As the severely damaged ship approached the expected planet, grumbling began in the evac pod.

“We have been here for ruddy weeks now. Food replicators at ration levels as well. How long will we have to wait?”

Upon the bridge, the commodore asked, “What do the scans say?”

“It’s an E1 sir. Temperature between sixty-five and eighty Fahrenheit.”

“Any sign of life?”

“Nothing intelligent sir. Only animal as far as we can tell.”

“As we are on minimum power we can’t even go down for a look.”

“What are your plans?” Mike asked.

“Stay up here until the power drain forces us to evacuate of course. No other option. End of the line.”

“The gravity well is giving us a tug sir.”

“Standard orbit then.”

“Aye sir.”

The intercom buzzed and the engineer spoke.

“We can stay in orbit six hours before terminal decay begins sir. I can’t do much more.”

“I understand chief.”

Within the evac pod, an eighteen-year-old woman had had quite enough. She stood and marched toward the guard.

“I need to return to my cabin.”

“You can’t do that miss. The corridors are still full of toxic fumes from the fires.”

“You tell the commodore to sort it out right now!”

As she spoke, other voices joined her.

“Or else we’ll deal with you.”

Upon the bridge, the call came through.

“That’s all we need,” the commodore said.

“Well the fires are out but the smoke remains,” Mike reminded him.

The commodore turned to his crew.

“Vent the smoke into the auxiliary air conditioning and expel it into space.”

“Aye sir.”

“Will you allow them to return?”

The commodore thought it over.

“The apartments only have minimal oxygen levels. I suppose two hours would be okay.”

Mike faced the bridge crew.

“Transmit the order. Two hours only and they are not to collect personal baggage.”

When the instructions came through, the mob streamed towards their former happy abodes. Upon the bridge, the leader glanced at his security guard.

“I always knew you were command material. You can return to your own cabin for a short while. Say goodbye eh?”

Mike smiled and headed off towards the vacant lift. As he stepped out onto his deck, a familiar face appeared.

“Hello Candy. Forgot where you live?”

The good looking twenty-eight year old smiled.

“I just needed a familiar face.”

“Where is Sammy by the way?”

“I told him to stay in the evac pod. For once in his life he agreed.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Fancy coming in?”

When the door slid open, they noted the dark interior.

“Not even emergency lighting I see.”

Mike tried to laugh.

“I must have forgotten to pay the bill.”

Candy pushed herself against him.

“I’ve always fancied you.”

“Come on my dear we should head back now.”

“You are not escaping that easy chum. If we are to die today, I want you.”

Her fumbling fingers tore his silver trousers open and plunged underneath.

“You’re a big boy then.”

Despite the dark, she soon excited him and tearing off her clothes, she led him towards the wall. As he pressed against her, she threw up her legs.

“Now screw me Mike!”

As he penetrated that soaking orifice, she squealed with pleasure.
...
Elsewhere, the eighteen year old had at last reached her own darkened cabin.

“How do I find it in this gloom?”

She felt along the walls, until she reached the cabinet and opened the top drawer. Feeling inside she soon found the totem that she had been experimenting with this last year.

“If you are going to ruddy well work, now would be a good time.”
She knelt whilst holding the ancient artefact and prayed an occult call for assistance.

“Harmen...Yoko senslat...Tonerra nico...Sonlat assad!”

As she waited, a being appeared before her. The trembling woman gazed up at the image.

“You have come at last.”

“You summoned me.”

“We are in terrible danger lord. I need your supreme power to save
our people.”

The being simply smiled.

“You shall have the power, but only to destroy life.”

“That was not the deal.”

The being laughed cruelly.

“My will is now your will sister.”

As the apparition vanished, she smiled an evil smile.
...
“Come on Mike, push ruddy harder!”

His supple hips thrust mightily against her willing frame as he gasped.

“I’m ruddy well trying.”

She reached down, gently squeezing his testicles.

“See if this helps.”

“Oh crikey!”

She lunged forward, pulling him even deeper as his seed flooded the crevasse.

“You were worth waiting for,” she said with a smile.

“Come on Candy, back to the pod eh. Not much point sticking around here now.

As other civilians looked around their apartments for the final time, a devilish woman stepped into the pet pod.

As she gazed around, a figure was kneeling whilst stroking the cats.
“Is that you Esmay?”

The seventeen-year-old sister of Frazer glanced back.

“Do you think the cats will be okay?”

The woman laughed.

“This entire pod can be jettisoned my dear. To soft-land somewhere safe. Don’t worry, the original designers thought of everything.”

The young woman stood as her old friend approached.

“You look different today,” Esmay commented.

“Perhaps I’m scared of death my dear.”

“It’s an emotion we are all feeling today. Who would have thought it could end like this?”

“I know the feeling Esmay.”

The woman took her hand and playfully pulled her onto the warm grass.

“Remember those stories we used to tell?”

Esmay’s cheeks blushed.

“We were only young then.”

The woman laughed.

“Young, free, and sexed up to the nine’s you mean.”

“Why bring those up now?”

“No reason, except one of course.”

“Which is?”

The woman embraced her.

“Let’s do it.”

Esmay shook her off.

“I can’t you know. Not enough guts for that.”

The woman was persistent.

“I’ll do it first then.”

Esmay was rather astonished as her friend drew the skirt to waist
level. As she gazed upon the bushy thighs, the rampant hussy began to pleasure herself.

“Come on Esmay, get it out.”

Esmay saw the pleasure upon her friend’s face, and unzipped the trousers quickly.

The friends were soon at it but when Esmay neared climax her friend suddenly stopped.

“That’s it now, go on my love.”

As Esmay stroked, her friend suddenly pulled a kitchen knife from under her top and plunged it into her surprised forehead. As she went down the killer withdrew the tip and carefully gouged her eyes out.

As she ate the squashy feast, the friend licked her bloody fingers.

“Not bad at all really.”

As she headed for the lift, the being appeared once more.

“We need a head to fulfil the plan. Find one!”

Catrina smiled and nodded coldly.
...

Danny had been squash champion two years running, and as he stood in the darkened court he muttered, “What a damn waste.”

When the lift door opened, he swung around.

“You startled me.”

“Sorry Danny. Just saying goodbye too.”

“I wonder if I’ll ever play again.”

She smiled, arms curling around him in the darkness.

“I don’t know about that...”

Danny knew the signal and turned to embrace her.

“Fancy a night cap?”

Catrina shook her head.

“How about this?”

Powerful hands pushed him onto his knees, and the dress was raised.

“Now lick me!”

The security guard needed no second telling and the woman soon surrendered to his erotic charms. As the muscles throbbed with rising pleasure, she smiled down.

“Pity about the head...”
...
Catrina had returned to her empty apartment as the head dripped at her side. As the being appeared it smiled with pleasure.

“Now place it upon your breasts!”

“With pleasure.”

She stripped once more and lay down with the ghoulish totem upon her soft flesh.

“Now say the mighty words Catrina!”

She smiled.

“Totameh...Selafim...Sulamorte...”

A blazing light flashed from the bloody head, and a tunnel appeared above her. As she stared, ghoulish green figures began to emerge and pass into the empty corridor.

“Your task is now complete my child,” the apparition said with a grin.

The woman was about to rise when the head opened its eyes and dark tentacles lunged from within the open mouth.

“What’s going on?”

The tentacles wrapped around her throat as others slid between her recently willing thighs. As she choked, the tendrils slid inside that warm place and ripping out the unprotected womb.

As Catrina cried in agony, those around the throat tightened even more. Her last vision was of her mouth being forced open, and the bloody womb being thrust inside her slim throat.
...
Mike and Candy had reached the evac pod when his intercom buzzed.

“Hi there.”

He listened grimly as the report came in.

“What’s up?”

“Esmay was found mutilated in the pet pod. Hang on a moment.”

He tapped the com and barked, “All security units report in.”

As they responded, he became a little annoyed.

“Danny has gone quiet.”

“The squash player?”

“That’s the one.”

Candy smiled.

“We both know where he’ll be then.”

As Mike smiled, she followed him back to the lift.

“Are you here Danny?”

When no response came, Mike stepped further onto the court. A sudden scream from Candy made him glance toward the floor.

“You must be joking!”

He ran to the com and shouted, “Mike to bridge, we have an emergency!”

The call surprised the commodore immensely.

“I know that Mike. What’s up?”

“Esmay and Danny have been murdered sir.”

“That’s all we need. I’m cancelling the home visit.”

Moments later the commodore’s voice ripped through the air.

“All civilians return to the evac pods at once. Repeat, at once.
Security guards report to the evac pods code red. Mike to the bridge.”

The problem was of course, it was already too damn late!
...
“What’s the point of sending everyone there?” Candy asked. “The killer will go with them.”

Mike smiled.

“He knows that my dear. Then we’ll get him.”

“What do you mean by him?”

Mike pointed to the headless corpse.

“You don’t think a woman did that I hope?”

He grabbed her shaking hand and pulled her toward the waiting lift. As it slid open, a group of green ghouls stepped into view.

“How the hell did you get on board?” he exclaimed.

He pushed Candy back and fired with his blaster to no effect.

“Well that didn’t work!”

He grabbed her by the arm and fled to the rear wall, where he notified the startled bridge.

“Intruders within squash court. Immediate assistance required!”

Upon the bridge the commodore whispered, “Where did they come from?”

As the creatures advanced, the sonic blaster fired twice more. At last, the grim faced Mike stared at his terrified companion.

“My duty is to the ship and its passengers. Sorry about this.”

He swung his weapon toward the porthole and fired. As the glass shattered, the air rushed toward the gaping hole.

The combined pressure caused the entire wall to give way with a sickening crunch.

As Mike was sucked out his last thought was this.

“I did my duty.”
...
Upon the bridge, alarm klaxons were going off.

“Hull breach squash court!”

“Seal it off.”

“Already have sir.”

The commodore hit the intercom.

“Are you there Mike?”

He waited, but only static could be heard.
...
As the passengers made their way back to the evac pods, the hull breach caused the ship to lurch suddenly. As they got up from the floors, panic ensued.

One group reached a corridor and found it blocked by lethal green entities. As they tried to turn, sharpened claws tore their flesh apart.

Within the drive pod, the chief engineer watched the power levels fall further.

“Not much time left I see.”

He turned as a horde of creatures appeared from the lift. He pulled the blaster and fired. The creatures ignored this as he hit the intercom.

“Bridge...We have intruders in engineering...”

The commodore’s face turned dark as the report came through.

“Evacuation pods...How many have you got?”

As the numbers came through, he made the only decision possible.

“This is the commodore. Abandon ship.”

“Don’t panic,” the guard warned as people surged toward the automated craft. As one was loaded it was dropped, and a second slid into view. Each craft had enough food, water, and equipment to last for a month. After that, they were on their own.

Within engineering, the battle had been lost.

“Grab a hammer men. Let’s go down fighting.”

With hammers drawn, they rushed the fiends. Their bodies were quickly reduced to mush by the vicious claws of their attackers.

Elsewhere on that doomed ship, Sammy was tossed into one of the survival craft under protest. He did not know that his mom was very dead.

Upon deck ‘C’, a group of kids had managed to barricade themselves within a cabin as the abandon ship order came through.

“They’ll leave without us.”

“No they won’t. Once they know we are missing, someone will come calling.”

The door suddenly caved in as the evil horde burst through. As the kids screamed, the hideous mob fell upon them...
...
By now, reports were flooding in from all decks. To the commodore only the evac pods and the bridge remained safe.

“Evac pods...How many away?”

He heard the grim reply and cursed.

“Only two hundred, damn!”

He was about to discontinue when terrified voices broke through.

“They are here sir!”

“Get the emergency craft away man!”

As the creatures swarmed onto the evac pods, the last of the craft departed, and those many left behind faced a terrible fate.

As the com went silent, the grim faced commodore glanced at the shocked bridge crew.

“We seem to have lost the battle men. I need the drive control transferred to here.”

Upon the screen, the emergency craft were seen to enter the atmosphere of their new home.

“So few escaped,” the commodore muttered.

“Drive control ready sir.”

The commodore reached the console and shut off the coolant before increasing the injection rate to ninety percent. As he did this, the core temperature hurtled skywards. The commodore looked toward the welcoming planet as the overload turned his world white.

Upon a green plain, a group of survivors gazed up from outside their craft.

“What’s that glowing ball?” Sammy asked.

The grim faced guard shook his head sadly and said, “That was our home son. All gone now.”