Chapter 3: Can't

The beeping awoke Noah from a light sleep. It was faint but annoying. Noah rose to his knees and searched around the ship. The nitro fire had gone out and the sun had set. The ship was left dark with only small reflections to light up the scattered tables.

Aoi was lying next to Noah, curled up in a ball on the floor. Noah noticed a small green flash in the corner of his eye. It came from the direction of the beeping.

Noah stood to his feet and became fully awake. He scanned the room and saw another flash of green light, followed by another beep.

-The chip must be done scanning already.

Noah began to shuffle his way to the main console. His tired eyes darted around the room for a sign of anything off. The ship continued to breathe with its small creaks and snaps.

He reached down toward the chip which sat right on top of the main console. He pulled the wire out slowly that connected it to the ship. The chip stopped beeping but the light stayed a solid green and stopped flashing.

Noah lifted the chip to his face to get a better look. The green light brightened up his body and hand. The little writing on the side of the chip was very small and impossible to read.

Noah turned to set the chip into his pocket. As he flipped it in his hand, the green light brightened up the whole room like a beacon. Noah froze as he noticed something was off.

Noah lifted the chip slowly and pointed the light back out at the large room. He scanned it carefully from left to right, then stopped. His eyes widened as he stood there frozen.

-The table blocking the door is missing.

Noah set the chip into his pocket and began to take a step back. Suddenly, a breeze hit the back of his neck, causing all the hair on his body to stand. A small hand grabbed Noah's wrist and yanked him tightly.

Noah stumbled back into the grasp of something smaller than him. He whipped his body back to be face to face with Aoi. Noah was gasping for air, but he sighed off in relive and confusion.

Aoi grabbed his wrist again and pulled him next to her. They sat there and leaned their backs against a wall. Aoi lifted her hand in front of Noah's face. The room was dark but Noah was sure he could make out two fingers pointed up.

-Aoi is trying to tell me there are two monsters in the room.

Noah began dripping sweat down his forehead. His brain started to scramble.

-How did they get in so silently? They didn't kill us in our sleep either. I don't think there is another way out. Where are they? How come I can't see them but Aoi can?

Aoi grabbed Noah's hand and began to drag him to a new wall. Noah and Aoi dropped down and set their back against the center console. Noah looked down at Aoi's eyes. Her small blue pupils stared hard at the corner of the room where they slept.

Noah squinted his eyes in the dark. That's when he saw a small, dark figure move through the dim light. The creature had a small shape but it scurried around silently.

Noah scanned the ship for the second creature Aoi claimed to be in the room. For a slight second, Noah could see something reflect off light on the ceiling. Aoi saw it too and reacted by squeezing Noah's hand.

Noah squeezed back to confirm that he saw it too. Noah pulled Aoi's face close to his and whispered into her ear as quietly as he could.

"I am going to throw the chip. Run to the hall and don't look back."

Aoi turned to argue but Noah had already pulled the glowing chip from his pocket. Aoi lifted herself to her feet and began sprinting quietly as the chip flew from Noah's hand and landed on the other side of the main console.

Noah turned his attention to the figure on the ceiling. It shifted its sights to the chip and began stalking toward it. Noah sprinted down the room and saw Aoi had already made it to the hall.

Noah scanned the room for the other creature.

-It's so dark. I can't see shit in here.

Noah turned back to the hall and saw that Aoi had stopped running. She was turned back toward the room waiting for Noah. Her eyes widened as Noah got to the arch.

-Why are you stopped? Aoi please keep running, please!

Noah turned his head back to see a pair of glistening eyes had begun staring straight at him from across the room. A slight growl echoed through the ship.

-It sees us.

Noah pushed Aoi down the hall to get her to start running again. They blindly galloped over wires and sheets of metal as the growls began to get louder.

Aoi reached into her satchel and gripped her blade. The two squeezed through the arc's exit and entered the large storage room. Noah grabbed Aoi's right hand and pulled her off to the left.

The two creatures began to squeeze through the exit. The first one landed through and came to a slow halt with its dog-like body. The creatures' little feet were shaped like suction cups. Its black scales raised up its back to its forehead. The creature's face was morphed into the shape of a crab's body. Its little eyes hung by small muscle fibers which allowed it to scan the room.

The second one leaped up to the ceiling and stuck to it flawlessly. They began to hunt for the two humans who were hiding around the corner behind a storage crate.

Aoi pulled Noah close to speak into his ear. They were both out of breath but tried very hard to hold in their gasps to make as little noise as possible.

"We can't separate or we will die so stay close."

Noah looked up at the storage crate they leaned against. His eyes glistened as an idea came to mind.

"The rules apply to them too. If we can separate them, I am sure we can kill them one at a time."

Aoi nodded her head. Noah pointed to the storage crate and then pointed up. Aoi understood what he signaled and they began to scale the storage crate.

From the top of the storage crate, the two could see the creatures' location. They had separated, one on the floor and one on the ceiling. The one on the ceiling was about 15 feet in front of them, approaching slowly.

Noah shifted to his knees and sat completely still. The creature came overhead to the storage container. It was completely silent because of its suction cup feet. With each step, it drew closer and closer to Aoi.

It came within 4 feet of her. That is when Noah went for it. Noah flung up and grabbed around its neck. Aoi sprung up and immediately began stabbing the creature with her blue blade. Noah squeezed it tighter and tighter to not allow it to struggle. Aoi kept stabbing as fast and as hard as she could.

The creature's face was mush after the 9th stab. It had completely stopped moving. Noah dropped it off the container making only a small thud on its way down.

Aoi looked at her blade with blood covering her face. She could see the small tint of red alongside her knife.

-Monster blood has never been red, right?

She looked up to Noah whose arm was draining of blood like a waterfall. Aoi almost dropped her knife from the sight. She got close to Noah and began shaking.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Noah, I'm sorry."

Noah could feel her trembling body holding his arm. Noah whipped it from her hands and raised it into the air. The bleeding had stopped significantly but Noah's face got very hot.

-It burns! Holy shit, it burns!"

Aoi reached for his arm again and held it tight this time. She rolled his sleeve up to his elbow and became even more scared.

Small, white fabrics began quickly wrapping themselves around the holes like little hairs or worms. Aoi trembled as she watched the holes bandage themselves and completely stop bleeding.

Noah began catching his breath as the burning subsided.

-That healed much quicker than my back injuries from yesterday.

Aoi squeezed his hand and continued inspecting his arm. Noah could tell she was fascinated but horrified like he was a monster himself.

A small bang echoed through the storage room and snapped the two humans back into fighting mode. Noah and Aoi laid back on their stomachs on top of the crate. Noah searched the room for a sign of the second monster.

Aoi tugged at Noah's arm as he slowly gazed back up toward the ceiling. The monster was stalking a mere 20 feet from their position, and coming straight toward them.