Chains of Command

[Boss]

Jim
*****

NO NO NO!

I couldn't breathe. My throat was gripped by an iron band of flesh and bone, borne by a relentless entity bent on evil. The single shot I had been able to fire...useless. There it was, on the floor, nothing but a bit of metal. The gun that fired it, too, completely destroyed beyond repair near it. I gasped for air, only dimly noting the purple fire that blazed in Eli...its eyes. It held something in its far hand, I wasn't sure what. My hands scrabbled at the arm extending from it to me, but to no avail. I sank to my knees, desperate for oxygen. I gaped like a fish out of water as my vision dimmed. My sight faded into a tunnel, and I saw the other hand reaching for my face. Something hard and cruel was jammed between my teeth, grinding and grating. I would have screamed if I could, because then it had no form. It melted and reformed, flowed over my tongue and down my throat. Jab and it split open my esophagus, streamed through the gap, and repaired it.

The hand released my throat and I fell to the floor choking. It took me a moment to recover, and as soon as I was able, I stood to face the creature, ready to fight anew. Alas, it was not to be, as the thing inside me spread and rippled under my neck, latching onto nerve clusters and sending fibers into my skull. Each connection jolted me as if by a Taser, and I was back on the floor again, twitching. My eyes began to move around without my control, and to my horror, I no longer controlled them at all...

"Goodbye, Jim."