Ice Rift (20 page)

RICHARD HAD BEEN WANDERING through the ship since leaving the purple control room. During this time his thoughts had been occupied with three matters: were the others still alive, and if so where were they? Would he encounter any more monsters? And his primary consideration, how was he going to get off this hell ship?

Not for the first time, he caught a whiff of the stench that shrouded him. He longed to step into a warm shower, but that wouldn't be happening any time soon. Though he had encountered doors in the left and right corridor walls, he'd decided to keep to the main path. He would only risk entering a side exit if danger presented itself, something he was certain eventually would.

Though fear was his constant companion, he'd managed to hold it in check. Confidence gained by his recent escapes from what he'd first thought was certain death encouraged him he could do so again if the need arose. He just had to make sure he didn't panic. If he did, he would die.

He paused at the door that blocked his progress. The unknown behind each was the most nerve-racking part of his exploration. At a distance that put him as far as possible from the door and yet still able to operate the control, he stretched out an arm and pressed the button. As the door opened he took a few cautious steps back.

When the rusty rasp had faded, he cocked an ear at the dark opening. He heard only the constant groans of the stressed hull. His headlight picked out another door a short distance away. He glanced at the edges of the open door; it was three times the thickness of the normal doors. He approached the second door and pressed the button. The door behind him slid shut. When its edges met, the door before him opened. A breath of warm air washed over him and crimson light bathed him in its blood red glow, which raised his apprehension a few notches. The room his eyes roamed wasn't the continuation of the corridor he'd expected; it was much larger. A cocked ear detected no growls, shrieks or claws scraping across metal, only a low hum as if from a distant electric-powered piece of machinery.

His head poked through the opening and looked at the nearest source of red light― a transparent container set in a rack similar to the thousands, both small and large, lining the walls of the room. Though he briefly considered turning around and leaving, there was nowhere else to go. He had to find an exit or a means to escape from the ship of terror and moving forward was his only option. Hesitantly, he stepped into the room and switched off his headlamp, which he removed from his head and dropped into a pocket so he could wipe away the build-up of sweat on his forehead.

A pungent chemical smell filled the room, which Richard assumed was emitted by the crimson liquid-filled vessels. He crossed to the left-hand tier of transparent containers and examined in closer detail the object he'd noticed inside. Suspended by tubes was a creature that seemed to be a species of alien insect twice the size of his hand. Though tinted by the red fluid, its bright-blue, fat body was easily distinguishable, but there was no obvious sign of a head, only four black, claw-like teeth, each serrated with tiny sharp protrusions. No eyes, ears or nose was evident. A row of various sized spikes travelled along the ridge of its back that ended in a tail split into three. Ten short feetless legs were its means of movement. Richard tapped the glass, but it produced no reaction from the floating monstrosity. An examination of nearby specimen containers revealed each housed a variety of unearthly creatures.

Richard walked along the wall until he reached a gap between the tanks that led off to the left. A strange metal contraption, which looked as sinister and as frightening as the specimens, hung from a rail that stretched along the ceiling. Cables and pistons fixed to various parts of the frame and the long metal arms that currently hung limp at its sides, gave the impression it could spring to life at any moment.

Alert for any sound or movement, Richard headed along the side passage. He passed rows and rows of container-walls that reminded him of the layout of a library with hundreds of shelves crammed with books. The specimen jars ranged in size from small to very large, and all contained some form of hideous alien creature that by the fleeting glimpse he gave the nearest one, seemed to have evolved to hunt, kill and feast. Though there may have been some in the containers not in his line of sight, he'd seen none of the more docile creatures present on earth. No rabbits, deer, sheep, cows, hamsters, in fact nothing that could be labelled as cute or anything you'd be willing to risk a hand stroking. It was evident the planet, or planets, they originated from, would not be calming places to visit or popular tourist destinations.

Something crunched underfoot. He stopped and looked at his feet. Slivers of what looked like glass littered the ground. The trail led to the next row in line. He stepped clear of the glass, cautiously advanced and peered into the row where the shard trail led. Shattered glass was strewn across the floor amidst faded red stains. The tier on the right leaned at a slant against the one next to it and contained smashed specimen jars. A gaze at its top revealed the broken supports that once held the heavy tiers of specimens in place. A glance inside one of the lower smashed jars revealed no sign of an occupant, dead or alive, and no bodies or remains on the floor. A rush of fear swept through Richard. He surveyed the room with dread-filled eyes. There was no sign of the creatures he expected to see creeping up on him, but that didn't mean they weren't doing that very thing.

Richard gazed at the door he needed to reach thirty yards away, and the spaces between the rows where the missing horrors might be concealed. He could do it in two ways― slow and stealthy, or fast and furious. So far his cautious journey through the room had failed to alert anything that might be in the room of the tasty snack in their midst, so unwilling to bring undue attention to his presence, he chose the former.

Each time he approached one of the colossal racks of specimens, he paused to peer into each aisle to check nothing waited to jump out at him. His confidence grew when he'd travelled a little over halfway to the exit. Soon, he would be out of this spooky specimen library.

His frightened scream that followed his glimpse down the next aisle echoed through the cavernous space. It was joined by the surprised squeal of the creature responsible for Richard's frightened outburst. In his haste to flee the monster, Richard stumbled and fell to the floor. His gaze returned to the creature that had surprised him. It hung from the rack, shaking and whimpering. It was just as scared by the unexpected encounter as him, which was something he found comforting― if hard to believe.

While he studied the small creature, which had seemed much bigger when he'd first come face to face with it, Richard's fear slowly subsided. It was only the size of a kitten, and if you overlooked the two horns that protruded from its skull and its two large rabbit teeth growing over its bottom lip, just as cute. Its small body was covered in red velvet skin, which combined with the horns, gave it a devilish appearance. Its large, bald, wrinkled head, framed a baby face. It had a human-like nose, except more rounder and glossy black, and a crinkled mouth that currently trembled with fear. Perhaps the most dominant feature that contributed to its cuteness was its two large, round eyes, which looked like two hypnotizing balls of lovability. Even Richard's normally hard emotional shell weakened. Sensing the small creature presented no threat, he climbed to his feet and approached the tiny alien with an outstretched arm.

The creature whimpered and cowered from the offered limb.

“It's okay, little feller, I'm not going to hurt you.”

The creature, comforted by the soft voice, stopped trembling, but continued to stare timidly at the hand moving slowly closer.

Though nervous the creature might bite, Richard placed his hand gently on the back of the cowering creature's head and stroked it. After a moment of apprehension, the creature purred like a cat from the attention, its red skin faded into bright green.

Richard smiled. For a few moments, the hectic, life-threatening atmosphere of the ship was replaced by a sense of calm. “You like that, do you?” He moved his hand to tickle under its chin, eliciting another satisfied purr. It sniffed Richard's arm and balked at the stench.

Richard laughed. “Sorry about that. I do stink a bit.”

Without warning, the cute creature leapt from the wall and ran up his arm. It perched on his shoulder and nuzzled his face, careful to avoid scratching him with its horns.

The smile remained on Richard's face when he cocked his head to look at his new friend. “You're the friendliest creature I've met since stepping aboard this monster-infested vessel, and the only one that hasn't tried to kill or eat me.”

The creature purred.

Richard remembered where he was, glanced over at the door and walked toward it. “Sorry, little feller, I have to go.” He plucked the creature from his shoulder and held it in front of him. The creature smiled; at least he thought it was a smile. “You have to stay here. I have my own life to worry about without adding you to the mix. Your scent might attract unwanted attention from creatures a lot less cute than you.”

He placed the creature on the ground, but when he removed his hands, it jumped onto his arm again. Richard pulled him away and placed him on the floor again. “Stay!” he said, forcefully. The creature's eyes grew even larger when it achieved a sad look that reminded Richard of the cat in Shrek. “You can stop that, it won't work. You got on alright without me and will do so again.” He ignored the creature's sad whimpering sobs and turned away. He opened the door and stepped through into a corridor. He turned as the door closed. The creature's skin had turned blue and its sad face watched him. Though it was hard to resist, Richard did.

He hadn't gone more than a few steps before he realized what a big mistake he'd made. He was wrong to have left the creature. It was small enough to smuggle off the ship and absolute evidence that aliens exist. It would back up his unbelievable adventures and everything he'd seen on the alien spacecraft. He needed the tiny alien. There were also the merchandising prospects the lovable creature offered. Every child would want a toy version. It would make him millions. He quickly spun around and rushed back to the specimen room.

When the door opened, he stepped inside. There was no sign of the cute alien. “Hey, little feller, I've come back for you,” he called out softly.

His searching gazes down the aisles between the racks detected no sign of the creature. “Where are you?”

A scratching noise came from ahead, down one of the aisles.

Richard turned toward the sound. “Is that you, little feller?”

He stepped forward to investigate. The small creature peeked out from one of the higher smashed cages. Richard smiled and held out his hands. “Jump and I'll catch you.”

A few moments of hesitation passed before the creature emerged and leapt into Richard's hands.

Richard stroked the creature. “Sorry for leaving you, but I won't again. You're too precious a commodity to leave behind.” He tickled it under the chin. The creature turned green as it purred. “So green means you're happy, blue when you're sad and red when frightened, is that right?”

The creature purred and nuzzled his hand.

“As you looked like a little devil when you were red, I'll call you Lucifer, until I think of something cuter and more appealing to children.”

Lucifer purred.

Richard smiled and stroked his new pet. “It's time to go, as I need to find a way off this ship.” He was about to place the creature on his shoulder when Lucifer trembled; its fur turned red. Something had frightened it.

Richard's eyes searched for the cause and found it. A Web monster stared at him from a rip in the metal ceiling caused when one of the racks broke away. It slunk from the hole and climbed headfirst down the rack between him and the exit. Though he couldn't be certain it was the same one that had chased him into the bowels of the ship, it was the same species. It claws clacked on the metal floor when it jumped the last few feet.

The small creature struggled in his grip and before Richard could stop it, it leapt to the floor and ran off. The clawed beast glanced at the fleeing creature before turning its attention back to the larger prey.

Richard slowly backed away. He'd only just managed to outrun the other Web creature before, this one was much closer. He doubted he'd get very far before it was upon him. An excited chattering directed his attention away from the threat. The small creature jumped up and down on a small control panel atop a post set in the floor. It pointed a small arm at the ceiling and opened and closed its three fingers. Richard tipped his head. Lucifer's finger was aimed at the spooky crane machine.