Species

Chapter 40

     
          "Patrick, lets go." Chloe started shoving at the furniture blocking the door.
"And where exactly are you planning on going?"
"I don't know, but somewhere. We're just gonna die if we stay here."
"How can you say that?" He picked her up and moved her away from his blockade. "I did all this to keep the monsters out. Why would you let them in?"
        Twisting in his arms till they were face to face. "You think they can't get through that? Patrick, I'm scared and yes, part of me wants to stay in here and hide in you arms clinging to fake security. But the other part of me is saying we gotta try and do something."
Patrick began to pace. Chloe watched him for a moment waiting for an answer.
"It's so risky." Patrick groaned. Tyson crawled up to him and grabbed at his leg. The little baby smiled up at Patrick with bright, twinkling blue eyes.
"Are you willing to risk his safety?" Patrick asked her.
       Chloe groaned hitting her head against the wall.
"One of us has to try."
"Why?"
"Because we do." Her voice rose. "I don't know why. I can't explain it. But I have this inner feeling rising up in my chest and it wants to fight. I don't want this to be the end. I've lived through a lot of shit on this stupid ship and I'm not just gonna tap out. I've been ripped open, beat, inseminated, drugged, traumatized. I'm not dying on this ship of horrors."
        Patrick swallowed hard and scratched the back of his neck. It took him a minute to come to a decision. He swiftly scooped Tyson up in his arms and placed a kiss on his cute chubby cheek before handing him over to his mom.
"We are sticking together. You, me, and 'Little Man'. Now, step back." He gently moved her aside before he began working on clearing the doorway. 
       She watched the muscles in his back as he worked and she thought about running her hand down his back and telling him to "fuck it" and pull him on the bed.
       No, Chloe, no! Focus! Man he is way too good looking for his own good. She swore to herself they were gonna make it out of this so that they could make love again. Next time she'd bite him.
       In a matter of minutes Patrick had cleared the furniture out of the way. He turned to her looking all hot and strong.
"Ready?" He asked.
"Ready."

           He opened the door and looked both ways. The hallway lights were broken and the hallway looked like a bloody slip n slide. A horrible feeling crept in his stomach. He let out a shaky breath and put a hand to the small of Chloe's back before allowing her to cross the threshold.
       Once her feet had crossed the door frame he knew there was no going back. They were facing death head first and all he wanted to do was dig his heels in the dirt and tell death to fuck off. He wanted nothing more than to be Superman and wrap Chloe and Tyson in his arms and keep them safe from anything and everything. But he couldn't. He felt so helpless and out of control that it scared him. No. He couldn't be scared. He had to be brave and try his best. "Try". That's what Chloe had told him. He would try.
          "Which way should we go?" She whispered looking both ways down the hall.
AAaaahhhhh!
A scream echoed down the hall piercing there ears. In fear Chloe held her baby close and hid her face in Patrick's chest who wrapped his strong arms around her.
"Not that way." Patrick whispered in her hair after the scream had passed.
Trying to stay quiet, they slowly made their way down the hall.
   Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Chloe chanted in her head trying to not freak out over the thick red goo (that's what she told herself it was) they were surrounded by.
        She stepped on a soft lump and let out a small yelp.
"Ew! Ew! Oh God!" She panicked whispered and gagged squirming around.
"Chloe, stop." Patrick grabbed her shoulders holding her still.
"I think . . . I think . . I think it was a body .  . Part." She gagged again.
"It's okay. It's okay. Just watch where you are going."
"Watch where I'm going?! No. No." He saw a panic attack coming and stopped her.
     "I will watch where we are going. Just breathe." He told her and then be fab leading her down the hall, his hands securely on her hips.
They made it down the hall when they heard a door behind them creek open.
The whine of the door sent a chill down their spines and they froze. They could hear blood splattering with each step like puddles behind them.
       "Should we look or just brace ourselves?" Chloe whispered. Not answering her Patrick turned. If he saw it and knew Chloe shouldn't he'd hold her head to his chest to save her the horror. If by some chance it was someone who could help he'd sigh and let her go.
       Chloe felt him move and took the chance to peek behind her as well.
A shadow of a tiny infant crawling in a puddle of blood could be seen a few feet behind them.
"Is . . Is that a baby?" Chloe couldn't see it well.
"I think so." Patrick said. "It's so tiny though. Are we sure it's a baby?"
       It was tiny. It was smaller than Tyson who was the size of a six month old baby even though he wasn't six months old.
The little figure began to cry. Chloe's mommy heart swelled.
"Patrick, it's crying." She wanted to cry just hearing it.
"Chloe, it might not be a normal baby."
She took a step toward the baby, but froze when it let out a giggle and began to crawl toward her. Fear ignited itself in her chest and Chloe stepped back grabbing Patrick's arm for security.
          The baby came into view. It was purple with pitch black eyes and covered in blood. It smiled up at them and they saw its razor sharp row of tiny teeth.
Chloe gasped in horror, her legs going weak she fell back clinging to Patrick.
      Patrick held her and whispered to her, "Don't scream."
Tyson tried to jump out of her arms smiling at the purple baby. Chloe wrestles Tyson still the best she could. Distracted by Tyson, she didn't see the purple baby approach her. She just suddenly felt tiny baby claws around her leg and screamed.