Silent Screams

Silent Screams

By: Steven Dean

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. Jarvis wondered why the psycho that had boarded their ship, with his equally deranged crew, was so fascinated by that idea. Thirteen people had died so far, so that this poor excuse for a human could test whether or not he could actually hear them scream once he threw them out the airlock.

If Psycho continued sending people to their deaths, his turn would inescapably arrive. Everyone had been forced to line up, as if for the best amusement park ride ever. Instead, this line, was truly the end of the line. Jarvis figured he would be the 27th person thrown out the airlock. Unless, this monster got bored and changed tactics or made some kind of actual demand that Jarvis or his crew could try to meet. So far, Psycho, who stood about six feet tall, and had some of the darkest eyes Jarvis had ever seen, hadn’t said a word since he asked them for volunteers to test his theory that a scream could be heard in the vacuum of space, if someone was scared enough.

Not a very logical assumption, Jarvis thought. Seemed to be more of a simple justification for his heinous actions, if anything. Twenty people were gone now. Julia, a technician Jarvis had a crush on, was next. Sweat broke out on his forehead. What could he do? He had to do something? Psycho grabbed Julia’s arm and started leading her toward the airlock.

A couple people had fought earlier and were met with horrific torture. Jason was scalped and had an eye poked out when he resisted. He was screaming quite loudly, as he was thrown into the airlock. Psycho had placed his ear against the wall of the ship and told everyone to hush, then pressed the button to open the outer airlock.

“I think I heard him still screaming!” Psycho laughed and his crew joined him, one or two looking slightly uncomfortable.

“Ah, maybe not,” he quipped, “Who’s next?”

On and on it went. People too scared to fight after Jason. Then Valerie had surprised Psycho and everyone else. She had grabbed at the knife on Psycho’s belt, managing to get it free and cut a diagonal line across his face.

Psycho didn’t say a word. None of his crew intervened either. He merely stood calmly while Valerie continued to brandish the knife, blood dripping from its edge. The man reached into his pocket, for a weapon, Jarvis was sure, but no. Instead, he pulled out a medical pen, ran it slowly along the cut on his face, sealing it, with a slight odor of burning human flesh. Not once during this time had the man’s expression or demeanor changed. Black emotionless eyes stared at Valerie, who was screaming incoherent threats one minute and then begging him to ”just let her go,” the next.

Jarvis had wanted to help her so badly, but he sensed something not right about that man. A pure and undiluted evil about him; a danger that was obvious and not obvious, at the same time. Just as the thought struck him, Valerie lunged with the knife.

What happed next, was both quick and highly efficient. Psycho dodged easily, while grabbing Valerie’s wrist and snapping it. The knife dropped from her hand and was caught by Psycho’s other hand, before her scream had finished escaping her throat. That other hand, swung up, as he turned and used his momentum, slicing her face in the exact place she had cut him. He had cut deeper though and blood poured out from between the splayed fingers of the hand Valerie had immediately placed there.

Valerie’s screams echoed in the hangar of the ship and Psycho strolled up to her, punching her quickly in the face, neck, and abdomen. Air rushed out of her diaphragm, silencing her for a moment. The knife darted back in, stabbing her in the stomach, thigh, and then he seemed to pirouette. As he turned, he stabbed her in each of her breasts, as she started screaming again. With a flurry, he sliced off her left ear. The soft thud it made as it hit the deck was too much for Jarvis, he leaned over and vomited.

Other various shouts or comments of disgust and outrage filled the crowd of future victims. Psycho, disregarding them all, walked toward the fallen ear. Picking it up, he heading back to Valerie, whose eyes had grown more enormous than should have been possible. The ear dangled from his fingers in front of her face and he spoke.

“Open.”

Confusion at first and then, eyes filled with the greatest fear and revulsion Jarvis had ever witnessed in a human, she opened her mouth. The ear was quickly placed inside of it.

“Spit it out and I will show you what pain truly is.”

Grabbing a chair, Psycho led Valerie over to the airlock, sat her down and then handed her the knife she had previously stolen from him. Walking over to the next victim, Marie, he led her to Valerie and raised his eyebrows, pointing a finger at three spots on Marie’s body. Brief confusion, then hesitation, as the knife turned in Valerie’s hand. Psycho’s hand lifted slightly and the terror returned to Valerie’s beautiful blue eyes, so filled with torturous pain. The knife darted out and struck the three indicated spots. Marie screamed and cried. Her tears flowing almost as hard as Valerie’s. A few moments later and out the airlock Marie went, ending her pain.

Psycho forced Valerie to stab several others before something broke inside her. She screamed, the ear flying from her mouth, and began stabbing herself. The long suffering whimpers of pain she had been making since he sat her down, returned after she dropped the knife. Psycho walked over and sent her out the airlock, leaning against the glass, listening for the screams once again. After Valerie, no one had fought again.

Now, Jarvis was terrified, but spoke up anyway. “Please, not her. Take me instead.” The tremor in his voice was obvious and his whole body was shaking.

Psycho, turned toward him slowly, his hand still gripping Julia’s upper arm. “Hero, huh?”

“I’m not a hero. Just a scientist,” Jarvis muttered, barely intelligible. “I’m just asking. Please, not her.”

“Hmm… A little crush, huh?” A very strange sounding chuckle escaped Psycho’s lips. He led Julia to the chair Valerie had occupied earlier. This action made a small sound of terror escape Julia, though she tried valiantly to keep her mouth clenched shut.

Psycho looked over the line of upcoming victims and then smiled grotesquely. “You are lucky number 27. I always try to kill at least 27 people on each job I take.”

The man, who appropriately was wearing all black, gathered up the next five people in line and placed them all in the airlock together.

“Maybe, if five go at the same time, they won’t all be silent screams.” The strange chuckle again and those black eyes bored into Jarvis. He seemed to be waiting for something. “Push the button.” He nodded in the direction of the airlock control. “Do it and I’ll give you ten seconds.”

Jarvis wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but refusing this creature anything, was extremely bad for your health. Wooden legs led him to the controls and a shaking finger pressed the indicated button. A distant hiss of air and Psycho’s head against the glass bulkhead once again.

“Nope. Five didn’t help. Guess I just have to kill the rest of you in here, if I want to hear your screams.” A pause, as he turned his head toward Jarvis. Psycho’s black eyes bored into him again. “I owe you ten seconds, number 27. They start now.”

Only one possible thing to do. Jarvis rushed forward, grabbing Julia and leading her to the airlock. Many eyes followed them curiously, wondering. He programmed the airlock with his master code and set the timer. Julia hesitated for a moment.

“He’ll kill us viciously, “ Jarvis implored, extending his hand toward her. She accepted it. What a wonderful sensation, her skin against mine, he thought, leading her into the airlock. The inner door slid shut and a timer started. Ten seconds were now three minutes. There was no way to override his code in that time. Psycho couldn’t reopen the inner door and he wouldn’t be able to open the outer door either. At least, not in the next three minutes. At the end of that time, the outer door would open before the inner one could. They were safe from torture, however, their life spans had just been shortened to three minutes.

Jarvis wanted to use those three minutes wisely.

“I should have asked you out, Julia. I should have told you how I felt about you.” Jarvis’ voice was full of emotion and regret.

“I wish you had. I like you too, Jarvis.” The words and the voice that delivered them, were heavenly.

They began to kiss, hesitantly at first, and then gradually with more and more passion. Feeling such bliss before just before you died, struck Jarvis as ironic, but welcomed. Julia’s hand gently pushed him back, as she stared out the airlock window.

A yellowish blob of energy was swimming among the frozen bodies of the recently departed. Darting from one to the next, like it was looking for something in particular. That blob was alive and it was traveling toward them. The alarms began to sound, seconds ticking off before the outer door opened. They held each tightly, the air beginning to rush out, the temperature falling drastically.

As the outer airlock opened fully, the yellow entity dashed toward it, enveloping Jarvis and Julia, just as they were sucked out into the void. Their bodies sung with energy, electricity leaping from one cell to the next. The raw power burned and ravaged their cells, an excruciating pain filled their world. Increasing in strength steadily, the energy overloaded every molecule inside of them until they were no more. Nothing was left, nothing about them was familiar. Everything was changed, their reality was not the one they knew. Realization dawned, and though they didn't understand how, it was true just the same; They were still alive!