Alone

Chapter 8: Nightmares Are Real?

Alicia POV

While Captain Kyle was in the shower, I went to the fabricator and made a cup of coffee and a chocolate chip muffin, then proceeded back to the front of my ship. He got me thinking more about my cruiser and everything I still didn't know about it. I found the manual and although I've read it a hundred times already figured another look wouldn't hurt.

I opened it to the chapters about the different scanners and activated the main screen so I could learn in real time more about this alien planet. It only took a matter of minutes for the scan to finish and then I had a map layout for the entire planet. Now I could see for myself the large, continental land mass, the ocean, where the jungles were dense and where there were clear areas. Among the scans were little blips that I assumed were the wildlife the Captain or Shepherd as he liked to be called mentioned. There were alot of them, most of the blips were centralized in groups or herds while only a few here and there were traveling alone. I had a feeling these animals or alien beings acted alot like creatures from earth. The ones who traveled in groups were probably mostly docile and herd animals like cattle while the ones who stayed to themselves were more than likely predators and probably the ones Captain Shepherd warned me about.

According to the screen most of the life signs stayed near the oceans or were in less dense parts of the jungle on the continent. I took a look at where my cruiser was on the screen compared to where any other life signs were and for the moment we were safe.

I looked back at the manual and was reading along completely oblivious to my surroundings until I went to take a sip of my coffee. It was like that scene from Jurassic Park, when the ripples in the glass of water increase the closer the T-Rex got to the truck. The same thing was happening now to my coffee but this time I had no idea what was coming toward the ship.

Captain Shepherd must have felt something as well because he came rushing out of the bathroom in only a towel, loosely wrapped very low on his hips. "Alicia, is the cloak on!?" His face was manic, almost scary.

"No, I didn't think we needed it to be honest. You said there were only animals here, nothing intelligent anyway!" I quickly stood up and reached for the cloak button. "It's cloaked now, we are invisible to anything out there. Now please tell me what's coming?"

Shepherd held his finger to his mouth, signaling for me to keep quiet, which I immediately obeyed. He has been here longer so I agree to follow his lead without question for now. He makes his way to the internal power board and begins shutting down certain systems, I guess in an attempt to be more invisible. It's not needed but if it makes him feel more at ease then so be it.

Shepherd comes back over to my side and points out the main front window and that when I see it. I suppose comparing it to a T-Rex dinosaur would be the closest thing that I know of. It is humongous, approximately 20 feet tall and hideous. It does have scales like a reptile, but they are more slimy, as though it could also be aquatic. There were 4 limbs and it walked mainly on its hind legs like a dinosaur but each limb or hand or whatever you want to call it had 6 claws each. Razor sharp Claes that slashed through the tree trunks like butter. This things head was terrifying as well, there were long spikes running up the back side of it and ended right above its mouth. It's face was split across the middle and down the center, when it was about 15 yards from the front of the ship it opened its mouth and made a noise I could only describe as bone chilling. I could feel it rumble to the core of my being. When it opened its mouth that's when I also saw the thousands of saw like teeth that could more than likely obliterate anything that had the bad luck of getting stuck in its path.

At this point I couldn't move let alone breath, I was so terrified that if I moved a muscle it would sense me. If it decided to come closer any part of it could damage the ship which in turn would damage the cloak and we would be sitting ducks.

It was coming closer and closer, almost as if it could sense us. I looked back at Captain Shepherd and pointed to the shield activator but he shook his head. He's right, if we activate it now, we would definitely give up our position and then the shield would only hold for so long.

I could feel my entire body shaking as the massive creature came closer to the ship. At this point it bent down to where it was looking directly through the window and right at me. There was no way it could see me but it could possibly sense me or definitely something in its vicinity. We don't know much if anything about the creatures on this planet and there's a possibility they could possess senses and other things we have no comprehension of.

Shepherd put his hand on my shoulder and I slowly look away from the creature and into his deep blue eyes. A sense of calmness washes over me and I release a breath I didn't know I was holding. I continue to stare into his eyes, hoping the creature looses interest and moves on.

I begin to feel the vibrations from the creature moving again and it seems to have gotten distracted by something else and starts to creep away from us. It must have sensed an easier target and for a moment I feel bad for whatever may have caught its attention but then grateful that I'm no longer on the menu for tonight.

Captain Shepherd removes his hand from my shoulder and I cast a glance over his mostly n***d form. I smile when I see a slight blush make its way to his face. Noticing his own predicament, he turns around and makes his way back to the bathroom. "I'm sorry, let me get dressed and then we can talk about what just happened...oh yea, also if you wouldn't mind activating the shield so we don't have to worry about that again."

"Of course, it's done," I reply as I activate the shield and sit down as the heaviness of what just happened sinks in.

***

"And that is what I decided to name a slasher, and by the looks of it, that was a female. The males are much larger and have bright green and orange stripes down their sides," Shepherd explains to me.

"I can see why you named it that, it's claws slashed through the jungle like it wasn't even there," I shudder as I remember.

He nods his head and continues, " There are more than a few on this continent from what I've seen. They travel in very small groups, usually just pairs of the same s*x. The females travel together and the males vise versa. They only get together when they mate and I'm pretty sure we don't want to be around when that happens, " he smiles, " So far, that's the most terrifying thing I've come across here. Their senses are insanely heightened though, and they may have some more that we don't even understand yet. Everything else I've come by here, the other creatures, they're mostly docile and will leave you alone as long as you do the same." He turns his head and scratches his chin like he's deep in thought. Hmm cute.

"OK, Well we definitely need to stay away from those. I think we should probably get off this planet anyway and check out another one, there's nothing here that can help us anyway, " I say.

Shepherd whips his head around and looks at me like I'm crazy. "What do you mean leave this planet? Your warp drive doesn't work, how can we travel to another universe without it taking forever!"

Oh wow, OK he may be cute but he is kind of dumb. "Didn't you see the other planets in this solar system before you came here?"

He shakes his head, so I continue. "OK, Well there are 8 planets in total. The first planet was too hot for it to produce anything besides microbial life and I would definitely had died if I went there, so I scrapped that planet. This is the second planet and although it's habitable its also full of terrifying nightmare creatures and nothing useful for space travel so I suggest we go check out the rest of the planets and find a way home, sound good?"

He nods his head and then stops and looks at me. "We will have to stay here for the night and we can leave sometime tomorrow."

"Why? It's the same in space, always dark, we don't have to land on the third planet right away but we can learn everything from scans tonight and check it out after we get some rest." It doesn't make sense to me to wait, it's safer in space anyway so I look at him questioningly.

"We're going to have to go out there tomorrow during the day, I need to get to cave I was staying in and retrieve some important things, things we may need to find a way home. I can't chance to leave anything behind."

Suddenly, I'm stuck with that can't breath, panic attack feeling, there's no way in hell I'm going out there! "No Shepherd, there's no way in hell I'm going out there tomorrow or ever!"

Of course he smiles that mouth watering, million dollar smile and I get weak in the knees. Ugh how does he do this to me? "Alicia, you'll be fine. We can fly cloaked most of the way there and get as close to the cave as possible, we will be in and out quickly and everything will be fine." He takes ahold of my hand and stares into my eyes with his big puppy dog eyes and again I melt and give in while nodding with a dumb star struck look on my face.

I can tell by his smirk he is pleased with himself and as sexy as he may be I'll get my chance to get him back for this. "OK, so we will relax tonight, I think we both need a good rest and then when we wake up we will make our game plan over breakfast. Everything will be fine princess."

Yup, that broke the spell and I spun around real quick. "Listen, I'll help you tomorrow but what you're grabbing better be really important and useful! I'm going to hold you to your promise, you're going to get me home!" I made my way back to the front of the ship and kept my back turned to him for awhile. I just wanted to think about tomorrow and how it could be my final night under the stars. A little melodramatic but hey give me a break!

I decided it was time to turn in so I stood up and looked toward the back of the ship. There was Captain Shepherd, fast asleep with another plate of half eaten food on hid lap. Wow, men. I gently shook his shoulder, which caused him to jump up and tackle to the ground, him landing on top of me. I screamed which alerted him to what was happening and he quickly jumped off. "I'm so sorry, it's a reflex, years of training you know," he panicked.

"I'm fine, it's OK, I understand, " I replied even though I was a little shaken as well. "I was just trying to wake you so I could unfold the bed out. There's only one and I don't mind sharing it, it's definitely large enough with room to spare." He sleepily nodded and I proceeded to preparing the bed. Once it was finished both of us crashed down onto it and fell asleep almost immediately.