The Carriers

Chapter Sixteen

The longest night

I didn't know how long I had been asleep, I sat up quickly. Something felt wrong. I looked over to my side to see that Matthew was gone.

"Matt?" I asked with a shaky voice.

I looked around the ship to see if I could find him, but all I found was a completely empty ship.

"Matt?" I called out, hoping to hear his comforting voice call back. Nothing.

I stood up. The fire was out and the door was open. Did they leave me? I considered that possibility. I didn't know why they would, but there was nobody there.

    "How long did I sleep?" I muttered to myself as I walked toward the door. It was strange, the sun was shining so it must have been daytime I thought, but it didn't feel like it had been very long since I had fallen asleep.

    My heart began to race. The complete silence was deafening. My mind swirled with all of the possibilities of what could've happened. I didn't know where anybody was, maybe they had to evacuate all of the sudden and made the decision to leave me behind.

    Maybe they were dead?

    I shook my head. Logic told me that they couldn't be dead considering that they had all simply disappeared, leaving no bodies behind, but fear told me that there was danger and that it was coming for me now.

My breathing quivered. I didn't know where to go or what to do, all I knew is that I had to figure this out.

Did Matthew leave me? How could he? Why didn't he wake me up? What was happened?

    As I continued toward the door. I noticed a figure lying on the floor near the door. I blinked away the film covering my eyes and moved closer.

    I couldn't quite make out what it was; all I could see of it was the general shape. I blinked some of the fogginess away and began to notice it's features. First I noticed the shape; it was almost human-like, but not quite.

As I neared it more and more it became more apparent that it was not human at all but an animal. It was large, and black, the darkness black I had ever seen. The complete darkness of the animal lying there on the floor sent shivers down my spine; it terrified me in a way I couldn't explain.

Why was it here? Where did it come from? What was it? Questions flooded my mind as I came closer to the creature. I couldn't explain why, but I was drawn to the creature. There was just something that made me want to get closer, almost like a 'mental magnet' I thought.

I was so entranced by it, almost all my other thoughts just disappeared as I became more and more focused on this mysterious creature. I kept walking closer and closer to it; with every bit of reason left behind me, I wasn't thinking of any possible danger. I just wanted to see it.

I was getting closer. I wasn't thinking about anything else anymore, just the creature lying on the ground in front of me. I was close enough to see and hear it's breathing, it was fast and strained.

    Is it injured? I thought to myself. Maybe the others attacked it and left it here with me.

    I shook me head. I hope not. I can't imagine that-

    Before I could finish my thought, I blinked and it the creature was gone. I looked around in panic, but it was nowhere to be found.

    I was irritated at myself for letting myself get distracted and stop focusing on the creature. I felt my heart pounding. I was standing alone in the ship, freaking out, because this creature could be anywhere.