ALTMAN BE PRAISED
A Dead Space Comic Story
"Don't come looking for me. You may not like what you find." He sent the message and prayed that someone would find it. 'Pray.' What an ironic and hypocritical word to use.
Bram Neumann left the control room after transmitting his vid. log and just simply walked down the empty needle. He didn't care if those 'things' were there. He had nothing left to live for. Unitology hadn't just taken away his wife, it had now taken away every single thing that he held near and dear to his heart. Soon, it will have destroyed all of humanity, like it did on Aegis VII. As far as he knew, he was the last one left alive on the entire planet since he didn't count whatever they were to be 'alive.'
Altman be praised.
It was now five weeks since he saw the feed with Marla and first laid eyes on, 'The Marker.' It felt weird just calling it that. After all, the Marker, according to the Unitologists, was supposed to be the key to humanity's salvation or some shit like that. Boy, were they off. He doubted that this was what Michael Altman taught his followers. There was no way in hell that thing saved any of the colonists. Although, he did have to give Altman credit. Turns out that thing really did give people 'life' after death. Maybe Natalia was telling the truth when she said that 'death was the key.' Neumann couldn't stop thinking that this all could've been avoided if Carthusia had listened to reason and fact, instead of listened to that stupid religion of his.
Altman be praised.
The once great officer Abraham Neumann had walked slowly with his head to the floor just thinking for about an hour now. He was back in the hanger where all the shuttles were before they were destroyed. Bram had no idea what happened to the shuttle that took off and came right back, but he wanted to make sure it didn't happen to any possible ships before they could call in the nuke. He decided not to take the risk and started another transmission. Who knew. It may convince people to also nuke the place.
"This is Sergeant Neumann, P-Sec! We've lost all the shuttles! One of them just took off, then came straight back down and crashed into the bay! Took a couple hundred people and all the remaining shuttles with it! If anyone can hear this, do not land! Do not land!"
Altman be praised.
Neumann transmitted the message and made an audio log copy of it, just in case. He just hoped that any passers would be able to get the messages and order the nuke before it's too late. All he did after that was sit down against the wall and wait. He didn't care anymore.
Altman be praised.
He thought back to Tom and wondered if he was still safe. He wondered if those things have gotten Carthusia yet so he could be one with his 'precious' Marker. Bram thought back to that young nurse who was supposed to replace Katie after Harris killed her and how he helped get her to the landing bay. Had Cameron been far enough from the colony to escape? After all, he said himself that the megavents were over one-hundred miles long and Bram didn't think those creatures would travel that far for one person. He even wondered about Natalia, and if she knew that this would happen.
All of the sudden, he heard a vent cover fly open, and sure enough, a recombinant was slowly moving its way out and looked straight at Neumann.
Altman be praised.
He didn't care anymore. All he regretted was that Marla had failed in saving him by sacrificing herself. Why did Abbott have to hold his stupid sermons and convince every fucking Unitologist that they had to kill themselves to be one with God? Why did Cortez believe that bullshit and shoot herself? She was his partner and friend for years and they may have had a fighting chance at stopping this shit if they didn't have those fifty-two people sitting in the morgue. Well, they weren't in the morgue now.
Altman be praised.
Why couldn't he get those three fucking words out of his head? Had he simply heard them too many times recently? Had he felt like he needed it to keep himself from going completely insane? Or had he been brainwashed by that stupid rock like every other marker-head on this god-forsaken colony?
Altman be praised.
It didn't matter now. The re-animated corpse was getting closer to him and he didn't even have a single bullet or that ax from earlier. He didn't give a fuck. He was ready to die.
Altman be praised.
The monster was now just inches away from him and was getting ready to impale Bram in the head with its spear like hands. He was ready to take it peacefully, knowing that there was nothing he could do too stop the death of Abraham Neumann. He just had one last thing he wanted to say before he became no more.
"Altman be fucked."
TWINKLE, TWINKLE, LITTLE STAR,
HOW I WONDER WHAT YOU ARE.
UP ABOVE THE WORLD SO HIGH.
LIKE A DIAMOND IN THE SKY.
WHEN THE BLAZING SUN IS GONE,
WHEN THE NOTHING SHINES UPON.
THEN YOU SHOW YOUR LITTLE LIGHT.
TWINKLE, TWINKLE, ALL THE NIGHT.
THEN THE TRAVELER IN THE DARK,
THANKS YOU FOR YOUR LITTLE SPARK.
HE COULD NOT SEE WHICH WAY TO GO,
IF YOU DID NOT TWINKLE SO.
WHEN THE BLAZING SUN IS GONE,
WHEN THE NOTHING SHINES UPON.
THOUGH I KNOW NOT WHAT YOU ARE,
TWINKLE, TWINKLE, LITTLE STAR.