Amish Vampires in Space (49 page)

Seal nodded. “Of course.”

“You claim that you will now pick up servanthood? Forsake yourself for the good of others?”

“I intend to, yes.”

Samuel turned and slowly pointed at the awards on the wall. One after another.

“What are you doing?” Seal asked.

“Counting,” Samuel said. “Noting what you seemingly want noted.”

Seal frowned. “I realize they don’t mean anything to you. I’m not sure they mean anything to me either anymore…”

Samuel smiled. “You see why I don’t believe you, then.”

“No…”

Samuel snorted, clucked a few times before drawing silent and leaning forward. “Servants don’t hang awards on the wall,” he said softly. “They don’t need them. True servants work for the Lord alone.”

Seal frowned. “Duly noted.” He glanced at the pieces of the awards he smashed. No one stood near those now. Just fragments against a wall. “I’ve begun to rethink things. About myself. All I’m saying is that perhaps you should too.”

Samuel harrumphed. Sat back in his chair. “I should rest my voice now.”

Mark glanced at Samuel, then looked at Seal. “One of our earliest forefathers, during a conflict which he wasn’t a part of, found himself facing an attack from the most savage side. Even then he forbade his sons to shoot in defense of their home. As a result, he was captured and his family had their scalps cut away.”

“Barbaric on both sides,” Seal said. “To what end was his sacrifice?”

“To an end only God knows,” Mark said. “To the Kingdom’s end. And as an example of true Christianity.”

Seal looked at his desk, suddenly wishing to study this Bible Singer talked about. To understand a little about what he was up against here. Did Christianity really require non-violence? But there was no time for that now. “This Jesus you follow,” he said. “Did He ever meet a captain like me? Someone in authority?”

Mark turned to Samuel, but Samuel said nothing. He only nodded for the younger man to continue. “He did,” Mark said then. “I remember one instance when a centurion, a soldier captain, came to Him regarding healing for a servant.”

Seal nodded. “Interesting…and did he get this healing?”

“Ya, he did. Without the Lord even meeting the servant. Sight unseen.”

Seal felt a tingle of hope. A frail perception of truth. He brought his hands together on the desk. “So he was welcomed, this captain? Given what he asked for?”

Mark nodded. “Ya, and he was commended for his faith.”

Seal raised an eyebrow. “But wasn’t he a violent man? A soldier?”

Mark glanced at Samuel, but the elder still said nothing. “He was a leader of hundreds,” Mark said. “So, yes, doubtless a soldier.”

Seal squinted. “So now I’m confused. This soldier, this man of violence, was commended for being good. Did your Lord ask him to leave his profession? To forsake his past and present?”

Mark shook his head. “Such is not recorded.”

“So He didn’t tell this violent man to stop being violent? This man with so much faith?”

Samuel straightened in his seat. Looked uncomfortable. “We have no quarrel against such men either.”

“Yet you won’t be one of them. Won’t help them when they ask.” Seal felt a twinge of anger. Shook it off. “I mean, as long as there is someone else to do the job, right?” He panned the room, trying to make contact with each and every face. “Well, I’ve got news for you ladies and gentlemen: Today, here, on this ship, there
is
no one else.”

• • •

Singer frowned, looked intently at the woman scientist. “So, as an intern, you don’t really know much about what went on there?”

Tenra’s eyes widened. “I didn’t say that. I know things. Lots of things. But most of it is general.” She managed a smile. “I’m a walking potpourri of knowledge, I guess. I think I can help.”

Singer felt only a little better. She nodded slowly, brought up her com unit. “I’m going to try Darly again. Maybe if we get the two of you talking…” She found Darly’s connection and touched it. Watched as the screen began to swirl.

“Your group,” Jebediah said to Tenra, “it was concerned with mixing creatures? Blending them?”

Tenra nodded. “Yes, how did you know?”

“I’ve done some reading.” Jebediah smoothed his beard. “How do you do it? Is it like a blacksmith or a carpenter? Or is it like churning butter?”

Tenra paused, looked at Singer. “I’m not sure what you mean…”

“Well, are you working something over and over like a blacksmith works metal? Or are you cutting things away like a carpenter works wood? Churning is similar to smithing, I reckon, but you’re turning one substance into another.”

Tenra smiled. “A little of all of those, I guess.”

Singer’s com unit darkened. She made a sound of frustration. “No connection,” she said. “I’m worried.” She looked at Greels, whose eyes were fixed on Tenra. “Maybe we should try to go there? It is past the captain’s office, but he seemed to be able to talk to Darly from there.”

“My wife is with Miss Darly,” Jebediah said. “I would like very much to be with her.”

Tenra tipped her head, smiled. “Aww, you’re married? How quaint.”

“He’s Amish,” Greels said. “Doesn’t get more quaint than that. Horses, buggies, lack of hygiene…quaint all around.”

Singer ignored the comment. “So, do we head for medical? Darly would have the most useful equipment too.” She looked at Tenra. “In case you came up with anything.”

Tenra looked at Greels and smiled. “I’m okay now.” She politely pushed away from him, standing firmly on her own. “I am a bit hungry, though.”

Singer nodded. “There should be some quickfood machines along the way. Normally, we’d take you to a cafeteria, but under the circumstances…”

“Right. Machine food is good.”

Greels frowned. “If there is any left. We have a lot of hungry people around here lately.”

Singer looked at the others. “Are we r—”

There was a booming knock on the bay door. Singer quickly held up a finger and brought her gun to the ready. Greels followed suit.

Another knock. “We know you’re in there, so come out! We’re hungry.”

Greels swore under his breath. He then looked at Tenra and apologized.

Singer resisted rolling her eyes. She flipped her gun over and checked the charge. It was ninety-six percent full. A good sign, but they had no idea how many of the infested were out there.

Boom, boom, boom.
“We got you. We got you,” a different voice said. “Now open up!”

At least two, then.

“Whoever they are, they don’t have access to the bays,” Greels whispered.

There was another, louder, impact on the door, and this time the door shrieked. The four of them exchanged looks.

“I don’t think that’s going to stop them.” Singer held up her gun and motioned toward the rows of white packages. They needed cover, and thankfully, they were in a room full of it. Greels nodded and tugged on Tenra’s arm. She quietly paired off with him, moving back past the next row of packages. Singer smiled at Jebediah, and together they moved deeper into the room, as well.

Another impact, followed by a heavy creak, and a clattering sound. Then laughter.

“We have you,” a male voice said. He repeated the phrase over and over, ending finally in peals of laughter.

“If you come along easily, we’ll be gentle.”

“Yes,” a third voice said. “We’ll give you the best spot in the pens. The best food. Keep you fat and happy.”

“First instructs us. First is wise. We
found
you.”

The third row had an odd-shaped package at the end, wider at the top than the bottom. Singer led Jebediah around the corner, and then walked back and stooped low. She peered around the edge of that end package, trying to see. She needed to get an idea of how many they were up against. More than three, she thought.

“Oh, no, they’re
hiding
!” one of the earlier voices said. “What will we do?”

More laughter.

“Who wants to do the honors?” Another voice this time.

That’s four.

Several voices said “Not me,” followed by more giggling. Singer thought she heard a fifth voice.

“Fine. Me. But I hate this part.”

Singer turned to check on Jebediah. Gave him a puzzled look. She had an unsettled feeling in her gut. The beginning of fear.

Next came a high-pitched scream. An unworldly and alien sound. The sound wasn’t particularly loud, but she found herself holding her ears anyway. Next came more laughter—and heavy footfalls.

Singer didn’t know how she knew, but she
knew
they were coming straight for them. That something in that shriek had given their location away. She quickly stood, and grabbing Jebediah’s elbow, urged him to run.

Within seconds, the first man—creature—slid around the corner. He was clearly a former crewmember, because he had remnants of a uniform on. But there was just as much missing. And his hair made Greels’s hair seem controlled. His mouth opened when he saw her, and his teeth were…fangs! He laughed. “Found you, we found you.” He sprinted toward her.

Singer raised her gun and fired. The creature was knocked backward to the ground. Grunted. Pulsed with the energy of the shot. She didn’t wait to see what happened next, she just turned and ran.

Jebediah was near the far end of the row, many meters distant now. He was watching her, though, waiting for her to catch up. Just as Singer reached him another creature, a female, sprang around the corner to their right. Singer yelped and shot blindly. The shot clipped the creature at the waist. It stumbled and fell to the floor. Singer shot it again and again until it seemed to lie still.

Somewhere, Greels was yelling and firing too. The others must’ve found them. “We should help—”

Jebediah pointed behind her. “Look!”

She turned to see the first creature lumbering toward them. He was slower, but the heat of hunger remained in his eyes.

“What are these things made of?” she said, firing again. The creature lurched, dropped to a knee, but maintained consciousness. She fired another time, feeling relief when it finally heeled over.

More yells from Greels. He was somewhere deeper in the room. Singer and Jebediah ran toward his voice. They passed one row and then a second.

The alien scream filled the room. Singer felt naked. Fully exposed amidst a full room. She winced, grunted, and pushed herself forward. At the seventh row she found the body of another of the man-creatures. It was still pulsing from being shot. She shot it again just to be sure. Kept running.

Deeper and deeper. One row after another. Finally, she heard a muted yelp, and she spotted Greels seated on the floor to their left. His back rested against a package. There was the body of a fourth creature, another female, in front of him on the floor. Dead or comatose.

Singer sprinted up to him and stooped down. Greels’s left leg was bleeding, deeply cut, and he was breathing heavily, wincing with each breath.

“She’s around the corner that way,” he said, motioning to the left. “There’s another after her. I fired. Think I got it. But…”

Singer nodded. She left Jebediah with Greels and ran to the end of the row, rounded the corner.

She saw a large creature—another former crewmember—sprawled face-first on the ground. It was resting oddly, though. Humped up higher than seemed natural. She heard a whimper and realized the reason. She rushed to the creature and attempted to push it. Tensa was beneath it, gasping. Together they managed to roll the creature off.

Tenra looked scared and exhausted, but otherwise okay. No signs of blood.

“What happened?” Singer asked.

Tenra flustered a bit. Coughed. “It just died. I think Mr. Greels shot it. It shook, chased me. But when I thought it had me, it—” She brushed at her clothes, climbed to her feet. “Well, it fell. On me!”

Singer looked Tenra over. “No cuts? No bites?”

Tenra shook her head. “Bites? I don’t think so. Lucky—” Her eyes widened. “Mr. Greels! Is he okay?”

Together they returned to Greels’s side. Jebediah had already ripped the sleeve from his shirt and was winding it around Greels’s leg. “I think he’ll be all right,” Jebediah said. “It isn’t bleeding too hard. Not like he got an artery.”

“Thing had fingernails like razors,” Greels said.

Singer frowned. “That sound they used. That shriek.” she said. “Did you hear?”

“Echolocation,” Tenra said. “Like a bat. Well, that narrows down the list of projects my team was working on.”

“So that sound, it means something to you?”

She nodded.

“Okay, Darly will want to hear about that.” Singer looked at Greels. “Can you travel?”

Greels grunted, and with Jebediah’s help, struggled to his feet. “Just get me to medical.”

Singer forced a smile. “That was my plan.”

Samuel coughed again, then thumped his chest
lightly. He must remain strong. Despite the loss of his wife. Despite their small numbers. Lord willing, the community could still survive. Hadn’t Alabaster been seeded with only a handful of their forbearers? Hadn’t the Earth begun with only two? Male and female, He created them. Placed them in a garden. Gave them livestock.