02: The Earthshakers

The fear of Death
Follows from the fear of Life.
A man who lives fully
Is prepared to die at any time.
(Mark Twain)

“GET DOWN.”
An electric shock sent James sliding through the cold underbrush, until he came to a sudden stop before a tree. The blood seeping through his arm sleeve painted the green leaves red. He grunted as he pulled his rifle towards him by its torn strap and checked the clip. The entire forest was humming with the beasts’ deep frequencies, unexpectedly rising to disturbing shrieks as they lashed out their tails, crippling even the strongest of the scouts. These beasts were akin to armored worms, with the sudden movement of snakes, and the violence of a starved wolf, and James knew exactly what they were capable of. A few weeks ago, contact with one of the scout parties went cold, and a crew was sent to investigate. Upon arrival, James and his men found what looked like upturned graves, as the beasts travelled underground at great speeds, sensing movement and direction using deep frequencies, before breaking through the surface and using unnatural shrieks to stun prey before the fatal attack. Despite never laying an eye on one, he knew what to listen for to hunt them down.
James pulled himself to his feet, scanning the surroundings. The overgrown forest concealed almost everything beyond a three meter radius before him. He held his breath, listening and feeling the deep vibrations produced by the unseen horrors. All that answered was silence. He pushed through the growth, wincing as the thorny flora tore at his clothing and bore into his exposed arm. When he reached the clearing where his party was first ambushed, he held his breath again.
Still silence. Nothing from the beasts. Nothing from his men.
As James was about to call out, he felt the dangerous low rumble. However, this one was different, and the realization terrified him; the beasts were hunting in pairs. As the rumble grew closer, he readied himself for the worst. As the ground parted below him, James dove forward, turned, and sprayed a round of bullets behind him. A shriek broke out as the spiked tail sprayed dark blood before disappearing beneath the ground again. James stumbled to his feet, only to fall back to his knees as a second shriek tore through the forest air. He grabbed at the tree next to him, finding a branch to pull himself up by. He had no time to regain his senses and thus blindly sprinted towards the origin of the second shriek about thirty paces in front of him, unloading the clip into the ground as he ran. He felt the deep frequencies growing behind and before him, both drawn towards their prey. The rocks and branches on the forest floor began to shake as if in terror as the beasts closed in. As the last shot penetrated the earth, James dove to the side. Behind him, the two beasts erupted from the earth and collided, sending dirt, branches, and rocks in all directions much like an explosive. James clawed at the earth, pulling himself behind a tree as debris whistled by. The shrieks were earth shattering, but they quickly subsided as the two large bodies thumped against the cold forest floor.
Panting, James held his breath once more; this time he heard the cries of victory from his men in the distance.