Scott opened his eyes and tried to look, but Gabriel stopped him. He covered Scott's eyes with his palm and pressed his head into his own chest. Gabriel stared into the empty space and heard the scream of a grown man. The demon had been injured, and it bellowed in agony. Gabriel's eyes shifted in the darkness as a drone buzzed down the hall in front of them, fired two more blasts of white light, and then, more agonizing screams.

Gabriel held onto Scott tighter, as now Scott knew what was happening.

He said, "they're killing my dad!" Scott pushed Gabriel and tried to stand up. Gabriel clutched Scott's leg hard, but not hard enough. Scott slipped out of his captor's grip and ran toward the drone firing beams of light at his father. His mouth fell open as he saw the horror unfolding before him.

The demon had receded somewhere inside of Keith, and now all that remained was a broken man writhing on the floor. Surrounding him were four drones, each blasting him with a laser. For each blast, a new hole had been cut into his skin.

Gabriel rushed from behind and scooped up Scott. He knew Scott was ready to break the drones, or at least going to attack them. Gabriel sprinted down the hall with Scott on his shoulder, and as he did so, the demon returned. It reached for the drones and encompassed them in shadows. Gabriel turned around and saw the aliens concede and begin to flee. The drones which seemed to keep it under control were crushed by an unknown force and fell to the floor.

Gabriel sprinted hard as the loud bangs returned. The deep breaths of the demon echoed through the hall, but Gabriel could not see it. Now that the halls were darker, and dimly lit, he hadn't the faintest clue about the demon's whereabouts, only that he could hear it banging. He pressed on anyway as he carried the boy deeper, following a random path, around many bends and corners, until they reached a spot resembling a reactor room.

The room itself was quite large, and there were crimson streaks reflecting what little light shown itself. Gabriel entered the room and laid Scott down on the floor. The boy covered his face with his palms and began to cry.

He said, "my dad's not going to heaven. Why didn't you save him?"

Gabriel, worn thin and tired, snapped, "would you shut up about your dad! I'm trying to keep you alive so that way you can at least return home to your mother! Scott, your dad is finished, don't you get it? We're going to have to destroy him if we're going to survive this!"

Scott's whimpers became an uncontrollable sob. He knew that what Gabriel said was the truth, and there were only two outcomes. Neither of them were appealing.

Gabriel's conviction faltered as he realized he had just scolded a ten-year-old boy who was grieving the possible loss of his father. He sat beside him and took his hand.

Gabriel whispered, "look, I'm sorry. I don't know what to do in this situation. I was certain we'd somehow be saved by now, but I think we have come to a point where we must save ourselves. I'm sorry for yelling at you. I'm sorry."

Scott's face flushed with defeat and a terrible gloom was expressed with a frown and silence. As the air felt thick with desperation, Gabriel felt something twist inside his stomach.

Guilt.

Shame.

Regret.

Gabriel turned away from the boy and pressed his fingertips against the bridge of his nose. He wondered if there was any chance, he could somehow escape the ship, and if so, how they could return home. Against doubt and tribulation, he pressed his hands together and prayed.

He whispered, "dear lord almighty, heavenly father, I ask for your assistance in this perilous time. I have been a faithful servant for decades, and now I am faced with no other option but to request your absolute divine strength. Please deliver us from this place and into the arms of our homes, or at the very least, far away from this alien craft. We do not belong here, and we do not know why you have placed us here. Please, save us from this prolonged torture. Thank you, amen."

Gabriel peeled his eyes open and saw that he and Scott were still stuck in the spacecraft. He waited, expecting some kind of miracle. Perhaps a portal to open, or for God itself to arrive in a ball of white light. No such comfort came, because as he waited, the ship still hummed and the scent of burnt rubber remained in the air.

A magic portal and a being which could whisk them away to safety did not, nor could ever manifest itself for him. Gabriel began to pout as he looked forward at the wall. He waited for at least a rejection of his prayer but didn't even get that. He felt forsaken by the God he admired and served. He begged for a miracle, until he, too, began to weep.

Together, Gabriel and Scott silently shed their tears for nearly an hour until they heard something gasping for breath behind them.

Gabriel turned around and saw what appeared to be a gray-skinned alien hunched against the wall. It had a large gash beneath its ribs and a chuck of its neck had been bitten out. Its black eyes remained fixed on Gabriel, and for a moment, it reached for them. As Gabriel studied the alien, it fidgeted and the crimson pool it sat in grew in width. The alien was nearing its end. It reached for Gabriel's hand once more, but this time, it failed to keep it suspended in the air.

Gabriel tried to remember if he saw the alien sneak in behind them, and was reminded of the crimson splayed across the wall. He assumed the alien had been there all along, slowly fading because of its wounds. After contemplating the situation, he saw there was no reason to fear the alien.

If the creature wanted them gone, it would have been rid of them long ago. Since the alien is on the threshold of the afterlife, it seemed unlikely it would have the strength to fight back. While keeping this in mind, Gabriel reached for the alien, and the alien lifted its hand into the air. Three gray fingers and a thumb reached for him.

Gabriel grabbed the alien's hand, and he felt part of himself disconnect from this world. His mind had been taken to another place, a location where the galaxies were charted like a map of stars, and somehow, he knew exactly where earth was.

Seventy-two thousand light years away. Gabriel felt the fingers of whatever was guiding him pull him in a new direction. 

https://youtu.be/ZoltmTANsk4