Written By: Epicstu Wyyvernwriter

“This path we walk. This future I have chosen for our Multiverse is a fisherman’s line pulled taut. There is no slack. No room for error or mishap. Every move must be perfect. Every decision must be precise. We cannot become clouded or distracted. If we are, then we fail and if we fail, then all will be lost. Watch over him for me. I have details to attend to,” with that, Aleister left Ember Fray to watch over Edward.

“What did I sign up for,” Ember thought as she gently caressed her Wyyvern, holding it close. Her eyes locked on Edward’s path, “It is too late I suppose. I am Fate’s now.”

*          *

“Captain Jacobs, the new Lifeform is on the Bridge….” the AI’s voice became slow with a low tone as the power sputtered and then went out. The entire ship seemed to shift creaking as all systems shutdown. 

“Oh no, quickly! Everyone get to the RPCLS Suits,” Jacob ordered.

“You do not need them,” Edward replied. “Besides, there is no time. You must get off this ship. Do not worry, as long as I am here the Void will not distort you. Captain Jacob, which way to the hanger?”

“Follow me,” Jacob replied. Jessy, Betty, Gail, Thomas, and Francis followed Jacob while Edward stayed at the rear of the group so he could keep track of everyone. Francis stayed close behind her father holding his jacket so she would not lose him as they moved through the maze of corridors. “Edward, where is it now?”

“I do not know,” Edward replied with a concerned tone.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Thomas questioned nervously. “I thought you were supposed to be God?”

“This one is different,” Edward replied. “Quieter.”

“And more intelligent, I’d wager,” Jessy added. “It was smart enough to shut down the ship’s power.”

“How did it know how to shut down the power?” Betty shuttered.

“Let’s not stick around to find out,” Gail interjected.

“Dad?” Francis tugged on her father’s jacket. “How much further?”

Jacob stopped and turned around, “Almost there. Come on, I’ll carry you. Thomas take the lead.” Edward looked behind them toward a sudden noise. Thomas moved to the front of the group as Jacob carefully hoisted his daughter up to carry her. He turned around, “Thomas?”

Edward turned back to the crew at Jacob’s sudden startling inquiry. “Where did Thomas go, Daddy?” Francis put her face into her father’s chest in an attempt to hide.

“Go! Everyone move!” Edward urged them through the next set of doors, opening and resealing them himself.

“There wasn’t even a scream!” Betty shrieked with fear.

“Everyone calm down,” Jacob interrupted. “Edward, what the fuck happened.”

“I can not hear it,” Edward replied. “I will not be able to know when it comes.”

“And now there will be two of them,” said Gail.

“How much further to the hanger?” asked Edward.

“Through two more doors, then down some stairs to an elevator shaft followed by one last corridor and a final set of large reinforced doors,” Jacob replied.

“Quickly then,” Edward urged. “I will not take my eyes off of you anymore.”

“Then how will you know if it is behind you?” Jessy inquired.

“He’s right,” said Gail. “If those things take you, there’s no telling how powerful the resulting spawn will be.”

“Jessy, you have point. Betty and Gail watch our rear. Edward watch yourself, we need you to survive the Void’s lack of physics. Fran, keep your eyes closed and hold on tight. Everyone else keep your sidearms up and your heads on a swivel,” Jacob ordered. “We move as a team and keep each other safe. No one else dies here.”

Edward opened the first door and waited till everyone was through before shutting it again. “So far, so good,” said Jessy.

Moving toward the second door, “Edward, look out!” Gail unloaded her clip into the creature that had attempted to pounce on Edward, her bullets flying through the Blizzard’s snow. “Good thing you can do that,” she sighed with relief as she reloaded her sidearm, “or I would not have had a clear sh…” she was interrupted by Jessy’s cry of pain as a three serpent like tails extending from the same creature stabbed through him from separate angles, wrapped around his body, and pulled him into the vents.

“Damn it! Run!” Jacob yelled. Making it through the second door, Edward sealed it tight and froze the room around them so that there was no entry point and fell to his knees. Giving out an angered yell, Edward punched the ground shaking the entire ship.

“Calm down!” Gail shouted at him. “This is not your fault.”

“I am God!” Edward shouted in his wrath. “What meaning does that have if I cannot protect six people?” The sound of a single gunshot suddenly rang in their ears followed by the thud of Betty’s body hitting the floor, “Damn it, Betty!” Gail fell to her knees. Edward stood back up and turned Betty’s body to snow.

“What was that?” Jacob glared at Edward. “What did you do to her body?”

“We do not know if they can use the bodies of the Dead,” Edward replied.

“You couldn’t bring her back?” Gail argued.

“I can not find Jessy, Kyle, or Thomas’ souls,” replied Edward. “It is clear these creatures deny their victims an afterlife.”

Jacob handed Edward his daughter, “you get them out of here.” He moved to the doors they had come through. “Open it.”

“I’m coming with you,” Gail insisted.

“No!” Jacob snapped. “I can buy you time.”

Gail put a hand on his shoulder, “You don’t have a choice. Edward don’t,” she said before Edward could speak his two cents on the issue. “You’ll have a better chance of getting her out if you don’t have us to worry about.”

Edward sighed and unfroze the door, opening it and then sealing it behind them. Francis cried into his fur, “shh, I promise nothing will harm you.”

“What about Daddy?” she wept.

Edward held her in a comforting embrace and then opened the elevator shaft, “hold on tight,” he said as he carefully lowered himself down the shaft before phasing them both through the door to the next corridor. It was long and dark. Edward could not see the door to the hanger. The six-inch retractable claws on his feet unsheathed he sprinted down the tight hallway and shoulder bashed through the thickly reinforced doorway into the hanger. “No,” all the ships had been destroyed. He knew they were all around him so he froze the hanger so that there would be nowhere left to hide and the teal-hue of his white snow illuminated the room for him. There were only four of them now, but he could not fight them effectively while holding Francis as he was. “Francis, let go,” she did and he unwrapped his thrice wrapped tail to wrap around her. Although his fur closed in all around her she could breathe alright and found herself comforted. His arms and legs free, Edward all of his six-inch retractable claws and waited for one of the creatures to attack. The first leaped at him, but it phased through his snow and he caught it by its three tails as it passed through him. Swinging it around he struck the second with it sending that one flying into one of the destroyed ships. The wrecks jagged wing through its chest the creature struggled and died. Still holding the first creature by its tails, Edward slammed the third down hard to the ground as it pounced at him. The fourth tried to pull him away, but could not touch him as it clawed at snow filled air. Edward slammed the creature he held into its grounded brother over and over again until it had died. Edward, “Iron! Ram!” the creature still slashing at his snow into a splatter of oily black blood. “AH!” Edward felt a slash across his back. The creature he still held was still alive. Feeling the infection already begin to spread, Edward ripped the creature in half, fell to his knees, and punched the ground shattering his ice and returning power to the ship. “Julz!” he shouted in desperation.

“Lifeform 1, where is the Captain?” Julz replied.

“Gone,” Edward replied. “Is there another way off this ship?”

A door opened at the other end of the hanger and lights lit up a corridor leading to another open door, “Through the east hanger exit. Priming the escape pods now.”

Edward struggled to get to his feet and stumbled as he moved toward the exit. Crashing against the walls of the corridor as he reached it he leaned against them to support himself moving toward the escape pods. Francis still safe in his tail. Breathing had become difficult and his body grew weaker with every step. Reaching the room there were 10 escape pods total. He stumbled to one and opened it. Carefully, he unfurled his tail and gently placed Francis in the pod, securing the buckles before closing the doors.

“Come with!” Francis begged through he closed pod door. Edward smiled for her, caused her to be at ease, and made her fall into a deep sleep before he pressed the launch button.

“AH!” Edward’s pain had grown to unbearable limits and he could feel the creature from within him. Putting his paw-like hand to his chest he unsheathed his six-inch retractable claws and dug them in. His teeth clenched, Edward growled in frustration and pain as he pulled the creature out through his own chest ripping his sternum out with it. Coughing up blood he tried to crush the underdeveloped creature as he fell, but he had become too weak. As he faded in and out of consciousness he watched the fennec creature scurry off holding his sternum in its mouth like a dog with a chew toy.