Theo broke the silence first. "So, what did you mean by when you picked up the bottle?" Solomon looked blankly at him for a moment before snapping back to reality. "Oh. He bought me this" be said gesturing to the coat covering Kyril's face, "when I was promoted to Lieutenant Commander of The Evergreen and joined his crew, all those years ago, and only it survived the crash that took his life." They both nodded in reflection and Theo savoured the drink, oak and honey, he wasn't used to whiskey and didn't like it much, but this was extremely to his preference. Then came a polite knock at the sealed bridge door. "Excuse me, gentlemen. It's all very sweet, but, allow me to introduce myself officially. Hello. My name is Zhou, and I'm going to kill you."
Theo quickly set aside his glass and pointed his weapon at the door that remained sealed. Solomon seemed not to notice. Theo had to make one of three choices:
Smart talk them, pretend to be confident enough to kill them instead.
Try talk peacefully with them, try make them leave.
Ignore them entirely and pretend they was not there.
He chose the latter option.
"Nobody home? Huh, I guess I didn't hear voices then… I don't suppose you'll mind if we leave a package here for you then, how does nerve gas sound?" came Zhou's voice gleefully through the reinforced steel. Theo looked around frantically, easily spotting the airtight seal has been bent on the door, and the gas could simply pass through and into their room, panic began to set in and then a slow steady beep began to transmit from the defence station. Theo approached it, ignoring the still drinking Solomon who seemed oblivious. The screen Theo found himself at showed a security clip taken from a camera with a motion sensor down the corridor from the bridge door, flagging up non-crew motion, fully expecting to see members of the party outside saw only the corridor but then he saw something on the floor amongst the rubble. His knife. The knife he had planted in the creatures arm. Another beep, another camera came into view closer to the bridge, this video clip came in slightly hazy and fuzzed a little, but the creature was unmistakable. Red skin, rows and ringlets of teeth flexing from its pulsing jaw that seemed more like an oozing open wound than a mouth. It was coming for the bridge. "wow, she looks pissed off." said Solomon with a tone that was matter of fact, he was swirling his drink with a drawn face and took another sip of the whiskey. "I don't suppose we best tell our new friends about the Mrs, shall we? Might as well let the old girl have some fun first, before we have to put her down." Continued Solomon, Theo blinked, losing a little bit more of his resolve with each passing second, he could only manage one question. "That thing's female?" he stammered, Solomon drained the last remnants of his glass, "Probably. It has the attitude of one." he said reaching for the bottle, "Hang on lads!" he called out to the party of pirates outside the door, "Just let me fill up my glass, one last drink for the road, ay?" he heard the pirates chuckle at his bravado and Zhou giving orders to get the canisters ready. "Yes, yes my friend, you have one last drink! But don't empty the bottle, I might enjoy one myself after I pry it from your dead hands."
Solomon checked the ammunition in his clip and reloaded his final magazine into the slot of his assault rifle, and then, the screams came.
No gunfire followed, but the crunching sounds of breaking bones soon reached the ears of the two soldiers awaiting their fate inside the bridge. The thuds of the bodies being thrown around like rag-dolls came to a sickening end as the creature came to be satisfied with the kills and let out another chorus of screaming roars to signify its kills. Theo swallowed hard, his hands beginning to shake, the attachment tassels and strap on his scavenged weapon rattled slightly. Solomon made to silence the noise but was too late. The creature had made the connections.
Noise behind door? Must be tasty food.
The bashing of its massive frame against the bent reinforced door soon became the only noise the two men could hear. Theo looked desperately at Solomon to miraculously come up with a plan to save them both, but instead, found their sanctuary. The door bent a little more. It wouldn't hold forever.