Zero Sixx

by Lynn Mullican

  Then, the countdown began.

  Hunter slammed into the bars separating him from Kym. Then, she lost her grip on the bars and screamed. Hunter reached through them and grabbed her before she slammed into the opposite side of her cell. She gazed up at him, her eyes wide with fright. He was the only thing keeping her from falling as the ship rotated forward. He pulled her in tight to the bars, as he too, clutched onto them, his arms wrapping through them and around her.

  Hunter figured, if anything, he could use her to assist him in getting out of his prison. Besides, she was the only one who attempted to aid him in getting free of his restraints.

  Together, they held on tight as the ship veered port side again, slamming into something. The screeching of metal continued. Something banged against the port side, causing the ship to spin onto its side.

  The spaceship shifted again, spinning them starboard side, only this time Hunter let go of her. He fell toward the cell door. The momentum and impact broke open the cell door, allowing him to escape his cell.

  Kym screamed. She fell forward, hitting the prison bars. Her cell door wasn’t even close to her, so she had to hold on with a death grip and scramble across the bars, in case the ship spun again. Once she got to the cell door, she kicked at it, trying to open it but it wouldn’t budge.

  “God, no! Please help me!” she screamed. “Where the hell is everyone!”

  An odd sound clicked behind her. She turned to find Hunter swinging across the bars toward her, his claws clicking against the metal. She was unsure of his intentions as she stood on the cell door, and jumped up and down on it.

  “Come on, dammit!”

  Hunter stuck his claw in the lock, fumbling with the locking mechanism. Above him, she threw a fit, jumping up and down on the door before she realized he was messing with the lock.

  Kym scrambled to get off of the door but it was too late. The cell door swung open below her, casting her downward. Hunter latched onto her arm as she fell. She came to a sudden stop, her shoulder popping. Pain exploded in her shoulder and tears filled her eyes.

  She screamed. Another crash, a jolt and, before she knew it, Hunter managed to pull her up, so she could latch onto him. Then, he let go of the prison bar. They fell twenty feet down onto starboard as the ship gradually shifted back to its original position. They rolled onto the ground. Then, the sound of feet filled the corridor.

  Kym glanced up, Hunter beside her. She looked up at Troy.

  He froze. “Kym, are you alright?”

  Why had they locked her up? She could understand why they locked Hunter up but her? Why? She was angry. She struggled to get to her feet, the pain in her shoulder settling into the bone. She fell forward onto her face.

  Hunter stood, grabbed her by her other shoulder and pulled her up.

  She stood before Troy, anger fueling her adrenaline.

  “Why!”

  Troy and Hunter locked eyes.

  Troy clenched his fists. Without so much as a glance at her, he yelled, “Seriously, Kym! You let him out? You’re a traitor! You…”

  “What, Troy?” she yelled. Then, she ran up to him and hit him in the chest. “What? I tried to help you because neither you nor Aurora could handle him! Is he too much for you to handle? You and your big ego!”

  Troy glared at her. “My ego has nothing to do with this. At least, I didn’t try to free a dangerous alien!”

  “How the hell do you know he’s dangerous?” she asked.

  “How the hell do you think he’s not dangerous, Kym?” he growled. “He used you as a human shield!”

  A shriek echoed through the corridor. Hunter glanced up, reaching for his gun that wasn’t there. He peered over at Troy.

  “Where are my guns?” Hunter asked with a deep voice.

  Troy shook his finger at Hunter. “Oh, no you don’t. I’m not giving you any weapons. We already have our hands full.” He turned back to Kym. “As long as you stay on our side, you’ll be fine, but the moment you turn your back on us again, we’re leaving you behind.”

  A high pitch shriek filled the ship. Kym peeked around Troy but didn’t see anything.

  “What’s that noise?”

  “We haven’t figured it out yet.”

  Hunter locked eyes with Troy again. “I do and it needs to be killed. Let me by.”

  He took a step toward the corridor but Troy shifted his body weight, blocking him.

  “Oh, no you don’t. You’re not coming with us.” Troy pointed at Kym. “You’ll be lucky if we let you on board…”

  Hunter pushed Troy aside and ran down the corridor. Behind him, Troy yelled, running after him. Kym quickly followed in pursuit.

  As Hunter approached the bow of the ship, he slowed his pace, his night vision taking in the damage around him. Either the ship crashed into something or the damage was caused by the same thing that had happened to him—an alien attack. Either way, they had to get off of the ship. The air pressure was lowering and the oxygen level was affected. He could feel it in his lungs.

  He neared the open entry way to the exterior door. Three crew members lay dead nearby. He glanced down at them, looking for wounds but saw none. Their cause of death was unknown. He glanced in the doorway. Aurora stood near the entrance. Somebody named Frank stood beside her, gun in hand.

  Hunter stepped inside, taking notice of the weapon. It was Hunter’s gun.

  Aurora screamed.

  Then, Frank turned and pointed the gun at him. Hunter grabbed the barrel of the weapon and pushed the man’s hand to his left, deflecting the shot. The ray shot out, hitting the doorway and rebounded back inside the ship he had been in.

  “Stand down,” Hunter bellowed.

  Frank’s eyes widened as he took a step back. Hunter yanked the gun out of Frank’s hand and backed him into a corner by the cabin.

  “Where are we?” he asked.

  “Zero Sixx,” Frank muttered. He glanced around Hunter at Troy and threw his hands up. “What the hell, Troy?”

  “He got out. I don’t know how. I presume Kym let him out.”

  Kym snapped her head around. “Actually, he let me out. Now, what the hell is going on?”

  Hunter glanced around the dark area, his night vision taking over. He backed Frank and Aurora into a corner as he stood before them, glancing around, gun in hand.

  “There’s something on board…”

  Behind Kym and Troy, Andro Forty-two rocked, shifting again, scraping against the side of Zero Sixx.

  “What’s on board?” Kym asked, glancing around.

  Troy looked over at Frank. “Can we shut the termination clock off? Do we have time?”

  “Termination?” Kym exchanged glances with them. “What is going…?”

  Something on board shrieked. Kym jumped, bumping into Troy.

  “What was that?”

  Hunter stepped further into the room, glancing at every nook and cranny. The son of a bitches were geniuses but he would be damned if he let the alien creatures known as the Andros live. He circled the room, surveying it.

  “Hey…”

  Frank put his finger to his lips. “I think it killed the crew.”

  Alarmed, Kym recoiled, her skin crawling. “What’s it?”

  Frank whispered, “Peter and Derek said they found an alien and that it was quarantined but I’ve been hearing some noises coming from the corridor and the rec room. So, I think it may have escaped.” He motioned toward Hunter, who stood in the middle of the room. “Maybe he knows something we don’t. We found him floating out in space, too.”

  “Well, I know that, but…”

  “Do we have time to shut the termination clock off? Can we fly the Forty-two in its condition?”

  Frank glanced back. “I don’t think so. The air pressure was already dropping from the collision.”

  Aurora interrupted. “The oxygen level is dropping in there. We can’t survive in those conditions.”

  “What collision? How long was I out?” Kym asked.


  Troy ignored her. “We need to find out what this guy knows that we don’t.”

  “Disconnect the Forty-two and shut the door before it terminates. We need to get away from it before it blows.” Frank glanced at Kym. “Since you seem to be able to communicate with this guy, find out what he knows. In the meantime, I’m going to try to get into the cabin. It’s locked. Aurora, can you help me with this?”

  “Yes, sir,” she answered. She headed toward the cabin and then stopped about four feet away from it. Blood lay on the ground in front of the door.

  “Frank.”

  “One second,” he answered.

  “Frank, there’s blood over here.”

  Frank ran over to the doorway, leaving Troy and Kym standing behind Hunter.

  “Umm, excuse me, I didn’t catch your name…” Kym started.

  Troy interrupted her. “Let’s not worry about semantics right now.” He took a step toward Hunter. “Hey, what’s on here? Do you know?”

  Hunter glanced back at him. “I’m a bounty hunter. I’m here to get rid of this breeding infestation.”

  Troy raised an eyebrow. “Uh, breeding infestation?”

  “Yes, my ship was attacked by the Andros.”

  “Andros?” Troy asked. “What exactly do you mean by breeding infestation?”

  Hunter peered back at him. “They breed every two kaspu.”

  Kym raised her eyebrow. “Every two hours?” She glanced over at Troy. “Are you serious?”

  “They’re an infestation. They seek to destroy and take over everything they infest.”

  Troy pulled his gun out of his holster. “So, bullets will destroy them, right?”

  Hunter glanced down at Troy’s gun. “Why don’t you go disconnect the ship like the man instructed and get into that cabin, we’ll need to fly away from here before your ship terminates.”

  Something moved inside the cabin. Then, static filled the air. Aurora and Frank froze.

  “Derek, is that you? Open this door!” Frank demanded.

  No answer, yet something inside moved.

  Frank beat on the door. “Derek, Peter, open this damn door!”

  Hunter rushed toward them and pushed them aside. He held his gun before him and kicked at the door. It didn’t budge. As he studied it, he noticed the scratches and hole in the door. He gritted his teeth and kicked the door again.

  Troy ran over to the ship’s external door, pressed the locking mechanism next to it and punched in a series of numbers. As the door shut, Ruby’s voice interrupted the countdown.

  “Andro Forty-two disconnecting from Zero Sixx. Termination interrupted.”

  Frank glanced back at the external door. “Interrupted? Why…?”

  “Air pressure low, oxygen level low, no sign of human life, one unknown life form aboard Andro Forty-two.”

  A series of clicks echoed from the doorway. Then, the door stopped halfway open. Andro Forty-two shifted, banging against Zero Sixx.

  Aurora and Kym stared at the external door.

  “What did it mean one unknown life form aboard Andro Forty-two? The only life forms we had on board were us and him,” Aurora said, pointing to Hunter.

  Hunter kicked the cabin door again. It moved, but only slightly. Something on the other side hissed. Hunter stepped back and pointed his gun at the cabin door.

  “Wait, don’t…”

  Hunter fired his weapon, the ray struck the door and rebounded through the ship, striking Troy in the arm. He screamed in pain. Smoke rose from the burn that sliced through his upper arm.

  He snapped his head toward Hunter. “You stupid son of a…”

  Hunter turned and shoved the gun in Troy’s face. “You are expendable. The Andros are priority kill, you are secondary.”

  “Wait, what…?” Frank started.

  “Once the Andros are killed, you are next,” Hunter hissed.

  Frank put his hands up and took a step back. “Hey, listen, we’re working with you to destroy this Andros thing you’re talking about. We don’t want any harm to come to those who are working together.”

  Hunter cocked his head. “Maybe not you, but he does.” He shifted his gaze back to Troy.

  Troy exchanged looks with everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re on a rescue mission, not on a mission to kill.”

  “Why was the termination set so shortly after impact?”

  When nobody answered, Kym spoke up. “Why was the termination system even set?”

  Frank took a step toward her. “We had a problem and the ship crashed into Zero Sixx. We weren’t at full speed but it was enough that it cracked the air system on Andro-Forty-two, lowering the air pressure and oxygen levels.”

  He glanced at Hunter.

  “Termination automatically sets itself when oxygen levels lower. The system automatically assumes we won’t survive a low oxygen level. Regardless, we need to disconnect Forty-two. Zero Sixx has a better system here. Unlike the Forty-two, Zero Sixx can maintain human and alien life during times of distress.”

  Aurora glanced back at the external door. Andro Forty-two started to pull away, the rubber casing that locked it into place was stretching.

  “The door! We need to shut the door!”

  “If it pulls away, we all die!” Troy yelled.

  Hunter turned back toward the cabin. “We’re all expendable!”

  Another kick caved part of the door in.

  Troy punched in another series of numbers on the panel. The door opened wider.

  “No!” Again, he punched in more numbers. It stopped midway.

  “Mother…!”

  Then an eight-legged creature leapt out of Andro Forty-two. It was approximately four-foot-long from tail to head. It landed on Troy, tossing him to the ground. The slick fleshy creature latched onto him, its razor-sharp teeth digging into his chest.

  Troy screamed.

  Hunter ran at it and kicked it, sending it flying across the room. It shrieked, turned and hissed at them before scattering off further off into the ship.

  Ruby’s voice echoed behind them on Andro Forty-two. “Two unknown life forms aboard Andro Forty-two.”

  Kym spun around. “What the hell…?” She stared at the darkness behind the door. “Where did they come from? How did we not know they were aboard the ship?”

  Everybody stared at Hunter. Then, something slammed against the cabin door.

  “Like I said, they’re an infestation. They know how to survive and how to get on your spaceship, even when you’re in space.”

  Hunter shot the cabin door. Again, the ray rebounded. Everybody dropped to the floor to avoid being hit. Behind them, something moved down the corridor.

  Aurora peeked back. The corridor was too dark to detect what it was. It didn’t sound like the creature that had just attacked Troy. The footsteps were heavy, as if it were much larger than the previous alien. She glanced back at Troy, who struggled to sit up. Blood leaked from the gaping wound.

  Hunter spun around, his gun aimed at the corridor.

  Then, something in the cabin slammed against the door. Troy held his gun up and pointed it at the cabin door. Another gaping hole about four inches in diameter stared back at him.

  He crawled along the floor toward the cabin to see inside of the hole. Behind him, Hunter moved stealth-like toward the corridor. The footsteps in the corridor had stopped. Hunter turned and cautiously headed down the corridor. The sound of a door slid open and shut.

  Frank was back at the external door, trying to shut it. “I can’t…it won’t shut. I have to go back into Forty-two. It’s the only way I can disconnect it.”

  Aurora looked up at him. “No, Frank! You won’t have time to get back here. You’ll die!”

  Tears welled up over his eyes. “Either we all die or only one of us dies. I’d rather it be me.”

  Troy glanced in the hole. Something stood on the opposite side of the door, something inhuman. He leaned against the door, trying to get a better look.

&nb
sp; Behind him, Aurora yelled. “No, Frank, I’m coming with you! You’re not leaving me.”

  Then, something moved in front of the hole, something on a stick. It looked slick, then it dawned on him. It was a tail, like the creature that had attacked him earlier, only this one was much larger. Troy started to move away from the door when it shot through the hole and impaled him in the stomach.

  Troy stared down at the tail, gripping it within his hands, trying to pull it out. Blood leaked from his wounds. The flesh of the alien was slick, yet spiky. Something drained from the spikes, covering his hands in fluid. It picked him up off of the ground and then pushed the door open, craning its oblong yet pointy head to look at him. It hissed, exposing its razor-sharp teeth. It stood on its hind legs, its six other claws snapping at Troy. Its claws clicked together.

  Frank stared up at the alien and then dashed out of Zero Sixx, back into Andro Forty-two, heading for the cabin.

  Kym screamed, recoiling further back toward the corridor. She glanced around, scrambling to find something to use as a weapon other than the gun Troy dropped, which lay near the alien’s feet. Her only options were to follow Hunter down the corridor or to run back into Andro Forty-two, which was closer toward the alien. She had no choice but to run down the dark corridor.

  Aurora screamed and bolted, following Kym down the corridor.

  The alien shrieked, whipping its tail back and forth, flinging Troy about, throwing him off of its tail. Troy flew off and slammed into the exterior door. A series of click followed, and then the door moved, closing in on Troy.

  Troy’s final scream echoed within both ships. A loud bang cut off his scream.

  Frank stopped in his tracks and turned to listen. The ship was dark, only the red beacon lights flashed throughout the ship. Then, the alien’s shrieks followed, resonating within the spaceship.

  The exterior door had shut, he was sure of it, but now he had a hard time breathing. His desperate attempt to get to the cabin didn’t help. His breathing became labored. He turned to find the door but something blocked it. What the hell…? He hadn’t left anything in front of it. Something moved before him and then the lights flickered on, exposing the six-foot alien. Its six appendages latched onto him.