The screams reached a peak. Anziar’s body went limp.
“I know I can count on you, Talek.”
Fi stepped closer, putting her left arm under his right. She pulled his hands to her hips. Her intricate, black eyes locked on Anziar. They pulled him in, drowning out everything else around him. The black enchanted him.
“I won’t lose you,” Fi said, bringing her face closer. “I won’t lose you to that abyss.”
Finally, the body expelled him.
19
Talek felt Fi’s warm touch. His eyes shot open and he saw her small, beautiful eyes. The black still complemented her silver hair. He coughed and smiled, removing a hand from her waist. He felt liquid bubbling in his eyes. “Fi, you did the impossible. Quite a mystery, indeed.”
She smiled and chuckled. Once again, he made her laugh. “Your voice sounds better. Glad to have you back, Talek, or should I say…Selas?”
He sighed, shutting his eyes. Anziar had revealed his identity and caused so much chaos. He’d gotten rid of that name in an effort to keep Anziar in his past and yet, he’d still caught up to him.
He’d watched every move that Anziar made on the Bombard, watched all of the destruction and mayhem. It made him feel like his efforts had failed.
“Yes, Selas, actually. Selas Taban,” he said, coughing again. “I thought that if I took a new nam—”
“Now’s not the time,” Fi said, gesturing to the bridge around them. “This life takes precedence, remember? That spirit nearly destroyed this life, so we’ve got a lot to clean up.”
Selas Taban nodded. He saw no point in hiding himself any longer. Fi knew him. She saw beneath the surface. “Yes, I watched all of it happen. I will fight with you to get us out of here.”
She began to pull away. He kept one hand on her waist. “Fi, thank you.”
Fi paused, taking her hands out from under his arms. She leaned forward and kissed him. He didn’t struggle or protest. He received it, giving in. As their lips touched, he felt a sense of belonging that he had never felt before. A sense of acceptance. A sense of love.
That sense overwhelmed any crawling or screaming. That had disappeared.
Fi pulled back and smiled. They released each other and Selas turned to Sora. A man full of surprises. He chose to step in when he didn’t even know the exact circumstances. He held true to his previous words to Selas. That also gave Selas a sense of belonging. Not even his brothers had treated him with such acceptance. “You did have the capability to help me, Sora. You worked to bring me back. I will never forget that.”
Sora smiled and nodded. “My confidence was never misplaced, Tale-I mean, Selas.”
“As nice as this is,” Trika said, raising her voice. Selas turned to the rest of the crew, as well as Felicia and Bosnan. A group of wide eyes, open jaws and a few smiles. Trika waved her hands. “We still need to get out of here. That… spirit thing used Bosnan’s creations to trash the Bombard and kill everyone. Where’s the Killer?”
“The ship’s automatic defenses are still active,” Natalia said, clearing her throat and glancing at Selas. “It couldn’t get any closer.”
“Could we use the bridge to deactivate them?” Viktor said, glancing at Naos.
Naos looked at Scout, momentarily frowning. She didn’t give a response. Naos walked to one of the few active computers and began using the keyboard. Words appeared on the screen. “Uh, it seems like they’re locked into place. Everything is, actually.”
“What do you mean?” Sora said. He glanced at Felicia and Bosnan, releasing a breath.
“The ship went into lockdown when the main power went out. Even the main hangar is sealed,” Naos said, continuing to smash keys. “I can’t unlock it from here, but that’s the only place on the flagship without turrets surrounding it. There is a panel in the hangar that would unlock it, but we’d have to make it there.”
“Those creatures are still loose on the ship,” Viktor said, shaking his head at Sora. “They would not be easy to fight, Captain.”
“I don’t think we have a choice,” Fi said, still standing near the center of the room. Selas stood beside her. “We started out with the intent of making it to the hangar. It looks like that’s still our goal.”
Scout swallowed, nodding at Naos. “What do you think, Blondie?”
“Me?” Naos said, blinking and raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah, you,” Scout said, gulping again. “You’ve survived this far.”
Naos bit his lip, stepping away from the computer and looking at the double doors. “I think that’s our best bet, yeah. Crazy, but our best bet.”
“Then our bodies should make haste,” Kossk said, heading for the doors.
Selas sighed. A grave fight awaited them. “I will make up for what Anziar has done,” he said, raising his voice. Everyone stopped to look at them. “He and I are not the same person, I promise you that. I will fight at your sides and help get us off this ghost ship.”
Everyone glanced at each other, pausing. Selas understood the uncertainty.
Sora nodded, holding up his rifle and walking toward the double doors. He looked back at Selas. “We believe you, Selas. We will do this together. Now is not the time for mistrust or grudges. We’ve come too far.”
The others looked at Sora and Selas spotted the suspicion in the eyes of Viktor, Naos, Scout and Felicia. Trika, Kossk, Natalia and Bosnan didn’t give any visible reactions. However, no one spoke. Selas heard no objections. One by one, the group turned toward the double doors. They had accepted him back and he would kill any remaining suspicions.
“Your body and mind have had much conflict, Selas,” Kossk said, craning his neck toward him. The Mizan glanced at the others. “However, your soul remains pure. Your soul remains with us.”
Selas knew Kossk would understand. He always had, even when that understanding went unspoken.
Fi picked a rifle off the ground and extended it toward him. Selas smiled, recognizing the familiar weapon. “I’ve been keeping this for you. Didn’t want the soldiers to get their hands on those stolen modified projectiles. They do well against the creatures.”
Selas took the weapon, chuckling. It felt nice to laugh, even in the middle of such a grim situation that linked back to him. “Of course.”
He looked back to the exit and Felicia stepped in front of it as Sora reached it. Silence again overcame the bridge. The two stood face-to-face, only inches apart from each otherand Selas noticed the muscles tense in Sora’s back. Selas stepped forward, listening to the slow breaths of everyone around him. Neither Sora nor Felicia moved. For the first time, Selas heard the quiet beeps of the remaining computers.
Many types of ghosts and skeletons on this ship.
“Even Chief Bosnan cannot control these savages. They kill anyone in their path,” Felicia said, cocking her head toward the door. Selas heard Bosnan’s grumble. “You have never seen anything like them.”
“What are you implying?” Sora said. At first, his voice sounded shaky, but it quickly grew firm.
“It seems that our interests have yet again aligned, Sora, for now.”
Sora curled his fist and Selas noticed everyone else’s muscles tense. Natalia walked forward, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Sora…”
Sora inhaled and relaxed his fist. “I agree, Felicia, for now.”
“Sora, we don’t have to work with this lunati—” Trika said, rolling her eyes.
“No,” Sora said, shaking his head at his sister. “We don’t have time to argue and she’s right. We need as many people as we can get.”
Felicia smirked and gestured to the doors, stepping aside. They pulled apart and allowed the newcomers to gaze on the dark, destroyed command deck. Sora only looked at it for a few seconds before glancing back at the rest.
“Let’s get to it.”
“We’ll reach the hangar from the main deck,” Naos said, walking to the front of the group. Scout stuck close to him. “The elevator should be straight ahead and
that’ll get us there.”
Sora sprinted forth and the rest of the crew copied that movement. They charged through the first corridor, passing the corpses and wreckage with little pause. The sound of their boots hitting the floor became the primary sound in the eery corridors. The rest of the Bombard did not have any noise to offer.
Selas and Fi ran side by side, weapons in hand. She nudged him as they entered the next corridor. “Any chance you can also control these things with the touch of your hand?”
Selas shook his head, keeping in step with the others. “Unfortunately, no. Anziar has abilities that I do not have. I only have the body.”
“Disappointing. I was hoping you’d have powers now.”
Selas allowed himself another laugh. “No. What I have now, or rather who I have, is much better.”
Fi pursed her lips and didn’t smile. He hoped that she had the urge to smile, at least. “Careful, Dano. Let’s not indulge our feelings too frequently.”
Selas nodded, returning his focus to the next corridor. They hadn’t entered it yet, but the elevator entered his vision. Normally, right now, he wouldn’t have such focus. Normally, mentioning Anziar would lead to the crawling and the itching. The headache and the screaming. Selas had the urge to rub his temples, but he didn’t need to.
Selas had not felt this amount of mental strength in a long time. When he shoved Anziar out of his thoughts, that pressure always remained in the background, even when Selas didn’t want to admit it. Now, he did not feel any of that pressure. Fi and Sora didn’t return Anziar to his imprisonment. They pushed him out of Selas’ body.
Selas didn’t know if it would remain that way forever. He didn’t know if it could. Right now, he wanted to enjoy it.
He returned his focus to the present, watching Sora, Naos and Scout enter the elevator. He glanced down at his rifle. Now, he would end the last of Anziar’s work.
Scout stepped out of the elevator, taking in the first corridor of the main deck. Everyone galloped through the command deck, but now the unknown slowed them down. The only sounds consisted of creaking metal and electricity crackles. Scout hopped over a fallen beam, grimacing at the bloody soldier to her left. She looked away, but a decapitated worker laid to the right.
Maybe she would just stare straight ahead.
That sight didn’t appeal to her much either. She only saw more bodies, hanging wires and demolished steel. The Bombard functioned as the crown jewel of Bettina’s armada and now some guy inside Selas’ head reduced it to this. She’d complained to Sora and Nait about the slim odds of fighting their way through the secure ship, but now she’d take the secure ship over this.
More soldiers to fight, yeah, but she knew soldiers. She didn’t know this.
“This should take us straight to the hangar,” Naos said, stepping over another fallen beam. Sora and Naos walked to Scout’s right. “It’s a bit of a walk, but it’ll get us there.”
“These bodies have endured much horror,” Kossk said, walking a few feet behind Scout. She glanced back to see him stepping through a red puddle. “The life was sucked from their bodies in an excruciating manner. My mind has never seen anything like this.”
“Yes,” Bosnan said, grunting. He stuck to the back of the group and had his usual, couldn’t-give-a-crap look. “Horror indeed.”
Scout scoffed, looking ahead and continuing her trek. “You know that I hate to admit any kind of defeat, Blondie, but you were right about Bosnan,” she said, lowering her voice. She glanced at Naos. “Complete creep.”
“I think I should be admitting defeat to you,” Naos said, looking at the floor. He sighed. “Look at what all my doubts got us into. Sure, I had one good point about Bosnan, but look at all that I ruined in the process.”
Scout looked away from him. “We both messed up. At least we’re finally on the same page about everything.”
She swallowed. She didn’t like saying that, but she had to. Naos’ impulses got the better of him, but she had to give him some credit. He deserved that.
“What happened to your arms?” Naos said, biting his lip. He pointed at her upper right arm. “Those weren’t there on Wantim.”
She brushed the bandage, ensuring that it still had the grip that it needed. “They happened on Wantim. Don’t know if you saw her, but Bettina showed up. She nearly killed me and Nait both.”
They stepped into the next corridor and Naos’ head snapped toward Scout with wide eyes. “What?! Are you okay? Where’s Nait?!”
“Shh,” she said, glancing at the rest of the crew. “He’s in the medical bay, but he’ll be fine. Did I make it out okay? No, but I don’t want to get into it.”
“Scout, if you’re hurt, you shouldn’t—” Naos said, reaching to grab her. She pushed his hand down.
“Not now, Blondie. You saw how this went last time,” Scout said, forcing a smirk onto her face. “The physical injury wasn’t that bad, anyway.”
She didn’t want to tell him about her conversation with Bettina. He’d probably blame himself or something and Scout didn’t need that right now. If she wanted to save Naos, she just needed to get him back onto the Killer. Everything else could wait.
A screech interrupted their journey. Scout whirled to the left, listening to the ripping steel. A claw emerged in the left wall and within seconds, that wall came off its hinges. A gigantic, big-eyed beast stepped through the new space and roared at the crew. He swung his claw forward.
Scout jumped backward, glancing at Bosnan, who still clung to the back of the line. The injury on the back of Scout’s leg flared. “What kind of freaks are these?!”
“Fire!” Fi said.
Scout lifted her pistol and pressed the trigger five times, letting a flurry of blue bolts hit the giant. The others did the same with their respective weapons and a stream of energy collided with the creature’s chest. Judging by his screams, it hurt him, but didn’t kill him. Scout kept firing.
He swung again, throwing his hand over Trika. One claw ripped into her back. She threw herself on the ground and rolled away, leaving blood spots along the way. Her shrieks hurt Scout’s ears.
Natalia stood in the middle of the group and ducked down, rushing to Trika’s side. She fired a few shots at the creature. “Are you alright?! Can you move?!”
“I-I’m good,” Trika said, standing.
Scout looked back at the creature. Their bolts cut into its skin, but it kept going. It eyed Trika again, swatting other shots away in the process. Apparently wanting to capitalize on its success, it swung at her again. Natalia pulled her backward, but the creature swung again.
“Aim at its face!” Fi said, shouting above the noise. “That’s a weak spot!”
The creature reached Trika and Natalia again, shoving them against the opposite wall. Selas charged forward, aiming at the creature’s face and firing three times. Three blue orbs flew out of his gun and sped toward the creature’s face. One by one, they made contact and exploded. The creature’s face cratered and the rest of its body wobbled, finally falling over.
“Senator, Trika, can you still stand?” Selas said, rushing to the wall and holding out a hand.
Natalia grabbed it, pulling both herself and Trika off the ground. Trika cried out again, clutching her new wound. “I think I can make it, but I don’t know how much good I’ll do,” Trika said, closing her eyes. “That thing made a pretty big hole in my back.”
“I’ve got you,” Natalia said, keeping her arm wrapped around Trika. “I’ll help you the rest of the way.”
Two people down already. That didn’t bode well.
“My masterpiece,” Bosnan said, leaning down and touching the creature’s corpse. “They decimated your skin. Your facial structure had such little flaws and they used that to—”
Scout saw Felicia roll her eyes and as awkward as it felt, she agreed with that sentiment. “Masterpiece? That thing nearly killed Trika in two hits.”
“As I said, Chief Bosnan: it is impossible to truly create life,
” Viktor said, stepping out from the group and pulling Bosnan’s arm. “It only results in this chaos. Do not let this error keep you from escaping this place.”
Bosnan stood and glared at Viktor. “Then I’ve proven the impossible, doctor. These are my legacy.”
“Come on, guys, we’ve got to keep moving,” Sora said, grasping his chest and letting out several heavy breaths. He motioned to the next hall. “C-Come on.”
They began moving, but Scout didn’t see Viktor move with them. He lingered. He shook his head at the animal beneath him. “For a scientist, these… are no legacy.”
“Come on, Viktor,” Scout said, calling out while she rushed to the front of the group. “Don’t dwell on his failure.”
Scout entered the next corridor, which held the same amounts of corpses and destruction as before. She rubbed her eyes, trying to block the images out of her head. She wanted to relish in the blow these creatures had given to Bettina, but she couldn’t. Scout wanted to view this as justice for Bettina, but she couldn’t.
She found that strange, but she couldn’t take pride in the gruesome deaths of these people. Even if they did serve the government. Maybe a few weeks ago she would have, but not now. She grimaced, stepping over a torn leg. With the next step, she dodged the rest of the body. The creature had torn the soldier’s stomach open, leaving it on full display for the crew.
Scout’s feet vibrated. The sound of scraping followed. She looked to her right and locked eyes with Sora.
“Run!” Sora said, shouting to the group behind them. Scout looked back to see Selas and Fi helping Natalia and Trika, while Kossk, Felicia, Viktor, Naos and Bosnan sprinted. Scout heard more scrapes from both walls. She threw her feet forward as quick as she could, ignoring the second flare in her wounded leg.
A creature ascended through the floor behind them, brushing the steel to the side. It shrieked and charged. Kossk halted his movement and pulled his spear off his back. He ran toward the creature, catapulting himself into the air and landing on its back. He plunged the spear into its back while Felicia and Viktor fired.
Survival, Dark Times Page 27
