In the garden, I’ve set snares and some other traps. Brielle will come here first. I’ll make sure of it, as I will lead her this way. Once the hunt is over, we can end the lies, and I will convince her she and I are meant to be together. Looking around, I see much of my childhood in this garden. First with my mother, learning the cultivation of the plants, and then with my father, preparing to ambush some unsuspecting soul. The smells, from both their trades, are always present in my memories. My mother’s garden, the musty aroma of the soil and the sensation of it in my hands. The small creatures she had brought with her, she called them earthworms. They made the soil rich for planting. She said they were a necessary ingredient to any garden. She taught me to keep them going for many generations and mused at the possibility of starting them on Holsinger 8c. I smile at these things.

  But this garden is also full of terrible memories. The child who found me crouched in the corner during the hunt. She was crying, reaching her hands to me, the blood from her mother running down her face. Jonas had cut the mother down and was waiting for me to run the little girl out, so he could finish her. I didn’t want to; I wanted to save her, raise her as a little sister. When he came along, I stood between him and the girl. He pulled me away and swiped his knife across her throat, severing her head in the process. The hot spray of blood splashed my face. I stood in shock at how quickly it all happened. I think now how, ironically, he would meet the same fate. He taught me a hard lesson that day and scolded me for protecting her.

  “These people are animals, sheep for the slaughter. If you think of them any other way, then you’ll die along with them,” he said to me. I learned my rightful place with the hunter and stayed there until the day he died. I still wonder why he did it. Why he had to kill the little girl. I never even got her name. To the hunter, meat was meat. He had no time for sentimentality, only food and drink.

  Now, as I prepare my own hunt without his guidance, I suppose I’m more like him than I imagined, this man I want to forget. I suspect he’ll show up eventually, as Jonas could never turn away from a good hunt. I start to work, and before I know it, hours have gone by. The garden is ready. The hunt will soon begin. If I can’t make her come around, then what hope is there? Where will this destiny, chosen for me, end up? She must see things the way I do; there is no other way. I won’t be denied her. But I’m no fool. There is the possibility she won’t love me. I’ve prepared for such an eventuality. Once she has the baby, if she can’t see the prophecy, she and I have created, then it’s up to me to end everything. The Spero will be a failed mission, dead before it reaches its destination. I’ll take the child with me. We’ll use an escape pod to get to Holsinger 8c and I will blow up the ship. She’ll come to understand she has no say in this, even if she must die.

  The corridor back to the control room seems longer for some reason. It stretches out before me, looming large like it did when I was a child. Perhaps the burden of the task before me is weighing me down? With slow and somber steps, I arrive at my destination, my father’s abode, where he rested after his kills, keeping this ship on course. The still where he concocted his brew, lying dusty in the corner. I may have to learn to use the thing when we get to Holsinger 8c. Strangely, I feel as though I already know. Maybe watching Jonas helped enough to give me the basic knowledge. I suspect I’ll have enough brew to keep me until we get there, but I’m developing a taste for the stuff, as it helps me to think more clearly. I’ll need more eventually. I feel my veins pulsing as I take a large gulp. The hunt is about to begin!

  I check the monitor to see if Brielle is awake. She’s lying there, sleeping, the covers over her body. Seeing her outline makes me long for the cradle of our bodies. I put my father’s knife in the sheath and place it over my shoulder. Suddenly, I’m overcome with the need to be with her one more time, feel her warmth next to me. Then an idea comes over me. Why not give her the powder again? What can be the harm? She may die soon anyway, if she doesn’t come around to my way of thinking. Then I’ll regret not loving her one more time while I had the chance. The more I think of it, the baby should be fine, as I know it’s growing in her now. There surely would be no chance of losing the child. I go to the kitchen and prepare the juice and drug cocktail. It will help her to sleep deep enough to have pleasant dreams of me. I walk the corridor to her room, but with no reluctance, no heaviness on me. Perhaps I will spare her a little longer, play with her. Who knows, with enough time she may not need to be hunted; she may come around to me once she realizes how much I truly love her. I open the door to her room and peek inside. There she is, as peaceful as when I watched her sleep in the pod.

  “Brielle? I brought you something. A little tomato juice to help soothe you. Brielle?”

  I pull the covers back and nothing. She’s not there! Only pillows and blankets rolled up. I stand up and look around. How did she get out? Where would she go? I feel cold inside as my stomach turns. The room gets colder, and I see my father by the door.

  “Fool! I taught you better. You’re letting the sheep control the hunt. The fucking door is wide open!”

  “But I was watching her. How did she get by me?”

  “The shit you’re drinking is fogging your brain! She’s on the move. Where do you think she’ll go?”

  I know it as soon as he says it: the control room. She’s going to attempt to communicate with Earth. I hear her footsteps outside as she runs down the corridor. She’s heading in the direction I thought, and the door to the control room is open, as I neglected to lock it behind me. Why would I, though? I wouldn’t have dreamed she would pull such a stunt. I pick up my pace, but I’ll never make it in time; she’s too far ahead of me. She looks back for a moment and sees me coming. I reach the door as it is closing.

  “Brielle! Wait!” But it’s too late. All I see is a glimpse of her exasperated expression as the door seals shut. I slam my fists into the metal of the door. “Brielle? Listen to me! Even if you get a message out, do you think it will change anything? We will arrive on Holsinger 8c before they even get it.”

  The comm comes to life, and I hear her voice behind it.

  “Not if I turn the ship around. I’m no pilot, but I’ve seen the schematics and think with a little time I can figure it out.”

  “Do you think I’m foolish enough to let that happen? Besides, the controls were set a long time ago. There is no override.”

  “Then I’ll sabotage the controls! Anything to get away from a predator like you. You took advantage of me, impregnated me. I’ll send my message and make sure they know how crazy you are!”

  “You don’t understand. I did it to fulfill the prophecy.”

  “Fuck you and your damn prophecy! I was supposed to live on Holsinger 8c with Mathew. Now I’m living in a nightmare, incubating your sickness. I found your father’s log entries, by the way. It was hard, but I finally got by most of the encryption. What kind of monster was he? Why did he kill the colonists? He only says it was justified for survival. Those people were innocent! Why would he need to kill them to survive? Did you just sit by and let it happen? Why, Gage!?”

  I look at the floor. There’s no hiding it anymore. She knows part of the story, but not all of it. I am a loathsome creature such as my father. No, I’m a king; I’m better than him.

  “No answer, huh? Well, I’ll find out. I only need to keep working at the file encryption. There’s video on there, too. When I find it, I’ll know. Just stay out there, you sick fuck. Leave me the hell alone!”

  It doesn’t matter anymore, because when she finds out, it will be too late. She’ll have the baby, and then I’ll rip her guts out and eat them while she watches! My father is beside me. The blood dripping from his neck, pooling to the floor. He smiles in appreciation of his son.

  “You’ve done well. She has nowhere to go. Starve her out. She must come out sometime.”

  “How long do you think you can stay in there, Brielle? Go ahead and send your message. All the corporations on Earth can’t save you now!”

  I turn to walk away and hear the comm come on again.

  “Why, Gage? You didn’t answer me. Why did he kill them?”

  I ignore her and keep walking, back to the garden, where I can think clearly.

  “Gage? Answer me!”

  I hear her but ignore it. Once in the garden, peace takes over. My hiding place in the corner beckons me. The little girl stands there, glowing bright. I can see the innocence in her eyes as the blood pours from her throat. I’ve never seen her ghost before. This doesn’t seem to bother me, only put me at rest.

  “Hi. Come here, little girl. What’s your name?”

  “Jennifer. Where’s my mommy?” She begins to cry.

  “Your mommy isn’t here. She’s in a better place now. She sacrificed herself, as did you, for the benefit of the chosen one. Thank you.”

  She looks at me, puzzled, unsure of what to make of me or what I’m saying, and turns toward the wall. She looks back one more time before she disappears into the metal bulkhead. This place is full of ghosts, dead and living. I suppose I’m one of them. Forced to hold to a prophecy I have no say in. But one thing I do control is Brielle. She will come around to me, but I won’t wait her out. I’ll go back and take what’s mine! I know this ship better than her. I’ll pluck her from her shelter, and she’ll find she has nowhere to run.

  10

  REVELATIONS

  From the Journal of Brielle Holsinger:

  Start. I dictate this because, I’m afraid, I have little time left. This may be my last testament to the atrocities committed aboard this ship. A psychopath stalks me outside the door, Gage Ozymandias Reyes is his name, and he’s crazy. I managed to lock myself in the control room of the Spero, but I don’t think I’ll be able to stay here forever. If I don’t chronicle my plight, then no one will know the horrible things he’s done to me. He raped me, and now I carry his baby. I want to rid myself of it, but he’s blocking me from the medical facilities. At this point, I’m not sure if I should, for I think it may be the only thing keeping me alive. All the remaining colonists are dead. I’m the only one left. I told him I can control this ship. I hope he doesn’t realize I’m lying. I know nothing about it. Looking around this room, I see vats of empty alcohol containers, which would explain part of his mental instability, and something else. Two fire-charred corpses lie propped in the corner, one male and one female. I can only ascertain these to be his mother and father. They startled me at first, but I feel more comfortable with them than I do with Gage. The female looks to be pieced together. Like random parts sewn at the seams in some makeshift pattern. Did he hack her to pieces then try to put her back together again? If so, he’s much more heinous than I thought. The male looks to have his throat cut. Both bodies appear to be in slow decomposition. As if they were preserved with something. Maybe he used a makeshift embalming solution? Is this why he talks of his mother as though she were still alive? Their faces are burnt beyond recognition. I know he set the fire; there’s no other way. He had to know the ship would contain it. He killed them, then burned their bodies. But why? And why did his father feel it necessary to kill all the colonists? I feel, if he has his way, I’ll be the next dead body in here. My only hope is the baby. If I’m holding his child, he’ll have no choice but to keep me alive. I’m horrified it’s come to this, but what choice do I have? If only I could rid myself of him, kill him first, then destroy the baby. I must think of something quick before he finds a way to get in here. There must be a weapon somewhere in here I can use. Stop.

  Start. After looking for a short time, I found a rifle. It was hidden under the main control panel. It looks to be an incendiary type, with bullets that burn through matter. It should do nicely. If he opens the door, he’ll be met with a nice surprise. I’ll kill the crazy fuck, then find a way out of this nightmare. In the meantime, I’ll go through the hidden files and try to find something to use against him. I fear what I find won’t be pleasant. But I don’t know how it could be much worse. Stop.

  I must think. Is there a way to override the door controls? Jonas would know. But he’s so unpredictable. Who knows when he’ll show up? The bastard. I must get to Brielle! But right now, I need to calm down. I’ll transplant some vegetables. Strangely, my hands in the dirt helps me think. Almost better than the brew. I look up to see my mother staring at me. She considers what I’m doing, as her head slides away from her neck. It falls forward, then topples off, but before it hits the ground, it rematerializes back in place again. Jennifer is standing beside her, and Deanna is holding her hand in a motherly fashion.

  “It’s good to see you in the garden, my son. Remember the times we spent here? The good times before your father turned it into a torture chamber?”

  “Yes, I do. They were times I’ll always cherish.”

  She walks slowly and deliberately beside the plants. She is awash in white and yellow light. The jigsawed sections of her body sway with her, almost ready to come unhinged but always falling back in place. There is little blood now. From her or Jennifer. Oddly, I believe they are healing. She stops and stares back at me. Jennifer hides behind her, peeking out from beside Deanna’s legs, her large brown eyes as innocent as ever.

  “Gage? I’m not so sure you know all the events that transpired the day I died. Did Jonas ever tell you what happened?”

  “He didn’t have to. I saw it for myself. The fire and the outside door opening. I watched your body floating in space.”

  “Did you witness anything before you saw me behind the door? It seems a little convenient, don’t you think? This ship was designed to extinguish any fire and contain the area. By the time you got there, the fire was out, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes. I suppose it was.”

  “Then why did your father open the outside door? If the fire was out, why would he need to?”

  I look at her. My mother’s face is a contorted, misshapen puzzle. Trying to make me understand. Understand something I may have known all along. Jennifer, still hiding behind my mother, sticks her tongue out at me.

  “Jonas would stop at nothing to get his way. He was trained to show no emotion. To hunt and nothing else. He killed me because of my opposition to the hunt. I knew he would kill everyone on this ship, knew he would hunt them. I also knew of his cannibalism. It was the way of many of the hunters from Earth. He knew who you were, too. He only had to plant the seed of death in your head. A seed, I fear, that may have already been there.”

  “Who am I?”

  “You’re not his son, that much is certain. You were conceived before I entered this ship, and once you were born, he used you to his advantage, because he needed an accomplice. He couldn’t do all the killing on his own.”

  “What do you mean he’s not my father? If not Jonas, then who?”

  She is silent for a moment, as if contemplating the weight of the question. Her parts shift in and out like a stack of plates ready to fall at any moment. The light around her brightens, then fades. Jennifer runs away from the fluctuating light and vanishes in the corner.

  “Your real father was a great man by Earth standards. But his ambitions made him a monster. He was of the belief of humankind taking over the universe, expanding to the planets our probes discovered, then taking all the resources for himself. He’d already sent another ship to Holsinger, but it disappeared, never to be heard of again. I opposed his ambitions, and he threatened to make me a prisoner in my own home, a form of house arrest. I was pregnant with you at the time. I escaped and ran into exile with the help of the convent I was raised in. They hid me for as long as they could and thought this ship would be a great way to escape my powerful husband. My botanist training would prove useful, too, they thought. You must understand, the Covenant of Singularity put this mission together against the will of the Earth councils. Your father sat on the top of that council. I’ve often wondered if the failure of this mission is a direct result of his interference. Maybe the very fact I boarded this ship doomed it?”

  “What was his name? My real father?”

  “His name was Maccabeus Pendleton. He was born into his position, as the heir of the wealthiest corporation on Earth, and in the process inherited several enemies. His father, Silas Pendleton, was responsible for the destruction of the first covenant, shortly after the last great war. They had a large influence on Earth back then. They were the only thing keeping the Pendletons from taking over. So Gavin, through his money and power, was able to gain control of the council. Once in power, he gathered up the leaders of the covenant and sent them to their deaths in space. After they were gone, his evil was left unchecked. He rounded up as many of the remaining members as he could and destroyed them. The few left went underground, hiding from him and his army. The covenant, after many years, regained their numbers and eventually came back to gain influence in the council. Your father inherited all the Pendleton fortune and saw, as his father did, a threat of the growing numbers of covenant members. By this time, the council had become more tolerant of the Covenant of Singularity. Maccabeus couldn’t outright destroy them the way his father did. So he created the death squads. Hunters for hire, like Jonas. Formed to weed out the council members who were part of the covenant or had connections with them. He left the convent alone, realizing if he destroyed their power center, the council members, they would be marginalized. But who knows now if he hasn’t destroyed them, too? Several of the members, I believe, were on this ship.”

  “So my father was a king? Would this explain my role in the prophecy?”

  She smiles at me, her top lip in two separate parts, shifting up and down.

  “Yes, son, I think you’re seeing the bigger picture here. Jonas’ interference may have something to do with it also, but I’m not sure. All will reveal itself in time, I suppose.”

  “Mother? Brielle told me she was raised in the same convent. Did you know her parents?”

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11