A stifled silence envelops the two as Ambrose gazes at the crouched, panting woman holding tight to her bloodied wrench, part bewildered and part cautious.

“Shine your light.” Her words are rough, a type of careless aggression held inside them. “Up.” She points to the roof with her wrench. As she raises it high, some of the black blood drips from it and sticks in her hair. With a scrunched face she shakes her head, squirming at the feeling. “Fucking. Shit.” Her eyes narrow. “This is your fault.”

Ambrose continues to watch her, her spear raised. Carefully, keeping her eyes trained on her, Ambrose raises the torch upward. As it shines on the roof, and the light covers the both of them, the manic grin on the woman’s face grows slack. She continues to study Ambrose, her eyes flickering with many complex emotions.

“Their eyes don’t reflect light.” She says, as she lowers her wrench and looks at her with a glimpse of wonder. “Only the eyes. The one thing they can’t replicate. The eyes…you’re real right?” she squints at me as her tone suddenly turns accusatory. “Don’t lie to me. If you’re a figment of my imagination, you should tell me. It’s only polite.”

“…I’m real.” Ambrose eventually says, moving her torch back down to shine on her.

“Bullshit. That’s what a liar would say.” She scoffs. “Where’s the honesty? Where’s the moral decency?” Ambrose looks at her in a daze, not sure how to proceed. “Forget it.” She staggers to her feet. “I’ll pretend you’re real for now. Least I can do. Name’s Samei. You?”

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

“Ambrose.” She answers as she looks at Samei. “I am real, I…” her words die off as she looks at Samei’s patronising look.

“Keep going.” Samei says with a raised eyebrow. “I believe you.”

“This is going nowhere.” Ambrose sighs. “I don’t even trust you.”

“Hear hear.” Samei says. She looks down at the creature and uses her wrench to smash it a few more times. She pauses then, tilting her head in thought, before suddenly raising the wrench and again, smashing the creature another few times. With a satisfied nod she turns away, only to hesitate and look back again. Her eyes bore into the creature, and after mulling it over she returns and smashes its head in another few times. After turning around she catches Ambrose looking at her weirdly, and scoffs.

“You never know.” Samei says. She pauses, and looks Ambrose up and down. “You’re starting to look more real now. I was starting to think no-one else survived.” Ambrose remains silent. They end up in an awkward standoff, neither budging as Samei studies her. The moment is suffocating. Then she turns around and, with a sickening crunch, slams her wrench into the monster one last time. “Nice.” Her manic grin returns.

“Look.” Samei continues, turning back to Ambrose. Her smile dims, and a sense of conviction emanates from her. “Let’s level at each other. If you’re real, you are definitely not a crew member.” She eyes Ambrose’s spear and clothes. “Stowaway? Well, I don’t care where you came from. I only want to know one thing.” Samei licks her lips as they draw into an even line. “Are you an ally?” She gestures to the monster. “Or an enemy?”