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Chapter 1: Welcome to Hell, may I take your order?

"Wake up" a voice nearby said. Private First Class Jenkins looked up bleary eyed, even though his dream was not pleasant, he was reluctant to rise. "C'mon you lazy bastard! we're gonna be late!" his partner exclaimed. He rose from the small cot, suddenly remembering where he was. He gave himself a brief moment for a mental groan, graveyard shift...again. Not that there was any 'real' light down here. But nothing beats a good 6 hour rest in the sack. He sighed as he strapped on his security pistol. "Alright, give me a second to check my gear.." he mumbled as his partner complained again.

Several minutes later down the hall a hushed discussion was taking place. The guard simply stared in longing, anything but the dungeon. As he passed a few hushed 'Shhhs' and a few pointing fingers instantly relayed what they were talking about. The new director was sure being a hardass about procedure. Which was why everyone quieted down when they saw him coming, apparently he cracked down on a group of gossipers in the past calling them a fire hazard. He snorted at that, a fire...on mars. The only way that could happen was if a gas line ruptured which, granted, was common enough. The only way for it to alight would be..."Jenks hurry up we're gonna be late!" his partner hissed. "Geezus, can't a man have time to think in this god-forsaken place..?" He whispered as he picked up the pace.

Jogging from his bunk to the airlock took a few minutes...at least. But at least he didn't have guard duty at marine HQ tonight. "Those bastards had what was coming to them" He thought "They learned not to push me...especially after that sentry droid incident.." he allowed himself a faint giggle at the thought. It abruptly halted as the hiss of atmosphere escaping told him he forgot to don his oxygen mask. His face paled before he realized he wasn't in the airlock yet. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding and grabbed his mask from the cabinet. Of course that’s when it happened...again. The lights failed and orange blocks appeared across the walls. A voice he knew only as trouble rang out "Power failing, please wait while reestablishment commences." "Thanks for the info darlin'.." Jenkins partner growled. "Shut up Arv, you know its automated" Jenkins response. A few moments later the same voice came over the speakers again "Virus detected" a brief pause, and then "Threat neutralized. Power restored" as the last word was spoken the overhead lights snapped back on and the orange faded away to black. "What was that Jenks...the third time this week?" as he looked towards the PFC "Yeah feels like more.." he replied, scowling at the loudspeaker. "Might be an improvement to keep the lights off, at least I won't see how much of a hell-hole this place is.." Arv murmured as the two entered the air-lock.

A quick jog across the pitted bridge someone had coined 'decommissioned express' led them to the other airlock. After a short wait the doors parted allowing the two inside. "Reminds me of the good times..." Arv said a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Yeah like that one time you..." Jenkins began, but he was cut off by a loud pounding on the inner door of the airlock. A quick glance towards Arv showed him flicking the safety off his pistol. He gave a tentative nod and looked back towards the door. A gasp from the other side and a yowl of pain set Jenkins’s hair on end. His pistol was raised into a firing position before he knew what he was doing. He let out a sigh and said "Hello?" his statement was met with a growl and a terrified scream. He nodded to Arv who slammed the open door button. A man...a scientist by his clothes, fell backwards into the lock. his hands were shielding his face as he hit the ground, cracking the back of his cranium upon the steel grating. A terrifying growl was coming from the shadows just beyond the doors. The scientist now recovered from his fall, stood. He almost fell back down, if it wasn't for the cunning placement of the wall he would have broken his neck from hitting the floor, instead he just smashed his nose to bloody pulp. Arv sighed at the idiot civilian. "Looks like we're baby sitting again Jenks." he said while shoving the now unconscious civilian back into the lock. He kneeled down and narrowed his eyes. "Harrumph, looks like nothing but a..." he couldn't finish, as a pair of red eyes bounded out to rip them to shreds.

A few pistol shots and a frenzied round of punching later, one freshly dead corpse of an adolescent bear laid on the floor. "Why does this always happen to us Jenks..." Arv asked while inspecting his knuckles for broken bones. "It's because god cares Arv, he cares about these creatures life expectancy here, and sends us to kill them when their time is up." Jenkins responded, wiping the bears blood from the butt of his pistol. Arv snorted. "You're a real riot, you know that?" "Yep" was his answer. "Now what about this pathetic fucker?" He asked Arv, pointing to the scientist. After inspecting and setting his nose they searched for further wounds and only found superficial claw marks along the length of his arms. "I say just dump him here next to the bear. If he wakes up and freaks out, too bad for his sorry ass." Arv responded. Jenkins nodded and moved to clear the hallways leading from the room. A few tense seconds later the near most hall-ways were declared clear, for the moment. He took out his PDA and quickly sent off a message to security HQ that a breach in the animal’s labs may have happened. After sending that little bit of beautiful email off he nodded to Arv. He holstered his pistol and took out his flash-light. Time for patrol...

A few hours passed with no incident. Only the voices he kept hearing around the corners. But they were common place now. Given, they were freaky and set his nerves on edge. But the same thing happens when he lets Arv pick the night’s pic-vid. He turned a corner and almost jumped out of his skin at the sight. A maintenance worker stood there, just...standing. "Hey buddy, between you and me, maybe you better get to work. I hear there is a power outage around here somewhere." Jenkins said to the man, lifting his chin up towards the dark lights on the ceiling. The man turned to face him and Jenkins saw the reason for his not working, It was Skench. The base cripple, He had his arm taken off in a bizarre repair incident involving a stationary reactor coupling and a wrench. No one knows how he managed to get his arm off, but it was now replaced with a bionic supplement. A damn waste according to Arv, as in the same time he got hit in the head, hard. He has trouble speaking, let alone fixing this base up. A low groan told him Skench heard him and he picked up his wrench and moved off to try and 'repair' the lights. Jenkins sighed and moved on; this piece of shit wasn’t worth his time.

“Doctor how long till we have full power?” “About 5 minutes sir.” “good, inform me when we are ready for the transfer” “Will do sir” “Oh and suspend my subscriptions” “Sir?” “I have a feeling something amazing will happen here soon…” “If you say so sir” “Make it so!” “Yes sir”


Chapter 2: What the hell?

Movement in the shadows drew Arv’s eye to a distant corner. He just sent that new recruit through to the decommissioned Comm. building. Hopefully he’ll find that damn scientist that is causing such a fuss. “Hey Steve, I’m getting some coffee, you want some?” he asked the other man in the security office. “As long as you’re buying man” he nodded while keeping the marine on the Comm. Walking him through the weaponry a child could use without difficulty. Arv sighed at the marine, hopefully he wouldn’t kill anyone. “I’ll get you a triple double latte with cream on the side.” Arv said taking out his PDA so Steve couldn’t see it “Sounds good, make sure to bring extra cream!” he said turning off the comm. for a moment. He returned to babysitting the marine and was soon lost in his ‘mentoring’ Arv sighed as he stepped into the work shaft. Dodging past a stumbling civie and hopped onto the platform suspended by the crane. He nodded to the operator. He knew Arv’s routine by now. A few seconds later Arv was in the cafeteria ordering his coffee when a massive shockwave knocked him off his feet. “What the fuck!?” he shouted stumbling to his feet. “Why the fuck can’t they confine the fucking explosions to the fucking excavation site?!” he shouted picking up his cup of spilled coffee. As he turned to leave he saw the vacant face of another civie. “Get out of my way, pissed off security coming through.” He said while pushing the fat bastard aside. He stomped back towards the security office with a growing sense of unease. Then he knew why. Arv looked around and thought to himself ‘Where is that moaning coming from…’

Jenkins felt the shockwave rock the floor beneath him. “Damn it!” he said. “Can’t they wait to start destroying things until AFTER I finish pissing?!” Jenkins shouted. He heard the door creak and looked over his shoulder. “Damnit Joe, can’t you stay outta this place long enough for me to finish?!” he yelled. A ghost of a smile crossed Joe’s face as he moved forwards. His movement’s jerky as he raised his security pistol to firing position. “Fuck you!” Jenkins shouted while throwing himself backwards. Joe opened fire, loosely targeting Jenkins, but missing every shot. As the PFC hit the floor he grabbed at his gun, but forgot he set it on top of the urinal, his features darkened with anger as he grabbed the only weapon within his reach, his flashlight. He sent it whizzing end over end towards his once friend. It struck him square between the eyes, and stuck there. Jenkins stared in disbelief that should have knocked the poor bastard out! ‘What should I do?’ Joe made that decision for him, firing again. Jenkins rolled until he hit the wall; luckily the shots missed their targets. He saw the gun click empty, so he took the time to secure his pants as he stood and dashed for his pistol. As he passed Joe he saw a vacant look in his eyes, almost as if his mind wasn’t there. Then when the PFC came within reach Joe abruptly changed, his features went from vacant and docile...to something far more sinister. His eyes turned from pure white to a deep red, with pinpoints of pentagrams in the very center. Jenkins gasped, this was not…could not be Joe. Joe reached out to grasp Jenkins but the human proved to fast. He evaded and grabbed the flashlight from his once friends dented skull. “see you in hell buddy” Jenkins murmured as he locked the rest room door behind him.

Steve kept the marine in touch as he guided him through the complex. The man was like a damn toddler. Needing guidance to do the simplest things. All this was going well until a massive shockwave hit him and knocked him over, of course this ripped his mic out of the station. He tried plugging it back in, but a burst of static and screams were all he heard, he winced as he disconnected again. “Why in the hell is everyone screaming?” he asked himself. He turned to the glass and almost fell over in surprise. Some kind of...monster stood there, just staring back at him. He stumbled backwards and felt his hand brush something hard and metallic, he grasped at it, hoping for a weapon. But the color drained from his face when he heard a hiss and saw the office door open. The creature gave a feral grin and sprinted to the locked transfer door. Steve sighed, at least he was safe from that…thing. He looked back up and what he saw horrified him. There a jagged hole in the door, about the size of a human! His thoughts were cut short as he saw the creature at the security door. “Oh Shi…” was all he got to say before the Imp leaped and slammed him against the bullet-proof glass. Steve feebly beat at the creatures face, but was quickly losing strength, a quick glance down told him why. His stomach had been ripped open by the impact of the Imp’s football style tackle. The glance also showed him that the creature was no longer there. Instead it stood a few feet away, a second set of eyes opening about an inch above the first pair. Steve stared helplessly as the demon summoned a small fire ball and hurled it at him. Steve tried to close his eyes, but the hellfire blinded him anyways. He tried to move his arm but was met with only a muscle spasm; he felt the fire burning through his flesh, eating away at his vitals. He tried to scream, but the intake of oxygen only goaded the fire onwards, consuming his body.

Arv turned the corner, his pistol in hand. "Ok, you had your fun Steve, now you're just freaking me out!" he called into the darkness. After a few moments he decided perhaps this wasn't Steve's doing. He thumbed a button on his bracer. "Yo Jenks, you have a clue whats fucking this place up?" he asked over the mic. A burst of static and a few scattered screams erupted from his built- in headset. then the line cleared as the security frequency was re-established. "Not a clue, but it's bad. Joe tried to shoot me a little while ago." crackled over the speakers in his helmet. "Affirmative, i'll meet you at the security checkpoint in Mars city. Arv, Out." Arv clicked his headset off and sighed. Nothing like the present...

Jenkins was about to respond to Arv that maybe that wasn't the best idea. But he didn't get the chance. The link buzzed out before he could speak. "damnit Arv, next time just stay on the fucking line long enough to listen to me!" he muttered to himself. He worked his way back to his patrol zone and was once again met with Skench staring back at him. "Damnit Skench, get back to work!" Jenkins replied roughly shoving the man out of his way. Skench fell to the floor where he let out a guttural snarl. Jenkins paused. "What the f..." was all he managed before Skench leaped onto his chest and started to strangle him. Frenzied with fear the PFC drew his pisto,l and put a round through Skench's chest, but the man refused to die. Three more rounds went through the man's chest and leg before Jenkins vision started to go black. "I...always...hated...you.." Jenkins managed to force out as he squeezed the trigger one last time, the barrell firmly planted against the other mans head.

Chapter 3- Aw, Hell

(Coming soon!)

I've already seen this, but once again, nice job spawn.

Chapter 3- Aw, Hell

Arv sat back in the chair he 'borrowed' from its owner. "My office is so nice and roomy" he grinned. He opened a drawer in the desk and withdrew a long cigar, and lit it. "Ahhh this is the good life" he said to himself. Of course he had to liberate the office from its previous owner. But it was no trouble using his newly acquired shotgun, the zombie dieing under a hail of buckshot. Arv took a second to appreciate the décor before he moved on. For some reason he couldn't shake the feeling that the glistening crimson blood spatter went oh-so nicely with the red strobe lights. He shrugged and pumped his shotgun. As he turned towards the door, it burst open. Wood chips battering his arm as he brought it up to shield his face. "Damnit! No one is home!" he shouted pulling the trigger. A massive boom met his ears as his target flew back against the wall. He pumped it again and moved through the light haze the gun left to get a better look at the victim. Only, there was nothing there. He turned in time to be met with no less than 2 pairs of eyes glaring back at him. He stumbled back, trying to get the shotgun up. But the creature just batted it away with ease. A smug grin appeared on the demons face. "It ain't over yet darlin'" Arv said through gritted teeth. He drew his pistol and pumped three rounds into the imps chest, and dove for the shotgun. The imp staggered back, allowing Arv to reach the more powerful gun unmolested. One shot later his foe was no more. Arv grinned as he saw the demon fall, then his grin turned to a slight frown as the body dissolved. Not Rotted…just...dissolved. He shook his head slowly and stood up. Time to go meet Jenks.


As Jenkins pushed Skench's corpse off him he noticed two things, Skench was a lot lighter than he looked, and that the lights were back on. He stood and wiped the blood off his face. 'Well that wasn't freaky at all' he thought to himself. 'Guess I better go meet up with Arv' with that he took off at a fast walk to the nearest elevator. Of course as soon as he started moving, Zombies started to come through the cracks, so to speak. He was quickly surrounded by the moaning hoard, but he knew how to beat them. A quick bout of shooting and dodging later all the zombies lay dead, and Jenkins only a little worse for wear. That one that got him in the leg had been nasty, but a quik-heal pill took care of that. After a few seconds he felt like normal again, and this time sprinted to the elevator. He rounded the corner just as he heard it open. 'Only 5 more feet' he told himself. Then as he saw who was standing in the elevator he was dumbstruck. The marine? What was he doing here!' Of course the blood on his faceplate made it hard to see, but he thought that's whom it was. The marine learning long ago that red means bad shot at Jenkins, hoping to keep the zombie in cover long enough for the doors to close. Jenkins hollered, but his voice came over the damaged speakers in an oddly distorted sort of sound that set his own nerves on edge. He heard a hiss as the hydraulics activated and closed the door. He sighed and turned for the maintenance elevator only a few hundred feet away. But his move was not met with joy; instead a guttural growl greeted his decision. The PFC stood frozen in fear as the creature moved around the corner. Its upper body was some sort of hairless gorilla, with needlepoint teeth and a large bony plate on its forehead. It was the back that was more interesting though. It looked like the legs of a robot, only built tougher and stockier. The hiss of hydraulics caused Jenkins to gulp. This thing meant business….

            

The hiss of the door surprised Arv, causing him to whip around and fire a round into the darkness. A quick pump and shine of his flashlight later Arv uncovered the corpse of yet another Zed. "God damnit! Where do all these fat bastards come from!" he shouted to no one in particular. A crackle of arcane energy made Arv's hair stand on end. He looked over his shoulder to see a pentagram burning on the floor as another one of those demon things fell from a red and orange vortex hovering about 8 feet above the floor. The thing landed on all fours and looked up to meet Arv's eyes. He gulped as the second pair opened. The thing leaped, covering the 6 foot distance in seconds. The only reason Arv survived that attack was because he threw himself to the left and pivoted at the waist, tracking the Imp with his gun. A devilish grin split his mouth, as the imp tried desperately to alter its trajectory. Arv pulled the trigger and sent buckshot right into the hell spawns' face. As t landed, its body dissolved into a vibrant orange flame. "One down, about a bazillion to go…looks like bad odds for the demons" Arv said while chambering another shell.


"How long till we move sarge?" Elaine heard over the Comm. "Two seconds." She responded while peering around a corner. "Move, hallway clear." She whispered. The sounds of heavy boots moving down the hall caused her to grin. These monsters didn't stand a chance against pure UAC muscle. That's when it all went to hell, literally. The room her marines were clearing suddenly locked, tight. She rushed up and banged on the doors, trying to force them open, but to no avail. She could only stare in horror as the chamber explosively decompressed, flinging the bodies through the air and out into the Martian night. The sergeant sighed, there was nothing she could do for her men now. And unless they got to an airlock in precisely 75 seconds, they would all die. As she turned to head back to the checkpoint, she turned. "Unless…" she thought out loud. "If they reached a compartment with an air vent then the…." She almost finished the thought when an alien scream split the air. Elaine turned around while drawing her pistol. What met her eyes horrified her, part spider part human head…except the head was up side down. A shudder wracked her spine. Why spiders? She pulled the trigger, her arm shaking in fear. 'God, why spiders?!' she thought as her second shot flew wide. She steeled her nerve as one of those…things came within 2 feet. A shot from the hip plowed trough its skull, splaying its brains all over the floor behind it. She smiled, these things could die, and that means she could win…..





"Professor what the hell is happening?!" "I am unsure sir"  "Well you damn well better get sure!" "Sir, with all due respect I think you should quiet down while I finish this test." "I'm not going to wait around while you fiddle with building blocks!" "Sir I think this is the only way to defeat these…things." "You really think so?" "I am positive"


Chapter 4- Hell yeah

Arv rounded yet another corner with his shotgun raised. Good thing too, another zed flung it self at him. Only to be met with a wall of buckshot. The zombie stumbled back and fell over a crate. Arv grinned, "You guys are dumber than you look," he said to the corpse. He glanced down at the ammo counter on the helmet he pillaged form a dead marine. Good, just enough. He strafed across the hall looking for movement, but found none. He picked his way from cover to cover, carefully avoiding suspicious looking wall panels. As he reached the end of the hall he grinned, just like the old action-vids. As he rounded the corner a shriek sounded behind him. He turned, shotgun up. But all he saw was shadow, "Fuck! Why don't we have any duct tape!" he muttered slinging his shotgun across his back and taking out his flashlight. The light shined across the floor, throwing back an odd red tint that reminded Arv of blood. He shuddered as he aimed the light up to cover the hall. But at that moment the light failed. "What the fuck! Why cant they make these batteries last longer than two damn seconds!" he shouted. The sound of some liquid dripping caused Arv to shoulder his shotgun again. "Damnit…why Me." He muttered. Movement across the room was met with an explosion of buckshot and a curse. Arv pumped the gun and strafed to the right, getting a clear view of the small alcove. Another demon was crouching there, eating a corpse it had discovered. Arv shuddered as he moved closer, all but placing the barrel on the back of the demons head. "Take this demon fucker." He said while pulling the trigger. The imp turned as soon as it heard Arv's voice, but was too close to dodge the projectile. It's brains spattered nicely against the wall. Arv grinned, this was easier than patrol. As he turned a low moan met his ears. He quickly shouldered his weapon and looked around, that was when he heard movement behind him. The corpse the imp had been feasting on…stood up.


Jenkins left the corpse of the demon-thing on the ground. Of course he didn't last very long like that. After a few seconds a bright orange flame consumed the corpse. He shuddered, what the hell was going on here?. He sighed and moved on. Apparently the marine had been through here, he left a few goy presents for the cleanup crew. Jenkins nudged the corpse of another security guard with the toe of his boot. The mans face was all but gone, reduced to shred from a close range shotgun blast. "Why did we trust the man with a gun…?" Jenkins said shaking his head. The PFC stooped and picked up the shotgun half-obscured by the corpse. 'The dead don't need weapons' Jenkins thought. He continued to the maintenance elevator. As he turned the last corner he nodded at the doors, time to kick some undead ass. He noticed the door was jammed and sighed, a test kick showed that it had been heavily warped. He figured on good kick would send a hole the size of his head through the door. One kick later showed him that the door was more warped than he guessed. The kick sent the whole door down. He quickly regained his balance and shouldered the gun. There was nothing in the room, he moved towards the elevator. Careful to never let the weapon falter. He pressed the open door button with the hand not holding the gun, and was greeted by another demon feasting upon a security officers corpse. Jenkins fired the shotgun and pumped it one-handed. Another blast made sure the damn creature was good and dead. He shoved the bodies out and jammed the ground floor button…almost there.



Arv dashed past several rooms, not caring what lay inside. All that mattered was getting away from what lay behind. He jumped over a corpse and skidded around a corner, slipping on the floor that was slick with blood. "Fuck!" he shouted regaining his balance. He took a look behind him and saw that the creature was no longer following. He wiped the blood out of his eyes. "Why do those demons have rocket launchers?" he whispered to himself. He glanced around and saw what he was looking for. He looked at the map, and spotted the checkpoint he was to meet Jenks at…one problem. It was the back the way he came, through that creature. "Of course…" He muttered to himself. "Looks like its time to play death again" he said as he pressed up against the wall that met the turn. Maybe a well-placed slug could take that motherfucker down. Arv waited for a minute or five then heard the metallic clanking of something walking down the hallway. A scream ripped through the dead air, causing Arv to flinch. As he brought the shotgun to bear again he saw the thing. A skeleton that had what looked like security armour fused to its ribs, atop the shoulder pads rested twin rocket launchers. Where his organs should be rested air, kept in by a thin film surrounding its bony limbs. Arv swore under his breath, one shot, maybe two. If those didn't kill the thing, then Arv was dead. He readied the shotgun as the creature stomped around the corner, searching for prey. A tremendous force from the side of its head caused it to fly sideways, crashing into a desk. Arv stepped out of the shadows, "Not so tough now, are yah?" he asked, placing the shotgun against the demon's forehead.



Elaine stumbled down the hallway. Without her squad surviving had been that much harder. She crossed an empty room, all too aware that the next threat could pop out of anywhere. As the door opened, she stepped back and fired into the darkness behind her. A constricted groan told her that the guess was spot on. She whipped around and pistol-whipped the zombie standing behind her. The thing dropped like a sac of flour, spilling brain matter all over the floor. Elaine grimaced, she hadn't signed up for this. But here she was, protecting her own hide...and possibly every person on the station. She sighed; she wasn't trained for single survival, only squad combat. She turned another corner her pistol ready, and ran right into yet another groaning zombie. She took a step back before firing, and was perplexed by what happened next. The zombie lifted a shotgun and aimed it at her…but did not fire. Elaine cocked her head in surprise; perhaps she had found another survivor. The man reached up and pressed a button on his collar. The plate to his helmet hissed open, releasing the atmosphere contained within. What she saw surprised her again…it was her old partner. "Well what a surprise Jenkins." She said walking past the man. "You'd think that you would at least bring me flowers once and awhile." She kidded. "Yeah sorry bout that, was a little busy." Jenkins said nodding towards his bloodstained shotgun. "Always you and your excuses." She mused. "Yep, well on an unrelated subject. How did you get here?" the PFC asked. "Well funny story…" she started. A loud ripping sound interrupted them both. Jenkins turned and set his back against Elaine's; four separate pentagrams glowed on the floor on either side of them. "Just like old times…" Elaine muttered. "Yeah, I remember those…but it seems that the demons are new." Jenkins added while checking his ammo counter, as he and Elaine simultaneously sighted their targets.


Joes mind struggled to regain control. He remembered shooting at Jenkins…but not much after that. He found that with enough effort he could move his arms in the direction he wanted them to go. Thus letting his old friend escape before the…thing possessing him got a hold of him. Even though this thing had control over his body, Joe still controlled parts of his brain, at least partially. He could see and smell…but that was about it. Advanced motor skills were beyond his 'guest' so they were forced to be beyond him. Of course calling this thing a guest would be like calling a rabid wolf a pet. Joe attempted to open the door again, and grasped the knob before the thing jerked his hand away and beat it feebly against the steel. 'damnit…stupid fucking demon" Joe thought. "I…heard…that….mortal…." Joe heard, it was kind of like a snake slithering, yet it had the rasp of metal on metal. It made his base brain functions scream out in pain, and caused his body to revert to the demon once more. Joe started to claw his way back into his mind, only to find his way blocked by some kind of force…the hard he pushed, the harder it pushed back. 'Great…this should be on the recruitment poster or something…" Joe thought to himself. "Join the UAC today! (with a possibility of demonic infestation, who can lose?)" Joe mentally grinned…he was a genius.