Valorie and Evie marched side by side down the hall towards the emergency escape pods. The bobbing heads of people marching down the hallway to the C2 dock stretched as far as Valorie could see. The hall went from the command deck, across the C block accommodations, to the docking service elevators. Windows lined the hallway, opening the view to the main cafeteria and lounges. Once lively with crewmen off duty, they were now dark except for the red emergency light. The contrast of this emptiness and the bright, packed hallway made the hairs on Valorie's arms stand on end. Valorie looked away, focusing instead on the people ahead of her.

“This hallway wasn’t this long before, was it?” Valorie muttered, surprised. The pace in the jam packed hall was much slower than she wanted to be moving. She glanced at her partner, but Evie was staring into each of the empty lounges as they passed. Instead of afraid, her expression was forlorn.

“Evie, are… are you hungry?” Valorie asked, glancing over the kitchen facilities. Evie blinked as she was pulled from deep thought.

“What? No.” Evie couldn’t help a small laugh at the absurdity, before she sobered. A few slow breaths, and her eyes glistened. “No, it is just… Working here, with you. I’ve never had such a… positive assignment.” She said, her eyes drifted to the floor. Valorie raised an eyebrow at this, and Evie’s face turned red. “I mean, I’ve never had so much fun.” She said, looking up . Valorie smiled as their eyes met. Evie’s honest vulnerability always tugged at her heart strings. She hugged Evie’s shoulders with one arm.

“Even if we get reassigned to another ship, we’ll stick together. It will be okay.” She said, “First, we gotta get through all -”

The floor beneath their feet rocked hard to the right, stumbling everyone across the hall. Most tumbled to the floor, dragging down anyone they held on to. Glass shattered somewhere behind them, as the lights blinked out above. Valorie fell to her knees, smacking her shoulder against the wall. The hall was pitch dark except for the red emergency lights from the lounge. As panic started to overwhelm her, Evie’s whisper broke through the chaos.

“Something cut through the H Decks. We have to keep moving, our way is still safe.” She said. Valorie felt a hand on her arm trying to pull her up. The hallway lights blinked back on. It helped to ground her, and she responded to the insistent pulling.

“Alright, alright.” She managed. Partway up, someone pushed her from behind as they squeezed by. She caught herself on the wall, trying to regain her balance.

“You okay?” Evie asked, she was fussing over Valorie as others shoved their way passed. Valorie looked down the hall. Several people who had fallen over were fighting to stand. The rest forced their way through, trampling the fallen in a panic. A vicious cycle was starting as the battle slowed passage down the hall, increasing panic.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Valorie joined the stream of people. She stopped at the remaining fallen, and helped them up. It only took a moment, and it was worth the nasty looks she got. Evie stuck close, staying out the way, and directing people by when she could.

Valorie was helping a woman up, moving aside so the woman could pass into the crowd, when Evie panicked. She reached over Valorie’s shoulder and slammed her hand against an emergency override. The door began to slide open, but not fast enough.

“What are you -” Valorie began before Evie shoved her as hard as she could through the half open door. Valorie fell back into the kitchen, landing hard on her back. Her fall was immediately followed by the grinding of metal and screams. It was so loud, Valorie couldn’t think, only managing to cover her ears and roll onto her stomach. She bit down, grinding her teeth as the cacophony ripped through her head.

It passed with a final bang that shook the room, sliding her away from the hall. Somehow, she was still whole.

“Valorie…” Evie called. She sounded far away. The silence seemed unreal as the crash echoed in Valorie ears. She tested her arms, feet, inch by inch. Everything seemed to be in order. The floor crackled with broken glass for every movement she made.

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“Valorie, wake up…Please, you have to run.” Evie’s voice finally caught her attention. Valorie began to ease herself over. Halfway, she caught sight of Evie trapped against the gnarled metal of what was once the hallway. Valorie scrambled – half running, half crawling – to her side. The hallway they were in had been smashed so thoroughly it created a wall that never should have been there. Evie was on her stomach, pulling herself forward with her arms, as she tried to call out to Valorie.

As soon as Valorie laid hands on Evie, she realized that Evie's legs were tangled with the twisted metal behind her. Valorie’s stomach flipped from the sight, bile burning the back of her throat. Evie twisted trying to look up at her, gray hair blocking her eyes.

“You need to start running. Get out of here.” Evie said, dark eyes pleading. She was too calm, so inhuman it made Valorie frantic.

“Shut up.” Valorie said. She tugged at the pieces of metal that seemed the most responsible for holding Evie down. Evie grunted with the movement, bracing her head against the floor. Valorie managed to get a few scrap pieces free, pausing only when she found exposed bone. She ground her teeth and swallowed. She could not lose it here. It took a moment to fight off the disgust. She avoided looking at the bone as she wrestled out another piece. Evie began to drag herself forward with her arms. She was sweating hard, resting her forehead against the cool metal floor, as she panted.

“I’m free.” She whispered, “Val…”

“Good. That’s good. It’s alright. Hang on to me, okay?” Valorie said, kneeling down so she could pull the injured girl across her shoulders. Evie held on with what strength she could muster. Valorie slid her arms under Evie’s thighs and lifted, straightening as best she could. Evie’s arms tightened with the sudden movement and she huffed.

“Now, can we go.. Please?”

“Yeah, yeah. I can cut through the kitchen, but I don’t know how far the destruction reached,” Valorie said. She walked along the shelves lit only by the red emergency lights while watching her steps. She couldn’t see far ahead, but she could make out the layout.

“Safe hall.. near C3 lounge…”

“How do you know?”

“Alert, but.. still moving.. steady.” Evie said, between breaths. Valorie couldn’t make sense of it.

“Nevermind, Evie. Focus on breathing, okay?” She walked through the storage halls towards the kitchens for the C3 deck. The service hall kept growing warmer the closer she got to the kitchens. She paused when she reached the entrance. Beads of sweat were forming along her brow, and her arms had become slick. She did not dare loosen her grip on Evie. She leaned against the wall, and tried to map the ship out in her head.

“Val, no time…” Evie said. Valorie took a slow breath.

“Right, I know.” There was no way back, and only this way forward. Valorie clenched her hands. They made it this far. She felt sweat drip down the middle of her back, and squared her shoulders. She could do this. She stood beside the entrance and with Evie’s back against the wall. With her elbow, she lifted the override, and hit the manual open key.

There was no blast, but Valorie did feel a gust of air pull into the room before gray smoke started to billow out. The air thinned, and she had to fight for breath. A fire was sputtering over the ovens, stunted by the lack of oxygen. Sensing the fire, the auto emergency system had cut the oxygen feed and locked off the empty room. The dying fire had been eating away at what oxygen remained, but the gust from the hall gave it new life. There was an incessant hissing noise coming from… somewhere, and the smell of ashes tickled her nose.

Valorie moved down the hall to fill her lungs with better air before entering the kitchen. She moved quick, but cautiously – unwilling to set off another disaster. The fires were starting to pick up again with the new oxygen supply from the hall. The hot air washed over her in waves. Each time she thought the heat had peaked, a new wave of heat proved her wrong.

She stayed as far away from the fires as she could, as she made her way around the counters. She leaned against one to steady herself, her lungs starting to ache. She gasped, and took a few more steps. The breath helped more that she thought, so she breathed in another. It was thin, but survivable.

Valorie’s face smacked the floor before she knew she was falling. Confusion set in. What tripped her? She felt Evie roll off her back, and turned to look at her. Her head felt so heavy.

“Evie… okay?” She said. Where had her strength gone? Evie was looking at her, eyes wide.

“Val, the air is wrong,” She said. She was so scared. “We have to keep moving. Val, wake up! Valorie!” Evie cried. She was dragging herself forward again. Her voice reached Valorie, but Valorie was so tired. The darkness of sleep numbing her arms and legs, curling around her thoughts. She made a slurred attempt to tell Evie she was okay, but Evie’s faraway cries only became more desperate before they faded into silence. The last thing she felt was a soft hand against her cheek, and warmth against her forehead.