Leo stood in the quiet hallway, the sound of the television fading behind him. He closed his eyes, trying to listen past the deep, steady hum of the ship’s generator. CLANG. A sharp, metallic echo rang out from the stairwell directly ahead of him, followed by a low, scraping groan. Leo froze, his breath catching in his throat. His knuckles turned white around his flashlight.
He stared up the dark stairwell. Is there someone still on board? Then he noticed a faint, flickering glow reflecting against the metal walls from the very top level. A light was dancing inside the windows of the ship’s control room. It was moving, shifting back and forth like a signal in the dark.
Heart pounding against his ribs, Leo gripped the heavy flashlight like a weapon. He took a deep breath, stepped onto the first metal rung of the ladder, and began to creep upward toward the mysterious light.