One In The Chamber - Chapter 7

P ∇ V

The last marine stood on my right, in the small enclave that offered him protection against the horde. While the goblins had been focusing on me, as I perched onto the Osprey’s instrument console mid-reload; the Hobgoblin either knew he was there or mysteriously saw his attack coming. That I could have lived with, but it was the short rusty sword that been so effortlessly thrusted into the marine’s lower stomach that terrified me. The attack narrowly missed the plate’s protection and disappeared into the man.

Instead of appearing out the other side, the back of his carrier bulged out. When the heavy material of the carrier ran out of the little amount of slack it had, the man rose up a few inches. It was as if only those two existed in the dark world that smelled of blood, filth, and gunpowder. The screams of the hungry horde that was so desperate to kill us died away, and in its place, a menacing cackle left the goblin’s sinister smile. The goblin jerked the sword side to side and the man’s eyes bulged, but he didn’t scream.

Blood poured out like a pool that had just sprung a leak, along with the man’s organs. The wet plops as it spilled onto the floor and half onto the steps made my body run cold. Once the hobgoblin had its brief few seconds of sick fun, it pulled the sword out. The marine dropped to the creature’s feet and instantly crumbled. His hands slipped off the rifle’s handguard and the hobgoblin only threw it out the c.o.c.kpit. My vision became a tunnel as the monster’s focus was turned to me.

Two large human-like eyes that burned red in the darkness, illuminated by the moonlight that poured through the window at my back, became upturned half-moons.

“Girl.” Its voice came out deep and raspy, almost a growl. “You’re going to be my prize for tonight.” And then it smiled, with a different kind of sick look. He was undressing me with his eyes. I had seen plenty of men look at me like that. On a normal day, I would have happily mentioned I was a boy, but the words never came. Instead, my hands raced to open the magazine pouch.

It seemed at that moment, the goblin also noticed I had a pistol in my hand. It must have known what it was because it lunged forward, grabbing the slide just as I slapped the magazine in. The goblin gripped the weapon before I could rack the slide.

My hands shook as I raced to finish reloading. The vague self-defense training my brother nearly beat into me began to play as I kicked at the goblins hard and muscled chest. My boot softly thudded, yet it only seemed to excite the monster more. It began to laugh and an idea finally slipped into my head. Instead of pushing forward here, I jerked my arms forward and I felt the click rather than heard it. The lock had been disengaged.

The goblin’s laughter died as it looked to its hand, also feeling the click. Its hand wasn’t over the chamber but on the front of the barrel. I took that moment to attack and drove the heel of my boot into its crotch. I didn’t know if the goblin had anything below, but it certainly didn’t wear anything above. Its ripped chest green was bare to the world, and as it turned out, so was its nether regions. I felt something hard, even through the hard rubber sole. I was all too aware of what I had just struck as the Hobgoblin roared in pain. His hand loosened and the slide rammed into battery on its own.

Bang-Bang-Bang!

The pistol’s bark was accompanied by several blossoms of fire and unspent gunpowder. One bullet struck its chest, off right. Another one grazed its left shoulder muscle. The last one punched through the roof of the Osprey and attacked the sky. The goblin roared and thrusted the short crimson sword at me. I tried to dodge and threw myself to my right into the pilot seat… The sword still found me but unlike the marine, the sword struck me center-chest.

The force stole the air from my lungs and pummeled me into the seat. Thankfully, I hadn’t landed back to the seat. I could feel my back try to pivot on the joystick and the window against my head. I could feel my ribs bending in past the point I thought no ribs should have ever gone. I was sure a few broke. Yet, it made a mistake. Probably in its rage and desire to strike me down, but it didn’t grab my pistol again.

I recovered before it could realize its costly mistake and blindly pointed the pistol toward its chest and fired off another four rounds that bite into its center chest as well. An eye for an eye. However, unlike what I thought would have happened, the hobgoblin reared back slightly in pain. Then it came forward, faster than I thought possible and grabbed both my wrists.

Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang!

The goblin pointed the pistol away as the first shot went off and dug itself just above where I thought its heart should have been. The monster roared at me as it brought its face closer. I could smell rotten eat, iron, and something else foul. Its teeth were human, except it had four massive canines – like an orangutan. However, it didn’t try and kill me. After its quick bout of painful fury, it smiled even deeper now. Its eyes gleamed with primal sadism that made my heart skip with deep instinctual fear.

“I’m going to enjoy raping you as I rip your limbs off!” His voice seemed almost loving, in a sick, and terrifying whisper.

I let out a high pitch scream, something that I meant as a war cry, but I wasn’t known for my manly voice. I threw another kick to the goblin’s erect p.e.n.i.s. I struck with enough adrenaline-fueled strength that it bent, skimmed off and planted itself right into its sack. The moment I had made full contact, I watched all the Hobgoblin’s facial muscles contract with such monstrous strength, his eyes almost popped out. From the look at it, the attack must have done more damage than I thought I would have been able to inflict.

I felt the sword ease up on me along with his death grip on my wrist. I aimed higher, planted my boot into his gut and sent its stumbling backward. I fired again, but he dodged and came up again to try and snag the weapon. I kicked him square in the face. It didn’t harm him, not from what I saw, but with my back against the proverbial wall – and a joystick on my back – I managed to steer him into the console beside me.

“I’m going to kill you!” He roared as he grabbed his face. A dial had done me a favor and injured his eye. He clung to his left eye, blood seeping from between his green figures. His other eye looked less l.u.s.tful and more blood-l.u.s.tful. “I’m going to rip off your head and f.u.c.k your throat, little human!” It roared as it stood up. I hadn’t gotten a good view of the goblin before. Now I did.

He stood close to my brother’s height, with more muscles than him. He could have been considered a handsome man, if not for the blood-covered face and snarling monkey teeth. In full light of the moon… Was his massive… I didn’t bother to finish my assessment. I already knew, alive or dead, that thing was not gonna go in me, not without a lot of blood.

I brought the pistol up and in one smooth motion, pulled the trigger.