That Which Lies in the Dark

That Which Lies in the Dark

Zeke Williams sat at his desk with a mass of papers lying before him. Being a flight supervisor wasn’t the best of jobs, but it was a necessity. With the new pioneering on the tenth planet, Terminus, safety was of a great concern of those risking their lives by delving into the hollow darkness which enveloped their destination. Having a strong source of heat from its core, this planet remarkably resembles an early earth in all forms, aside from the lack of light. Having great advancements in technology on their side, many believed all would be well on this journey; they were horribly mistaken.

*Incoming Transmission: Com-Link Open*

“This is Senior Sergeant Jack Armstrong,” spoke a husky, pained voice, “of the ship ‘Red Star’. As our ship entered into the black haze surrounding the planet, we grazed against something. We have no idea what it was, but it cut right through the hull and combusted the main engine. We’ve crashed onto the surface of Terminus and request immediate rescue! There’s something here-God, it’s here in the ship. In the darkness, I can hear it, but it won’t come into the light. Please send someone, anyone! We’re trying to gather all the weapons and supplies we can, but most trips outside the few lighted areas end in failure. I set out to the helm with three others to send this message, but they didn’t make it.”

“It knows I’m here! I’ve barricaded myself in, but I know this is the end for me. Please, if there be any humanity in you, send aid now! Try to save as many as you can… If you can. Semper Fi."

A crash was heard in the distance. The shaded form of the man turned to face it as the area lit up from the light of his automatic weapon firing. This revealed his clothes stained with blood and a deep gash at his hip. Soon, however, the firing stopped and the light faded-his clip ran empty. All that could be heard was a shallow, frantic breathing and something strange, soft in the background.

“You’ve won, whatever you are… Don’t keep me waiting.” the sergeant panted.

All in an instant, the shadow of his body was dragged off to the side, ringing with the echoes of screaming. Some type of liquid splashed onto the screen, the color of which was blacker than the darkness within the room. For minutes, all was calm and silent.

*End Transmission-Autosend Activated*

For Zeke Williams, this was a very new thing. In all his life, horrible atrocities have crossed his path, but nothing like this. It seemed to be as if it was from a movie he would watch with his wife, but it was real. He sat gazing into the blank screen with horror and solemnity apparent in his stricken face. He couldn’t move, he could’ve breathe, he was frozen in place by the image which was burned into his mind, an image which startled awake the vast horrors of his past.

Hesitantly, he reached toward the phone and called his supervisor. “Sir, there’s something you need to see.”

For Zeke Williams, flight supervisor and ex-marine, would not be returning home anytime soon.

************************************************************************

“This is quite a position we’re in…” sighed a man nearing his 30’s, one named Ethan Harbinger.

What remained of the crew and military escort sat huddled in a dimly-lit storage room. A restlessness and uneasiness swept apparently through most of the people, but they did try to keep the peace. Of these few were the two remaining in the military expertise, Private Major Ethan Harbinger and First Sergeant Vincent Armstrong, both once under the command of the late Jack Armstrong, Yoko Kusanagi, the navigations officer and biological researcher, the pilot, Sheri Wise, and the tech manager, Dominic Matthews.

“Well, we’re trapped on an unexplored planet and have come face to face with a statistical anomaly.” Yoko chuckled, “This atmosphere isn’t supposed to support life so evolved.”

“Apparently, it does. This isn’t Earth, you know.” Vincent growled, “All that matters to me is getting all of us safely off this wasteland and killing that thing outside.”

“From what I‘ve seen after the crash, what little power’s left in the ship shouldn’t last two days, max.” Dominic groaned slightly, “We’re gonna die here, aren’t we…?”

“Oh, quit whining…” Sheri hissed, “If the sergeant made it to the helm and got out a message, we’ll be fine.”

“And how long, miss,” Ethan began, “would it take for a dropship to arrive?”

“Well, it all depends on how fast they can gather a crew and what type of ship they use, but…”

“Yes?”

“If the message wasn’t intercepted by the station outside Neptune, they couldn’t make it in less than two days.” Yoko chimed in.

“We’re stuck here!” Dominic cried, “You all heard the gunshots and screaming, this ship isn’t all that big. What if they never sent out the message at all?”

Vincent gripped the tech manager by the collar and lifted him up to eye level, speaking in a forceful tone, “Those were some of our best, and one is my brother. They sent out a message and we will be rescued. Is that clear? Just make yourself nice and comfortable.”

“Well, there isn’t really much we can do until this light goes out or a ship arrives.” Ethan spoke, “Until then, just get some rest and be ready to leave.”

************************************************************************

The main communication screen was lit up for a second time with the story of Red Star’s fate. This time, however, a much larger audience was in viewing. As the message subsided and the screen turned black, nearly all its viewers were speechless, viewers which included those in key positions at the station.

“My records show this message was originally sent almost a day ago and ended getting backed up in our files.” Zeke began, “As you can see, gentlemen… We must act quickly or they will not survive.”

“With everything in consideration, we will wait.” his supervisor stated.

“With all due respects, sir, if we just sit here, they’ll-”

“We have no further information of this planet, and even our men couldn’t gather intelligence before they were thrust into this. If we just charge in without knowing what we’re getting ourselves into, more lives will just be unnecessarily lost.”

“Sir, my job was to do things like this. If we just idly sit here, their lives will be unnecessarily lost.”

“It’s a risk that must be taken. Everyone, you are dismissed.”

************************************************************************

A scream startled the sleeping Private Major to his feet. The remainder of the crew awaited him with undecipherable looks on their faces. Quickly, he realized the problem: their light went out. Even though he could not see the details lighting their faces, their movements told the story quite well.

“Be quiet…!” Vincent spoke softly, clasping a hand over the mouth of Miss Wise.

“I’m sorry…” she replied, slightly muffled, “I just… I’m afraid of the dark, and now I know there is something to be afraid of…”

“Then don’t make noise about it or that thing will find you. Got it?”

“Mhm…”

“What’s going on?” Ethan asked, whispering.

“Get your stuff together, little soldier boy.” Yoko chuckled, “We’re gonna try to find a better-lighted spot. Perfect time for a bulb to burn out, huh? We‘d replace it, but nearly everything breakable is just that…”

“Of course, but… Anyone know where to go?”

“I remember seeing a light down the hallways when we first came to this storage room.” Dominic whispered, “Sounds like a worthy shot to me.”

“Calmed down, have we?” Sheri giggled.

“Yes… Sorry about that. Your turn.”

Ethan wasted no time in gathering what little belongings he still had. With his weapon strapped around his shoulder, it was quick for his preparations to be complete. As he glanced around him, he saw the others ready to go as well.

“Everyone ready?” Vincent asked.

“Seems like it…” Yoko whispered in reply.

“Before we go, though…” Ethan began, “We may want to think about this.”

“Hm…?”

“Well, this planet has little light, so this creature must be able to see well in the dark or doesn’t rely on its eyes.”

“I see what he’s saying.” Dominic chimed in, “We’re basically at its mercy outside if it finds us.”

“Well… Yeah. So there’s no reason to be quiet and tread slowly.”

“So we run and get where we’re going fast, right?” Sheri asked.

“Sounds like the idea.” Dominic smiled, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure nothing happens to our pilot.”

“But standing here doesn’t help, people…!” Vince growled, “Let’s get going!”

Slowly, a hand edged toward the keypad located beside the door. Pressing a button, the hallways was open before them in all its bleak, looming glory. The once teeming passages now lay barren and lifeless before them.

************************************************************************

In the depths of space, a lone dropship began to near its destination: Terminus. With a single crew member, limited oxygen, and low mobility, it was barely suited for its purpose. This ship was to be used to enter Terminus’ cloudy atmosphere, reach the Red Star’s crash site, and retrieve any surviving personnel.

“I said return to the station now, Williams! This isn’t your decision to make!” A voice blared from the intercom at the helm. Its single passenger, Zeke Williams, sat listening to the irritated voice as it rang through his ears.

“Sir, there’re no words you can say to get me to come back now.” he replied.

“And what if you don’t come back?” his supervisor hissed back, “You have a family… Are you going to risk that for a few people you don’t know?”

“In that case, tell them I love them for me. At any rate, at least all I took was a dropship. If it doesn’t come back, there’s little cost on your part.”

As his supervisor began to yell back a furious retort, Zeke reached forward and severed the communication link. For an instant, a wave of fear swept over him. What if he didn’t come back? What would happen then? He quickly shrugged it away; he had no cushion for fear in his mission.

************************************************************************

Out of breath and frightened beyond belief, the five survivors were finally able to rest. They arrived at their destination not far from the storage room: the mess hall. Each of the crew and military personnel saw the irony in this; after they were huddled in a small, dimly-lit room with no food for nearly two days, here they appear in a furnished area, lit from the main room to even a few surrounding corridors.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Vincent chuckled, placing his weapon on a table, “We should’ve came here first.”

“But we didn’t…” Sheri sighed.

“We seem safe here. I suggest we all rest.” Ethan spoke, rummaging through a broken cabinet.

And so, they slowly began to separate. Some stopped to eat, others began to search for something more. For a Miss Yoko Kusanagi, this was not only to her curiosity, but it was her job as well. She softly walked around the area, gazing slyly at all around her. Everything seemed to be fine, but something didn’t feel right to her.

Tightly, she gripped her bag as something caught her eye: the door to the kitchen’s backroom. Inching herself closer, she glanced over her shoulder to see the others absorbed in their own activities. The young lady, after releasing a drawn-out sigh, calmed herself somewhat as her fingers coaxed the door open. Stifling a soft gasp, she forced her way into the desolate room.

Quickly, her blood ran cold and a scream welled up in her throat. She fought it back, however, and entered into the dim, cold room. Before Yoko could fully regain herself, she dropped to her knees, too afraid to move or speak. Before her lie a row of football-size, slightly pulsing, spherical objects.

Moments later, an uproar began among the remaining passengers in the wreckage of the once glorious ship, Red Star.

“It’s a dropship!” Shari cried, “ We’re saved!”

As the others began gathering around the window for proof, Shari stepped back, jumping for joy. Almost reflexively, she gripped the nearest person to her and pulled Dominic into her embrace. Quickly after, she slyly slinked away, leaving a stricken tech specialist behind.

“Alright, people!” Vincent spoke in a deep, firm tone, “Our way out just arrived. The shuttle doors aren’t exactly close to here, so we have a nice dash ahead of us.”

“From earlier tests, as you know…” Dominic began, eerily eyeing Shari, “ The conditions outside are like that of an early Earth.”

“So we can just run out, right?” Shari piped in, smiling.

“Probably, but the oxygen outside is a bit thin. It’ll feel like you’re scaling a mountain.”

“Then put on your climbing boots, Barbie dolls.” Vincent chuckled, “I don’t see a lift to take us to the top.”

“Well, we’ve got it settled then.” Ethan sighed, turning away from the window, “We’ll run like hell to that dropship… Doubt there’s a military escort waiting for us, so get ready.”

Nigh instantly, everyone was prepared and ready to get out the door. Anxious to leave, they all began filing from the mess hall to the decrepit hallway. Led by Vincent and trailed by Ethan, they still kept protection as a priority. As Ethan’s turn to exit came, however, he hesitated.

“Yoko…!? Are you alright? Where are you? Come on!”

“I’m right here! It’s fine! Sorry…” she replied, slinking away from the back room and hiding a grin.

“Dammit, woman, get moving or they’ll leave us.”

Without so much as a reply, he ushered the young woman out the door and began to follow the route which was taken by the other three.

************************************************************************

The dropship hovered slightly above the ground on autopilot as its only crew member made his way to the back. Its oxygen levels were turned off for what he had in mind. With a smirk, he pulled out large case hidden under the passenger seats lining the sides of the inner section of the ship. He removed its contents carefully: a high-caliber sniper rifle, a case of fifty-caliber armor-piercing rounds, and a night-vision scope. Almost as if with the solemnity of carrying out one’s job, Zeke Williams, flight supervisor and ex-marine, fully loaded his weapon and latched the scope onto place. He threw the large gun over his shoulder and continued toward the door located at the back of the ship.

Within an instant, the door was open and he was placing his rifle into the new pathway. So that his gun wouldn’t recoil and shatter his own shoulder, he unfolded the bipod located on the barrel and latched it into the dropship’s floor. As he laid down behind the rifle and gazed through the scope, horror set in.

The creature he saw kill Senior Sergeant Jack Armstrong was apparently not alone. As Zeke gazed across the visible area, he spotted four of the beasts.

“Son of a…” he began, his voice trailing off.

************************************************************************

As Yoko and Ethan hurried behind the others using only their hands as guidance, bright flashes of light rang before them with the eruption of gunfire spraying the area. Before they could realize what was going on, a bullet easily passed through Ethan’s thigh. A few others seemed to be so close as to lick his skin.

“Get down…!” he hissed, throwing himself on top of Yoko and dragging them both to the ground.

Almost as suddenly, the barrage ended without a trace.

“Are you alright? Ethan asked, whispering hoarsely.

“You’re bleeding…” she replied, “ I can feel it.”

“Don’t worry about me, just keep moving… Stay low.”

The two of them continued progressing farther down the hallway, keeping close to both the wall and the ground. As the pair neared the source of their attack, they heard fierce cussing coming from ahead of them.

“Who’s there?” Ethan whispered.

“Hey, Private, you’re late…” the man groaned, “Enjoy smelling the roses?”

“Still spry as ever, Vincent… What happened?”

Ethan grew close to his shaded form resting against the wall with the intent of inspecting his injuries. With a huff, Vincent pushed the younger man away. His shallow, jagged breathing gave tale to his story, though the older man did not wish it so.

That thing jumped us. Nearly got Sheri, but Matthew pushed her out of the way. Tore up his arms pretty bad, though…” Vincent moaned softly, “Bastard smashed me into the wall before I could open fire on it. Can’t feel my legs… Don’t know what else is wrong with me, can’t much see in the dark you know. Doubt I do.”

“Come on, I’ll carry you.” Yoko whispered, “You hit Ethan, so he can’t do it.”

“No, you get away. That thing is still here, watching, waiting. I can move. I’ll stay back and let you two run.”

“… Are you sure about this?” Ethan asked.

“No, but I’ve got a score to settle with this big guy. Get going, the exit’s just up ahead.”

“Thank you.” Yoko sighed.

“Quit your damn lollygaggin’! Get the hell out of here before I shoot you myself… Semper Fi.”

“I’ll make sure you and your brother get a commendation… Good luck.” Ethan spoke, turning and limping away with Yoko under his arm.

The pair moved forward and never looked back, leaving Vincent to his fate. He just smiled a sadistic smile only those who are inches away from a fulfilling death could smile.

“Oh, where could you be, my dear friend…? Come out, come out….”

He gazed ahead as a large figure dropped to the ground. Reaching for his gun, he noticed it wasn’t there. He began to quickly rummage through his vest in a slight panic.

“Sleep…” he thought he heard a heavy, inhuman voice speak, one that both haunted and calmed him.

Quickly, two large claws pierced the First Sergeant’s chest and began to steal his life away. But, still, he just smiled. His body fell limp, but neither the luster in his eyes nor the smile on his face faded.

“From my brother…” Vincent gasped, “He says… ‘See ya, demon.’ ”

Before the claws could be withdrawn, a blaze erupted from his pocket, engulfing the area in an explosion.

************************************************************************

As Zeke watched the beasts carefully, he noticed three of the four were moving off to the right. Glancing over, he saw a small group of five filing out of a tear in Red Star’s hull. He took aim at the creatures as they neared the men and women stumbling in the darkness.

He fired once, then twice at the otherworldly animals, but only his first shot made its mark; even so, it kept moving with its pack. He couldn’t pick them off before they overcame the people, that was for certain. They proved to be quite quick and evasive opponents, much faster than a normal person.

It was over before it began. Without his targets giving him a clear shot, they overcame the group of people effortlessly. It was only until after the beasts were hunched over the bodies of the fallen was he able to fire once again.

Without hesitating after a target was made open, he fired his final two remaining shots into the chest of the first, whipping it back lifelessly into the ground. Unbeknownst to him, the first shot tore a bit of the left rod of the bipod from the flooring slightly. He hurriedly reloaded his four rounds into his weapon, but his remaining two targets were gone long before he was ready to fire once again.

In an effort to find them, he began to survey the area. His attention, however, was diverted as an explosion rocked the dropship. His eyes quickly gazed at its direction, showering before him with the lustrous rays of flame pouring out of the ship.

“What in God’s name…” he softly spoke, watching the light flicker and dance along the area.

A hand reached up and grasped the bottom of the open hatch. At first startled, Zeke grasped the hand and pulled a woman on board, soon followed by a man with torn, bleeding arms.

“Where did you two come from?” he asked.

“The hatch over to your left-the burning one.” Dominic spoke, heaving heavily and sitting close to Sheri in the passenger seats.

“There’s two more coming!” Sheri huffed, “You have to help them, please… Are you our military escort?”

“You could say that.” Zeke smirked.

Zeke quickly laid behind his rifle once again and sought out the second pair. Sure enough, there they were stumbling towards the ship, one helping the other along. But… There was… Something else…

“Holy hell.” he hissed.

The fourth he saw earlier was right behind them, gliding along effortlessly. Zeke took aim and fired a volley of rounds, all of which were missed. With the third shot, one clamp of the bipod tore through the metal and snapped the gun back, locking it at a slanted angle.

Free from its attacker, the animal lunged at its prey, knocking them both to the ground. Almost instantly, Ethan spun around and opened close-range fire into the body on his very own assailant. It pushed the enemy back and held it at bay, but the rounds were not strong enough to easily pierce its skin.

Unclamping the other support rod, Zeke Williams stood, holding the large sniper rifle in his arms. Hesitantly, he took aim and fired, forcing his gun to jolt back and careen into the wall, knocking him along with it and shattering his shoulder.

************************************************************************

“Run!” Ethan yelled as he fired his automatic weapon at the creature looming over them. Empty rounds as well as crushed bullets having not pierced its skin rained freely down upon his chest. As his clip ran empty, he heard the echo of strong gunfire from behind him. Just as the beast began to lunge at them once again, it was knocked to the ground as a 50-caliber round shot through its chest.

“Oh… my god…”Yoko gasped, shaking heavily as she raised to her feet, aiding Ethan as well.

The creature still moved, for it was not yet dead. It tried to rise in vain, but fell back against the ground. Ethan glared at its darkened form with that of pity as well as hatred. He reached into his pocket and smiled as he removed a grenade. As he pulled the pin, he tossed it beside the wounded beast.

“Keep moving!” he yelled.

The two limped along in a frantic pace in order to escape the blast. Just moments after they left the creature, flame billowed around it and the ground shook with the grenade’s explosion. They could feel the heat lick the backs of their necks, but they knew the light would keep any other of those beasts away from them as they got onto the dropship that laid just before them.

Ethan took Yoko’s bag, with much complaint from her, and tossed it into the ship along with his weapon. It landed, open, directly in front of Shari and Dominic, whose faces were instantly streaked with horror and dismay. Shari reached out for it hesitantly and drew it up beside them.

“Is that a… A…” Shari began.

“An egg.” Dominic spoke.

With a grunt, Ethan pulled himself aboard the ship. With an outstretched hand, he leaned over and offered it to Yoko. With his aid, she climbed aboard soon after.

Long, sharp claws… A tall, slender body… And spiny, black scales covering its form… These were all Ethan would recall of the creature’s body. What else would be burned into the Private Major’s mind so deeply and so horrifically that he intentionally pushed it away. This is what he saw and how it will stay of the flash of an image when the creature lunged into the light and snatched Yoko Kusanagi away.