Synthetic Reality

Plague (part 3)

The iron crates they stowed away in packed the room. After waking up alone, Clarence shuffled to the door of the windowless cargo hold and hesitated.

"They're dead or they already took control of the ship? Either way, when I open this door someone will know I'm here."

The ship's internal cameras captured images of a stocky silverback gorilla in blue and orange combat fatigues crawl out of an empty metal box and open the hatch to the second cargo bay.

"Fuck me."

The next room was full of cryogenic containers splattered in blood. There were no bodies, just a sticky coagulated mess. Humanoid-sized tubes lined the walls, each with its cover in the upright open position. Clarence reached to the holster slung across his chest and armed his blaster. He knuckle walked carefully avoiding the red puddles on the floor and exited the storage section.

Out in the hall, he found Mimi. Her right leg was missing below the knee and her left arm torn from its socket. Her face was mangled like an animal mauled her and her white scarf soaked in synthetic blood. Tight curly hair was the only recognizable thing on her head.

"What did this to you?"

A scream and a thud came from down the hall, followed by a series of thwacking sounds. Clarence ran to the intersection. The ship's main conduit split in two directions, but it was impossible to tell which way led to the front and which way to the rear.

"Die! Just die already!"

The voice came from the right and Clarence moved with caution down the dimly lit hallway. A Grandorian was beating another who was down on the floor and not moving. Clarence assumed it must be the trader and his mechanic. He snuck up from behind and grabbed the big iron wrench the man was battering the corpse with when he swung it back for another hit.

"Easy there. He's dead already."

The man's leather engineering suit was splattered in blue and red blood. His marbled skin was flushed and veiny.

"Hey! What... How did you get aboard? You have a gun! Shoot him! Shoot him in the head!"

The panicked man stepped away from the body. A nonfunctioning robot soldier slumped against the wall; one of the sentinel guards that traveled with the trader.

"I'm a Palavonte from Grandor 8. What's going on here? Are you the mechanic?"

"Yeah, I'm the mechanic. He was the captain, but he's infected. He'll get up again. Shoot him in the head. You gotta blow his brains out."

"I think you took care of that. Why'd you kill your boss?"

"We gotta get to the bridge. The other sentinels are fighting them in the engine room but they won't last long."

Clarence looked down the hall. A metallic crash rang out in the darkness and the sound of running footsteps followed.

"Give me that gun you stupid ape!"

The mechanic grabbed the barrel and Clarence smacked him with the wrench, sending the hysterical man to the floor.

Shadowy figures filled the hallway moving their way fast. He dropped the wrench and the mechanic dove for it. Clarence backed away toward the bridge as the mechanic was surrounded by battered and bloody humanoids. He swung his wrench like a maniac and managed to split open a few heads before the mob gang tackled him. They ripped at his body and bit into his flesh.

His screams made Clarence's hair stand on end.

The horror show of people turned their attention to the gorilla. Clarence ran as fast as his arms could swing him, heaving his body forward with each massive step. The hall ahead ended with a sealed blast door that began to open.