Chapter 0.5

Arc 1: Starlight

Chapter 0.5

The glass had puckered into his face. The sharp shards had littered around his body.

His vision wavered, and his head pounded from the impact of the fall. His white hair was soaked in ash and blood.

-The pain. It's in my back!

He couldn't scream or speak. Blood clogged his throat as something massive laid its talons on his back.

He reached out in front of him and dug his weak hand into the ashy ground he laid upon. The talons dug deeper into his spine.

-This is not how I die. Not like this.

He grasped into the ash and grabbed a hand full of glass. It buried into his palm. With one wince and one swift movement, he turned to his side and chucked the glass into the monster's face.

The monster screeched as the glass hit where it needed. With the weight lifted off his back, he scrambled to his feet and stumbled forward. The creature screamed behind him, swooping ash into the sky, like a cloud of dust.

He turned toward a sheet of metal that blocked the C wing of the ship. He reached his fingers into the sheet and pushed open an entrance. As he squeezed his body in, his back throbbed in pain.

He slammed the metal sheet shut and fell immediately to his knees. He began to cough up blood.

-It burns! Shit!

His body began shaking. Little black veins began to pulsate along his back and shoulders. The blood dripping from his back turned from red to a thick black.

He fell to his chest and began to turn and wince. But soon enough, the bleeding had stopped. The pain had begun to settle, and his head got light.

As he gasped for air, he searched around at his surroundings. The crashed ship was that of a newer model compared to the few he had visited prior. The wires hung and swayed with the breeze of the vast room.

The metal squeaked and made little noises as if it was lightly breathing. Yet, it was void of life.

Everything was dusted with ash. The wall designs were filthy and barely readable. The light had shimmered out from cracks in the ship's ceiling, so the room was lit well enough to see without a flashlight.

He laid there, exhausted from the journey. His eyes got heavy from the blood loss. And soon enough, Noah had passed out in the old, crashed ship.