Petra’s legs were full of wet sand, and she had to drag her feet across the surface of the Hell’s Ark. She kept glancing back as she walked. The Carnifex shouldn’t follow her and Erika to the hull, but the alien could survive in the vacuum. If it decided to come racing toward the pair, tail ready, there was nothing Petra could do about it.

  Clive’s death played on repeat in Petra’s head, and she couldn’t stop it. She had seen her share of horror movies, and seen plenty of dead or dying animals. There was one cat who’d been run over by a car, limbs twisted out of place. But Clive…

  The Carnifex ripped him apart. Its tail cut through Clive’s body like it was cutting through air.

  That thing is loose on the ship, and it’s going to hunt everyone down one by one until there are no humans left.

  The Carnifex was going to hunt Petra down. It was going to slash her in half with its tail and spill her intestines on the floor. Petra would never see her husband again. Or her child. Maybe her sketches would reach them, but they probably wouldn’t.

  The weight of it all crushed Petra. She dropped to her knees and sobbed into the void.

  ? ? ?

  Petra’s shaking voice came over the suit radio.

  Erika turned around and saw Petra on her knees, like she was going to pray, but she wasn’t praying. She made some strange noise that chilled Erika to the core.

  “What’s wrong?” Erika asked.

  “I…I…” Petra squeaked out.

  She’s sobbing.

  Erika’s breaths turned shaky. She swallowed, blinked a few times, then padded up to her friend.

  Petra took quick, panicked breaths. Her face was twisted in pain under the tinted helmet. Erika couldn’t make out tears, but she was sure they were on Petra’s cheeks.

  “It’s all so…” Petra trailed off.

  Erika wrapped her arms around Petra, and Petra returned the gesture. The asteroids watched impassively.

  “I’m okay. I’ll be okay,” Petra said.

  “I know you will,” Erika said.

  Petra’s laugh was thready, but it was a laugh. She hauled herself to her feet.

  “Okay. We need to go back inside,” Petra said.

  “Right. I wanna get this helmet off, too,” Erika said.

  The pair walked to the front of the Hell’s Ark.

  Erika kept her ears open for Petra, just in case she started crying again.

  She’s reacting to this more naturally than you, Erika realized. The pair had seen Clive, a man they knew, brutally murdered. Crying was the natural response.

  Erika dug deep into herself in search of that instinct, but it wasn’t there. She’d witnessed two deaths aboard the ship already; fatality was just a part of life. Of course Erika would see people ripped apart. She might end up as a victim at some point, and that’s just how the world worked now.

  You’re shutting way the hell down, you know that?

  Erika and Petra reached the airlock. They stepped inside and stripped off the EVA suits. Petra kept her face turned as she climbed out of her suit. When she finally did turn around, her eyes were red and puffy.

  The pair stepped back onto the bridge, where Aymeric, Theo, and Mi-Cha were talking to each other. They turned their attention to Erika and Petra when they walked in.

  “Uh, the hell? You two weren’t fucking each other in the med bay, were you?” Mi-Cha asked.

  “We’ve got equipment to manufacture Aranea anesthetic.” Petra brandished the equipment in her hands.

  “In the med bay?” Aymeric asked.

  “We got into the labs, with Clive’s help.” Erika took a deep breath. “We got the equipment, but the Carnifex was there. We tried to capture it, and it killed Clive.”

  Aymeric’s face grew guarded. Theo, as usual, didn’t show any signs of emotion. Mi-Cha went through a variety of expressions, trying to determine which one was right.

  “I will be able to repair the reactor on my own,” Theo broke the silence.

  “That’s it?” Mi-Cha hissed. “We’ve flown with Clive for how long, and that’s all you can say?”

  “We shouldn’t fight,” Erika said.

  “Nobody wants to hear from you,” Mi-Cha said. “Luther died when he was with you, and Ryder did too, and now Clive. And what happened to Naoki, huh? Did he mysteriously die around you, too?”

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  That’s right, the killer hasn’t been found yet. Someone in the room is the killer, and you have no idea who. Erika shoved that thought to the back of her mind, but it kept whispering to her.

  “This really isn’t the time for a fight,” Erika repeated.

  “Right!” Aymeric clapped his hands. “We haven’t gotten that Override un-overridden, so we need to keep working on that.”

  While Theo, Aymeric, and Mi-Cha continued to talk, Erika and Petra took their equipment to the second floor and into the kitchen alcove. There weren’t enough outlets to plug in all of the equipment, but Erika figured she could keep things she didn’t need unplugged. Petra was quiet as she set equipment on the counter, and her expression was empty. When finished, Petra stepped back and stared at the equipment as if it was all new to her.

  A call came through Erika’s IRIS. The symbol at the corner of her vision made Erika pause for a moment before answering.

  “This is Erika.”

  “And this is Aymeric. Well, we got the comms up again,” Aymeric said.

  “Good. Anything else?”

  “Well, we got the comms.”

  It was better than nothing.

  “Okay. Well, keep going. I’ll keep things up in the kitchen.” Erika and Aymeric ended the call.

  Petra hadn’t looked away from the equipment. Erika put a hand on Petra’s shoulder.

  “I can make the anesthetic on my own,” Erika said.

  “Oh,” Petra said.

  “There’s nothing else for you to do now, so I thought you should get some rest,” Erika said.

  “Are you sure you couldn’t use help?” Petra asked.

  Please, please go to your cabin. Gather your thoughts while you can.

  “I’ll be okay,” Erika said.

  Petra studied Erika’s face, then she nodded and dragged herself to the cabins. Erika wanted to say something more, or find some way to comfort Petra, but she had no clue what to do. Comforting people was usually Petra’s job.

  So, when Petra stepped out of sight, Erika turned to the equipment and chemicals on the table, and got to work.

  ? ? ?

  Petra dropped onto her bed. It wasn’t as comfortable as her mattress at home, but after months of travel, Petra learned to sleep here. Now the bed was as uncomfortable as it had been on the first day. She twisted around on the mattress, trying to find a comfortable position, but it was hopeless. Even if Petra got herself comfortable, her mind wouldn’t shut off. If she fell asleep, she’d only have nightmares.

  Petra sat up in the bed.

  This ship is doomed. The thought came from a dark corner of Petra’s brain. Thoughts would sometimes slip their way from that darkness and bother Petra. She learned to shove them right back into their little, inconsequential space the moment they showed up. This time, Petra let the thought linger. This thought sounded like the truth.

  The Carnifex could never be captured, and the Aranea would breed faster than anyone could stop it. The ship itself spiraled toward an asteroid field, and the crew couldn’t correct the ship’s course. The Hell’s Ark was doomed. Petra was doomed.

  Are you really doomed?

  Petra corrected herself. The Hell’s Ark was doomed, but she was not. The beginnings of a plan shaped into Petra’s mind. It was a disgusting plan; it would haunt Petra for the rest of her life, but she would have a rest of her life.

  Petra hauled herself from her bed.

  She pulled out a backpack, and unzipped it. She first slipped her drawing tablet in, because that was the most important thing to take with her. She went through the closet and pulled out all the clothes she’d brought. They wouldn’t all fit in the backpack, so Petra only folded up three outfits.

  At first, Petra packed as a form of therapy. She would put everything back where it belonged just as soon as she’d packed up. As Petra continued to work, she realized this wasn’t make-believe; she was going through with her plan. She slipped her backpack on and left her cabin.

  She stepped into the galley, where Erika worked. She looked up from the beakers, and gave Petra a quizzical look.

  This was the final obstacle. This was where Petra realized she was being stupid and she went back to her cabin to unpack everything. This was the part where Petra didn’t hurt anyone.

  Petra cleared her throat. She wanted her voice to be heard.

  “I’m sorry,” she stated.

  “What is it? Are you okay?” Erika straightened herself.

  Petra wanted to tell Erika everything, but she couldn’t risk it. She just had to go. So Petra walked to the ladder without taking another look at Erika. She grabbed the rungs and headed down.

  ? ? ?

  Erika stared at the ladder like it would tell her what Petra was up to. After a few seconds, Erika realized that the ladder wasn’t going to explain anything, and she should ask Petra directly.

  Erika glanced at her project on the kitchen counter. She hadn’t mixed together anything volatile or time sensitive. At least, she didn’t think so; she really only knew the basics of chemistry. Erika left her work where it was, and picked up the shock spear she’d left on the side. She hadn’t seen Petra carrying a spear to the lower levels. There was probably no need for a weapon, but with the Carnifex roaming the ship, Erika would rather have a weapon than not.

  She headed down the ladder, to the third floor.

  “Petra?” Erika called. Her voice echoed through the corridor.

  She scanned the hall, but she was the only one there. The Carnifex might be around a corner though, and waiting for Erika to make a mistake.

  If it was stalking you, what could you even do about it? Erika’s shock spear would be useless against an apex predator. Petra, without a weapon, would be less than useless.

  “Petra, if you’re here, let me know!” Erika called.

  Her voice echoed back to her.

  The hall went dark.

  Erika raised her spear into the nothingness.

  The lights returned. The halls were still empty.

  Erika scanned the room, muscles tense as she expected an alien to lunge at her.

  Something roared. This wasn’t the roar of an animal; this was the roar of an engine. It made the floor tremble.

  The Ark’s engines never caused such a disturbance, and those engines shouldn’t even be operational. Erika heard the shuttle engines, and Erika understood the story behind it. Petra had lost hope in surviving the Hell’s Ark, so instead of waiting to die, she was taking the shuttle for herself.

  Erika dashed to the shuttle bay doors, and tried to open them. The Captain’s Override stopped her. Petra had gotten in somehow, though there wasn’t time to figure that out.

  Erika pulled up her IRIS and called Petra. The call went through.

  “Petra, what are you doing?” Erika asked.

  “I can’t stay here. I won’t be another casualty!” Petra said.

  “You won’t. Nobody else is going to die.” Erika mashed on the door button. It wouldn’t respond.

  “Nobody can be sure of that,” Petra said. “I’m sorry. I really am sorry, but…”

  “Petra, please,” Erika’s voice came out weak.

  “Good luck, Erika. Tell the others I wished them luck, too,” Petra said.

  Erika pried at the airlock, as if her fingertips could open the heavy doors.

  The engine let out a defiant roar. Then it faded away.

  “Petra? Petra, are you there?” Erika asked.

  Silence.

  The call had been disconnected. Erika tried again, but her IRIS couldn’t find Petra. She was out of range.