Grimoires and Gunsmoke

Elijah was fiddling around with the strange spear as his fingers ran over the intricacies of the weapon. It was a strangle blend of crude medieval workmanship, coupled with extremely refined and alien precision. He continued to muse about the thing’s construction when Coleman’s voice suddenly cut through the air.

“30 seconds till impact.” His team leader quietly informed the entire ODA as they hunkered down in their concealed position.

Putting the weapon down, Elijah hands clamped down on his ear protection and flipped down his Enhanced Night Vision Goggles (ENVG) before pointing his rifles towards potential threats. He figured he would have plenty of time to figure out what that thing was when they finished roasting some miniature land gators.

The sun had finally set and in its place, the moon rose and covered the ground in a pale glow across the forest floor. While the shadows casted by the lunar light danced and played tricks on the naked eye, the ODA sat there, waiting and watching their prey with their Enhanced Night Vision Goggles.

A mixture of orange thermal outlines and an ethereal white phosphorus-like picture amplified the ODA’s vision as they kept their eyes on the unaware and clumsy reptilians that emerged from the depths of their underground abode. Thinking themselves alone, the creatures communicated in soft hisses and what sounded like high pitched guttural chirps while they organized themselves.

Suddenly, the forest's nocturnal symphony was interrupted by an unmistakable whooshing sound, drawing Elijah's focus back to the present. In the distance, the dark silhouette of a dark rod resembling a sinister dart, flashed through the sky.

The strange sound only lasted a second before the earth itself violently erupted from the massive explosion that followed. The team had decided to say fuck it and drop a GBU-72, a Bunker Buster on the bastards. He only caught the sight for a fraction of a second, but the dart had cleanly pierced the ground just behind the exploring lizards before the earth itself swallowed them in fire and earth.

Elijah felt the shockwave hit before he heard the explosion, the force pressing against his chest and causing his ears to pop. However, after countless Global War on Terror (GWOT) tours, he had become completely desensitized to its effect.

Snapping their heads around, the lizards that had wandered too close to the ODA’s position stared at the destruction with gaping mouths before several suppressed shots from rifles rang out in the night. Almost simultaneously the lingering reptilians started dropping to the floor either dead or dying.

After ensuring the immediate vicinity was clear, Coleman signaled to the team. "Move up.”

The ODA team advanced cautiously from their concealed position, rifles still at the ready, eyes darting around for any sign of surviving threats. But that seemed like a wasted effort after they saw the carnage that the explosion had wrought. The bunker buster had definitely done as advertised and gouged into the earth leaving only a vast crater with the area littered with debris and burned vegetation.

As they approached the epicenter of the blast, the pungent scent of burnt flesh permeated the air, and the sight that met their eyes was gruesome. Charred and mangled bodies of reptilians lay everywhere, some buried beneath rubble, others thrown clear by the force of the explosion.

The scene reminded Elijah heavily of Iraq and the war that was waged against the Islamic State or Daesh as they were called. He had been there as part of a specialized Crisis Response Force, formerly known as a Commander's In-extremis Force. They embedded themselves with the actually capable Iraqi and Kurdish special forces to perform direct action missions to take down high value targets and even dabbled in hostage rescue operations.

One operation, in particular, stood starkly in Elijah's memory. He had been a part of a task force that had been tipped off about a Daesh stronghold with a prominent commander they needed to capture just outside of their supposed ‘Capital’ of their Caliphate, Mosul. From the outside, it looked like any other battle-scarred compound, but when Elijah's team, along with their Iraqi counterparts, entered, they found much more than they had been prepared for.

The building led to a network of underground tunnels, a tactic that Daesh had become infamous for. It was their way of moving undetected, storing weapons, and launching surprise attacks and when the compound was raided, the entire operation had been a cluster fuck. The close-quarters fighting had been claustrophobic and was absolutely disastrous. Every bend turn and every dug out room had an exchange of so many grenades, Elijah wondered where everyone got them all. Coupled with the limited visibility and echoing gunshots, every inch of the damn place was turned into a potential death trap.

With Daesh militants putting up a fierce resistance and mounting casualties, Elijah’s team and their Iraqi counterparts decided enough was enough. The juice wasn’t worth the squeeze and if the commander wanted to be a martyr so bad, they’d make him one.

As the task force made their way above ground, they looked to their embedded Combat Controller, pointed at the stronghold and told him to get rid of it.

And get rid of it he did.

5 GBU-72 Ground Penetrators later and the entire complex was nothing more than a smoldering sinkhole. Each explosive impact was felt even from a safe distance, the ground reverberating with each successive detonation. Fireballs and plumes of smoke shot skyward, blotting out the horizon momentarily as the massive munitions did their job, collapsing the intricate underground network like a house of cards. For over a mile, everyone's bones rattled painfully as the earth trembled with each impact. Massive plumes of smoke and dirt violently ejected from all the hidden entrances along with the massive cloud from the initial impact zone, casting a dark veil over the landscape.

Elijah’s eyes refocused, snapping him back to the present. The vividness of his memory had momentarily blurred the lines between past and present, but as he took in the scene before him, the eerie similarities began to fade. Instead of the human remains of Daesh militants that he once hunted, he now saw the twisted and charred bodies of these strange lizard creatures, their scales seared and eyes lifeless.

“Told ya all we needed is a bunker buster.” Elijah said, huffing in amusement as he shot a look at Coleman.

The Team leader scoffed and rolled his eyes, “Ya, ya whatever.” Coleman replied, brushing away some dirt that fell on his shoulder. "I forgot you CIF freaks handle everything through unmitigated violence.”

A chuckle left Elijah’s mouth as he stepped over part of a corpse. “Some things require a more subtle touch, but sometimes, all you need is a big BOOM.”

“Eh.” Coleman shrugged and gazed around the wasteland before them, “I can’t really argue with that."

As the team swept the area the atmosphere grew somber as an unsettling realization began to creep into Elijah’s mind. If these creatures had the capability to burrow underground complexes for refuge in such a short amount of time, then just how many of these burrows dotted the landscape? With the main body of the horde dispersing across the countryside, there could be dozens, maybe even hundreds of these burrows scattered all over the countryside.

And what if they just kept going?

“This… is going to be a problem.” Elijah muttered quickly, his amusement now replaced with a hint of concern.

Bennett who had been poking at some strange item turned to and raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Sucking in a deep breath, Elijah adjusted his rifle and looked around and saw that most of the team was looking at him. “Well… Think about it.” He said, scratching his short beard. “We found the hole these things crawled out by sheer chance, so what are the odds of some beat cop finding more, especially a year from now?”

Everyone gave the medic a difficult look as he continued. “I mean, an army of what? Tens of thousands literally ran for the hills? We don’t even know how many lizards there were in that ‘army’ and we barely even killed a quarter of them.” Elijah said definitively as he waved his hand. “So now I’m just assuming we now have several new invasive species.”

Coleman, rubbing his temples, sighed heavily. "Ahh, shit… I didn’t think of that…” He groaned in mental pain. “And that's just what we saw today," Coleman continued. "There's no telling how many of these burrows are out there, and how fast they can reproduce.”

”Great, I bet these things are going to be fucking everywhere…” Lister, the dark skinned Weapons Sergeant mumbled, adjusting his heavy weapon load. He glanced around at the heavily forested hills around him and frowned. “We’re spitting distance from the Appalachian mountains," Lister pointed east. "It’s dense, hard to navigate, and full of places to hide. They'll thrive there."

Schwarz shook his head, "And with winter coming, it will be even tougher to search. If they make it there, rooting them out will be a nightmare."

"Enough," Coleman said, his voice firm. "We’re gonna have to leave the what-ifs to someone else. Our current mission is to clear this area and continue to recon south."

The group stood silent for a moment, taking in just how fucked up the situation was. Each of their faces were a mixture of emotions after the long day of surreal combat, but they weren’t strangers to this type of scenario.

Just the details.

Slowly, they began to move out, the crunch of foliage under their boots served as the only sound while they continued their patrol.

-

Lysandra's senses stirred as the unfamiliar hum and beep of strange devices awakened her from a dreamless sleep. A throbbing pain consumed the left side of her face, and her vision was hazy. As she tried to move, she found her body heavy and restrained as if she were bound to her bed. A deep panic began to set in as she realized she had no idea where she was, or even how she had come to be there.

“H-Hello?” The battered woman called out weakly as ner vision struggled to focus. “H-hello, is anyone there?”

Her voice, frail and raspy, echoed faintly in the sterile smelling room. And from the corner of her good eye, she noticed the soft glow of the luminescent apparatuses around her. The stark whiteness of the room was punctuated by these odd devices, their purpose a mystery to her.

The world was almost a complete blur as Lysandra tried her best to focus her vision, but everything from colors to shapes seemed distorted and unstable. To make matters worse, not only did every muscle in her body feel like they were made of lead, but she also felt the taut pull of cuffs tethering her to the bed. Lysandra struggled weakly in an attempt to free herself, but the metallic clinks of the restraints only seemed to amplify her anxiety and sense of vulnerability.

But suddenly the sound of an authoritative voice resounded in the room causing Lysandra to stop her feeble struggle as she turned her head. Mustering whatever will power she had, she focused her gaze on a pair of those otherworldly soldiers with their black weapons in their hands.

Horror was etched on Lysandra’s face as she stared at the men speaking to each other in their strange language, but she could tell that they were discussing her. Their gestures seemed to indicate urgency and importance and Lysandra couldn’t help but turn to the worst case scenario. Was she to be tortured for information? Experimented on for profane magics? Humiliated and executed for her transgressions in this world? The possibilities spun in her head, each darker than the last.

Both of the soldiers, identified by the black MP on the arms, continued to talk before one of them stepped forward and pressed a button on the sleek wall panel beside him. The panel lit up, revealing an intercom system. He spoke into it, "Alpha to Med Bay. The subject is conscious. Alert Dr. Kassa."

Moments later, the doors slid open with a quiet hiss, revealing an older woman with a sun-kissed complexion that she held herself with an air of authority. Her hair was intricately woven into long braids that cascaded down her back and bounced with every step. Adorning a white robe, which contrasted sharply against the bright green scrubs she had underneath she stopped just in front of Lysandra and looked down at her curiously. Not too far behind, a team of individuals in matching bright green scrubs followed, holding various medical instruments and devices.

Dr. Kassa carefully examined the wounded side of Lysandra's face, her fingers gently probing the tender and swollen skin. With her other hand, she shone a small penlight into Lysandra's remaining eye, checking for any signs of a concussion or other internal injuries. As she did this, another member of the medical team spoke to the doctor in a hushed but urgent tone, pointing at the monitor that displayed Lysandra's vital signs. "Her blood pressure's spiking," the nurse announced, her brow furrowed in concern.

A hum left Dr. Kassa has turned her attention to the monitor. "She's terrified," Dr. Kassa replied with a soft voice. She then leaned in closer towards her patient and noted just how… human she looked, despite the obvious differences.

Every line of worry, every crease of fear, and the depth of confusion in her bright yellow eyes were all too familiar. They were the same expressions any human would have in such a horrible situation. Except for the long, pointed ears that peeked through her dark blonde hair and the vivid hue of her irises, Lysandra could be mistaken for any woman from Earth. The realization added another layer of complexity to the situation, reminding Dr. Kassa that despite the vast being from a completely different reality, emotions and experiences might be a universal constant.

Hoping to comfort Lysandra, Dr. Kassa gently touched the non-injured side of her face. She wished they shared a language, words to convey safety and care. But for now, gestures would have to suffice.

Another nurse approached, holding a syringe filled with a translucent liquid. Dr. Kassa nodded in approval as the nurse carefully administered the sedative. They needed Lysandra calm, not just for the medical procedures, but for her own wellbeing in this alien environment.

As the minutes passed, the effects of the sedative became evident. Lysandra's tense posture relaxed, and her rapid breathing steadied. Her eyes, while still filled with uncertainty, no longer held that wild edge of panic.

“Quite curious, isn’t it?” a voice remarked from the back of the room. The anesthesiologist, a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair and thoughtful eyes, stepped forward. "In all the encounters we've had with these... interdimensional beings, it never ceases to amaze me how our sedatives and anesthesia actually work and don’t outright kill them."

Dr. Kassa nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, it is remarkable. But what surprises me more is how other common medical practices seem to work on them as well. It's like they share a foundational biology with us."

A third nurse chimed in, her face slightly pale, "Speaking of similarities, the pathologists and other medical examiners have been having quite the time performing autopsies on some of the deceased creatures. Everyone’s been in an uproar after they found out that the internal structure of some of these beings only exhibits a handful of differences from our own.”

“Really?” Dr. Kassa turned to the woman and raised an eyebrow.

The nurse nodded, "Yes. In fact, what's even more fascinating is the phenomenon observed with those large werewolf-like creatures. After an extended period of time post-death, they seem to...morph. They gradually transform into something more human-shaped, though still significantly larger."

The anesthesiologist looked surprised. "That's...unsettling. But why or… how would they do that?"

"We're not sure yet," the nurse replied. "But biologists, doctors and scientists from all over the world are basically scratching and clawing to get here as if Ohio's the new Mecca. Everyone wants a piece of this puzzle. The discoveries made here could reshape our entire understanding of biology, evolution, and perhaps even the nature of existence."

Silence enveloped the room as they tried to wrap their head around the implications of not just another world full of sentient life existing, but also the reality of magic being a tangible, quantifiable force.

A technician, who had been quietly calibrating a machine nearby, suddenly spoke up, "Can you imagine? If we actually learned and harnessed magic? The entire globe would be turned on its head overnight.”

Another round of silence came over the medical team as they looked at each other uncomfortably. Each of them found this reality difficult to accept, but Dr. Kassa, always the pragmatist, clapped her hands loudly to get everyone’s attention. "Alright, alright!” She shouted, turning to her team. “You’re all professionals, so quit your brooding, We have patients to attend to."

Meanwhile, Lysandra felt as if the world had inverted in on itself, gravity had reversed and she felt as if she was crawling on the ceiling like some kind of damnable monster. Whatever these strange heavens forsake people had given her beyond potent because not only were every color intensified, but every sound was simultaneously muffled and also overwhelmingly clear at the same time. She stared horrifyingly at the strangers in her room as they seemed to twist and turn in impossible ways while the sterile white of the hospital walls seemed to pulse and breathe, as if alive.

Lysandra opened her mouth as if trying to say something, but no words came out. Instead, it was just a whispery gasp, a desperate attempt to communicate her panic and disorientation.

The poor woman couldn’t help curse the demon who had tricked her into coming to this accursed land.