Excerpt: We, Who are About to Die

Her heels were dragging on the floor and something felt uncomfortable under her arms. She wanted to protest, but her words emerged as bubbles.
‘Quickly now, she’s starting to come round. Strip her, no ID left. This will do it. Just another prostitute who OD’d.’
Gurminde felt cold and a needle stuck in her arm. ‘Whah?’
A hand grabbed her face and turned her to look at her new captain. ‘That should get rid of our little sleeper spy set in the ship by the Fleet Commander.’
‘Sir, the station security are coming along.’
‘Quick, help me put her in here. That way no one will find her in time.’
There was a clanking and Gurminde dropped onto something soft, which stank. It churned her abused stomach. Her muscles barely turned her head in time, the vomit spewed into her hair. And the kaleidoscope of colours came spinning back.
The colours didn’t have a time. But later blinding light burned through them.
‘What’s this? A person?’
‘No, it’s just another of the devil breed. Bet she tried to hide in here from the round up, once that battleship had left. Looks like the vapours got to her. Call station security.’
‘What’s she naked for?’
The light went away. But the colours began to claw at her and crawled over her body. It itched. Then the burning light was back.
A cold metal something grabbed her and hauled her into the light, she tried to fight it and go back into the dark but the colours were there waiting to eat her. The movement was too much her abused body spewed up again.
‘Oh God! It’s a druggie. Get her into the hospital wing and pumped out and hosed down. She looks a young one, the sisters’ll pay good premium for her.’
She was bound onto a board and the colours tried to creep out of the darkness and she screamed.