The Soul Eaters (The Thin Hex Line Book 1)

by Gwyndolyn Russell

  It reached towards his hand. He reached for it. Just as soon as they would have touched, discovered who one another were, they were interrupted.

  Another hiss, this time louder, almost as if it were shrieking.

  The metal pulled sharply into the darkness. Jackal pulled away quickly, stepping back.

  A hammer flew through the opening, narrowly missing Jackal's face. Even Mjolnir and Reaper ducked down to avoid the weapon.

  A growl rumbled their bones. They could faintly hear it, yet it was an earthquake raging in their bodies. The lights twisted and disappeared into the darkness.

  "Do you believe me now?" Mjolnir's tail flicked.

  "Why ain't it showing up on the scanner?" Sparrow found it safest behind Reaper since he was far from the door.

  More shrieks and growls echoed out from the other side of the door.

  "Open it!" Jackal shouted.

  Ruby choked, having been working on the wires the entire time. He did not like the idea of opening the door now. There was something in there and it was not friendly.

  "Okay, okay! I think I got it." A few sparks.

  "Ready!" Reaper ordered.

  Mjolnir pulled his hammer from his back and held it with both hands. Jackal shouldered his rifle. They were right at the door, the first in line. Sparrow and Reaper hung back to cover Ruby.

  Another spark. The gears whirred to life inside the walls. The door jumped, sparked, then slowly pulled itself open. A large hunk of metal was spat out from above.

  They expected something to come through the door now that it was open.

  A cry of terror. The sound of flesh ripping. Metal clacking. Silence.

  They waited and waited, but nothing came.

  Jackal glimpsed the red lights in the pitch black. Then they were gone, with only a fading trail of their movement.

  Jackal ran in.

  "Hey! Wait!" Reaper called. "Damn it all!"

  Mjolnir looked back, waiting for the go.

  SEVEN

  I rushed ahead into the darkness, chasing after the creature. Sparrow called for me to stop, but I kept going. Mjolnir was the only one that could catch up. When he did, I found the hall had been blocked by debris. It collapsed in on itself, leaving no passage through.

  A foot and an arm were sticking out from the rubble, poor souls who could not get out of the way in time.

  The smell was worse here than in the ecosphere. Perhaps because of the tight quarters, there was no way for the smells to disperse. I wanted to plug my nose, but I sure as hell was not risking exposure to that gas that was everywhere we went.

  Black blood was smeared across the wall, splashed onto the floor. I could get the blood on my glove. It must have been from the creature.

  "Think it was hurt." I said, not even looking at the ardrizi.

  "Would explain why it ran away."

  "Why would it reach out?" My flashlight shone on the blood, following the trail into an open room.

  "All I know is you're lucky it didn't snatch you."

  I grinned, "Don't you mean it's lucky?"

  "Are you fucking crazy?!" Reaper scolded. "Running off like that? You don't know what that thing is, Liam!"

  I winced. Reaper never used my actual name. Ever since I earned the name "Jackal" no one really knew my real name save for those who looked at the paperwork.

  I felt like a kid being scolded by his father.

  "As far as we know, that thing did all of this!" He continued.

  "So, you want it to get away?" I kept the flashlight angled down, so it shined on his chest. It was amazing how everything else looked much darker around the beam than without.

  "Right now, it's probably best." Reaper sighed. "Let's keep our distance. Keep heading this way. If you see it, say something."

  I turned around and stepped into the room. The black gunk was smeared across the floor as if a body was being dragged. Maybe the creature was limping. Either way, it was a lot of blood.

  I wasn't sure what to think of it. I didn't sense danger. Just curiosity. I still felt some strange ethereal tug towards it, like its voice echoing in the back of my head.

  It was an office with all of its contents strewn about haphazardly. A busted computer was spilled across the floor and crushed. A desk was crumbled beneath a broken air vent.

  Every so often I caught the brief sound of scratching. The same sort of sound rats made when they scurried inside the walls of a house. Their little squeaks and rustles coming from everywhere. I followed the trail of black blood to the next door. Sparrow had stopped to stare into the vent, the others fanning out.

  "Maybe they found some crazy alien and thought they could put it in a zoo?" Ruby suggested, looking over a few books still on a half broken shelf.

  "I don't think fleebeeron are the type to enslave animals." Mjolnir snorted.

  "We only know what they show us."

  "Could say that about any government." Reaper stepped between them.

  Sparrow suddenly screamed. The vent rattled, and she hit the floor on her ass.

  Ruby grabbed her by the handle on her back and dragged her from the vent. Reaper and Mjolnir checked.

  Even I could hear the hiss from across the room.

  "There's something there!" Sparrow squealed, clinging to Ruby's arm.

  A clawed foot, maybe a hand, dug into the outer rim of the vent. Whatever it was, wanted to come out. All the movement caused the smoke to waft upwards. The creature growled, scratching the vent as it backed away.

  "Strange…" Reaper watched it. "It's afraid of the gas."

  "So, stay in the smoke and we're safe?" Ruby looked to Sparrow, who was still positively freaked out.

  "Its head... its head was just teeth!" She said.

  "Keep it together, private." Reaper turned to her.

  He said it in such a way; I saw her visibly relax. If Reaper wasn't afraid, then there was no reason to be afraid.

  I moved on. We were wasting time admiring every little thing. I had no idea if our time was limited, or not, but the sooner we got out of here, the better.

  We walked through another trashed room and finally into the hall. Took a turn. Doors were open, rooms destroyed. There were even a few air locks that had been opened.

  Mjolnir finally pointed out one odd detail that was easy to miss.

  The only bodies they found were of innocent people.

  Entire rooms and halls were destroyed, caved in, yet there was no evidence of something having done it. No monsters, aliens, or known enemies of the Alliance were seen trapped and dead where people were found.

  "To tell you the truth," I said, "I've been following the gas."

  "Is that a good idea?" Reaper asked.

  "It hasn't led us astray yet."

  "Maybe we should get a sample for the good doctor?" Mjolnir suggested.

  "Well, if you find a jar intact, get some." Reaper agreed.

  I did not think it was a good idea. We knew nothing about the gas aside from its temperature, color, and weight. It did no harm to us, but who's to say if it took effect slowly?

  We had been walking through this ship and incidentally through the gas for well over an hour. We were nearly to the bridge. Yet the one door we had to get through was sealed shut. Ruby couldn't get the damned thing open. Black blood was smeared across it, streaked weirdly.

  We studied it for some time. A hand print, but not a human. Bigger than Mjolnir's hand, a forefinger, a second finger nearly the same size, then a surprisingly short third finger about twice the width of the others with two claws, finally a thumb longer than a thumb would normally be.

  We had to step back to see what it was meant to be. An arrow. Maybe not. It almost looked like a sick abstract piece of modern art.

  "Maybe it's wanting us to follow?" I threw it out into the open.

  "Couldn't it just say it?" Reaper scratched his cheek.

  "It's a trap!" Ruby chimed in. "It’s leading us into his lair where we can’t escape so it can feast on our
bodies."

  Sparrow visibly shivered, then stared at him with daggers.

  "You've been watching too many movies, pukebucket." I shook my head.

  "Pukebucket?!" Ruby cried. "Don't you dare!"

  "Nope!" Sparrow stopped him. "That's what you're called now! Pukebucket!"

  "This shit is going to take months to clean out…."

  "Don't worry, I'll get you an oatmeal bubble bath started when we get back home."

  "If we get back…" he huffed. "I don't wanna die covered in this!"

  "No one's going to die. Relax." Reaper held a hand up. "Jackal, are you sure that's what that creature wants?"

  "Naw." I shook my head. "I don't know what it is. It's worth a shot. If it decides to eat us, we'll shoot it dead."

  We moved down the hall in the direction the arrow pointed. Blood was left smeared over the floor. Still fresh, it stuck to the bottom of my boots. The further we traversed, the more the bodies piled up. They looked partially eaten. Bones snapped in half, the marrow sucked out without so much as the smell left behind. The only thing untouched was the feces and whatever was covered in it. Claw marks dug deep into the panels and parts of the bodies. Whatever did it had a voracious appetite and did not care about waste.

  I can't recall any animal that killed for sport. Animals killed because they had to, whether they took joy out of it didn't matter. They killed to survive. Whatever did this, clearly did it purely for the fun. It snacked on the way, but all it wanted to do was slay whatever it saw move.

  Left in the middle of the hall was a man, a doctor possibly judging by the white lab coat. He was laid out on his chest, reaching out with a horrific, twisted look on his face. Cause of death? Crushed. A distinct three toed footprint was left on his torso, the pressure of which so immense that it crushed through his spine and rib cage. The bones were snapped and split apart, protruding out like a grenade frozen in time at its earliest explosion point.

  Ruby was gagging at the sight of it, trying to look away, but too afraid of stepping on the body accidentally. Sparrow backed away to the wall furthest from it, watching the wall as she stepped on by.

  We were met with a good sized door. The same hand prints that made up the arrow now spelled "STOP." A pool of black blood rested against the door.

  "Stop?” I questioned.

  "There's another door down there." Sparrow pointed out.

  "But why stop?" Reaper lowered his rifle to his side.

  "We can find out." Mjolnir approached the service panel. It was actually lit up as if the door was still operational. When he hit the button, it beeped and flashed red. The door refused to open.

  "Are you sure about that?" Ruby stood next to the ardrizi.

  "Open it up. It could be hiding on the other side," Reaper ordered.

  My gut twisted. Something was wrong. The door still had sufficient power, yet a safety protocol was active on it.

  "Wait, maybe we-" I was too late. The door slid open.

  The opening created a powerful suction like a vacuum. All the air inside, where we were, rushed outward through the door. It carried along loose objects, including the corpses that littered the hall.

  We were not safe from the vacuum either. We were all pulled through the door. Luckily, I was quick enough to activate the maglocks of my boots. I stayed in place in the door frame, yanking my rifle against my chest to keep it from going anywhere.

  Sparrow did not get the mags activated. She went flying right past me. I tried to grab her, my fingers hooking into one of the pouches on her leg. I did everything in my power to hold on, but the suction was too strong. My fingers slipped, and Sparrow went screaming.

  Mjolnir was clutching the door frame with half his body, his claws punctured the metal. Ruby was clinging onto him, holding on for dear life.

  Mjolnir snatched Sparrow by her belt, barely able to keep her from flying out the door.

  I didn't see Reaper. He wasn't next to me anymore. I darted my eyes all over, looking for him.

  There he was on the floor, kneeling. His maglocks were on, so he was mostly fine. He must have tried to hold on to Sparrow and ended up on the floor in a puddle of blood.

  Mjolnir was headed out, his grip waning. Ruby got his maglocks on, yet still could not get back to the service panel.

  The flashing red light signaled the door was going to shut itself.

  "Everyone out!" I could barely hear Reaper call, even through the radio. The rushing air was deafening.

  He waved his arm at me to go. So, I ran as quick as I could without the suction taking me. I rushed through the door in slow motion and grabbed Sparrow to pull her down.

  Reaper grabbed Ruby's shoulder to pull him through the door.

  It shut, the sound vibrating through our suits.

  All I could hear was the soft whirs, and clicks my armor made. The soft valve openings with each breath. It felt like my ears were plugged and would explode if I swallowed.

  We were outside the ship.

  A massive hole had been blown through, ripping out five whole levels. The other side looked a mile away.

  Sparrow's maglocks were activated, and she was on solid ground, yet she clung onto me. Her arms squeezed the breath out of me. She was sobbing, wheezing with each breath.

  I held her.

  We almost lost her. If she went flying out, I wasn't sure if we would have been able to recover her.

  "Is anyone hurt?" Reaper said into the radio.

  No one said anything.

  I looked Sparrow over.

  "We're good, Cap'." I answered.

  "There's no going back through there. We have to find another way."

  Ruby stepped over to put a hand on Sparrow. She was too afraid of looking away from my chest, and even more scared to let go of me.

  "Babe, it's me. It's all right. You're safe now."

  I looked at Reaper. I knew what needed to be done, but I didn't have the heart this time. What would he do? What would his old partner do?

  "Private Fletcher," Reaper said it with a tone that commanded her attention, yet still wasn't harsh. "The mission is our top priority. We don't have time to cry. Or to be afraid. There are lives on the line and we need you with us."

  She sniffled, peeling herself from me. She nodded her head. Took a deep breath. Reached for her rifle.

  "Oh, no…" her voice cracked.

  "What happened to your weapon, private?" I asked.

  She patted herself, spun around in place. "It must have flown off…."

  "Stay close to me," Ruby touched her arm. "I'll keep you safe."

  "I think we can get back on track over there." Mjolnir pointed.

  A good walk away, debris had collapsed, creating a ramp up to the top floor. The door looked functional from here.

  We moved.

  Out here, there was no sound. It was silent enough to deaden. All I could hear was what vibrated my suit. Namely, the maglocks. Each step produced a series of clicks, whooshes, clicks, and thuds.

  I trained for this. We all did, yet even I had never done this before. We were always tethered and under ideal conditions. Our suits weren't perfect. Nothing manmade ever was. I had seen guys float off because their maglocks malfunctioned. Guys stuck against the hull of the ship until they were cut from the locks.

  Here? We had no tethers in case our locks failed. We had no way of cutting someone free if they were magnetized to the hull of the ship.

  We moved slow, not just for our safety, but also because of how slow the magnets were to release. It was a balancing act. You had to walk a certain way, stand a certain way to make it do what you wanted.

  I didn't bother counting the minutes. I was too focused on the aimlessly floating debris, pushing away what I could and ducking under what I couldn't.

  The black tendrils of that strange infection were keeping the ship together, and I was sure as hell not going to touch it. Why risk becoming part of that? Or dying a slow and painful death?

  We made our way up the make
shift ramp. A strange vibration made me look back. Mjolnir was on a knee, holding on to whatever he could get his claws through.

  "You good?" I called to him.

  "Yeah, I'm good. Floor fell out." He picked himself up.

  Ruby was first up with Sparrow right behind him. He was working on the panel to get the door open. We lined up at either side of the door, ready to rush in.

  The door opened. Air rushed out.

  It was like fighting against a hurricane. It pushed us out, and we wanted in. We held onto the wall and pulled ourselves in one at a time. We helped those behind us until we were all inside. The door shut.

  I did not realize how badly I was shaking until now. I couldn't keep my rifle steady. My heart was pounding out of my chest. I could speak for everyone by saying I never wanted to do that again. I enjoyed being on the ground where gravity kept me.

  "The gas is here, too." Reaper announced.

  "That can't be good.”

  “Should we find the source?”

  “It depends how-”

  A scream echoed from down the hall. With the use of our flashlights, we caught sight of the smoke rippling. I didn’t think at all. I ran through the smoke.

  Within a blink of an eye, I rounded the corner a respectful distance down. I brought my light up, expecting to see someone cornered and looking death in the face. I was not entirely wrong. A woman was sitting against the floor and wall, hands up to defend her face. Something was standing above her, but I only caught sight of its feet.

  EIGHT

  The creature did not react to the shots. They were right on point. Struck right in its back. Yet the rounds ricocheted off like balls in a pinball machine. It disappeared around the next corner. I ran after the creature. Reaper shouted at me to stop, but my mission was set. This was the way to the bridge, where the survivors must have been barred up. That thing was headed right for them! It needed to be stopped.

  When I slid around the last corner I saw it go by, it was already headed past the next. I swear, it was only walking. I saw no quick motion from it. Heard no heavy steps that would signal a sprint. I heard my own boots and those behind me, but nothing from the creature ahead.