"On the ground, now!" My boots stomp onto the floor as the ship rocks, I open the heavy door, run through and push it shut. I slide the bars to lock it as the door bangs. A man bangs and shouts at the bulletproof glass on the door. I turn around and grab at my head, shut my eyes to only be reminded of that room. The skeletons, the faces I've met recently, the papers with orders to kill, the gun against my temple and the finger on the trigger. The look on that guy's face when I killed him for doing his job. Carter's demonic form. Now I'm in a place with no way out. I should've swum to shore! You've got no way out of there. I turn to a spare radio, And I didn't have to do much, Crawford.

All of the horrors I've seen spin in my head as I look up, Crawford, we got you. I tear up as another man gets on, Look at you, spinning around like a trapped animal. There's no way outta there. I start punching the radio, "Shut up!" As the radio turns off, they start banging against the door. I rip apart the plastic case and start methodically tearing out the components. Carter's laughs and the pictures of skulls, all burned to memory, invading my thoughts. The word liar across screens. So much death, so much smoke. Mirrors. All for me to live? I didn't ask for this! I'm sad all the time! I am suffering. From my thoughts, from how little power I have to change anything! I am done being belittled.

The door blows inward, and I pull out my knife. "Get him!" I run in and shout into the radio, "Shut the hell up!" They grab at their helmets as I pull one up and slit his throat. I pull the soldier's gun as his vest takes their bullets. I wince and return fire until they collapse. After all is silent except for the creaking of the ship, my hand quivers and my finger's still pulling the trigger despite the snapping of the hammer. I drop the gun and the man, shut my eyes and grab at my head. My lips tremble as I'm still here alone with my memories. This is so fucking much and yet, I can't help but keep living. There has to be a way out. Mama's words come back to me and I take a deep breath. Ok. She'll help me find my family. I scoop up one of their rifles and start walking. Need to keep going.

"Captain-" "Shhh." Scott runs off with guns as I switch screens, "Tell them to watch out, Scott's using our radios against us." "Yes sir." I squint at Amber's cuts, then rewind again and again. Someone leans over, "Dirt's a demon!?" I quickly get up and grab the boy, "You will tell no one!" "B-but she's-" "She's one of us!" We both turn, Bullet stares us down with a shotgun fixed on us. Amber cries behind him. My eyes didn't deceive me, she's really a demon, metal under her skin, "Bullet, what are you doing here?" "I figured out there's a demon among our ranks. So all of us are going to sit down and talk about it. Cornelius doesn't have to know it ever happened." He shoots and the man next to me falls over. "But you are loyal to neither me or Cornelius. I saw you let Scott go. You HAD him and you let him run around, killing MY men!?" I grab for the radio, but Amber raises her rifle, "Don't make me." Bullet shouts, "Shut up and just shoot, Amber!" I slowly put my hands up, "Amber, you can end this. Shoot him. You have the power right now. I know how he is too." He shouts, "Shoot him now!" She looks down at him, "Do what I say, Amber! Don't make me get physical on you!"

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

She raises the rifle to me while holding back her tears. "I forgive you." She opens fire, each bullet cracks against my vest, then penetrating through my body. I fall down as Bullet hits her, "Stop crying!" He's worse than Cornelius ever was. Don't you beat on that poor girl.

"Amber?!" Don't talk to me. "What's wrong, Amber?" He hugs me, "What did those monsters do to you?" Why? "You did it." He squeezes tighter, "I would never. I love you, Amber- Like a sister I've never had!" I shout and break free of his clutches, "Stop it!" On his knees, he looks up to me, "Don't worry, we'll get those monsters." My hands jerk and grab hold of him, I lift him in the air and shake him, "You always forget what you do to me! You're hurting me!" He shuts his eyes tight, "Amb-Stop!" He opens his eyes and shouts, "What the FUCK are you doing to me!? Put me down right the fuck now!" My arms quiver as he stares into my eyes again. I lower him down gently, "Amber, you do that shit again, I'm putting you down."

Down the hall, I find a man the size of that girl, with a cleaver at his side, "Another piece of meat!" "Oh, shit!" He lunges forward as my gun's strap gets caught on the other gun. Another voice shouts, "Stop!" I quiver at the sight of the guy as he halts mid-swing, smirking and watching my every move with big buggy and bloodshot eyes. I jump as he jerks in agitation, "Why!?" A slender man with black hair walks out with an axe, "Scott, right?" Something about him screams danger, even more so than this big guy. "Y-yeah." "They're holding our people-" I squint, "Our?" He rolls his eyes, "We all want them safe. Anyway, you can just run away. We've got this-" I take the rifles off my back, "Says the ones with no-" They pull out guns from their baggy pants, "guns..." The guy laughs and the big one laughs louder, "Come along then!"

The guy snorts a bump of cocaine up his nose, "That's a terrible habit." He smiles, "For someone normal, sure." He looks my way, "So what's your story?" A great big silence envelops us until the big guy shouts, "For me, I was a chemist. Him, I dunno." With a mischievous grin, he stretches out his hand, "Name's Terry. Apparently, you know my brother, Markus." I grab it tight and he smiles, "If you can distract them, I can go save them, me and Verank here." I nod. "Good." I jump as he zooms away. I turn as Verank runs past after him. How is he that fast? Is he like Mama and them?