Like everyone else, I could barely stay awake. The space behind my eyes pounded as if my brain was trying to drill a way through. Stasis lag threatened to pull me down. If the colonists were here, they’d give us medication to reverse the cryo effect. But since they were no-shows so far, we’d have to ride it out until they arrived.
Riley leaned against a rock nearby. Did he know Vick hadn’t made it out?
He groaned and reached for his leg, where blood drizzled from the wound he’d gotten on the ship. The red liquid seeped between his fingers onto the sand that sucked it down.
If I was the decent sort, I’d help him bandage it. But the thought of getting close to him made panic bolt through me. I’d saved him on the ship, which had to be enough.
Where’s your humanity, Lesha? It must still live inside me. Biting my tongue, I rose and stumbled toward him. I set my first aid kit by his side. As a paramedic, he could take care of himself better than I could.
On wobbly legs, I made my way back to Joe. An ebony sky arced across this new world. A big, crescent-shaped blue moon rested above the horizon, and its smaller, milky green cousin hung directly over us. The moons spilled luminous light across the land, outlining small hills and creating spooky shadows.
Darkness could hide anything.
Being alone without help at a time like this didn’t seem fair. Tears hovered on my lashes, and I sniffed and wiped them away, refusing to give in to my fear.
Not that I was truly alone. As I wove among them, I counted the others in the sand. Three hundred people had boarded our ship thirty-two years ago, but only sixteen had escaped, including me. We were the sole survivors of this mission from Earth.
What if the person who’d damaged the ship had messed with the computers? This might not be Eris. We could be anywhere in the galaxy. I lowered my body to the sand, trying to shove away my unease, because I couldn’t do anything about it now.
Malik grunted. His eyes burst open, and his feverish gaze sought me. Sitting, he rubbed his face. “I must have passed out. I’ve…” He coughed, a deep, guttural sound. “I’ve got to go back inside the ship…someone could be alive.” Anguish rang in his words, and he started to get up.
I reached over Joe and pulled Malik back to the ground. “It’s too late. You’ll die.” As if to punctuate my words, flames roared through the hatch. Caustic fumes rushed around us, and I gasped.
He shook his head. “I can’t leave anyone inside. I have to…” Intensity wrinkled his face as he stared at the ship, but his chest deflated.
“No one’s still alive in there,” I whispered. “You saw what it was like. We opened the units. Got the living out. Everyone else is dead.”
“I wish…fuck.” He slammed his fist on the ground. “I wish I could have gotten them all out.” Said like the sole survivor of a wreck at sea.
“You did what you could.”
“I didn’t. I never do.” His voice broke, and he stared down at the sand. “I could have…hell, I could have done more.”
I blinked. “Like what? Die trying to save everyone?”
“Doesn’t matter now,” he wheezed. “We need to get away from the ship.” He stumbled to his feet and wove above me, blocking the green moon. “We shouldn’t breathe this crap.”
I shook Joe’s shoulder, but he didn’t stir. Stasis lag hit some harder than others. Like a limp doll, I rolled him onto his back and leaned close to his ear. “Joe. Wake up, kiddo.”
He startled and grabbed my hands, his wide eyes meeting mine. Whimpering, he crawled into my lap and buried his face in my shoulder. I hugged him, and his skinny arms provided a lifeline to hope. Where would I be if my brother hadn’t made it out?
“We’ve got to go.” I rocked him before struggling to my feet, tugging him up beside me.
He clung to my waist and gaped around. “What happened? Where are we?” Panic rose in his voice, and his pain ripped me sideways.
I rubbed his back, wishing I could give even a speck of reassurance, but I had barely any left inside for myself. “It’s going to be all right.” I’d make sure of it or die trying. “You’re not hurt, are you?” I studied his face, but didn’t read pain. No wounds I could see in the dim light from the moons. I ran my hands down his arms and legs, pressed on his belly until he pushed me away.
“I’m okay,” he said in a dull voice.
“Stay close, then.”
He nodded and stared around with wide eyes.
Prepared to haul our few remaining Earth possessions to the end of the world, I looped my pack onto my back. Oh, no. Our family vid was in there. I’d cry if it broke in the fall. While I could keep my mom’s image alive in my mind, it would fade until nothing remained, like everything else did in life. I yanked the zipper open and pawed through my stuff. The solid frame reassured me. I traced my fingertips across the smooth screen and the solar panel on the back. She was safe. Her face would stay with me forever. I tucked the shirts around it again and slid the bag back over my shoulder.
“Tiff.” I stooped down beside her and rubbed her arm. “Wake up.”
She moaned, and her eyes popped open. “Lesha. You made it.” Her voice wavered. She rose to her knees and clutched her arm. “Shit. That hurts!”
“I’ve got ointment I can put on it.” As soon as I got my medical kit back from Riley.
She leaned forward and hugged me with her good arm. “I was worried when I got out of the ship and didn’t see you.”
“Malik found me. Wake Trey and the others.” I took a hitching breath. “Malik says we have to get away from the fumes.”
She wiped the hair off my face. “Stay close, okay?”
“I will. We’re friends forever.” The words we’d said to each other since we met in the dining hall a few weeks after Mom died and Joe and I moved into the Bunker.
“Forever,” she echoed. Turning, she rubbed Trey’s shoulder. “Baby, wake up.”
I went to the next person lying in the sand. Captain Blackmine, our pilot, roused when I tapped an unburned place on her arm.
“Help me.” The words stuttered out of her. Her chest heaved as she struggled to find her breath.
Clicking my glolight on, I ran the beam over her. Aw, hell. My knees knocked together. Unlike Tiff, whose burns looked superficial—most of the Captain’s body was speckled with blisters. Her eyes, deadened with pain, blinked at me as if she hoped I’d tell her what had gone wrong or put her out of her misery.
There had to be something I could do for her. I just needed to figure it out. And I would, the second we got her to safety. “I’m sorry. It’s going to hurt, but we have to get away from the ship. I’m going to help you stand.” I glanced around. “Hey, Tiff. Can you get on the Captain’s other side?”
The Captain groaned, and her knees crumpled, threatening to pull us all to the ground. We scrambled for a decent grip, our hands sliding along her exposed, tacky skin. She must be bleeding, although it was too dark to tell. Supporting her, we put the ship at our backs and moved into the desert.
When I passed him, Riley coughed and reached toward me. “Lesha. Help me. I’m hurt.”
Tiff’s eyes met mine over the Captain’s body, and I could swear resignation passed across her face. “You need to go to him, don’t you?”
Never. Why would she think I did?
“I can’t.” Dread curled my spine, but I found the will to make my legs move forward. “He…” Now was not the time to tell her about Riley. I barely understood what was going on with him myself. Shaking my head, I tightened my grip on Captain Blackmine’s arm. “He can take care of himself.”
Making sure Joe was still with us, I nudged my head toward where Malik walked ahead of us. “Let’s go.”
“Lesha, please,” Riley ground out behind me. “Come back.”
I stiffened my jaw and kept moving.
Chapter Seven
Around us, survivors rose as we passed them.
“Someone help,” a guy cried out.
A girl so
bbed. “What happened?”
Out in the desert, someone screamed, a long cry that stabbed through my chest like a knife. I squinted around but couldn’t see who had made the sound. Too many of us were wounded. I’d help everyone once I got the Captain to safety. Wounded, she didn’t stand a chance on her own.
“We’ve got to find the colony,” a boy said as he stumbled past me, panic filling his every word.
“Follow us,” I shouted, hoping everyone would hear. I kept a tight hold on Joe, whose panicked gaze darted around the area.
“This way.” Malik waved one arm. He and Trey carried someone between them. “We need to get away from the fumes.”
“Where are we?” a girl asked, her voice cracking.
“Hell,” someone replied.
Malik’s neck twisted, and he stared at me. “We’re on Eris.”
“How do you know?”
“The computers verified our location. My com linked in for an update before they fried.”
Relief loosened my legs, making it easier to keep going. “Did the computers tell you where the colony is? Or why we crashed?” He said nothing for so long I wondered if he’d heard. “Malik?”
“No.”
Okay, that was bad. How could we aim for the colony if we didn’t know where it was? But at least we’d crashed on the right planet. Dad would be with the colonists, rushing toward us right now. At the thought, I found new energy and tightened my grip under Captain Blackmine’s arm.
“Vick? Vick?” Riley shouted. “Where are you? Let me know, and I’ll help you.”
My gut dropped, because I knew he’d never see his brother again.
I’d be unable to go on if it had been Joe.
“Vick? Vick!”
“No one else made it out,” someone said. “We’re it.”
Riley’s wail rose before trailing off to a whimper.
When I could, I’d tell him about what I’d seen on the ship. It might help to know Vick had died from smoke inhalation instead of fire. Not that the fact would be much comfort after losing his brother, but it was something. I hated feeling even a speck of emotion for Riley, but I couldn’t prevent a swell of sympathy. No one deserved to lose someone they loved.
Ahead of us, Malik topped a rise and started down the other side. “This way.”
Six-year-old Mandy tugged on my pants, pulling me to a standstill. Tears streaked down her pale cheeks. She grabbed my arm and yanked me toward the ship.
“Where’s Will?” I peered around her but didn’t see her tall brother, which was unlike him. He was as protective of Mandy as I was of Joe.
She sniffed and tried to pull me toward the ship again.
Maybe he hadn’t…Oh. Poor girl. She probably wanted me to go back inside to save him. I leaned the Captain against my hip so I could slide my arm around Mandy’s shoulders and pull her close. “I’m so sorry. Stay with me and Joe, okay?”
She shuddered and looked toward the ship.
With Joe and Mandy trailing us with plodding steps, we took the Captain to the crest of the hill. The lack of colony lights in the distance brought my worry back in a sharp wave, because I was afraid the buildings were in another direction. But what choice did we have at the moment?
Get away from the ship. Rest. Deal with everything in the morning.
The Captain was slight, but we essentially carried her. Tiff and I panted and stumbled down the slope, tripping over rocks and bushes. Joe hovered nearby, whimpering, but I couldn’t do a damn thing to comfort him.
“Hang in there, kiddo,” I said.
“Lesha,” he said. “Why did this happen? I want to go home!”
“I know.” I did, too. At this point, even dying Earth would be welcome compared to this hellhole we’d fallen into. “It’s going to be okay.” I was pleased to hear my voice sounding confident. Kuddos to me, because I sure didn’t feel that way inside.
Tiff’s gaze met mine, and she nodded. She’d watch out for Joe as avidly as me.
Tipping my head back, I peered around. Darkness clung to our new world, lit only by the two moons, a sky full of unknown constellations, and the fire dying down in the ship behind us. A scratchy chorus of insects stilled as we drew near, then resumed their uneven tune after we moved past.
We helped Captain Blackmine across a flat area at the base of the hill, but it was rough going. The kind woman who’d smiled at me when I boarded the ship screamed as if we were poking her with a hot iron. Her hoarse cries faded until she grew still.
We dragged her after that.
Up another hill. Each step draining what little energy I possessed. A burst of wind sent smoke and gasses from the ship swirling around us, pinching my lungs.
“Lesha, you okay?” Tiff panted between each word. “I’m scared and my arm hurts like hell.” She sobbed. “Why did the ship crap out and dump us in a desert? No one can live out here.”
Great question. “It’ll be okay.” Such a stupid thing to say to an injured friend. Stupid enough, I couldn’t even fool myself. But what else could I say? That I wanted to scream and run until I dropped or passed out?
The worst thing about this was the fact that we didn’t have a clue where we were. What if we’d crashed thousands of kilometers from our destination? Eris was smaller than Earth, but they’d only established one colony on the planet. We could roam forever and never find it.
Malik stood in the middle of the low valley he’d selected. His arms rose, like he worried we’d lose him in the dark. “This is a great place to rest. Not far now.” Jogging over to a limping man, he guided him to the sandy location he’d selected and then rushed up the hill and scooped Mandy into his arms. He strode ahead of us, the little girl clinging to his broad shoulders.
Tiff and I settled the Captain near Sam Cartwright, the man Trey and Malik had carried. Sam was another military liaison and Malik’s best friend. Kneeling beside Sam, I ran my glolight’s beam down his body. The fire had burned off all of his hair, and blisters covered most of his torso. Melted, like his durasuit. My stomach rolled, but I doubted it had anything left to give.
Malik lowered Mandy to the ground beside Joe and then crossed to kneel on the other side of Sam. He rubbed an unburned patch on his friend’s arm, and the pain on Malik’s face just about killed me.
“Hang in there. Please,” he said. As if he could keep the poor man alive by will alone.
He’d chosen a wide depression in the center of three rocky hillsides for camp. Smoke drifted above us, and when the wind blew the wrong way, the fumes burned my throat, but most of it passed over our little haven. The cold wind didn’t penetrate my durasuit in the hollow as easily as it had at the top of the dunes. Like Earth’s deserts, a night on Eris brought a chill that hardened my bones.
Scratching the back of my neck, I tried to shove away the unsettled feeling that kept shouting, watch out! Our location nagged at me. Anything could crest a hill and rush down at us. Call me paranoid, but after what happened with Riley, I preferred seeing my stalker before it saw me.
Riley sat a short distance away, his face buried in his hands. His friend, Colin, sat beside him, speaking softly. Kalani leaned against his other side, murmuring soothing sounds and rubbing his back. Originally from Germany, Kalani had moved into the Bunker the same time Joe and I did. While we hadn’t been close, we’d taken a few classes together.
I dragged my feet over to stand in front of Riley before I recognized what the other girl’s presence meant. “Wait a minute. Kalani?” I whispered. What was she doing here?
She shoved her honey-blonde hair off her face and glanced up. “Hmm?”
I tilted my head. “I thought you were going to Stellar 3.” Not that it mattered, now.
She shrugged. “They switched me the day of departure. Must have been my birthday present, because I just turned eighteen.” She snorted. “Happy birthday to me.” Tears filled her eyes, and she buried her face in Riley’s shoulder.
I shifted back and forth on my treds. “Riley, you
r leg was hurt on the ship. I left my medical kit with you so you could bandage it. Can I have it back?”
“What?” He stared up at me. Grief cratered his face, and another wave of sympathy washed over me.
Tightening my back, I held out my hand. “My first aid kit. Do you have it?”
“Who cares about anything like that when my brother’s dead?” He waved to where the kit lay in the sand beside him and covered his face with his hands again.
“I’m sorry about your brother. We did all we—”
“Shut the fuck up,” he snarled.
I stumbled backward, my kit in hand, but if he refused to listen, there wasn’t much I could say to him. Turning, I made my way back to my friends.
When I settled beside Captain Blackmine, Joe tumbled over and flopped against my back. “I’m tired. There’s no beds. Where can I sleep? Lesha, make it go away!”
Mandy came over to stand mutely beside him, her arms stick-like at her sides. Taking their hands, I pulled them to a soft, sandy spot a short distance away and sat, patting the ground. I tried to force some cheer into my voice, but I doubted either of them bought it. “This should be just fine. You can sleep here. It’s gonna be okay. I promise.” Please, please, let me keep that promise.
“I…I…” Joe’s eyes watered and he sniffed. But he flopped down and curled into a ball against my thigh. Mandy lay beside him. I rubbed their shoulders and whispered prayers Mom told me when I was little. Their breathing evened in no time. At least stasis lag would take them away from this living nightmare.
It was all I could do not to lay down with them. But as much as I needed to sleep, I wanted to help our injured first.
During orientation, I’d trained with the medical staff. I planned to be a doctor and would continue my studies at the colony. Kneeling beside the Captain again, I opened my kit, pulled out my scanner, and ran it down her body. The diagnosis on the screen confirmed what I already knew. Third-degree burns covered almost forty percent of her body.
Phoenix Arise: YA Sci-fi Thriller (From the Ashes Book 1) Page 5
