In the Wake of Stars

Chapter 3: Treading in Darkness

Nora woke the next day to an unsettling silence, broken only by the quiet hum of the ship. Every noise seemed to echo in the hollow space around her, amplifying her unease. She rubbed her face, willing herself to shake off the residual fog of cryosleep, but the tension lingered, sitting heavy in her chest.

As she slipped out of her small quarters, she spotted Cal leaning over one of the consoles in the bridge, his focus intense as he scanned through endless lines of data. For a moment, he almost looked like he was actually worried about something. She approached, wary but curious, her footsteps careful.

“Anything?” she asked, trying to keep her tone casual.

He barely glanced up, his expression unreadable. “Depends on how you define ‘anything.’ I’ve pulled up everything in the system’s logs from the past year.” He gestured at the screen, where rows of corrupted files and missing entries filled the display. “Most of it is junk. Whoever left this ship didn’t want anyone to know what happened.”

She frowned, her eyes narrowing. “You think someone sabotaged the logs?”

“Unless you’re assuming the ship developed a mind of its own, then yes.” He finally looked at her, his dark gaze probing. “You seem awfully surprised. Isn’t this kind of a part of the job?”

She let out a short, sharp laugh. “You think being stranded on a ship with a missing crew and corrupted files is normal? Maybe for you, but not for me.”

His lips twisted into that familiar smirk, a spark of amusement flickering behind his eyes. “So, princess, what exactly were you expecting? A cruise through space, complete with a safety net?”

Nora clenched her fists, feeling her frustration rising again. “Just because I’m not as jaded as you doesn’t mean I’m naïve. We’re supposed to be a team, Cal. If there’s something wrong, I deserve to know.”

“Oh, you’ll know.” He leaned in, his voice a low murmur laced with dark amusement. “But only if you can handle it. This isn’t a game.”

Her breath hitched, but she refused to back down. “And you think you can handle it? You’ve barely done anything useful since we woke up.”

His smirk vanished, replaced by a cold, calculating expression. “I’ve done more than you realize. But if you want to feel useful, be my guest.” He gestured toward a maintenance hatch nearby, barely lit by the dim emergency lights. “There’s a malfunction in the lower corridors. See if you can figure it out.”

Nora stared at the hatch, dread pooling in her stomach. The corridors beneath the bridge were narrow, filled with the thrum of exposed pipes and machinery. Every step echoed as if the darkness itself were watching, waiting. She cast a quick, suspicious glance back at Cal, who just raised an eyebrow, almost daring her.

“Fine,” she muttered, stepping toward the hatch. She wasn’t going to let him intimidate her, no matter how much he enjoyed watching her squirm.

---

The lower corridors were worse than she’d anticipated. Red emergency lights flickered sporadically, casting shadows that twisted with every movement. She could hear the low, rumbling hum of the ship’s core somewhere deeper down, its vibrations sending shivers up her spine.

As she moved through the narrow passage, she caught sight of a dark smear on one of the bulkheads. She froze, her breath catching as she took a closer look. It was a handprint, half-faded but unmistakably smeared with dried blood.

“Perfect,” she muttered under her breath, a sinking feeling settling in. Her first instinct was to turn back and confront Cal, demand answers. But she forced herself to keep moving. If he’d sent her down here, he probably already knew.

The emergency lights blinked out, plunging the corridor into pitch blackness. Her heart pounded as she fumbled in the dark, reaching for the wall to steady herself. She took a shaky breath, forcing her voice to stay steady.

“Cal?” she called out, feeling foolish for hoping he was anywhere close.

No response. Of course not.

She pulled a flashlight from her belt, flicking it on and illuminating the narrow corridor ahead. Her pulse quickened as she crept forward, scanning each inch of the walls for anything unusual. Eventually, she found the access panel he’d mentioned, wires exposed and sparking faintly.

Kneeling down, she took a closer look at the mess of tangled wires, trying to calm her nerves. She knew enough about ship mechanics to manage basic repairs, but the eerie silence made every small sound magnified, every creak a potential threat.

Just as she started rewiring, a voice echoed down the corridor, startling her.

“Need a hand?”

Nora jumped, whirling around to find Cal standing in the shadows behind her, his expression unreadable.

“Where did you even come from?” she demanded, her voice sharper than intended.

His smirk returned, faint but unmistakable. “I have my ways.”

She scowled, more frustrated by her own reaction than by him. “You sent me down here alone, and now you’re just… appearing out of nowhere? Are you trying to mess with me?”

He shrugged, leaning casually against the wall. “Just wanted to make sure you weren’t too out of your depth. Wouldn’t want you getting scared.”

“Scared?” She huffed, trying to ignore the shiver in her spine. “I’m fine. Unlike you, I’m actually trying to do something productive.”

He watched her in silence, a flicker of something darker in his gaze. Then he stepped closer, close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from him in the cold corridor.

“You keep telling yourself that, princess,” he murmured, his voice a low, unsettling rumble. “But remember, there’s a difference between being brave and being reckless.”

Her breath caught, the closeness making it impossible to ignore his presence. She met his gaze, unwilling to show even a hint of weakness.

“I’m neither,” she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “Maybe you’re just not used to people who actually care about the mission.”

For a split second, something flickered in his expression, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. He chuckled, a low, mocking sound that made her skin prickle. “Maybe. But don’t get any ideas about being a hero, Nora. This ship’s secrets run deeper than you think.”

With that, he turned and walked back down the corridor, his footsteps echoing as he disappeared into the darkness, leaving her alone once more with the flickering lights and the dried blood.

She swallowed, her mind racing with questions she couldn’t answer, and one she couldn’t shake:

Who—or what—had left those bloody handprints?