Grimoires and Gunsmoke

“Gather around you fucking animals!” Coleman ordered as he yanked a large duffle bag and a strange metal object off the back of his GMV. After he got everything he needed, the team leader then threw the camouflage netting back over the vehicle, ensuring it blended seamlessly into the treeline they were hiding in.

All twelve members of the Special Forces ODA Team, quickly congregated around their team leader with expressions of a mix of curiosity and anticipation while Coleman began rifling through the duffle bag. After a while, one by one, he started dropping an assortment of goodies onto the ground: canned soups, Chef Boyardee ravioli, various flavors of cup noodles from different brands, and other non-perishable comfort foods that brought a taste of home to this alien world.

Murmurs of cheers went through the men as their eyes lit up at the sight of their Captain’s stash while Coleman focused on setting up the strange metal object. It was a compact, modern military burner designed for small teams operating covertly.

With the thing finally set up, the team leader couldn't help but crack a smile. "Alright, boys, this is in celebration of us being the first earthlings to invade another damn planet," he announced, his voice tinged with both pride and a touch of irony. "So let's enjoy some good old Earth cuisine while we plan our next move."

“Have you guys considered that maybe we’re the horrible alien menace that invades other planets and shit like in all those movies?” Bennett suddenly yammered out as he squatted over to pick up a cup of spicy Korean Ramen.

The team members began grabbing their preferred meal, they all looked at Bennett for a moment before chuckling. The statement had been truly absurd, but they couldn’t find any fault in the Engineer’s reasoning. They had truly come to push a group of sword-swinging alien’s shit in.

Just then, Elijah's voice cut through the chatter from the other side of their encampment. "Blood for the blood god! Skulls for the skull throne!" he proclaimed with a voice full of mock ferocity Raising his fists into the air in a dramatic gesture. He was decked out in his full kit while peering around at his comrades highlighted by his Night Optical Devices (NODs).

“What!? What do you mean by Blood god!?” Yana suddenly emerged from one of his pockets with her hands on her hips. “I’m your goddess! You’re only allowed to worship me!”

Elijah was momentarily taken aback by Yana's sudden appearance and turned his head to stare at her blankly, but the incredulous look was lost under the equipment strapped snuggly to his eyes. However, the medic quickly adapted his theatrics to accommodate the small goddess. With his arm still raised, he turned to look at his team and, without missing a beat, exclaimed, "Crack for the crack fairy!"

This, however, did not amuse Yana. With power belying her tiny size, she smacked him on the top of his head, her tiny fist making a surprisingly solid contact against his helmet. "Rude!" she yelled out, her voice carrying a mix of indignation and authority.

“Gah!” Elijah’s head recoiled from the blow as he stumbled slightly, glaring at the little fairy who now stood with her arms crossed. While the goddess’ face was etched with an annoyed expression, Elijah’s teammates couldn't help but erupt into laughter at the sight, their chuckles filling the forest hideout.

Even Coleman was laughing, however, the man quickly regained his composure and held up his hand to quiet the team. "Alright, alright, keep it down," he said through his own stifled chuckles. "Remember, we're still in the field and in a hide, so let's not forget operational security."

His reminder was met with several nods and murmurs of agreement as the team members chuckled and went back to what they were doing. They knew all too well the importance of maintaining a low profile, especially when they’re out in the middle of bumfuck nowhere behind enemy lines.

Coleman was still maintaining his authoritative stance when he then turned his attention to the more practical aspects of their situation. "Alright, let's figure out the watch rotation.” He said after finally getting the stove to work and standing up. “We need eyes on all sides at all times so we don't get any nasty surprises sneaking up on us.”

"Elijah, Bennett, you guys are up first for patrol to screen us. Keep it tight, keep it quiet," Coleman directed, pointing to the two. "Lister, Schwarz, Silva, you're all on watch. Make sure nothing sneaks up on us."

The individuals that were named acknowledged their assignments with a nod. Elijah and Bennett immediately started checking their gear, ensuring their weapons and equipment were ready for the patrol. Silva, the team’s newly acquired Communications specialist along with Lister and Schwarz, all took up positions that allowed them optimal coverage of the surrounding area while still being within earshot of each other.

“We need to conserve what batteries we have for as long as possible, so everyone else, get as much shut-eye as you can." Coleman continued, glancing at his watch and then at the sky. “Plus, we need to be fresh and ready for whatever insanity is going to be thrown at us in a few hours.”

With his preparation done, Elijah turned towards Yana and noticed that she was still glaring at him with her arms crossed. He opened his mouth to say something, perhaps an apology or an explanation, but before he could get a word out, Yana cut him off with a dismissive 'hmph.'

“If you’re going to talk about this stupid 'blood god' then I’m going to sleep somewhere else!” She declared with a venomous tone. And without waiting for a response, the little goddess prompt spun around and floated away towards one of the GMVs, leaving a somewhat bewildered Elijah behind.

Elijah and Bennett exchanged confused glances, each trying to make sense of what had just transpired. "What in the fuck just happened?" Elijah asked, still trying to process Yana's abrupt departure.

Bennett, with a mix of amusement and confusion, shrugged. "Dude, I have no idea. This feels like some kind terrible couple segment in some shitty sitcom from the '80s," he replied, shaking his head.

“Right?” Elijah said as he started walking deeper into the small forest they were hiding in. “Next thing you know she’ll be serving me divorce papers and asking for alimony or some shit.”

The engineer chuckled at Elijah's remark, "Man, except in this world, instead of paying alimony in money, you'd probably be paying with fragments of your soul or something equally insane," he joked, following Elijah deeper into the forest.

The laughter faded as the gravity of Bennett's joke hit Elijah. The medic shuddered at the thought as the dark humor reflected the bizarre reality they found themselves in. "Yeah, well, I'm never agreeing to a goddamn thing with anyone from this shithole of a world if that's how things work around here," he responded with a serious look on his face. “For all you know, actual marriage involves ripping your heart out and presenting it to your partner or something.”

The two men continued their patrol, scanning the area with their thermal enhanced night vision. Despite the jokes and light-hearted banter, they were fully aware of just how dangerous the forest could be. The world around them was filled with magic, mythical creatures, and now, soul transactions. It wouldn’t be far-fetched if they ran into a bloodthirsty vampire or some kind of horrible cryptid you’d find on some demented forum.

Anything and everything was on the table at this point.

As they moved through the shadowy forest, a sudden unease started to grip the two men. They weren’t even 50 meters from their camp when they noticed that the forest around them had a strange and tense atmosphere to it. Now the two weren’t native to this world, but they had ventured to the other side every now and then. There was usually a chorus of nocturnal insects and small animals in the background, but this time there were faint, but ravenous tearing noises coming from the clearing just in front of them.

The two men raised their weapons into a ready position and slowly moved forward with the precision of seasoned operators. As they approached the clearing, their senses were tuned to every detail of the environment around them. Their latest generation and most advanced night vision enabled them to detect even the most subtle disturbances in the natural setting.

The clues were there, plain as day under the white phosphorus and thermal glow. Snapped twigs and branches littered the ground, bootprints imprinted in the moist soil, and foliage that had been disturbed, bent, or broken. Each sign told a story, a narrative of a pair of individuals moving this way. One sloppy, the other adept and stealthy.

As Elijah and Bennett neared the clearing, their night vision revealed a chilling scene. Dozens of heat signatures popped up in their vision, indicating the presence of multiple bodies. With every cautious step, the grim reality of what lay ahead was brought more into focus until they were finally greeted with a grotesque tableau of death and destruction.

Blood soaked the ground, while twisted corpses, and dismembered body parts were scattered in a macabre display. The lifeless forms were those of what they assumed were people told a tale of a brutal and merciless slaughter.

But it wasn't just the dead that populated the area. Scavengers, drawn by the scent of death, were busy at work. These strange and giant bat-like creatures, highlighted in an orange glow of the soldiers' night vision, were ripping apart the remains, feasting on the flesh of the fallen.

"Jesus Christ," Bennett whispered under his breath as he remained hidden in the shadows. "Looks like a damn feeding frenzy."

Elijah barely acknowledged the engineer as his eyes scanned the area for any signs of survivors or threats. "Think it was one of those bear things?" he murmured as his hand slid to the chopped down and holstered grenade launcher he kept at his side. “Fucker shouldn’t be too far, corpses don’t look that old…”

Bennett’s gaze lingered on the clearing for a few moments as his mind weighed the possibilities. "Could be," he replied, his voice low and thoughtful. "But we can't rule out anything else in this godforsaken place. Could be some other monster we haven't seen yet."

Spinning around to scan his surroundings, Elijah narrowed his eyes before grunting in affirmation. "Yeah, let's not stick around to find out," he suggested, a note of urgency in his voice. The brutal scene before them was a stark reminder of the dangers lurking in this alien world.

As Elijah stood up, he motioned for Bennett to follow. There was no point in lingering and risking an encounter with whatever creature was responsible for the massacre. But as he glanced over his shoulder, something else caught his attention. Against the backdrop of the bright moon of this world, the faint trace of a smoke stack rose into the night sky followed by more of those giant bats flying in circles around it.

"Hold up," Elijah murmured, gesturing towards the distant smoke. "You see that?" His tone was curious yet cautious.

"Yeah, I see it. Looks like smoke...Could be a campfire or something." Bennett replied, peering in the direction Elijah was pointing.

Elijah thought for a moment as he considered the risks while observing the smoke stack. "We could get a drone on it, but it's pretty dark, and those vulture bat things might snatch it. Not worth losing a drone."

Bennett nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and going in ourselves is too risky. We don't know what we're walking into. Let’s get the fuck out of here."

On that note, the two soldiers took one last look at the smoke stack before disappearing into the darkness.

-

With sirens blaring and lights flashing, two Pittsburgh Police cruisers sped down the suburban streets, racing towards the reported scene at Heidelberg Park just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Inside one of the cruisers, Officer Derrick Hawkins focused intently on the road, navigating the cruiser at breakneck speeds. His partner, Officer Jenna Larson, was next to him, coordinating closely with dispatch.

"All units, please be advised," the dispatcher's urgent voice crackled over the radio. "Initial reports of a wild animal attack at Heidelberg Park have escalated. We now have confirmed reports of shots fired and multiple fatalities, including children. Proceed with extreme caution."

Derrick tightened his grip on the steering wheel as he briefly looked at his partner in confusion. “Wait what?”

"Dispatch, Unit 52 acknowledging. We are en route, ETA three minutes," Jenna responded hesitantly as she scanned her laptop for additional information. "Dispatch, do we have any description of the suspect or… animal?”

"Negative, Unit 52," the dispatcher replied. "Witnesses are in a state of panic. We're attempting to gather more details. Be aware, the situation is highly volatile."

The two partners looked at each other one more time as the cruisers continued their high-speed approach. As they turned sharply on a main road, their vision was full of more cruisers, all racing towards the same location.

But as they neared the scene, the crackle of gunfire pierced through the night, its rapid staccato echoing in the distance followed by frantic calls on the radio. “SHOTS FIRED! SHOTS FIRED! OFFICER DOWN!” jenna cursed under her breath

When they finally entered the proximity of Heidelberg Park, all they could see were blooms of smoke with fire lashing up in the sky and a mass of freshly arrived cruisers with police officers climbing out of them. Jenna was working on unlocking the AR-15s from the gun rack and started quickly prepping the weapons when they came to a hard stop.

The terrifying barks of gunfire resounded as Jenna handed Derrick his rifle before two swiftly exiting their vehicle. At this point, their meticulously instilled training kicked in as they moved swiftly, pointing their weapons in the direction others officers were while scanning for any visible threats.

However their gaze was greeted with nothing but horror as their eyes snapped to the victims of the brutal attack. Multiple adults and children lay motionless on the ground with a morbid and dizzying array of wounds.

“Dispatch! We’re on scene!” Jenna reported as she sprinted towards an officer with multiple shards of metal or what looked like… stone lodged in his leg and vest. “We have multiple casualties, including civilians!” She said as she helped a responding police officer to drag the injured man away.

Everywhere they looked was a scene of chaos and devastation. Two police cruisers, mere meters away from where Derrick and Jenna had parked, looked like they had been torn apart by some immense force with the mangled metal and shattered glass lay scattered across the street. Wounded civilians, some clutching at what looked like burn wounds, and laceration injuries, huddled behind the relative safety of sheriff and police cruisers with faces etched with pain and terror.

To make matters worse, a couple of houses near the park had caught fire. The flames, initially small and manageable, had quickly turned into a raging inferno, casting an ominous glow over the scene. The heat from the fires was intense, and the thick smoke billowed into the sky, further adding to the chaos.

Positioning himself behind the engine block, Derrick threw his rifle over the hood and took aim towards the park. His heart raced as he scanned the area for any sign of the assailant or assailants responsible for this massacre. The cries of the injured and the shouts of officers trying to coordinate a response filled the air, creating a cacophony of despair and urgency.

He turned towards Jenna and saw the first aid kit that was hastily strewn about the ground as the woman rushed to tighten a tourniquet around a young woman’s leg with panicked hands. But as Derrick turned his vision back to the playground, movement caught his eye.

Emerging from the treeline of the playground were several small, horrific-looking creatures. They stood about four feet tall, with sinewy, muscular bodies that seemed to be a grotesque caricature of a rabid possum with a frontal pouch like some kind of mutated kangaroo. Their fur was matted and bristly, and their faces were twisted into snarling, feral grimaces, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Derrick's blood ran cold as he recognized these creatures from the news coverage of the Ohio incident and remembered the name given to them after the dust had settled – Scroungers. These nightmarish beings were now darting towards the center of the playground, where injured adults and children laid crying. Before anyone could react, one of the Scroungers grabbed a young girl and began dragging it away, its sharp claws digging into the young victim's flesh as the child screamed in terror.

“DISPATCH, THE GODDAMN MONSTERS FROM OHIO ARE HERE!” An officer screamed into his radio.

Without even a second thought, Derrick began firing his weapon, causing the horrible beast to screech and release its grip on the girl as it fell to the ground and scrambled away. Other officers also started to open fire, but something they never had dreamed of happened. Strange blue hexagonal barriers appeared out of thin air, deflecting the bullets with an eerie, shimmering glow. The officers, taken aback by this unforeseen defense, hesitated momentarily, their training ill-equipped for such a supernatural phenomenon.

A slew of curses left Derrick's mouth as he saw the round after round simply bounce off the erected barriers. But seeing as he saw more of those horrible things run out to grab more victims, he knew what he had to do. Breaking his cover, Derrick half-sprinted, half-jogged towards the playground, firing his weapon repeatedly in an attempt to keep them suppressed as he closed the distance.

His mind raced, calculating the odds as he approached the shimmering barriers. But Surprisingly, as he neared one, he found himself passing through it effortlessly. It was as if the barriers were selectively permeable, stopping bullets but allowing physical passage.

Taking advantage of the situation, Derrick lunged at the nearest Scrounger that was manipulating the barrier. His tackle hit the creature with full force, knocking it to the ground. The Scrounger hissed and snarled, revealing its sharp teeth as it clawed and bit the officer. Derrick however, continued to grapple with the creature in an effort to subdue it and ignored its vicious attacks.

The breakthrough with the barrier gave the other officers the opening they needed. They began firing their weapons at the now vulnerable targets, mowing down the ones that weren't dragging away a victim. More officers joined in, tackling and subduing the Scroungers who were dragging children away.

One officer, caught in a fierce struggle with a Scrounger, used his rifle like a club. With a powerful swing, he brought the butt of his rifle down onto the creature's head. There was a sickening snap as the stock broke upon impact, and the Scrounger collapsed to the ground, motionless.

The park had turned into a complete melee, with officers and Scroungers engaged in close quarters combat. The officers, though initially caught off guard by the bizarre and otherworldly nature of their foes, found that even though their claws and crude weapons were intimidating, they weren’t all that strong and were easily overpowered.

As Derrick continued to roll and wrestle with the Scrounger, it ended on top of him and snapped at his face with his twisted snout, but another crack resounded as Jenna slammed the butt of her rifle into the creature's head.

Jenna's timely intervention was a godsend for Derrick. With a series of brutal strikes, the woman screamed as she relentlessly beat the Scrounger off her partner. Each impact of her rifle's butt against the creature's head was accompanied by a ‘Fuck you’ and a sickening crunch as the force of her blows began to break parts of the stock off and splattering foul-smelling blood in every direction.

“PIECE! OF! FUCKING! SHIT!” She screamed, basically stabbing the now exposed buffer tube of her AR-15 into the thing's face. “FUCK YOU!”

After several more vicious strikes, the Scrounger finally lay still, its body twitching in the final throes of death. Jenna, panting heavily from the exertion, dropped the broken remnants of her rifle and looked around to see the bodies of Scroungers lay scattered about. In the chaos, some of the creatures had managed to escape, scrambling into the treeline and disappearing into the thick underbrush, but the officers had managed to save who they could and beat the vermin back.

The air, once filled with the sounds of battle, was now pierced by the incessant wail of arriving sirens as more emergency responders converged on the chaotic scene, while the officers, battered but unbowed, rose to tend to the wounded.

As the last echoes of the savage struggle faded, the park was in turn filled with the continuous wail of approaching sirens, as more first responders rushed to the nightmarish scene. Weary and shaken, the officers turned their attention to the wounded, mustering their remaining strength and moved to render aid to the victims of this terror.