In the Wake of Stars

Chapter 6: Shadows of the Past

Nora and Cal stepped into the dimly lit corridor that led to the lower levels of the ship, the air growing colder as they descended. The silence was almost oppressive, broken only by the sound of their footsteps echoing against the metal floor. The feeling of being watched crept over Nora once more, but she shook it off. They were armed, and they were together—what could go wrong?

“Stay close,” Cal said, his voice low but steady. “We don’t know what’s down here.”

Nora nodded, gripping her flashlight tighter, its beam cutting through the darkness like a lifeline. “Right. Just stick to the plan: find answers, find the crew, and get out.”

They moved cautiously, the light from their flashlights revealing faded markings on the walls and debris littering the ground. The ship felt like a tomb, and the further they went, the more she felt the weight of its history pressing down on her.

Cal halted abruptly, shining his flashlight on a door marked with a faded red symbol—MAINTENANCE HATCH. “This could be where the previous crew had been working. They might have left something behind.”

“Let’s check it out,” Nora said, her pulse quickening as they approached the door. She felt a mix of excitement and dread, a pull toward the unknown that compelled her to push forward.

Cal pressed the panel, and the door slid open with a low hiss, revealing a small room filled with tools and equipment, but it was the floor that caught Nora’s attention. Dark stains marred the metal, resembling the bloody handprints she had seen earlier. She stepped closer, heart racing as she examined the area.

“This isn’t good,” she murmured, feeling a chill run down her spine. “This is what I saw earlier.”

Cal knelt beside her, his expression shifting from casual to serious as he examined the stains. “What do you think happened here?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted, a lump forming in her throat. “But whatever it was, it wasn’t just an accident.”

He stood, running a hand through his hair, frustration evident in his eyes. “There has to be something here that can help us figure it out. There’s no way the crew just disappeared without a fight.”

Nora’s gaze drifted to a nearby wall, where a faded poster hung—STAY CALM. REMAIN IN YOUR QUARTERS. HELP WILL ARRIVE. The irony of the message struck her, and she felt a wave of anger surge through her.

“Help didn’t arrive, did it?” she said bitterly. “They were left here to rot.”

Cal met her gaze, his expression softening for a moment. “We won’t let that happen to us. We’ll find a way out.”

“Assuming there is a way out,” she replied, the fear creeping back into her voice. “What if we’re next?”

Cal stepped closer, his presence both intimidating and oddly comforting. “We’re not going to think like that. We’re going to think like survivors.”

“Right,” she said, taking a steadying breath. “Let’s keep searching.”

As they rummaged through the room, Nora’s fingers brushed against a small data pad, its screen flickering weakly. “Cal, over here!”

He joined her, peering at the device as she turned it on. The screen displayed a series of logs, most of which were corrupted, but a few lines were still legible.

“Crew Status: Anomalies reported in maintenance. Members experiencing auditory hallucinations. Isolation protocols recommended.”

Nora’s heart sank as she read the words. “They were hearing things… just like the last recordings.”

Cal cursed under his breath. “So, it wasn’t just the whispers. They were driven to madness down here.”

“What does that mean for us?” Nora asked, her voice trembling. “What if it’s contagious?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted, a shadow passing over his features. “But we need to be careful. We can’t let this place get inside our heads.”

“Agreed,” she said, fighting to keep her mind clear. “We need to find a way to communicate with the ship’s mainframe. If we can get the systems online, maybe we can figure out what caused all this.”

Cal nodded, his eyes scanning the room. “There might be more data pads around here. Let’s keep looking.”

They continued searching the maintenance room, tension hanging between them like a charged wire. Every creak of the ship and flicker of the lights sent Nora’s heart racing, but she pushed her fear aside, determined to focus on the task at hand.

As they reached the far end of the room, Nora spotted another data pad half-buried under debris. “Cal, look!”

He moved to her side, brushing the dust off the device. “Let’s see if this one works.”

As he powered it on, the screen flickered to life, displaying a series of distress signals and logs from the crew. Nora leaned in closer, her heart racing as she read the most recent entry.

“We’re trapped. The ship is compromised. We can hear them—whispers in the vents. It’s only a matter of time before they find us.”

Cal’s jaw tightened as he read the words, and Nora felt a chill run through her. “We need to get out of here. This is getting worse by the minute.”

“Not yet,” he said, a steely resolve in his voice. “We need to find the source of these anomalies. If we can shut them down, maybe we can regain control of the ship.”

“Shut down what? We don’t even know what we’re dealing with!” she protested, anxiety spiking in her chest.

“We’ll figure it out,” he insisted, his expression hardening. “We can’t run away every time we feel scared.”

Nora swallowed, anger and fear colliding within her. “Fine, but we need to be smart about this. We can’t afford to lose our minds like the crew did.”

He studied her for a moment, and for a fleeting second, she saw a flicker of something in his eyes—admiration? “Agreed. Let’s head deeper into the ship and see if we can find the control room.”

As they exited the maintenance hatch, the shadows seemed to shift around them, and the air grew heavier, thicker with unspoken tension. With each step they took, Nora felt the weight of the ship pressing down on her. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was lurking just out of sight, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

As they descended further into the depths of the ship, the darkness closed in around them, and the whispers of the past grew louder, echoing in her mind. But alongside that fear was a spark of determination. They were in this together, and she would do everything in her power to ensure they made it out alive.

And as they ventured deeper into the abyss, she couldn’t help but wonder what other secrets lay hidden in the shadows, waiting to be uncovered.