Thank you @thatdernmoose.bsky.social@kagsrags.bsky.social@graven4hire.bsky.social for letting me kill you in fiction. <3

Then Neph heard a new sound. Not a scuttle, not a squelch. Static. One of the cargo bay’s monitors had cut itself on. A staticy screen with three pixelated eyes peered at Neph. “You look like someone who could use a friend right now~?” [15/15]

But there was no fixing this. “I’m going to fix the engine.” “If I break the engine trying at this point what’s left to lose?” Neph grabbed the bloodied soldering iron out of Moose’s hand. [14/15]

“I got that fucker good.” It was like Neph’s brain had blacked out, but their body had kept moving. Moose was in their arms, and they were in an emptied out storage crate. “The eyes… I got one.” “Nonononono… Moose hang on. Don’t leave me… please.” [13/15]

“I’ve got it.” The door opened. Something inside rose up. Sharp appendaged snapped out. There was a sharp scream, and then an ungodly wail. And then blood. [12/15]

Today was day, they were finally getting in that weapons locker. In their search the day before Moose had found Neph’s older soldering iron. The scuttling had been quieter recently. Neph went to work on the door, while Moose kept an eye out. [11/15]

But they both knew. Kags. They spent the days running and scavenging. Moose was trying desperately to get into their emergency weapons locker, but the creature always showed up just before they could get inside. The door mechanisms across the ship were broken one by one.[10/15]

Not a monstrous banging. Trapped banging. Desperate banging. Then a sickening squelching sound, followed by silence. In the following days, Neph and Moose wouldn’t talk about it. But it ate away at them, Neph especially. Who had it been? Who had Neph left to the beast? [9/15]

Neph shut the door behind them, and desperately punched in the lockdown code. Neph took a moment to breathe. Moose shook with rage. Then Neph and Moose’s blood ran cold. There was a banging on the other side of the door. [8/15]

Neph never got a good look at it. They just saw claws, serrated legs, antennae, and blood. And they froze. People were dying, Moose was fighting it, but it shrugged off each blow. When Neph finally willed themself to move, they grabbed Moose by the arm and dragged them out.[7/15]