Run away

The woman wrenched herself free from her paralysis, terror igniting her body into action. She spun on her heel, her bare feet slipping on the wet floor, and bolted through the half-crushed blast doors, her lungs burning with each panicked gasp.

Behind her, the creature shrieked—a raw, garbled sound, halfway between static and a human scream. Metal clattered as it lurched into motion, giving chase.

The corridors became a blur of flashing lights and twisting shadows. The woman sprinted, heart hammering so loud it seemed to drown out every other sound. Her flimsy cryo-gown clung to her sweat-slicked body, every frantic movement accentuating the desperation in her trembling limbs.

She stole a glance back.

A mistake.

The thing was closer than she thought—too close. Its long, disjointed strides ate up the distance, arms outstretched, fingers flexing like broken claws.

Faster, faster! Her muscles screamed in protest. Her bare soles slapped the metal plating, slipping on patches of condensation and sparking debris.

Up ahead—an airlock.

Its control panel blinked faintly: Manual Override Required.

She barreled toward it, slamming her palm against the interface. It chirped in protest, the ancient mechanism groaning sluggishly to life.

Come on, come on, come on!

The creature's guttural panting grew louder, closer. She could feel the heat of it behind her, taste the foul stench of whatever unnatural thing it had become.

The airlock door shuddered halfway open—just enough for her to dive through.

The woman tumbled to the floor of the next compartment, rolling onto her side just in time to see the creature's arm shoot through the gap, clawing wildly. Its fingertips brushed the hem of her gown, a whisper of cold against her skin, before the door slammed shut with a seismic clang.

The ship groaned in protest, the entire hull trembling for a moment... then silence.

She lay there, gasping, her body heaving against the icy floor. Her pulse drummed against her temples, deafening in the sudden quiet.

But even as she lay there, she knew this wasn't over.

The ship felt... alive.

Sick.

Wrong.

Something deeper, darker, was at play here.

And she was still very much trapped inside it.