Page 61 of When Darkness Falls

Miya knew what the rational course of action was. Therak had suggested it himself during their last – perhaps literally – meal. In fact, his last words to her had been for her to stay safe: not ‘stay here, I’ll be right back’ but rather ‘do what is necessary to remain safe’.

“Sorry, Therak.”

Miya canceled the pre-flight check and got a confident hold of the holowheel. She powered up the shuttle and a gentle pull of the holowheel later, the vessel was off the ground. A quick check of the camera view showed Therak was still fighting for his life, no weapon on him other than his claws.

“You told me to act rationally instead of emotionally, Therak, but you’re not following your own advice, so… Like hells I’m leaving your ass.” She couldn’t assist her man in the fight, but she could win him some time.

As soon as Therak and Sakhin moved their deadly dance further into the hall, away from the strong air current of the hovering shuttle, Miya undertook a risky maneuver that had her heart in her throat. If she damaged the hull or the doors…

She turned the old bucket around until the nose was facing away from the entrance. Small equipment was sent crashing down in the process, but Birmiang Mining could suck it. Next, with the most delicate touch on the holowheel, she moved the shuttle a few steps to the side and backward until the flat tail was right at the doors. The container there flattened into a pancake when Miya landed on top of it, but it had served its purpose.

The inward-bent doors were now properly barricaded.

“Yes! Let’s see you freaks bust in now!”

Her triumph lasted but a heartbeat. Because when she checked on the fighting aliens, she saw one fall to his knees. After the other had cut him with a blade.

“Therak!”

He tumbled backward over his shoulder and got up to meet Sakhin’s next attack, but it was clear his moves were slower now, his attacks less precise. He was bleeding.

“Enough with this bullshit!” Therak could stick to honorable fighting against the sneaky Sakhin. Miya was going to play dirty.

She accessed the service panel in the wall by her seat and took out the biggest wrench available. A swipe over the console, and the hatch slid open. She rushed outside.

Approaching carefully, Miya saw both assassins were bleeding, Sakhin more so, but Therak seemed more affected by his cuts. They were moving at a human speed now, where she could distinguish their moves. They were kicking, slashing, ducking, and flipping in the air among the equipment.

It was a dance with death after which only one could be left standing. And Miya would make sure that someone was Therak.

She crept closer, looking for an opening she could use. But she couldn’t linger, not when Sakhin was obviously getting the upper hand. His long blade allowed him to keep Therak at a distance while simultaneously giving Sakhin a greater chance to score a hit.

Over her dead body. Cheaters reap what they sow. In this case, a wrench.

Miya wasn’t good with a blaster, but throwing a wrench at a malfunctioning device? She rarely missed.

Well, she’d aimed for Sakhin’s head, but as the wrench hit him square in the back, the effect was just as intended. The psycho failed to finish his next attack. He recovered from the unexpected pain right away, but that second of distraction was enough to give Therak an opening. And her man used it to go on the offensive.

Sakhin’s weapon went flying to the side, leaving the two of them on equal footing, at last. Now Therak could play by the rules, if he still wished so.

Miya’s job was done. There was nothing else she could do, so she ran back toward the shuttle before she messed something up. She would arm herself with the blaster though, just in case Sakhin came knocking. But she had to trust in Therak’s ability to win now. He was going to be the one to join her aboard. He got this!

She never made it to the shuttle.

Something wrapped around her ankle and pulled, sending her face-first to the ground halfway to safety. Right next to the well.

Before Miya could recover, the thing around her ankle – strong and sinuous like a snake – already had a hold of her entire lower leg. The tentacle or whatever the hells that was, was dragging her toward the well. Try as she might, she couldn’t get a hold of anything along the way, her dull nails uselessly scraping along the dusty ground and her free foot in its bare state doing no damage to the clingy thing.

Then, just as she reached the side of the well, a large shadow fell over her. Miya looked up.

Right into the predatory eyes of a megagull.

30

Gooey

Miya woke up to full darkness and the feeling of weightlessness. It took her confused mind some time to remember what had happened.

She had been caught by a megagull, this one equipped with a tail. When it had emerged from the well and opened its teeth-lined beak over her defenseless body, her mind had called it quits. Nope, no need to be conscious for the next part.