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I heard a noise coming from the hallway. I ducked underneath the center console, removing the metal barrier that housed the wiring. Footsteps were coming closer, the scent of the man disgusting. I hid as best I could, ready to fight, despite my injuries.
Cade walked back into the room, dragging a metal crowbar along the deck. He was whistling a tune I couldn’t make out, one that drove my nerves wild. He was lost in his head. As he combed the area, he stopped near the broken air vent I had fallen through. A gross mixture of blood and green bile was under his feet. He lifted his shoe and groaned, plugging his nose.
He didn’t know where I was, but he seemed to sense I was close. “You’re lucky I have prior obligations,” he said, sitting down on the console itself and yawning loudly. “Look, I don’t know if you freaky fuck can speak English, but I have a feeling we’re similar souls.”
Similar souls? Negative.
There was a slight pause before he continued. “I’m not here to hurt you. I know this program is destined for failure,” he said. “Just need you to know one thing. The bitch is mine. You touch her, and I’ll derail the whole operation. I’ll make sure this ship explodes before you can get our precious fuel cells into that engine of yours.”
He stood up, tapping the console three times. I clutched my wound and sat through my quiet fits of rage.
She was my only hope. But on the off chance these were my last days, she’d at least make for a good fuck.
6
Mia
I searched the labyrinth of hallways that made up the inner corridors, but there was no one to be found.
I kept wondering about the alien. What was its purpose here?
Every step I took, I felt farther and farther away from Juliana. It was a disastrous idea for us to split up. If anything went awry, we would need her expertise. But without her, we would have no command.
All of us were split up. Some were in the cafeteria. The others were still fast asleep in the cryo, waiting to wake up at their destination. But Juliana and I were the only leaders here, and we had led everyone astray.
I glanced at the many clocks lining the walls. Tokyo, New York, London. All of the major cities of Earth were present, but the times were all off. The numbers were spinning to their own rhythm.
Taking my pistol out of its holster didn’t make me feel any safer. I spent nights studying the architecture of our shuttle. If a bullet were to hit a weak area, not only would we freeze to death, but the lack of pressure would end us all.
I crossed another hallway and stopped as I saw a small droplet of blood, black in color. I stooped down to get a better look, but it was obvious it came from someone inhuman, and I was unwilling to touch it.
Marching forward with a job to do, I wondered what his purpose was. Was he even the right word? Whatever it was saved my life. Why?
He looked similar to us. Better, but of the same.
He was trying to survive. The mess in the cargo pointed to that. He stole food, took some batteries, and looked for fuel.
As dumb as it may have been, I felt bad for him.
I found myself near the decompression room. The door was left wide open, a huge break in procedure. The only one who knew the code to get in was Juliana, so I gave a sigh of relief and entered.
The room was stark white and eerie. Empty suits hung against the walls, reminding me that we were all just vessels waiting to be flung into darkness. This ship was our new home, the suits our new flesh, and the pills we took every morning to stay sane were our new escape. At the end of the day, we were just learning how to exist in a place that didn’t want us. Maybe we’d all signed up knowing that was the case.
More blood was spread out across the floor. This time the color was a bright and alarming red. Human. Swiping my finger across the liquid, I gulped and turned to see the trail that led to the cryo-chamber.
“Juliana,” I said. As the silence took hold, I screamed her name so she might hear me and scream back. “Juliana!”
Nothing but the echo of my voice. Heart pounding erratically, I collapsed against the wall and screamed. Nothing, but I could hear the sound of rummaging. The alien was nearer than I wanted him to be.
I shouldn’t have left the dining hall. I should have stayed behind.
Feet carrying me through every octagonal hatch, I finally reached central control. It was the one place I hadn’t checked. I slowed down and swallowed, mouth parched. There was vomit on the floors, and a sticky substance lined the walls.
I held my breath and walked forward, manning the computers. “Disgusting,” I muttered.
All I had to do was punch in the security code, and the cafeteria doors would open. I could slip back in and give an update. I could fix our wrong. They would be Cade’s judges.
But as my eyes met the security screens, I saw blood.
