The Last Starship

Chapter 1: The Signal

The last starship drifted through the void.

For decades, the Erebus had been silent, lost to the stars after the fall of the Orion Dominion. It had once been humanity’s greatest achievement—a vessel capable of interstellar travel, equipped with technology beyond imagination. But now, it was a ghost ship.

Until it wasn’t.

“Captain, we have a signal.”

Adrian Holt looked up from his console, his brow furrowing. The bridge of the Odyssey—a deep-space salvage cruiser—was filled with a dull red glow, emergency lights flickering as their systems struggled to stay online.

“From where?” he asked.

The comms officer, Elara Voss, hesitated. “From the Erebus.”

Adrian’s stomach tightened. That ship had been missing for fifty years. No distress signals. No survivors. Nothing.

Until now.

“Put it on speakers,” he ordered.

Elara tapped a few buttons. Static crackled through the bridge, followed by a voice—distorted, distant, and cold.

“…Help us… trapped… they are still here…”

Then silence.

Adrian exchanged a look with his crew.

The Erebus was abandoned. There shouldn’t be anyone left.

And yet…

“Set course,” he said grimly. “We’re going in.”

Chapter 2: Boarding the Ghost Ship

The Odyssey docked with the Erebus on its starboard side, its metal hull groaning as it latched onto the derelict ship.

Adrian led the boarding team—Elara, Dr. Malik (the ship’s medical officer), and two security personnel, Reese and Vaughn. Their boots clanked against the metallic floor as they stepped through the airlock, weapons at the ready.

The interior was eerily silent.

Frost clung to the walls, the temperature far lower than expected. The emergency lights flickered, casting long shadows down the empty corridors.

“This place is dead,” Vaughn muttered.

Adrian wasn’t so sure.

They pressed forward, their flashlights illuminating abandoned workstations and shattered glass. The deeper they went, the stronger a strange odor became—something metallic and decayed.

Then they reached the bridge.

The control panels were still active, their screens filled with unreadable text. And in the captain’s chair sat a body.

Or at least, what was left of one.

The corpse was shriveled, its skin stretched tight over bone. Its eyes were hollow pits, its mouth frozen in a silent scream.

Elara turned away, covering her mouth. “What the hell happened here?”

Adrian stepped closer. There was something off about the body—something unnatural.

Then the monitors flickered.

A new message appeared on the main screen.

“YOU ARE NOT ALONE.”

A chill ran down Adrian’s spine.

And then, the lights went out.

Chapter 3: The Shadows That Move

The emergency beacons kicked in, bathing the bridge in deep red.

Vaughn raised his weapon. “What the hell was that?”

A noise echoed from the corridor behind them—like metal scraping against metal.

Adrian signaled for silence.

Then something moved in the shadows.

It was fast. Too fast.

Reese barely had time to scream before it grabbed him.

A thing—twisted, humanoid, with elongated limbs and hollow black eyes—lunged from the darkness, yanking Reese into the corridor. His screams turned into a sickening gurgle.

Then silence.

Elara clutched Adrian’s arm, her breath ragged. “We need to go. Now.”

They ran.

Down the hallways, past the abandoned rooms, back toward the airlock. But the ship was changing.

The corridors twisted. What had once been a clear path back to the Odyssey was now an unfamiliar labyrinth.

Adrian stopped, his heart pounding. “This isn’t possible.”

“This ship isn’t dead,” Malik whispered. “It’s alive.”

Chapter 4: The Truth About Erebus

Adrian took a deep breath, trying to focus. “We need to get to engineering. If we can restart the main systems, maybe we can find another way out.”

Elara hesitated, then nodded.

They moved quickly, but the ship was watching them. Shadows shifted unnaturally. The air was thick with whispers.

Finally, they reached engineering.

The main reactor still hummed with power, but something else drew Adrian’s attention.

A massive containment pod.

Inside it was a creature.

Seven feet tall. Skin like cracked obsidian. Empty black eyes.

It was strapped down, but its chest still rose and fell.

Elara stared in horror. “That’s not human.”

Malik paled. “This is why the Erebus vanished.”

A terminal nearby flickered to life, showing the captain’s final log.

Adrian pressed play.

A broken voice filled the room.

“We thought we could control it. We were wrong. It’s not just one of them. It’s the ship now. If you find this… run.”

Then the recording cut off.

A sharp metallic click echoed behind them.

The containment pod was opening.

Chapter 5: No Escape

Adrian didn’t wait.

“RUN!” he shouted.

They bolted down the hall, the sound of heavy footsteps thundering behind them. Whatever had been in that pod was awake—and it was coming.

They reached an access hatch and climbed inside, sealing it behind them.

Vaughn panted, his hands shaking. “We are so screwed.”

Adrian’s mind raced. They couldn’t get back to the Odyssey. The corridors had shifted. The ship itself was fighting them.

But then, he noticed something.

The emergency escape pods.

“Plan B,” Adrian said. “We launch ourselves out of here.”

They sprinted toward the escape bay, the walls around them twisting, bleeding. The ship roared, the creature’s howls echoing through the halls.

One pod remained.

“GO!” Adrian shouted, shoving Elara inside. Vaughn and Malik followed.

Just as Adrian reached the door, something grabbed him.

A hand—cold, clawed, and impossibly strong.

The creature loomed over him, its hollow eyes filled with hunger.

Adrian twisted, yanking out his plasma cutter.

And fired.

The blast tore through the creature’s chest, sending it sprawling back.

Adrian didn’t wait. He jumped into the pod, slamming the launch button.

The hatch sealed. The thrusters ignited.

And the pod shot away from the cursed ship.

Epilogue: The Signal Continues

The Odyssey picked them up hours later.

Adrian slumped in his chair, staring out the viewport. The Erebus drifted in the distance, silent once more.

Then, the comms flickered.

A voice crackled through the speakers.

“…Help us… trapped… they are still here…”

Elara turned to Adrian, her face pale. “It’s still broadcasting.”

Adrian exhaled.

No one would believe them.

And one day, someone else would answer the call.

Just like they did.

The Erebus would wait.

And it would never let them go.

THE END.