Did he feel different?

It was hard to say. He looked at his hand, expecting something to have changed. Nothing. He felt his head. It hurt. But that could be normal. Nothing magical about that. He thought of Vik’s dying eyes. No, that was something else.

He had killed a man.

“Keep moving.” He whispered, shaking his head. “Keep moving.”

He remembered old advice. “Truth is, you’re at war, and war is easy. Find one goal. Latch onto it like you’re drowning and think of nothing else. Couldn’t be simpler.”

Vik had given it to him, after he’d almost been caught. He was on the verge of a panic attack, overwhelmed by everything, sitting in a corner of the warehouse.

They had never been close. Not really. Allies more than friends. But how could it have come to this?

“Keep moving.” He whispered. “Find Daro.” There was no time for remorse, nor was there time to reflect on the impossibility of what he’d done. That would be later. Now, he needed to move, always move.

And so, he did keep moving, some lefts, some rights, a few straights. Around him he heard beamer fire, hissing metal, often distant, sometimes close. And then, he heard a very close one. Very, very close. Just around his next corner.

He froze, stuck in place, wondering what to do.

It could be, he realized one of the Junk Dog’s raiding groups. It could also be the guards. Cautiously, he stuck his head around the corner, ready to dart at any moment.

He almost did just that. Down the hall, firing around the corner was a lone gunman. It was a guard, clad in a simple gray uniform. If he saw Vas, he would kill him.

And yet, Vas didn’t run. Not yet at least. The man was alone and facing away. And, if he was firing at someone… logic dictated that someone would be Dalur’s crew. That someone meant help. That someone meant no more horrible isolation, alone with his thoughts.

Vas made a decision. Summoning his courage, he crept forward, gently lifting the recently retrieved pulser from his waist. Softly, slowly, he approached. The pulser was in his hand now, held in front of him.

The man fired another shot and ducked back behind the corner. If he simply glanced right, he’d see Vas. There was still almost ten yards between them. He’d shoot before Vas would ever get there.

Thankfully, he didn’t. Vas hadn’t expected him to. Why would he? Step by step, Vas kept closing ground.

At five meters, the man turned to make another shot, and Vas took the opportunity. He closed the space in five long strides. Before the man could turn to face the sound, it was already too late. His eyes crossed, and he fell unconscious.

Down the hall, the beamer fire stopped, whoever had been sharing shots now clearly confused. Vas took the opportunity to assuage that confusion.

“I’m with you, with the Junk Dog.” He yelled, loud enough to carry down the hall, but hopefully not loud enough to go much past that. “My name’s Vas. I got split from my group.”

A moment of silence. Then, “Who?”

He recognized the voice. It was Kav, the blond-haired woman who’d teased him before departure. A member of his group. If she got out that meant Daro might have gotten out too. His rising excitement was even enough to cloud over the usual anger he’d feel over her forgetting his name.

“Vas.” He repeated. “I was in your raiding group… with Daro.”

Another pause. Then, suddenly. “Oh! Vas!” Laughter from the other end of the hall. “Sorry. Sorry. You can come out now.”

Cautiously, Vas peaked his head around the corner, but he calmed when he spotted the blond, nearly white hair. “Right. Right.” She muttered upon seeing his face. “Yeah, I remember you. We thought for sure you died.”

“We?” Vas asked, as she approached him. “Is Daro alive?”

“Alive and angry.”

“Where is he, then?”

“A little up ahead. We got separated by a firefight. Shouldn’t be far though.” She paused. “Say, you didn’t happen to see Ram, did you? Was wondering if that little rat made it."

Blue eyes pleading for help.

“I don’t think he made it.” Vas muttered.

She shrugged. “No big loss.” Then, she glanced down at the unconscious man on the floor. “You forgot to kill him.” Calmly, she raised her beamer, and before Vas could react, shot him through the head.

“Why’d you do that?” Vas yelled, staring in horror at the hissing wound.

Blue eyes blinked, confused. “Because he would have gotten up and tried to kill us. I mean… eventually.” She shrugged, a little pity in those eyes. “Sometimes you gotta do these things. That’s the life.”

“He was just a guard.” Vas murmured softly, not really arguing. “Just doing his job.”

She snorted. “That’s no guard. Ship guards are fat, lazy, and run at the first sign of actual danger. Trust me, I’ve seen it plenty. No, this is something else.”

What she said made sense. The level of resistance was well beyond what would ever be expected of your average merchant guard. She was also right to kill him. It was the life, the necessary precaution. Didn’t assuage the feeling in Vas’ stomach though.

With difficulty, he wrenched his gaze from the man’s vacant expression and back to Kav. She wore a surprisingly sympathetic smile. “C’mon kid. You did well to survive. Oh, and thanks for the help. Almost forgot to say that.”

“Don’t mention it.” He muttered.

“Alright…” She began. “Let’s find Daro.”

--------

It didn’t take them too long to find him. He was a little way ahead, up and towards the front of the ship from where Vas had met Kav.

He and Yofi were recovering from a gunfight they’d just won. The sight of his silver hair and simple poise brought Vas immediate relief. Finally, someone who would know what to do.

When he saw Vas, Daro didn’t betray an immediate reaction, simply lifting his brows. “Didn’t expect to see you again. How’d you survive?”

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Vas shrugged. “I improvised.”

Then, to his surprise, Daro actually did smile. “Knew there was a tough bastard in there. Good work back at the piercer. Didn’t think I’d get to thank you.”

“Thanks sir.” Vas replied, a little pride inching its way into his voice. “But you can thank me by getting us off this ship.”

Daro grunted. “That’s the plan. Same as the old plan. Take the bridge, the officers, the Captain, and negotiate surrender.”

Simple and direct- right on brand. But there was a problem. “Sir…” Vas began. “I think there’s something you should know.”

Daro, who had already turned to relay some orders to Yofi, paused. He shifted back, giving Vas some attention. “What is it?”

Vas swallowed. This was going to sound stupid. “I ran into another crew member… He was dying, whole squad wiped out. He told me he saw something.”

“Saw what?”

“A Blooded… sir.”

That got his whole attention. Daro frowned, contemplating, deciding whether to believe him. He was at least giving it thought, ridiculous as it sounded.

Yofi, however, wasn’t willing to consider it. Tanned skin wrinkled unpleasantly as she laughed. “A Blooded? Here?”

“You didn’t see what I did.” Vas retorted. “They weren’t killed, they were severed with a blade, cleaved into pieces. It was… horrific.”

Yofi shook her head. “He’s delirious.”

But Daro hesitated, unsure. “I’ll… keep that in mind.” He frowned. “Something is clearly wrong. I can say that. We haven’t run into any other squads, the comm equipment is busted, the guards are too well-trained. I don’t know about a Blooded, but I know this isn’t a merchant ship, at least not a normal one.” He paused. “I told her this was a bad idea.” Vas saw his hesitation. He was unsure, split between paths. It wasn’t a state he ever expected to see Daro in. Then, the Captain’s second reached uneasy clarity. “Doesn’t matter. We make for the bridge. If there is something out there, all the more reason to do it. Gives us something to bargain with at least.”

It was a reasonable enough decision. Vas was just glad he hadn’t immediately dismissed what he’d said. The others accepted it even easier than he did. Thankful for direction, wherever it led.

“Where is the bridge?” Kav asked.

“Close. Very close. Gather your things. We’re off in a minute.” He looked over at Vas. “And someone give the kid a gun.”

-------

It wasn’t long after leaving until they found something that made them stop. The few minute journey had been quiet, uneventful. There were still the occasional sounds of beamer fire, but they appeared less frequently with every moment. One side was winning, they just couldn’t know which. All this did was speed up Daro’s pace, every passing minute carrying the threat of more death.

Then, they saw the bodies.

To Vas, at least, it was a familiar sight. Four members of the Junk Dog’s crew, cleaved into pieces, their deaths at least mercifully quick.

“What did this?” Kav asked, the sight enough to break even her trained facade.

“I told you what did it.” Vas replied, eyes fixated on the ceiling, newly returned beamer hanging uselessly at his side.

“Unbelievable.” She muttered, before sinking into whispered prayers.

Yofi laughed. “Wouldn’t bother praying. Don’t think the Divine will help you here.”

Kav stopped, dawning horror darkening her normally assured expression. “We’re all going to die.”

But again, Yofi laughed. “I’m not so sure about that.”

Daro finally spoke up. “Do you know something?”

Yofi shrugged. “If it’s a Blooded, it’s a whelp… ain’t it? Not full-grown.”

“How do you know?” Daro asked.

“I mean… we’re alive, aren’t we?” She looked around, laughing again. “Besides, it’s a big galaxy. Lots of things besides a Blooded could do this. I’m not saying it’s not dangerous. I’m just saying we shouldn’t jump to prayer.”

It was a fair point. They were still alive, as were, by the sounds of fighting, plenty of other crewmembers. If the stories about Blooded were true, that wouldn’t be the case.

“Whatever it is, Blooded or not,” Yofi continued. “It’s stalking us. Striking when the crew is unprepared.” She gestured at the wall. “Look. Not a single beamer mark.”

It was true. Unconsciously, they all glanced around, searching for the silent killer. Unsurprisingly, they didn’t find it.

“What should we do?” Asked Kav, looking to Yofi for guidance.

The woman shrugged and pushed back a strand of dark hair. “I know what I’m doing. Forget the bridge. The ship will have shuttles. I plan to be back on the Junk Dog in thirty minutes and my cot in an hour.”

Vas had to admit, her plan sounded rather appealing. He wanted off the ship as soon as possible. Before he could say anything however, Daro spoke first. “No. We have crew still fighting here. I have no means of contacting them. Retreating on a shuttle would guarantee their death, and I won’t do that. If we take the bridge, we can still save them. Salvage something from this.”

Yofi shook her head, still smiling. “You’re a decent man, Daro, but a bad pirate. They all knew the risk. That’s the life. You got to be flexible.”

“I won’t condemn them.” Daro retorted.

Yofi raised her hands. “Fair. Fair. But I’m not dying. Not that way at least. I’ll take my chances.”

Daro stepped forward. “No, you won't. I'm in charge here.”

“You gonna shoot me, Daro?” She pointed at her chest. “Or are you gonna tell the captain on me?” She smiled. “I doubt that. Comm equipment’s busted. You’d have to make it back alive, and…” She stared him down. “I like my odds.” Daro squared his jaw, rage rising within him, but otherwise he did nothing. He wouldn’t shoot her.

With that, she was done, a small victory won. “Time’s a wasting. C’mon Kav.” Kav shook her head and shifted over to Daro. Yofi merely shrugged and turned. A few moments later, she was gone.

As she disappeared around the corner, Daro seemed to regain himself. “We’ve wasted enough time. Let’s go.” Just like that, he and Kav started moving the opposite way.

Vas though, he stayed put, staring at the hallway Yofi had disappeared down. He wasn’t considering joining her, not really. She’d made some good points, but he’d much rather take his chances with Daro than her. No, there was something else keeping him here. Something stronger. A sense, a feeling, an energy.

With effort, he turned to follow Daro. They were turning left, paying him no mind, assuming he’d catch up. He couldn’t be left behind. Scared, he took one step to follow them… and then stopped.

The hairs on his neck were rising, like a cat. Something was telling him to turn around, so he did.

Around the corner Yofi had disappeared down, he saw a distant figure. It was a woman, but it wasn’t Yofi. In her right hand, she carried something slender and shiny, coated with specks of red.

In that moment, his every instinct urged one of two courses- fight or flight. Raise the gun and fire or run away. There was no thought of magic, no sense of the power that had filled him before.

But there was something else too. Another voice in his head. Instinct or not, it told him each choice represented the same outcome.

Whatever the case, he would have to choose soon. The woman moved, bursting towards him with inhuman speed. He saw its eyes first, a deep red.

Faced with no other choice, he did the only thing he could think of. He dropped his gun and raised his hands- a plea for mercy. “Please.”

Something hit him. It was a knee, straight to his chest. The woman knocked him onto his back. She was above him, pinning him down, blade pointed at his neck, uncertainty in those red eyes.

For the first time, he was able to see her face. Yofi was right. She was young. A whelp Yofi had called her. She couldn’t be more than a year or two older than himself.

He looked closer into her eyes. They were wide and wild, filled with fear and doubt. She didn’t know what to do.

“Who…” She began. But she never finished. Before she could, her eyes suddenly crossed, and she fell to the side.

Vas lowered his pulser, now hot in his hand.