by Aline Riva
“No, he wasn't,” Wolf cut in, “I'd already checked on the engines – all seemed well at first, then the alert sounded. The overload was spontaneous. No one should blame Harvey for this accident, the ship was in fine working order, it was a fluke.”
“She must be in another part of the ship! She could be injured, we have to find her!”
Desperation shone in Janey's eyes and it made his heart ache with regret to see Tyler put his arm around her shoulder as she moved closer to his heavy built friend, glad of his protection as she shot him a look that told Harvey any chance of getting to know her better was cancelled out now – she still blamed him for the crash, no matter what Wolf said about it...
“As far as I can see none of us are badly wounded,” Wolf added, “So we have to leave the ship – this place is registered as a private planet, according to the stats I saw before the power faded out there's a small group of people in residence here. A private planet, a small group? They must be wealthy and therefore have adequate facilities...We have to go out there and look for them, ask for their help. They can send a search party to look for Sin, if she's still alive they could well have a medical facility here that can help her. And they will have a means of contacting earth or at least the nearest planet to call for assistance. So we stick together and we leave now.”
There was a gasp from Janey as she spotted the gun in his hand. The others had seen it too, catching the light on its metallic barrel as thin shards of light began to cut through the shattered windows now the ship was settling.
“It's purely a precaution,” Drake added, “They don't know us and we definitely don't know them – I'm sure I won't need to use it, no doubt they are as shaken up as we are, to have a ship crash land on their doorstep, but who knows what could be out there...I don't even know what kind of wildlife this planet sustains, that's another risk to bear in mind.”
He paused to check his weapon then stepped up on the now twisted and part buckled walkway that led to the open door.
“Follow me,” he told the others, and stepped outside.
As they left the wreckage of the ship, some stumbling, others still slightly dazed, it was Harvey who looked to the house in the distance, it was white and palatial and reminded him of ancient country manor houses he had seen back home in the English countryside, old buildings that stood as a reminder of a bygone era.
“Am I seeing things...Is that real...Can that be real?”
The others turned to look towards the house and then Tyler spoke up.
“It's real, Harvey, you're not hallucinating. That place looks almost new! And I can see two people...”
“One of them has a gun... I think...Is that a gun?” Janey's voice went up an octave as she spotted the armed man who led the way, a tall, slim guy dressed in dark clothing, his shirt was open and he carried a rifle at his side.
“Are there any more guns on board the ship?” Lola asked, “Because we don't know how they feel about strangers on their land...”
“I'm sure they're friendly,” said Drake as he turned from the others, a smile on his face as he raised a hand a waved, then the man with the rifle waved back and continued to walk over to meet them, at his side was an older man in a suit who leant lightly on a cane and as he walked beside him, the wind whipped at his jacket for a brief moment, folding it back and exposing a sheathed knife.
“They'd better be friendly,” Janey said, standing closer to Tyler as Harvey looked away, still feeling sure she could never forgive him for the crash.
Then Drake cast a glance to the distance, where the smoking power core was still trailing the last of its fire and burning lower as the smoke began to thin out, further up near the tree line was a large section of the engine room, it was a single corridor that took up a bulk of the service walkway and was intact, further out, the final piece of the ship that had sheered away on impact was a mass of pipework still fixed to a gleaming metal wall that now lay on the field, sunlight bouncing off the torn wreckage.
He silently figured if Sin was still alive she would be in the largest section, most likely thrown back around the curve in the walkway as the core had separated and exploded first, throwing this part of the back of the ship against the tree line. He guessed she was probably dead, but it didn't matter now, because Jinx and the older man who he guessed had to be Mack were closer now, about to join them – and Harvey and his passengers were about to find out the truth about the accident, that this was all a set up and they were simply an order of livestock to be delivered to his client, Mr Jinx...
Chapter 3
As the two men approached the group, Janey cast a nervous look to Harvey, then moved closer to Tyler, whose eyes were fixed on the rifle held by the tall man dressed in dark clothing. He had noticed that the other man, who wore a suit with a partly open shirt, was lightly using a cane but also had a sheathed knife attached to his belt, visible as the breeze had whipped back his open jacket, but he tried to keep the thought fixed in his head that out here alone they needed to be armed, anyone could land here and may or may not be friendly... It made sense they were armed, it was for protection – to think it was for any other reason was too much to take. Earth felt so far away he wanted to vomit but swallowed down the urge, remembering Janey blamed his best friend for everything, was scared and now looking to him for reassurance...
It was Wolf who spoke up first, standing in front of the others, holstering his weapon as he smiled warmly at the two men who approached them.
“I'm Drake Wolf,” he announced as they reached the group, “I'm the one who crashed this ship. I'm terribly sorry about the mess. It was an accident – an unforeseen fault that suddenly developed in the power core.”
The others stood there in silence, watching as the tall slim guy with the open shirt regarded him thoughtfully, then looked to the rest of the group, running his gaze over them one at a time.
“I'm Rik Jinx,” he said, “Nice to meet you, Mr Wolf,” and he gave him a wink as they shook hands.
Wolf smiled broadly.
“As far as I'm aware most passengers are safe – we have one missing – a young lady by the name of Sin. We are still holding hope that she made it.”
“And you can be sure I'll search for her,” Jinx vowed, then he looked to Janey first then Lola, then back to Drake.
“Let's hope we find her alive,” he added.
Just then his companion spoke up.
“I'm Mack...between myself, Mr Jinx and my partner Jody and our friend Zeke, we run the estate – the only structure on this private island. The Galaxy princess ship you see on the field over there is property of Jinx, and I'm sure when you're all rested and recovered he will be more than happy to take you back to earth.”
Jinx grinned like a manic Cheshire cat.
“But of course!”
His response made a smile tug at Mack's lips, then he resisted the urge to laugh out loud and continued with the charade:
“Come with us, we'll escort you back to the house and then fix up some dinner.”
Jinx smiled again.
“It will be a pleasure to have you all for dinner,” he added, “We don't meet strangers often enough, being out in such a remote place. By the way, I forgot to mention – our house has a rather quirky name. It's called Shyra K-1.”
Then he turned away and so did Mack and as they headed towards the house, Wolf followed as the others walked on behind, now it was becoming apparent the crash had certainly shaken them up but none had major injuries. All were still pale and visibly shaken, but Harvey's head wound had stopped bleeding. He walked alongside Lola as Janey and Tyler took up the rear. As they walked, Harvey lowered his voice and spoke quietly to Lola.
“You just gave that Jinx guy a funny look, when he said the house name. Why?”
She shook her head.
“It's just a stupid urban myth, it's as old as domestic space flight... a crew got stranded on a deserted planet and went crazy, killed and ate each other. The planet was called Sh
yra K-1. Except that in the myth it states they were never found, so how could it have happened, how could we know about it if no one lived to tell the tale? Perfect example of an urban legend.”
“Why would they name their house after that horrible story?” Janey wondered.
Harvey glanced back at her.
“Dark sense of humour?” he said, then he kept his voice low as he spoke again, “I don't want to panic anyone, but did you see that necklace on Jinx?”
“What of it?” Tyler asked.
“Those teeth on it – they look human.”
Tyler laughed as Janey's face paled further.
“I get that you hit your head when we crashed, Harvey. But human teeth? What's next, you're saying this is Shyra K-1? It's a story, the place doesn't exist! Think about it, these people were lucky enough to get themselves their own private planet. They must be loaded. So they have a private joke and name their house after the myth, and why not? They can afford to do what ever they like.”
Harvey gave no answer, still feeling uneasy as he thought about the necklace he had spotted and how those teeth looked human. They were nearing the steps that led to the house now.
“I heard one survivor made it back to tell the tale,” added Lola.
“So the story had more than one version,” Harvey replied.
Tyler chuckled.
“That's what happens with urban legends, they get handed down and change a bit with the re-telling. It's all bollocks, a stupid story made up to scare first time space travellers.”
“I've never heard of it,” Harvey told him, “And I wish I hadn't heard it today! It's given me the shivers.”
“You're just missing earth,” Tyler replied, “Just think, a few days from now, we'll be flying home in style! Did you take a look at that galaxy cruiser out there? That's the ship of billionaires!”
“I bet that ship won't crash on the way back!” Janey said, casting Harvey a sour glance that seemed to make his head ache as much as the pain of regret he felt weighing heavy in his heart. She still blamed him for all of this and would never forgive him – it was plain to see in her resentful glare...
As they reached the steps Jinx paused to offer a helping hand to Mack, who thanked him but said he was fine today, then he made it to the porch unaided as Jinx opened up the door to a wide marble hallway.
“Please come in,” he said politely.
As the others filed past him he glanced to Mack, who was standing the other side of the open doorway, as each one had passed by, they were both sizing them up silently. Then the group were inside and Jinx also went in and Mack followed and closed and locked the heavy door behind them.
Standing in the vast, bright hallway and surrounded by opulence, the others could only stand and look about the place, impressed by the sheer luxury and size of the mansion. Just then Jody and Zeke came up from a hallway that ran left and ultimately led to the kitchen.
“Hi!” Jody said warmly as Zeke smiled and nodded politely to the group.
“So let's get to know you, then,” Jinx said, smiling warmly, “Names?”
“Tyler DeWinter...” then Tyler indicated to the man who stood next to him with a drying up head wound, “This is Harvey, my best friend.”
“I'm Lola Voss,” said the stocky woman with the figure that did nothing to stir his arousal. As she held out her hand, Jinx avoided it.
“Okay,” he replied dismissively, setting his sights on the slender woman with long, jet black hair, “And you are?”
“Janey,” was all she said.
“And Sin is still out there – alive – we hope?” asked Mack.
Harvey nodded.
“We couldn't find her when the crisis happened – she was still missing after the crash.”
“What's she like, is she pretty, or not? Describe her for me?”
As Jinx asked that question, it slowly registered on the others that after the trauma of the crash and making it this far, their host had just asked a rather odd question.
“Well she's the only one out there, she's female, her name is Sin – it can't be that hard to search for the only missing person on the planet, you don't need a description!” exclaimed Harvey in surprise.
Yeah,” Lola said, “Why would you need a description? You're the only people here, what does it matter what she looks like? There's only one lost person out there, so why do you need to know such details? And what the hell does being pretty have to do with anything?”
Jinx paused for thought, pushing back his open shirt as the teeth on the leather necklace at his throat gleamed under the lighting in the bright marble hallway where sunlight streamed in through a window, catching the gleam of a crystal chandelier above their heads. Then he handed his gun to Mack, who had rested his cane against the wall and handled the rifle with ease, but kept it lowered.
“Well,” Jinx began, “It's like this... Lola, you're a plain bitch and Janey – maybe you'll do if there's no other choice but you're not quite my type and I need a fuck.”
As the women looked back at him with horrified expressions, Wolf laughed.
“Bastard!” Tyler yelled, lunging for Jinx, but he was cut down with a crack from the butt of the rifle that came sharply in a swift movement from Mack, smacking the back of his skull and sending him crashing to the ground.
Harvey was shaking with fear as anger blazed in his eyes.
“You're not hurting the girls! I won't let you!”
There was a click and then as a cold, hard gun was pressed to his temple, Harvey looked to the side of his vision to see Wolf beside him, his good eye glittering with malice.
“It was all a set up,” he said coldly, I was paid to put a ship together to last out until the fail point, right over this territory...You're just an order that needed delivering, isn't that right, Mr Jinx?”
“And you'll get what you deserve,” Jinx promised him, “Be patient, I'm missing a female in this batch.”
As the gun pressed harder to Harvey's temple, he knew he couldn't control his shaking any more than he could stop the warm wet stain pressing through his flight suit and pooling on the floor where he stood.
“And now you've pissed on my floor,” remarked Jinx, “Well, I guess you won't be giving us much trouble, little mister pissy pants. If I was in a better mood I'd watch you lick that up!”
Jinx looked in approval at the sight of Wolf keeping the gun pressed to the side of his head, then he walked past Tyler, who was out cold on the floor, and paused beside Janey. Fear shone in her eyes and her dark hair was damp with perspiration as she breathed unsteadily, looking at him in pleading silence.
“I'm not sure about you....” he said, “Not sure at all... I'd decided before you arrived, some we'll keep. Others we'll eat...”
She caught her breath as he took hold of a lock of her hair and toyed with it.
“What do you think, Mack?”
“Is she willing to learn?” Mack asked as he kept the rifle steady, aimed in the direction of the terrified group.
Jinx stepped closer to her.
“It's like this, Janey – everyone who fits in gets to live. But in order to survive, you have to adapt. If you choose to do that, your pleasure will be high on the list of our priorities – we like keeping the women here happy. Jody is happy.”
She glanced at Jody, who smiled brightly, seeming oblivious to the horror that was unfolding, as if this was just another day and it was absolutely fine to take strangers prisoner like this...
Jinx held Janey in a deeply intense stare as he took hold of her face and lightly raised her head, forcing her to focus on him.
“You might make it if you're good,” he told her, “But I'm not sure yet...”
Then he let go of her and moved to the end of the line, where Lola glared at him angrily.
“You freak!” she said as fury blazed in her eyes, “Who do you think you are to do this to us? We have rights! You said you want to fuck one of us? What kind of perverted bastard are you? What do you
think, you're the lord of the manor and can pick and choose any one of us you fancy? The dark ages ended centuries ago, you piece of filth!”
As Jinx looked back at her, amusement danced in his eyes.
“I've never had my food talk back at me before!” he exclaimed, and in a fluid movement he pulled the hunting knife from his belt and slit her throat.
As the blood sprayed up the wall and she turned away clutching at her throat gasping and choking as the blood began to gush downward, she struggled for a moment then fell to her knees, then hard on to her face on the marble floor and fell still as blood pooled beneath her.
Harvey was paralysed with horror, staring at the dead woman bleeding out on the floor. He didn't even realise his hands had been cuffed behind his back until the cuffs were snapped in place and Wolf gave him a shove. Harvey's boots slipped in blood as his back hit the wall.
“Don't move!” ordered Wolf, and Harvey could only stare back at him in a state of shock.
Jinx licked the blood from the knife and smiled as he lowered it and glanced to Zeke.
“Take Tyler away and lock him up. You can come back for the body and take it to the kitchen. Do what you like to it while its fresh but remember to clean it up before cooking. I don't want your baked cum in my dinner!”
“And I'm not cleaning the floor!” Jody exclaimed, “Look at the bloody mess you made in here!”
“Bloody mess indeed!” Jinx remarked, and as he laughed so did Mack as Jody smiled and Zeke shook his head.
“Your jokes are terrible!” he groaned, then he started to drag away Harvey's unconscious best friend.
“Wolf,” said Jinx, “Go with Zeke and lock up Harvey then come back and clean this floor.”
Wolf grabbed Harvey and dragged him away from the wall as Harvey took difficult steps, his face a mask of terror.
“Do I look like maid service?” he remarked, sounding bemused.
