Halo Flood 2

He heard the whine of plasma rifle fire, then felt something punch him in the chest. His vision blurred, and he groped to feel the wound. His hands came away sticky with blood. It doesn't hurt, he thought. It should hurt, shouldn't it? He felt disoriented, confused. He could see a flurry of movement, as armored figures swarmed into the observation theater.

He ignored them and focused on his wife's picture-smeared with his own blood which had somehow fallen to the deckplates. He fell to his knees and scrambled for the photograph, his hands shaking.
His field of vision narrowed as he struggled to reach the discarded photo. It was only centimeters away now, but the distance felt like kilometers. He'd never been so tired. His wife's name echoed in his mind.

Sam's fingers had just brushed the edge of the photograph when an armored boot pinned his arm to the deck. Long, clawed fingers plucked the picture from the floor. Sam cursed weakly and struggled to face his attacker. The alien-an Elite-cocked his head at the image in puzzlement. He glanced down, as if noticing Sam for the first time. The human continued to reach for the picture. He dimly heard Thom's voice call out in anguish: "Sam!" The Elite aimed the plasma rifle at Sam's head and fired.-Chpt.1 pg.24