Okay gang I got called away one an unexpected vacation so I am giving the
rest of the story to my friend Natasha to finish for me! Her stuff is
fantastic! I am sure you will find the next parts even more exciting!!
Thank you Natasha!
The Hollow Men part 2 by Natasha Bennett
Two hours later and no sign of any monsters.
Beka sighed and huffed impatiently, shifting from foot to foot to stay awake. She had promised Harper that she would stand on guard near his quarters while he slept. It was the only way she could make him quit his protests, aside from hitting him over the head with a baseball bat. The latter was becoming more and more appealing as the long minutes dragged by. If there were any monsters on the ship, Beka thought angrily, they were certainly taking their sweet time to get to her. To make matters worse, without Harper's constant maintenance or Beka's watchful eye the Maru's thermostat systems was on the fritz again and it was almost as deathly cold as the drift the Maru was attached to.
Shaking away her goose bumps, Beka watched with a small smile as she checked up on Harper again. He came from a world which thrived on monster stories. Beka, who was born in space, didn't ever had those tales to grow up on. But ever since she had known him she had heard Harper prattle about anything-ghosts, vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein-the classics apparently, monsters whom Beka had never seen before. Beka's smile faded a little. She had seen the real monsters, whether it was out in space or inside the people she loved.
At least Harper was sleeping, even in the bitter cold. That was the important thing. Beka watched the ice-blue puffs trail out of her mouth as she breathed slowly. She shook her head. To hell with it. She needed to repair the heating systems. What Harper didn't know while he was sleeping wouldn't kill him.
She walked out of the room, unaware that a shadow above the ceiling had shifted slightly. ****************************** Harper's fevered eyes jerked open with a gasp. He instantly felt the terrible cold surrounding him and huddled onto his green blanket for warmth. What was wrong with the heating system? He groaned and tried to lift his head slightly. He felt so incredibly weak and sick. He had never felt so awful before. For the first time in a while, Harper was starting to suspect that maybe Beka was right about keeping him indoors....at least for a little while....he closed his eyes and snuggled deeper into the pillow.
The lights suddenly flickered out with a small hum. Harper lifted his head and sighed loudly. Was every system prone to break down whenever he took a nap? It was ridiculous! With one hand he threw open the blanket and sat up, fully prepared to fix the damn systems if he had to. He groped around under his mattress for his flashlight. It flickered on with a slight protest. Then, grinning, Harper dug around even further for his spare tool belt.
Suddenly he heard a clatter. He instantly whirled his light towards the noise. Two red eyes glittered back at him in the beam. He heard a hissing sound, almost exactly like a snake. The monsters. His small flashlight bounced off their skin as they moved, and with astonishment Harper saw that their bluish skin was constantly shifting, expanding and shrinking their terrible black veins.
Harper backed up towards the wall, still on his bunk as the monsters moved past him. Harper knew he needed to get out of there. Fast. When suddenly another bout of dizziness gripped him and he gripped the mattress hard, shaking his head and coughing. He wheezed.
The two monsters glanced at him, then abruptly went to the opposite wall. Harper watched, paralyzed with fear and sickness, as the monsters lifted their huge claws towards the wall.
Harper suddenly realized what they were doing. "No, don't, guys, that'll cause a-"
With the terrible sound of twisting metal one of the monsters punctured a hole through the wall and into outer space. Air was immediately sucked out of the room.
That did it. Harper finally found the strength in his legs and he bolted, screaming for Beka.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ TBC
The Hollow Men part 2 by Natasha Bennett
Two hours later and no sign of any monsters.
Beka sighed and huffed impatiently, shifting from foot to foot to stay awake. She had promised Harper that she would stand on guard near his quarters while he slept. It was the only way she could make him quit his protests, aside from hitting him over the head with a baseball bat. The latter was becoming more and more appealing as the long minutes dragged by. If there were any monsters on the ship, Beka thought angrily, they were certainly taking their sweet time to get to her. To make matters worse, without Harper's constant maintenance or Beka's watchful eye the Maru's thermostat systems was on the fritz again and it was almost as deathly cold as the drift the Maru was attached to.
Shaking away her goose bumps, Beka watched with a small smile as she checked up on Harper again. He came from a world which thrived on monster stories. Beka, who was born in space, didn't ever had those tales to grow up on. But ever since she had known him she had heard Harper prattle about anything-ghosts, vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein-the classics apparently, monsters whom Beka had never seen before. Beka's smile faded a little. She had seen the real monsters, whether it was out in space or inside the people she loved.
At least Harper was sleeping, even in the bitter cold. That was the important thing. Beka watched the ice-blue puffs trail out of her mouth as she breathed slowly. She shook her head. To hell with it. She needed to repair the heating systems. What Harper didn't know while he was sleeping wouldn't kill him.
She walked out of the room, unaware that a shadow above the ceiling had shifted slightly. ****************************** Harper's fevered eyes jerked open with a gasp. He instantly felt the terrible cold surrounding him and huddled onto his green blanket for warmth. What was wrong with the heating system? He groaned and tried to lift his head slightly. He felt so incredibly weak and sick. He had never felt so awful before. For the first time in a while, Harper was starting to suspect that maybe Beka was right about keeping him indoors....at least for a little while....he closed his eyes and snuggled deeper into the pillow.
The lights suddenly flickered out with a small hum. Harper lifted his head and sighed loudly. Was every system prone to break down whenever he took a nap? It was ridiculous! With one hand he threw open the blanket and sat up, fully prepared to fix the damn systems if he had to. He groped around under his mattress for his flashlight. It flickered on with a slight protest. Then, grinning, Harper dug around even further for his spare tool belt.
Suddenly he heard a clatter. He instantly whirled his light towards the noise. Two red eyes glittered back at him in the beam. He heard a hissing sound, almost exactly like a snake. The monsters. His small flashlight bounced off their skin as they moved, and with astonishment Harper saw that their bluish skin was constantly shifting, expanding and shrinking their terrible black veins.
Harper backed up towards the wall, still on his bunk as the monsters moved past him. Harper knew he needed to get out of there. Fast. When suddenly another bout of dizziness gripped him and he gripped the mattress hard, shaking his head and coughing. He wheezed.
The two monsters glanced at him, then abruptly went to the opposite wall. Harper watched, paralyzed with fear and sickness, as the monsters lifted their huge claws towards the wall.
Harper suddenly realized what they were doing. "No, don't, guys, that'll cause a-"
With the terrible sound of twisting metal one of the monsters punctured a hole through the wall and into outer space. Air was immediately sucked out of the room.
That did it. Harper finally found the strength in his legs and he bolted, screaming for Beka.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ TBC