Amish Vampires in Space (54 page)

“You’re a pilot?”

“I can maneuver a smartloader through a microbay hatch. I can steer a shuttle. Especially one with auto.”

“But won’t there be repercussions? Someone chasing us?”

“Listen, beautiful: This ship is doomed. The chances of anyone making it out alive are slim. And even if they do, there will be a big mess to clean. Ledgers to fill and file. I’ve got no patience for that.” Greels grabbed the waist of his pants, pulled them higher. “Me and the
Raven
have had a good run, but it is time for us to part.”

“You’d steal a ship?”

“Steal. You should see what finders clear out of these ships every year. A shuttle is nothing compared to that. Besides…they can take it out of my retirement. They owe me big.”

“‘Finders’?”

“Thieves, robbers, burglars…you know, finders keepers. Like Congi. The guy who scammed your stuff. Started this whole thing.” Greels looked at the Amish again. “Really, the beards aren’t that different. They just steal other people’s
efforts
in protecting them.”

Tenra giggled. “Oh…I see.”

Greels ventured a hand on her back. When she didn’t pull away, and in fact moved subtly closer, his face flushed. But he tried to act like nothing happened. “Anyway, we just need to find our opportunity. Wait for the right moment. Then head for a shuttle. Get out. The Obelisk system has a few happy hiding places. We’ll be safe. Unfound, if you know what I mean.”

Tenra nodded slowly. “I should hate that idea. I’m a scientist! But it is sort of…exciting, reckless. I’ve never been reckless.”

Greels tightened his grip, smiled. “Well, you’ve found the right guy then. I’m all over reckless.”

She chuckled. Leaned closer. And nothing more was said.

• • •

It was like they’d left the ship.

Like they’d been hiking a rocky crag on one of the planets that still allowed such things, and had somehow misstepped and fallen, sliding down until they plunged into a tear in the ground. Slipping, tumbling amidst the dampness of the rock and the acrid smell of the underground. Landing only to soreness and a steady drip, drip, dripping. Then looking up to see what appeared first to be stalactites, but after a few moments, realizing the stalactites moved. And made noises. And were alive and hungry.

Seal couldn’t believe his eyes. Dozens of hanging bodies. Dark and slick-looking. Remnants of humanity, but only remnants. Webbed appendages wrapped around themselves like an infant’s bundling covers. Tufts of fur and skin. Traces of blue regulation clothing, but hanging from odd places and positions. Every entity swayed subtly, and if Seal listened closely, there were soft hissing noises being made. Breathing or snoring? He wasn’t sure.

It was terrifying. And they were right in the middle of it.

His companions were speechless too. All were trying desperately to comprehend what they were seeing in the fragments of light from his and Singer’s com units. The two young men had their bows raised already, but their movements were unsteady. Their faces were pale. He doubted they could hit anything.

Seal’s first instinct was to lead them down the way they’d come. To find another way to the bubble. But there was no other way. Every route led to this very room. This was the back entrance!

They leaned close to each other. Talked in hushed tones.

“What are they now?” Seal asked. “Not human.”

Jebediah looked upward, shook his head. “I could not say. I do believe we’ve found them sleeping, though.”

Singer nodded. “Should we kill them?”

“
Can
we kill them?” Seal asked. “The angles are difficult, and the first shot will doubtless wake all the others.”

“They have wings,” the taller boy said. “Black devil wings.” He then walked to the stairwell and started down.

“Titus, wait…” Jebediah hissed. But the boy didn’t stop. He disappeared into the floor below. Lost to the darkness. And fear.

“I should go after him,” Jeb said.

Seal shook his head. “We need you.” He looked at the other boy. “I need all of you.”

The boy nodded, and raised his bow higher.

“If we’re quiet, maybe we can creep through,” Singer nodded to her left. “The hallway to the bubble stair should be that way, right?”

Seal said nothing, lost in searching the faces and bodies of those hanging above. He focused his light on two creatures in particular. Something about them seemed familiar. “I think those two might be the pilots,” he said finally. “I recognize the clothes.”

“Their clothes?”

“Yeah, never much for regulations, those two.” Seal saw shiny tags on what remained of their clothing. One clearly said “Perth.” Seal repeated the name aloud and then frowned. “What was the other one’s name?”

“Egan,” Singer whispered.

Seal took a step to the right and studied the other nametag. It was Egan. The other pilot. “Who’s flying the ship?” he asked.

Singer pointed to the left, toward the hallway.

Seal nodded. “Right. We’ll go find out.” He flashed his com unit that direction. For the next couple of meters, at least, it appeared to be clear. One advantage of sleeping on the ceiling, he thought: clear walkways. He took only a few steps before his foot found something squishy and moist. He didn’t want to know what it was. A portion of a meal? Or the byproduct of the vampire digestive process? Whatever it was, it was disgusting. Doubtless ruined his shoes. He did his best to wipe the sole clean, whispered a warning to the others, and watched the floor closely as he continued forward. If he calculated correctly, they had maybe twenty steps to go before reaching the short hallway. Then came the ascent to the bubble.

He remembered that the scraddle location was in this room somewhere too. Was that still in place? It should be off to the right, near one of the corners. He was tempted to head that way. Possibly get a message out to someone.

No. Not now. The piloting controls were most important. He took another step, then another.

Finally, they reached the short hallway. The sixteen steps to the bubble were directly ahead. The edges of the steps were demarcated by thin bands of light. They wouldn’t need their com units to climb them. They were right there.

He remembered the opening at the top. The fact that it was typically locked. Even to him.

Who thought of that regulation? Locking the captain out?

He put a foot on the first stair, lowered his crossbow, found the handrail.

There was a heavy
thunk,
a puff of air, and the hatch above creaked open. Seal got a glimpse of the bubble and the fog beyond it. He could hear a steady beeping sound from the bubble. A warning klaxon.

Seal felt his heart drop. The sound meant they were dropping out of the slip. They had arrived at the Obelisk system already.

They were too late.

• • •

Darly felt Sarah watching everything she did. Sarah sat in one of the examination room chairs, in her proper blue dress and kapp, and watched. She leaned forward as far as her small baby bump would let her. Her eyes were wide with fascination.

Darly took samples from the pig and put them on the proper viewing surfaces. The surfaces contained sugars and blood remnants that should keep the samples alive long enough to test with. It was critical that they stayed as “vampire normal” as possible. Darly verified the cells were still viable using another archaic piece of equipment—a small microscope. The cells were moving and active. Feasting on the meal they’d been provided.

“All looks good,” she said aloud. She found a large swab, hiked up her shirt, and placed it under her own armpit.

Sarah blushed at Darly’s brash exposure. “What are you doing?” she asked.

“Getting a control sample.” After a few minutes Darly removed the swab, returned her shirt to its natural position, and introduced her sample to the pig cells. She hovered over the microscope, studied the image closely.

No effect.

She nodded once and selected another sterile swab. She took it to where Sarah was sitting. Held it out. “Your turn.”

Sarah drew back. “My turn?”

Darly nodded. “Yes, I need a sample of your pheromones. Under your arm should do.”

Sarah stared at the swab. “I don’t know how I’d put that up my sleeves.” The sleeves of Sarah’s dress reached past her elbow.

Darly smiled. “I’ll turn so you can partially undress. But do so quickly, please. This is very important.”

Sarah nodded and took the swab. Darly looked toward the examination table. It was empty now, Candle’s body having been disposed of earlier by Greels and Jebediah. Only a stained sheet remained.

Sarah tapped her on the shoulder. Darly turned, and taking the swab, hurried it back to her pig sample. She introduced it, bent down to watch it…

She smiled. “I think we have something here.”

• • •

A shadow moved above him and the ladder from the bubble began to descend. Seal took a couple of steps back and held his crossbow up. Next came a piercing wail, a sound shrill enough to wake the dead. Seal tucked his crossbow and brought his hands to his ears. He glanced back and found the others doing the same. The young man seemed especially affected—his eyes were pinched shut, as well.

The sound ended as suddenly as it began, but behind them were more chirping screams and the sounds of large bodies hitting the floor. Next came grunts and whistles, movement around the room. There were intonations that sounded human. Broken and slurred words.

The shadow above shifted and the semblance of a human foot, yet grayer and clawed, found a rung in the ladder. Then came the other foot. There was a floral smell.

Fear screamed in Seal’s ears. “Form a circle,” he whispered. “Backs to each other.”

The creature reached the bottom rung of the ladder. Its head turned their direction. It was humanlike, but hairier around the edges. The body was densely haired, as well. There was a stretched and ripped Guild shirt over the chest. Otherwise, the creature was naked. The face had the semblance of someone he knew. Someone from the crew, but not one of the pilots.

“That’s Congi!” Singer said.

The creature looked at her, opened its mouth to show pointed teeth, then cackled. Seal could feel the other vampires closing in on them. Watching and moving closer.

“Captain,” the creature hissed, “I’ve stolen your whole ship now.” It began to laugh again.

Seal raised his crossbow and fired. The weapon worked like a precision machine. The bolt flew straight and impacted the center of Congi’s chest. He screamed, and Singer fired her own weapon. Her bolt hit only inches below the captain’s. Congi hissed briefly and dropped from the stairs onto the floor.

“I wasn’t going to wait for a monologue,” Seal said. “Now, did that—”

The noise behind them became manic. Infuriated. But not confused. Not distraught. It was like being in a swarm of screaming bees. A crowd of dark bodies scrambled toward them, livid and hungry.

All fired. Even Jebediah stabbed with his staff, reluctantly at first, and then to protect the man next to him. He gouged one creature only to pull free and stab again. Blood flew everywhere. They were pushed backward toward the ladder.

“See if anyone else is up there!” Seal said to the boy.

The boy scrambled up the ladder into the opening. Seconds later his head emerged. “Empty!”

Seal ordered everyone into the bubble. Firing and slashing, they made it up and somehow secured the opening.

The creatures hissed and screamed below. Banged on the door.

“That went well.” Seal scanned the windows and the control panels. They were in the Obelisk system. The red star was visible in a portion of the bubble above and left. They were on the way to the delivery point, but it was still a million kilometers away. The Obelisk primary world was visible as a tiny blue crescent on their right. They would reach the delivery point, and more humanity, in less than an hour.

The fact that Congi’s death hadn’t helped them was demoralizing to Seal. They really were stuck here.

Everyone was watching him.

“What do we do now?” Singer still looked perfectly beautiful, even with hair soaked in sweat and blood spattered on her clothes. A deep scratch across her cheek.

Seal scanned the controls. Tried to remember where everything was. “I’m stopping the ship,” he said, “And then I’m calling Greels.” He looked at her. Frowned. “No reason for everyone to die.”

Singer nodded. “Yes, no reason.”

He flashed a smile. “And then I’m hoping we might pray.”

Greels sat with Tenra near the microbay door,
he with his legs stretched out in front of him, she with her legs crossed. But her knee touched his leg at the thigh. The fingers of her right hand intertwined with those of his left. Despite their danger, it was the best he’d felt in a long, long time. The most complete. He even felt rested.

The Amish were still bugging him, though. Aside from their prayers and songs, they always seemed busy. While they waited they had produced another pair of crossbows and at least one bow with arrows. They
really
liked to work with wood. It was like being in a room full of termites. If it weren’t for Tenra’s closeness, Greels would feel tired just watching them.