What's dead doesn't die

Posted on Wed Apr 30th, 2025 @ 9:34pm by Captain Daegan Baas

913 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Sole Survivor
Timeline: Current

[The prison transport Nhialic]

The command crew sat on the bridge looking out the main view post at the remains of a ship. “What do you make of it?”

“No signs of weapons damage... I’d say it got caught in that plasma storm that we let pass and broke up.”

“Poor bastards…any life signs?”

“Not a one sir, but…”

The Captain looked over to his mate, “But what?”

Pointing to a section of the display. “This larger section appears to house their engineering and cargo section which still has atmosphere. Scans show enough resources aboard to keep us supplied for three maybe four runs.”

“And that would not only put back in the black but put a nice bonus in everyone’s pocket.” Looking at his crew he went from face to face and could see their desires. Opportunities like this were rare and not likely to come again and he nodded.

“This will put us behind getting to the detention station, but the potential haul would seriously out weigh and late fines from from our contract."

There was a chorus of acknowledgements of understanding several comments but there were no objections. “Alright then…pick it clean.”

The initial search of the ship they had found was gruesome, with blood or part of bodies everywhere. They had brought some of the remains back to try and figure out what had happened, but before they could even consider returning for the ships resources their people began to transform in to horrifically deformed creatures that began rampaging through the ship hunting down anyone it could find.


[3 hours later]

Terrified and in an act of desperation Fortran tossed several grenades at several creatures. While it blew them apart it only slowed them down and made matters worse. The explosions began a cascade of overloads and malfunctions across the ship. Fortran wounded by his own stupidity, tried to crawl away as the now dismembered maw closed on him. The various parts either recombining or becoming independently mobile, all eventually swarming him, his face distorted in agony as they wrapped him up and tore into and even merged his body.


[And then there were two…]

Enzih helped Hosen as the pair scrambled down the corridor. Power was failing throughout the ship and the light flickered on and off and they tried to reach the launch bay.

Hosen tripped sending both of them to the floor. Enzil brushed her hair from her face and rushed to her feet, they could hear the guttural growl screams of the things that were looking for them. Reaching for Hosen he was grabbing his leg, the muscles in his jaw clinched and him mouth distorted from trying to keep from crying out. He could feel that something was terribly wrong and tried to push Enzih away.

Grabbing him under the shoulders she somehow found the strength to haul him to his feet and he put an arm across her shoulder and they began to move once again. They hadn’t taken but a handful of steps when a shrieking screen echoed through the corridors that stopped them cold with a shiver of primal fear. That scream was followed by an ungodly roar and the screaming ended sharply.

Looking back down the corridor a shape could be seen in the dimming and flickers lights. “COME ON”, she shouted as they rushed headlong towards the bay. Making it into the bay she leaned Hosen against a crate and rushed to seal the bay door, closing them just in time.

Whatever the abomination was it began beating itself against the bulkhead doors and while Enzih had jumped at first, its failure let her relax for the first time since this nightmare began. While it continued to growl, roar, beat on the other side of the doors Enzih looked towards the small shuttle pod.

Enzih letting out a breath of relief was the last thing Hosen saw as he shouted in pain, falling to his knees. He began gasping for breath he began choking spitting up blood.

Enzih began shaking her head weeping as tears began streaming down her cheeks. Slow backing away whimpering, Noo noo noo.”

Thrashing about Hosen reared back on his knees clawing at his chest as black blood sprayed from his mouth as he fell back, his back arched to an unreachable degree, his limbs breaking themselves and contorting his body into a gruesome monstrosity. She continued to back away, crying even harder, as what had been Hosen crawled it’s way towards her. Kicking a piece of debris she picked it up as it roared at her again. Swinging the conduit she hit it in the head. Crying “NOooNOoooNOoooNoooo” with each swing she hit it over and over again until its head was hanging and the body stopped moving.

Dropping the conduit it’s rattling echoed in the bay as she collapsed in tears, her face in her hands. A few moments later the sounds of flesh moving caused her to drop her hands slowly from her wide tears stained eyes. The lighting failed and her scream was cut short; transformed into gurgling spasms as she was stabbed thought the throat by a boney protrusion.

Power eventually failed aboard the Nhialic and it began to drift with the rest of the wreckage. It's systems failed one by one, lights flickered, it's heat bled of into space and everything went cold. As the cold deepened what should have been dead slept.

 

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