Before the Dawn (An Adventure Star Wars/System)

A few days ago, I remembered the first time I was introduced to the Star Wars universe. I was a child, and I could almost clearly see the excited look on Ms. Mendez's face when she arrived at the orphanage with a DVD in her hands. She seemed thrilled that we could finally watch something other than Ms. Rossi's recorded programs.

It was then that we saw for the first time something like the future in that place. Immense ships crossing space, impossible planets, heroes and villains fighting with lightsabers. The poor soul back then would never have imagined he'd end up in this situation, where he'd have to enter a ship, huddled between rusty plates, hanging between hundreds of beams that he doubted could last much longer.

I was brought back to the present when a metallic creak resonated beneath my feet. I stopped dead in my tracks, holding my breath. The panel I was leaning on vibrated slowly, suddenly increasing in intensity, and a screech of metal echoed throughout the ship. All I could think about was that my sad life had ended there.

"Shit," was all I could say, afraid that any word I said could make everything worse.

I descended slowly, careful with each step. The ship was destroyed inside: ripped pipes, broken floors, loosely fitted plates. Everything creaked or shifted at the mere touch of a foot. Moving forward and around an abandoned structure about to collapse wasn't easy. I had no idea how long that hull had been here, but again, it was the smell of dust and dried oil that could have affected me the most.

I dragged myself along when I played, crawling through twisting hallways. The map said one thing, but the reality was another. Many paths were blocked or collapsed, so I had to improvise. Sometimes I stopped to listen. Not just out of fear, but out of caution. Strange sounds drifted through the ducts. Distant tapping, something slithering. I didn't know if they were rodents, wild creatures, or just falling pieces, but something was definitely following me.

I still held the rusty lever in my hands, and the flashlight was starting to spend more time off than on. I swatted it with my hand and it started working again, but it was obvious I couldn't count on it for much longer.

The hallway was filled with long shadows. All I had to guide me was my breathing and the old flashlight, which flickered more than it illuminated. I'd been going deep for at least an hour now. There were no clear signs, but I felt I was getting closer. Although I could also tell my stalker was getting closer.

"Come on, idiot, I don't have time to waste." As if it could have understood me, a pale, thin creature launched itself at my face.

By pure instinct, I was able to grip the lever with all my strength as I struck.

A hollow impact was all I felt, and after a second blow, a soft crunch was heard. The creature fell, screeching once before going still. It looked like some kind of elongated reptile, with strong hind legs and fibrous skin covered in metallic dust.

I froze as I tried to calm myself. But I could feel myself breathing rapidly and uncontrollably. I didn't know what it was, but I was thankful it wasn't very big. The Star Wars universe had no shortage of variety in alien and dangerous creatures.

A sudden sound to my left gave me a bad feeling, but my whole body was screaming at me to run.

I raised my flashlight just as something gigantic emerged from between two collapsed structures. It was like the creature I'd just killed, but ten times larger. It had the same elongated body, but with black plates covering its back, and a wide jaw filled with curved teeth. I could almost swear I could clearly smell the old blood and burnt oil on its body.

I darted down a side corridor as the creature tore through everything. I heard metal crunch and twist as it hit the ship's supports. I squeezed through a gap in the wall, slithering between fallen beams. I could feel metal ripping at my clothes and scraping my arms. The creature charged through the entrance behind me, and part of the wall collapsed. I covered my head as dust and debris rained down.

I crouched, scything through the rubble. The metal floor creaked with every step, but I didn't have time to search for a quiet path. The thought was that I had to move. Escape and gain altitude, or hide. Anything that would get me away from whatever that thing was.

I didn't know how long I'd been crawling. The air was thick, and I struggled to fight back a cough from inhaling so much dust. I heard the roar in the distance, and I could hear the creature searching the place for me.

I turned at an intersection and stepped out onto a broken walkway. Beneath me, the ship's lower hull looked like a dark abyss. Only a couple of metal plates held the floor together.

I jumped to a lower level, landing awkwardly and hitting my knee. The pain was sharp. I crawled through old pipes and torn-out grates until I found some kind of partially collapsed control room. There were broken screens on the walls and a rusty old command chair. I closed the hatch manually and leaned back, listening for anything.

The first blow against the hatch made the metal rattle. Then another. And another. The creaking of the hinges screamed at me that they wouldn't hold much longer. I couldn't stay. But I also couldn't fight in that enclosed space.

I ran to the other side of the compartment, where a hanging panel revealed a narrow gap in the structure. I dove in without thinking, leaving the room just as the door came loose from its anchors.

I crawled through that tube, panting, still holding the lever. I heard footsteps behind me. Not banging. Footsteps. Heavy. Measured. Intelligent.

I climbed out the other end and threw myself down a vertical ladder that descended into a dark corridor filled with dense fog pouring from a burst pipe. I slipped and tumbled down.

down the last few steps, hitting my side. It hurt. I didn't know which part specifically, but it seemed like it hurt all over. But I stood up and turned around just in time to see his silhouette in the doorway.

I had discovered that the mist was steam. Worse, the steam burned. Not like it would at fire level, but close enough. Every time I inhaled, I felt my throat close and my eyes sting. The maintenance shaft I'd squeezed through was a web of broken pipes and dented plates. I scraped my elbow, my side, and my shoulder. I'd lost the lever somewhere along the way; it was easy to find in a moment, caught between two rusty pipes. I couldn't turn around to retrieve it, also because the creature was waiting right above it.

It seemed to fear the steam because it didn't dare come close, but that wasn't all good news. I was trapped in a place that would soon kill me, and the creature seemed to be waiting for that to happen.

Shit I could barely see my own hands through all the steam.

Time passed, and I felt my mind slow down considerably. I imagined one of the reasons was a lack of oxygen, or maybe it was worse, and I had been exposed to lethal chemicals. My body lost strength and stumbled at the slightest obstacle as I tried to find my way.

I cursed under my breath as I felt it was something soft.

At first, I thought it was a pile of fabric or insulation scraps, but the thud as I fell on top of it made me realize otherwise. The smell was next. Not steam, not oil, not rust. It was flesh. Rancid flesh. I opened my eyes to see a silhouette crumpled between two broken pipes. A body. Ancient. Of some other poor soul who'd tried the same thing. The clothes were almost fused to the skin, and bones poked out of a torn sleeve.

I crawled as best I could, shaking him off, fighting back the urge to vomit. It wasn't out of compassion. It was out of fear. Because if he had died here, alone and locked away, I could be next.