The sight was one of the most evil and depraved nightmares. The sheer volume of blood, and severed body parts scattered all around him, made him feel as if he couldn’t possibly be awake. Nothing in the universe could be this grotesque and malevolent. And yet here he was. Standing on his own bridge, on his own ship. The pain Darven felt in his temples, also made him very aware he was in fact still in reality, albeit one of death.
“Why me?” he pleaded, straining his voice, tears flowing down his face, catching in the ridges on his nose.
“You are different…”
The voice sounded almost simulated, but there was definite menace in each word, spoken as if through a clenched jaw.
“I don’t understand!” Darven pleaded again. “I’ve done nothing to warrant survival! Please leave my mind and just let me die like the rest!”
The creatures had forced Darven to deliver his entire fleet into the Expanse, his own consciousness locked in a cage at the back of his mind as they pulled the strings. He was now the only living Darla in the entire system.
“You knew… her…”
The last word sent shivers running through every part of Darven’s body. He knew exactly who the creature meant. Of that there was no doubt.
“I haven’t seen her in decades! The last time I saw her, she almost killed me. I was lucky to escape!”
A demonic laughter came from the darkness, the source only ascertained by the dim glow of the red eyes in the distance.
“You know her, you know she sends people here… and you know why…”
Yes, Darven did know that Drusilla was sending humans here. She was using her telepathic abilities to force them to come here. But the alien was wrong. He did not know why. He assumed she was unaware of the presence of these beings, which is why he sent Ransome and his crew here as punishment.
“I do not know why she sends people here, I swear it!”
More maniacal laughter.
“You do… think hard… or let us show you…”
An ear shattering scream erupted from Darven’s throat with such force, it tore his vocal chords, blood pooling in his throat. Once again his mind was being invaded, but the images he was being shown by the creatures were worse than nightmares. They were scenes that could only come from the darkest pits of hell. After minutes of head pounding agony, the creatures relinquished their hold on Darven, and he collapsed to the floor, immediately coated in the blood of his eviscerated colleagues. Unable to speak, he thought his words, aware the creatures could hear him.
Why? Why would she do that? To what end?
“Because she is not who she claims to be… she is something far more evil…”
For a creature of this dominance, this bloodthirsty to claim that Drusilla was something worse, chilled Darven’s already cold blood. The images he had seen had made him want to vomit uncontrollably. Never before had he seen so much blood, pain, suffering, torture and displays of someone playing god. He forced himself to push the horror to one side, and formed his next thought.
What is it you want me to do?
“Find her and bring her here… and the rest of the humans…”
Humans? Why do you need the humans?
“We must feast…”
With those final words, power was restored to Darven’s ship, and when the lights returned, both the creatures and body parts of his crew were gone, leaving only a large amount of blood, an empty ship, and it’s shell shocked Captain.