Space Bunnies!

Chapter 22: Alone

The crash ended with Kai being thrown around the ship like a stuffed animal, since he was standing, he felt the worst of it. Bodi watched with empathy as his brother got smacked around, and eventually landed on the floor. Where he simply could not hold his solid shape any longer. Kai groaned in misery as he naturally dissolved into a gooey state. Bodi jumped out of his chair to collect the thick puddle that was once his brother, "I've got you..." Bodi said to himself, as he scooped up the semi-solid blob that was his brother and funneled him into his backpack. That way he could stay close. "There. Comfy?" Body asked, looking over his shoulder. There was no response but Bodi took that as a yes. Now observing his surroundings, the ship was completely dark, without power. That spooked Bodi, even though it was his ship and he knew it like the back of his hand. The abyss was dreadful.

Bodi moved toward the very front of the ship and noticed the frost on the front glass. He tilted his head in observation and one swift motion, slid his hand across the glass. Cold to the touch, he was confused by the look of blue, but it was semi-transparent, and it looked like there was sunlight on the other end, or at least light of some kind, but not enough to illuminate the whole cabin. It was ice, Bodi was looking at solid ice. It only took a moment for him to remember he was looking at this moon's surface, they landed alright, straight into a block of ice. That made them exceptionally lucky, the ship seemed to be in one piece. There was no way they were getting out though, at least not by any normal means.

Bodi moved back toward the rear of the cockpit and reverted into his naturally gooey form, he slipped straight through the access hatch, no power, no motors. This was the only way. And since his outerwear was made of a specialized synthetic material, he was able to melt and morph with them. Kai being in a gel state also worked in Bodi's favor. Even though Bodi was naturally a good shifter, the cold was already beginning to affect him, he wasn't as maneuverable as he would've liked to be, and suddenly he was beginning to feel the weight of Kai on his back. Cold was one of the weaknesses that his species had to endure, after centuries of evolving on a tropical planet and having a body that could turn into viscous goop, it was quite obvious that they didn't play well with freezing cold or blazing heat. Bodi moved slowly to the bedroom. Acquiring a thick coat... no pants though. A coat was all that he would wear anyway. Bodi hated pants— hence the shorts.

Even his exhalations were beginning to puff out in front of him. While the Omeocoon did not have lungs, they did sometimes inhale and exhale for several reasons. Bodi was freezing... the top hatch was his best bet. He would grab the emergency duffle from underneath the shrine where his parents' and tribe friends' photos once sat. Everything was toppled over, not destroyed, but the photo frames were shattered and in pieces, but the actual memories themselves were intact. Bodi gritted his teeth as he dropped to his knees and felt around for the duffle, grabbing hold of the strap, and pulling the item out from under the shrine. He slipped that over his body and started for the hatch. When he moved back into the hallway, the ship whistled with the cool wind and continued creaking and groaning as it settled into the compressed ice of wherever it had crashed into.

Bodi paused in fear, looking down at the pitch-black corridor. No one, he turned his head toward the cockpit, no monsters. Still, Bodi opened the bag and pulled out the flashlight, he clicked the switch on the side, and the torch did not turn on, Bodi shook the thing and pounded it against one of the bulkheads, "Come on!" He hissed, frustrations of the entire situation seething from his voice as he struggled with his only source of solace, and finally after just about the ninth or tenth shake— the device ignited the hallway, beaming a constant stream of uninterrupted light down toward an empty corridor. Bodi sighed in relief as he realized he was alone. Bodi started for the corridor, which eventually led to the ladder that would lead up to the top hatch, one rail at a time until he reached the access hatch.

He pressed the button that was supposed to actuate the door open, no response. Should've been expected. There was no way he could morph, it was far too cold now, and he couldn't shapeshift with the duffle bag in the way. He put the flashlight into his mouth and tried with both hands to push the hatch open. The light of day was forcing its way in with every inch that Bodi pushed open. He was making it!