Page 3 of Pandora: Alien Games
Great. Now I make noise.
I assumed there was something wrong with my eyes because I saw an orange glow all around me. I blinked and my eyes adjusted to the surroundings. I took everything in. I was in a desert. Just my luck to crash in a desert.
“Really, Gods? This is what I deserve after my fucked-up life!” I yelled at the sky, aware no one was around to see me.
Holding the edge of the pod, I crawled to my knees. The left arm just dangled there, useless. Great, I needed find antibiotics, a surgical kit, and plasma threads. We had this great plasma replacement we used for such things on the station. Spray it inside the wound and it closed in seconds.
Van said the pod contained a first-aid kid. I pressed on the compartment under me and the lid popped open. There was a first-aid kit inside filled with dust. Great.
The pod was useless and I was fully exposed, smelling like dinner for whatever predators were out here. Not a good situation.
Breathing again, I concluded the air was a gas that held enough oxygen for a human. One for the win. Now, let’s find some water, food, and meds. The list is tiny.
I love making lists. I used to drive Van crazy each time we worked on something. I would write a list with everything I needed and what had to be done, and then would cross things off the list one by one.
“There’s no time like now.”
Holding on to the pod, I put one foot on the sandy ground. I had never touched sand. I couldn’t imagine how it felt to lean on it. The golden-orange sand moved and my boot sank a bit until it stopped. My boot sank up to the ankle. I swung the other foot over the edge and landed on the soft sand with a thud.
My left arm swung around like a piece of rag.
The sun hit me right on my head, face, and shoulders and the sand made each step challenging. Where should I go next? Desert. That was all I could see. Sand to my left and sand to my right. I felt as if I was on the bottom of an ocean looking up. The sky was pale blue and crystal clear, untouched by the palest touch of a white cloud. I turned around, trying to see if I could spot Van’s escape pod or the remains of the shuttle. All that came to my mind was that this must be Hell. The crazy preacher on the station talked about it. A place that looks the same no matter what direction you look and that makes you feel drained and lost.
The universal data device on my wrist showed information that made no sense to me, and I had no access to the station’s control room that could analyze it for me. This was it, damn mother fucking nature in all its glory.
I looked down at myself. My cargo pants would at least keep my pale skin from burning under the strong rays of the three suns. Any direction I took would be an equally horrible choice. The throbbing in my shoulder made me want to cry out. I can’t cry. I need to save every bit of water.
The pod was empty. The only thing I could salvage was a piece of fabric that I wrapped around my head. The pain in my shoulder and arm reminded me I needed to do something about it. I tried to rip out one of the safety belts and turn it into a makeshift sling, but that proved impossible.
The little supplies we had were all in the shuttle. I stayed in the pod because it had its own life support system. The shuttle was too old to carry two people and provide enough oxygen for both. I never envisioned I’d be all alone in this venture. Me and Van, we hoped we would get to a planet that could support human life. That was the plan. We didn’t have time to consider other aspects. Even if we wanted to bring tools and supplies, that would have been impossible. The both of us dreamed of a simple life away from the tyrannical rule of The Commander. A life that would allow us to walk under the sun, eat what we could hunt and gather, and be in balance with nature.
The desert around me offered me one thing—sand. There was no water in sight. I closed my eyes again and pushed down the pain, closing it in a mental box. A box of pain killers. What I wouldn’t give to have at least one pain killer right now. I had only one option left.
Walking.
3
Pandora
The general direction I took was south. I think. It could have been any direction. With each step on the sand, and each heartbeat, the throbbing in my arm grew stronger and burned inside my brain like a hot knife. The damn pod kept me safe, but it more than likely hit a rock when it landed. The part that was damaged struck my shoulder and shattered it.
Awesome shit.
Each step on the hot sand helped me understand the guys from movies. I’m used to the hard, plastic surfaces in the space station. I never knew what if felt like to walk on sand. How the sand would suck at my feet. I tried to lean forward and push my body, but I barely put distance between myself and the pod before my entire body dripped with sweat from pain and exhaustion.
Van is dead. With each throbbing of the pain in my shoulder, with each breath of hot air I sucked into my dying lungs, the face of my best friend appeared clearly in front of me, only with his eyes that looked glassy and lost, indicating he had met his eternal death. And it was all because of me. If he didn’t take me with him, the small ship would have been fast enough for him to escape.
A sharp gust of wind pushed me from behind, allowing me to walk a bit faster. It was a relief until the speed of the wind picked up and, instead of helping me walk, it had me running.
A voice made me ignore the howling of the wind and the strong burning heat of the three suns.
“Run! Come on Sky, run!”
Van’s voice filled my heart and I could see him in front of me, the way he would lead us through a mad dash down the corridors of the space station when we were kids.
“Move your lazy ass. Run.”
“You’re such and ass,” I called out, unable to make a difference between reality and fantasy. Was Van here? Was I back at the station? I’m so thirsty, but my arm doesn’t hurt.