SNAFU: Heroes: An Anthology of Military Horror

Cade didn’t need to be told what that meant.

One more casualty added to the list. It was starting to get pretty long.

“But he told you to expect us? Before he...”

Cade wasn’t sure if the good father had fallen victim to one of the protean demons and perished, or became something else, so he just left the end of his question hanging, but Nils didn’t seem to notice.

“He said the archdiocese would be sending people who knew how to handle the situation, people who could help. He didn’t specify who, but... you are the men he was talking about, aren’t you, Captain?”

For the first time Nils looked a bit concerned over the fact he’d just let four armed strangers into the sanctuary with the wounded and the women and children; particularly one who looked as battle-hardened as Cade did, given his eye-patch and scarred face.

Cade held up a hand in mild reassurance. “It’s Commander Williams, not Captain, but yes, we’re the men he was talking about.”

Nils’ relief was obvious. “Good. When the rest of your team gets here, we’ll have to...”

“Rest of my team?”

“Well, yes, of course. We’re going to need a lot more troops if we’re going to get out of here in one piece. You’ve seen those hellish things!”

Again, Cade didn’t disagree, but sometimes the truth was a harsh mistress and he wouldn’t lie to the man, not after all he’d clearly been through. “I’m sorry, Father Nils, but you misunderstand. This is it; this is everyone I brought with me.”

The priest’s mouth dropped open in shocked surprise. “But surely you don’t intend to take on all those things with just four men!”

“Of course not,” Cade said calmly. He tried not to think about the fact that they might be forced to do that very thing before the night was over. Instead, he said, “All we have to do is hold out until morning. The storm will have passed by then and we’ll be able to get reinforcements in to help us with the situation.”

Cade’s reassurances seemed to buoy the young priest’s spirits and he stood a little taller as a result. “Morning?” he said, half to himself. “We should be able to make it that long, provided we stay inside.”

“Have the creatures made any efforts to get inside?”

Nils shook his head. “No, thank the Lord. If they did it would be a massacre.” He shuddered at the thought.

Cade remembered the women and children he’d seen when he’d first entered.

Quite.

Nils appeared to struggle with something for a moment and then finally just spit it out. “Father Giesler called them...  demons?”

Cade had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing at Father Nils’ hesitation to call the things what they were. He’d had no trouble describing them as “hellish” just seconds before, but having to face the reality that Hell was precisely where the things had come from was perhaps a bit too much for this modern priest.

If you only knew, Father, if you only knew...

“That’s as good a word as any,” Cade replied, which didn’t really answer the priest’s question but seemed to satisfy him nonetheless for he nodded as if he understood.

Just goes to show they’ll believe what they want to believe, even when the evidence was staring them in the face.

“I’d like to do an interior perimeter check, if that’s all right with you? Understand what we have to work with should the creatures change their minds about trying to get inside?”

“Of course, Commander. Whatever you need.”

As Father Nils led him out of the sacristy and back into the church proper, Cade couldn’t help but think that what he really needed was about half-a-dozen combat squads and some tactical hardware to go with them, but since those were unlikely to drop from the sky anytime soon he was going to have to settle for a perimeter check.

Somehow, he just wasn’t looking forward to it.

CHAPTER SIX

3 hours later.

Stefan Braun woke to a voice in his head, calling out to him in a language without words. He shook himself, thinking it was nothing more than a remnant of the horrible dream he’d been having, a dream full of hot blood and hideous creatures that gnawed on his very flesh, but was surprised to discover that it didn’t fade as the dream did.

If anything, it grew stronger.

Stefan.

He glanced about, wondering if anyone else was hearing what he was hearing.

Those around him were still sleeping peacefully, as were the others throughout the interior of the church. Even Daniels, who was supposed to be on watch over by the main entrance, appeared to be nodding off.