A Story
Burncycle
Join Date: 2002-11-24 Member: 9759Members, NS1 Playtester
Join Date: 2002-11-24 Member: 9759Members, NS1 Playtester
<div class="IPBDescription">Part 1</div> Sarah opened the door half an inch and peeked out from her closet into the darkness. She swallowed and closed her left eye, as only the right was in position to see out- she stood absolutely still as the creature looked up towards her.. her eyes widened and she held her breath, not wanting to move in fear that the motion might allow the creature to zero in. Her heartbeat was all that could be heard, with the exception of the creatures rustling. A spark every now and then emanated from a gaping hole in the automatic door across the room, but the creature ignored this. After an eternity, the creature went back to rustling through the miniature fridge beside the bed... Sarah sighed silently and began breathing again, before slowly edging the door closed. Michael had been motionless for the past ten minutes, crouched in the corner with his knees to his chest. The 11 year old boy stopped whimpering after his sister urged him to stay silent before peeking out the door. Sarah put her fingers to her lips as she made her way to the other side of the closet towards Michael. "Shhhh just stay there, it'll be ok" she whispered into his ear. Two years older than him, Sarah and her brother had been hiding in the closet for about five minutes, when the creature first started scratching at the door. Their mother and father both disappeared when the aliens made their first attack; the rest of the crew was gone as well by now. Some four hours ago an intruder alarm sounded. The four marines on the ship organized the rest of the crew in a search party. When they arrived at the location of the intrusion, they found nothing but a hole in the hull that had been newly repaired by the nanites. Whatever boarded the USS Machavelli, en route to an outpost on one of Saturn’s moons to bring supplies and a replacement crew, had moved to an interior compartment. Isolating the intruder and ejecting it into space was no longer an option. Sarah and her brother were told to stay in the room and begin packing in case they had to leave quickly. In the four long hours since they waited, all that could be heard were screams and gunfire. Then, starting about 20 minutes before Sarah and Michael hid in the closet, there was nothing. Silence. 15 minutes ago.... the scratching began. Then the banging. The bone chilling screeches... the buckling of metal and then the sound of the door finally giving.
Sarah heard nothing for a few moments. She sat up and leaned towards the door, slowly pressing her ear against the cold metal. Still nothing. If only she could get to her computer...... as she contemplated opening the door again, the nothingness was suddenly replaced with a sound of sniffing. Loud sniffing... close. An inch away. Twenty-five millimeters of titanium encased lead bulkhead separated the creature that killed everyone on board and herself. Her eyes immediately widened and once again she stopped breathing, afraid to move. The creature wouldn't smell them; when shut, the closet was sealed as it provided an emergency shelter for radiation flares, but it didn't occur to Sarah. The sniffing didn't stop. "Please.... go away" Sarah mouthed without making a sound. Michael started whimpering again. Sarah gasped and squeezed her eyes shut as the sniffing became harder and longer, the creature was alert. Sarah knelt motionless on her hands and knees when suddenly the sound of gunfire interrupted the moment. Sarah heard the creature growl and run out of the room, and she finally exhaled, breaking away from the door and bolting for the back of the closet wall and her brother. She told him to wait there and Michael nodded, before opening the door an inch. Nothing; the creature was gone. She opened the closet door all the way revealing the dark room. The lights in the room and the hallway just outside as well as most of the rest of the ship were out. The room was lit just well enough to move around in from the glow of Saturn outside the window; it was still thousands of kilometers away, they were not set to arrive to the outpost for another 3 days; if there was anything left. Sarah bolted to her bed, grabbed her knapsack and crouched by the bed. She beckoned her brother to come out of the closet, who quickly did and crouched beside her, looking around the room very alert as if the creature was still there. She ran to the door and peeked outside. Only the ends of the halls had light still there.... the gunfire came from somewhere aft, but stopped suddenly just a few moments ago. Sarah pushed her brother forward through the gap in the broken door, a spark bounced off his sleeve and scattered onto the floor before fizzling out. Sarah stepped out directly after him and after she stood she immediately froze. That sound... what was it? She turned her head very slowly to the left.... the creature was there. At the end of the hallway, standing just outside another compartment tearing into what looked like someone’s leg.
It must have been that man with the gun a few moments earlier. Michael gasped when he noticed it, and the creature stopped and looked towards their direction. Sarah stopped breathing again... hoping they hadn't been caught, hoping somehow the creature would simply go away.... it didn't. It had seen them, and it growled softly. "GO!!!" Sarah said urgently, pushing Michael in front of her to get him started. They had to make it to the communication room or an escape pod or something. After taking a few steps, the horrible clicking sound started. The creature was moving towards them. Sarah didn't want to look back, and they pressed in the other direction, running as fast as they could. The clicking sound began going faster. Closer. Louder. Finally the creature reached full speed, only a few feet behind Sarah and Michael; the clicking was so loud now, and the sounds began occurring father apart as the creature sprinted and touched the ground less often... then it stopped. The creature leaped.... Sarah saw a glimpse of it... it's jaws were open and it would be upon them any minute....
The skulk’s jaws slammed shut, putting almost a ton of pressure onto nothing but air. It sailed past the two at head level as they ducked into a doorway on the left side of the hallway. Michael slid across the floor as Sarah and he threw themselves down into the room. Sarah turned and scrambled to the door; the skulk landed and the clicking began again, it was coming back. She reached up and smashed the button beside the door and it began shutting, ever so slowly it seemed. In less than a second the door shut with a hiss, and a thud as the skulk slammed against the door, only a moment too late. Sarah recoiled and scrambled back towards Michael, almost hyperventilating. She looked around.... they were in the mess hall. Only 5 or so doors down from her own, but it seemed to take forever to cover the distance. She stood and looked out the door window. The creature was just on the other side. It turned its head and looked back... it's eye focusing on the face in the window. The creature made a sound, Sarah thought it was a chuckle...... her brow wrinkled quizzically and she looked around before catching a glimpse at the other door across the room. It wasn't shut. She gasped and ran across the room, climbing over the tables and when she finally reached the door she jumped covering the last few feet before hitting the button. She could already hear the clicking as the door slammed home. The clicking stopped. Sarah sank to the floor, her back against the wall as she tried to catch her breath. There were two of them.
To be continued:
Sarah heard nothing for a few moments. She sat up and leaned towards the door, slowly pressing her ear against the cold metal. Still nothing. If only she could get to her computer...... as she contemplated opening the door again, the nothingness was suddenly replaced with a sound of sniffing. Loud sniffing... close. An inch away. Twenty-five millimeters of titanium encased lead bulkhead separated the creature that killed everyone on board and herself. Her eyes immediately widened and once again she stopped breathing, afraid to move. The creature wouldn't smell them; when shut, the closet was sealed as it provided an emergency shelter for radiation flares, but it didn't occur to Sarah. The sniffing didn't stop. "Please.... go away" Sarah mouthed without making a sound. Michael started whimpering again. Sarah gasped and squeezed her eyes shut as the sniffing became harder and longer, the creature was alert. Sarah knelt motionless on her hands and knees when suddenly the sound of gunfire interrupted the moment. Sarah heard the creature growl and run out of the room, and she finally exhaled, breaking away from the door and bolting for the back of the closet wall and her brother. She told him to wait there and Michael nodded, before opening the door an inch. Nothing; the creature was gone. She opened the closet door all the way revealing the dark room. The lights in the room and the hallway just outside as well as most of the rest of the ship were out. The room was lit just well enough to move around in from the glow of Saturn outside the window; it was still thousands of kilometers away, they were not set to arrive to the outpost for another 3 days; if there was anything left. Sarah bolted to her bed, grabbed her knapsack and crouched by the bed. She beckoned her brother to come out of the closet, who quickly did and crouched beside her, looking around the room very alert as if the creature was still there. She ran to the door and peeked outside. Only the ends of the halls had light still there.... the gunfire came from somewhere aft, but stopped suddenly just a few moments ago. Sarah pushed her brother forward through the gap in the broken door, a spark bounced off his sleeve and scattered onto the floor before fizzling out. Sarah stepped out directly after him and after she stood she immediately froze. That sound... what was it? She turned her head very slowly to the left.... the creature was there. At the end of the hallway, standing just outside another compartment tearing into what looked like someone’s leg.
It must have been that man with the gun a few moments earlier. Michael gasped when he noticed it, and the creature stopped and looked towards their direction. Sarah stopped breathing again... hoping they hadn't been caught, hoping somehow the creature would simply go away.... it didn't. It had seen them, and it growled softly. "GO!!!" Sarah said urgently, pushing Michael in front of her to get him started. They had to make it to the communication room or an escape pod or something. After taking a few steps, the horrible clicking sound started. The creature was moving towards them. Sarah didn't want to look back, and they pressed in the other direction, running as fast as they could. The clicking sound began going faster. Closer. Louder. Finally the creature reached full speed, only a few feet behind Sarah and Michael; the clicking was so loud now, and the sounds began occurring father apart as the creature sprinted and touched the ground less often... then it stopped. The creature leaped.... Sarah saw a glimpse of it... it's jaws were open and it would be upon them any minute....
The skulk’s jaws slammed shut, putting almost a ton of pressure onto nothing but air. It sailed past the two at head level as they ducked into a doorway on the left side of the hallway. Michael slid across the floor as Sarah and he threw themselves down into the room. Sarah turned and scrambled to the door; the skulk landed and the clicking began again, it was coming back. She reached up and smashed the button beside the door and it began shutting, ever so slowly it seemed. In less than a second the door shut with a hiss, and a thud as the skulk slammed against the door, only a moment too late. Sarah recoiled and scrambled back towards Michael, almost hyperventilating. She looked around.... they were in the mess hall. Only 5 or so doors down from her own, but it seemed to take forever to cover the distance. She stood and looked out the door window. The creature was just on the other side. It turned its head and looked back... it's eye focusing on the face in the window. The creature made a sound, Sarah thought it was a chuckle...... her brow wrinkled quizzically and she looked around before catching a glimpse at the other door across the room. It wasn't shut. She gasped and ran across the room, climbing over the tables and when she finally reached the door she jumped covering the last few feet before hitting the button. She could already hear the clicking as the door slammed home. The clicking stopped. Sarah sank to the floor, her back against the wall as she tried to catch her breath. There were two of them.
To be continued:
Comments
A little slow in this forum, eh?
paragraphs, lack of typos, kids, skulks, scaryness!
MORE!
My mother taught me that <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo-->
thatwas beautiful.
-Marine
-Civilian Adult
-Civilian Child
-Security? <===think blue shift! we need this one!
yea. its really uber that we have all the points of view.
when do we get more?!!!111!2!!
Thats some DAMN good stuff, please let me know when you finish it up.
Maybe one of these days I'll give it a go.
<!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->