Towering behind Finley was a nine-foot-tall monstrosity. Overton scanned the beast in shock. He had never seen anything quite like it. Its massive tail, short thick legs, and stubby arms reminded him more of a reptile than an alien. But when his eyes finally came to rest on the creature’s face, he saw the difference. Tucked within a skull rimmed with spikes was a humanoid face with a pair of emotionless eyes.

Before Overton had a chance to warn Finley, the creature lurched forward, its tongue flicking between a mouthful of jagged black teeth. A deafening sound escaped its mouth as it attacked.

The monster was incredibly fast, using its tail to help it slither down the tunnel. In less than two seconds, one of the creature’s arms had wrapped around Finley’s torso while the other had impaled his neck armor with a sharp claw.

A single burst of static squawked over the radio as Finley let out a cry. His last words were undecipherable as he choked on his own blood.

There was nothing Bouma or Overton could do. They watched in horror as the monster tightened its grip around Finley’s torso and yanked, ripping the private’s head from the bloody stump of his neck.

“NO!” Overton screamed, shouldering his rifle and squeezing the trigger as the private’s headless body slumped to the tracks below.

The tunnel glowed with the light that emanated from Bouma’s and Overton’s rifles as they shot round after round. The pulses ricocheted off the creature’s blue shield and it screeched, its mouth displaying every one of its black teeth.

Both Marines emptied their magazines into the creature without effect. Overton reached for his electromagnetic grenade, tossed it at the monster’s feet, and took off running down the tunnel. “Move it, Bouma!” he screamed.

A bright flash filled his display, blinding him. He gritted his teeth, took one knee, removed his .45, steadied his breathing, and, when his vision cleared, fired a single round. The bullet seemed to travel in slow motion, barely missing Bouma, who was still running, and punching a wide hole just above the creature’s eyes. They blinked, and then the monster let out a soft grunt before it collapsed face first onto the tunnel tracks, its claw still gripping Finley’s head.

“Holy shit!” Bouma panted. He was bent over, his hands on his knees, staring at the alien. Overton holstered his pistol and jammed another magazine into his rifle before pacing over to the fallen beast.

“They aren’t shit without their force fields,” he said, taking one knee next to Finley’s fallen body. “God damn . . .” his voice trailed off as he stared at what was left of his Marine. “Fuck, he didn’t deserve to go out like that.”