D A Novel (George Right) - By George Right Page 0,123

some time, looking at the mutilated body of the dead man. Then he moved the flashlight beam aside, unable to bear the view anymore. But it was even worse: Somewhere from the darkest depths of his consciousness, where even in the most sober-minded person the irrational is hidden, a feeling, almost a certainty, was rising that the dead man who had disappeared in a gloom, now, using his invisibility, would move, would start to rise silently in an armchair, would stretch the gnawed hands toward a victim for which he had long last waited. After all, it was not without reason written (in blood) across the staircase leading to the control room: "DO NOT GO THERE."

Adam tried to drive away the delusion and to force himself to think rationally.

"Perhaps you are right about landing on Gliese or somewhere else," he said slowly. "All these creatures–spiders and cockroaches–still could mutate from those on Earth, though I cannot imagine where they could come from on a starship. It obviously had to be disinfected before it started. But the others–these hybrids of worms and insects–there is nothing similar on Earth."

"Do you remember so well–what is on Earth?"

"No. But there is a difference between "forgot" and "never knew." Anyway, I vaguely feel it. And I am absolutely sure that these creatures are not from our world. Possibly we took them aboard as samples of local fauna, and then something happened so that they could creep away all over the ship. I don't know whether there is anything big among them. But even small insects can serve as transmitting agents for the disease which somehow affects the brain."

"And now? You think we became immune already?"

"I don't know." He heaved a deep sigh. "I know nothing–except one thing: We have no chance of getting out from here."

"Perhaps it is still possible to turn the ship towards Earth," said Eve without much real hope in her voice. "Or at least we could send the distress signal."

"How?" Adam hopelessly moved the beam around the crushed panel. "Even if we find tools... Do you have even the smallest clue how everything was arranged here? We even don't remember that people in general are able to fly to stars."

"Well, we may find not only tools but also instructions," Eve objected with considerable doubt. "And also, we managed to remember something, though..." She became silent.

"What ‘though’?"

"I’m afraid."

"No wonder."

"No, not about that. I’m afraid to remember. Sometimes it seems to me that I have already almost gotten at my past and then at once such horror strikes me, as if someone in my head were shouting: ‘No, don't do it. Don't remember. Don't think about it!’ Haven't you felt the same? I mean, since you have come to your senses?"

"Yes," Adam confessed. "Nothing mystical here, we just came in for a lot of trouble, especially you. Natural defense reaction... Hmm, ‘Don't think,’" he remembered. "It is written on a warehouse door at the bottom level. By the way, doesn't it seem to you that if the crew struggled against monsters, they would have left more intelligent writings? Even assuming that they had really nothing to write with except blood, then especially it was necessary to write only the most useful and informative things. And here; ‘Don't go there!’ Well, here we have come, and what?"

"We have learned that we are on a spaceship."

"Also what is dreadful in it? Though... Yes, certainly. To learn that we are billions of miles from Earth, on a dead starship, uncontrollable flying further and further in infinite emptiness. If this starmap is anything to go by, even stars aren't present here. But if we had not learned it, how would our position have become better?"

"Perhaps we would die in ignorance," Eve sighed.

"Like these two? And the others? I hardly think any of them died easily. And in general, forewarned is forearmed."

"All right," Eve interrupted. "All these conversations only lead to despair! (He shuddered, having heard this word again.) Let us search–for tools, instructions, others survivors–anything!

They left the control room, listening to the silence of the ill-fated ship even more tensely. But still no sounds reached them, except of the electric crackling of agonizing light fixtures. However, now Adam had no doubt anymore that their light had lately become slightly brighter. He did not know how it could be explained and what it was fraught with, like everything that took place on this damned ship. He shared his observation with his companion, but she only shrugged her shoulders