บท 10: Chapter 10: Into the Dark
The ship lay in eerie silence, barely holding together after the Necrolythian assault. Rhys and Jax, knowing full well what was coming, prepared themselves for the inevitable. The red lights of the Necrolythian boarding craft flashed through the cracks of their disabled ship, casting shadows across the cramped interior.
"Ready?" Rhys asked, his voice steady despite the fear gnawing at his chest.
Jax nodded, gripping his laser pistol tightly. "It's not that I have a choice."
The door to their ship slowly opened, and the Necrolythians entered. These twisted, skeletal figures with metal patches grafted onto their bones moved with an eerie precision, their hollow, glowing eyes scanning the interior of the ship. Without hesitation, Rhys and Jax opened fire.
The lasers shot from their pistols, bright streaks of light cutting through the dark interior. Rhys watched as his shot landed square on one of the Necrolythians. But instead of falling, the alien barely flinched. The laser beam seemed to fizzle against its armor, absorbed without so much as a mark.
"Shit!" Rhys shouted, firing again, this time aiming for the head. But it was no use—the Necrolythians' armor was impervious to the energy blasts.
"They aren't even scratched," Jax muttered through gritted teeth, his pistol flashing uselessly as he fired again and again.
The Necrolythians advanced, their movements deliberate and methodical. One reached out, massive clawed hands ready to grab them. Rhys and Jax spun around, fleeing deeper into the ship. The familiar hum of the propulsion system was silent now, replaced by the slow but heavy stomping of their alien pursuers.
"This way!" Rhys shouted, darting down a narrow corridor, the sounds of the Necrolythians' footfalls growing faster behind them.
Jax followed closely, his heart pounding in his chest. As they ran, he realized something—they weren't going to make it. The Necrolythians were too close, too fast. Escape wasn't an option. Desperation fueled him, and without thinking, Jax pulled his laser pistol from its holster and began to disassemble it mid-run.
"What the hell are you doing?" Rhys called back over his shoulder, seeing Jax fumbling with the pieces of his weapon.
Jax didn't answer. His military training from the Federation kicked in, his hands moving on autopilot as he quickly took apart the pistol, piece by piece. By the time they reached the next junction, he had stuffed the disassembled parts into his pockets, hoping the Necrolythians wouldn't find them when they were inevitably captured.
They ducked into a small storage room, the sounds of the approaching aliens echoing ominously in the narrow corridors. Rhys and Jax pressed themselves against the walls, their breathing shallow.
"They're going to find us," Jax whispered, his hands trembling slightly.
"Yeah," Rhys agreed, his voice tight. "But we're not going down without a fight."
The door slid open with a hiss. The Necrolythians entered the room, their eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. Rhys fired his laser pistol wildly, the shots bouncing off their metal-patched bodies with no effect. In desperation, he aimed directly at one of the creatures, but the laser only fizzled against its armor. Jax, unarmed, swung his fists wildly, but it was useless. The Necrolythians overwhelmed them, their powerful hands gripping Rhys and Jax with crushing force.
Before either of them could react, a heavy blow struck the back of Rhys's head. Pain exploded behind his eyes, and the world tilted. His vision blurred, and the last thing he saw was the cold, expressionless face of a Necrolythian before everything went black.
***
Rhys's eyes fluttered open, his vision swimming as consciousness slowly returned. His head throbbed, the dull ache pulsing with every beat of his heart. He blinked, trying to make sense of his surroundings.
He was lying flat on a hard surface, his arms and legs strapped down by cold metal restraints. The room was dimly lit, with strange machines surrounding him—tubes, wires, and blinking lights. His mind was foggy, but he could feel the faint pressure of something attached to his head.
He tried to move, but the restraints held him fast.
"Jax?" he croaked, his throat dry and voice hoarse. But there was no answer.
A low, mechanical hum filled the room, and Rhys craned his neck to see what was behind him. His pulse quickened when he spotted one of the Necrolythians standing near a console, its back turned as it worked on something.
"What… what's going on?" Rhys asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He tugged against the restraints again, panic beginning to bubble in his chest. "What do you want with me?"
The Necrolythian didn't respond. It continued working silently, its clawed fingers moving with eerie precision over the console.
"Why are you doing this?" Rhys tried again, his voice shaking. "Why did you take us?"
Still, there was no response.
The machines attached to Rhys's head hummed softly, and he could feel a faint pressure in his skull, as though something was probing his mind. His heart raced, the fear building with every passing second. Whatever these creatures had planned, it wasn't good.
Time dragged on, the silence only made the soft clicking of the Necrolythian's claws and the beeping of the strange machines sound louder. Rhys's pulse thudded in his ears, and his thoughts spiraled, each one worse than the last.
And then, without warning, the Necrolythian turned.
In its clawed hand, it held a small surgical knife. But this wasn't an ordinary blade. The tip glowed with a faint, pulsing light—a blade made entirely of pure energy, humming softly with power.
Rhys's breath caught in his throat. His eyes widened as the Necrolythian stepped closer, holding the knife aloft.
"No… no, no, no," Rhys whispered, his heart pounding wildly. He tugged at the restraints again, but they wouldn't budge. He was trapped.
The Necrolythian stood over him, its dark eyes focused intently on the glowing blade. The hum of the machines grew louder, and Rhys felt his pulse spike as the alien raised the knife, preparing to begin whatever procedure it had planned.
Rhys' body was frozen in place, his heart raced as the blade hovered inches above him. He could feel the faint warmth radiating from the energy blade, and the cold, inescapable truth sank into his bones.
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