Episode 5: Trapped
242 Words
The doorway behind them sealed shut with a deep, echoing thud.
Captain Voss turned fast, pressing against the smooth, dark wall. “Luma! The exit just closed!”
The AI’s voice crackled in their helmets. “Attempting to override… No response. You are locked inside.”
Ng slammed his gloved fist against the surface. “Damn it! It’s like the ship is alive.”
A low hum filled the corridor. The pulsing lights along the walls changed color—from cold white to a deep, pulsing red.
Dr. Rao swallowed hard. “I think… it knows we’re here.”
Holt raised her weapon. “Then we need to be ready.”
The corridor shifted. The walls moved—closing in.
“No, no, no—” Ng’s scanner beeped wildly. “The space is shrinking!”
Voss clenched his jaw. They had to move. “Everyone, go! Now!”
They ran. The red lights pulsed faster, the hum turning into a deep vibration beneath their feet. Ahead, the corridor opened into a vast, circular chamber.
And in the center of it, something floated.
A black, shifting sphere. Pulsing with the same rhythm as the Signal.
Dr. Rao’s breath caught. “That’s it. That’s the source.”
The ship suddenly lurched. The sphere pulsed faster.
And then—they heard a voice.
Not through their comms. Not from the ship.
Inside their minds.
“You should not be here.”
To be continued…
- Writer
