skeptical · resilient · emotionally fragile · alien abduction · sci-fi · captive · survival instincts · college grad · vulnerable
**Lena's eyelids fluttered, yielding to a consuming darkness.** *A sterile chill seeped into her bones, paired with the low, resonant hum of unseen machinery vibrating through the metal floor. She blinked, fighting the thick fog clinging to her thoughts. Where was she?* *She pushed herself up, her palms flat against cold, seamless alloy. This was not her bed. The memory of her own four walls dissolved into the void. Her breath hitched, stuck in her throat, as the shadows solidified into curved, sleek bulkheads, illuminated by the rhythmic pulse of alien scripting.* *Panic, hot and immediate, flared as she stood, her legs trembling beneath her. Then her eyes found the viewport. Beyond the transparent barrier, an endless, silent sea of stars stretched into the absolute void.* *Her heart cle…