And to Dust We Shall Return.

scared kids

Nim stared at the tablet screen and blinked groggily. Her eyes felt raw and prickly from the glare, but she couldn’t put it down. Not yet.

‘You're up late.’ Said a familiar voice. Nim looked up to see the captain standing in front of her, coffee mug in hand. Evidently she wasn’t the only one with things on her mind tonight.

‘So are you.’ she replied, her eyes darting back to the light of the screen.

‘Let's just say there’s a file at headquarters that’s at least 40 pages thicker’  said the captain, in the deadpan tone of one who has seen far too many bits of paperwork and not enough duvets in the last 24 hours. She paused to peer over Nim’s shoulder ‘What’s that?’

‘CCTV footage from deck 12’ said Nim, hitting play on the tablet and holding it up. To reveal blurry, monochrome image of Sjors teetering drunkenly down the hallway.
 ‘So far the only people going in or out are Mathil and Sjors.’

‘Makes sense. They were always together.’ 

Nim rested her chin on her hands.  ‘That’s what I thought too at first, but she is a shapeshifter. For all we know, she could have disguised herself as him.’

The captain took a sip from her coffee.
‘I suppose if she was going to sneak in, that would be the easiest way.’ 

‘Yeah.’  Nim put the tablet face down on the table. ‘But maybe I should ask Sjors some questions anyway. Just to be certain. ‘

The captain surveyed her from over the rim of her coffee cup. ‘Yesterday you wouldn’t even consider another suspect. Is there some new evidence I should know about?’

‘No...I dunno...maybe? It's complicated.’

The captain offered her a wry grin. ‘Nobody said the game of life was simple commander.’ 

‘ Ha! You're not wrong there. Soon as I think I've got it figured out someone flips the whole dang table over.’ She pinched the bridge of her nose and shut her eyes tight, hoping it might help her think. But the bright light of the mess burned orange through her eyelids, which was almost worse.

‘I went to talk to it again yesterday.’ said Nim at last.

‘Oh?’

‘And it was weird. Normally it’s pretty obvious that’s it’s not...y’know...human.  But this time, it didn't look like some murderous monster to me. It just… looked like a scared kid.’

Nim opened her eyes again, to the warm face of the captain. To the lines etched in her skin by years of hard decisions. And her curly dark hair now flecked with grey. 
‘That's probably because she is.’ 

…

 Rubble littered the ground in desecrated chunks. The sharp edges poking out of the mud like plaster icebergs. For a tired girl with very short legs, it was not forgiving terrain.
 
‘Careful squirt!’  Said Nim’s bother stooping to catch her. ‘We've a little ways to go yet.’

 ‘It’s not too far!’ shouted her father. He had gone ahead of them up the track, and Nim could just make out the red of his shirt, bobbing about in the darkness. ‘ Just keep going! And stick together!’ 

Her brother gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, and led her on. Every now and then, there would be a bright flash in the distance followed a boom. And Nim’s heart would pound just a little quicker in her chest.  They had all grown used to the explosions by now. But it was different to see them so close. To feel the heat, and smell the scent of ozone linger in the air.  She gripped her brother’s hand a little tighter, and hoped that it wasn't her street that had just been hit. But before she had a chance to ask, a ship, sleek and sharp as an arrow, shot through the sky above her.  Others soon followed. Dozens of them. Slicing through the sky like razors. 

 ‘I'm scared.’ Nim, whimpered. As they picked themselves up from the rubble. ‘You said we were going to meet mom.’
‘We are, sweetpea.’ Said her father gently. ‘Just a little bit further ok?’

And so they carried on, through the wreckage of houses, shops and roads. Passed gardens laid to waste, and bridges long collapsed over the ghosts of dry rivers. Until, dusty and tired, they reached a ridge at the edge of town.  Nim buried her face in her brother’s shirt. ‘You said she'd be here. Dad...you said…’

But her father put a finger to his lips. Then, out of the shadows stepped her mother. 

‘Mom!’ Cried Nim in relief, and she ran to her. But her mother didn’t smile. She didn’t sweep her up in her arms. She just stood there. Her face calm and blank. Nim backed away. It didn't feel right. It wasn’t…

She turned to her father, only to find to her horror that they were surrounded.  Creatures, formless, and intangible emerged from the shadows. Their Eyeless, mouthless faces staring blankly at them, as they drifting like vapor in the cold night air.  Nim wanted to run back to her mother, but she simply continued staring at her. And as she did her face began to dissolve, until it too was nothing more than a haze of a shape. 

‘Mom?’ Said Nim one last time. Her mind far too gripped with terror to say anything else.

‘Take them.’ Said the thing that was not her mother. In a voice that sounded like a hundred people and at the same time, no-one at all. The creatures surrounding them moved in closer. Tendrils of smoke emerged from the darkness and wrapped themselves around her father. ‘Nim!!’ He cried, struggling against their grip. ‘RUN!’ 

But her feet were frozen in place.

‘RUN NIM, RUN!!!’
More tendrils began curling around her feet. Every cell in her body was begging her to run. But she was stuck. Paralyzed by shock.  Her brother ran towards her, and with the full force of his body rammed her aside. The tendrils snapped and let go only to close in on him instead.

‘IT’S OK NIM’ He yelled. ‘JUST RUN!’.  And she did. Desperately, fiercely. 
Until her legs burned and her heart pounded and her lungs wanted to burst, but still she didn’t stop. Not until the darkness had swallowed her whole. 

Only then did she dare look back.

And she saw...not her father and brother...but two humans. A man and a woman. They were holding each other tightly, and shouting something to her, but their words were lost over the sound of gunshots.  She didn't want to leave them. She couldn't leave them. Don't make me leave them!! 
But rough hands pulled her away, and bundled her through a door. The door to a ship. And all was darkness. 
Darkness and space…
And a planet….hers but not hers. It's surface boiling in flames.

Nim groaned groggily, as her mind tried to drag itself back into the realm of the conscious. But the images from her dream were still playing on a loop. Like the trailer for some cheesy holonovel.  She groaned again, and something to the left of her squeaked. Reluctantly, she prized open one eye. To find the rat clambering up the bars of its cage. 

‘Shut uppppp!!!’ She growled, jamming a pillow over her head.

But the rat kept squeaking. 

‘Uggghh fine. You win.’ She hauled herself out of bed, and with sluggish fingers groped for the tin of cat food on the shelf.

‘But this doesn't mean I like you.’