THE GNOME II

CHAPTER ONE

Since the terror of the Gnome, we had lived in peace for nearly three years, until all communication with a region in Antarctica ceased to exist. Then all other units sent to the South Pole vanished also. This was when my army was called into help. From the last adventure I had one more wish left and I wished for 20 more and used 15 of them to modify my army. The senior officers were:

Field Marshall R.Miller

General N. Kemp

Colonel A.Kilmartin

Colonel M.Wilson

Captain R.Turner

Lieutenant M.Pinder

Lieutenant K.Cowell

Lieutenant A.Pickin

Major M.Binder

Sergeant P.Bowskill

Sergeant S.Parker

As well as these there were 370 others.

First we moved our army to Tasmania and grouped together for the first time in 18 months. The next step was to move across the sea in our Super Cruiser. The journey was to take us 4 days, so we didn’t have much time to get some training done. Once we reached land (or ice), my section prepared the ice buggies and set off on the 6th day. Neil’s section stayed behind, but we kept in constant radio contact. That night we set up bass and planned to leave an N.C.O and 3 privates to keep it safe. The next morning was quite sunny and we were all glad that we hadn’t come out in winter. Another base was set up, and we left 5 privates to take care of it. This left us with 140 men.

About 3 p.m. the next day we reached one of the bases which we had to check out. The first thing we noticed was that one of the outer buildings had been burnt to the ground. We approached cautiously.

“Hello”, Richard shouted, “Is there anyone there?” There was no answer.

“Hello”, he repeated. Still no answer. We eased a little and half of us approached the burned out hut. Inside was a charred body. The skin had peeled back, and was coated in a thin layer of ice and snow. Suddenly, Andrew saw a burnt piece of paper, which he ran to get. We all read it.

“Please send help.......they have.......help me.....have set hut on.....”

Stunned, no one said a word. Burned Alive! BURNED ALIVE!! That was the thought going through everyones mind. Noone moved, until a few of the others approached.

“Hey, what’s wrong” he asked.

“Eh, Oh, Sorry. I was miles away”, I said.

“Anyway, thats whats wrong”, I replied, pointing to the hut.

“Oh my god”, he said, as he stared, wide eyed at the hut. An eerie silence drifted across the men. Finally I snapped out of it.

“Hey, c’mon, what is this”, I shouted, “Charity week!”

We all moved towards the main building. I told Andrew to try the door.

“Hey, it’s locked”, Andrew shouted.

“Try the back”, I replied.

The front looked normal, but the back.......Smashed windows, doors knocked to peices and.....and bodies, lots of bodies. I sent 3 people in, and followed with 15 others. The first thing we noticed were the bodies. Mutilated, disembowelled, scattered. Probably the most sickening sight imaginable. The smell, ‘that’ smell. Dead flesh. A terrible odour, two privates were sick, one fainted. We entered the recreation room. Only two bodies. The first slumped in a chair, head most of his stomach missing, the entrails leading a bloody path across the floor. The second, strapped to a table was.......simply inhuman, yet human.

The lower half was absent, so was most of the flesh. A little clung to the bones. There was also a little cloth. One of the privates approached and bent to look at the face. It had most of its flesh on its face. The hair was thin and it had unblinking, staring eyes. Suddenly I thought I saw it move. The spine, acting as a tail, seemed to ‘wag’.

“Hey, get away from that thing!” I shouted.

“What?” he said as he turned his head towards me. I didn’t get a chance to answer, as the head lunged at him and bit into his skull. As he screamed, his hands searched for the neck. At last he found it, and he pulled the head away from the spine, but it carried on biting into his skull until a loud crunch was heard and his screaming died out. The head still chewed, actually eating his brain.

“Hey, you! Burn this sucker”, I screamed at the private with the flame thrower. Instantly, flames roared, burning both human and that thing. The flesh melted and fused the thing and our private together. Finally, there was no life at all. Sighs filled the room, as well as smoke.

“C’mon, lets get outta here before we choke”.

After we had reached the others and calmed down, the quest began.

“Hey, where’s Brett?” someone said.

“Bretts dead”, I replied coldly, later regretting it, as Brett had been popular with everyone.

“What!? But.....how?”

“Some....er, something got him. Goddamn ate his brain. Had to fry the mother.”

An eerie silence drifted over the group.

“C’mon”, I said, “Lets head for home.”

CHAPTER TWO

“What do you mean ‘something’ got him?” Neil asked.

“Just what I say. Its human; correction, was human”, I replied. “Look, whatever it is, its bigger than all of us. Listen, I’m not even sure its dead yet”.

“So what are you saying?” Neil asked.

“What I’m saying is that 15 people are dead, and at least another 50 are missing, presumed dead. And what I’m saying is I want those 150 recruits here, now”

“But that’ll be another fortnight”, he protested.

“Well, good”, I continued, “That will give us time to set up base and scout the area. I rest my case”.

The next morning we started early. Eight ice buggies were prepared. Each one carried 28 people, including three gunners. Four of the buggies hauled trailers containing equipment for the bases. Only six people were to remain at the ship. Neil, Mandy, Andrew Pickin plus three privates. To save arguments, everyone above private was made acting lieutenant and the 27 privates were there company.

At 0800 hours, the eight buggies set off towards base E2, and arrived four hours later. The modifying of the base took until nightfall, when 2 buggies set off back to bring more equipment and bedding. They arrived back at 0430 and the base was set up.

When dawn broke, four buggies set off to scout. When they reached the scene of Bretts killing, the four buggies split up and advanced into unknown territory. The first group, commanded by P.Bowskill and M.Binder was heading south, and R.Turner and I were heading north. After an uneventful drive we started going west, and soon spotted a base. We approached cautiously, and drew up infront of the base. Everything seemed quiet until something landed with a ‘plop’ on Richards roof.

“Hey, what’s that?” Richards rear gunner shouted. He looked up into his turret and saw a body. It was so badly mutilated that it must have been dead.....but it moved. It started to drag itself along the roof towards the turret. The gunner began shooting madly and blew it apart. A mass of blood sprayed his shield and blurred his vision. A spray of water soon cleared the turret, but a look of horror returned to his face, as a zombie arm lunged at the turret and began to push its way through the grass. The gunner backed away.

“No, Nooooo, get away”, he screamed, “Get away from me.”

Suddenly, the arm smashed through the turret and grabbed him across the middle of his face. Despite all his efforts , the arm squeezed tighter, until the skull collapsed inwards.

A scramble ensued in the buggy as people rushed for the emergency exit. As Richard reached it, the buggy exploded, hurling him clear. With a sudden, huge explosion, the buggy ceased to exist.

Then a new danger emerged, zombies came rushing out of the buildings to feast on Richards flesh.

My driver was paralyzed with fear, so I pushed him out of the way, and drove the buggy straight into the zombies. When we had cleared enough, the rear gunner jumped out and dragged Richard inside. By this time the driver had regained his senses, and had took over the wheel. He spun away from the zombies and towards safety.

“Take us home”, I whispered wearily.

CHAPTER THREE

“Anything on your side?” Philip said to Mathew over the radio.

“Naw, you?”

“Nope, not a speck. Do you think we should go back to base?”

“Yeah, theres nothing out here except....hey! Wait a mo, I thought I saw something”. Mathew sat up, searching for the object again.

“There, look! Its another ice buggy or something.”

“Roger”, Philip said, “moving in now.”

“Woe”, interrupted Mathew, “Don’t get too close in. It might be some of them thigs.”

“Aw, you’re too cautious”, Philip said, “Theres nobody within a hundred miles of us.”

“Nether the less, don’t be too hasty”, said Mathew, “And don’t let me have to pull rank on you.”

“Ok”, said Philip, “You win.”

“Right”, began Mathew, “You and three others get out and search it. Keep in constant radio contact, and don’t rush in, you never know what might be there.”

Philip and the three privates climed out and began to walk along the ice towards the buggy.

“Not one of ours”, he reported, “Late 20th century model. Seems to have......Aaaagh.” The radio spluttered and died.

“Hey get a camera on them”, shouted Mathew. A monitor flickered on, showing Philip and a private struggling to hold themselves above the ground, as many arms tried to pull them beneath the ice. The struggle was finally given in, and peace reigned for a few brief moments before all Hell broke loose. Three arms grabbed one of the privates by the ankle and dragged him under the ice. The other private backed away until a mummified body sprang up in a shower of ice. He turned and ran towards the buggy, but he tripped over a dead body and the zombie pounced on him. Even as it bit into the back of his head, dead arms tore at his legs, eager for there share of the flesh that awaited them.

The remaining people that were so transfixed by the macabre scene, that they didn’t notice the bodies rise from below, but what they did notice was the rocking of the buggy. Slight at first, until it swayed so much that it overturned. Nobody wanted to stay in, yet nobody wanted to take their chances outside. Most of them wish they did, when they were dragged underground to face a horrible death.

My battered and blood covered pulled into the base and slowed to a halt. I quickly noted that Mathew and Philip hadn’t returned, but before checking on that, I made sure Richard was taken to the infirmary and the men were refreshed. After that I