The Eternal Winter - Book 1 - Chapter 26 - Unexpected Events (Patreon)

                                                                                     Alexander North

I continue down the hall for a few minutes before finally reaching the main metal weapon storage unit at the end of it, which is almost completely buried in frost-coated cobwebs with small spiders scurrying about in them. The spiders immediately turn to me and begin running after sensing me though.

Unlike with the small spiders in the storage room, these actually manage to get minor cuts in on me thanks to the major damage on my armor from their frostbitten blood. But that’s all they manage as I cut through them with a scowl on my face that only grows at the sight of a couple of the larger spiders walking through the entrance to the main metal weapons storage room.

However, everything seems to pause at the same time as the ground begins shaking. Both the spiders and I freeze from it, with myself and many of the spiders stumbling slightly from the shaking. To the point that I actually fall down on top of a few of them, squashing them beneath my back and ruining the back of my armor in the process.

Things don’t stop there though as bits of dust begin falling from the ceiling, followed soon after by cracks in the metal of the ceiling. Then in various places, the ceiling actually shatters, causing the metal of the ceiling and the backup generator machines on this end of BF4 to fall straight down, crushing the larger spiders in the process.

I stare at the now-dead spiders for a few seconds before quickly jumping back, feeling the frozen spots on my armor shattering on my back in the process.

What the fucking hell is going on?!

As if responding to my thoughts, a loud screeching sound mixed with a howl and a growl echoes throughout the entire base, followed by another crashing sound coming from far down the hall, towards the command room.

That can’t be good.

My thoughts are redirected to the spiders again though as a couple of them begin trying to climb up my legs before I grab them and crush them with my bare hands, leaving their icy blood to freeze the floor. I then look back towards the storage room again to find several smaller spiders rushing out from the storage room. But my eyes can’t help but narrow in on the enormous spider head that I can see on the other side of the partially-blocked doorway.

Guess I found the queen.

And it doesn’t look like she can get out.

Also, what the hell is she? These monsters were made from radiation mutating living creatures. But if that were the case, then where did this enormous spider come from? Not to mention that other one that the others mentioned finding eating the ships upstairs.

I don’t get much time to think though as the smaller spiders make it within a meter of me, so I do the most logical thing I can right now.

I grab the rifle from my back and use it as a bludgeon.

Because that’s all it’s good for now. Even if it only works on a quarter of the couple dozen spiders before shattering into bits of frozen gun.

But the rest of them I deal with myself until the queen lets out a loud screech, making the survivors rush off back into the storage area.

Holy cow, did that thing just know when to retreat? The thing saw that the smaller spiders can’t deal with me, and I can’t fit through the rubble blocking the entrance any more than the spider queen or the larger spiders near it can. So we’re at a bit of a standstill now.

After all of the spiders finish retreating, the queen simply stares at me through the small holes in the rubble that I can see through. It then taps on the wall a few times, followed by hitting a clawed limb into it and finding it not budging despite that. Then it does something rather surprising.

It begins sealing up the rest of the entrance with string somehow made out of ice.

Uh. What?

Did it just try to see if it could break through the wall to get at me itself, only to seal up the entrance after finding that plan failing?

I kind of feel like I was just told to go away.

Several seconds pass in silence, with the only noise being that of a shard piercing through the wall and the faint screeches and movement of the spiders on the other side of the storage room wall now that whatever was happening to the base is done and it’s stable again.

Well then. Guess now’s as good a time as any to report in.

Before that though, I grab the shard and absorb it, followed by the spider corpses. Or at least the ones not covered by rubble.

/ Notice \

The following user statistics have updated:

Speed: 1.88 -> 1.95
Reflexes: 1.72 -> 1.78
Senses: 1.87 -> 1.90
Energy: 1.62 -> 1.70

\End of Notice/

Interesting. Looks like the larger spiders are the only ones that give strength and constitution.

I check the area one last time to see if there are any more spider corpses to absorb the energy from before starting to sprint down the hallway towards one of the branch storage areas in the hopes of finding a spare suit of cybernetic armor there. Because I really need a new set.

Again.

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After replacing my armor again with a set that barely fits me, I rush as quickly as possible back towards the command room. Only to find the staircase blocked by rubble from the caved in ceiling. One that opens up to the floor above it with an easily climbable path of rocks to BF4.

I narrow my eyes at the rubble as I see a few very faint humanoid outlines of red on the other side through my infra-red vision. But I can’t tell if they are the captains, or someone else. And if they’re someone else, then were the captains caught unawares during this and cru-

“What the hell happened?!” I hear a familiar voice shouting from the other side of the rubble, making me let out a sigh of relief. “How is Alex going to get back now?!”

“Hey!” I shout, making the voices stop for a moment, “I’m here!”

“Alex? Is that you?” captain Andrew’s voice comes from the other side. “Thank goodness!”

“Yep, do you know if the other entrance is still open?” I shout back, only to raise my head as I hear some soft groaning sound coming from the ventilation pipes exposed by the hole in the ceiling.

A few seconds pass with no response as I stare upwards before I hear, “It is! Come meet us at the hanger! And be careful of the large beast there!”

That’s good at least. They’re not trapped down there.

I just have to make my way through the base alone all the way to the BF1 main hanger.

Just seconds later, I begin to see new monsters poking their heads out from a couple of pipes and air ducts poking out of the hole.