slowly eat him alive. A slow three hours during which Andrew would have sold his soul for a gun with which to put his friend out of pain.

Now, the last remnants of flesh and bone had been devoured and nothing remained of Andrew's presence other than a few scraps of cloth and the scattered cans of food. The Koan's glow had turned a sickly yellow and it pulsated slowly as it digested its meal.

Andrew was tired, hungry and desperate. Most of the Grunts that had chased them had retired for the night, leaving just two soldiers to guard him. It was enough. They stood well clear of the Koan but watched him intently. Fear of the Koan kept them far enough from him to prevent their handguns being a threat. In the morning the others would no doubt return with heavy weaponry capable of penetrating his meagre defences. Then they would take him away to whatever fate they had planned for him.

Perhaps he should just run to his death now, force their hand in to killing him quickly. No, he couldn't do that. He had to keep his faith - yet as he stared up at sky filled with lunar debris he felt alone and scared.

+++

Bel crawled carefully through the undergrowth, trying hard not to make a sound. The Grunts had no such concerns, she had heard them conversing loudly from a mile away. She had wondered what they could be doing so near to an active Koan. Now she knew. She had seen Andrew backed up against his crumbling stretch of wall. No doubt David was nearby.

She knew that she was their only chance, she could not let them down. She needed to get as close as she possibly could before risking a shot.

Looking up at Andrew again, she inadvertently caught his eye. His face lit up at the prospect of rescue, his mouth opening in a stupid grin. Then he regained control of himself. Quickly he put on a poker face and looked away. Too late. The Grunts had noticed his expression and were moving in Bel's direction.

Bel groaned. She'd been so near. She ducked behind a tree and listened to the heavy Grunt footsteps approaching. When they were nearly upon her she stepped out, firing in an arc as she did so. She didn't stay to watch as the energy beam cut the Grunts in two but instead turned and ran for the nearest cover. In the dark and in her haste she caught her foot and tripped, dropping the gun as she fell. Behind her she could hear the second Grunt's heavy footsteps then his rasping breath as he stood over her. She turned over on to her back and stared up in to his dark eyes, ready to die.

+++

Andrew watched with impotent rage. Lord help him, first he'd let David die and now he'd as good as killed Bel. There must be something he could do. There was no way that he could reach the Grunt without being heard, even if he had the time. What to do?

Noticing one of the cans of food at his feet an idea occurred. He picked it up and tossed it briefly in the air. A little light but it would have to do. Memories of a hundred Saturday afternoons flooded his mind as he drew back his arm, aimed carefully at the Grunt's head and bowled.

And missed. The can went wide, crashing in to some gravel several feet to one side of the Grunt.

Yet it was enough. The Grunt was startled by the noise and turned way from Bel. As he did so she grabbed her dropped gun and leapt to her feet. Before the Grunt realised what was happening she had kicked the weapon out of his hand. He turned back to her and made to advance, ready to tear her apart with his bare hands then froze when she raised her gun and pointed it at his chest.

Looking at the defenceless alien Bel thought of all the millions who had died in a war not of their making. She thought of those the Grunts had captured and the terrible rumours as to what happened to them. She saw the invader, the enemy. Her fingers were about to pull the trigger when she felt Andrew's gentle hand on her shoulder.

"No," he said, "Don't do it."

"He's the enemy."

"Yes, but he's also a living, thinking creature. Probably just a soldier as scared as we are. Possibly a conscript with a worried family waiting at home. Don't kill him. This is our first captive, he could be useful. Let's take him back to the base and try talking to him. We could learn something, possibly even end this war."

Bel stared in to the Grunt's eyes. Was that really fear she saw there? Behind the alien form, behind the uniform, was there really an intelligent creature with friends and family? Just one cog in a vast military machine. Her hand wavered.

"Where's David?" she asked.

"I'm sorry. The Grunts chased us to the Koan, he got too close." Andrew paused then added quietly, "At least it was quick."

Bel heard the lie in his voice. She thought of her husband's face, imagined his pain. His death. Then she looked back at the Grunt and smiled.

The energy beam tore a hole through the Grunt's chest and Bel kept the gun firing even after he had fallen. She didn't release her grip on the trigger until the power failed. By that time all that remained of the Grunt was a pile of ash.

The war went on.