Finally the man, disheveled as Max ever saw him to be, got to his feet. They moved with haste and short breath to the engine and with each other’s help, made quick work of powering up all functions. When the head lights of the engine came on, illuminating the front of the station, they both jumped.

There were a couple of aliens unlike the ones that they fought before, moving past the engine and towards the first set of cars. “Go go. I’ve got this under control. You need to fight them off. If they board, we’re done.” Pelos shooed Max away and as he started to head through the exit door, he adjusted his suit customarily before diving into the controls.

The train hit several bumps as it accelerated off of the tracks and out of the station. Max could see several unidentifiable figures flew off from great force of the train ramming them. It was fortunate that the train accelerated so quickly, the number of figures just outside the doors that Max could see through the light would have overrun them quickly, ray gun or no.

He took this moment to move Phaedra to a booth and lay her out in as comfortable a position as he could. He noticed through the windows that lined the passenger cars that the star covered sky of the Astral Field was all around them now. The train made a series of jerky movements from side to side as the cars turned in what seemed like empty space. He was not sure how something like this maneuvered after it left the tracks. They were on their way after another minute or two and Spire was starting to shrink to smaller and smaller size as they accelerated back towards the station on War.

Pelos rejoined the others in the first passenger car behind the engine. His hands seemed slightly burned, but he made no mention of it and Max did not think it worthwhile to ask.

The next minutes found them all sitting and laying in silence, regaining their breath. The only sound that touched their ears was the constant chugging of the train engine as the gears turned and caused this magnificent machination to continue towards their chosen destination. The calm rhythm put Max into a near trance. He sat with his eyes just barely open. He kept thinking that he would see Pater out of the corner of his eye, but he knew that they were only day dreams. His friend and guardian was lost almost as quickly as he was found.

The young woman’s body suddenly contorted in ways that Max did not think it possible for a humanoid body to do. Pelos nearly leapt to his feet and away from her. He started to point with both hands and frantically move a hand up to his mouth and nose as a horrid smell filled the air. Max went in the opposite direction, towards the young woman. The horrid smell was probably coming from the dark fog that was coming out through all the orifices on her face.

Max tried to grab a hold of her to steady her but her motions were too violent. “Try to relax. Calm yourself.” The young woman did not seem to comprehend any of his words. He would have to try something experimental, something he was yet to attempt with his empathic ability. He forced as much of calm upon himself as he could. He reached out towards her through his energies. Her energy was weakening. A sound started to fill the car like bones shattering and flesh ripping.

Pelos came to stand over the two of them. “Tell us what you know! I can help you.” He reached out a hand toward the tortured woman. “Tell us what we need to know. I can save you.”

The girl actually gathered the energy to spit at him. Max could feel his energy trying to fight and find a way into the ever shrinking gaps into the girl’s emotional pathways.

The pathways suddenly collapsed. She was gone. He failed to use his gift to save her. He thought of Mathew and Brian. He thought of Mathew’s vow and how he would have done anything and everything to help the poor girl. He sat on his knees with his eyes closed, soaking in the failure. He tried to take in the knowledge and to shed the emotional pain.

A tugging at his belt took him away from the trance like state. Pelos had pulled the ray gun out. It was then that Max, out of surprise and sudden fear jolted back off of his knees and fell onto his back. A new creature stood over the young woman’s skin and bones. The scarab was located in the neck area of this thing. It was dark and fleshy with a gross looking rib cage.

The thing rapidly swung a fleshy, slimy appendage at Pelos and smacked him squarely. He flipped over and slammed head first into a nearby table that sat between two booths. The ray gun flew out of his hand and landed up towards the engine. Max started to crawl away on his back, still staring at the thing. At that moment when the girl’s pathways had shut, he had witnessed something profound. It was disturbing and otherworldly, the birth of this alien creature. At that exact moment, it gained consciousness and feeling. It was a feeling that Max could not understand.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

An appendage slammed between Max’s legs. That renewed his train of thought away from that energetic dimension. It slithered towards him at a slow pace, but crawling in this position did not make him any faster. Another appendage slithered out along the ground and wrapped itself around one of Max’s legs. He grabbed on to the edge of a nearby booth, but the appendage was not weak. He started to slide towards it. He looked back to where the ray gun sat, still out of his reach.

A sound of blades being drawn for battle brought his eye up to where Phaedra’s unconscious body lay. There stood Pelos, nasty bruises and blood all up and down one side of his face. In one hand, he held Phaedra’s thin blade.

A twinkle came to his eyes and a snarky smile crossed his face. He started to laugh as he swung the sword against the appendage that held Max. Hit after hit after hit upon it did not slash through it. Pelos began to laugh harder and more neurotic. The appendage finally let go of Max and went for Pelos. He fought wildly like a mad man, quite a break from his usual gentlemanly demeanor.

Max nimbly hopped to his feet and ran for the ray gun. He swiped it up in a palm and while turning he adjusted the nozzle. The laughter was maddening and the sounds of flesh rubbing on flesh actually brought Max’s mind to think of something disturbingly pornographic. The thoughts sent waves of shivering madness down his back. With those feelings coursing through him, he leveled the ray gun on the alien and fired opposite of Pelos.

With that shot, it was all over. The disturbing and alien feelings they felt and witnessed were never discussed further. The alien birth that Max witnessed through his power only came up in theory from Pelos.

Finally the man, disheveled as Max ever saw him to be, got to his feet. They moved with haste and short breath to the engine and with each other’s help, made quick work of powering up all functions. When the head lights of the engine came on, illuminating the front of the station, they both jumped.

There were a couple of aliens unlike the ones that they fought before, moving past the engine and towards the first set of cars. “Go go. I’ve got this under control. You need to fight them off. If they board, we’re done.” Pelos shooed Max away and as he started to head through the exit door, he adjusted his suit customarily before diving into the controls.

The train hit several bumps as it accelerated off of the tracks and out of the station. Max could see several unidentifiable figures flew off from great force of the train ramming them. It was fortunate that the train accelerated so quickly, the number of figures just outside the doors that Max could see through the light would have overrun them quickly, ray gun or no.

He took this moment to move Phaedra to a booth and lay her out in as comfortable a position as he could. He noticed through the windows that lined the passenger cars that the star covered sky of the Astral Field was all around them now. The train made a series of jerky movements from side to side as the cars turned in what seemed like empty space. He was not sure how something like this maneuvered after it left the tracks. They were on their way after another minute or two and Spire was starting to shrink to smaller and smaller size as they accelerated back towards the station on War.

Pelos rejoined the others in the first passenger car behind the engine. His hands seemed slightly burned, but he made no mention of it and Max did not think it worthwhile to ask.

The next minutes found them all sitting and laying in silence, regaining their breath. The only sound that touched their ears was the constant chugging of the train engine as the gears turned and caused this magnificent machination to continue towards their chosen destination. The calm rhythm put Max into a near trance. He sat with his eyes just barely open. He kept thinking that he would see Pater out of the corner of his eye, but he knew that they were only day dreams. His friend and guardian was lost almost as quickly as he was found.

The young woman’s body suddenly contorted in ways that Max did not think it possible for a humanoid body to do. Pelos nearly leapt to his feet and away from her. He started to point with both hands and frantically move a hand up to his mouth and nose as a horrid smell filled the air. Max went in the opposite direction, towards the young woman. The horrid smell was probably coming from the dark fog that was coming out through all the orifices on her face.

Max tried to grab a hold of her to steady her but her motions were too violent. “Try to relax. Calm yourself.” The young woman did not seem to comprehend any of his words. He would have to try something experimental, something he was yet to attempt with his empathic ability. He forced as much of calm upon himself as he could. He reached out towards her through his energies. Her energy was weakening. A sound started to fill the car like bones shattering and flesh ripping.

Pelos came to stand over the two of them. “Tell us what you know! I can help you.” He reached out a hand toward the tortured woman. “Tell us what we need to know. I can save you.”

The girl actually gathered the energy to spit at him. Max could feel his energy trying to fight and find a way into the ever shrinking gaps into the girl’s emotional pathways.

The pathways suddenly collapsed. She was gone. He failed to use his gift to save her. He thought of Mathew and Brian. He thought of Mathew’s vow and how he would have done anything and everything to help the poor girl. He sat on his knees with his eyes closed, soaking in the failure. He tried to take in the knowledge and to shed the emotional pain.

A tugging at his belt took him away from the trance-like state. Pelos had pulled the ray gun out. It was then that Max, out of surprise and sudden fear jolted back off of his knees and fell onto his back. A new creature stood over the young woman’s skin and bones. The scarab was located in the neck area of this thing. It was dark and fleshy with a gross looking rib cage.