Hunger of the Void

ONSLAUGHT

THEY used the underground system to head towards those in isolation, silent and single-file.

Sweat dripped down Laika's forehead. She second guessed her every movement, casting her gaze to the ceiling every now again with dreading anxiety.

Aliens. Aliens! They were really the first people who had coming into contact with a living things outside of Earth!

It was so ridiculous, Laika almost laughed.

Her mind kept beating the realisation into her like a drum. It was in sync with her heartbeat.

Aliens. Aliens. Aliens.

The humanoids could crawl their way through any location of the ship they desired. Their horrible sharp talons scraped through structures, their mouths dripping with blood.

Laika pictured herself lying in her bed, oblivious, tossing and turning. How would have the events played out if she hadn't encountered Castro, who had trusted his inkling?

No. She couldn't even entertain the scenario without tears threatening to take over.

Laika instead focused on Anna, who was navigating in front of her. Every minute or two, gaps in the panels above briefly cast slivers of light.

She was shocked to see her friend's coat was painted redder than she expected.

"I think they're attracted to death," Anna said quietly in the darkness.

Laika couldn't see her face.

Suddenly, Anna stopped.

"This is it. If we go up here, we'll be as close as we can get."

The three of them closed their mouths uneasily. They were all wrestling the same question. Who's going first?

Before they could indulge in the argument, Laika found herself hoisting her body upwards. Her heartbeat was so strong that it was pounding in her ears. She heard no sound of protest, but the thought of the monsters creeping closer to her unsuspecting friends made her a chill crawl down her spine.

Mercifully, the corridor was empty.

The silence was almost suspicious. She helped pull the others up, replacing the trapdoor with great care.

The blood trail still rounded the corner. Laika hoped what Anna theorized wasn't correct. If those things were attracted to death, it was deathly possible they could hunt blood.

Castro's chest swelled. "I'll get Sinclair."

He ran off without waiting for an answer. The more senior members on the ship were further down, where there was more privacy.

"Ok, you can go and get -"

Anna gave a great shudder, squeezing her eyes shut.

"No, I - I can't be alone again!"

Laika knew better to persuade her. They couldn't waste precious time. The calculated, scientific part of her brain had taken over to protect them both. If Laika failed to hold it together, she was reluctant to rely on anyone else.

"Alright," she said. "Fair enough. Me neither."

Ziggy's living quarters were closest. There was no way to access or override the door to burst in (only in emergency special circumstances) and again, that was only the control room's power. Laika prayed he was awake.

As quietly as possible, she began rapping on the door with her knuckles. Anna stood back, biting her lip.

Finally, the door slid open.