Page 21 of Crash Landing
8: Saleuk
The horizon was a deep purple and the sun had disappeared behind Sylos. Most of the interns were onboard the ship ready to turn in for the night and Ilisa was making her final rounds to check everyone’s conditions after being on a foreign moon for a day. I counted every member of the team as they filtered into the Haelo, but someone was missing. Sam.
I waited at the ramp of the ship, watching the woods, but it was far too dark for anyone to be out there. I turned to Ilisa.
“That isn’t everyone,” I stated.
She shook her head, glancing at her readings.
“Sjek.”
“Samantha Worthington is missing,” the old professor sighed, going through a roster on her data pad. She didn’t seem worried. No one did.
“Oh, and so is Mr. Hemburg,” one of the other female interns pointed out, her arms crossed over her chest like she was upset.
Two young men who were just packing their things in the storage compartment spoke up.
“We saw them hiking into the woods,” one said.
“Yeah, about an hour ago.”
I turned back to the trees and searched for two silhouettes in the darkness. Through my visor’s tint, I could see less than usual and I was growing agitated by it.
“Settle everyone in,” I said to Ilisa.
She nodded and then her gaze flitted past me to the border of the woods. I followed it to see one figure emerging from the shadows. He was walking fast and even jogged a little to reach the ship once he was in the clearing. It was the middle-aged man who seemed to have a particular affinity for Sam. My stomach turned with suspicion as he approached without her. Mr. Hemburg.
“Sorry about that,” he said in a chipper tone. “I completely lost track of time. This place is just so fascinating.”
The professor craned her neck to see past him. “Where is Ms. Worthington?”
“Who?”
“Sam,” I cut in.
He seemed a little caught off guard when I spoke directly to him. “Oh, I don’t know. Shouldn’t all the interns be here?” He did an exaggerated search of the people inside the ship, but in my gut, I knew something was off.
“A few of them said they saw you two going into the woods together,” the professor pointed out, a hint of suspicion in her tone.
At least I wasn’t the only one.
“Oh, we did. I wanted to show her something and then we parted ways. I told her to head back before me.”
I didn’t want to hear it. I pointed at Puro inside the ship and spoke in our native tongue.
“Make sure no one leaves this ship,” I said, marching toward the woods.
“Now, everyone calm down,” the man said to the others as if he was taking charge. “I’m sure Ms. Worthington is fine.”
She better be.
Once in the woods, I quickly lifted my helmet off my head, breathing in the fresh air of Phesah. I’d taken plenty of trips to the moon for its scenery. It was a good place to seek somesolitude and be alone. It was peaceful. Quiet. Beautiful. But at night, deep in the wilderness, it was dangerous, especially for a human who didn’t know the terrain.
I hiked straight into the thick darkness, letting my eyes adjust to the lack of light. They did so quickly. Valerians were accustomed to low light situations and on top of that, Sylos and Phesah both had high amounts of bioluminescent life to compensate for the dim dwarf star. As soon as night came, the fungus on the trees lit up with a white glow and small drops of condensation mixed with tree sap made the forest look like a starry night. I took in a deep breath of unfiltered oxygen and marched onward, deeper and deeper into the glowing terrain. I followed the tracks of multiple boots until they faded into two very distinct trails.
Sam and the lead researcher.
Her boots were significantly smaller than his and she walked with more grace while he seemed to walk with a slight drag in his right step.
