Eloquent Tales & Blues presents, The Last Resort

A scouting squadron, responsible for finding safety, found it moored to the coast like a forgotten legend, scarred and silent, yet still afloat. A seemingly operable battleship, untouched by conflict or the passage of time. They hoped the vessel would be their chance to escape the dying world. Although it appeared safe, the fear of humanity’s bane terrorized the remnants of civilization. After key sections of the craft were cleared, the leaders dispatched the remaining engineers to determine if their last hope could be their salvation. While other teams cleared non-essential chambers, the engineers determined the vessel was not only seaworthy, but capable of surviving the ocean’s capricious nature.

During this examination, the modest remnants of humanity huddled near the vessel as they eagerly awaited the all-clear from each of the inspection teams. While one response was still outstanding, their hope swelled. Yet a handful knew that without perfection, despair would overwhelm everyone, so tension lingered. Ray’s team was the lone holdout still combing through the haggard battleship. However, one final room needed to be scrutinized, and it was the ship’s galley.

When the trio neared the galley’s entrance, Ray glanced at Charles and Kevin and waited for their silent nods. Once given, Ray pointed at the door and Charles rushed to obey the silent order. As soon as one hand touched the metal, Charles rubbed his lucky coin positioned beneath his glove. A second later, he cracked the door before backing away, allowing Ray to kick it open and race inside.

Ray, accustomed to the darkness, noticed a slight movement in the galley’s rear, barely a shadow in the ship’s endless dark. However, the sudden sour scent of copper and ozone filled Ray’s nose, and he knew they discovered their bane. Instinctively, the grizzled marine raised his rifle to his shoulder and controlled his breathing as he squared the rifle’s sights upon that motion before he squeezed the trigger. A bolt of pale blue energy shot from his rifle, bathing the room in light for just an instant. The hint of illumination highlighted the full scale of the galley’s infestation.

As the room overflowed with humanity’s destroyers, Ray’s mind snapped back to his first encounter with them. It came from a time when everyone believed they’d be victorious. Despite being a creation of humanity, this menace promptly demonstrated they possessed all the power. Even though their creation stemmed from an attempt to cure a wide array of diseases, it didn’t matter. What people originally assumed about the hulking and misshapen creatures proved to be their undoing. Instead, they were dangerously fast and exceptionally strong. Thankfully, their rifles were just the weapons needed to put these monsters down. As the bolt from Ray’s rifle raced through the galley, the marine watched as it impacted the beast that had exposed the infestation.

The pulse of light faded as the creature fell to the floor. However, Ray heard the scuttling from the rest of the creatures intensify. Ray resumed firing as he pressed his back to the wall. “We found the nest! Get in and light’em up!”