Chapter 76
Seventy-Six
Autumn made her way with her dad through a long dark hallway. They each held a sharp saber in their hand. The fleshy walls pulsated. Droplets of water trickled down them like beads of sweat.
She led the way, and he followed close behind. She wondered where Dante was on the ship, and it surprised her she hadn’t encountered him yet.
Suddenly, her dad stopped in his tracks. She turned around to see what was wrong.
He sighed. “Autumn, something is eating away at me. Something you said earlier.”
A period of silence followed.
“What?” She couldn’t think straight as adrenaline coursed through her veins. She had to find Dante. They had to get out of here. Her heart thundered in her ears. What could she have possibly said that’d upset him in the short time they’d been reunited?
He stuttered, bringing his dark-brown eyes to hers. “Well, you mentioned you murdered someone before. Is it true?”
Oh, that. She sighed. How she wished she hadn’t brought it up at all. Guilt coursed through her body for worrying her dad after everything he’d been through. He didn’t need this on top of everything else.
Her bottom lip quivered as her heart sank in her chest. Her stomach flip-flopped.
“If something happened out here in space, I just want to let you know that I don’t blame you. These creatures are horrifying, unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. They’re deadly and will stop at nothing to harm others. And if one of them tried to hurt you, then you made the right call. I would’ve done the same thing.”
“No, it’s not that,” she glanced away, struggling to find the right words under the circumstances. She closed her eyes taking deep controlled breaths before finally admitting. “It’s mom.”
His thick brows furrowed. “Mom? What are you talking about?”
“It’s all my fault,” her voice skipped.
“What is?”
“That she’s gone.”
She paused for a moment; in disbelief she was about to tell him what happened. She’d been haunted for years by the last time they were together. She hadn’t had a moment’s rest. “She was hit by a guy from my school who was driving on his permit overnight. But it was my fault she was out,” her throat went bone dry. “We chose not to tell you so you wouldn’t get upset.”
He threw a hand across his whiskered mouth, shaking his head. “How did you find out who hit her, or have you always known?”
“Dante.”
His face hardened with anger. Lines crinkled across his brow. “I see. Somehow, I figured he was responsible for this.”
She continued. “Caleb and I had a fight, and I smashed my phone out of anger. Mom found out, and she left the house to get me a new one during her morning jog so you wouldn’t know. Dad, I’m so sorry,” her chest grew heavy with pain.
His brows furrowed, before he hugged her again. “That was not your fault, none of this is. Her death was an accident. You’re not to blame. Unfortunately, it’s just one of those things that no matter how we look at it, couldn’t have been changed. I’m glad you were honest with me though. Let’s not keep anything from each other ever again. We used to tell each other everything, until?—”
BANG, BANG, BANG, the sound rattled her to the core. She pulled away holding her saber. Her black-gloved palm slipped against the pommel.
“What was that?” Her Dad’s eyes widened beneath his cracked silver frames.
“I don’t know,” she admitted, but there was only one way to find out. They had explored most of the ship except for the lowermost level.
They descended the final flight of steps. Autumn was sure to keep her eyes peeled and her wits about her. Her dad followed close behind.
Loud crashing continued as they advanced on the tips of their toes, trying their best to move as quietly as they could, so as not to be detected.
They arrived at an open doorway. She peeked around the corner to where the ruckus was coming from. Oh my gosh. Autumn’s legs wobbled beneath her weight, and her dad caught her before she hit the ground, giving their position away. She was shocked and horrified and disgusted at what she saw. She cupped a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from screaming.