Chapter 8

The endless banality of the grey, thick forest was disturbed only by the sounds of its foreign intruders. The constant scrape of wood being dragged along the ground served as a backing for the feet marching through the undergrowth, out of sync. It was like music being played by a trio with no souls. Sometimes when Rachele looked back at the mattress she was pulling all she could see upon it was death. It was hard to articulate what death looked like exactly, except that it was bloody and ugly, but she just knew that the thing she was looking at was death. Other times when she looked back, she saw the freshman she had met on her first week of college. A beautiful broad grin shining upon her face, excited about all the new experiences she was about to have, without a worry in the world.

Surrounding them, at a distance, darkness consumed the forest. It wasn’t like a shadow cast by a cloud. This darkness twitched and swirled as if everything out there was completely covered in a layer of black insects. Rachele recognized this darkness as well. It too was death, for death came in many forms. With a casual glance, it looked as if the boundary between the darkness and the forest remained constant. But when she really looked, she could tell that the darkness was getting closer, one inch at a time. It was patient in its advance. It had no need to chase her because there was nowhere they could go to escape it—they were surrounded.

By the same token, she felt no compulsion to run or scream because she knew it would do her no good. So she simply continued toting the heavy load of someone too frail to flee from the darkness without her help. The lone contrast in the macabre surroundings was Ghok. He stood opposite her, his hands latched firmly to the other corner of the makeshift gurney. The sleeves of his dark blue shirt bulged handsomely where his biceps swelled from the effort of carrying her friend and fellow researcher. He was like a virile bull the way his legs powered tirelessly on; the way the hot, heavy breath snorted from his nostrils. It gave Rachele a precious sense of comfort to have this sturdy specimen of masculine strength by her side in this awful time.

Every now and then, she would look ahead to their destination: the transport at the top of the hill. The incline before her seemed insurmountable. It felt like they were trying to climb Mount Everest back on Earth. She would look ahead to their destination only briefly, before turning her gaze to other aspects of her surroundings. But each time she checked to see how much farther they needed to carry the girl, it seemed like they had barely made any progress at all.
Then Rachele finally realized what the problem was. Her legs were moving at a normal rate, but her actual forward movement was as if she were trying to run in a swimming pool.

Nonetheless, she carried on in this fashion for several minutes, refusing to let the futility of the task deter her from doing what she was supposed to do. Then, for no particular reason, she decided that it was all ridiculous. There was no point trying to carry her friend away from the darkness. Death was already inside her. There was nothing in the transport that could save her. But even still, she would not leave her friend to the fate that some of the others had faced. She pressed on, knowing that despite the danger they faced Ghok still follow her and risk his life to save her friend’s, because she wanted him to. She did not know how or why, but at this time, she had control over him. She could feel his unwavering gaze upon her ass as she walked. It was like he was some kind of mindless thrall in a trance.

Before she knew it, Rachele was back at the transport. She pressed her palm to the outside scanner and stepped inside. Once inside, the members of the expedition that went ahead powered up the engines and blasted off toward their spaceship. After placing her friend in her quarters, Rachele went to her own with Ghok following close behind. It was a pitiful little sanctuary. Fortunately for her, it was the only place she needed to find a little comfort in those final days.

The bed, a standard issue piece of furniture, was pressed flush against the bulkhead and centered beneath a small viewport. It was a mess; the covers had been tossed to one side and the sheets and pillows were all rumpled. Appropriate, considering how the world around them was crumbling to pieces. Why should this be any different? All the same, the soft mattress looked extremely inviting. It called to her, promising a comfortable place to rest her weary legs.

She walked over and sat on the bed in a position that was halfway between laying in repose and curled up in the fetal position. Resting an elbow upon the edge of the viewport, she gazed out into the blackness of space. The darkness was still out there, still encroaching upon her even this far from the moon below. There was no defense whatsoever against its advance. It was merely a more welcoming place for her to await the inevitable than the cold, empty vastness of space.

Without even thinking about it, she pulled one of the pillows close and held it close to her body. It was a poor substitute for a companion. Behind her she heard the shuffle of someone. There was no need to turn around to see who it was for there was only one that would have followed her into her quarters. “We’re all going to die,” she lamented aloud. “We’re not going to get away from here. Those things will catch us or your people will.”

Ghok sat down by her side. A warm hand landed upon the side of her thigh. Her legs were used to the contact of men’s hands, not alien ones. It was quite often one of the later gestures she had received as they came on to her. But this time, the connection felt different. It rested upon her gently; there was no squeezing or fondling. This was a gesture of support, not persuasion. “No,” Ghok declared, barely louder than a whisper, but with a staunch confidence in his voice. “We’ll get away safe and sound. Your friends will be fine, I promise.”

The resolve in his voice actually made her feel a little more secure—a little, but not enough. “It’s like being on a ship when you know it’s going to crash onto a planet,” she responded, shaking her head slightly in denial of his words. “Everybody around you is yelling and screaming and all you really want to do is grab the person next to you and fuck the shit out of them. Because you know you’re going be dead soon, anyway,” she told him. She spoke without an ounce of hesitation. The gathering darkness made restraint and even self-respect seem absolutely worthless. If her proposal was rejected, then so be it. But right now the only thing of value she had left to lose was the time she would waste by beating around the bush. She gave her words a second to sink in, before she turned to Ghok to check his reaction.

Rachele was surprised by the alien’s expression. There was no passion reflected in his face; neither outrage, nor lust or delight. Instead, it showed only a sense of mild curiosity. He looked like a young child who had been confounded by something a world-wise adult had said, and was trying to work through it in his own mind. For a split second, the naivety she saw made her feel guilty about what she wanted to do. But then she saw the other side of Ghok, the side that she had stolen glances of earlier as he powered up that impossible hill—the lively, powerful masculine side of him.

With a heavy sigh and an adamant decision that she would enjoy that for everything it was worth, she pounced. Her lips landed upon Ghok’s so swiftly that he had no time to react until it was too late. His arm jerked away from her, but otherwise she did not react to her hungry kisses. It was as if her warm lips were laced with venom and each attack they made paralyzed him even more. Rachele found him to be incredibly malleable. With only the slightest pressure of her hand she could move him as she wished. When she did not push him, he would hold still for as long as she wanted. With the alien completely under her control, it was easy for her to get them both undressed quickly. As she had hoped, Ghok’s member had rapidly risen to the occasion and was ready to serve her needs.

A sense of spirit returned to him and he pulled her naked body firmly against his own which Rachele found invigorating. They kissed passionately while she struggled to maneuverer within his constraining grasp. She could feel his alienhood being pinned between her mound and his own belly. But after a few seconds she was able to position her moist opening right over his glorious rod and drop herself on to its complete length. With a brutal sense of purpose Rachele hurled Ghok down on to the mattress and began riding him like a machine.