Seconds later it exploded, and a burst of electromagnetic energy tore into the creature’s side. The blue shield vibrated and quickly faded as the wave of energy continued on toward the spiders. Their defenses pulsated and vanished as soon as the blast hit them.

Holy shit.

Overton didn’t hesitate when he realized what was happening. He jumped forward, squeezed the hard trigger of his pulse rifle, and watched the hot plasma shred the worm. The creature shrieked in pain and rose into the air, thousands of miniature arms clawing helplessly.

He fired another volley of shots and the belly of the creature exploded, sending blue goo and watery blood in all directions. It wiggled back and forth violently, sending out a wave of gore that covered Overton.

Click.

The terrifying sound of an empty magazine echoed in his helmet. He turned to see the spiders racing toward him just as the worm fell to the ground in a lump of blue guts and slime. There was no time to reload; they would be on him in seconds.

He dropped the rifle to the ground and retrieved his pistol. With only nine .45 shells, he couldn’t afford to miss.

The first shot sent one of the spiders tumbling into the darkness.

Crack, crack, crack.

Overton fired off a volley of shots instinctively, sending another three of the creatures to their graves. The deafening mix of what sounded like high-frequency growls and gunshots made it difficult for him to concentrate. The spiders circled around him, closing in, their legs clawing at him from a distance.

His heart pounded in his chest, a steady flow of adrenaline pumping through his arteries. He remembered his training and fired at the closest creature. Its head exploded in a spray of blue mist, and the legs collapsed beneath it.

At least these things are easy to kill, he thought, scanning for his next target.

Four left.

One lunged for his armor, shredding his right shoulder with its enormous claw. He winced in pain before bringing the butt of his pistol down onto the creature’s head and stomping it into a puddle of gore.

He gritted his teeth and another two shots rang out, ending the life of two more aliens.

One left.

Overton took one knee and fired, but the pain from his shoulder threw off his aim, and the bullet ricocheted off the concrete beneath the spider’s legs.

Scratch, scrape, scratch, scrape.

The sound filled his helmet, sending a chill down his back. “Go to hell, you fucking bastard,” he yelled as the creature’s mandibles opened and its teeth reached for his face.

He closed his left eye, lined the metal sight up with the spider’s head, and fired. The bullet tore into its open mouth, blowing bits of mangled eyeball into the night as its limp body collided with his. They fell to the ground in a tangled mess of blue goo, guts, and blood.