Page 15

She checked her garometer. The readings were as high as nine. But that could be any number of things, from the crew in the ship to those outside.

She hesitated by the door. “Morse, stay close behind me.”

He grunted in agreement.

They slipped inside. She could smell the faintest odor of something burning within. She aimed her light across the room and saw the giant double engines. There was a soft red light blinking somewhere behind them.

Morse checked the engines while Dani watched his back.

“Nothing wrong that I can see,” he said. “Might be the power supply or the generators.”

They moved past the engines. The red light went off and on just a few feet ahead. Dani slowed as she peered across, her eyes widening.

The power box at the back had been ripped open.

Dani rushed for it to get a better look. Wires were tangled and torn, little bites of electricity zapping from them along with wisps of smoke.

Someone had sliced them.

“Morse.” She tried to keep her voice steady. “We need to go. Get back to the control room. We’ll wait for the—”

She looked behind her. Morse was gone.

She whirled around, stunner at the ready. “Morse?” she called out. She was alone. Nothing but the red light and the dark.

Frozen, she stood staring into the shadows. Then she shuddered. There it was again, hitting her senses like a slap in the face. The smell of coffee. Her garometer spiked, crackling.

“Over here,” came Morse’s soft voice in the dark somewhere to her right.

Not Morse. She didn’t believe it for one second.

Run. But her damn legs wouldn’t move. She couldn’t move.

She took several deep breaths. Maybe she could stun it again. Then she could make a run for the door.

She took one step then another. Bracing herself, she prepared to bolt, still trailing her gaze across the room.

Then she saw it. One red eye peeked out from behind one of the engines.

It watched her, its eye dilating as it realized she saw it.

She watched it back for one long second before she moved, lunging over to the other side of the room as far away from it as she could get. She rushed around one of the engines, back to the wall, then halted to peer over.

The door was clear. But it might be guarding close by. She hugged the wall, closing the distance between her and the door.

Only a few more feet. She pointed her gun into the dark, ready to fire as she went to slip out.

Carefully, she stepped past the door, her hand shaking. She just needed to race up the stairs then lock herself in somewhere and—

A long arm shot out and grabbed her. Dani shrieked, firing off her gun. The electricity danced across the arm and up the monster’s shoulder, along its face, ending at its horns.

It bared its teeth at her. There was a low guttural sound. It almost sounded like…laughter. The thing had her by the collar as it pulled her back inside.

Her feet left the ground, gun dropping from her hand as she instinctually grabbed hold of the arm to try to force it to let go. The monstrous face grew closer until it was only inches from her own.

A little whimper slipped past her lips as she was unable to free herself from its steel grip.

That low guttural laugh came again. “Xi sara ka dunnn na,” it growled.