Asteroidea: A Story from the Alteruvium Expanse Read online

  Ruth looked up and grabbed Jane. She pulled her back towards the cage. Jane kicked her legs, swimming past Ruth and into the opening below. Her head hummed from the pressure of the water.

  Jane gripped the top of the opening with her legs and reached up to Ruth. Something drifted down towards them. A green starfish swayed from side to side, sinking through the water. White tendrils fanned out beneath it as it approached.

  Jane stretched, reaching for Ruth’s hand. Their fingers brushed but it wasn’t enough. She turned towards the sinking starfish and swept her hands through the water. The flurry carried it up and away from Ruth, white tendrils flickering behind it.

  Several more shapes drifted into view. Jane pressed her lips together, holding her breath in. She let go of the opening with one leg and floated up towards Ruth. The pressure increased to almost unmanageable levels and her eyes felt like they were starting to freeze.

  Ruth grabbed Jane’s wrist and kicked her legs. They swam down into the opening as more starfish fell towards them. She pushed another away, shaking off its tendrils. Once inside the stairwell, they let the air in Ruth’s suit lift them up. They braced against the underside of the stairs above and climbed towards the surface.

  Jane stared back into the flooded room as a giant orange arm reached over a nearby machine. She kicked her legs, speeding up their ascent. White tendrils reached between the bars, flickering through the water. She brushed them away and left them swirling together. The pressure in her head eased.

  Jane burst through the surface and gasped. The metal steps zigzagged back and forth, climbing up to the platform. Ruth pulled Jane out of the water. She wrapped her arms around her and squeezed.

  Jane returned the hug and rested her head on Ruth’s shoulder. “We’re almost there.”

  10. I’m Not Leaving You

  Jane raced through the door into the open air. The bright yellow sun hung overhead, striking the platform with rays of brilliant white light. The smaller red sun peered over the top of its big brother. Jane shielded her eyes, her hair lifting off her shoulders and flickering in the icy wind. She shivered, ice crystals appearing on her eyelashes and the tips of her hair.

  Ruth leant against the door as a strong gust blasted over the top of the platform. It swept a cloud of ice crystals through the air, sparkling in the sunlight.

  Jane pushed against the wind and lost her footing. She fell to the ground with a thump. Ruth raced to help her, but she too slipped on the icy surface and skidded across the floor. They crashed into each other and started to laugh.

  “There’s only one escape ship. Do you think you can pilot it?” Jane pointed to a small craft at the centre of the platform.

  “Should be a piece of cake.” Ruth nodded and then looked at the ground between them and the ship. “If we can get to it, that is.”

  CLANG.

  They turned towards the door as it rattled against its frame.

  CLANG.

  “That can’t be…” Jane stared at Ruth.

  CLANG.

  The solid metal door buckled.

  “Well, I’m not prepared to wait around and find out.” Ruth put her hands flat on the ground and pushed herself to her knees. She tried to move but instantly slid back onto her belly.

  CLANG.

  The top of the door warped, creating an opening. An orange arm slithered through and gripped the frame. The door groaned under the pressure. Metal bolts burst free and whistled through the air.

  Jane grabbed Ruth’s feet and pushed her towards the escape ship. “Get it started. I’ll catch up.”

  Ruth slid across the ice, skidding to a halt a couple of feet from the ship. “Why did you do that? I’m not leaving you.”

  “I should hope not. Just get ready to take off. I’ll catch up.” Jane edged across the slick surface.

  BOOOOOM.

  The door burst open, ripping free from its hinges. It bounced across the platform before skidding over the edge and disappearing. The giant, orange starfish flopped to the ground and slithered through the doorway.

  Jane glanced over as the escape ship’s door fell open at its rear. Ruth climbed inside, metal footsteps rattling through the air. The starfish shuffled across the icy surface with ease, heading towards the escape ship.

  “Hurry, Ruth.” Jane pounded her fist against the ground when she realised Ruth couldn’t hear her.

  The starfish stopped. Jane’s heartbeat quickened. She banged the ground again. The starfish shuffled towards her, sliding over the ice. She rolled onto her back and slammed her feet down. The starfish continued towards her, following the noise.

  Jane pushed against the ice, sliding herself back several feet. More starfish wriggled through the doorway and slithered across the ground towards her.

  A brief hum filled the air and then the escape ship roared into life. The ground vibrated and the starfish stopped. A sheet of ice broke away from the platform and slid towards the edge, carrying Jane backwards. She scrambled for something to grab. A portion of the ice sheet snapped off and tumbled off the platform.

  Jane spotted a metal hook and grabbed it. The ice slid beneath her body. She pounded her fist against the ground, confusing the starfish. They shuffled back and forth, unsure of which way to go.

  The escape ship lifted off the platform. It banked from side to side and then lurched forwards. The starfish stopped their dance and turned their focus towards Jane. She continued to pound the ground, drawing them closer and closer. The escape ship floated away from the platform and then drifted towards her.

  Jane climbed to her feet, holding the hook for stability. The ice rattled as the escape ship approached. Another large sheet broke free and slipped over the edge, taking half a dozen of the smaller starfish with it, but many more crept forwards.

  “JANE, GET IN.” Ruth stood at the rear of the escape ship, hovering beyond the edge of the platform.

  Jane looked at the air below it and the slick surface beneath her feet. “CAN YOU GET ANY CLOSER?”

  Ruth disappeared into the front of the ship. It lurched forwards and then glided back. Jane pushed off the ground and dived for the opening. She landed with a thud, but only half inside the ship. Her legs dangled in the air, high above the icy surface.

  She clawed at the floor, searching for something to pull on. Ruth reappeared and raced towards the rear. Jane smiled, but Ruth didn’t smile back. Something grabbed hold of Jane’s leg. She slid backwards until her shoulders rested on the edge of the ship.

  Something slithered along Jane’s leg, wrapping and twisting around her. Ruth dived forwards and grabbed her hand. Jane peeked over her shoulder. The giant orange starfish clung to the edge of the escape ship, white tendrils slithering up Jane’s legs.

  “Hold on, Jane. I’m not letting you go.” Ruth opened a nearby compartment and reached inside.

  “I’M SLIPPING.” Jane clung to Ruth’s hand, scrambling against the metal ground. She could feel a warm sensation in her legs. “HURRY.”

  Ruth pushed aside several boxes of protein sticks and grabbed a metal axe. She shuffled forwards, putting her feet beside Jane’s hands. “Hold on tight.”

  Jane nodded and grabbed Ruth’s ankles.

  Ruth lifted the axe above her head. Jane clenched her teeth and held as still as possible. The axe slammed down on one of the thick, orange arms. Clear fluid sprayed into the air. Ruth shifted her body to the other side and chopped through a second arm.

  Jane squealed as the starfish’s weight fell onto her legs. Ruth lunged forwards, resting her knee on Jane’s back. She swung the axe at the starfish again. The blade sliced through the orange limb, but its tendrils remained attached to Jane’s legs.

  The starfish toppled forwards and slid over the edge of the platform. Ruth fell backwards as Jane slipped out of the ship. She clung to the edge by her fingertips. Ruth dived forwards, dangling her torso out the back of the ship. She swung the axe through the air, cleaving through a knot of tendrils.

  “HURRY. I’M S
LIPPING!” Jane’s muscles screamed as the weight of the starfish pulled her down.

  Orange arms grasped at the air, swinging the starfish from side to side. Ruth leant further forwards and dragged the blade of the axe over the remaining tendrils, slicing through Jane’s wetsuit in the process. The starfish slipped free, tumbling down towards the cold, hard ground.

  Ruth grabbed Jane’s wrists and dragged her back into the ship, the wind howling at the opening. Once they were both inside, she swung her body around and kicked a piece of orange flesh over the edge. The door closed with a hiss.

  Jane rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She took in a deep breath, held it, and then blew out a puff of steam.

  Ruth knelt down beside her and examined her legs. “Looks like it ate through the wetsuit. You’ve got some red marks, but otherwise, you’re fine.”

  Jane sat up and smiled at Ruth. “I didn’t think I was going to make it.”

  “You and me both.” Ruth nodded. “Shall we head home?”

  “Yeah.” Jane stood up and kicked the boxes of protein sticks back into the compartment. “Do you want one?”

  “No. I’m not that desperate.” Ruth headed to the front of the ship and climbed into the pilot’s seat.

  Jane shrugged and followed her. She slumped into the chair beside Ruth.

  “Speaking of that. There’s a space station in this system. It has a fairly decent bar.” Ruth grinned at Jane.

  “I don’t know. You know how I am when I’ve had a drink.” Jane tilted her head as she stared back at Ruth.

  “I do and that’s why I’m buying.” Ruth tapped the controls and the escape ship shot forwards.

  SCREECH.

  Jane looked back to see the axe sliding across the ground. “I’m going to put that away. We wouldn’t want it floating around in zero-g.”

  Ruth nodded but remained focused on the controls.

  The ship tilted up as Jane walked towards the back. She grabbed the axe and opened the compartment beside the door. A box slid out, bumping into her feet.

  Jane pushed it aside and placed the axe back on its hooks. “Huh!”

  “What is it?” Ruth turned in her seat and glanced back at her.

  Jane picked up the box and opened the lid. “It’s empty.” She peered into the compartment. Protein bars littered the ground. “Oh, never mind. They must have fallen out. Are you sure, you don’t want one?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure.” Ruth shook her head. “You’d better buckle up. We’re about to leave the atmosphere.”

  Jane hurried towards the front of the ship. She stopped suddenly, glancing back at the compartment. Before jumping into her seat, she hit a button on the wall. The compartment door closed with a hiss, trapping an approaching tangle of white tendrils within.

  The End

  Author’s Notes

  Congratulations, you’ve made it to the end. Now, that either means that you enjoyed it or finished through sheer morbid curiosity. Either way, I’d like to take a moment to say thanks. It means a lot to me that you’ve let me into your busy life. I appreciate how valuable your time is.

  If you want to read some more of my work, you can grab a free prequel short story from my new series Valiant Lineage. Like zombies or vampires? How about both? Well, Valiant Lineage is a series of dark fantasy novellas that follow Val as she attempts to put an end to both vampires and zombies while trying to free the humans from the control of the Aristocracy. If that sounds like something you would like, sign up to my mailing list and get your free prequel now.

  So, what now? This is the part where most authors ask you to leave a review. What they don’t tell you is why you should leave a review, at least not the real reason anyway. They probably say something about how your reviews help other readers find this book. That might be true, but there is a far more sinister motive.

  What you probably don’t know is that once a year authors are summoned to a top-secret meeting, the location changes without warning and everyone has to wear masks to protect their identities. It’s kind of like Eyes Wide Shut without the awkward relationships…

  Anyhow, at these meetings the authors are judged on the number of books sold and the number of reviews left by readers. This is where it gets interesting. If less than ten percent of book sales result in a review the author receives one hundred spanks… yes, you read that correctly.

  They are bent over and spanked! One. Hundred. Times.

  So, I am begging you, please leave a review. I don’t think my bottom can take much more of this. It’s hard to write while shifting from cheek to cheek, trying to find a comfortable spot to sit.

  While I’m busy revealing the deepest secrets of the author community, let me leave you with one more. If you want to leave a review, but would still like the author getting spanked (you’re a cruel one) then just write the word ‘spank’ in your review.

  Another sure-fire way to ensure the author gets their comeuppance is to get some friends to buy a copy. Obviously, it goes without saying, the more people that buy it, the more likely the author is to have to face the music.

  If you’ve ever wondered why authors seem uncomfortable around people, now you know. Their bottom is likely sore!

  Thanks again for taking the time to read my book, and again, please, please, please leave a review.

  About the Author

  It was a night like any other at the top-secret research facility deep beneath the streets of London, England. The scientists argued over which spell would defeat a cave troll. Tensions grew. Someone threw a beaker. Lynn saw his chance to escape, and he took it.

  Knowing that the scientists would be looking for him, Lynn hid in the quiet seaside town of Weston-super-Mare. Many years and possibly too many horror stories later, he realised that in the event of an outbreak there would be more than four hundred zombies per square kilometre (Z/km²) in England.

  Not being a gambling man, Lynn moved to New Zealand where he enjoyed a mere seventeen Z/km². After several seasons of sun, surfing, and the great outdoors, and many more horror stories, Lynn’s first child was born.

  Suddenly, there was a need to further improve the Z/km². After much deliberation, Lynn ended up in the tropical sounding Thunder Bay, Canada, home to an impressive four Z/km². FYI, it’s not tropical, it’s cold… bloody cold. What he also hadn’t counted on was the millions and millions of blood-sucking insects.

  It turns out that the potential threat of zombies is far more acceptable than the actual threat of mosquitoes, especially when Lynn has a rare and particularly tasty blood type. Now, he calls Ottawa and it’s near three hundred Z/km² home. After all, what’s the point of there being a zombie apocalypse if you can’t enjoy it?

  Other than inventing statistics for the zombie apocalypse, Lynn is also the author of Valiant Lineage, a manga-inspired, action-packed series of novellas set in a world caught in the middle of a war between vampires and zombies. Where do they come up with these ideas?

  If you still want to know more, then check out my website – LynnSheridan.com.

  More from the Alteruvium Expanse

  The Alteruvium Expanse series is a collaborative series written by sci-fi and fantasy writers. Each author offers up their own tale from their corner of this universe where anything and everything can and will happen.

  Dive in and read the tales of hope and despair contained within.

  From Above by MK Clark

  Apotheosis by E.D. Cask

  Alura’s Gambit by J. P. Douglas

  The Valley of Souls by T.S. Brothers

  Clockwork Titan by Jon Cronshaw

  Forgotten Worlds by Andre Jeter

  Red Sun Rising by Alison Ingleby

  Call Me M by B.K. Boes

  Gateway by Paul B. Kohler

  Twin Lives by S.L. Mason

  Asteroidea by Lynn Sheridan

  Temporal by Killian Carter

  um Expanse