Hazmat

by David C. Hayes

Captain Andy Gage is the galaxy's janitor. His team has scrubbed some of the worst things off the face of planets. Chemical waste. Radioactive garbage. All of it falls under Gage's watchful eye. Even biological waste. His team is the best Hazmat team around so, when they get a routine call about a biological issue on an inhospitable ice planet it is just another day at the office. This is different, though. Gage and his team are about to come face to face with an entity that they have never experienced before. Something that can control the base and lure in a starship just like Gage's so it can get off-planet and multiply. The only things standing in it's way? Gage and his janitors. On this base, hazardous materials is an understatement.

85 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 9, 2016

About the author

Welcome to the Goodreads profile of David C. Hayes. David writes stuff and teaches people to write stuff.

"Hayes is fast establishing himself as the new top-drawer of hardcore horror!" - Edward Lee

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of Alien, Carpenter's The Thing, and other space based horror material will love Hayes' new foray into the world of fiction. Well known for his occasionally over the top humor filled gore, Hamzat is a bit of a departure. Yes, there are still some bloody scenes, but this time the scares come from an organism which has the ability to possess individuals...

To say more would delve into the spoiler territory.

Hazmat is set in the far flung regions of space, but the story itself is well grounded by characters with complicated connections to each other. Another fun, albeit quick, read from a great young author.

[Terry and dog · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this, not as a stand alone novella (which is out of print now), but in a book of short stories. It is titled The Midnight Creature Feature Picture Show, by David C. Hayes.
It was a blast. A space horror with very interesting characters that fight the alien parasite like nobody's business. Well, it is their business I guess, but it was a short, fun adventure.