Slow Burn_Deep Darkness

by Stephen Landry

  Log - 25

  Jake's death meant shit. Inertial dampeners kicked in. We could hear them screeching just outside the cabin. The sound pierced my ears like nails against a chalkboard. I had to focus. I had so little time to fix the thrust assembly and stop us from spinning out of control. When I finally managed to pull my weight we already dropped out of the sky. We had started to free fall. The pilot did his best to pull us up but we continued on a crash course downward gliding over the colony below and into the jungle that surrounded us. Thirty of us made it out alive.

  "We have to wait for a rescue," said the pilot, "I have activated a distress beacon and they should come for us shortly. Getting a ship and coming to find us should be a cakewalk for the pilots on this planet." Other passengers began to panic. Already they had been held hostage, witnessed a gunfight and now crash landed on some alien world we knew little about. Shit got real. The pilot was doing his best to calm everyone but nothing he said or did helped. They stared at me. Most all of them saw what I had done. They were looking to me for advice to lead them.

  I had grown tired of being a leader. I hadn't led anyone since Squad 13 and I gave that up when Kal died. Half the reason I was here was because I was hoping to make a clean escape, earn some money and retire far away from people. I wasn't like them. Not a single one. I didn't belong here and I sure as shit had no idea what to say to calm anyone down.

  "Listen to the Captain, the pilot has activated an emergency beacon and help will arrive soon, all we have to do is sit tight. Maybe there is some liquor left in the fridge," I said smiling at the end hoping to brighten everyone's day.

  "A bottle of wine and whiskey," said one of the passengers near the refrigeration unit.

  "Pour me one," I said pointing towards the whiskey.

  "You look like you are barely old enough to drink," said the pilot.

  "I just killed how many people and you are questioning my age?" I said in response.

  He whispered, "only trying to compliment you."

  I smiled at him pointed my finger at the passenger pouring me a glass and jokingly flipped my finger up in the air as if I was firing a pretend pistol.

  The passenger flinched nearly dropping the bottle he had been holding.

  They were all still staring at me.

  They were afraid. And God knows they should be.

  "Kill them all," the voice whispered through static into my ear. Miguel's hissing had returned.

  "I can't!" I shouted.

  Already I had given up my chance to save myself for these people. I wasn't about to just give in and kill them. I had sacrificed too much.

  "Sure you can sweetie, it's easy, the pilot has a gun, grab it, one two three fire, one two three, if you make every round count you won't have too even use your hands," Miguel laughed.

  Everyone was staring at me. I felt like an animal in a zoo. A wild lion and they were watching me wondering when I was going to roar. The worst part was that I wanted to do it. I wanted to kill them all. I wanted to make them stop staring at me. Stop looking at me for leadership. I wasn't their leader. I wasn't in charge. The pilot was. He was the captain of the ship before it went down and he was the one with the highest authority among us.

  "We have a transmission coming in from the colony!" said the Pilot.

  "Read it aloud, how long till rescue arrives!" shouted a passenger.

  "Four hours, they have to refuel one of their bigger ships to come out to us since we are such a large crowd," the Pilot smiled. I'm sure he was patting himself on the back. Most all of the passengers that boarded had survived with the exception of a few that hit their heads too hard during our landing and the terrorists.

  "You have four hours Elyse, don't let me down," Miguel whispered.

  Log - 26

  Four hours. Thirty people. Their lives in my hands. I should have let us crash. It would have been a lot easier for me. It would have been a quicker death for everyone involved. Who the hell wanted to live on this world anyway? The USB Jake had given me was destroyed. Crushed in the crash. I spent the next several hours reading a dossier about our new 'home'. Shear had 36 hour days 472 days a year. During the day it was warm and sticky while the nights were cold and damp. Too cold. Nights could drop below freezing and most likely if we were stuck out here without rescue then our chances - my chances - drop exponentially. Not that my chances were very good anyway. Not with Miguel breathing down my neck. That wasn't the worst of it though. I stepped outside just for a moment. I needed some time to myself. Time to drink and think. I couldn't stand the pilot and the rest of the people that had survived staring at me. Miguel was silent. Probably giving me time wondering what my decision would be. Was my life worth more then theres? Was I that selfish I would kill them after saving them once already?

  All of that washed away. The sun was beginning to set. "Not night, not now," I thought. Just when it seemed shit couldn't get worst it did. I had a feeling. Something in my gut told me that we were being hunted. That I was being hunted. I knew from some of the reports I had read during my downtime that there was an abundance of life on this world. Both the North and South poles were toxic. At least to humans and animals so the areas of this world filled with life were on the equator. I felt like we were in some nightmarish Amazonian LSD dream. This world full of both predators and prey. The reports said that the wildlife preferred hunting at night. It would be pitch black soon. Some of the crew started turning on the emergency lights. Maybe they would help keep the wildlife away but it wasn't very likely. If anything it would probably draw them towards us. We were something new, something to be studied. We were a mystery that the animals would soon discover. Most around me would be easy prey. I wouldn't go down without a fight and a few others here look like they could handle themselves, maybe. Survival training would have to be something everyone learned in the future. Something everyone here should know now but then again what kind of training could we really do to prepare ourselves for this? A crashed ship, an alien world. Help would be hours away and they would be just as new to all of this as us.

  It's unfortunate that when we feel hopeless, when we are at our end the devil comes. He takes many forms. I'v had my run in with him more then once. A couple times with Squad 13, another few times on my own as a freelancer. The first was in the shadows of Menoa when Kal died, when he caught fire I saw the devil's face in the flames. He stared at me for what felt like an eternity. I wasn't afraid then and I'm not fearing death now. It was the shock of knowing, from that moment, my life would be empty, my life would be changed. Imagine smiling one moment driving down the street singing in your car and then getting hit from the side. The impact. That aftermath. It fucking hurts.

  The devil came for me again and again. Not for my soul or some kind of deal. He knew I was already condemned. It was more like he liked watching me. The darkness enjoyed watching me struggle and suffer. In a haze like a dream I could see it clearly. The devil and the reaper laughing together pointing their finger at me. I could picture the two of them drinking coffee painting pictures of what they would do to me next. Even now after the end of the world, this Eden, this small space humanity hopes they can make into something more. The devil is everywhere I am. I can even hear his voice in my ear...

  Log - 27

  "Take off your clothes," said Miguel.

  "Fuck you," I said in return.

  "Take off your clothes or kill one of the surviving crew around you," he said.

  "Fuck you," I said again.

  "You know I have a bomb on your neck? Do I need to remind you who's in control? If you don't kill someone I'm going to kill you, I'm bored, I'm ready to have some fun, do it with your hands, I want it to be bloody, I want to hear their screams, I'll even let you in on a secret, I have more operatives around you, maybe you'll get lucky and pick off one of them," the devil whispered again.

  "There is no reason," I said trying not to look like I was talking to myself. I took another drink. This c
ould have been the last bottle of wine in the universe and here I was doing shots.

  "Come on, just one, not like any of them stand a chance against you, you have the time, it's going to be another few hours before rescue arrives, you can kill one and run if they give you any trouble. Better yet kill all of them and say they died in the crash. You can do it. I know you have done worse. All those kids. All those poor children you let die. These fucks don't deserve your kindness. I would bet half of them were giving orders just like your old man, just like Reynolds was. The slaughter of innocence in the name of peace, to protect the powers that held control, the sons of the sun. Kill them. Kill one I'll let you live. Kill all of them I'll let you go," he said.

  "Let me go?" I said questioning the excited tone in his voice. He words were echoing in my ear. I could do it. I could move faster then all of them. I could take two maybe three down before they even realized I had turned against them. I could see it in my head. Like a dance. A ballet. I knew where and when I would step. Sharp jagged pieces of debris were laying on the ground. I could use it, I wouldn't miss a beat.

  "That's my girl, your thinking about it aren't you, counting the breaths you'll take, like a sharp razor flying through space, as graceful as a grenade. You'll be free and you won't have to hear my voice again, you can even report what you know to Reynolds if you want. I won't stop you. I won't even come after you, kill them all or strip off your clothes. Your choice," Miguel was laughing.

  A few of the survivors were staring at me now. I think one or two might have overheard me. Maybe they were starting to put two and two together. Something was clearly wrong with who I was. Standing apart from everyone in the darkness furthest away from the light, from humanity. Drowning my sorrows in wine. I could see it in their eyes. They were looking at me like I was wild. No. That wasn't it. They were worried. I could see a few of them gathering supplies off the ground, blankets and torn pieces of clothing scavenging for the others that were afraid. They were pulling together. A younger woman was smiling towards me. Her hand beckoning me to come forward. Was she one of Miguel's operatives? Was this a ploy? Maybe he was whispering into her ear. Telling her to bring me close so I could call upon the demon inside me.

  I smiled and took off my shirt.

  I walked towards them unbuttoning my pants.

  They looked at my body in awe. I was slender and had a nice figure but I was covered in scars. Wounds that wouldn't heal. I pulled down my panties and took off my bra. I stood there next to the fire. Completely naked.

  "What the hell are you doing?" one of the women asked.

  "Getting comfortable, its going to be a long few hours," I said smiling.

  I grabbed another cup of wine from the Captain who was staring at my chest.

  I could only imagine how long it had been since any of these pigs had some.

  Miguel wanted to shame me. Turn me into a piece of meat. He wanted the survivors to drool over me. He wanted me to feel like a whore. I grabbed a blanket and set it out on the ground before laying down with my legs crossed and arms behind my head. I wasn't going to let him win. The woman who motioned for me to come closer gave me her blanket smiling. She laid herself next to me a few inches away. We stared up at the stars. So different from Earth and yet the same feeling.

  "Well played," his voice. Less excited then he had been.

  "I'm so glad you get to be my puppet for a little while longer, feel free to put your clothes back on whenever you feel like it, I have some errands I simply must tend to. It was great playing with you," Miguel's comm cut out. There was silence. All around us.

  Silence. Beautiful silence.

  Log - 28

  Even on the worst night I was always able to sleep. I taught my body that no matter what I HAD to rest. Counting back from a thousand, clearing my head, meditating. None of it was working now. One more hours until the rescue party arrives. One more hour until I continue on my quest to kill Reynolds. I turned on my side and faced the woman next to me. She had fallen into a deep sleep. Many of the survivors now were settling down resting. We knew we wouldn't have much time. Most likely the rescue party would want us to move as quick;y as possible, especially since we were stuck in the jungles without a barrier.

  "Where do you suppose the insects are?" the woman next to me awoke.

  "What?" I asked wondering what made her ask such a question.

  "Back on Earth I was an archeologist, I use to explore different sites all over the solar system. Did you know we found small ruins buried on Mars and the moon. Some ancient alien society hundreds of thousands of years old. The ruins on the moon were made of a crashed ship. Similar to the Skrav but not quite the same. Parts of it were buried hundreds of meters deep inside craters, still partially preserved. We couldn't figure any of it out but some believe it was a seed ship or that some alien race actually created humans. Kinda like those old religions, the first ones, the sumerians, you know like that. Anyway, when I was studying sites on Earth camping there were always so many damn bugs. Mosquitos, ticks, lice, but here, this world I haven't seen a single flying insect yet. It's like they don't exist here. Nothing small, nothing crawling. We know this world has animals and an ecosystem but we have no idea how the food chain works. Even the trees though they look like home are slightly varied. It's like someone took a picture of the Amazon jungle and changed the blues and greens and reds to different levels. This place feels like limbo. It feels wrong," she said. This was the longest I had listened to anyone speak in a long time. Just talking. The two of us began a conversation. I told her how I wasn't sure I believed in ancient aliens but that her theory made sense. I told her about my training. What I knew about the Skrav. The aliens that came and went during their attempted invasion. How they walked on two legs, had two human like arms but two smaller ones and other human like features if humans had evolved from cockroaches while being melted in a microwave. We shared what we knew. How they were the ones that had to be responsible for what happened now. She confirmed everything I knew and more.

  "It's possible don't you think that the Skrav and humans were created by the same ancients? Kinda like one of those old movies or holos. The first aliens seed the galaxy and then disappear," she said.

  "It could be but what does it matter, if they disappeared they couldn't have been very powerful, sounds like we were made from weak beings, that would explain our faults wouldn't it. Maybe they acted just like us and they went to war with themselves," I replied.

  "Are you not one of the daughters of Sol? She asked.

  "No I'm not, I was tricked aboard the Erebus," I said.

  "I see, you aren't the only one. I'm not with them either but I know enough. After we woke up, the brief. What Reynolds has said, the archives. Seems they knew when and where the world was going to end. Doesn't seem fair. Us being the last," she said moving closer. I smiled. The night breeze blew against my cheek. I was still laying naked on the blanket. I realized it wasn't just conversation that the woman next to me was looking for.

  "Let me grab my clothes," I said standing. I walked over her as she looked up at me with a smirk across her face.

  I wanted to. I did. Nothing wrong with that but I didn't have the time and the archeologist wasn't quite my type.

  "What's your name by the way?" I asked pulling my shirt back on. I was half dressed now.

  ""Chelnov, most call me Chel, you know we could go somewhere more quiet, in the back there are still a few empty storage spaces we could get some privacy, talk more?" she said.

  "A time like this? The rescue party should be here soon," I said avoiding the situation but not trying to put her down.

  "Follow me," she said standing up and moving towards the back of the ruined space craft. I couldn't resist and I couldn't stand to let her go to the back alone. At the very least it was nice to have someone other than Miguel whisper in my ear.

  Log - 29

  It crept out of the darkness like something from a horror movie. It rem
inded me of something called a Kaiju. The kind of monster depicted in old classic films only it was smaller. It looked like it a cross between a Tyrannosaurs Rex and a demon from hell. I thought about the stories I had heard back when I went to school. Stories from history about ancient monsters from Greek and Roman history. The three headed dog Cerberus would have looked like a pup compared to this beast now.

  We were all standing in the center of the drop ship now. We could see it through the gaping holes and windows in the craft. Vicious it looked like it was covered in an earlier kill. It's skin looked like it had crept out of a swamp. Covered in scales and moss and tiny veins that twisted around it like small vines hard as branches of a tree. It's teeth were thick and jagged like an alligator or crocodile with a long tongue that broke apart like a snake hanging out the side of its gaping jaw.

  "We call it a drake," said Chel. She was standing next to me. The two of us had just shared some space together in private before hearing the beast crash against the side of our ship. The others were looking towards the captain for guidance.

  "We did a pretty shit job picking this place but we have already identified and named about thirty some odd creatures," she said.

  "Under the floor, we have a second weapons locker, move aside," he said holding crow bar. He places the bar down and it pierces down into a small hole. He twists and pulls the floor up brushing it aside. He picks up several rifles handing them out like he's the god damn ice cream man. "I'll take a caramel cone," I whispered to Chel as the captain reached down and handed me an M44. It was like homecoming. I could feel the gun like an extension of my own body. I looked down the sight and adjusted it slightly. I checked the grip and the battery making sure it was in acceptable condition. These guns hadn't been used in years.