Faux Realm Ch. 09

Moments before they exited their vessel. They were on their way to designated area for planetary ambassadors. Inter -- Planetary conference for those in need. For better or for worse their world sent a minor delegation. It was an unusual flight.

Everything was fine until they started to walk randomly, like men without a goal, yet clearly driven by some unknown force. Their aids were equally worried as their masters showed this unusually pattern of behavior. They were showing no signs of life, it was as if they were puppets on a string.

After a round of mindless wondering the first man to drop down to his knees started bleeding from every orifice on his head. His nose, eyes, mouth and ears were gushing blood. His eyes rolled in the back of his head showing just white canvas in his eyes as it slowly started to get darker and darker. Red color of blood started to change the serene sight into something utterly sinister.

Living being started to emerge from every orifice, as blood and flesh started to seep and tear. Bits and pieces of brain matter interlaced with sharp shapes of skull were carried out. Their screams were silent.

He heard himself retch and scream alongside many people that ran for the only exit on board this massive station. How could have this happen?

Utter shock and terror left the delegation in shock. Seeking help from their aids, but even they were frozen with fear as if staring a predator in the eye as it devoured its prey in front of them making them aware they were next. They started to run over one another. No one had a clear goal where to go or what to do, so they ran over one another. Blood and bones were left behind as the door closed behind them.

The door clicked. Leaving only screams of terror behind them.

***

A figure watched the screen in silence. It was its first time observing these things doing their job.

Poised for strike, listening for any sign it could exploit for initiating its plan of attack. This was a carefully devised plan to deceive its prey.

It loved smelling fear on its victims.

THERE!

It lunged from its hidey hole. Blades drawn. First strike left her neck open, coloring the walls with blood. A scream and rush of feet. But it was ready.

Lunging toward its next target, few dexterous moves with its hands and the target dropped down lifelessly.

"What the fuck is that!?!" Someone screamed.

***

He heard himself yell, it was more of a scream than anything else. In front of him was a sight out of horror movies.

A faceless figure stood before him.

Its black eyes drew him in, as if his own mind was freezing from the sight he had seen, he tried to move but his feet did not work. He tried to scream but his lungs acted as if no air came to them. Very slowly the figure turned toward him. Flesh reflected light as it moved its head. Its body was clad in some translucent membrane.

He was waiting. He was waiting for this figure to do its job, apex predator on its hunt. Was he about to die?

He could hear himself breathing. He could not avert his gaze from this figures eyes. Utter terror awaits behind them. He wanted to live.

But it moved.

Final thoughts were of home.

***

This apex predator was slowly moving from room to room. Disposing of whatever people remained. Others fell prey to the insects it laid weeks prior.

Slowly incubating in the cavities, after birth it would eat its way through its host. Inhabiting whatever area the egg was laid in, very few survived the initial birth. Most went into a coma, others weren't so lucky. They felt every move and prod these devils made eating their way out its host.

It was a horrible way to die. Blood, tissue and guts was all over the station. After they reach maturity that's when the real magic starts. It was just sad it would be away when that process begins.

But the apex predator did not care. It savored the hunt. The intricate design of the battlefield prior to combat itself. Everything was meticulously planed. It left nothing to chance.

It used the device on its arm, humming it produced a black cloud. The predator stepped through it, leaving gore behind it, savoring the smell of blood, chirping as it disappeared from sight.

Still some remained alive for several hours in agony. Calling for their mothers, gods, whomever they could in their agonizing journey to death.

Most died instantly. But some weren't that lucky.

Some were left experiencing hell itself.

***

Captain Crewz hated protocols and rules with passion. He would join the pirates, but that was highly illegal and it was punished by execution. And Crews loved his life.

"S.R. Space station this is D.O. Renown requesting permission to dock."

"S.R. space station this is D.O. Renown requesting permission to dock." The woman's voice repeated.

"Captain, I'm trying. All I'm getting is static." She said to her commanding officer sitting in a round chair behind her.

They were on an illuminated bridge, watching the giant crystal screen with rapt silence. Only sounds that interrupted this silence were the ones coming from 5 consoles that were around the captains' chair. They were positioned in a semi -- circle. Every console had a person sitting or standing behind it. Different colors of light were emanating from them.

"Again. Please." Captain asked.

"S.R. Space station this is D.O. Renown requesting permission to dock." She repeated.

There were few moments of silence. They had to wait for several seconds before the woman interrupted the silence with her words "Nothing sir."

"Follow the protocol." Captain said sighing, he did not like that word.

"Yes, Sir." She answered

"This is D.O. Renown requesting assistance at the S.R space station. We're near these coordinates --"she started to say in her comms.

Several people watched in silence as the station floated near the husk of a planet. Silently moving in space. Their stop for few nights now was interrupted by possible pirate attack. They had protocols in these situations. Call for backup and wait patiently. Move if you think you are outnumbered.

Captain Crewz always thought it was a coward's way to fight. He hated these protocols. And the fact that he had to follow them. Sighing deeply he stood up.

"Ready an away team. We are boarding that station." He barked at his crew.

"But Captain this is against protocol." His cyborg companion and coms officer made it harder for him to do what he really wanted.

"ENOUGH." He yelled, harder then he intended to, but this scrap of metal made him angry.

"Prepare to leave in 10 minutes. That's an order." He fumed.

He was the captain of a ship. "Fuck robots. Seriously. All you do is follow rules."

Several members of his crew were ready he just needed to grab his gun and they could go.

Docking procedure was uneventful. Clamps joined with the airlock and it started to decompress. Minutes passed and he could feel the adrenaline rushing through his body. He was anxious to get away from the boring confines of his bridge, he needed something else apart from ordering people. The monotony of daily protocols and rules that just hindered his captain's career.

He wanted to be free to choose what he wanted to do.

The light was on.

He jumped up. Holding the handle little too tightly. He was suddenly scared. Of what?

Why was he shivering suddenly? He shrugged his shoulders. *Probably the incoming action.* he thought.

He moved his hand releasing the door. Swish of air started escaping until the pressure was equal to the stations. He smelled something strange in the air. Suddenly afraid that the pirates could have released something into the air. But quickly shrugging it off at his frayed nerves. He moved into the position light in the airlock was dimly illuminating the area around. There were traces of ooze around the entrance. The area seemed washed in green goo that came from somewhere. The entire station, or so they assumed, was in dark.

"Lights on." He said but nothing happened.

"Illuminate." Again nothing happened.

"Fuck. Must be some glitch in the system." One of his men said.

"I advise caution, I read several life signatures around this area." The android said.

"They should have responded to our hails. Do you know what the signatures are?" Crewz's first officer asked.

"Inconclusive." The cyborg woman said.

"Fucking robots man." Crewz scoffed.

He moved into black interior of the station. He slowly turned to the side. Inspecting the area around the corner. He felt something brushing the side of his head. Waving his hand away he thought *Just stray wires* feeling that unfamiliar feeling of utter terror.

He could not see anything beyond the light on his wrist that illuminated the area in front of him, just barely.

Again he felt something brush the side of his head. Like a hand was slowly caressing his hair, but just out of reach. He wanted to lean into it, but remembered where he was, turning he saw nothing. Thinking to himself that it was just his frayed feelings messing with him. He turned and saw his men looking silently in utter terror.

Following their gazes to his side he saw something even his nightmares would fail to reproduce. A thing. Standing on two feet. Meat and bones contorted. What before resembled a humanoid, or an alien, now was a husk of its former self, just barely standing.

Then it happened. Gut wrenching scream, a screech, something that made the hairs on his body stand up, "AARGHHHHHHH" From the creature as it tried to remain standing. Contorted pieces fell one by one leaving nothing behind. Dried blood was all over the floor, smell of rotten flesh slowly filled the air. As they observed this happening they saw feelers slowly pull into the darkness.

As if responding to the initial scream, the entire interior of the station slowly started to erupt in ear splitting screams.

"We've got to move. NOW." As they turned and started to pull back, the doors leading to the airlock suddenly closed in front of them.

8 people stared each other in utter shock as they watched the door remain closed even after they started to pry them open. Noises of screams came closer and became louder as their captain shook in the middle of the room staring at the darkness that was suddenly coming alive.

Feelers, arms and legs started to appear running towards them. Crewz started to yell and beg. But to no avail.

"Open that DAMN door." Crewz barked.

His voice was shaking with fear, as if appraising them the enemy stood still. Crewz was now gingerly moving through his men to get to the closed hatch. Slowly he started to pry them open. He worked on them so much and with such force that the nails on his hands started to tear and bleed. But he could not feel the pain. For some reason he wanted out. And now.

"Captain. I'm getting the same life readings as before. Seems these creatures have the same DNA as the people on the stations, however it's getting degraded." The Cyborg woman started to talk.

"OPEN THIS DOOR." Crewz screamed.

"Captain, I'm getting mixed readings, Air particles seem to change." The woman said in her monotone voice.

A yellow mist started to fill the vicinity. There was a palpable fear. No one wanted to fire their gun first. They were scared senseless. The cyborg navigator/comms officer was standing still and doing her own analysis as Crewz's hands became more and more distorted the more he tried to escape. But it was no good. The latch was closed shut. And nothing could pry it open from where they were.

"AIR CONTAMINATION DETECTED." Cyborg's voice suddenly changed from monotone to unbelievably loud and almost frightening.

"INITIATIONG PROTOCOL 1. LOCKDOWN INITIATED." She then closed her eyes.

Everyone was staring at the cyborg with fear. Crewz stood still and started to walk slowly towards her, "Say that again. Protocol 1?"

He had a strange look in his eyes almost like he was slowly accommodating to the situation, "OPEN THIS DOOR YOU WHORING ROBOT."

He screamed, he kicked her in the stomach, but that just made the robot drop down to her knees. His hands were bleeding from the tampering with the door. Suddenly he noticed that there were more THINGS standing in front of him, horrible mutilated corpses that smelled of death. They moved and screams started.

First few men started the old process of trying to pry open the large thick airlock door. Crewz just knelt and started laughing.

"We should have waited for backup." He said in silent redemption as the screams of his men continued.