6
Chapter 27
"INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! CARGO BAY 4!"
David's eyelids snapped open; his eyes were as wide as saucers.
The lights dimmed; piercing red lights engulfed the desks, the chairs, the people.
A swarm of bodies flooded through the hallways; the sound of boots clacking on the deck plating thundered.
David could hear his heart pumping in his chest; in the ominous lighting and the swarming sounds of shouting and running he could hear his own breath.
It grew louder and louder; one breathe after another.
The sound was so penetrating…he was afraid he would stop breathing.
David leapt to his feet; he threw himself into the sea of bodies.
He pushed and squeezed between arms and hands; he could feel sweat dripping off him in buckets.
In the rush of adrenaline…they all looked like a jumbled mess.
He couldn't tell where one arm ended or where another leg began.
He started to feel like he was being sucked down underneath the rampage.
They carried him forward…like a current pulling a log.
In the chaotic mess…he spotted a familiar face.
"Heya, Dave. Looks like were gonna get some action after all,"
As David was pushed along passed the face…he followed them as far as he could with his eyes.
"Spade!"
After a moment…Spade completely disappeared into the blinding red light and the army of guards marching forward.
In the distance…David could hear the sounds of screams and gunfire.
The sound grew closer and closer; his heart beat faster and faster.
Before he knew it…he was thrown into a well-lit room.
A cargo bay.
In the frenzy of boots stomping around his face…David anxiously picked himself up off the ground.
He stumbled and bounced from side to side as he tried to regain his balance; everything appeared as a blur as his eyes adjusted to the light.
After a few seconds of rubbing them…he could finally make out what was going on.
Klingons.
A whole group of them had invaded the cargo bay.
Guards shouted orders and threw a flurry of phaser shots.
Klingons screamed in their language and returned every shot.
One flew past David's head; he realized the gravity of the situation and jumped for cover.
David wanted to fire back…but something stopped him.
He just sat there behind his cargo container…watching laser blasts go back and forth.
"Push forward," He could hear his father say.
A guard would drop; a Klingon would drop.
Bob went down…so did Kim.
Then Frank.
David looked at them in horror.
Just moments ago…he'd been sitting right next to these men.
Each going about their business as usual.
Now they were lifeless bodies…on the cold deck plating.
The panic kept building; he wanted to do something.
Fire a shot…or even run.
But he felt trapped there; paralyzed.
"Are you just going to let them die?" His father said.
As David listened to the sound of the Klingons…he felt as though he'd heard their language before.
It sounded unusually…familiar.
"They're pushing through! Stand your ground, men!"
As David glanced around at the other guards…he spotted Spade again.
He was in the fire corner…dishing out shot for shot with eagerness.
In wake of the Commander's words…David watched as Spade leapt to his feet.
He let out a frantic spray of phaser shots…cocky grin on his face.
He took out four or five.
But then…David's eyes filled with terror as his lifeless bodies hit the ground. Tears streamed down his face.
"NOOOOO!"
For a second...he thought he saw his father in the chaos. He was shooting David a look of disapproval.
David threw his phaser the ground.
Everything became a blur; his body switched to instinct.
He leapt over the cargo container…and grabbed the first Klingon he could see.
He bludgeoned the man's face repeatedly…pink blood splattering over his hands and uniform.
Something about this seemed familiar. But he was too wrapped up in the heat of the moment to even think twice.
"KILL THEM ALL!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.
He grabbed one after another…as his fellow guards followed behind him in suit. Firing shots and throwing punches.
As the shots died down…and the screams cut to a minimum…David corned the final remaining intruder.
He moved in for the kill…bloody murderous rage in his eyes.
As he looked into the eyes of the Klingon…he could see terror.
And for a second…he wanted to stop.
For a second…he could see the fear that he himself had felt just moments ago.
But the thought of Spade's lifeless body on the ground re-fueled his rage.
"COME HERE YOU FILTHY BITCH!"
He wrapped his arm around the Klingon's neck; he started pummeling his stomach with his other fist.
The Klingon shoved him off…and knocked David off his feet with his Bat'Leth.
David tugged at the Klingon's legs…sending him sprawling as well.
He climbed on top of the man…and pounded his face with his knuckle.
Over and over again.
David lost himself in the moment.
Everything became a blur.
The next thing he could remember was kneeling in a puddle of pink blood.
The adrenaline coursed through his veins; he could think or hear anything clearly.
The one thing that was clear though…was how unsatisfied he felt.
And how ashamed of himself that he was.
In that moment…he felt like he deserved to die along with everyone else.
After about ten minutes of gasping for air…David finally got to his feet.
He glanced around the room; dead bodies and puddles of blood everywhere.
The surviving group of guards stood about ten feet from him…phasers at the ready.
And the same look of terror in their eyes.
David slowly walked past the group…head hung low.
The Commander put his hand on his arm…but David flung it away.
The Commander grabbed his shoulder…and spun him around.
"Lieutenant…are you okay?"
David looked into his eyes; they were filled with a mixture of anger and tears.
The Commander let his arm slip out of his hand.
David continued on towards the door.
He paused just as he was walking through.
He glanced over his shoulder at the whole scene.
"My nightmare…it came true," he whispered.