The supply pack lays on the floor, limp and empty. Its contents strewn across the room. Rations, water, climbing gear, first aid, and a large glass cylinder, capped with metal at both ends. A triangular pendant hovers, magnetically suspended within it, pulsing blood red light.
"You touch it."
"No way, you touch it."
"I am not pulling out some evil looking trinket that somehow ended up in our pack."
"You'll be alright, I got Engineering on speed dial. Bet they'd love to hear about this one."
"Fine, asshole. You better pay for my funeral."
"Whatever man, just grab the thing and let's get out of here."
I tentatively reach into the tube and grab the pendant. My vision goes red. My stomach ties in knots from the disorientation.
My vision clears up, and I see them.
Monsters, or demons, everywhere.
Amorphous red creatures surge out of every rocky crevice and canyon, directly towards me. Like a swarm of flies to a corpse. I think I just rang the dinner bell.
I have no choice. I grab my axe and swing at a couple of them. I hit air. Wherever they are now, it wasn't where they were a split second ago.
More rush at me. Or the same ones?
Fake a swing, and slam my axe into the ground with all my strength. This one lands true.
Blood splatters on my suit, I can hear it sizzling. Feel the heat on my skin.
More of the demons swarm me.
I have to kill. To survive.
...
A new one this time, like the others, just bigger. Slower. Cockier.
This one's huge. Must mean it has huge guts, too.
It can teleport all it likes, it can summon all the minions it wants. I'll kill them all.
It falls with a wet splat.
Bodies, as far as the eye can see.
I'm knee-deep in the dead, and ankle-deep in blood. My blood? Theirs? Doesn't matter now.
I'm alive, the demons aren't.
At least I can rest a moment.
I catch myself remembering being on the ship, messing with that pendant we found. Feels like years ago now. Should have made that asshole grab it instead.
A red flash blurs by vision and I'm there. Laid on my back, staring at the ceiling, head ringing, lights searing my eyes.
He's standing over me.
"You okay, dude?"
"You piece of SHIT!"
I jolt upright before the blood makes it to my head, and fall right back over.
"You're alright man, chill! That thing just knocked you out for a few seconds. Looks like it causes a local spacetime displacement on contact. The ring it's hung on is safe to touch. Dead simple. Now let's get the hell out of here."
If only he knew Hell.
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