One

Posted on Thu Oct 24th, 2019 @ 5:13pm by

963 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: What Stalks The Night
Location: Away Team

It had been hours since the rest of the away team had left, leaving Vonnie on her own with Jack, though it was starting to feel like it had been half a life time. He was still whimpering at every sound. Making a mental note to speak to the Chief when they got back to the ship, she shook her head and started walking across the large, open space.

"Where are you going?" Jack demanded quickly as he saw her walking. He took a few steps to the end of the gel and stopped, uncertain.

"I'm checking the perimeter," she replied with a clear tone of annoyance. "Don't get your knickers in a twist, I'm just checking around."

"We're supposed to stay with the gel!" Jack shot back. "Lieutenant Hebron said we were supposed to stay with the gel!"

"Will you shut up you big girls blouse!" Vonnie hissed back. "Just shut up will you! I'm not going out of sight!"

The very thing that Stefan had warned everyone about stirred when the power in the facility came on, stirred by shorting consoles, flickering lights, the near silent drone of sub generators. Most of the lighting in the facility had failed already, shorted out when the reactor was damaged, some strained by flickering with life but not all. A dark gloom clung to the air and surroundings like a veil shrouding everything in mystery and danger.

Through vent and crawlspace it came, encouraged by the sounds. Its movements were quick thanks to long arms and legs, thin and leathered as it neared. From around a corner some 20 meters from where the gel was hovering upon its anti grav sled a pipe rolled, kicked purely by accident allowing it to roll to the other side of the corridor to clink against the bulkhead. Its surprise ruined, it hid, waiting.

Though both heard the sound simultaneously, Vonnie was the first to react. She instantly drew her phaser, holding her finger to her lips as she cautioned Jack to silence.

Jack nodded, his eyes widening as he retreated back toward the gel, eyes wide and fearful. His hand was over his phaser but in the pressure of the moment he struggled with the safety.

Vonnie started toward the corridor, her footfalls near silent as she moved, making her way toward the wall and then creeping forward, phaser held firmly in front of her. With slow and precise movements she peered around the corner into the corridor. There was nothing immediately visible. Maybe it was the rest of the away team coming back. She started moving forward into the corridor, one slow and steady step at a time, oblivious to the horrified expression on Jack's face as he watched her disappear from view.

Movement could be heard, it waited, the noise had served a purpose, the hunt was on. Within an overhead vent it waited, patiently, watching.

Vonnie could hear her pulse racing through her body with every step that she took, though on the outside she was calm and her phaser was still. She moved along the corridor, her back to the wall, mostly watching in front of her, assuming that Jack would alert her to anything that came from behind. Another step, and another, drawing a slow breath and exhaling, she started to relax. There was nothing. She laughed softly, a sound barely audible as she turned to call back to Jack to tell him everything was okay.

From above it watched, observing, stalking then when Vonnie turned her back the moment came. From above as silently as a bird in flight it slipped from the vent and landed on her back. Its weight not enough to drop her to her knees or knock her down but the surprise of it enough. Long sharp claws dug into her shoulders, its feet slashing at the backs of her thighs. As soon as its own feet touched the floor it flung Vonnie to a wall. It had its prey, now it was time for the kill and its claws went to work slashing, cutting, wounding.

The scream that tore from Vonnie's lips shattered the silence as she felt the claws dig into her shoulders. The feeling of weightlessness came as she felt herself being tossed through her air, her body colliding with the bulkhead, the impact knocking the breath from her body, dazing her. As she hit the deck, the only sound became the stifled moans and cries of pain as she felt her body being torn by the creature.

Jack heard the sound of Vonnie's scream, every hair on his body standing on end as cold fear came over him. Phaser drawn in a shaking hand, he ran toward the corridor, rounding the corridor and propelling himself forward in an act of bravado. "Vonnie!" he shouted, stopping short in front of the creature attacking his crew mate, freezing in fear.

The creature heard another as it lifted Vonnie from the floor, its wounded prey, bleeding, moaning as the foot steps could be heard. Just as Jack rounded the corner the creature using its had torn open part of the shoulder, chest and neck of Vonnie. Bone visible, tatters of flesh and uniform hanging. The blood from it splashing Jack square in the face, mouth and neck almost blinding him as the creature turned to look at the newcomer and snarled at him, its grip unyielding on the body of the now dead officer.

The scream that came forward from Jack was nothing short of sheer terror as he turned, dropping his phaser as he threw himself forward, fleeing along the corridor away from the creature and what was left of his crew mate as he retreated, his screams still echoing through the empty corridor around them.

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