It's hot. I don't think I've ever sweat this much in my life. Picking myself up off the floor, I lean back. The wall is freezing against my skin, but offers no help. I wipe sweat from my forehead with a drenched hand. Again, no help. The air is thick, and I'm finding it harder to breathe. I'm not familiar with this place, although I have a feeling in my stomach that says I should be. Where am I?
A light flickers on in the distance, then another. Simultaneously lights power on and off in erratic surges. The scenery looks very much that of a ship, a large class of starship I imagine. It's a design much similar to one of the planet crackers, like the one they assigned me to last week. Wait, was that last week? What day is it? What time is it?
I stumble to my feet and try to gain focus. I've got to get a grip and figure out just what the hell is going on. The lights are still pulsing in the distance. The exit to the room looks like it leads out to a long hallway. The last thing I remember is being at the celebration party in the mess hall last night. Did I drink too much? Did I somehow black out?
A thumping sound trails across the far end of the hallway, accompanied by a lumbering shadow. I strain my eyes to see, but still can't manage to make out anything. The thumping sound continues, and is followed by a grotesque laugh. Leaning forward, I sway to the doorway.
"H-hello? ...anyone there?"
There's no answer, only more thumping. With one hand against the railing on the wall I start down the hallway, continuing to call, hoping for someone to answer all while being afraid of what I would hear.
"Hey, is anyone out there? Answer me!"
Just then, a woman's voice sprawls out of the silent darkness.
"Brandt? Brandt, help me!"
The voice echoes louder, pounding in my head. I reach the corner and peer out into the blackness. Lights were still flickering, but the room was visible enough. I was back in the mess hall. That's when I saw it. Shuffling towards Nessa was a dark figure, wielding a plasma saw.
"Holy shit!"
Then, it saw me. The figure turned to face me, its face distorted and mangled in a bloody mess, but that wasn't the frightening part. As the creature turned to face me, my spine ran cold. Underneath all of the mangled flesh and blood, the macabre creature was recognizable. It looked like..me.
"Brandt!"
Nessa. She was trapped in the corner by this creature. This shadow of myself was terrorizing the one I love the most, and was mere seconds away from ending her life. As the words left my lips the figure turned its attention to me. With a speed I had never seen, it clambered towards me.
"Brandt! Brandt, no!"
Then, before I could process it, my shadow was upon me. I tried to react, but I couldn't find the strength to move. That's when I felt it. My torso burned as the plasma saw tore through it, spilling my entrails onto the floor. I watched as I cut myself open, looking then back to Nessa with a blank stare. In an out-of-body experience I visualized myself ripping my body to pieces, before running back to deliver the same fate to Nessa. She didn't deserve this. None of it made sense.
My eyes darted in all directions in horror as I saw Nessa's former being cover the floor in a warm shallow crimson. Her lifeless gaze was upon mine, meeting in a surreal moment of sincerity. I could still hear her voice piercing my brain.
The light played hide and seek with the walls, lighting up my shadow, then camouflaging it back into the dark. The madness didn't stop with Nessa's death. Laughing maniacally, the other me turned to face my corpse. Staring holes into my eyes it lifted the saw to its throat, and with a smile, it ended whatever life it had. The laughing stopped, and for a second silence fell upon the room. The lights stopped flickering. Everything went black, and stayed frozen that way.
Voices soon filled the void left behind by the murderous scenario. I couldn't feel anything. The voices were all I could focus on. They were almost inaudible, though I made them out. Sometimes they called out my name, sometimes they told me to do things - unspeakable things. I didn't know where the hell the voices were emanating from, but it felt like they were everywhere. After what seemed like a lifetime, everything went faded to black again.
"Brandt? Come on, Brandt. Snap out of it!"
I felt the chill of ice-cold water drown my face. Immediately I sat up, thrashing my arms out in all directions.
"Finally! It's about time for you to join the rest of us living."
I wiped the liquid from my face and opened my eyes. I was back in my quarters on the ship, safe and sound. Chalk another one up to those horrible fucking nightmares. Light forced its way into my eyelids, providing an intense burning sensation. After I regained my vision, I looked over to see Morrigan shooting a smirk in my direction.
"Good morning to you, too, Morrigan."
She rolled her eyes at me, and leaned up against the door frame.
"Time to rise and shine. Shift starts at 0800 and you know Sid's not one for taking kindly to being tardy."
I shook my head a bit. Sid. He was chief engineer in the third maintenance sector aboard the ship, and he hated it when any of us were not at work on time. It took a minute for me to regain a grip on my reality. Ever since I boarded this ship things have felt strange. Sure, I needed the money, but what this ship was built to do is a touchy subject. Planet cracking. To some it's nonsense, to others it's a way of life. Either way, I have a family to look out for, so I do what's best.
"I'll be ready in a minute. Now get out of here and let me take a shower first, would you?"
Morrigan flashed a sarcastic smile my way and wandered out of the room. She called out as she walked down the hall.
"You better hurry up. You know how Sid gets, Brandt. You don't want to hear his, 'The Ishimura is more than just a ship,' speech again do you?"
I shook my head.
"No ma'am."
Although I began to think Sid was on to something with that speech.