"Davis!" called Captain Reynolds, freezing with his entire team amidst the chaos.
There, across from them, lay lifeless and mangled bodies, twisted into fleshy pretzels.
Blood stained the rocky ground, and the air was thick with the metallic scent of death.
And there Davis remained, torn apart with the rest. But what chilled them to the bone was the sight of the little girl, her once luxurious clothes now tattered gowns standing amidst the carnage.
She seemed completely inattentive to the massacre, her eyes unnaturally intense, just fixed on some unseen point in the distance.
She then turned. Their blood ran cold as goosebumps popped out of their necks; the cave seemed to close in around them, the eerie glow of the gemstones intensifying, eyes like twin voids, and her mouth stretched impossibly wide into a twisted smile dripping with blood.
She began to laugh as a madwoman, like a broken record, she cackled, then paused, then resumed, each cackle harder than the first.
Before anyone could speak, Captain Reynolds took out his Flintlock and shot her square in the head, yet she remained standing.
To no avail. After lifting her head upwards from the shot, she stood still, her fingers elongating into grotesque claws.
Then,
She lunged at Jackson!
With a sickening rip, she tore Jackson's arm from his body, his agonizing scream echoing through the cavern.
The men nearby were paralyzed with shock and fear, their weapons trembling in their hands. They could hardly believe the nightmarish scene unfolding before them. Blood sprayed across the cave floor, and the wounded scout writhed in unimaginable pain.
She released her grip on the now armless Jackson, then in a dart, almost floating away, her movements unnatural and disjointed. She descended deeper into the cave, her inhuman laughter echoing eerily through the tunnels.
The team, shaken to their core, clamored in frantic disarray, struggling to regain their composure. Private Jackson's unleashed wails made many run for it, while others hastily tried to tend to him, their hands trembling.
Amidst the chaos, the cavern echoed with the frightened exclamations of the soldiers.
"Good Lord, what was that thing!?" one soldier muttered, his voice trembling.
"Oh God! It just took off his arm!" another exclaimed, his face drained of color.
Captain Reynolds' voice cut through the panic beginning to bark orders,
"Fall back, quickly! We need to regroup!" Captain Reynolds commanded, his eyes never leaving the retreating ghoul. Captain Reynolds kept his weapon trained, ready to fend off any sudden attack.
Private Jackson, his face pale and his breathing shallow was carefully wrapped and lifted by two other men. He cried in pain as they secured him for transport.
Their chatter was slowly drowned out by the squeals of an approaching horde digging out the rock.
Just then, the fluttering creatures swooped down in the blink of an eye, their wings slicing against the men's faces, causing further chaos and confusion. The two men dropped Jackson and began to swing violently to deflect the flying horde!
Now trying to break free from the nightmarish ordeal!
She returned.
Her pale form emerged from the cave's gaps, her eerie eyes now glowing brighter, casting an unnatural radiance that seemed to draw the remaining sights toward her.
With renewed malevolence, she lunged at the soldiers, her clawed hands reaching for their throats. Each fought desperately, but she easily reached their necks, joining their casualties.
Now more disarrayed than ever, Reynolds looked frantically at the exit. Then, with a sharp eye, he turned to the girl. The fading flames threatened to plunge them into an inky abyss from which there would be no return. The stakes were high. With a fierce battle cry, Reynolds rushed the Ghoul.
The captain swiftly drew his sword from its sheath. In a split-second reaction, the ghoul swung her claws, meeting steel as he deftly parried each blow, struggling to keep her at bay. His heart pounded with adrenaline!
He raised the sword to deflect her monstrous claws, sending sparks flying and illuminating the darkening cave. Making a dash to the right, he went in for a stab, but she raised her arm upward, ready to swing down at Reynolds with a wide grin. As he closed in, she dropped her claws like a hammer, but Reynolds faked them and spun for a swift slice. He did slice her arm, releasing blood, but she did not falter; the gash on her arm was like a paper cut. She then drew her arms into an X shape and jumped upwards with a grunt. Reynolds tucked himself like a turtle, holding his sword upwards. When she released her arms, multiple cuts hit his sword, and Reynolds was now slightly bleeding. But there was no time as she landed, Reynolds' blade struck her stomach. However, with her arms now wide for a hug, she swung them inwards like a clamp. The captain's muscles tensed as he dodged backward, narrowly escaping a good slice, his arms ready to retaliate.
"Incoming!" yelled Lawson, throwing a round bomb amidst the cloud of bats. The explosion tore apart many, causing blood and parts to rain from the ceiling, landing on Reynolds's face.
Their battle was a nightmarish dance, with Reynolds' combat training pitted against her supernatural strength and eerie agility. "Ready! Aim!" In a desperate bid, a row of gunmen set their sights on them. But as Reynolds turned to clear their shot, the Ghoul, with its otherworldly speed, leaped onto him, her bony fingers clawing at his throat. "Fire!" They commenced their shooting and hit the Ghoul multiple times but were overrun by the swarm. In a rush, Captain Reynolds, taking his opening, turned over and struggled to shift away.
He managed to pull his legs from underneath the beast, pulling it closer to his chest, then sent a donkey kick, bunting her away with all his might. As she flew back, she clawed the ground, sending out a trail of sparks, slowing herself down.
Explosions echoed through the cave, sending fiery chaotic smoke into the air, catching onto the wooden shaft of the cave's tunnels; the light now grew as flames engulfed their structure. The bats scattered in disarray, their screeches turning into a terrified cacophony.
Their desperate tactic came at a terrible cost. The explosions reverberated through the cavern, causing the rock formations to tremble even more. Just then, as the beast rallied toward the captain running like a cheetah, falling rocks landed on the beast, she blew apart the mounds of rock on her but she stumbled like a drunk man, slow and ragged.
Taking his chance, the Captain rushed in and stabbed the beast's neck, flying off with his sword tightly held by the handle. The beast regained its stance and tried to block the approaching sword with haste, and rose her arms to block herself. But she growled and lowered her arm, then upwardly swung. However, Captain Reynolds stopped before he got closer, causing her to miss. Then he steadied his blade and managed to land a powerful blow, stabbing through the air with precision and striking into her jaw, piercing through its head. The ghoul staggered back, letting out gags with an unearthly scream.
Captain Reynolds tried splitting her head in two, but could not pull the sword through, even turning around with his back against the ghoul, using all of his triceps. But it would not budge, so he quickly turned again and kicked her, pulling the sword out, and she fell to her knees.
He threw another swing, slicing her neck, but it stopped at the bone. In disbelief, Reynolds sawed his sword back and ran the other way towards the exit. Despite the injuries she had sustained, she rose with her single eye watching Reynolds, her hair blocking her other eye, her bleeding grin gleaming as she began to walk with giggles.
The captain, nearing the elevation, was pounced onto again.
He turned as he fell and saw her right on top. The ghoul's claws were inches from Captain Reynolds's throat, and his strength waned as he grabbed her arms, pushing them away.
A relentless battle of wills, with every ounce of his being focused on breaking free. The captain's heart pounded in his chest as he struggled upward, inch by agonizing inch, pushing against the ghoul's monstrous strength.
Then, a gunshot from the cave's belly rang out, hitting the ghoul clean in the back of its head. Private Jackson, with one arm holding his rifle, his face etched with a sharp grin of payback. She flung her upper body backward, arching itself to look behind herself, staring at Jackson. But instead of faltering, she laughed, a burst of maniacal laughter that echoed through the cavern.
Blood oozed from her wounds, staining the captain's uniform. Captain Reynolds watched the falling rocks finishing his soldier.
Then, silence came about louder than the crashing cavern depths; her laughter disappeared.
The flames' light quickly vanished, the lung-choking debris began clouding Reynolds face.
Captain Reynolds, with a roar, pulled a pin from a grenade on his bandolier and tossed it up.
In that quick moment, the beast readjusted her spine upwards and lunged her claws at the captain's throat once more.
With just enough time and distance, he blew a large blast against the ghoul's back, forcing her off, and the captain was shoved deeper against the ground with a loud ringing in his ears. His breath ragged, and he rose quickly and in a dazed motion ran stumbling from left to right. He didn't look back as he sprinted towards the exit, the girl's eerie laughter fading into the chaos of crashing rocks.
The Captain ran towards the exits, his face etched with desperation as he fought his way through the debris.
Finally, as he emerged, the ignition of a cataclysmic blaze deep within the cavern sent a massive explosion rocking the cave, and launching shrapnel of rocks, and smoke into the air. The fleeing bats that escaped the cave collapsed.
Their mission to secure the resource-rich cave had ended in disaster, leaving behind a smoky, fiery abyss with a harrowing tale of survival. The scouts together, battered but alive, their faces grim as they watched the smoke and boulders consume the cave that had held so much terror, praying that it would seal away the horrors that lurked within…