Asteroidea: A Story from the Alteruvium Expanse Page 3

  Jane stepped into the corridor and caught Ruth’s hand mid-swing. “You can stop now.”

  “They must have come in through the inlet. That’s why the pump was about to explode.” Brandon spun around. “They could be anywhere. We need to get out of here.”

  “Great plan and all, but I need to find some clothes first.” Jane let go of Ruth’s hand and wrapped her arms across her chest. “Up here, Brandon. Do you know where I can find some clothes?”

  His gaze jerked up to her face. “Um, yeah. I have just the thing.”

  7. Don’t Open that Door

  Jane slipped her feet into the legs of the wetsuit. The fabric clung to her skin as she wiggled her toes to the end.

  “It’s not the easiest thing to get on.” She stumbled forwards, landing on a bunk with her bum in the air.

  “No. It really isn’t.” Brandon leant against a locker, staring at her bottom.

  Ruth glared at him. “How about you turn around? I think you’ve seen enough.” She waved her ice hammer at him.

  Jane rolled onto her back and inched the wetsuit up her legs. She hopped to her feet, lifted it away from her skin, and pulled. It snapped back, slapping against her belly.

  “Do you need a hand?” Brandon’s voice bounced off the lockers.

  “If she does, I’ll help her.” Ruth prodded him in the back.

  “No. It’s fine. I think I’ve got it now.” Jane slid one arm in and then the other. “Could someone zip me up?”

  Brandon turned to move, only for Ruth’s hammer to push him back against the lockers.

  “I’ve got this.” Ruth shook her head as she moved across the room.

  ZIIIIIP.

  “Oh, wow. This already feels warmer and not restrictive at all.” Jane rolled her arms and twisted her body, testing the limits of the wetsuit. “Ruth, you should get one of these.”

  Brandon snorted. “Sorry, that’s the last one.”

  “I’ll be fine with this suit. It may not keep me warm but it’s pretty much waterproof.” Ruth sneered at Brandon. “So, how about we get out of here?”

  “Fine.” Brandon stepped into the corridor. He scanned both directions before looking back at them. “It’s this way.”

  Jane took Ruth’s hand and smiled. “I didn’t properly thank you.”

  “Don’t worry about it. You can thank me when we’re safely off this ice cube.” She squeezed Jane’s hand. “We’re going to make it.”

  Jane nodded and then followed Brandon. Icy water sloshed around her ankles, but her feet remained warm. Ruth walked a step or two behind, her hammer ready to strike. It was abnormally quiet. There was no sign of the starfish or anyone else.

  “How many people are stationed here?” Jane peered down the staircase, watching the water cascade down the steps.

  “There are fifteen technicians, ten support staff, another two engineers, one chef and Ervin. So, about thirty.” He stopped beside a closed door.

  Ruth sighed. “That’s exactly thirty.”

  Brandon gave her a brief glare before turning back to Jane. “Why do you ask?”

  She held her hands out. “Where is everybody?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe they’ve left already.” He grabbed the door handle and turned.

  “What’s in there?” Jane stepped back.

  “This is the main plant. We have to go through here. The stairs to the platform are on the far side.”

  A fine jet of water sprayed into the air, arcing over Brandon’s head.

  Jane stepped back further. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  Brandon laughed and shook his head. “I think I know what I’m doing.”

  The door burst open, throwing Brandon back across the corridor. A barrage of water gushed through the doorway, pinning him to the wall.

  Jane turned to run as the wave crashed into her back, lifting her off the ground. Ruth caught her hand as she washed past, but the force of the torrent was too strong. It scooped her up and dragged them both along the corridor.

  They shot past the staircase that led down to the lab. Jane lifted her head above the surface and gasped for air. There was a sudden tug on her arm and she jerked to a stop, water washing up and over her face.

  Ruth pulled her to the side of the corridor, her hammer gripping the corner of a doorway. Something orange swept past Jane’s face. Then something yellow and green. She screamed beneath the water as a cluster of starfish shot past her. There had to be hundreds of them.

  Jane pulled herself up, lifting her head above the surface again. Her feet slid against the floor as she tried to stand. The water level had risen above waist height within seconds and still more water gushed into the corridor.

  “LOOK!” Ruth nodded back up the corridor. “IT’S BRANDON.”

  His body rushed towards them, bouncing off walls and knocking against doorways. Jane leant into the stream, preparing to grab him. He bobbed just below the surface. She reached for his ankle as he rushed past. Her hand slid off his wetsuit. Another second and he would be out of reach. She pushed off the wall and threw herself on top of him, locking her arm around his chest.

  “PULL US IN.” Water washed over Jane’s head. She coughed and spluttered beneath the torrent as Ruth dragged them back to the wall.

  Jane climbed past Ruth, pulling Brandon against the current. She dragged him through the doorway and towards the flight of stairs that led up to Ervin’s office. Water lapped at Jane’s waist as she pulled Brandon onto the steps.

  “Is he alright?” Ruth raced onto the stairs and helped Jane roll him over.

  They both gasped. An orange and yellow starfish covered his face. White tendrils thrashed around the side of his head, weaving into his hair. Jane grabbed the starfish and pulled. It held on, dragging its tendrils over his skin.

  Ruth dug the pick of her hammer beneath it and pulled back, lifting it up. The tendrils flickered through the air, brushing over Jane’s hands. Bright red mark appeared where the digestive enzymes burnt her skin.

  She growled through gritted teeth and pulled harder. There was a squelching sound and the starfish lost its grip. Jane threw it into the corridor and watched the current drag it away. Ruth fell back onto the steps and shook her head.

  Jane clutched her mouth, holding down the contents of her stomach. Brandon gasped and spluttered. Two empty eye sockets stared up at them while half a tongue flittered beneath his exposed jawbone.

  “He’s still alive.” Ruth gripped Jane’s shoulder. “What do we do?”

  “We can’t leave him like this.” Jane placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed down.

  The water washed through his open jawbone, flooding his lungs. Jane closed her eyes as his hands thrashed at the surface. She let go and he bobbed back up.

  “I can’t do it.” She turned to Ruth. “Please help me.”

  Ruth stepped back, climbing up the stairs. “Jane. We’ve got to go.”

  “I’m not leaving him to suffer.”

  Ruth pointed towards the main corridor as a giant orange arm rose up out of the water. It slapped down on top of Brandon. He gurgled as it pulled him away from Jane. She gasped and stepped back out of the water.

  White tendrils engulfed his body as more starfish appeared. Coloured arms reached around the corners and climbed up the steps. They slithered over every surface, crawling towards them.

  Ruth grabbed Jane’s shoulder. “Come on. Maybe there’s another way out.”

  Jane backed up the stairs, unable to take her eyes off the starfish as they engulfed Brandon’s body.

  8. Another Way

  Ruth leant against the door, rattling the handle. “Damn it! It’s locked.”

  Jane stood behind her, watching the stairs as a wave of coloured arms slithered towards them. They crawled up the steps and along the walls, aided by the rising water level.

  “What are you waiting for?” Jane turned to Ruth. “Break the glass.”

  Ruth glanced back at Jane. “If I break
it, we won’t be able to lock it again.”

  “They’ve already smashed through a supposedly indestructible security window. Who knows what they did to the plant to flood it.” Jane moved to the top of the stairs. “I don’t think we can hide and wait for them to go away. We’ve got to keep going.”

  Ruth nodded and let out a long sigh. She turned to the door and drove her hammer through the frosted window. Glass crashed to the ground, scattering across Ervin’s office. She reached through the window and unlocked the door. It swung open pushing shards of glass across the floor as they ran inside.

  “There’s got to be another way out. Look for heating vents, false ceilings, anything we might be able to fit through.” Jane closed the door behind them and then peered back into the corridor.

  “Uh, Jane.”

  “Stop wasting time, they’re coming.” Jane looked back to find Ruth standing in the middle of the room, staring at the desk.

  “I think I’ve found a way out.” Ruth raised her hammer and pointed to the far wall.

  A water line rippled along the bottom of a window that covered the entire width of the room, overlooking a large cavernous structure, although most of it was now under water.

  “Do you think we can break the glass? It looks pretty tough.” Jane walked across the room and leant against the desk.

  Ruth adjusted her grip on her hammer. “There’s only one way to find out.” She tapped the glass, deciding on her target. “You might want to hold onto something. Some of the water is going to come inside.”

  Jane nodded and gripped the desk. “I’m ready.”

  Ruth smiled. “Here goes nothing.” She pulled back the hammer and then swung it towards the window.

  “STOP.” Ervin burst out from beneath the desk. “Don’t do it. Those things are in there. They ate everyone.”

  Jane grabbed Ervin by the throat and slammed him onto the desk, knocking a pile of binders and documents to the ground. “You left us to die and then hid in here while all of your crew were eaten.”

  Ervin stared back with wide eyes, beads of sweat gathering on his forehead. He stammered and then closed his mouth. Jane tightened her grip and stared into his eyes. She let go and turned to release her fury on the nearby chair, kicking it to the floor.

  Ruth pointed the hammer at Ervin. “If she gives the word. I’m going to hit you so hard, you’ll wish you were never born, so, don’t even think about moving.” She turned to Jane and raised an eyebrow.

  “We gain nothing from killing him. He may even be able to help us get out of here.” Jane looked down as Herc Braveman’s smug grin stared up at her from the back of Ervin’s book. It floated past her foot and disappeared beneath the desk.

  Her gaze snapped towards the door as a fat orange arm reached through the shattered window. “BREAK THE GLASS. DO IT NOW.”

  Ruth nodded and spun around, swinging her hammer towards the corner of the window.

  CRACK.

  A fracture appeared. It swept across the window. Jane glanced back at the door, as it swung open. The giant orange starfish slithered into the room, squeezing through the doorway. A wash of colour followed as smaller starfish crept in behind it.

  “It’s no use. You can’t break through. It’s safety glass.” Ervin pulled his legs onto his desk and scanned the ground beneath him.

  “You can give up, but I’m not.” Ruth moved along the window, hitting it repeatedly. Cracks flew up with each blow, but the glass remained in place.

  Water sloshed around Jane’s ankles as she moved behind the desk. She picked up Ervin’s chair and threw it towards the starfish. It hit the water with a splash. Orange arms broke through the surface as white tendrils engulfed the chair.

  “What’s it doing?” Ervin gripped the edge of his desk.

  “It’s trying to eat your chair.” Jane glanced at Ruth. “Any other ideas?”

  Ruth turned back to the window and started pounding the glass with her hammer. “I’m not going to be eaten by that thing.”

  “Save your energy. We need to come up with another plan.” Jane caught Ruth’s hand, stopping her mid-strike.

  Ruth lowered the hammer and looked at the floor. A fine jet of water shot out from the glass, landing on Ervin’s shirt. Ruth and Jane locked eyes. Another stream of water appeared. Then another and another.

  “MOVE.” Jane pushed Ruth against the wall as the window collapsed.

  Water exploded into the room. Jane grabbed the window frame, holding Ruth between her and the wall. They pushed towards the opening, fighting against the rush of water.

  “HELP!”

  Jane turned as Ervin’s desk crashed into the far wall. He clung to the top, riding it like a raft.

  “Get over here, Ervin. Hurry.” Jane scanned the room looking for the starfish. “We’ve got to get out of here.”

  He peered over the edge, staring into the water. “I can’t see anything. Is it safe?”

  “Just move.” Jane climbed onto the window ledge. She glanced into the flooded plant. Starfish covered the floor, fifteen foot or so below. “It’s the only way out. Come on.”

  “ARRRRGH!” Ervin screamed as several orange arms slithered onto his desk.

  Every time he tried to get around them, they slapped at the air, blocking his escape. Jane pulled Ruth up onto the ledge, water now trickling past their legs as it levelled out.

  Ervin kicked one of the arms away and leapt over it. An orange limb flicked out of the water, slapping against his leg. He spun through the air.

  SLAP.

  He hit the water and instantly disappeared beneath the surface. Ripples swept across the room, brushing past Jane’s ankles. She watched, waiting for Ervin to reappear, her heart pounding against her chest.

  Ruth put her hand on Jane’s shoulder. “We’ve got to go.”

  “In a minute.” Jane stared into the water.

  Starfish slipped through the doorway in a wash of colours. They slithered towards the desk, drawn by something unseen.

  “Come on, Jane. I think I can see the stairs. That’s our way out.” Ruth glanced towards the bottom. “There are hundreds of them. We need to go now.”

  “Hang on.”

  “I’m not waiting here. I’ll see you at the stairs.” Ruth jumped into the flooded plant. She bobbed up above the surface and swam towards the stairs.

  Jane turned back to Ervin’s office and let out a sigh. He wasn’t going to emerge now. It had been too long. She gripped the top of the window and turned to follow Ruth.

  “ARRRRRGH!” Ervin burst out of the water and grabbed Jane’s ankle. White tendrils gripped his skin, eating him from the outside.

  An orange arm slithered up his back and curled over his head. More tendrils burst out. Jane shook her leg, but he wouldn’t let go. He lurched forwards under the weight of the orange arm. She kicked at his hand, but his grip only tightened.

  9. Icy Depths

  “LET GO.” Jane kicked frantically as the white tendrils swept around Ervin’s arm. Her foot slipped and she fell backwards into the flooded plant.

  Ervin slid onto the ledge, his hand still clinging to her ankle. The giant orange starfish followed. Jane sunk below the surface. She thrashed and kicked but couldn’t break free, air escaping from her lungs in large bubbles as she fought.

  Jane lifted her head above the surface and gasped. White tendrils crept along Ervin’s fingers, before sliding onto Jane’s wetsuit. Something shot over her head, whistling through the air.

  THUD.

  Ruth’s ice hammer struck Ervin between his eyes. His grip vanished and Jane slipped free. She shot back through the water. The ice hammer rippled as the force of the blow dissipated, blood oozing between the tendrils. Jane spun around to see Ruth grinning at her from across the water.

  “Come on. We’ve still got to get out of here. There are far too many of them to hang around.” Ruth waved for her to follow.

  Jane didn’t need a second invitation. She glanced back at Ervin as the starfish slith
ered forwards, carrying him over the edge and into the water. They sunk beneath the surface and drifted down to the bottom where hundreds more starfish waited.

  “I don’t think they can swim.” Jane swam with her head up, keeping it out of the icy water. “I think we’re safe here.”

  “For now, but the water level is still rising.” Ruth glanced back and pointed towards a staircase enclosed in a metal cage in the corner of the room. “That looks like the way out.”

  Jane kicked hard and swam up alongside Ruth. “How do we get in?”

  Ruth peered down into the depths and chuckled.

  “You’ve got to be kidding.” Jane treaded water, flicking her wet hair off her face.

  “There is an opening at the bottom. We’re going to have to dive down and swim inside.” Ruth prodded her environment suit, moving the trapped air around. “I think I might need your help.”

  “What about the starfish?” Jane slowed her strokes and scanned the bottom.

  Ruth laughed. “I don’t think they’re going to help me.”

  Jane glared back at her.

  “Seriously though, I can pull myself down the cage, but any help would be welcome. I don’t think we’ll have much time once we’re under.” Ruth looked beneath the surface.

  The giant orange starfish crept along the bottom, climbing over plant equipment and smaller starfish alike. Ruth swept her arms together and pushed herself towards the cage. She took a deep breath and then ducked beneath the surface.

  Jane tucked her head down and threw her legs up behind her. She slipped beneath the surface and kicked hard. The icy water stung her face and eyes. Hundreds of starfish scurried across the bottom, sliding over everything in their path.

  Ruth grabbed the cage and dragged herself deeper. Jane swam towards Ruth and put her arm around her. They nodded and continued to dive.

  Starfish swept through the flooded room, climbing along walls, over pipes, and anything else that got in their way. The pressure in Jane’s lungs grew. She let out a short breath and watched the bubbles drift up to the surface. Green and yellow arms scurried onto the cage above them. She gasped, catching the air before it could escape.