The comms hissed with static for a while. Then, Rebecca's voice came through in a whisper.

'James, we're being followed by something. We don't know what it is, but it's big and keeps showing up whenever we turn our backs.'

'What's it look like?' James whispered back, in case the noise would draw the creature.

'I... I'm not sure. It's dark, taller than us. Shiny eyes.'

James recalled the two white glowing dots he'd seen in a doorway on his first day and his skin crawled. Had it actually been a creature and not his imagination?

'Could be the shadow man,' Bill whispered. 'Scan it if you can.'

James hissed, 'Get back here. Let's leave. It's not worth the risk. Over.'

'We're tryi-' The transmission was cut off by an ear splitting scream.

James stared at the walkie-talkie in his shaking hand, his mouth agape, sweat running down his face. Had they died? Holy shit. He swallowed.

'Bill?'

'It's after them. They're running,' Bill answered.

'Should I go help them?' He knew it was probably stupid. Probably pointless. But he felt terrible just standing there. 'Where are they?'

'Not sure. I can't see on the terminal properly.'

'Shit.' James started running forward, his eyes and ears peeled for any movement or suspicious sounds. Then, a vague scream echoed from the left. He turned that way and hoped to get there in time to be of any use. But soon no sound but his own footsteps and his wheezing breath kept him company. He slowed down.

'James, stop,' Bill commanded suddenly.

'What? What happened?' He looked around. An empty corridor, and a closed door to the right, a faint light shining through the glass insert in the door, brightening the darkness a little.

'There's loot in there. Go get it.'

Was he for real? 'Dak and Rebecca needs help,' he spat into the comms. 'I can't go looking for scrap now.'

'It's what we're here for. They're on their own. You can't really do much anyway.'

'I can try and not be an ass,' James growled.

'Oh, come on,' Bill snorted. 'You know what's at stake here. They're probably fine. I'll take a look.'

Fuming, but realizing Bill was probably right, he pulled the door open, forgetting to be afraid for a moment and checked the room out. There were steel shelves filled with stuff, and more things piled on the floor. He stood still for a moment, taking it all in. He couldn't bring everything. And he wanted to hurry.

To what, his inner voice asked. Death? Wasn't it better to loot and get out? Run away?

Pressing his lips together, he stepped in and checked for smaller items with a lot of worth. When he'd picked up a few things, the comms hissed again. He snatched it up.

'James?' Rebecca whispered, her voice shaking.

'Yes! Yes, where are you? I'm coming. Over.'

'No, no, stay away. The thing is still around. He just... came up right behind me and growled. I thought I was gonna die. I stared it right in the face. But the second I looked at it, it ran off. Like it doesn't like to be seen.'

'Are you okay?'

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

'Yes, for now. We're a little lost. Trying to find the way back out.'

'I heard you a while back, so you're not too far off. And I found... Bill found a room with tons of loot here. Over.'

'You're lootin... never mind. That's great. But, oooh fuck. There he is again. I'll be right back.'

The comms went quiet.

Unsure what to do, James stepped out into the corridor again and looked in the direction he'd been headed. Vague noises reached him. After a while, they got louder.

'Go, go, go... it's coming.'

Sounded like Dak, James thought. Then, they were still alive. Happiness soared for a few second, until he realized they were bringing the monster with them.

'Oh no,' he mumbled.

James shined his flashlight down the corridor, and soon enough, two bright orange characters came slugging around a corner ahead. He waved, a smile attached to his face. They were still alive.

'Let's go!' he called, and spun to show them the way out.

A spine-chilling growl greeted him and he sucked in his breath and bit his lips. In front of him, a tall, dark, beet red figure stood, only centimetres away, its glowing white eyes staring into his soul. James staggered to a stop, dropping his flashlight with a loud clatter and the tinkle of splintered glass.

Darkness enveloped him. Something scuffed in the dark.

James was sure he would die. He simply awaited the final blow, his breath caught in his breast, and his hands clenched, his feet rooted to the floor.

A hand landed on his shoulder, and an involuntary shriek escaped him.

'Holy..! James, it's me,' Dakarai's voice said behind him.

A flight flickered as Rebecca turned on her flashlight, clearly low on batteries.

'Did you see him? Did you see!' she asked unnecessarily.

James nodded numbly, his throat raw from the scream and his heart thundering a full concert in hie ears.

'It'll be back soon, we've gotta beat it. Go go go!' Dak urged, and pushed James forward.

James stumbled a few steps in the half-light, then his body reacted, and fuelled by adrenalin he burst down the corridor, speeding back the way he'd come. Rebecca and Dakarai sprinted behind him, panting loudly.

'He's coming from you right!' Bill's voice hissed through the comms.

James sidestepped to the left and they all looked right. Two glowing white dots vanished behind a bend in a connecting corridor.

'Shit...' James huffed, then continued to run.

The way back to the entrance felt like an eternity, the monster appearing around every other bend and intersection, only to retreat again when they spotted it. James didn't want to know what'd happen if they didn't spot it.

Dakarai dashed past him the last bit to the doors, and pulled them open, motioning with his hand for them to pass though.

'Lords of the Seven Deep Seas,' James groaned, and sank to the hard concrete outside the door, heaving for breath.

'You could say that... again,' Rebecca gasped.

'What was that thing?' James stared at the entrance, sweat running down his face and misting his visor.

'No idea. I forgot to scan it,' Dakarai huffed, leaning against the metal doors.

'The fact... that you even thought about it... tells me a lot about you, Dak,' James panted.

Dakarai grinned, his white teeth the only thing James could see of his face through the visor.

'It's getting dark, perhaps we should hurry to the ship?' Rebecca suggested.

'I'm not running another centimetre, unless something's trying to kill me,' James grumbled and got back up on his feet.

Rebecca gave a half-hearted laugh and nodded.

The small party descended the metal ladder, then slowly made their way back towards the ship. The wind had settled and the air cleared, giving them a splendid view of the tall rocks, glowing in the setting sun's orange light.

'There's some baboon hawks ahead,' Bill's voice came through the walkie-talkie.

'Some what?' James said. 'Over,' he added after a few seconds.

'Probably the things you saw on the way to the facility,' Bill answered. 'They've been hanging around the vicinity for a while. I see three on the monitor, so watch out.'

'All right, thanks. Over.' James let go of the button and looked around for the creatures.

It wasn't too bad having someone on watch duty from the ship, after all. He just wished it had been him instead of Bill. He'd make sure to learn how to do that later. When he wasn't swimming in his own sweat and his legs weren't made from jelly anymore.

They made it to the ship, unscathed, though they'd had to take a detour around some cliffs to avoid the creatures. Luckily, the baboon-hawks had warned them of their presence with loud squawking before the group even spotted them. Nothing else had bothered them on the way. Though James could have sworn the ground shook a bit, right before they reached the shuttle.