Kraken

Chapter 1

“Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say.”

Jim looked up from his work into Slicks visor, he was slightly confused, “What did you say?”

Slick stammered at Jim’s reaction repeating himself “Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say.”

Jim stopped what he was doing, repairing the exterior hydraulics in the spacecraft’s airlock.

“How can you say crap like that Slick? Look around we are floating in the middle of nowhere, in the vacuum of space. NOT COOL!”

“I’m sorry Jim I didn’t mean…”

Jim cut him off “Besides you got the quote wrong.”

Puzzled Slick questioned “What do you mean?”

“The quote,” Jim exclaimed “from that seventies movie. You got the quote wrong.”

“Geeze Jim, I don’t understand.”

“Quite simple Slick, the quote is, “In space no one can hear you scream.” If you go around misquoting things no one is going to believe you are a rocket scientist”

The pair paused just floating in the blackness of space. Only their tether stopped them from floating away into the vast vacuum. They had left earth six months earlier and now they were floating in space doing repairs. It was supposed to be a simple exploration mission and then they can return home. Unfortunately, the mission was wrought with problems and now they were two months behind schedule and floating in space.

Slick broke the momentary silence “You know Jim you’re an ass.”

“I personally don’t care what you think of me Slick. We are a million miles from anything or anyone and your opinion of me means nothing and has no bearing on our current situation.” Jim looked down grabbing his tool and continued to work on the hydraulics.

“You know what Jim?” Slick paused waiting on Jim’s response.

“What Slick?”

“When I signed up for this project, I was hoping I would work with you. I had heard you were the best and, I mean I had a lot of respect for …” Slicks eyes widened as he stopped mid sentence. An intense look of fear blanketed his face turning to a pale hue and his pupils expanded so the color in his eyes had disappeared swallowed by two black orbs.

Jim looked up at Slick confused “What’s wrong?”

Slicks raised his arm slowly against the lack of gravity pointing past Jim. Slick lips moved but no noise was coming through. Bracing himself against the airlock door Jim slowly turned to look at what Slick was pointing at.

A dark shadow was moving towards them a massive interstellar creature. A black glistening mass blacker than the darkness of space, and it was fast. It was as if space held no barrier, it swam through the vacuum like a fish in water. The beast had to be at least ten times the size of their spacecraft with Its black tentacles twisting thought the void reaching for them. In its center a vast toothy maw opened to accept its prey.

Jim tried pushed away from the ship “MOVE SLICK!”

Slick was frozen staring at the approaching creature.

“We have to move now!” Jim exclaimed pulling on Slicks space suit desperately trying to move away from the approaching creature.

The endeavor was moot as their only entrance was the hatch they were working on. Where were they to go if they had escaped there was nothing just space.

Large black tentacles slithered around the pair like giant snakes slowly squeezing as its grip closed tightly. Jim although panicked and struggling futile against the tentacles he watched as Slicks helmet visor cracked from the tentacle pressure. Jim can see the atmosphere slowly begin to vent into space and Slicks eyes widened even further and turned blood shot from the vacuum.

Jim’s helmet headset squelched as Slicks scream pierced Jim’s ears, he had never had or ever will hear such a horrifying sound again.

“Hmm.” Jim thought to himself as his own life began to leave his body,” Slick was wrong you can hear a scream in the vacuum of space.”