In the Wake of Stars

Chapter 8: Awakening

The cryo pod hissed as the icy mist evaporated, filling the air with a cold, stale scent. Nora’s heart raced, her hand gripping her flashlight tightly. Every second felt stretched, like the ship itself was holding its breath. As the fog cleared, the figure inside slowly came into view—a man, gaunt and pale, his face hollowed by years of stasis.

Cal nudged her gently, snapping her out of her daze. “Stay back, just in case.”

The figure’s eyes fluttered open, his gaze distant and unfocused as he adjusted to the dim light. He blinked slowly, and then his eyes found Nora and Cal, a mixture of confusion and fear flickering across his face.

“Where… where am I?” he murmured, his voice rough, barely above a whisper.

“You’re on board the Endeavor,” Nora said gently. “I’m Nora, and this is Cal. Do you remember your name?”

The man’s gaze darted around the room, panic setting in as he took in the surroundings. His face twisted in pain as he tried to sit up, his muscles clearly weakened by the long sleep.

“Easy,” Cal said, helping him to a sitting position. “You’ve been in cryo for a long time. Don’t rush it.”

The man’s breathing steadied as he looked at them, eyes sharp but wary. “It’s… it’s Olsen. I was the ship’s communications officer.” His voice cracked, a hollow sound echoing through the room.

Nora felt a rush of relief but also trepidation. Here was a link to the past crew, a survivor who might know what had happened on this ship. She leaned forward, keeping her voice steady. “Olsen, can you tell us what happened here? Why is the crew missing?”

He shook his head slowly, as if the memory was painful to pull from his mind. “It… it started in the lower levels. Whispers, like voices in the walls. People thought it was just the ship settling, but then… they started seeing things.”

“Seeing what?” Cal asked, his voice edged with urgency.

Olsen’s eyes darted nervously to the shadows. “Shapes, shadows moving through the corridors. We were all on edge, snapping at each other, seeing things that shouldn’t have been there.” He took a shaky breath. “And then people began disappearing.”

Nora shivered, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. “Why didn’t you try to call for help?”

“We did.” Olsen’s face twisted with frustration. “But by the time we realized the danger, it was too late. The systems started failing—communications went down, and no one could get a message out. It felt like the ship itself was turning against us.”

Cal glanced at Nora, his expression dark. “Sounds like exactly what we’re dealing with.”

Olsen gripped the sides of the pod, his eyes wide. “Wait—there are more of you? Who’s the captain? Did anyone else make it?”

Nora hesitated, guilt seeping in. “There’s no one else awake. Just us.”

A flicker of hope died in Olsen’s eyes, replaced by a hollowness that was all too familiar to Nora. “Then… you have to leave. Whatever happened here, it’s… it’s still on the ship. It’s watching us.”

Nora looked to Cal, whose usual confident expression had turned grim. “Leaving isn’t an option,” he said. “The systems are fried, and we’re too far from Earth for a rescue. Our only option is to figure out what caused all this and stop it.”

Olsen stared at him, a hollow laugh escaping his lips. “You think you can fight it? Whatever it is, it’s not something you can just shut down. It… it got inside our heads. Drove us to madness.”