The red glow of emergency lights bounced off the iron-clad walls of the freighter as Adori held her daughter tight. They were finally headed home, back to Earth. Four months bouncing between star systems. Four months in hyperspace and it was almost over. Supposed to be over. Now every last person on this god-damned ship was dead or dying, except for two. They were lucky enough to escape into the cryo chambers before it attacked. Now they waited for the ship’s autopilot to exit hyperspace just outside of the Moon’s orbit.

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Adori rocked her sobbing daughter, stifling her own cries as she hummed a lullaby. Mere feet away, between the thick glass that separated the cryo chamber from the hall, stood a monster. Black as the void it came from and just as deadly. It watched them, waiting, salivating at the chance for another meal. Their only solace was the distress call that would be sent out upon their arrival. Only a few days until rescue.

The squeal of slick boots echoed down the halls. A man appeared from beyond the window. Thick carapace encased his head and blood dripped down his body. The alien clicked and the glass vibrated. The man lifted his hand, registered his fingerprint on the scanner, and the door opened.