*Piu* *Piu* *Piu* *Piu* *Piu*
*BOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!*
The massive explosion in the next room shook everything around us, leaving us temporarily deaf. Despite that, short beams of blue light kept firing from Tonks' weapon, relentlessly shooting at anything that tried to get close. But he wasn't good enough to hold back the onslaught of creatures on his own.
"YAAHHHH!" (Red)
*Thud!*
My metal staff struck the insectoid creature that was about to pounce on my companion, knocking it away with a single blow. A moment later, a beam of light pierced through it, finishing it off. I no longer had any intention of using my energy rifle; those things were too close. Instead, a pool of blood formed at my feet, ready to become a protective wall when needed. Meanwhile, my metal baton was prepared to repel any of those abominations.
How did we end up here? Well, it's simple. Three and a half months after our arrival, our ship made a stop at a much larger trade station, where we were supposed to be reassigned. But... things happened.
An unknown ship docked without any report from the authorities. Its cargo was a mystery. Tonks and I were assigned to investigate, and, surprisingly, we found nothing. Literally nothing. The cargo was reported stolen… and then the mysterious deaths began. Before long, this whole place turned into the damn special version of Alien.
I kept swinging my baton like a sword, pushing back the insectoid alien swarm surrounding us. They were six-legged creatures with no visible eyes, their mouths filled with teeth located in their abdomens, and razor-sharp tails used as weapons. I could compare them to facehuggers, but instead of latching onto your face to implant something inside, these things simply ate your face… and they were completely black.
The situation seemed desperate, but within our combat unit, Tonks and I were actually the least in danger. We weren't even using our full potential yet… we still hadn't shown our magic.
"AAAAAHHHH!"
A bloodcurdling scream echoed behind us. Turning around, we saw through the damaged metal door—one that could no longer close—how one of our teammates was covered in a green, viscous substance. Within seconds, her flesh and bones were exposed, while several of those creatures pounced on her, devouring her alive.
Other soldiers were in the same area, but no one could help her. Everyone was too busy firing nonstop at their own targets to even spare a glance.
"We have to fall back! We're losing this area," ordered the captain, a blonde woman with a bloodied eyepatch and half of her left hand replaced by a robotic prosthetic.
Tonks and I started retreating without stopping our fire, covering the hallway as we followed the others. The swarm was relentless; stopping even for a second meant risking a surprise attack. To make matters worse, these creatures had variations, and some of them could fly.
"Grenade!" a female voice shouted behind us.
Tonks and I ran away from the area, covering our ears. We heard the metallic clink of something hitting the floor, and a second later, a burst of light filled the hallway. Many of those things writhed frantically, giving us a few seconds of advantage. Without a second thought, we took the opportunity to keep running.
At that moment, more explosions shook the ship, making everything around us tremble. The structure groaned as if it were about to collapse. Everyone who had been sent to contain this zone—to prevent the alien invasion from spreading further—began to flee, though in different directions due to the chaos. Each person searched for a door they could seal behind them to slow down the creatures' advance. This area was already lost, just like many others during the month and a half we'd been trapped on this ship.
Three of us took this hallway, running with our weapons ready to repel any attack—Tonks, me, and a woman, the same one who had thrown the grenade moments earlier. She looked about 27 years old, with brown hair and a body well-defined by her combat suit. If I remembered correctly, she had already been on this ship before we arrived, and she was an excellent sharpshooter—something she had proven in the first days of this nightmare. Was her name… Sanya?
As we ran, she checked the ship's map on her security bracelet, a high-tech device provided to defense personnel.
"If we keep going this way, we'll pass through a cargo storage area and take some shortcuts to our camp," she said without slowing down.
Tonks and I nodded and quickened our pace. The warehouse door was already in sight, allowing us a brief sigh of relief. We had been fighting non-stop for hours, and fatigue weighed heavily on our bodies.
Upon crossing the door, we found ourselves on an elevated platform, supported by large metal beams. Below us, a deadly drop led to a lower level filled with conveyor belts and massive cargo containers. Above our heads, giant mechanical claws hung from the ceiling, ready to move containers between different storage zones.
There was no immediate danger here, except for the risk of falling over the railing—but we weren't that stupid. We followed the mapped route, crossing several metal bridges until, upon rounding the last intersection, we came to an abrupt halt.
Before us, adhered to one of the columns supporting the structure, a massive alien panel pulsated and exuded a dark, viscous substance. From within, more of those insectoid creatures emerged, some partially blocking our exit.
Tonks reacted instantly, firing three blue beams of light. The creatures that leaped at us dropped dead to the floor, but something made the entire bridge tremble.
We turned and saw another threat: a much larger creature was climbing up the beams from below. It looked like a Hydralisk from Starcraft but with a rougher body, a longer tail, and a head with more sharp fangs. It moved quickly, crawling with its blade-like arms and leaping closer with each jump.
From the panel, several winged creatures emerged and swooped down on us at the same time as the crawling monster. Sanya, without hesitation, pulled out another grenade and was about to throw it, even at the risk of the explosion reaching us.
But Tonks and I had already acted.
She pulled out her wand and traced an arc in the air.
"Incendios Unda!" she shouted.
A wave of fire spread in front of her, incinerating the flying creatures and reducing most of the panel to ashes.
Meanwhile, the mutant Hydralisk was already airborne, lunging straight at us.
"Sectumsempra!" I shouted, moving my wand before extending my other hand forward in a single strike.
The creature was decapitated in midair by an invisible slash, and an instant later, its two halves were flung away by a blast of psi energy.
Sanya stood still, the grenade still in her hand and her mouth open in surprise.
"Heh… right… psychics," she let out a nervous laugh, followed by a sigh of relief.
We wasted no more time and kept running, leaving that hell behind.
Back at the camp, after a long and tense journey, we found ourselves in a section of the ship that had been reinforced and used to store as many supplies as we could salvage, as well as serving as a shelter for those we managed to save.
Tonks and I were in a bar—a real one, one that originally belonged to the ship. Tonks was at the counter, while I sat at one of the tables, watching the outside. From there, we saw the captain giving a speech.
"Ladies and gentlemen, today we have reclaimed a sector of the ship…" she announced, but without any emotion in her voice.
Those listening nearby cheered enthusiastically at the news.
"But we lost three more."
Silence fell instantly.
Everyone who had been shouting and clapping stopped and fell quiet.
"We can't keep going like this. We need to fix this. We must reestablish communications. The ones we have are short-range, and without a proper connection, we won't be able to call for help…"
Her speech continued, but neither Tonks nor I had the energy to keep listening. Tonks ordered a strong drink, paying a considerable amount. Despite the situation, a rudimentary trade system was still in place, though prices were ridiculously high.
"Tonks, right?" she asked, sitting on the stool next to her.
"Yes," Tonks replied in her usual indifferent tone.
"I'm Yexxei'rah, but you can call me Yexi," she introduced herself with a smile. "What you and the other one did back there was impressive. I've never seen psychics that strong… or ones who used sticks," she said with a soft laugh while ordering a drink.
"Hmm…" Tonks only responded with a sound of acknowledgment and kept drinking.
"You know, I've been watching you. You're really good with weapons, and you're quite a powerful psionic. How did someone like you end up in a place like this?" She tried to make conversation.
"Bad luck," Tonks answered without giving more details.
"Wow, always so bitter? Come on, they almost finished us off a little while ago. Don't you think it would be fun if we found a different way to 'finish' that makes you smile?" Yexi whispered seductively, sliding a finger down Tonks' leg.
Tonks glanced at her briefly but then looked away.
"You know… these past months have been really hard. Everything is new and fascinating, but I barely understand half of what's here, and I have to study more than I'd like. The food is terrible. We arrived at a place full of interesting things, but then a plague of aliens so horrifying appeared that I pissed my bed out of fear the first few days, and now I have to sleep hugging my weapon. I've been more on edge here than when I was an Auror… and there's still a lot of shit left to see and deal with," she said, taking another drink. "A good fuck would be perfect right now, a way to say 'fuck it all'… but... See the redhead over there? The one looking at us."
Yexi turned her gaze toward me, while Tonks didn't even glance back. In fact, she wasn't even sure I was looking at her, she just assumed… but she was quite sure about it.
"He's my… husband, so to speak. If I wanted, he could fuck me all day, every day… and well, if I didn't want to, he still could," she said with a bitter laugh. "I had the best sex of my life, in amounts no one else had… until he decided to sleep with my mother." She slammed the glass on the counter, though her expression remained unchanged. "Since then, I haven't had any 'action'. And even though now would be the perfect time, I'm not going to crawl back to him…"
"Hmm… I figured you two had something. I always see you pretty close," Yexi said, still playful. "In fact, knowing that, I actually came here intending to suggest a threesome, but honestly… I wouldn't mind if it were just the two of us," she added, hugging Tonks' arm.
"I wouldn't recommend it. He wouldn't let anyone touch me. I belong only to him. I know he won't allow me to be with anyone else. I've already seen him brutally destroy anyone who tried anything with me… Though he'd probably agree to the threesome, I don't want anything to do with him right now. If you're lucky, you still have time to walk away before he gets mad at you. Trust me, if he gets angry, he'll make you wish for death. And he'd probably rape you before killing you. If you can't escape and you're smart, you'd kill yourself before he finds you." (Tonks)
Tonks released Yexi's arm and stood up, taking the last sip of her drink.
"But well… I really need to relieve some stress, so I'm going to my room to masturbate. That way, I'll release dopamine, oxytin, and all those 'vitamins' the body produces. Exactly like the doctor who checked my pussy in the medical exam told me…" she scoffed in frustration. "Never thought someone would make me study sex and that it would be so boring."
With that, she stumbled away slightly, somewhat drunk.
Yexi stared at her glass, not knowing what to say, until she finally muttered in resignation:
"I… just wanted a fuck."
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