“Now I know why I hate it here,” he mumbled. “We’ll leave tomorrow, Becky. There must be somewhere out there you don’t hate. Then again, at least you hate here more than me.”
He had a point. And at this very moment, she didn’t hate him at all and had no clue why.
Chapter 5
When light streamed in from the cave opening, Becky shielded her eyes from the wall’s tattoos of depression. During the night, she had turned in Huck’s arms and her ass was pressed uncomfortably against his erection, a very hard and large erection. Through tight fingers, she could make out the movements of stick people forming into shapes to define alien beings recreating their injustice.
Tugging at her unwilling heart strings to mourn the beings, Becky tried to look away, she wanted to look away. Sadness called to her in imagery. A few small scenarios began and stopped, unable to capture her attention. Her mind was open and foggy with remnants of sleep and the single nightmare that plagued her dreams. The endless senseless depression battled within her thoughts of Earth dying. New shape took form no matter how hard she tried to conceal her hurt. A lone man battled a storm, surrounded in grey; grey skies touched the ground bathing his features in the hateful color. Becky’s breath caught, slick mud gushed around his ankles. Resolve in his features settled as he mournfully gazed in her direction. He gestured her to turn away while a sweet last smile graced his features and he was gone. Enveloped in tragedy.
Becky knew the story to be true, but her father wasn’t trapped here. His loving memory was hers, not this godforsaken place’s. The mudslide flowed down the smooth surface of the rock unwilling to set her mind free. Becky shifted from Huck; angry and quiet, her fury fueled her motion. Storming to the wall, she wiped her hand across the image, scattering the scene. The black particles relented and before her was an empty grey wall. Dark, miniscule dots hovered near the ceiling awaiting a new tragedy to write. For a moment she stood stunned. Her thoughts had manifested into words to form the picture of her father’s last moments. As if her hand was a blackboard brush wiping chalk marks away, she’d erased the images.
Concentrating, Becky stared at the wall overcome with vindictive smugness. Write this story, fuck head. Happiness, times where her life was filled with love crashed within her thoughts. The black particles swirled, a tornado spun and exploded, then with defiance stilled. There were no tragedies to follow the memories of picnics, loving embraces, after which she fell asleep into sweet dreams. Her hand on the warm wall, Becky sensed anger in an inanimate object. Tingling flickered across her palm.
The cavern was damned. Becky was not. A toss of her head and she stepped back. When the dots swirled, she narrowed her gaze. The swirling stopped. Never again would she be forced to look on the face of adversity. She would write her own story and it would not end up on these walls. Empowered, she felt the corners of her lips twitch. When she spun in a slow circle, not a single image assaulted her.
Outside the sun was shining through haze. Shadow beings appeared and disappeared. She went to find a quiet moment hoping Huck would remain asleep. The prisoner area in his shuttle had a place to relieve needs, but it was open and embarrassing. After her restless slumber, some quiet time was on her agenda.
Becky ignored the shadow beings arguing, the ones relaying their story, heading closer to the cave where they would stay. The corner of her eye caught the movement, but she wouldn’t let the sad tale upset her. It ended as each grabbed a sharp object and plunged repeatedly into the other until the shadow beings collapsed. As they died, it was only then they realized their love. The beings were sucked into the cave opening. After her cavern experience, the occupants, or perhaps dead non-occupants, stopped fazing her.
“Talk about your drama queen and king,” Becky muttered under her breath. “Shakespeare would have a field day here.”
A huge bush with soft lush branches came into view. Becky parted the branches and grabbed a handful as an afterthought. The velvety mint green foot long, moist leaf in her hand would make the favorite bathroom tissue company cringe in envy—if it still existed.
“This better not be some kind of poison ivy or oak or my ass will be on fire.”
Finishing her morning ritual, refreshed and thankfully not rashed, Becky emerged from the bush and decided to wander. Huck would find her, of that she had no doubt. She imagined his tracking skills would supersede the Terminator. The ground beneath her bare feet was soft with her leisurely stroll. Huck informed her the replicator wouldn’t know how to make her shoes, and she didn’t protest. As long as her clothes covered her vulnerable areas, she could live with naked feet.
The trees on the planet were no more than eight feet high with massive leaves of all shapes. The bushes slightly bigger and rounded. Rays of sun danced from one bush to the next making the bushes and leaves tingle and flutter for a few moments. Foliage was the only life on the planet, the only real life, and she was grateful to smell real scents. She jumped a few times when coming across shadow creatures. They appeared out of thin air as though seeking an audience. Becky wasn’t in the mood and skirted around them. The animals of various sorts were more interesting but dead. The concept was mind boggling.
A strange noise to the left caught her attention, and Becky stood still wondering if Huck had found her. The sound was creeping closer. It had to be Huck; he explained there was no life on the planet.
“Huck?” she called; no answer. Huck wouldn’t play games it wasn’t his MO.
Becky’s heart hammered in her chest and every sense a female possessed began sending off neon signs, bells and whistles. The noise was getting louder, closer. Shadow death shouldn’t make a sound. Becky was no wimp but the planet was creepy enough without wondering what other gems or diabolical themes it had in store for the unsuspecting. Her fists raised pro boxer style. She centered herself ready for battle. After the mental fight she already had earlier, she was spoiling to bash something senseless.
When Raymond stepped from the bush, Becky cried out in relief. Her arms and hands relaxed. No more Huck, she could escape. No more mating threats, no more un-mating threats. No more stupid planets, well probably more, but at least Ray was back. Their shuttle must have survived the entry into the atmosphere. She could get the hell away from Sybil and his Tonan mood swings.
“Raymond,” she called.
Raymond looked stunned, then strange, blinking, until he smiled. When he approached, Becky took an unconscious step back. A dark ring clung to his semi-permeable outline. His face was pale and haggard. Dark circles deepened his hollowed eyes resembling sockets. He looked like a walking ghost. But when his hand lifted to push a branch, he made a connection and she relaxed, he couldn’t be dead.
“Raymond, are you all right?”
“I’m hungry. I’m always hungry. Why am I always so hungry?”
“What do you mean?” Becky shivered. Raymond was the last person in the world to scare her. Becky’s skin crawled as he moved closer.
“Hello, Becky.”
She spun confronting Jack and the others. The others looked different than Raymond, hollower, scarier, dead, yet alive. Her breath caught when they moved, fluttering over the ground with no contact. She was soon surrounded. Becky looked to each man in turn. All were drawn and wary, scared, they looked terrified. Raymond cocked his head at her in a questioning manner. Closer he came, arm outstretched. Every instinct screamed run, but Raymond was her friend.
“Raymond? What happened?” Becky asked.
“I’m hungry, Becky. Help me, please.”
Closer they came; all the while Raymond muttered needing food. His feet crunched on the foliage beneath him yet the others made no sound. Raymond raised his arms and Becky was tempted to embrace him, to soothe him, but something kept her immobile. Something wasn’t right. More noise to her right stopped the men’s advance. The sound was as though a bull elephant was running wild. Huck barreled from the dense brush and grabbed Becky to his shielded chest. Becky was surprised at his intense gri
p. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized the hold he had on her wouldn’t be broken no matter her move; he meant business. That alone gave her pause.
“The humans crash-landed here and are dead and dangerous. Becky they’re dead, not alive. If they suck you in their dimension on this planet, you’ll be living death.” His words were frantic. Becky stilled. She didn’t feel him tense, there was no tail. She gazed at Raymond.
“I’m not dead,” Raymond said, his confusion was apparent. “The dead don’t get hungry or touch plant life. I feel the ground beneath my feet.”
“Look, little man and see your male friends,” Huck demanded.
Raymond stared hard at Jack and the others as though seeing them for the first time. He noted their feet, hovering, and sent a questioning glance at Becky. She watched his confusion when he fingered a branch. A tentative hand reached out and he made contact with Jack briefly. Becky jumped when Raymond’s fingers grazed Jack, Jack seemed to solidify, his feet stirred up the dust beneath his feet. Raymond smiled, appearing less worried.
“See, I can touch Jack.”
“We want your vessel,” Jack said.
The second Raymond released Jack he hovered again over the ground. But it was Jack’s voice, the tone that made the fine hairs on the nape of her neck stand tall. Eerie hollow words droned. Jack was a shadow but eerily different from the dead that inhabited this world. He saw her and she saw and heard him.
“You can’t leave here. If you do, your outer shell may disappear but your ghosts or essence will linger. Damned to wander the galaxies in a haunted shuttle. You can never land,” Huck said.
“You know this how?” Raymond asked.
He didn’t, Becky felt Huck tense and knew his tail grew, but the reaction was short lived. There was more to the explanation.
“I’m not positive. When my people came, we captured dead creatures accidently when they appeared on our shuttle. Not human, but similar enough. Once leaving the planet, they disappeared. We thought they were gone but they weren’t. They were still there, we could feel their presence. The Gorgano disposed of the residue. I won’t have you haunting my vessel. Cobra would never allow me to land, even with a mate.”
And, now, we’re back to mate.
“Who says you’re invited?” Jack said. He leered at Becky. “She belongs with us, Tonan.”
Jack strode toward her, but Huck flung her behind him. The grin on Jack’s face was spooky. Becky was annoyed; of course Jack would develop balls when he died. It wasn’t as though Huck could kill him. Jack placed a hand onto Huck’s chest, nothing happened. There was no real contact. The grin began to fade. His features turned enraged.
“You will die, Tonan,” Jack howled. He tried to touch him again. “Damn you, why isn’t my touch affecting you? It only took a fingertip when I touched Ray.”
“You did this to me,” Raymond said to Jack. Disconcertingly, he walk-floated sideways with the dirt under his feet leaving a trail of unsettled dust. “You touched me on the shuttle and something bad happened.”
Becky gazed into his incredulous expression. Raymond appeared wounded, hurt, betrayed. As though understanding lit his thoughts.
Jack spun and glared at him. “You were dying.”
“You were dead, Jack. I remember, I was lying there. I wasn’t dead. It’s no wonder I’m always hungry. I can’t eat because I can’t eat food. I can bring something to my lips but choke when I try and chew. As though my mouth doesn’t exist. My body is a shell that moves with no insides. You dragged me into this dimension before it was my time. I’m a fucking walking corpse,” Raymond said resting a woe filled glance at Becky. “He killed me. He turned me into a zombie.”
“No,” Becky cried out, her heart ached for him. “A zombie is mindless. You are talking; there’s substance to you. There has to be something we can do.”
“You are dead, little male,” Huck said, Becky was astounded with the compassion she heard in Huck’s tone, and Becky whispered Raymond’s name. “But you’re in two different dimensions—Raymond. The place where Earth-bound humans go and this planet. None of you can ever move on. The others are linked to Raymond somehow. Raymond remains connected to the planet. I’m not sure if you could even get on the shuttle, Raymond. If you can’t, it means none of you can. Jack doomed all of you.”
“No, this is Ray’s fault, not mine,” Jack howled in a ghostly manner.
Jack spun on Raymond. All five men advanced. Becky watched in horror as Jack took a swing at the smaller man and sent him crashing back.
He made contact. She hadn’t been seeing things.
“No,” she screamed and raced forward.
Huck pulled her back and again sent her behind him. “My shield protects me. You’ll be pulled in and suffer the same fate as Raymond.”
“They’re killing him,” she cried out.
“He’s already dead,” Huck argued.
“Then why is he crying in pain?”
“I don’t know. He’s connected somehow, he can touch things which make him solid here and yet he’s in their dimension, too.”
Raymond was doing his best to fend off his attackers.
“Do something or I will.”
“My shield protects me, but they’re in a different dimension,” Huck yelled. “Jack couldn’t touch me.”
“Raymond is solid, sort of,” Becky cried out. “Jack can make contact, so can the others.”
Huck grabbed Raymond by the arm and hauled him to his feet. With Huck’s taloned hand wrapped around Raymond, Jack swung a fist and connected to Huck’s shield. The man bellowed in agony. Huck let go of Raymond and swung. His claws went through Tom as he approached.
“It’s Ray who is the connection,” Becky yelled.
Huck grabbed Raymond’s arm again and lunged at Jack, swinging for his abdomen. The slice was true and Jack doubled over. He fell to the ground in surprise. Becky was right, Raymond was the connection to both dimensions; as long as Huck touched Raymond, he could connect with the others. Becky winced when Huck gripped Raymond to his chest, shoved a clawed foot into Tom’s belly and twisted. Her hand went to her mouth as Tom went down. It didn’t take long for Huck to rip the others to shreds. Only Raymond was left weeping on the ground when Huck released him. When he glanced up, his expression impaled Becky.
“They can’t die. They’re already dead,” Raymond sobbed casting a glance toward the others. “They’ll come after me.”
“They can’t kill you. Dead can’t kill dead,” Huck said.
“No, but they can torture me endlessly. What do I do?”
“Oh, God,” Becky whispered. She had a horrible thought. “Huck, can the cave claim them? Their despair to be written on the walls forever? They are headed in that direction.”
“Does something pull you, Ray?” Huck asked.
Raymond looked confused but he nodded. “Home, I was searching for home.”
“Huck?” Becky asked.
Huck nodded. “If they wander, they might be drawn to the cave, but they are part solid. If they draw others in their actions, as what happened to you with the couple in their recreation of their traumatic events, they would be able to pull a human or perhaps another entity in with them, forever.”
“You can’t go to the cave, Raymond. Not ever. You’d spend eternity there, on walls telling your death story to any living creature that lands. I know you, Ray. You care too much about others to do that, this, to anyone,” Becky said. She wanted to drop to her knees in anguish from his look.
“What do I do?” Raymond asked. “I feel the pull as we speak.”
“I can kill you,” Huck said. “Part of you remains attached to this planet. Or something remains somewhere. I can connect with you; I can kill you for real.”
“No, please can’t we take him with us and leave the others?” Becky cried out.
“Becky,” Huck said. “I know I’ve told you I like to kill, but this little male has spirit, only now a little more literally. I can kill without hur
ting him. He’s too dangerous in the state he’s in.”
“What will happen to me?” Raymond asked.
“This planet isn’t known to take human spirits. Something must have occurred on entry. Think, Ray, did your shuttle crash here?” Huck said.
“The shuttle was destroyed when we hit the atmosphere. I huddled in a small storage area where the others couldn’t fit. When I came to and crawled out, the others were dead.”
“So the planet accepted them as a death offering. You were alive. But human spirits must be different because the planet can’t control these men. They shouldn’t be able to see us but they do, unless it’s because they connected with you, too, Ray.”
“I could barely move. I was bleeding to death. The others were around me. They were pure white and fading. Jack was scared, he panicked, and he grabbed my hand and I felt as though I was ripped in two. I lay there for a while. I did for a long while, but I couldn’t move around. Finally I was able to get up and follow the others.”
“There’s the connection. They would have left but Jack was too afraid to let go. He grabbed you and because he was linked to the others they were pulled back to remain here. You died later. What happened to the others bodies?”
“Burned, or vanished.”
“The planet took them.” Huck sighed.
“We can’t kill him,” Becky said, very close to begging for his life.
“Jack killed him and trapped him. Jack will do the same to you. He made contact with Ray; it stands to reason he can do the same to another human. If he touches you, you’ll be pulled into death’s dimension until your body dies. Then you will split and be in two dimensions as Ray is. Is this what you want, Becky?” Huck asked.
“I’m so sorry, Raymond. I’m so sorry.” Raymond, her friend, was now one of the scariest sights she ever encountered.
“It’s all right, Becky. The others are going to wake soon. I can’t do this for an eternity. What if more humans land? Jack will have gone crazy with rage. I think he has already.” Raymond turned to Huck. “Where will I go when I die for real?”
MINE! [New World Book 8] Page 7
