With the sound of the monster’s devilish screech washing over him, Henry slipped through the opening and dropped to the floor. Theo raised his gaze at the loud scrape of claws on the metal tunnel. The monster appeared in his flashlight beam. Its slavering jaws eager to receive flesh dripped with anticipation. He cursed. It was too close for him to escape. He thrust the grill in front as a shield when the monster grabbed for him. It crashed into the grill. The force knocked him away from the opening. The monster tried to claw at him, but the grill that almost filled the width and height of the tunnel prevented it from doing so. Theo was pushed along the vent by the force of the monster’s fervent attempts to grasp its meal.
Henry stared at the opening. The monster briefly appeared, then it was gone, and so was Theo. Powerless to do anything to help, he listened to their struggles. Theo shouted out panicked instructions. To save his friend, Henry rushed along the corridor.
Though Richard’s view of the alien was only imagined, he could hear its raspy breath. He moved his head slightly to peer through gaps between the item-covered racks that blocked most of the creature from his sight and glimpsed parts of a pale ghostly form. Though he was scared and could see no way to survive this encounter with the alien monster blocking his only escape route, his strong sense of self-preservation kicked in. He dragged his unwilling body upright and moved along the rack until he stood at the end of the gap that stretched the length of the room. The monster stood between him and the only exit. All he had to do was get past the monster and he’d be free. He put a hand to his headlight, rested a finger on the on switch, and waited.
The monster sensed the human move. Dragging its ruined leg, it shambled through the doorway. Objects scattered by its feet skidded across the floor and crashed noisily into the metal racks. When the monster reached the end of the shelf, it paused, turned to face its prey and screeched like a nightmarish phantom.
In mingled horror and frightened anticipation as to the events about to unfold, Richard followed the progress of the ghostly form through gaps in the shelves. When the terrible vision lurched into view at the far end of the room and roared, he almost slunk back into the corner to hide from his fate. Plucking up the courage he desperately needed, he screamed what he thought was a terrifying war cry, switched on his head lamp and rushed at the monster.
It was hard to say which one of the two life-forms in the room were most surprised by this unexpected event. Though the Hunter’s eyes widened slightly to register its surprise, the rest of its face failed to register any concern for the small, weak creature rushing to attack it.
The cowardly side of Richard, forced into action by his sense of self preservation, sent frantic messages to Richard’s braver side to stop this foolhardy action that would only get him killed, and return to the far corner of the room and cower in fright. Richard’s braver side ignored the warnings and forced him to relinquish its ownership of the valuable scanner.
Though reluctant to do so, Richard valued his life more. With all his strength behind it, he threw the scanner Frisbee style at the creature’s head. When it left his hand, Richard stumbled on the objects littering the floor.
Without directing his gaze away from the creature rushing at it, the monster reached out a clawed hand and grabbed the makeshift missile from the air.
A screech of metal signalled Richard’s collision with the edge of the last rack in the row. It bent from the impact. The last two twisted fastenings holding it in place popped out. The rack toppled, taking Richard with it.
The monster dropped the scanner and made a mistake. Ravenously hungry, when its prey appeared so near, instead of grabbing for the falling metal shelves, it went for the food pressed against the far side. Its claws stretched through the gaps in the shelves and were about to grasp the flesh of its victim when the rack crashed into it, knocking it to the floor with a glancing blow to the head.
Richard dodged the clawed hands that groped for him, steadied himself and shoved a shoulder hard against the rack. While it fell, he bounded up the side. He glimpsed the monster’s face through a gap between the shelves and smiled before diving through the space between the rack and the top of the doorway. He rolled as soon as his hands touched the floor, and in one fluid motion jumped to his feet and ran as fast as he could away from the room and the monster inside.
Henry opened the door and rushed through as soon as the gap was wide enough. A short dash brought him to what he searched for, an intersection. He rushed to the right and stared at the grill in the ceiling too high for him to reach.
The grill screeched on the sides of the vent as it and Theo were forced backward at speed by the frustrated monster unable to get at its food. Well aware that the grill was only thing protecting him from a gruesome, painful death, Theo gripped it so tightly his knuckles were white.
Hunger for the feast so close prevented the Hunter from working out that if it stopped and yanked the grill from its prey’s grip, it would be able to feed.
Theo, though terrified by the sight of the monster he stared at through the gaps in the slatted grill, somehow held his panic in check. If Henry was successful there was still a chance he’d live through this latest nightmare. He twisted his head back to discover the source of the sound behind him. Another Hunter appeared out of the shadows and quickly advanced with a devilish screech. It grinned menacingly with saliva drooling from expectant jaws and grew closer at an alarming speed. Theo’s chances had run out. Death beckoned him.
Henry turned when the door back along the corridor rasped open. Footsteps approach the intersection. The fear that had gripped him swiftly receded when he spied the beam of light dancing erratically. Monsters don’t have torches. Someone rushed into view.
“Richard!” Henry called out.
Richard slowed and glanced at Henry, equally surprised by the encounter.
“Quick, help me. We need to save Theo.”
Richard was confused by Henry’s request; Theo was nowhere to be seen. He stared hesitantly at the frantic man while he considered his options. The engine room was close now, probably only about fifty yards along the corridor. He could reach it in no time and escape from the ship. Nevertheless, he thought it might be wiser to help the old man. “What do you want me to do?”
Henry pointed up at the vent grill. “I need you to lift me up so I can remove the grill. Theo’s trapped inside.”
Richard positioned himself below the vent and cupped his hands. Henry placed a foot in them and stepped up. Groaning with the old man’s weight, Richard hoisted Henry high enough to grab the vent. Henry pushed up the grill. Something slammed it back down. He glimpsed a pale form move across the vent—another monster after Theo. He wouldn’t stand a chance. He punched the grill aside, grabbed the monster’s rear leg and yanked it through the opening. Unable to support the struggling man’s weight, Richard let go and stepped back. Henry dropped to the floor, dragging the monster with it. The Hunter’s head smashed against the side of the vent opening before thudding to the floor between the two men. Richard, shocked to see the Hunter’s sudden appearance, kicked out at its face. Every blow brought another screech from its teeth-filled mouth. The Hunter lashed out with a claw. Richard darted out of its reach. Henry attacked. He stamped on the monster’s head, hoping he could repeat the same effect as he had on the last one. The monster twisted to face the new attacker. Claws reached out to slash and rip. Sharp claws ripped open Henry’s leg from thigh to shin. He screamed in pain and collapsed to the ground. Another swipe ripped through his clothes and skin, so deep one of its claws snagged on a rib, pulling Henry atop the monster.