Page 6 of Larz

A figure clambered over twisted seats and debris, reaching out a hand to me. It was Jonah, one engineer. Soot covered his face, his eyes wide with fear but glinting with resolve.

“We need to move,” he urged, pulling me to my feet.

The world tilted as I stood, but I steadied myself against Jonah’s arm. “What happened?”

“We crashed,” he said flatly. “Don’t know why or how.”

A chorus of moans and cries echoed through what remained of the cabin. Shattered screens flickered with static, giving off an eerie glow that barely illuminated the chaos.

“Hey! Can anyone hear me?” The voice was powerful, edged with authority. It was Captain Reyes, clambering through the debris toward us.

People began responding from different corners, voices overlapping in a cacophony of fear and confusion.

“My leg... I can’t feel my leg!” someone wailed from behind a toppled console.

“I’m here; what can I do?” another called out.

“We need to get organized,” Captain Reyes barked as he approached us. A tear in his uniform ripped across the shoulder, but his posture remained unbowed. “Jonah, Hailee, help me check for survivors.”

Jonah nodded and together we moved through the wreckage. Each step brought new discoveries—some people trapped under beams, others clutching at wounds that oozed crimson against their pale skin.

“We’re going to get you out,” I whispered to a woman pinned beneath a piece of the fuselage. Her breath came in quick gasps.

Jonah slid his hands under the metal and heaved with all his might. The woman cried out as we freed her, and two others rushed to carry her away to safety.

The survivors gathered in a clearer space near what used to be the main hatch—some standing stoically despite their injuries, others huddled on the ground or leaning on one another for support.

“We have to assess our situation,” Captain Reyes said once we had all assembled as best we could. “We’re alive; that’s what matters now.”

“What about communications? Can we send an SOS?” a young man asked, his voice quivering slightly despite his attempt at composure.

Captain Reyes shook his head solemnly. “Comms are down; everything’s down.”

Panic flickered across several faces like shadows dancing in firelight.

“What about supplies? Food? Water?” This from Mariah, who had always taken it upon herself to be our unofficial morale officer during training.

“Unknown until we do inventory,” replied Jonah grimly. “We need volunteers to help search.”

“I’ll go,” Mariah volunteered immediately, and others followed suit after her example.

As groups formed to tend to various tasks—inventory supplies, scout for dangers outside, tend to the wounded—I felt my resolve steeling within me.

“Captain Reyes,” I began hesitantly, “I have survival training. Let me help with first aid.”

He eyed me for a moment before nodding once sharply. “Good. Take Erin with you; she knows where we keep the medical supplies.”

A chill nipped at my exposed skin as I stepped through the gaping hole that was once the ship’s hatch, my boots crunching on the alien terrain. The landscape sprawled before us, a stark contrast to the lush greens and blues of Earth. Here, everything seemed sharper, the colors more vivid under the light of a sun that wasn’t ours.

“Look at this place,” Erin murmured beside me, her gaze sweeping across the horizon. Her words were soft, but they carried in the stillness.

The air was thin but breathable; we’d lucked out in that regard. “Let’s focus,” I reminded her, my voice betraying none of my wonder.

We moved methodically, scouring for any ejected supplies from the crash. My mind raced with each item we recovered—bandages, antiseptic, a splint. These would keep us alive a little longer.

Suddenly, Erin froze mid-step, her hand reaching out to still me. “Hailee... do you see that?” she whispered.

I followed her gaze to where silhouettes shimmered on the crest of a nearby dune. The setting sun cast long shadows that distorted their forms, but there was no mistaking it: we weren’t alone on this planet.

---