by Rishi Sriram
Nathan would give out, it was too much pressure, and his heart was
beginning to ache. There was a sudden click, Kara’s efforts had succeeded.
The card had forced the lock to shift back and the door unlocked. They threw
all of their food and water out the opening and rushed out, slamming the door
behind them. In a coughing fit, Nathan fell to the ground, breathing in and out
heavily. Kara leaned against the wall, eyes open wide.
The most affected was Nemiah, hands clutching his sides, while breathing
unsteadily. Overall, they were fine, and they had managed to take their
resources out as well. Had Nemiah not pointed out the gas, and Kara not
figured a way to open the door, they would have been doomed.
They had been lured into a false sense of security in the dorm; they
assumed it would keep them safe. The man over the speaker had accounted
for that as well.
Nathan could only imagine how many other people were trapped in the
dorms, gasping for air. He quaked, not wanting to think about it.
Once he had regained steady breathing, he questioned Kara, “How did
you know that would work? And where did you get that card from?”
She smiled a little. “I had seen it before in a few movies, and the card was
my house keycard. We didn’t have an actual key at home, I would just scan
the card and I could enter my home. I had forgotten to leave it there, and I
suddenly remembered that it was still in my pocket. I guess you could call it
sheer luck; it was nothing more than that. I don’t want to think what would
have happened had I not had the card, or if I had taken any longer to open the
door. The lock just wouldn’t budge, and it was all planned.”
Nemiah had shortly recovered, although he still looked grief-stricken. He
picked up some bottles and a couple packages of food, and said, “Well, I
guess we better get moving. I can only imagine that the other colonists aren’t
having it easier than us. This puts a dent in our plans, but we’ll have to
adapt.” They nodded, agreeing. It was going to be a pain without the dorm,
but they would get over it. They had to.
Nemiah explained his plan; for starters he suggested that they would have
to move around as much as possible. Staying in one place would leave them
more vulnerable, he claimed. His plan was somewhat simple. It was to
infiltrate every building with technology potential to communicate with
people back on Earth. And that specifically meant the research laboratory,
which was what Nemiah believed was the central area of the entire colony.
And most importantly, his plan involved avoiding the Ravas as much as
possible. But they didn’t need to be told that.
In some time, ten or so minutes later, the dome shook again. The man on
the speaker spoke with resonance in his voice: “I’d like to let you know that
94,605 people have died from the hydrogen chloride poison. I’m surprised it
wasn’t more than that, so I’ll say well done. Well done. Including today, you
have three more days to live.”
Nathan’s mind was blank. He couldn’t accept that statement. In such a
short time, nearly ninety-five percent of them had been killed. How long
would it take for the two hundred Ravas to overpower the remaining five
thousand? He took in fast breaths, his eyes narrowing. He wasn’t going to let
that happen. There was no way he was going to die, nor was he going to let
others die, either. He was going to survive, and he was going to escape from
Mars. There was still time, and even when the Ravas were sent out; he wasn’t
going down easy. Not without putting up a fight. One day was already over.
That meant for the next two days they would have to live off of their
resources, and come up with a solid plan for survival.
CHAPTER 6
THE HUNT
Fact: Earth appears blue from space due to scattered blue light, whereas
the surface of Mars appears reddish from a distance because of rusty dust
held together in the atmosphere.
Day 5 on Mars:
Two days later. The manhunt began. The fearless Ravas were released
into the colony, and the decimation ensued. A rupture of moonstone-
yellow light appeared in the carnal-black sky. The essence of death filled up
the dome, keening and bawling sounds were heard, as the sodden dirt became
oily with fluid. Souls had begun to leave their bodies, leaving empty corpses
behind. The rich butterscotch soil had been baptized in blood, and the bitter
scent of corpses emanated from it. Once a life had been taken, the Ravas
would carry them back to the research lab. The streets were littered with
carcasses one second, and the next, they were cleaned out by the Ravas. It
was a mystery what they were doing with the bodies after that.
Nathan and the others had found a predominantly unpopulated
greenhouse area. There were a few people in the vicinity but none dared to
bother them. They were protected by walls on all sides, giving them a sense
of comfort. There were also a few fire extinguishers around the area, which
boosted their confidence in safety all the more. The arching transparent
Litracon windows above allowed gentle rays of light to stream through. The
Ravas were attacking those of all ages without any hesitation. Masses of
people wept over fallen bodies, until they were confronted by the Ravas as
well. From a distance, Nathan spotted a small figure walking their way, it
was a little girl. No older than nine or ten years old. Her eyes were damp, she
looked like a child who had lost her parents at the store, and all she wanted
was to be back with them. She sat down, opposite the three of them, and
stared into the distance.
Kara hesitated at first, but then walked over to her, a portion of food in
her hands, handing it to the girl. “Here you go I’m sure you’re hungry.
What’s your name; did you get separated from your family?”
The girl seemed on edge, as if she didn’t want to be found. She eventually
nodded, and spoke uneasily: “I’m Jessica, and I lost my dad in a crowd of
people who were fighting over some food. My sister was with me but—” She
looked away, as if she didn’t want to disclose any more information, but she
continued speaking. “I left her for another reason.”
Kara didn’t press; she knew that Jessica wasn’t in any mood to answer
any questions. Kara walked back to the other two; she didn’t want to leave
her alone, “Guys. Do you think we could—I don’t know, take her in? She lost
her family and I thought we could help her reunite with them. And if we
don’t find them, she can just stay with us.”
Nathan was agreeable. “Sounds good, we’re just going to have to divide
our rations up a little more, but it should be fine.” Nemiah at first seemed
hesitant, and then his thoughts changed a little. He no longer felt like solely
protecting himself; working together with Kara and Nathan had changed him.
He had a sudden urge to help others. Nemiah shortly changed his answer; he
didn’t like the idea of leaving anyone behind.
They walked over to the girl and Kara helped her up, telling her, “You’ll
b
e with us from now on. We won’t leave you behind, and we’ll help you get
back to your family, wherever they are.” She smiled, and hugged Kara
tightly, saying, “Thank you.” Kara paused, moved by her sincerity.
There was a loud prancing noise, something was running toward them. It
was a Rava. Its eyes were bull-like, glittering with hostility. The Rava had
strange metallic gloves on its hands, and wore similarly fashioned shoes on
its feet. On the back of its hand, five small tubes stretched from the fingertips
to the wrist, filled with a purple liquid that was inserted through the glove.
The Rava tapped a button on the palms of its hands, and the gloves lit up, the
purple liquid shining through the tubes, emitting a powerful aura. The
accessories were powered by the purple liquid, although it was not directly
inserted through the Rava’s skin. The shoes had the impression of a silver
arrow on the top; the Rava stomped its feet, putting pressure on the soles of
the shoes. The silver arrow began to emanate a dim light; the Rava was ready
to attack. On its waist, there was a black holster equipped with the specialized
gun. The gun was made of a glistening metal, and was traced with a neon
light adorning the edges. The Rava raised the weapon and pulled the trigger.
They moved aside a split second before the bullet flew past and implanted
itself into a wall. The bullet round hissed with electricity, and crackled inside
the wall.
They were alert, observing the Rava’s every action, their senses had been
spiked. It was their survival instinct kicking in. The Rava loaded the weapon
again and placed its right forefinger on the trigger. But before the bullet could
be shot, Nathan acted first. He flew at the Rava and swiftly kicked the
weapon out of its hands. This increased their fighting chances; if they could
only defeat this Rava, they could use the equipment for themselves. That was
Nemiah’s plan, at least.
Although, they didn’t have time to reach for the weapon; gun or not, the
Rava was still a physically enhanced human being. The Rava grunted and
threw a powerful punch at Nathan; he could feel its passage whisking his hair
as he ducked. The punch made contact with a dorm wall, destroying a large
piece of Litracon. The gloves seemed to enhance the Rava’s power, making
them stronger than they already were.
The Rava charged at them, eyes filled with fury. It was unbelievable, the
once humanness of it could not be traced. Though, its appearance still
remained similar. It was set apart by its pale ashen skin and bloodshot eyes.
It had a cold look in its eyes. In fear, Kara stepped out to the side, arms
and legs shivering. The Rava spoke nothing, but its existence itself was
enough to convey its wishes. Whoever was behind everything really wanted
the colonists out of the picture. Nathan turned to the other two for a second,
telling them, “We have to remain calm, or it’ll get the best of us.” Nemiah
took a deep breath and stood still, regaining his composure.
Kara closed her eyes and thought about the lives at stake; she had to at
least protect Jessica at a minimum. Jessica ran behind the three of them,
hoping that they could protect her.
Nathan was still processing everything; he couldn’t believe what a once-
human had become. He had to escape this alive, and when he did, he was
going to try and save other people’s lives. Hurting the Ravas was his last
resort, but if it came to it, he wouldn’t hold back. The Rava leapt at them, and
slammed his fists into the dorm walls, chipping off fragments of Litracon.
Holding his hands in front of his face, Nemiah was appalled, and no one
could blame him. He had never been in a fight or a dangerous position
before, so he was entirely inexperienced.
Kara felt just as helpless.
Nathan was the only one who had ever really been in a fight; yet his
experience in fighting in tournaments against other Soo Bahk Do students
still differed greatly from fighting for his life against real enemies. The Rava
promptly kicked Nathan with a blazing roundhouse kick, rattling Nathan’s
ribs. He started to fall but not before slamming his other foot into the Rava’s
side. Staggering back a little, the Rava looked unruffled, but was irritated, as
if it was trying to swat a fly that kept getting out of reach. Nathan shook his
foot in pain. He said, “The Rava’s body itself is rigid, although it doesn’t
seem to be wearing any armor, I can’t land a solid hit on it.” Back and forth,
right leg, and then his left leg, Nathan faced the Rava with a barrage of
attacks. Calmly, the Rava lifted him up as he continued to kick and squirm.
He gave him a swift punch to the stomach, throwing Nathan to the ground.
The others rushed to his side, helping him up.
His relentless attacks weren’t getting anywhere, they had to think about
this a different way. Standing up confidently, Nemiah had a plan: “Kara and
I’ll tackle the Rava from the back, grab his gloves off while he’s distracted
and see if it’ll do you any good.” Nathan nodded, and stood up, his hand on
his aching side. The two of them ran behind the Rava, wrapping their arms
around it. The Rava squirmed, confused, and in that moment Nathan rushed
forward, pulled the gloves off of the Rava’s hands and slipped them onto his
own. The gloves buzzed and adjusted to his hands, they were constructed of a
similar material to the space suits the colonists wore on the shuttle. The
opportunity didn’t last much longer; the Rava broke free and kicked the two
behind him out of the way, who flew into a wall. Nemiah let out a wail in
pain.
Gloves or not, the Rava was still a super-enhanced human so its abilities
were strong to start. But that didn’t stop Nathan; he gave the Rava a swift
punch to the stomach, as pain exploded in its chest, ribs snapping. The
Rava’s breathing labored, as it swayed from side to side, having no control
over its body. Its legs wobbled away from Nathan in a futile attempt to
escape. The Rava threw a kick at Nathan but he caught it with his left hand
and pushed the foot aside. He took the initiative and bashed the Rava with an
uppercut, sending it flying. The Rava bounced through a field of crops and
struggled to its feet. Nathan pursued the Rava and fired his foot and fist into
its chest, knocking the Rava down. Nathan stepped back a little, thinking
about what he should do. The Rava was still for a moment, and then he heard
some murmuring, “Protect…my…children.” Nathan gasped; the Rava was
speaking, about her children. Nathan knelt on the floor, eyes filled with
concern, realizing what he had done.
“My…children are…innocent. Serve justice…to…whoever…is doing
this all.” Nathan reached under the Rava’s back, attempting to lift her up,
saying, “We have to get you help. I’m extremely sorry. I had to defend my
friends, but now that you’re back to normal, it’s a completely different
situation.”
The Rava rolled to its side, sticking her arm out. “No,” she said. “It’s…
too late…but…there…is…a...antidote... inside…the…res
earch laboratory.
I…couldn’t get it…but I know it’s there. It’s…in a blue vial…I hope that
helps.” The Rava let out a series of coughs, spitting blood out to the side.
“Find it, and…use it…wisely. Save…everyone.” Her eyelids dilated and her
face went pale. He checked her pulse, she was no longer breathing. She was
dead. He gripped the body, tears pouring from his eyes. He had killed an
innocent woman, she had brought her children with her to Mars, and they
were here to make the world a better place. And even yet, some maniacal
person had drugged her into some sort of killing machine, and he had no
choice but to fight her. It was her one life or the thousands of others she
would take as a Rava, but he had killed someone nonetheless. His hands were
tainted. And though he felt guilty, he knew that death one way or another
couldn’t have been prevented. But he had to stop this before it was too late…
unless it already was.
Nathan pulled out of the gun holster a container, that held more bullets,
and Nemiah handed him the gun, quietly. Nathan wondered if the Ravas
picked up some ammo as well from the research lab every time they returned
with a body. Kara and Jessica followed behind him, finding Nathan shedding
silent tears over the body.
Nathan turned to them, tears in his eyes, and spoke softly, “She was
innocent, and she had a family. And because of some psychotic person, she
ended up dying to me. We have to stop this, one way or another, and if we
can help prevent any other people from dying, we’re going to do it. She
mentioned an antidote in the research lab, we have to get it. It’s our only
chance.” Their eyes were empathetic; sharing his beliefs and they didn’t want
anything more to do with this killing. They were going to put an end to it all.
Nathan clenched his fists. The first person to respond was Kara, “You’re
right, this carnage has to end, and we’re with you the entire way, we won’t let
whoever is behind this get away.” She glanced at the gloves, “You can keep
the gloves, and it’ll come in handy for sure. I’ll take the shoes she was
wearing, and, well, Nemiah can keep the gu–”
“It’s fine” Nemiah piped in, “I don’t need it.” They gave him a concerned
look.