Chapter 2 – Dreams and Nightmares

Snuggled up under the sheets in the captain's quarters, the cool interior of the ship made for perfect cuddling, nestled within layers of comfy bedding and quality quilts. Two were asleep, one was awake, and concerned. Plasia lay on her side, her huge sapphire eyes watching over Diego with worry as he twitched in his slumber, obviously agitated.

Despite being held close in Seeth's encompassing arms and clutched tightly against her warm bust, something that would usually bring him no end of pleasure, he jittered ceaselessly. His lips would curl into a brief snarl, bearing his fangs for a moment. His brow furrowed deeply each time. His fists would curl into balls, accompanying his facial expressions in perfect time. She'd never seen him like this, he was usually so relaxed and calm...

What troubles you, lovely man? I wish I could see what's bothering you...

She sighed quietly to herself, her eyes scanning over his body and face slowly. She reached out softly and went to rub his hand.

As her hand connected with his skin, Plasia felt a sudden surge through her body, pulling her skin tight and tense. She felt as if her brain had shunted forward in her skull, focusing on him, moving beyond her body and merging into his own. Darkness enclosed her, clouding her vision until there was nothing in every direction.

For a moment there was silence, save for Plasia's anxious breaths.

Wha… What's happening?

Slowly, a golden light filled the void. Her vision quickly adjusted to the new light and as it did, the sound of waves lapping at the shore filled her senses. The void peeled away to reveal a beautiful tropical island; patches of emerald grass swaying gently in the warm breeze, a shimmering ocean reflecting the golden hue in the sky that caressed her skin. The tide was gently washing up on the soft, pale sand that stretched on and curved around the perimeter of the island.

Am I… Is this his dream?

Serene and perfect, it was nothing short of paradise, with fluffy white clouds that drifted by lazily in an otherwise clear sky. And yet, something felt off.

Plasia turned around to survey more of the scene, her feet feeling slow and heavy; she was able to move, but something weighed her down. In the near distance, a dark figure stood, staring out over the water as it splashed calmly over the warm sands. He looked a little different, but she recognised him immediately. It was the same lizard that currently lay in bed with her and Seeth.

Diego's hair waved gently in the breeze. His unblinking eyes looked out over the water, fixated on something in the distance. It was difficult for Plasia to tell his expression from her angle. He did not move, or acknowledge her existence. She tried to call out, but her voice was firmly mute, unable to vocalise so much as a whisper.

This isn't real, is it? At least, it's not now… What could be troubling you in a place like this, Diego?

Plasia continued to soak in the moment, blissful warmth on her skin, pristine sands and water, the immaculate sky. For someone who had spent the last year locked up in a dungeon, and had spent much of her life before as a shut-in, this was just wonderful.

And yet, that persistent feeling of unease began to ache across her body. The warmth on her skin began to feel uncomfortable, as though it were slowly cooking her rather than just warming. Everything was silent yet loud at the same time, painfully clear and yet impossible to make out.

Something caught Plasia's eye further down on the beach; an object was washing up on the surface, large and black, bobbing up and down slightly in the foamy waters.

She inched forward to get a closer look, legs impossibly heavy. The once soft sand began to feel like razors on her feet, every grain pressing deeper and deeper into her skin.

Her curiosity would not allow her to remain still however, and she pressed on despite the discomfort. The object rolled back and forth in the tide, and eventually fell still, the water still lapping up against it but unable to move it any further. There was a black knotty mess of fur, or perhaps hair, facing towards her and quickly, fear began to fill her chest.

Slowly, she paced around it and reeled in its details; a pair of bloody, amethystine eyes, a short snout with powerful sabre fangs, sable skin - It was Diego. Mutilated and dead. A giant fresh gash through his torso stained the sands and water a deep crimson red, as blood oozed out of the wound. There wasn't an ounce of life left in this body.

Mortified, Plasia turned to look at the first Diego, further up the beach. He had not changed, nor moved.

T-that's him! But… this is him too…? What's going on?!

She looked closer at the standing one, trying desperately to gauge his expression. It was a blank, unfocused stare, detached and haunted, like he was processing something awful. The sequence began to fall apart, and Plasia felt her body being lifted and pulled back into the void. Desperate for more information, she spun around and around, taking in as much detail as possible before it could completely collapse.

There's mo-more of them?! More corpses in the ocean?! A-and that's not a sun, that - that's an - Diego?!

Suddenly she was being pulled back into the endless black of the void. Her body ran cold and then, slowly, feeling returned to her limbs, normality filled her senses again, her brain pulled back into her head, her body back into the bedroom, curled up in the sheets, holding onto Diego's hand. His fingers twitched in hers; he was waking up, eyes fluttering sleepily as he joined the land of the living once more.

Lying opposite him, Plasia stared, her eyes wide open with shock and fear as she squeezed his hand tightly, trying to process what she'd seen. With a deep groan, Diego slowly blinked the sleep out of his eyes, and looked back at Plasia's frightened expression. He seemed a bit grumpy at first, his face creased in agitation from having woken up too soon, but his concern for Plasia was much greater, and his face softened. He squeezed her hand back and scooted closer to her.

"Plas…? Everything okay? You look scared..." He whispered softly, as not to disturb Seeth behind him.

"M-me?! I should be asking you that!"

"Wha-what do you mean?" He went unusually shy, breaking eye contact as if he'd done something wrong.

It suddenly dawned on her that, although she wasn't exactly sure what she'd done, she might have done something rude, gaining access to someone's personal thoughts and memories like that, and decided it may not be a good idea to question any further.

"N-nothing Diego, I'm okay. You looked like you were having a bad dream, that's all... I was worried about you."

"It's fine, it was just a nightmare, that's all. You sure you're okay, Plas? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"I feel like I have... I'll let you sleep, I just need to gather my thoughts..."

"Well, alright, come back to bed when you want and we can cuddle up? Your bodies are such a comfortable temperature, I'm usually too warm cuddling in bed." He yawned with a quiet whine and snuggled back into Seeth's arms. Seeth didn't stur, and although Diego was none the wiser, their conversation hadn't left her undisturbed. Plasia pulled herself up from the bed, grabbing her sketchpad and a dressing gown to cover her figure, and made her way to the kitchen.

Her heart was racing, her mind wouldn't stop replaying the vision. She fidgeted nervously as she stood alone next to the work surfaces, wondering what best to do. She couldn't shake it, the heat on her skin, the shards of sand under her feet, the corpses, that thousand-yard stare. It played over and over in her head, and as horrifying as it had been, Plasia couldn't help but feel it was only the tip of the iceberg. What was he hiding? Was it a bad omen?

Things are going to get a whole lot worse before they get better…

She slumped down onto one of the stools, decided to draw out the scene to get it out of her head, and down somewhere where she could process it. She roughly sketched the beach, the body and ocean, the scene came together in only a matter of minutes as she scribbled those relentless thoughts onto the paper. With the scene complete, Plasia paused and took a deep breath. She already felt better, the thoughts fluttering around less violently in her head, and her heart rate began to fall to something more reasonable.

It didn't make sense to her; likely it never would, unless he explained it to her. Plasia desperately wanted to bring it up with him, and help ease whatever was burdening him but... how?! She had never been able to see into someone's dreams before! But then again... she'd never actually cuddled with someone in bed before either...

She turned the page in her pad, scribbled a big messy ball of lines and ink, and labelled it "Mine and possibly Diego's brain" before slapping the pad closed, and getting up to fetch herself a drink. She felt better for the messy scribble, even if she had no answers yet. A goal had come to the forefront of her mind, something to push her energy into. She wanted to find a way to help him.

***Three days ago***

"Romeo, Judas, please report. How is the breached section looking?"

"Not good, Captain, Not good at all..."

Romeo cautiously approached the demolished bulkhead door. What was once a heavy construction of solid, thick metal built into the very hull of the ship now looked as if it had been ripped apart; its meta-steel plating torn and bent, and hydraulic locks dripping fluid over the floor in their battered state.

Armed in similar fashion to the captain, the two guards walked forward cautiously, weapons raised and flashlights on. More black goo coated the walls and floor, like someone had dragged a giant oiled paint brush through the damaged interior of the ship.

"This is fucked up, man. It looks like someone let a warshee loose in here."

"You think a warshee could tear through a metre-thick bulkhead door like that? Cos I don't. No, whatever did this, it's dangerous." Judas shone his flashlight around the corridor, and pointed his twin barreled shotgun into its glow.

"You don't fucking say, Judas.." Romeo muttered and rolled his eyes, striding forward somewhat confidently, and keeping his rifle high. It was eerily quiet; only the stomping of their heavy armour and the dripping of the tar-like fluid down the walls and onto the floor echoed down the corridor.

They reached a set of doors, opposite one another. With a knowing look, the two split, taking one door each and pushing it open cautiously in unison.

They both froze in horror at the sight that greeted them inside.

Standing within the large rooms were… people. They were passengers, their stances awkward and crooked, their heads drifting back towards the ceiling, mouths broken open and hanging wide in an unsettling grin, and coated with that thick black goo, trickling down their faces and lips. Each pair of eyes was a startling bright amber, glowing bright against their dulled skin and blackened maws, and yet, they did not react to the presence of the guards. Each room had a scattered, random formation of victims, around ten in each.

They stared ahead, vacant and unblinking at nothing in particular.

"Y-you seeing this, Romeo...?"

"Yeah... This is fucked up, bro. We need to get out of here." As he spoke, a black drip fell from the ceiling and landed on his shoulder, staining his armour.

"Lets just... take some readings... then get the hell out and stick a sentry in front of the door. Nothing leaves these rooms."

"These things are messed up, bro. I mean, look at them…" Judas unsheathed his combat blade and cautiously approached one of the figures, slowly pushing a portion of the metal blade into its arm. As he'd expected, the figure remained motionless and unphased by the injury. "That is so fucked. Fucked - fucked - fucked.."

"C'mon, Judas! We should leave! There's no one left to save here." Romeo's voice faded under the echo of his boots as he clumped back into the main corridor. As Judas turned to leave, the figures around him suddenly twisted to face him as one, snapping their heads in a sharp, unnatural motion. The one he'd injured began to gurgle loudly.

"Holy shit... I swear to the stars I'll burn all you motherfuc-"

"Youuuu knooow the caaaptaiiinnn...?!" The injured creature gargled, spitting out several large black wads from its throat. Thick ooze dribbled down its face and neck as it slurred its words, but the voice was understandable nonetheless.

Judas spun around to face it, watching closely and raising his shotgun.

"Fuck off I do. What of it?!"

"WHY ARE YOU TALKING TO THE CREEPY THINGS, JUDAS?!" Romeo felt his finger twitch on his rifle trigger.

The creature remained still. It and all the others continued to stare Judas down.

"Tell the captain... things have changed... be ready-"

"Be ready for what?! We're already under attack!" Judas barked, his firearm shaking slightly.

"JUDAS, YOU WANKER! Fall back!" Romeo shifted nervously in his armour and turned on the spot, back towards the room he'd just left. He'd heard something… maybe it was just paranoia? No, he was sure he'd heard movement, but nothing had appeared in the doorway...

"I'm going to bring the darkness to you... You're going to pay for every word you made me suffer through." The creature began to shake violently, its head twitching. "Every night you tormented me, every second you made my life hell. You will die on this ship. Every last one of you."

More creatures poured from the shadows at the back of the room, pulling themselves free from the rubble and into the darkness ahead of them. The guard's initial estimates had been well off, there were a lot more than just ten. More amber eyes flicked open, the room suddenly blinking with glowing orange specks as more and more of them appeared from the darkness.

The figures suddenly broke into a frantic sprint, charging straight at Judas, He only managed to fire a couple of rounds into the horde before they slammed into him, taking him off feet.

Romeo went to open fire… then spun on his heels and ran, charging back down the corridor, towards the broken bulkhead they entered through. He skidded to a stop and turned, raising his rifle and firing a volley of heavy shots at approaching frantic bodies with punishing efficacy.

Down the corridor, he could hear Judas screaming, the sound of several rapid pistol shots cracking through the air, and then a loud screeching noise; flesh pounding against metal with furious anger.

"FUCK! Judas, come in! What's your status?!"

Romeo quickly loaded another magazine into his rifle, but it appeared that no one else had followed him down the corridor after the initial wave. Only the broken bodies lay in the halls, and that curious oil-like substance dripping from the walls and ceiling.

The sound of ripping and tearing continued from the concealed room where Judas was last seen. He wasn't responding to his radio, and there was no further weapon fire. Thinking quickly, Romeo pulled a tripod mounted sentry gun from his back and slammed it on the ground. The machine buzzed to life and scanned the corridor ahead, an effective weapon against unarmoured targets.

"Fine. I'll hold the line by myself. You'll pay for this, you freaks." Romeo scowled from under his helm.

A single pair of amber eyes, shrouded in darkness peered around the doorway. The sentry snapped to its target and quickly fired several shots, causing the creature to duck back.

"Where're you going! Don't be coy! I got five-hundred rounds in this baby and ten mags on me!"

Romeo pulled a grenade from his belt, armed it and sent it hurling it down the corridor. The device exploded after a couple of seconds, shaking the corridor violently and showering fresh black goo over everything as it detonated.

The corridor remained still, aside from the dripping ceiling. Both Romeo and the sentry at his knee watched the corridor closely.

Another pair of amber eyes peaked around the doorway, just barely in sight. They were too small a target for the sentry.

"The fuck are you looking at?!" Romeo barked, steadying his aim. Then, A muffled thump sent shivers down his spine, as he stared back at the eyes watching him.

The thumping continued. It sounded distant, at first, but it was getting closer, approaching from down the corridor but he couldn't see anything.

His heart slammed against his chest as the thumping approached, faster, frantically he scanned the corridor, scanning eyes wide for anything that could be approaching him, but the only thing he could see was the small amber eyes, staring directly at him.

He fired three rounds down the corridor. They slammed into the wall at the end of the corridor, still concealed in darkness.

"What the fuck - what the fuck.... what are you looking at?! Why aren't you attacking?!"

The thumping sped up. It sounded like something massive was charging right at him, the noise was shuddering through the floor and rattling his armour, and yet the corridor was still.

"You... you're..."

The thumping stopped; it sounded like it was right on top of him.

"Oh... oh no..."

A massive black hand erupted from the floor, punching through the metal and grabbing Romeo by the leg, yanking him through the metal plating and piping in a single motion. As he crashed through the floor, barely visible, he saw a huge pair of amber eyes, and a massive set of menacing teeth.

Romeo slammed into the ground.

He felt hot liquid trickling over his face and neck as he shuddered around violently in his armour, the visor cracking and his vision fading from the impact. Before he could completely blacked out though, the creature spoke to him.

"You stole my cane once, Romeo. I remember you, laughing at me with all the others. You made me search the entire length of the ship in agony. I had to cling to the walls to move because my legs kept buckling underneath me. It's a shame you can't die twice."

The last thing he heard was the sound of his spine being snapped in two, in a singular, decisive motion.

"If you can hear me, Captain, I am coming for you next." She growled as she plucked the gently crackling radio from the ruined set of armour. "Don't make it easy for me, please. I want to savour every moment."