Reddit Stories 2019

Smash Em Up #4

I gently landed the shuttle on the dark side of AX10, nestled in the safety of some caves. I couldn't trust the shielding to protect from the planet's rainfall. At least I could hide under the trees. That's what I did last time.

Confirming the atmosphere, I lowered my rebreather, taking in the foul night air. It left a metallic taste like blood in my mouth, but it was still nicer than recycled air. The darkness of the jungle was oppressive, like a weight pressing all around me. I never suffered from nyctophobia before coming to AX10, but all I could think of now were the horrors hiding under the moonless night.

"Come on, there's nothing to be afraid of," I lied to myself. "Well, except for clowns. Clowns are scary."

With my crossbow on my hip and a quick scan for painted faces, I mounted my hoverbike and set out for the crashed half of the satellite. The bike's headlights didn't discourage my fear, turning every stray root into some kind of shadow monster as I raced past it. As I wove between the trees, the hair on the back of my neck rose. I could feel something in the trees watching me.

Something stalking me.

I found my target buried in the heart of the jungle. Vines had grown around it, consuming the metal in foliage and, blocked from the system's sun by the canopy, even the backup power failed, leaving the skeleton alone in the dark. Hiding the Macguffin Drive and probably some creatures set on eating me.

Something moved behind me. A crunch followed by a scratching sound. Without hesitation I pulled my crossbow, charging a shot. The blue light of the plasma illuminated something human-shaped.

"David?" I asked, somewhere between surprise and anger. The second prong popped from the gun's casing.

"Who?" The voice was feminine. Surprise overtook anger as the person stepped forward, revealing a woman with messy brown hair. She held her hands up. "Please don't shoot."

I pointed my sidearm in the air, letting the bolt sail off into the night. 'Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm Ashton. You're Captain Harfield? Thank the moon I found you." Ashton leaned in, grabbing my arm. "You have to get me out of here."

Ashton's eyes settled on the bike and tightened her grip.

"Turn off the lights," she urged. The scratching sound behind Ashton grew louder and thin shadows like the legs of spider moved from the trees. "Quickly! Turn them off."

Without a thought, I turned off the bike, banishing the light from the darkness. Arachnophobia was not on my short list of fears, but the monsters of AX10 were. Ashton and I huddled around the bike, waiting for the shadows to pass over us, praying that wouldn't stop. My hand lingered by my weapon, though I learned from my last trip that it would be useless.

"Thank you," Ashton whispered.

"What are you doin' here?" I ignored the static sound of my comms. It was only Billy, waking from his robotic slumber.

"That doesn't matter. You have to get me out of here. We need to get off this planet."

As much as I wanted to abide by Ashton's wishes, I was already too close to my goal. I just had to slip into the ship, grab it, and leave before the jungle decided to rid me for good. Creeping to the derelict satellite, I kept my eyes peeled, scanning for the drive, but found nothing. Without power, I'd have to manually search the ship. I was tempted to see if I could restart the generator, but the painful grip on my arm reminded me of the heliophobe by my side.

The static rose again. I sighed, opening my comms and lowering the volume. I didn't want the stalking shadows outside the satellite to hear. "Billy, what's the word?"

"Captain, I hope..." Billy lost his voice to the static. "Scanning."

"Right. Can't hear you." I stared into the darkness of the the crashed space station. Ashton finally relaxed her grip on me, no doubt feeling safer in the darkness of the ship than the darkness of the jungle. "Almost got the drive, then I'll be back. With a guest."

"A guest, Captain Harfield?"

"Yes. Someone trapped down here with me." I paused. Ashton had crawled further into the crashed shuttle, hiding somewhere in the darkness. "Somehow."

"Would you kindly explain? My prior scan revealed..."

The sound of static cut off Billy's robotic poetry and the shadows around the edge darkened as a sudden burst of light came from the satellite. The whispers of the jungle grew to shouts. But over it all, a familiar calming voice piped over my comm.

"You are alone, Jane."