The sounds of battle had ceased.
I looked back as I ran. In the distance, I saw the inert mass of the creature. Its chest was split open, a smoking hole where its heart used to be.
Thorne had succeeded; he had killed the Scorpion Man. Although he was arrogant, the bastard was strong.
I kept running toward the ship.
But then, the earth trembled twice.
BOOM. BOOM.
I glanced back over my shoulder again. The vision froze my blood more than any wound could.
From the golden vortex, two new figures had landed. Two Scorpions identical to the first—fresh, unharmed, with dripping stingers and bone spears at the ready.
They ran toward me. The moment I saw them, I knew I would die today.
I reached the ship's cargo ramp, skidding on the sand. I didn't try to enter the cockpit. I went straight to the exterior emergency panel; I ripped off the metal cover and found what I was looking for.
The Frequency Trigger. A last-resort device, designed to send a one-way tachyon pulse. A "Dead Zone" beacon.
My fingers closed around the red lever of the trigger and pulled it.
CLICK.
The device emitted a high-pitched hum, firing an invisible wave millions of kilometers in every direction.
Mission accomplished.
But my hand didn't leave the panel. My fingers brushed against a second object inside the compartment, one small, rectangular, and heavy, secured with safety seals. I ripped it out violently and shoved it into my trouser pocket without looking at it. I knew exactly what it was.
I turned toward the ramp entrance. The two Scorpions were approaching at terrifying speed.
I wasn't going to run. Not anymore.
I opened my emergency medical kit. There was no time for measurements, for safety, or for sanity. I grabbed four brightly colored vials and loaded the multiple pneumatic injector.
The [Superhuman Strength Serum], a dense and heavy red; the [Ultrasenses Serum], an electric blue; the [Magic Amplification Serum], violet and viscous to overload my magic; and the most dangerous of them all, the [Fire Elemental Serum], which bubbled in the glass like orange lava.
"All or nothing," I growled.
I slammed all four needles into my neck simultaneously.
The pain was exquisite. It felt as if liquid lava were replacing my blood. My muscles swelled, tearing the fibers of my uniform. Time seemed to stop. My hands ignited in real flames.
The two Scorpions leaped at me.
I didn't retreat. I advanced.
I dodged the first spear with a speed that broke the sound barrier, leaving a trail of fire. With a savage scream, I buried my flame-wreathed fist into the face of the first scorpion. The force of the impact, chemically enhanced, blew its human head apart in an explosion of ichor and bone.
The second tried to sting me. I saw it in slow motion. I grabbed its tail with my bare hand, burning through its chitin, and pulled with monstrous force. I slammed it against the metal floor of the ramp and crushed its torso until it stopped moving.
Two down.
The vortex roared.
Four more figures landed on the sand.
"Come on!" I challenged, my voice sounding like scraping metal.
I charged at the four of them as soon as they entered the ship. It was a dance of fire and violence. I ripped off arms, snapped spears, and burned flesh. I managed to kill them all.
But the price was high.
My skin began to crack. My bones creaked under the pressure of a force my body couldn't contain. I was bleeding from my eyes and nose.
The vortex spun again.
Eight Scorpions fell from the sky.
I gasped, spitting out a piece of internal organs. My hands trembled. The charge from the serums was fading.
"More..." I whispered.
I loaded the injector with the empty vials, scraping the last drops, and fired again.
My body screamed. My veins turned black. But I launched myself once more.
I fought. I fought until my knuckles were exposed bone. I fought until the ship was stained gold and grey.
I crushed skulls and melted carapaces. I killed the seventh, the eighth... I slaughtered every single one of them.
But the blows had started to land. A spear had pierced my shoulder. A pincer had crushed my ribs.
With the death of the last of the eight, my body finally gave out.
I stood motionless in the middle of that sea of dead bodies. My body was smoking. I had several broken bones and was at the limit of biological collapse.
I looked at the golden vortex in the distance... Should there be sixteen now?
What kind of hell did I end up in?Or maybe it's over?
The vortex threw nothing else out.
Although no more creatures emerged, I didn't feel happy. I was going to die from the overload anyway.
I remembered my life. Damn, it was shorter than I planned. I still wanted to investigate so many things...
At least I felt satisfied. I clenched my fist. I had achieved it. I had become strong. At the cost of my life, yes, but I achieved my goal.
I kept watching the vortex. That thing swallowed them all... When I die, will I also turn to ash and be consumed?
Then, it happened.
From the vortex descended a different figure.
Its skin was still white and pale, but it wore armor and wielded a golden spear. Its eyes were not covered either.
Damn, so there was one left, I thought. And he looks strong.
The creature walked toward me slowly. It was in no hurry; it seemed more rational than the others.
It entered the ship and stopped in front of me. It looked at me with curiosity, not hate. Its eyes were golden, with black pupils shaped like hourglasses.
"You have been a good candidate," it said. Its voice resonated in my head, not my ears. "I acknowledge that you are strong, Ash Walker. But this is where you end."
My eyes widened in surprise. It can speak? What the hell is an Ash Walker?
I wanted to ask. I wanted to insult him. But my throat was burned by the fire serum.
The Golden Scorpion raised its spear.
"It is your end," it sentenced, approaching.
Without ceremony, it drove the weapon forward. The golden blade punched through my chest, pinning me to the ship's wall. It pierced my heart.
The pain was sharp.
I spat a mouthful of black blood onto his golden armor. The creature waited to see fear in my eyes. But I smiled. A bloody, broken smile.
With the last spasm of mobility left in my right hand, inside my pocket, I pressed the button on the detonator I had stolen.
"I'm not... going... alone..." I gurgled.
The Golden Scorpion's eyes widened with realization a second too late.
The antimatter charge in the ship's core detonated.
A white, pure, and absolute explosion consumed everything, erasing the desert, the scorpions, and my broken body.
The world and my life ceased to exist.
Or so I thought...