The Soul Eaters (The Thin Hex Line Book 1) by Gwyndolyn Russell (e reader txt) 📕

Fenris left the cargo bay. Left their sight. Still focused on the door, they could only listen.

Thumps of thunder shook the ground. Roars, snarls, and growls trembled the air.

By time they got something to hold the door open, most of the commotion was over.

They didn't even see the eos run away. They were gone, save for one that Fenris had pinned to the ground.

It kicked at the valkyrie with sickle shaped claws, its smaller arms worthless to fight back in this position. Fenris had a foot on its thick tail, jaws around the side of its neck. Its mouth agape, it cried out. Scratched and kicked to no avail.

"Where'd they all go?" A soldier asked. The team piled out of the ship, rifles at the ready. With no threats in sight, they dropped their guard.

"Scared off." Mjolnir answered. "Strange...just like wild animals. They won't fight battles they can't win."

"But they outnumber him." Yaaranam said. "They could have overpowered him."

"How many would die before that happens? Would it be worth risking your life?"

"Fen," Jackal approached the valkyrie.

He could see the look of terror in the creature’s glowing eyes. It knew the end was coming. Still it fought as hard as it could, digging that sickle shaped talon into a soft spot of Fenris' armor. It only resulted in its neck finally snapping, head twisted too far to one side.

Letting go of its neck, it looked over to Jackal who was gripping his rifle with both hands.

"Eos should...stay away." It grumbled.

"That's one of them…?" He asked, slowly stepping closer.

Fenris shifted in place, taking its foot off the long tail. Before Jackal got a good look at it, the valkyrie shoved its claws through the rib cage and out the other side. The metal cracked and snapped. He could have sworn he heard glass shatter.

Jackal watched Fenris step back from the valkyrie, its head hung low. It looked like a disappointed dog. It must have been hungry….

He looked at the eos, finally able to get a good look at one.

It was much smaller than that giant one he saw before. Tall enough to look a man in the eyes standing straight. Its body held horizontal to the ground and a long, thick tail to keep it balanced. Two legs, long and slender built for running at high speed. It only had one arm, the other ripped off. That arm was long with sharp, grasping claws. A bird like neck and a long, rounded snout lined with flesh tearing teeth. A nasty mash up of flesh and machine with spikes, blades and what have you sprouting out from its back and sides.

Jackal could not help, but think it was a stupid creature. Why would it try to fight? It clearly would have never won. Not against a valkyrie.

"Average." Fenris stated. "Many."

The others gathered around. Everyone wanted to see it. This would be their first encounter. Their first up close look.

"How many different ones?" Jackal asked.

"Many."

"Like a dozen?"

"More."

"How many more?"

"Too high to know."

"Doesn't sound good," Mjolnir frowned.

"Reynolds is gonna wanna see this." Jackal looked over to the valkyrie. "Can we take it to her?"

"Should stay here." It said. "Safe."

"Someone get the doctor." He ordered. "Yaaranam, get the Captain. I want a perimeter set up around the ship, keep watch at all times. Our radios still work, if you see anything, I want to know."

Mjolnir clapped his hands. "You heard the Lieutenant! Move your sorry asses before I throw them on post! Pair up and stick together!"

"What about that thing on the ship?" Jackal noticed the blob of blackness still attached to the ship. It pulsed and writhed, the tendrils spreading further through the panels.

They approached it. Fenris climbed up the side of the ship to get a closer look. It sniffed at it, looked at it from different angles. A blue light pulsed like a heartbeat from inside, lighting up the flesh at the surface.

Reaper soon showed up with Reynolds and others from the security and medical teams.

"What's the damage?" Reaper asked.

"He hasn't said anything." Jackal gestured up to the valkyrie.

"It...looks alive."

"Fascinating…." Reynolds got closer to the blob.

"Doctor," Jackal said, "we secured a sample for you as well." He pointed over his shoulder. "Fen says to keep it outside to be safe. It's dead, but you'll want to see it."

A cry of pain caught their attention. Fenris had grabbed the blob, possibly to try to pry it off, but all it was met with was electricity. They could see the bolts of lightning arcing around its arms and chest, jumping from the writhing blob to its hands.

It couldn't let go. The electricity took over its muscles and forced it to stay in place until finally, Fenris dropped down from it. It fell from the ship and hit the ground with a loud thud.

Jackal and Reaper rushed over to its smoking frame.

It coughed and groaned.

"Okay, so don't touch the mystery blob." Jackal laughed.

"You okay?" Reaper asked.

Fenris groaned.

"Captain, may I set up a research area? This is an amazing opportunity! There is so much here to learn!" Reynolds could barely get her eyes off that blob.

"Stay with the ship. Do what you need to." Reaper said.

A distant roar rolled across the field. Fenris sat up. There was no sign of the source, it was too far to see, but Fenris had gone into alert. It bit back the urge to return the roar.

Whatever it was, it must have been massive. Its roar higher pitch, almost like a shrill shriek.

They had crashed down in the middle of a field that stretched out for a dozen miles in two directions. On one side of the ship was a dense, temperate forest filled with pale trees fighting to get the most light from the stars above. Any intelligent life ran away from the ship out of fear of the valkyrie's hunger.

That didn't stop Reaper and Jackal from assuring posts were set up. Yaaranam was tasked with a small team to put up an electric