Avernus: Book One

by Steven Webb

  Finally the body lurched to life in a coughing fit. Zea sat the Captain, up rubbing her back.with tear filled eyes, she sobbed, “Welcome back. Don’t talk. Just sit here and rest.”

  She took a seat next to the Captain. With everybody at least in stable condition she could rest for a minute. Now that her focus was no longer divided the full force of the pain in her leg came back. Until now she had just assumed something cut her but upon closer inspection she noticed a large shard of glass stuck in her calf. She started to touch it but the pain increased ten fold. It had to come out before it caused any more damage than it already had. The next attempt she pushed through the pain and managed to slightly move the shard but couldn’t hold on long enough. “Rocco,” she grunted trying not to scream. “I need you…ugh…to help pull…ugh… this out.”

  Rocco made his way over to where Zea sat. He took a close look at her leg like he had seen this before. “Okay but this is gonna hurt.”

  “Please just get it out.”

  “I want you to grab my shoulder and squeeze as hard as you can.”

  Zea placed her hand gently on Rocco’s shoulder as if she was comforting him.

  “On the count of three. One…….two…..three.”

  The pain cut through Zea and shot up through her back and into her head. She’d seen people in situations like this but never truly experienced what they were going through. She wailed in agony. Her nails dug into Rocco’s fleshy shoulder. The glass broke free and blood gushed from the wound. Rocco quickly grabbed the piece of cloth previously protecting his mouth, and tied up the wound. Zea closed her eyes and began taking deep breaths. She tried to focus on her favorite childhood memories to draw away from the pain. Gradually her composure returned and she was able to block out the pain enough to run rounds checking on the crew. With such limited supplies she could only do so much. Normally she would use things around her to take care of injuries in a pinch but nothing seemed even remotely familiar.

  “Anybody know what’s going on,” Trent asked as Zea checked his leg inside the makeshift splint. “I mean what kind of freaky scifi shit is this?”

  Still short of breath Captain Somers answered through wheezy breaths, “We were on course for Earth.” she stopped to catch her breath, “But nothing here seems familiar.”

  “Well my numbers weren’t off.”

  Sitting with his wrapped up stump clutched against his chest, Diego struggled to speak, “Maybe my program was off. I only had a short time to put it together.”

  “But that still doesn’t explain where we are.”

  Taylor stood up and wandered over towards the nearest cone shaped object. “These aren’t like anything I’ve ever seen.”

  He picked up a rock and scratched at the surface. “It’s definitely not a tree.” The surface cracked under the pressure releasing a white smoke. “He jumped back. “Nothing we know of does that. And look at these big blue things. I have no idea if they are alive or not.”

  A large black misshapen rock with wings was flying circles around Sophie’s head. She flailed wildly attempting to scare it away. “The hell is that thing, Someone kill it.”

  Holy shit what is that thing?” Nova hollard following suit.

  A rock flew past the creature causing it to fly off. “Nice arm Rocco.” Trent said.

  “Are you kidding that was a terrible shot. I should have hit it. Guess I’m getting rusty. We need to get back to the issue at hand. The first thing we need to do is find shelter.” Rocco stood staring out into the wilderness around them.

  Zea knew that wasn’t a wise decision given the state of the crew. “We can’t go anywhere right now.”

  “We don’t know what’s out here or what kind of weather is coming. I’ll start looking around.”

  Zea wasn’t going to let someone ignore her this time. “No. We’re not going anywhere until everyone can at least move on their own. Joseph’s still unconscious.”

  “Fine but I’m still going to scout the area. We need water.”

  “I’ll go too.” Taylor offered up.

  Zea stood up and made her way to Taylor. With a scowl on her face, and determination in her eye, she locked on to Taylor’s eyes.

  “Don’t you dare try and leave. I’m not kidding.” She remained steadfast. Taylor finally gave in and sat back down.

  “Rocco just get out of here.” She refused to even turn around to watch him walk off. With Rocco gone, Zea went back to checking on wounded. The scene reminded her of pictures from war: Captain Somers covered in Soot, her blonde hair turned black from ash, Taylor with his broken nose and bruised eyes, Trent in a splint, Nova’s head bandaged up, Diego missing most of his arm and Sophie taking care of him, Joseph Still unconscious, and as for herself she was caked in a mixture of everyone’s blood. She worked tirelessly. After an hour of hopping back and forth between crew members Zea finally managed to bring Joseph to. Aside from a minor concussion he seemed alright.

  “Zea Give yourself a break.” Nova invited her to take a seat with a small tap on the ground. “Everyone will be alright for ten minutes. Come on.”

  The adrenaline was wearing off and the thought of sitting down was tempting. Zea settled into the soft dirt beside Nova. She laid her head against Nova’s shoulder and stared off into the strange surroundings. The sun set on the alien world, shining the last of it’s rays past the distant mountains, and streaking through the distant clouds, turning them lovely shades of pink and orange. The remaining flames from the ship fought off the incoming darkness. Strange sounds echoed through the wilderness yet somehow Zea felt a sense of peace.

  The camp began to form around her. Captain Somers began harvesting plants near the ship that appeared to be flammable and constructed a small fire pit. Taylor and Trent were busy working on a rough lean too that could shelter the group near the fire pit, consisting of scraps thrown from the ship during the crash and broken pieces of the plants around them.

  Out of the darkness stepped Rocco, his demeanor filled with disappointment. “There’s no water anywhere nearby. As far as I can tell these woods go on for miles.”

  The news only added to the confusion of the group. Zea watched as they all struggled to come to grips with what had happened.

  Captain somers pointed up towards the sky. “Let’s see, there’s the big Dipper, and Cassiopeia. Taurus is over there, and that’s Venus. Based on their positions, that would put us near the 47th parallel. Assuming it’s Fall.”

  “Then where’s the moon?” Diego asked choking back the pain from his arm.

  Without looking up from one of the plant samples he’d taken, Taylor replied, “It’s probably a new moon,”

  “Actually we didn’t see the moon when we were coming in.” Captain Somers corrected him. “In fact we were closer to the moon’s orbit when we got hit.”

  “So what are you saying, are we on Earth or not,” Sophie asked hesitantly.

  “I don’t know.”

  At this stunning announcement from the Captain everyone fell silent and remained that way. One by one they began wandering off to the shelter to get some sleep. Nova passed out against the rock with Zea laying against her. Zea watched everyone else sleeping but couldn’t manage to get her own mind to shut off. How can this be Earth. How long are we going to be stuck here. She remained plagued with questions. I refuse to die here, she thought as she laid against Nova long into the sleepless night.

  ROCCO

  The dining hall was in shambles. Broken plates were scattered everywhere. Narrow beams of sunlight gave an eerie presence to the room. In the corner sat the 3D printer twisted and split open, wires poking out. All hopes of repair were gone. With no power there was no hope of ever it using again even if it could be repaired. Rocco knew the situation was desperate. His trip through the woods had revealed a complete lack of any recognizable food sources. The wreckage was their last chance. In a pile across the way some silver packets covered the floor. A glimmer of hope. There were a few hundred packets of dehydrated sn
acks with everything from beef jerky to ice cream. “Joseph, Taylor get in here.” Rocco took his shirt off from under his tattered jumper and tied the arms together sealing off the neck. He crammed as many food packets as he could inside the makeshift bag, and busted one open for himself. The other two walked in to him pouring the powder out of the bag and into his mouth. he wiped off the crumbs before speaking. “Guys, I need you guys to take the food out to the others. I’m going to keep looking for water.”

  Taylor got on his knees and started grabbing bags. “I think I can carry a few. It’s gonna take four or five trips.”

  Joseph looked at Rocco trying to hide a smirk. “Should I tell him?”

  “Nah this is more fun. I’ll let you guys sort it out.”

  “Sounds good,” Joseph grabbed the shirt bag from Rocco and followed suit but kept from filling it up until Taylor stood with his arms full.

  Taylor stopped and stared at Joseph holding one full shirt and his own shirt which he had just tied up. “Really?” He threw down the bags in frustration.

  Rocco walked off laughing, “Good luck.”

  He squeezed through the broken door and out into the remains of the hallway. At one time this hall led to the rooms now it just opened up to the world outside. He worked his way through the broken parts of the ship and into the rooms, scavenging as he went in hopes of finding something of worth. Half his room was gone but the space where the bed laid was still intact.

  “Please still be there.”

  With a little work, he managed to pry open a panel he’d personally modified to house his survival pack. It was a true stroke of luck that it wasn’t blown away. The pack was just one of several survival preparations he had put in place. NASA knew if anything went wrong Rocco would be prepared to keep the crew alive until help arrived.

  Inside still neatly packed were a few MRE’s, a knife, a flashlight, first aid kit, and a few other random supplies. He dug through to the bottom of the pack. His hand searched through and found a cold metal object. He pulled out a steel canteen full of water and took a small sip before placing it back in the bag.

  The search continued. It took Rocco past several rooms before leading to Carl’s. “I wonder.”

  He walked through the doorway and rummaged through the rubble.

  “Come on there has to be something of his still in here.”

  He pushed aside the litter on the floor. A small plastic arm rose up through the dirt. The dirt brushed away to reveal Carl’s Warneg Hero.

  “That’ll work.”

  He placed it inside the bag and went back to his search. The next step was to locate the equipment room. He worked his way through the iron jungle, climbing over steel branches, and carbon fiber rocks. The screeching of metal moving around kept him on edge. A long section of the ship protruded from the ground. Rocco wander into the tube and climbed up the steep slope. In large letters a door reading Equipment Room sat still sealed. The railing along the hall provided grips allowing him to clamber up to the door. He gripped the emergency release handle giving it a hard twist, producing a loud click, and half the door slid open.

  A burst of musty hot air flew from the room. Rocco clicked on his flashlight. The beam illuminated a room full of machinery, pipes, and electrical wires. Oil coated everything. He passed through the entryway, hovering over a long drop to the wall that was now the floor. It took some shimmying to reach the water storage unit without slipping on the oil. His flashlight showed a giant hole in the side of the water storage tank. All hope he had sank. He turned the light towards the bottom of the room hoping to not see what he expected. The water had collected but shimmered a rainbow glow from the mixed in oil.

  “Shit.”

  The situation just got more desperate. He climbed back out of the room and made his way back to camp, all the while wondering how to break the news.

  Everyone was huddled up, too busy filling their stomachs with food to notice him coming out of the wreckage.

  He threw down the bag of supplies and began pulling things out. “I found a few items we might be able to use. Hey Zea I thought you might want this.” The action figure landed in her lap.

  “Oh my god, Thank you.” Her eyes welled up with tears.

  “I also have a first aid kit so we can start cleaning some wounds.” Rocco pulled the canteen out next. When the moment finally came he couldn’t bring himself to tell the others about the water. He knew morale was more important than the truth in these situations.

  “Everyone take a few sips.” The group drank through the water in a matter of minutes. “Well I’m going back out to see what else I can find, I’ll be back later.”

  He zipped up the bag and slung it over his shoulder. It was easier to go alone. With his goal of finding water in mind, he headed back into the wreckage. Once he was sure no one in the camp could see him, he turned and headed straight into the bizarre surroundings. The large ribbons above him produce beautiful shadows along the ground. Strange creatures scuttled through the strands and tentacle like protrusions.

  A tiny brown creature was stopped in front of him. It had no eyes yet it knew exactly where he stood. Whenever he moved it’s rounded face and long pointed slender snout followed him. Two feather like objects seemed to be sensing him, trying to figure out if he was food or danger.

  Unable to determine it’s motive Rocco froze in place. As if determining he posed no threat, long teeth emerged from the end of the snout. Rocco tried not to seem terrified while he continued to hold his ground.

  It’s snout raised up, arched over a gelatinous green sphere that rested on its brown and white striped back, and bit down on something. It pulled out what looked like a marbled leave with a rounded mass in the middle, and began consuming it. A purple juice burst forth when the bubble in the middle broke open. Once it finished, it pushed itself up onto six razor like legs and ran off. Figuring it would lead him to water, Rocco began following. He made sure wherever he went, he placed placed a pebble on the ground.

  The creature weaved through the plants stopping to pick things up off the ground to store in it’s bubble. It felt like the creature was going nowhere.

  Rocco began seeing strange orange poles reaching into the sky covered with tumor like masses all along its length. Some were split open with colorful fingers sticking out covered in a light green fuzz. The creature ran up into one of these and began clucking. Suddenly hundreds of the tiny creatures emerged from the orange tumors. It was completely surreal. He sat and watched them scurry around briefly before disappearing again. With enough of his time wasted. He continued on towards the nearby mountain. At the very least he would get a good view of the land.

  A gaping hole opened into the mountain. The entrance seemed sturdy, so Rocco whipped out his flashlight and wandered into the cave. Its roof sat high above him. The moist air hung heavy around him. He wandered through shallow puddles and mud. The mud soon turned to rock and the entrance fell further and further away. His flashlight shone through the dark revealing an enormous carved out room. Water dripped from the ceiling and ran down the walls. Small clear creatures scurried around the sides of the room. They seemed completely oblivious to his light. One of them passed over a strange red mark. The more Rocco looked at the walls the more he realized the walls in here were covered in these marking. The highest ones reached fifteen feet off the ground. Everything about this place was surreal. At the back of the cave, laid a narrow passage just big enough for Rocco to walk through. A low rumbling sound emanated from deep within. It was the unmistakable sound of flowing water.

  Wagering it would be worth the risk, Rocco ventured further into the cave. The smooth walls pressed close to his wide shoulders. The path veered down cutting off any light afforded from the entrance. The further he went, the louder the roar of rushing water became. Without warning, the walls disappeared around him. The beam from the flashlight barely reached the far wall. He swept the light around the room trying the find the source of the water. Not having any luck he
moved his light up towards the ceiling. A peculiar thing happened at that moment, wherever his light hit a purple glow appeared. Pulling his light away the area continued to glow purple for a few seconds. Rocco decided to try scribbling his name with the light. It worked perfectly. Feeling like a little kid peeing in the snow, he reverted into a teenager. Completely amused with himself, he scribbled out a giant purple dick. The darkness slowly erased the drawing like an upset parent trying to remove their child’s indiscretion. The drawings quickly lost their appeal with no one else around to get a good laugh.

  The flashlight was no longer providing enough light. The pack contained just what he needed to create a makeshift torch. A metal shovel doubled as the stick. Some cloth wrapped around the handle formed the perfect head. A few flicks from his lighter and the entire room sprang into view. He found himself standing on a ledge six feet above a large lake and a flowing river. It’s source was a waterfall running down a large rocky outcropping near the ledge he was on. The rocks appeared to be covered in a fluffy white substance looking like cotton ball clouds. Rocco walked over and threw his bag on the ground. He cupped his hands under the water and pulled it up to his face. Normally his instincts would keep him from drinking strange water, but if he didn’t find water soon him, and everyone else would die from dehydration. The crisp clean water felt so good on his dry lips. The cracks welcomed the moisture. Chills ran along his body while the cool feeling worked its way down his throat. As light from his homemade torch died away he realized this cave was the only way to ensure everyone’s survival. Time was limited. If they didn’t get water soon it wouldn’t matter how lucky they were to escape the wreckage. Rocco filled his canteen up and exited the cave. He journeyed back to the camp as quick as he could.

  Rocco arrived to find everyone huddled under the makeshift lean-to, trying to escape the heat. The stench from Carl’s body was unbearable. He gagged from the sheer putridness of it. Zea was obviously not doing well as Carl’s body sat covered in small flying blue creatures. The sunlight reflected off their pearlescent exterior, producing flashes of red and purple. Realizing he was the only one who could ensure the others didn’t wind up like that he took the canteen to them and helped them take sips. “I found a cave with fresh water. It’s just a few klicks from here.”