Tunnels 05 - Spiral

corridor.
    “Stop it!” Drake yelled.
    Later, he asked himself if the reason he hadn’t opened fire on it was not because of how quick the creature was, but because of what he’d seen. It was true that the Warrior larva had been moving at a blistering speed, but its appearance might have also been a factor.
    The sight of its head was enough to make his heart miss several beats.
    Will’s and Chester’s jaws dropped as they reacted in the same way.
    Although its torso was amphibian, its head was something else entirely.
    Something shocking.
    The larva’s head was that of a human child — with distinct human features. Covered in off-white scales, the eyes, nose, and ears were perfectly formed, albeit the mouth was filled with shiny white spikes for teeth, and its tongue was at least a foot in length as it flicked out.
    And worse still, when Sweeney winged it, the wail it emitted could have been that of a human infant.
    As the Warrior larva bolted toward the main doors, one of the Old Guard had heard Drake’s warning and was moving rapidly to intercept it. He brought his shotgun up, but the larva simply sprang clean over his head.
    “Crikey!” he shouted. The old soldier still had his instincts, though, and tried to take the shot as he tipped backward. He missed the creature completely, the light on the corridor ceiling exploding into a million pieces and showering him and the boys.
    “Stop it!” Drake yelled again.
    Then Mr. Rawls was the only obstacle in its path to freedom through the main doors.
    Again the Warrior larva sprang.
    The second member of the Old Guard tried to shoot it in midair, but he missed, too, the round shattering a vase on the reception desk.
    Mr. Rawls had stepped back. The Warrior larva tried to alter its trajectory by rotating its tail, but it wasn’t enough. It slammed into Mr. Rawls, gripping his chest with its claws.
    “Colonel! Shoot it!” Drake shouted, realizing that the larva was dangerously close to escaping.
    But the New Germanian couldn’t open fire for fear of hurting Chester’s father.
    Despite the weight of the Warrior larva on him, Mr. Rawls had managed to remain on his feet. He was staggering backward as if he was doing some form of bizarre limbo dance.
    “Help! Help! Help!” he was jabbering as the larva bit down on his shoulder. Mr. Rawls screamed in shock and pain.
    “Get it off him!” Chester cried, aiming his Sten but knowing there was no way he could use it.
    Something flashed through the air.
    The Warrior larva slid from Mr. Rawls, a knife embedded up to the hilt in its neck. As the creature flopped to the floor, its limbs were still moving, but only in a weak reflex action.
    “Evil-looking thing,” one of the Old Guard muttered.
    “Nice kill, Colonel,” Sweeney said. “I thought the Sticky bug was outta here.”
    Colonel Bismarck went over to the Warrior larva. Placing a foot on the creature’s back, he yanked his knife out.
“Ich war es nicht,”
he said. He put the knife back into the scabbard on his belt, then glanced over at Mrs. Burrows. “It was Celia. She helped herself to my knife.”
    “Mum!” Will exclaimed. “How did you do that? You can’t even see!”
    Mrs. Burrows shrugged as Drake examined the creature, which was still twitching. “Better make sure it’s dead. Who knows what these things are capable of?” he said.
    Much to everyone’s astonishment, the Colonel simply raised his boot and brought it down on the larva. There was the most ghastly crack of bone as its childlike head split open.
    Will and Chester looked away.
    Drake opened a channel to Parry on the radio. “Tell everyone that the mature Warrior bugs are fast and highly mobile. They can clear some height, too.”
    Parry was shouting as he replied. “We already know that,” he said. There were yells and the sound of shotguns blasting in the background before Drake ended the connection.
    Then Drake turned to Mrs. Burrows. “Can you get Jeff across the road and have that bite looked at?” he asked her. As she took him away, Will and Chester followed Drake and Sweeney to the end of the corridor, where they tried not to look at the dead Limiter on the floor, less one brain. The boys could hear the Old Guard on the other side of the doors beginning to work their way through the warehouse. They were killing anything that moved, the terrible screams coming thick and fast.
    “Stay here and make sure nothing else gets out,” Drake ordered the boys as he and