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The Wails

Short story of a starship’s crew discovering a horror in space

By ShaydePublished 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago 3 min read
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Deep in space, a solitary ship drifts through the void. Infinite emptiness stretches away from the spaceship, crewed by some of the most experienced men and women to travel the stars. In an unknown region of space, these brave travelers have been sent to map the edges of the known galaxy. Searching for valuable minerals, new habitable planets for mankind, or whatever other mysteries may lie in the depths of space, the crew had volunteered for this mission-one that would take months, or even years, to complete. One man could be seen through the main viewport, the captain gazing out the window and letting his mind wander, considering what mysteries the newest discovered solar system might contain. The expedition had already discovered new elements and planet types, and the crew couldn’t wait to continue onto the next system.

The captain felt it first. A strange buzz felt in the ears began to distract the crew from their duties, as it began to slowly grow in volume. None could discern the origin of the strange noise, and no one could find a way to alleviate the minor annoyance the buzz caused.

And that’s when the wails started. Deafening, pain-filled screams possessed the minds of the crew as they tore apart any fragment of thought before it could be formed. The world was the wails and the wails were the world as infinite, indistinguishable voices let out cries of torment and pure terror, coupled with despair the extent of which can only truly be understood by the dead. Paralyzed in this state of madness in the world of screams, the crew could form no thought and no take no action save for falling to the ground in a ball, hands clasped over their ears. To the men’s dismay, covering ears did nothing as the screams that filled these men’s’ heads were louder than the mind was created to conceive, for if it was a noise from the physical realm any observer would be deafened from the sheer volume and intensity of the endless screams. These wails came from everywhere and nowhere all at once, and there was no escape for those that felt them. Melded from unbridled agony, rage, and despair, this sound conquered all other perceptions, and so the crew was forsaken to remain in this painful existence indefinitely, alone in their agony.

After what could have been seconds or years, the universal cries quickly muffled themselves to silence and the crew’s minds, without the noise, were temporarily blank. Trembling on the floor, one by one they hesitantly released their ears to view the fate of the rest of the crew. Some of the crew’s minds had not survived the assault and they sat on the floor babbling lunacy and frothing at the mouth, eternally disconnected from reality. Others had been more fortunate, released from the pain and agony through the sweet release of death, and lie motionless in pools of blood trickling out of their ears. The few that remained struggled to take hold of their bodies and create thoughts, their minds forever scarred by the unexplainable experience. As they slowly recovered to a functional state, they struggled to their feet and looked at each other, no words needed to express their thoughts. “What… was. that?” one crew member shakily asked the captain, who had managed to survive the ordeal with his mind intact. “I don’t know,” the captain replied, still reeling at the attack-if it could be called that-and taking in the devastation the otherworldly wails had caused. Just then, the background of stars outside the ship disappeared as the crew looked out the window to see a horrifying sight-a massive ship that dwarfed their own, the design of which none of them recognized. Could this be the vessel of some unknown beings, beings who had somehow caused the tortured wails and shattered the crew’s sanity? The survivors knew not what lay ahead, but knew that something had found them in these far, dark reaches of space-something alien, something powerful. The crew watched helplessly as the gap between the ships closed slowly, dreading what horrors lay ahead.

Sci Fi
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About the Creator

Shayde

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