Through the Ghost

Chapter 3

The halls of the ship felt oddly silent and lonesome as he began to head towards his quarters.

“Did you know?” he asked, his voice echoing through the hallway.

It is my job to be informed on important information. So, yes, I did. Rahn decided it was better to keep that information from you, and I agreed, Allie replied.

“Not exactly your call to make,” he chastised her.

It is my job to keep you safe. If you had known, you would have scoured the galaxy in an effort to hunt her down. Likely getting yourselves killed in the process.

She was right, but instead of acknowledging the potential that Allie’s argument was the correct course of action, he simply remained silent. His thoughts turned to the bottle of Casian Brandy he had stashed in his quarters just down the hall. Releasing a long-held breath, he continued on his way.

He didn’t get far however before a loud groaning sound, like that of a rock scratching metal, stopped him in his tracks. Alarms blared as red warning lights illuminated the dark passageway.

Damage to the portside exterior, not sure what caused it, Allie alerted him.

He heard the door slide open behind him and swiftly turned to find Anna and Jaya exiting the guest room. Anna had changed into a grey shirt and black jacket. Her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail.

Without another word, they all raced down the hall. The metal steps rang with each footfall. Allie had already activated the release on the loading ramp. Gradually, it lowered itself with a heavy groan. As soon as there was enough room they rushed out into the howling chill. They dropped off the ramp, impacting the snow with a crisp crunch before racing around the corner of the ship.

Thoughts on what could have happened raced through his mind. Had a few of the mercenaries managed to survive and track them here? Had they landed on a piece of ice and part of the ship was stuck in a lake?

Upon rounding the side of the ship Tal was immediately floored by the size of the creature. It was as tall as The Amaryllis with massive fangs protruding from its gaping jaws. Its shaggy white fur billowed in the wind. All four paws had large hooked claws.

To make matters worse it’d pulled open the side paneling on the ship and had dug through the wiring using the large hooked claws on its gargantuan feet. The beast sniffed the hull, but quickly realized its prey didn’t contain anything appetizing. It moved to leave, only to stop in its tracks. There was a sound of heavy snorts, then the beast rounded on the operatives.

Releasing a great bellowing roar, the behemoth eagerly charged towards its newfound prey. Tal dove to the side, snow momentarily filled his vision. Scrambling to his feet, he raced up the ramp to retrieve a weapon.

When he returned down the ramp he spotted it chomping and swiping at Jaya. The younger operative rolled under each clawed attack. There was no sign of Anna, but he didn’t have time to search for his former partner.

He dropped to his knees, sights aimed for the creature’s head. Inhaling deeply, he squeezed the trigger. The projectiles shot forward embedding themselves in the creature’s shoulder and pissing off the beast enough to redirect its attention towards him.

He quickly backpedals in an attempt to line up a second shot, but the creature, for all its girth, moved faster than he anticipated. It knocked him off the ramp, claws tore into his armor leaving a sizable gash along his left side.

Air left his lungs as he impacted the ground. He tried to get up, only to find himself face to face with the vicious beast. Crimson flowed from its shoulder, dripping down its snowy fur. Tal grimaced as the stench of its breath hit him. Scuttling backwards, his hands clawed through the snow in an attempt to put some distance between himself and the beast. A sharp pain emanated from his wounded side, before completely subsiding as Allie released a dose of pain killers to keep him focused.

The monster snarled, hot breath washed over his face. He desperately rolled around to avoid each swipe of the creature’s massive paws.

Suddenly his luck ran out as a paw caught him, pinning him to the ground. It continued to look at him, hunger in its eyes. It reared back, ready to strike. Then, instead of the no doubt overwhelmingly painful sensation of being devoured, he felt a wet, warm mist on his face.

He opened one eye, then the other. The snow creature was still before him, only now it laid on its side, mouth agape. Heroically standing atop the monster, rifle in hand, and a satisfied grin on her face, was Anna.

“Need a hand?” she teased him.

“Took you long enough,” he responded through gritted teeth as he pushed the lifeless paw from his chest.

He pressed his arm to his side as he climbed to his feet. Pushing past her without a word, he stumbled up the ramp ignoring the burning sensation of his wounds healing.