Chapter 12: Death

When Nadia had finally agreed to lead them to the reactor, Bower had been ecstatic, but after he stepped into the cryopod personnel chamber, he lost most of his energy. This vast chamber was a multiple tiered room. Each tier had narrow stairs leading to the other tiers and each tier was in a semicircle rowed with countless cryopods. It was dark, dank and quiet.

"What are we doing here?" Bower whispered.

Nadia sounded irritable, "Do you want to get to the reactor or not?"

"This is the only way?" He asked incredulously.

"It's the only safe way."

"You mean safer?" Mahn chimed in.

"Yes. I mean it's safer than the other ways. Also the quickest," Nadia admitted.

Bower looked forlornly at how high the cryopods were stacked and how tightly knit they were to each other, "How can this be safer?"

"Because most of these pods are empty."

Before they left the lab, Bower had readjusted his clothing, tucking all the loose parts in. He then applied an even layer of axle grease to his exposed skin and hair. Nadia didn't have any weapons for him to use but he found a crowbar with a decently sharp end on it. He brought it along for protection. He hoped it was better than nothing.

Bower couldn't help but to look inside some of the closest pods to him. "If most of these are empty," he said softly, "Where the hell is everyone?"

"This was their main hunting ground," Nadia told him, "Keep moving."

The images of the lovely blond flashed yet again in Bower's mind. "Hey," he hissed to Nadia, "My wife could be in here."

Nadia stopped and looked back at him. "Is she a development settler? Manual labor?"

"No. She's not part of the crew but I remember that spouses were allowed to come with."

"I am sorry, my friend but I do not think she is here," Mahn murmured.

"No, she's not," Nadia agreed quickly and she hurried on. She moved like a cat: silent, swift, agile and alert.

Undaunted, Bower still wanted to find his wife, "Do you know where the family members are? How hard would it be to find them from here?"

"Quiet."

She moved up to the top of the tiers in this section of the chamber. Bower climbed to where she was and saw that the chamber was much bigger than he had thought. There were multiple areas like the one they had just climbed and they were spread out several rows wide and several deep. The expanse of the room was impressive.

Mahn had stayed at the bottom tier, crouched low among the cryopods.

Bower waited for him.

Nadia's whisper was urgent, "We have to keep moving! We don't want to be out in the open like this for too long. Especially in here."

Bower made eye contact with Mahn. "We have to get going," he mouthed down to him but Mahn didn't move. He seemed to be waiting.

What the hell is he waiting for? A taxi?

Bower turned away from him and caught up to Nadia but froze when he saw her. She had stopped moving, brandished her spear-weapon and was looking around nervously.

"Did you hear something just now?" She whispered to him.

"No. Did you?"

"Maybe." After a few minutes, Nadia started to move onward at the same urgent pace.

"We can't just leave Mahn behind."

"He's hunting," Nadia whispered.

"Well let's slow down at least. Then at least he can-"

"Fuck that."

"So we just keep moving and hopes he finds us?"

"You want to wait for him go ahead. Good luck to both of you."

Bower hesitated. He felt like a shithead leaving the other man behind but he knew Mahn could take care of himself. He decided to stick with Nadia. "Wait up." As he stepped towards her, there was a metallic click and he fell straight through a trap door into what seemed to be some sort of garbage dump. Even though he was shocked by the sudden fall, he didn't utter a sound and he hoped that Nadia noticed.

The vat that he had fallen into was full of horribly smelling water. He had to stand on his toes in order for his mouth and nose to be above the water level. When he could finally open his eyes, it was pitch black so he began to fish around in his pockets for a chem light.

Nadia fell through another trap door besides him, splashing vile liquid over his face. She surfaced and instantly gagged.

"You all right?" He whispered to her.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

Bower lit the chem light and in its bright glow they saw bones of devoured humans that had been cast into the vat. The hunters were using this to discard the body parts and bones that were inedible. Smaller bones, some still held together by cartilage, were in the water with them along with other unidentifiable rotting refuse. He held his breath to keep from puking.

"Oh God." Nadia gagged again.

Piles of skulls, rib cages and other larger bones were sticking out of the water like spiny islands.

"There must be hundreds of them in here," Bower told her quietly. She was turned away from him, still trying not to get sick. He thought of yelling for Mahn but that would alert the hunters as well. "How are we going to get out of here?"

Nadia silently pulled his arm holding the light stick under the dark fluid plunging them into darkness. He was about to protest but then he heard the growling. A hunter crawled over head.

They could see it fairly well through the grating. As the hideous hunter tromped above them peering into the vat, the ship began to shudder violently as it when through reset cycle once again. This surge caused some of the overhead lights to momentarily come on, aiding the creature in its search.

They slid a little deeper into the filthy water watching the predator closely. It seemed satisfied that the vat was devoid of anything edible and it stalked off. Just as the beast moved beyond their line of sight, the ship settled down and the darkness returned. After a few minutes, they risked breathing.

"Where did it go?" Nadia asked. Her voice was so low he barely heard her.

"We have to get out of here."

The sides of the vat were difficult to climb over because of the bone stacks. Being careful not to make too much noise, Bower slowly climbed out of the vat using one of Nadia's shoulders as a step. He looked around for any sign of the hunter but didn't see anything so he turned and started helping her climb out.

A small noise made him let go and whirl around so she plopped back down into the water. They were both silent. Bower drew out the crowbar, waiting, his entire body was tense and alert.

The vastness of the chamber was playing against them as he had figured it would. It was why he was so hesitant to enter the chamber in the first place. With the expansive darkness, cryopods and all of the cryogenic hardware strewn about, the hunter had plenty of places to conceal itself for an ambush.

The shadows were numerous and deep.

Bower was still as a statue. He closed his eyes and listened.

A soft shuffle.

He turned towards the sound, eyes still closed, listening intently. There was a stirring noise, like the barely perceptible rustle of clothing. He opened his eyes and saw the hunter in the deep shadows. It was crouched low, moving silently ready to pounce.

Bower was in the process of forming a plan when suddenly, the creature leaped at him from across the room. It was so fast he barely had time to raise his anti riot weapon and squeeze off a shot. The pulse struck the beast in mid air but the momentum of the leap carried it right into him. It's heavy body smashed into him like a ton of bricks. Both of them crashed to the grating stunned and hurt, the creature mainly from the shot and he from getting body slammed.

Bower fought to catch his breath. His entire body was aching. His teeth had clacked together on impact and he could taste a lot of blood from biting deeply into his tongue.

The hunter was growling and mewling. It was completely devoid of hair and its bleached skin was so pale it was nearly translucent. It rolled onto all fours, seemingly recovering faster than he was. He could see that every muscle on its body was clearly defined and built. It snarled at him, red eyes flaring.

Nadia appeared from within the vat behind it. She buried the knife between its shoulder blades and stepped back arming herself with the spear.

The hunter turned towards her, shrieking in pain. Bravely, Nadia charged forward and it howled as she thrust the spear into it's belly. It grabbed the spear in both its powerful hands and pulled the tip from its abdomen as Nadia fought the get the weapon out of its grip. Shifting its weight, the creature ripped the spear out of her hands and cast it away.

Bower watched, fascinated as Nadia kicked it hard in its fresh abdominal wound and as it was doubled over, she yanked the knife from its back. The hunter went to its knees, dark blackish blood spilling from its mouth and its wounds. Nadia drove the knife into its throat and killed it.

She was panting and glaring at him.

"That was unbelievable!" Bower told her, "You were amazing!"

"You could have been killed," she scolded.

"What?"

"Why didn't you run? Didn't I tell you to always run?" She wiped the knife on the hunter's body and slid it into its sheath.

"Well I-"

"You were going to shoot it? Shoot it with your peashooter?" She recovered the spear.

"Hey this thing is more than-"

"If I hadn't made it out of that vat, I would have been stuck down there listening to it kill and eat you."

Bower was embarrassed. Nadia was still glaring at him. Even angry she was beautiful. "I didn't mean to upset you," he said apologetically.

"Well you did."

"I want to fight at your and Mahn's side. I can't just keep running."

Nadia's expression softened, "I know."

Another hunter appeared from the shadows moving at them swiftly. Nadia cried out in surprise and faced it with her spear but as she did, it rolled under her defenses, planted both feet into her chest kicked her across the platform. She hit a cryopod and slid to the grating, spear clattering loudly as she lost her grip on it.

Bower shot at it but when nothing happened he realized that in all the commotion he hadn't recharged the weapon for another shot. The hunter lunged at him but he dove away from it. Biting at him, it got a mouthful of uniform and ripped a hole into his jump suit with its teeth as he scrambled to escape. The hunter caught a hold of his foot and tripped him up. No! Horrified, Bower fell and it was over him, its drool dripping onto his face.

Mahn buried one of his swords into the side of its head.

He had slashed the beast with such force, that when it reared in pain the sword was yanked from Mahn's grip, still impaled into the creature's flesh. Black blood spilled onto Bower and he kicked it as hard as he could to get it off of him. It was like kicking a slab of stone. The beast grabbed him by the leg and flung him to the side.

It dodged Mahn's next slash and back-handed him. Mahn was knocked off his feet. Nadia came forward to impale it from behind but it swiveled avoiding the end of her spear and clawed at her face. She dodged backwards getting grazed by two of its wicked claws which left matching thin shallow cuts on her forehead and over the bridge of her nose. Her blood seeped.

The hunter pulled the sword from its skull like it was nothing and tossed the blade aside. It meant to rend them with tooth and claw.

Bower got to his feet and picked up the discarded sword.

Meanwhile, Mahn attacked it again kicking it in the head. The creature bit at his leg but missed. Nadia jabbed at it with her spear and penetrated its bicep pinning it back against a cryopod. The hunter ignored the crippling strike to its arm and tried to bite Nadia. Mahn hacked it again but the monster managed to avoid it.

Bower charged it.

The hunter yanked on the spear pulling Nadia off balance towards it and it headbutted her with a sickening thunk. She crumpled as Mahn kicked it squarely in the chest knocking it away from Nadia's vulnerable form. The hunter jerked the spear from its bloody arm and used the handle like a club, swatting Mahn across the face. Mahn went down hard.

Bower sank the sword into its chest with all his might. Nadia also stabbed it low in the abdomen with her knife. The hunter dropped to its knees, wailing dark blood spurting from its wounds. Mahn finished it off by lopping off its head. They were all drenched in its bile colored blood.

They didn't have long to celebrate their victory because Scarface growled menacingly. It was high above them and with its spear, it banged loudly on one of the cryopods. The three of them watched in horror as a dozen hunters appeared beside Scarface three levels above them.

"I think we should run this time," Mahn advised.

They were bruised, tired and bleeding but they didn't let that slow them down as they ran for their lives.