The Shadow of the Moon-Lydia's Tale

Chapter Twenty

Lydia was the first to feel it, a deep sense of uncertainty gave way to a sense that something had taken residence within her body. With it came a fear, a fear of being a host to something unseen, a creature living within her. Suddenly she gasped as a shuddering bolt of pain shot across her stomach. Instinctively she placed her hand on her midriff and tried to contain her panic. As if a seed had been planted in her stomach her fingers could feel the pulsing of something alive growing there, a huge grub incubating within her. Her mind filled with flashing images of the incubus that had made its home within her and her horror increased tenfold with the realisation that it was moving up her body. Her chest burned with a pain so intense she felt her heart was under attack by the invader and then as this passed, a  cold dread filled her. It was wriggling up toward her head.  

Now she could see it, a clear image arose of what was attacking her. A black eel writhed in her head, its body glistening with her own blood. Its flat black head glittered with bitter stone eyes and row upon row of yellow needle fangs studded its gaping month. As if sensing it was being observed, the thing began to twist and turn, biting and gnashing at the white fleshy parts of her brain with its needle sharp teeth, soaking itself in her oozing blood and cortical fluids.  

The fear began rise again in her, she felt helpless against this unassailable predator, like she had with Nape and the Nergalrhod. A resentment began to build within her at her own helplessness, her resentment turned quickly to anger, and then an explosive fury replaced it. The fury of being the victim again. This thing in her head was not going to take her, she was going to fight it, whatever it was. The serpent, almost in realisation of her rising fury struggled madly as her consciousness tried to pin it down. It raced around the inside her head biting great chunks from her brain and spewing them out in an uncontrolled feeding frenzy. 

In her anguish she turned to Faulke. From the tormented look in his blazing eyes he was fighting his own limbless larva as well. 

Then it began to infect those around her. 

A number of cry's came up from the Halo decks. Crew members stood back from their positions with their hands held to their heads. Over-whelmed by the pain they staggered back and crumpled to the floor, their minds full of images of the things that occupied their bodies that sought to drive them into insanity. Rolling into balls they covered their heads in a futile attempt to shield themselves from the nameless things that gorged on their flesh.  

A navigator, close to her, cried out and slumped to the floor. Slowly he unclipped the blaster from his belt, pulled it from its holster and held it up in his shaking hands.  

Immobilised by her own demon Lydia called out to Waite-Kidd. The Commander looked up, his stare so wide she could see the red cobweb of blood vessels pulsating in the whites of his eyes. She knew he was in too much pain to speak, to move to help. His mouth gaped open wordlessly, he could do nothing. She called out again, this time to the Navigator, her words twisted beyond recognition. 

Her voice somehow made it through to him, he turned and stared at her blankly for a moment before lifting the weapon to his head.  

A blinding flash and jagged blast of hot air hit Lydia, instinctively she looked away. Looking back she could see the body sprawled on the floor, the gun hanging loosely in its limp hand.  

Faulke stared at the Navigator in shock, lifted his hand to his head and then returned it to the rail holding it so tight his fingers bleached white.  

When the voice came it she knew it was from the Swarm ship that lay in front of the fleet. It was a thousand voices speaking as one, men, women, children in a chorus of disembodied words. Lydia knew they were the voices of the dead.