by Rishi Sriram
Nathan wiped his tears, and stood up from the ground, “Are you sure? I
mean keep it, that way we’ll all have some sort of protection.”
Nemiah was firm, “No I’m sure. Its fine, I’d feel safer if one of you kept
it.” Jessica walked behind them, two other young boys following behind her.
She spoke in a soft voice, “These two are Max and Parker. They were
separated from their parents as well. I was wondering if you could take them
in too.” She spoke anxiously, hope brimming in her voice.
“Sure, they can come with us,” Nathan said, smiling at them.
“Don’t worry, we’ll keep you safe and make sure you all get back home
safely.” The boys smiled, color flushing through their cheeks. They all
returned to the greenhouse they were at before, picked up their resources, and
moved out of the area. The area was still barren, and quiet, for the most part.
It hadn’t seemed like anyone else had been in that area. They knew it
wouldn’t be good to stay in the same place, especially after an encounter with
a Rava. They didn’t want to attract unwanted attention, they found another
mildly populated area near the research lab, and relaxed there, to the side of a
dorm wall. They opened up a package of food, and split up small portions of
food, everyone was extremely hungry.
They had just taken a few bites, when the announcement system above
the dome crackled again, “Well colonists, you put up a bigger fight than
imagined. Eight Ravas were brutally defeated today. I guess on the brink of
life and death, survival instinct does kick in.”
Nathan could hear the cheers and screams in the distance. They had a
sliver of hope for survival.
“And 1,204 colonists have also been killed within the course of this day.
That leaves only 4,191 people left.”
The dome went silent. A thousand more people had died; the odds
weren’t looking too great. Overall, nearly ninety-six thousand had died.
Ninety-six thousand friends, brothers, sisters, fathers, and mothers were gone.
Their faces went pale. Nathan felt horrible that the children had to witness
such horrors at such an early age. It could traumatize them. The children
would never be the same again.
Kara and Nemiah did their best to console the children, but Nathan
couldn’t think straight. He was furious, and when he found out whoever was
behind it all, he was going to make them pay. Everyone needed to be
prepared, the children needed to know how to defend themselves. Or better:
Defend each other. They were going to need to stick together if they were
going to get anywhere, but first, a night’s sleep.
Kara stretched her arms out and cracked her knuckles, “We’re going to
need some people to keep watch during the night and warn the others if
trouble comes. They also need to watch the resources so no one takes them—
anyone up for the game? We can split it up into two shifts for tonight; I’ll
take the first one. Any volunteer for the second?” Both Nemiah and Nathan
raised their hands, but the former was the first to speak.
“I’ll take the second shift. Nathan exhausted himself today and he needs
the sleep more than any of us.” Nathan opened his mouth to argue but
Nemiah was persistent, and Kara was on his side.
She looked at Nathan with a serious look, and laughed a little, “That’s
fair. Nathan, I’m sure you’re dying to stay up all night, but we got this, take a
break for today.”
She winked, “But we won’t be so lenient next time. So take your chance
while you get it. Good night.”
As much as Nathan didn’t want to slack off and sleep, he knew he needed
the rest; it wouldn’t hurt to give in just once. He leaned against the wall and
his mind immediately floated away from his consciousness, thoughts swirling
in his brain. He was dreaming. In his dream he was back in Minneapolis with
his friends. The weather was nice and breezy, rays of light shone on their
faces as they walked merrily down the streets delighting in casual
conversation. There wasn’t an evil thing in the world—no Chancellor, no
overpopulation, no crime, no hatred, only happiness coursing through
everyone’s veins. It was a land of peace, a time of bliss. Everyone had good
intentions and nothing stood in the way of things he cared about. It was his
ideal world.
Suddenly, he looked at the sky and saw dark-red clouds shifting closer
and closer toward them. The sun’s glorious rays of light were being covered
as the sky broke into a state of complete despair.
Darkness clouded over them, wrapping them in dark tentacles of black,
dragging them into the clouds. They were being taken. The world below them
seemed to get smaller and smaller, appearing out of sight. Everything they
knew about Earth was floating through their fingers. All around them was
pitch-black. Anguish engulfed them in waves, ripping apart the hope and joy
that remained in their hearts. Defeat was at hand, there was nothing left for
them to do. Humanity had brought this upon them. If only they had decided
to unite themselves from the start, regardless of race, social standing, or
religion. All of this could have been stopped. But alas, greed had shown its
true colors.
What was left of their minds faded away slowly, like clouds on a hot
summer day drifting further and further away from where it began, only to
rain down, evaporate, and turn into a cloud all over again. There was a cycle.
There was a circle of life. And that meant that it was time for a new
beginning. It was time for a new era. Humans were proficient at adapting.
Where the circumstances saw fit, they changed their habits, appearances, and
ways of life. They evolved. Generation to generation, the people changed
society and society changed them. Nathan couldn’t help but wonder why he
couldn’t be the one to change the world, in the right way. If no one else
would, then what was stopping him? He could return to Earth and spark the
rise of a new nation. The Utopia everyone longed for. It had to start
somewhere, and while it might not reach complete success in his lifetime, he
would make progress. He would be the one to get the engine started, the
wheels moving on the right course. There would be no finish line; they would
keep pushing forward, making their mark on history.
But before any of that could happen, Nathan had to return to Earth. And
he wouldn’t hold the weight on his own; he had trustworthy friends and a
family who would guide him on the right path. He was going to need to be
three steps ahead of everyone else; he couldn’t let this newfound hope go to
waste. His mind was set on a goal, now all he had to do was reach for it. The
fruit of life was hanging on the branch of a tree, only slightly out of reach.
And if he couldn’t reach the fruit, then he would make the fruit fall down to
him. He would adapt to whatever came his way—it would be part of his
quest. It was something he was born to do. It was what he was created to do.
Saving the world was his destiny.
CHAPTER 7
WHAT NOW?
Fact: On Mars, the
Sun appears about half the size as it does on Earth.
Day 6 on Mars:
Everyone awoke with an unyielding gaze in their eyes. The two young
boys were sound asleep, cuddling near each other, one another’s
heartbeat their only warmth. It was startling to watch how two children who
had only recently met to warm up to each other so well. Their heads rested on
packages of food, the hard ground proving too uncomfortable to rest on.
Jessica was off to the side beside Kara, wide-awake, fiddling with her hair
nervously. Nathan and Nemiah had been awake since the break of dawn,
neither of them could sleep any longer under their conditions, constantly
thinking about what they were going to do.
Despite that, one thing was clear: everyone had their wake-up call, no
more sitting around waiting for things to happen. They would make things
happen. Nemiah pushed himself off of the wall and stood up.
He yawned, “I’ll go out and do a quick patrol in the area, see how things
are, considering how this would be the ideal time for something big to
happen. Mornings are when everyone’s guards are down.” Kara was too tired
to say anything and subtly nodded; they were all tired. Eye bags the size of
suitcases weighed down their eyes. The area under Nemiah’s eyes seemed
just as tired; Nathan made a note to never burden either of them with such
long shifts ever again. It was too much to handle. Nathan gave him his
consent and Nemiah walked away from them.
Nemiah moved at a regular and fairly slow pace, lifting and setting his
foot down slowly. He observed the area around him. The sun seemed small in
the distance, a momentary yellow speck in the sequence of the universe.
More than that, it was quiet. Too quiet, something was wrong. It was
never a good thing for it to be so quiet. His mind wandered, and he couldn’t
help but wonder how much of a chance they really had to survive. If the
opposition was as formidable as they had seen, then…he didn’t want to think
about it.
Their supplies were minimal to start, and now there were three more
mouths to feed, which cut their rations in half. But it couldn’t be helped; he
wasn’t going to let others suffer for his selfish desires. Surely not. They
would be back in their homes before their supplies ran out—he hoped. He
kept walking with a lighthearted smile on his face, if it came to it he would
give his share of the food to the children, they needed it more than he did it.
Nemiah burst into optimistic laughter, talking to himself, “I planned on
losing some weight anyway, so this all plays out nicely.” Out of the corner of
his eye, he saw a dark figure running past. He turned suddenly; the silhouette
was nowhere to be found. He took evasive steps forward, putting his fists up
in front of his chest. He had two options, engage the figure and fight; or run.
Bearing in mind his fighting ability, he knew he would have to go with the
second option. His arms were like spaghetti, and so were his legs, but he was
better off running than swinging his feeble arms around. There was a strange
feeling in his chest, and deep down lingered a handful of unrestrained
thoughts. He didn’t want to be a hindrance, he didn’t want to be the weak
link, and his intellect was all he could rely on. There was a swift sound as a
metal knife flew past his head. He turned around and came face to face with a
woman.
She wore dark clothes so he couldn’t see what she looked like, though the
ghastly look in her eyes spoke millions. Her arm was raised and tugged back,
geared to throw another knife. He realized what she was doing just in time
and kicked it out of her hand.
Nemiah grumbled to himself, “What was all that about running? Now
look what you’ve done, getting yourself in a fight. Good luck.” With her
other hand she pulled out another knife from her waist pocket and flung it at
his head. He stumbled just in time, lifting his frail legs out of there as fast as
he could. He had absolutely no idea who the girl chasing him was, but he
knew that she wasn’t a Rava.
He continued running down the streets, again talking to himself: “Oh
what a delightful turn of events. I’ll go out and do a quick patrol. What was I
thinking?” He reached his hands into his pockets and pulled out some trash, I
can throw her off my track with this. He had his eyes set on a cluster of dorms
ahead; there was an intersection between them where he planned to execute
his trick. Breathing hard, he sprinted to the intersection, the process laying
out in his mind in slow-motion. Passing through the intersection he tossed
bits of trash into a pathway that extended to the right.
Before the trash even touched the ground, he scurried to the left, hoping
the trail would mislead his follower. After he had ran for a while he peered
back to check if he was still being followed. The woman was still on his trail,
meaning his little trick hadn’t worked. He had no choice but to fight this one
out, yet not in the absence of him being sharp-witted. He turned a corner and
waited for the woman to catch up with him. Soon after, the woman turned the
corner quickly, and to her surprise, the person she had been chasing was
waiting there, fists out in front, ready to land an ill-expected punch. The
instant she entered his line of sight, he jabbed his fist into her face—knocking
her cold.
The knife in her hand dropped straight to the ground, and she was
following suit. He caught her before she fell and placed her on the ground.
He started to move away, but then he stopped—it didn’t feel right for him to
leave her alone. Although she might have tried to hurt him, she was an
innocent person trapped up in the chaos just like everyone else. She deserved
a second chance. He would rather have to face her again than let her die to a
Rava. He swiveled around and walked back to where he had set her down,
lifting her up to his side. He wrapped her arm around his neck and trudged
ahead slowly. There was an affected delicacy to each step he took, as if each
step had to be meticulous or something could go terribly wrong, and he didn’t
want to take any chances.
Once he arrived near where the others had been, he set her against the
wall. Her eyes blinked. She was awake. He stepped back into a defensive
stance, not expecting her to regain consciousness that soon. In an instant she
threw her fist at him but her fingers stopped a centimeter short before making
contact. Nathan had grabbed her arm from behind, she clenched her other fist
but Kara caught it before it even moved. They pulled her arms behind her and
held her against the wall. Before Nemiah could say anything Nathan stopped
him, “We leave you alone for fifteen minutes—that’s it—and then this
happens. And why did you stop here? We were waiting for you by the dorm
behind this one and we just happened to look around the corner.” A lump
formed in Nemiah’s throat, he didn’t know what to answer. Whether he had
found trouble in the short time he was gone, or the fact that he had forgotten
where the others had been.
Nathan g
ave him a soft smile and patted his shoulder, “I’m just kidding.
Next time anyone goes anywhere, we go together. Now introduce us to your
friend here.”
Nemiah was reassured, but had an unsure look on his face, “I don’t know.
I was out patrolling and suddenly this girl comes out of nowhere and starts
throwing knives at me. I managed to knock her out but her—”
A melancholy voice spoke, “I was just defending myself, you intruded in
my territory, and I was inclined to lead you out. I didn’t want you bringing
any Ravas in my direction.”
He was stunned, he didn’t think of it that way, but she could have led him
out some other way, instead of throwing knives at him. He didn’t feel the
need to protest; instead he just smiled and agreed with her, “You’re right.
That’s my fault.”
Nathan spoke softly, “Well, that was a mature way of handling things,
although I can tell she went overboard in ‘leading you out,’ but I can see
where you’re coming from.”
“Regardless, what do we do from here?” Kara looked the girl in the eye.
“Why don’t you tell us your name so we can take this slowly?”
The other girl relaxed, speaking slowly, “I’m Emily.”
Kara didn’t hesitate to ask the others for their opinion. “Well Emily, how
would you like to join us in getting out of here and to thwart whoever is
behind this?” The others had almost seen it coming. Nathan found it funny
that Kara had been the one who had stated that everyone was an enemy, yet
she was accepting people with open arms.
“It’s clear that you have talents of use, and we could use another helping
hand.” Nathan loosened his grip on her arms and stepped back, awaiting her
response.
Emily turned around slowly, her hands in the air. “Alright, I give. But not
unless you guys have a plan, and you help me find a certain person.”
Kara smiled, “OK, that’s fair, and we do have a plan. Who are you
looking for?”
Her voice was quiet for a second, and then she spoke, “My younger sister,
Jessica.”
They were shocked. Nathan paused, and then reacted, “Well, follow us
back to our spot; I think we can fulfill both of those things.”
Emily walked behind them hesitantly, observing their backs as if they
were spoils of war. They moved aside and she came face to face with her