A Haunting In Space

Finn's fingers flew across the console, desperation clawing at him. "Lyra, do you read? Lyra, respond!" Only static answered, a harsh, grating noise that made his teeth ache. Then, a faint, rhythmic clicking, like chitin on metal, pulsed through the comm system. A cold dread gripped him. He knew, with a sickening certainty, that Lyra was gone.

Suddenly, the station lurched violently. Red lights flashed, bathing the cramped module in a strobe-like, hellish glow. Klaxons blared, their piercing wail echoing through the station, a symphony of impending doom. "Hull breach, Sector Gamma! Hull breach, Sector Gamma!" the automated voice shrieked.

Panic seized the remaining crew – four souls trapped in a metal coffin hurtling through the void. Besides Finn, there was Dr. Aris Thorne, the station's xeno-biologist, his face a mask of terror; Lieutenant Jian, the station's security officer, scrambling for his emergency pulse rifle; and young Lena, the communications specialist, her eyes wide with fear, tears streaming down her face.

"Seal the emergency bulkhead!" Thorne yelled, his voice barely audible above the din. "Jian, get to Sector Gamma! Now!"

Jian nodded grimly and sprinted out of the module. Finn watched him go, knowing, deep down, that it was a futile gesture. Whatever had taken Lyra… it wouldn't be stopped by a simple bulkhead.

The clicking grew louder, closer. A monstrous screech echoed through the station, a sound that ripped through the metal walls and burrowed into their brains. Then, a section of the wall near the airlock buckled inwards, groaning under immense pressure. The metal shrieked, tearing like paper, and the Umbra forced its way into the station.

It was even more terrifying up close. Its massive form filled the corridor, its crimson eyes burning with malevolent hunger. Its mandibles dripped with a viscous, phosphorescent fluid, and its chitinous exoskeleton was stained with something dark and glistening. Lyra.

The creature moved with surprising speed, its whip-like appendages lashing out, tearing through the air. Jian, barely managing to raise his pulse rifle, was the first to fall. The Umbra's barbed appendage wrapped around his torso, lifting him into the air. Jian screamed, his voice cut short as the creature's mandibles snapped shut around his head. A sickening crunch echoed through the station, followed by the spray of blood and bone.

Thorne, his face pale and slick with sweat, grabbed Lena and tried to pull her towards the escape pods. But it was too late. The Umbra lunged, its razor-sharp claws slicing through Thorne's spacesuit like butter. His screams mingled with Lena's as the creature tore them apart, their blood painting the metal walls in grotesque patterns.

Finn watched, frozen in terror, as the Umbra moved through the station, a whirlwind of death and destruction. He knew he was next. He closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

Suddenly, Lena, or what was left of her, was thrown against the wall next to Finn. Her eyes were wide open and lifeless, her body almost completely bisected. The impact splattered him with blood and viscera. He could feel the warmth of her blood soaking into his suit.

Then, through the chaos and the carnage, a flicker of light appeared on the main screen. A message flashed: Inbound Martian Trade Vessel – ETA 20 minutes. Twenty minutes. A lifetime.

The Umbra turned its crimson eyes on Finn. It tilted its head, as if studying him, savoring his fear. It took a step closer, its clicking mandibles dripping with the blood of his crewmates. He knew there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. He was the last one.

The creature lunged.

Finn flinched, bracing for the inevitable. But instead of the searing pain he expected, the Umbra's claw ripped past his face, tearing through the console next to him. He stumbled back, adrenaline surging through his veins, a desperate jolt against the paralyzing fear. He had to move. Had to survive.

He threw himself into a narrow maintenance crawlway, barely big enough for a human to squeeze through. The Umbra, momentarily distracted by the flickering lights of the approaching vessel, didn't immediately follow.

Finn didn't wait to see if it would. He scrambled through the cramped space, the rough metal tearing at his suit, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He had to reach the docking bay, the Martian Dawn. It was his only chance.

The clicking of the Umbra's mandibles echoed behind him, growing fainter as he crawled deeper into the station's guts. He could still hear the creature's enraged shriek, a sound that promised a gruesome, drawn-out death. He didn't dare look back.

He reached a small, disused storage area near the docking bay and squeezed inside, collapsing behind a stack of crates. He could hear the Martian Dawn docking, the hiss of airlocks sealing, the thud of magnetic clamps. A fragile spark of hope flickered in his chest. He was close.

He waited, listening with agonizing intensity. He heard voices, muffled and distorted through the station's thick metal walls. Human voices. Then, the roar of pulse rifles, followed by inhuman screeches. The Umbra was still here, and it was hunting.

He huddled in the darkness, every muscle tense, every nerve screaming for him to run, to hide, to survive.

The Martian Dawn's docking clamps hissed as they secured the vessel to the ravaged Enceladus station. Seven figures, clad in armored suits, emerged from the airlock, their pulse rifles raised, beams of tactical light cutting through the oppressive darkness. The air inside the station was thick with the metallic tang of blood and the cloying, sickly sweet scent of the Umbra's secretions – a smell that clung to the back of their throats like a shroud.

"Void's breath…" muttered Riker, the Martian Dawn's pilot, his voice barely a whisper. "It's… a slaughterhouse."

"Stay sharp," ordered Commander Reyes, her voice hard, masking the unease in her eyes. "We don't know what we're dealing with."

They moved cautiously through the station, their boots crunching on shattered debris and… something wet and sticky. The silence was unnerving, broken only by the hum of the station's failing life support and the rhythmic click… click… of something unseen.

"Sector Gamma is clear," reported Diaz, the team's medic, his voice tight. "But… you need to see this."

Reyes, Riker, and Diaz entered the airlock control room. The sight that greeted them made their stomachs churn. The walls were painted with blood, interspersed with glistening trails of… something. A section of the viewport was shattered, jagged shards of glass scattered across the floor. And in the center of the room, or what was left of it, was Jian. His body was… incomplete.

"By the void…" Diaz breathed, his face pale. "What could do this?"

"Something big," Reyes replied grimly. "And it's still here."

"Let's split up," she continued. "Diaz, you're with me. Riker, you and Lena check the life support systems. Marcus and Zara, you two sweep the science labs. We regroup in the command module in one hour. And keep your eyes peeled."

The teams moved out, the silence closing in around them like a predator. Jax and Lena headed towards the life support section, their lights dancing across the metal walls. As they rounded a corner, they saw it.

The Umbra.

It was perched on the ceiling, its massive form casting a grotesque shadow. Its crimson eyes glowed with malevolent intelligence. It was feeding on something… something that was once human.

Lena screamed, a high-pitched shriek that echoed through the station. The Umbra turned its head, its mandibles clicking menacingly. Riker raised his pulse rifle, firing a volley of energy bolts. The bolts struck the creature, but they seemed to have little effect. The Umbra shrieked, a sound that vibrated through the station, and lunged.

Lena didn't have a chance. The Umbra's whip-like appendage snaked out, wrapping around her torso. Her screams were cut short as the creature's mandibles closed around her head.

Riker fired again, hitting the Umbra in the flank. This time, the creature recoiled, a hiss of pain escaping its mandibles. A dark, viscous fluid oozed from the wound. It was hurt, but it wasn't down.

Riker knew he had to get out, had to warn the others. He turned and ran, the Umbra's screeching pursuit echoing behind him.

Meanwhile, in the science labs, Marcus and Zara were finding their own horrors. They discovered Thorne's lab, its contents strewn across the floor, equipment smashed, samples… gone.

And in the corner, they found Thorne. Or what was left of him.

Suddenly, a clicking sound echoed through the lab. Click… click…

"It's here," Zara whispered, her hand tightening on her pulse rifle.

The Umbra dropped from the ceiling, landing silently between them and the door. It was even larger than they had imagined, its crimson eyes burning with predatory hunger.

Marcus fired first, his pulse rifle spitting bolts of energy. The Umbra shrieked, dodging some of the bolts, absorbing others. It lunged, its claws tearing through Zara's armor. She screamed, her voice cut short as the creature's mandibles snapped shut around her throat.

Marcus fired again, hitting the Umbra in the face. The creature recoiled, momentarily blinded. Marcus seized the opportunity, sprinting out of the lab, the Umbra's enraged screech echoing behind him.

Back in the command module, Reyes and Diaz were reviewing the station's schematics. Suddenly, the comm system crackled to life.

"Commander, it's Riker!" His voice was panicked, breathless. "We've encountered the creature! Lena's… gone! It's… it's the biggest Umbra I've ever seen!"

"Riker, get back here!" Reyes shouted into the comm. "We're regrouping in the command module!"

A few minutes later, Riker and Marcus stumbled into the command module, their faces pale, their armor torn and bloodied.

"Lena and Zara are dead," Riker gasped, his voice trembling. "It… it got them."

"We know," Reyes said grimly. "We found Jian and Thorne. This thing… it's a killing machine."

Suddenly, a voice spoke from the shadows.

"I can confirm that," Finn said, stepping into the light. "I've seen it."