Page 2 of Pandora: Alien Games

I tried to move but could not. Whatever pushed on my chest kept me pinned inside the pod. I reached out with my hand and touched metal. Fuck. The crash had dented the hatch to the escape pod and it pressed me into my seat. How would I get that off me?

Think, Sky, think.

Closing my eyes again, I assessed the damage on my body. The pain was universal and burned every one of my cells.

Focus, girl.

I forced my left leg to move. Something that held it captive, but I managed to wiggle my way free. A few minutes later, my foot landed on something solid. I did the same with my right leg. That’s progress. As I tried to find out what other wounds I had, a strong pulsating pain radiated from my left shoulder. I attempted to move the fingers of my left hand I couldn’t. Fuck.

It was impossible for me to move my head. The escape pod is like a coffin. I wouldn’t be shocked if it hosted space rats as well. Fuck. I can’t even think of those creepy crawlers without my skin itching.

Let’s try the right hand. That didn’t move either.

Damn it, Van. Where are you when I need you?

Fear clawed at my chest. I wanted to give up but I can’t. Not now. Not so soon.

It made no sense to wait for Van to rescue me. If he could, he would have already done so. If he is here on this planet, maybe he needs help, too. Getting my ass into gear made sense.

My heart hurt. I wanted to roll into a tight little ball of sadness and cry. A dry tear burned my eyes. Van and I had escaped together. At least, I hoped he had time to make it to an escape pod before the shuttle exploded. I missed him already as my mind conjured the darkest scenarios. What if he died? What if he landed on the same planet but was too far away from me to ever find me again? What if the station exploded and ripped his body into millions of pieces of scrap? What if….

I willingly made myself stop. We both had to choose between certain death and a possible death. We picked the high possibility of dying when we stole the old shuttle and left the space station. Now here I was, alone, but still able to breathe, feel my legs, and register pain.

Death doesn’t hurt, right? I’ve never met someone who died so I couldn’t tell.

Sky, think. Think. Van said the pods had an automatic eject system for the lid. That had to be somewhere, right?

Fumbling around with my right hand, I found the eject button. It was where Van showed me. I hoped and prayed it still worked, fearing the possibility that a broken eject system would mean a slow and gruesome death. I wasn’t eager to cook to death here, wherever here was. Van always said that as soon as we land, we need to keep moving.

Darkness and fear spread inside my chest, choking me and ruining my determination.

I’m hurt and all alone somewhere. I’m going to die.

I can’t think like this. Taking a deep breath, as much as the damaged lid that pushed against my chest allowed, I summoned my last ounce of courage and pushed the button. Nothing! It didn’t budge, not even slightly. The heat from outside became more unbearable. Large drops of sweat dripped into my eyes and the capsule around me turned into an oven. My eyesight blurred. All I could see was light and weird colors.

Don’t panic, Sky. Try again, only push longer this time. Van said these old pods malfunctioned occasionally.

As I pushed a second time, a soft groan and clicking became audible. The lid opened a few inches. Even more heat drifted inside.

I couldn’t lift my legs. There was not enough space. But I could lift my knees and used them to push against the lid. The lid was so hot it burned my skin through the cargo pants I wore. Determined to escape, I opened my mind and mentally shoved aside the pain. I couldn’t think about it now or have it mess with my concentration. I pushed again, this time with all the strength left in my inured body. After a few more clicking noises that sounded as if a mechanical device was being activated, the pod door flew away, exposing me fully to the hottest baking sun I had ever experienced.

Feeling the sun for the first time on my face made me smile. There is no heat in space. Everything I knew about sunshine was from stories. This was my first real moment in the sun. How beautiful and scary it felt. Nothing could ever have prepared me this. The light filled my mind and I passed out. There was no other explanation for the feeling of fear and darkness that surrounded me.

When I woke up, the throbbing was located on my left shoulder. I turned my head slowly. A gasping hole covered with thick coagulated blood greeted me. That doesn’t look good, not a bit. Probing the edges of the wound with my fingers, I shivered. I need some tissue glue, or at least something to close this, or I’ll go into shock. The sweat and cold shivers are obvious signs I’m almost there. I also need water. My mouth feels so dry. I’d kill for one sip of water.

I tried to stand. The world around me turned fast. A thick layer of sweat coated my body. I knew I ran the risk of dying because of heatstroke, dehydration, and blood loss. No one would save me. I’m alone in a strange and brutally hot place. I don’t know if my best friend Van is alive or dead. If I don’t get my skinny ass in gear soon, I’ll be as dead as a deep-fried space rat.

Come on Sky. Move. No one’s coming to help you!

I noticed not just one sun but three beautiful, deep-orange suns in the sky, all three aligned in order of size. Three suns could only mean one thing—I’m not in any solar system I know of.

The largest had a strong glow. It seemed as if I stretched my hand toward it, I could touch it. The other two were smaller. The longer I studied them, the closer they felt. The suns were perfectly aligned. I gasped. I had always dreamed of seeing the sun, but I would never have imagined that my first time would be under an open sky crowned by three glowing, celestial flames.

I had no time to admire the beauty of the pale blue sky or the suns that graced it. I needed to get up and get moving. My fingers grabbed the edge of the pod and I pulled myself into a sitting position. The world spun and the contents of my stomach landed on my blood-smeared shirt. How delicious. The dry meal I last ate on the shuttle tasted bad when it went down and even worse now that it left my system. I smelled like blood, vomit, and sweat. Since I had no idea where I had landed, I had to get myself as far away from crash site as possible.

Before stealing the shuttle, Van and I had studied the planets that would sustain life, but not one of them had three suns. Our shuttle probably had entered a wormhole, which means I’m somewhere unknown to my people.

“May space rats crawl up your ass, commander,” I said and lifted my middle finger toward the sky.

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