Infectious Outbreak, Chapter 2

Walking down the poorly lit corridors of the barracks the two lone Marines paced themselves. Their steel toed boots clicking the metal floors, as the sounded echoed eerily around them in the narrow pathway. Narrow as the corridor was it was still wide enough for the two Marines to walk side by side without feeling too cramped.
"You know, you didn't have to do that Simmons…" Mavericks voiced echoed lightly in the corridor his tone soundly a little guilty.
"Do what? Oh you mean stick my neck out for you? It doesn't matter." Echoed back Simmons' mellow toned voice.
"It does matter, because if you hadn't said anything we wouldn't have to go find Tanner and walk down this creepy hallway!" Maverick's tone was cocky and annoyed as he puffed out his chest in anger glaring at Simmons as he clenched his fully gloved hand together into a fist.
"Calm down, I did it on purpose to go check on Tanner. I'm a little worried about him; he has never been late or disobeyed orders before. This isn't like him." Simmons' tone was cocky right back at the younger Marine but then slowly turned to concern for their missing friend.

The two Marines got quite as they both felt worry for their missing friend, they walked in silence for the longest time not saying a word to each other. They thought of the odds and the reasonable possibilities as to why the ODST would not return back quickly with a report or why he hadn't even radioed in that he even was returning back from down in the Research Facility Lab. Finally reaching the Labs door at the end of the very poorly light corridor that both Marines almost had to turn on their lights to see with, looked up at the flicking red 'Research Lab' sign above the door. Simmons felt an uneasy feeling at the eerie sight.
"Heeeey, Simmons…is the end of the corridors lighting suppose to be this dark?" Maverick was confused, he knew the lighting in this place sucked but he had never seen it this bad before. It creped him out a little.
"No…I've never been down here myself but my gut tells me something is wrong…." Simmons replied as a shiver of cold eeriness ran down his spine.
"Simmons, look…" Maverick said in surprise the first to notice the broken lock on the door.
"Hmm…looks like someone locked this up pretty well." Simmons said bending over to examine the broke lock and press key panel.
"Like they didn't want anyone coming in?" asked Maverick trying to make since of it.
"Or they wanted to keep someone or, something in…" Simmons said grimly as he stood up examining the door.
The older Marine backed up a little away from the door, then putting all of his strength and force into his leg as he kicked the door as hard as he could. The door barely budged at the pathetic attempt to opening it, the two main doors cracked and squeaked as if mocking the Marines. Simmons lowered his leg as he looked to Maverick and nodded. Maverick understanding the signal to break down the door together backed up to where Simmons stood.
"On three Mav. 1…2…"
"3!"
Both Marines flung their bodies at the double doors falling forwards on a cold blanket of ice. Maverick scrapping his unprotected bicep felt the cold sting of the icy air biting at the scrape, Maverick held and clenched the scrape as it started to sting then looked around. Simmons picked himself up and brushed off the ice from his long sleeved olive green attire while looking around at the frozen wasteland that was once the Research Lab. Maverick rubbed his sleeves arms trying to warm himself up as he studied the frozen room, he exhaled as a puff of white smoke of his breath froze in a cloud in the cold air.
"W-what happened…? W-why is it so cold in here…?" Maverick couldn't help but studded his body quickly became over taken with the cold.
"I don't know, let's find Tanner and get the hell out of here. I've got a bad feeling about this…" Simmons tried to steady his voice trying the hide the disturbed feeling that he got from the room.
"Y-yeah…I agr-agree…" Maverick shivered from the cold and from the sudden chill of the creepy feeling that he had just picked up on. An icy chill ran down the Marine's spine as the cold continued to wrap its icy claws around him, trying to shake the feeling off Maverick rubbed his arms trying to create heat with the friction.
"We'd better spilt up, cover more ground that way. I'll take the right, signal me if you find anything." Simmons spoke as he examined the frost ridden room with a small chill crawling down his spine.
"Sounds alright to me, keep in touch with me as well buddy." Maverick was cold but that still didn't stop him from making a punk-ass comment. The young Marine smirked before turning to begin his search on the left side of the lab.
Simmons shook his head disappointingly at the young Marines comment. He thought 'What a punk ass, thinking he's so tough.' Shrugging it off Simmons began his search in the room the two had been standing in. The older Marine narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the flickering lights, 'Why were they flickering and why is it so dark down here in the first place…?' Simmons asked himself. Walking over to the desks and counters he noticed they were covered in a fine frost and most of the desks were untouched as if nothing had happened except for the two over turned ones in the back row. Cautiously he walked to back to check out the two over turn desk, as the Marine did so he heard a faint cracking noise.

Looking around he didn't see anything, the next thing Simmons knew he was flung backwards and staring up at the ceiling. Simmons blinked in shock as he realized that he had slipped on the slick ice from the tube. Sitting up the Marine rubbed the back of his head where he had hit it, then looking down at the frozen ice sheet he had slipped on he followed the trail to a large glass tube that had been broken. Simmons narrowed his eyes curiously and confused at the large tube, picking himself up he walked up curiously to examine the tube. "What on Earth could have these scientists be doing down here, and what in the hell was in this tube or used to be in here...?" he asked himself stunned at the size of the tube. Feeling the frost and the sharp tips of the broken glass of the tube Simmons could hear faint footsteps in the frost on the floor, he turned quickly thinking it was Maverick coming back because he got scared, but nothing was there. The Marine sighed disappointed but then caught a quick glimpse of a dark silhouette darting into one of the hallways, quickly reacting on instinct to chase after it Simmons bolted toward where he had seen the figure.

"Hey! Wait up, stop! I just want to talk!" He yelled after it as he turned the corner. Simmons stopped in his tracks as he looked down at the floor, a cold shiver ran down his spine as he saw what stained the floor.

Blood. A trail of blood stained the floor of the short hallway, Simmons' body shivered at the sight even though he was use to seeing blood before. Looking down the dark little hallway his eyes picked out a dark figure of a blob laying on the back wall, Simmons walked slowly towards it his magnum posed and ready. Getting closer he could notice some detail and maybe some armor, the blob clearly becoming the lying figure of an ODST.

"Tanner? Oh my god…Tanner!" Simmons had finally realized it to be the missing ODST. Running up to Tanner's body Simmons nudged the ODST for a response, nothing. Simmons rolled the body over from the back to face up to check the vital signs from the neck, gasping and releasing the ODST's body Simmons backed away seeing the gory mess. Tanner's neck had been snapped and ripped out the blood oozing from the wound down onto the chest plate, his helmet had been broken and shattered threw as a river of dried icy blood flowed through shattered hole in the helmet and then merging with the open neck wound. Simmons couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing, he was speechless unable to move or look away from the horrible sight. The Marine had never seen something like this ever before and was stunned at the sight. Questions raced through his head as he tried to make since of this, 'What could have done this? Is what ever had done this still around? Should I radio in and report this...?' Simmons stood feeling a sudden wave of fear hit his chest, still keeping a gruesome interest in his died companion's froze body.

A slight breathing manifested out of thin air behind Simmons, hearing the faint breathing the Marine tensed up in a fear as his blood ran cold. His body quivered uncontrollability as he slowly began to turn toward the noise, taking deep breathes to reassure himself he peeked over his shoulder an absolute terror came over the Marine as he saw two glowing red eyes piercing through a large black silhouette. A cold sweat came over Simmons as he turned a little more to get a better look at the thing looming behind him, he didn't get a chance to as he heard movement in front of him. Quickly looking back in front of him terror stuck the Marine like lightning as he couldn't believe his own eyes; his once dead friend Tanner stood before him his broken body slumped over. Tanner's body slowly rose in an awkward leaning position as his broken neck lay slumped over on his right shoulder. What scared the Marine the most was when Tanner's eyes opened, the Marine jumped in place out of fear and sheer terror then froze like a deer caught in the headlights of a car.

Tanner's eyes shone a deep blood colored red through the shattered visor of the helmet, the ODST's moan sent a blood curling chill through the Marine's chest hitting his heart. Forgetting the greater threat behind him Simmons started to back away from the ODST bumping straight into the black mass which hissed. Simmons feeling himself bump into the mass and hearing it hiss startled him to realize it was there, the Marine quickly tried to get away but it was too late as the black mass of the silhouette reached out and grabbed the Marine by the neck just as it did with the ODST. The silhouette spoke in a hiss and moaning with different pitches as it seemed to play with Marine, the once human ODST limped stiffly forward replying in the same hisses and moans as the unknown black mass silhouette. Simmons yelped but no sound came out, he tried to struggle free from the black masses grip but failed as each time he struggled the unknown creature's grip got stronger and tighter around the Marines neck.

"P-Please...let me go..." Simmons struggled with his words as his neck was slowly being crushed by the silhouette's grip.

The black masses head seemed to tilt in a curious manner as it seemed to study the helpless Marine; its glowing blood red eyes shifted their gaze from the Marine to the swaying body the ODST. Again it spoke in its foreign tongue of hisses and moans, but this time it brought a new sound into its speech. It growled in very low tone as it dipped its head glaring at the ODST body. The ODST body swayed ominously as it moaned in a low tone responding to the silhouette's growl. The silhouette hissed and looked back at the terrified Marine, it glared at him then with a swift and powerful twist of the wrist snapped the Marine's neck causing Simmons to scream out then quickly fall limp and die as the silhouette released and let the body fall to icy floor.

Meanwhile young Maverick got a chill down his spine as he thought he could hear an echo of a scream. He quickly turned and looked down the hallway as he gulped down a saliva ball in worry. Without a second thought the young Marine bolted toward the way he had just come to search for his friend and where the scream had come from.