Lost in the Red Hills of Mars

by Jackie Hunter

  He helped Celine up from the ground. “Let’s go back to the den and get some rest. We’ll leave in the morning.” He guided her out; she sobbed even louder.

  CHAPTER 14

  Restless Sleep

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  After restless night and hours of crying, Celine decided to leave the den to look for her father one last time. Alex remained asleep. Why is Alex snoring? He never snores. She turned on the light and gasped. Alex’s skin had a green tint to it.

  “Alex!” Celine shouted. She quickly crawled over to him, nearly banging her head on the den’s low ceiling. “Alex,” she cried. There was no response.

  Frantically, she searched his backpack for his first aid box. She examined it thoroughly. She hoped she could find something—anything—that could perhaps make him well. She found his O2 pillbox. She remembered her mom had told her that without enough oxygen, a person would turn green and suffocate. She opened the pillbox. He should have three pills, not four. That’s it. “How could you have been so careless?” She took one of the blue pills from the box and forced it between his lips and onto his tongue.

  “Chew it.” She grabbed his face and moved his jaws up and down, mimicking a chewing motion. “Now swallow.” Alex’s eyes were closed, but he swallowed.

  As the pill enriched his blood with oxygen, his complexion reddened, and his snoring ceased. But he still seemed out of it. I don’t know what else to do. Celine felt so vulnerable and alone. Suddenly, an image of Morg’s footprints flashed through her head. I’ve got to find Morg. At this point, she didn’t care if he took them back to the Compound. Celine quickly made her way back into the cave and through the lava tube. Morg’s tracks were still visible.

  When she stepped into the cavern, she saw the sand mound blocking the exit. She let out a scream. “No! Not again, not again,” she cried. She squeezed her lips together, tightened her fist, and charged into the hill of sand that blocked her way out. She began clawing her way to the top of the hill but failed to reach it. She could, however, see that it was dusk. She glanced at one of the lopsided moons as she slid back down to the cave floor.

  “Why is this happening to us? We’re too young to die.” She went back to the den to check on Alex. He was unconscious. Celine sat next to him and crossed her legs, ready to meditate and ask the Universe for answers. She closed her eyes and began chanting, “I am mmm, I am mmm.” No solutions to her dilemma came to mind. She held Alex’s hand. “Alex, you’ve got to get well. You need those coordinates for your father! Come on, Alex! Please wake up!” Tears rolled down her cheeks as she squeezed and nervously massaged his hands.

  Then she heard the explosion. Alex must have heard it too.

  Alex opened his eyes and snatched his hands from hers. “What was that?”

  “Alex, you’re OK!” She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried loudly.

  “Let go of me, Martian Girl,” Alex said. He seemed confused. “Why are you crying?”

  “You were—” Celine was too choked up to speak. “I couldn’t wake you.”

  “What was that noise?”

  “I don’t know. How do you feel?”

  “Really weak,” he said. Then he stretched and laid back.

  “Alex, you looked like you were dying. Why did you miss your O2 pill?”

  Dodging her question, Alex asked, “Would you mind grabbing me the water bottle? I am so thirsty.”

  She snatched the water bottle from Alex’s backpack and handed it to him. She watched him drink until the bottle was empty.

  “You didn’t take your pill.” Celine reiterated firmly. “Why?”

  “My pill. I’ve taken my pills.” Alex massaged his forehead. “My head hurts. Let’s talk about this later,” he said. He closed his eyes and drifted into sleep.

  “Alex, we’re trapped in this cave.” She sternly laid a hand upon his shoulder.

  “Leave me alone,” he mumbled, shoving her hand away.

  Celine backed away from him and leaned against the wall of the den.

  She wrapped her arms around her body and stared at Alex as he slept. Her heart pounded. What am I going to do? I’ve got to find another way out. She slipped out of the den. She found herself drawn to the cave where she had found her dad’s signature chip. She walked quietly through the tube, no longer concerned about the glowworms. “They won’t harm me if I don’t harm them,” she mumbled. She walked over to the area where she had scratched out the chip. She had been so emotional when she found the chip that she might have missed something. Celine shone her light and saw that, indeed, she had missed something. There was something green on the cave wall. It was not a color that would naturally occur on her planet. As she got a little closer, she realized that it was a drawing. She used her glove to brush aside the dust. She couldn’t believe it. There was a drawing of a woman wearing a flowing green dress. She had a yellow aura painted around her body. A large yellow medallion hung from her neck and covered her chest like an armor plate. The woman’s dark eyes had no white. There were paintings of other females too, but none stood out quite like the woman in green. Who could have done this? Suddenly, Celine felt a chill run through her body. Someone’s watching me.

  “Daddy, is that you?” There was no response. “Morg?”

  She stood in silence. With her heart in her throat, she ran back to the den. As she crawled into the den, she heard a second explosion. This one shook the floor beneath her.

  “Alex!”

  “I heard it,” he said. He seemed fully alert. “Volcano?”

  Then they heard the crackling sound of water slapping the cave walls. Some crept into the den.

  Alex grabbed his boots and shoved them into his backpack. He looked at Celine’s backpack and then up at Celine. “Put your food and safety kit in mine.” His jawline was tight, and his eyes moved quickly, acknowledging the seriousness of their situation. Celine obeyed without question. The tent floor was one of their most valuable possessions, and it was now covered in water. He rolled it into a lopsided ball and shoved it into his airtight backpack.

  Celine rolled out of the den into knee-deep water. Alex pushed their backpacks and helmets out and slid out into the water next to her.

  “Where is that water coming from?” he asked.

  “The cave where Morg and the soldiers were,” Celine said.

  Alex’s eyes widened. “That was an explosion!” Just as he said it, a wave of water rushed in over their heads. Alex came up first. “Celine!”

  Celine could hear him, but she struggled to get afloat. “Alex, I’m here,” she called.

  “Stand up.”

  She struggled to stand. Now the water was in the middle of her thighs and pushing against her.

  “Take off your suit,” he said as he began stepping out of his. Then he placed it in a backpack pocket and zipped it closed. “The water might cause it to weigh you down.”

  Celine stepped out of her suit and shoved it into her backpack pocket and zipped it. More of the rusty-red water gushed into their cave. It covered her bottom and dirtied her underwear. Celine’s heart rate increased, and she felt completely discombobulated. Although it was a valuable resource, there was nothing appealing or comforting about this water. It jolted her. She had to fight it with great force in order to move in the direction she wanted to go.

  “It feels strange. It’s all over me, including my private parts. I don’t like it.”

  Alex smirked. “Let’s get out of here!”

  Alex slung his dripping wet backpack onto his back and fastened its bottom belt around his waist. Celine slipped her arms through the straps of her bag; she was about to fasten the bottom strap when Alex stopped her, his eyes cast downward. He shook his head. “No.”

  Celine was too frightened to disobey. She looked down at the rising water. Her undershirt was covered in muddy red water. Though the water was warm, she shivered. It shoved her, and she nearly went under. The hairs on her arms rose.

  “Just hold on to it if you can.
Let it float.”

  More water burst into the cave. It slapped the walls as it rushed in. The glowworms shrilled, and some popped and flashed as water splashed them. Celine was lifted and tossed about. Alex grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him.

  “Stick with me,” he said. “And we’re going to need your night vision.” He began swimming toward the tube that led to the blocked exit.

  “It’s blocked! The exit is—.” Suddenly a towering wave of water came crashing into the cave, sweeping Alex into another lava tube. The glowworms let out a high shrill and pulled themselves deep into the ceiling away from the water.

  Celine covered her ears and squeezed her eyes closed. Her eardrums were in pain. When she opened her eyes, she noticed her light and backpack had floated away. She wanted to panic but used every fiber in her being to keep a clear head. Her eyes scanned the dark cave for Alex.

  “Alex!” she screamed between mouthfuls of water and gags. She heard her voice echo. Alex, where are you? She fought the water until her arms ached. Then she thought she heard her grandma’s voice say, “Stay calm, Granddaughter.” Celine wanted to cry, but she felt a sense of encouragement and realized there was no time for tears. She flipped onto her back and allowed the water to take her with the current. She floated into the tube that led to the cave where she had seen the paintings on the wall.

  CHAPTER 15

  No One Will Know We Were Here

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  Celine swirled into the cavern where she had seen the paintings. The water here was calmer, but it was rising quickly. The entire floor was covered in the muddy red water; she sadly watched it rise until it covered the piercing eyes of the female on the painting. Soon the woman’s head was covered, and the illustration was no longer visible.

  “What a shame…No one will ever know you were here,” she said solemnly. As the water rose higher, she noticed one of the “apartment” entrances was almost close enough to reach. She swam toward it and extended her arms in an attempt to reach the opening and pull herself up. Unfortunately, the water was not yet high enough.

  A few more centimeters, that’s all I need. The water level was rising, but not fast enough for Celine. Her muscles ached with exhaustion. She dove underwater to see if she could she find the entrance to the lava tube that she had come through. The water was too cloudy and turbulent to see anything. She came up and flipped on her back. She floated calmly as she waited for the water to rise a few more centimeters. Somehow I’ll find a way out of this place and head back home…Oh who am I kidding? The body-heat tent is gone. Alex has my O2 pills; where is Alex?

  Celine’s head gently tapped the wall next to the opening, interrupting her thoughts before she might have slipped into a deep depression. She could hear music coming from the opening. It sounded like her flute! This must be a way out, she thought. If only Alex was here with me. She braced her feet against the cliff wall and pushed off. She bounced close to the opening, but she couldn’t get a grip on the ledge of the apartment doorway. She tried again, this time putting one foot in front of the other as if she was running up the side of the wall. She pushed off and grabbed the bottom of the circular opening, banging her elbow in the process but refusing to let go of the ledge. Like wall climbing, her fingers gripped and inched into the opening until her hands were in deep enough to pull herself upward.

  The music stopped just as she entered the apartment. The walls were lined by beautiful silk pillows in various hues of pinks and reds; some looked as though they had been encrusted with rubies and diamonds. A white fluffy rug covered the floor, and sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room was the beautiful smiling lady from the painting, the lady in the green dress.

  “Can you see me?” Celine heard the question in her head. The lady’s lips never moved but continued a gentle smile.

  “Yes,” Celine thought in reply.

  Their conversation continued. Neither moved their lips, but each knew the other’s thoughts instantly.

  “Why are you here? You don’t belong here. This is my home.”

  Celine thought, “Who are you?”

  “I am the guard. This is my home.”

  Confusion ran high, and images of the colony flashed through Celine’s mind.

  “I know of it.”

  “No one knows you’re here,” Celine continued.

  “Your military knows.”

  “Military?”

  “I am the guard. This is my home.”

  Celine wondered if she was speaking to a hologram. No, a hologram wouldn’t have an aura around it, Celine thought as she took notice of the woman’s white aura that seemed to expand as they continued their silent conversation. Celine didn’t feel threatened. The closer the white aura came to touching hers, the more relaxed she felt. The lady’s energy continued to glow and expand. Celine closed her eyes and was totally engulfed in the white aura until her own aura was no longer orange. She felt a sense of peace like never before. She had neither fear nor worry, and the strenuous thoughts regarding finding her father and Alex ceased. Nothing mattered. Even before her dad was lost in the storm, she had never experienced such a high degree of internal serenity. Celine opened her eyes. She watched as the white aura retracted from her until it surrounded the lady once again.

  “What just happened to me?”

  “I shared my light with you as you have shared yours. Are you the one?”

  “The one? I need to find Alex. I need to find my dad.”

  “You do not protect your thoughts,” the lady said. She disappeared, and the beautiful illusions of the room with soft silk pillows and a fluffy rug vanished with her.

  Celine heaved and puked. She had felt calm and almost worry-free in the presence of the lady, but now she felt ill. Her muscles ached and cramped. Again, the fear of not being able to find her father and Alex consumed her. All the unpleasantness she had initially felt came rushing back to her in an instant.

  As she sat on the dusty floor, she wondered if she had simply hallucinated: Was I dreaming? Perhaps she was an illusion…But I could smell the fragrance coming from her skin. Can dreams have scents?

  There was only one way in and out of the apartment, and that was through the circular opening. Celine looked through the opening for the lady and was surprised to see the water was gone. The beautiful lady was nowhere insight.

  Celine swallowed. How am I going to get down there? The apartment hole was at least sixty-six meters above the ground; without the water, this was nearly a twenty-story drop. Celine had no time for rest though. She needed to find Alex and get out of this place.

  The apartment was bare now; nothing remained except some old dusty object lying next to the opening. She used her hand to wipe away the dust. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. It was a dusty ladder made of knotted silk cords.

  So this is how they get in and out of these apartments, she thought. Wait until I show Alex!

  She noticed two rusty hooks next to the apartment’s opening. This must be where I should hang the ladder. The thought of using the long ladder made her nervous. The cords looked extremely old. As she stepped on to the ladder, she heard what sounded like an old woman speaking. “Careful,” the old female’s voice said.

  “Who said that?” Celine paused for a moment. Her eyes searched the small room. There was nothing but dirt and dust. Then she heard laughter. She scurried down the ladder so quickly that she felt a sensation on her hands similar to rope burn. I’ve got to find Alex and get out of here.

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  Alex was a powerful swimmer. Much of his life had been spent in Earth’s oceans with his pet seal. The current of the water was so strong, however, that it had taken him off course. Now that the water is calm, I’ll find Celine. We need to head back to the Compound. We only have six O2 pills left. Alex floated in the dark and allowed the water to carry him back toward their den.

  “Celine! Celine, where are you?” He could see nothing but heard a continuous thump against the cave wall.
He bit his lip as he waded toward the sound, praying it would not be Celine’s lifeless body. As he got closer to the sound, he could see light emitting from another cave. Then he saw what was thumping the wall: Celine’s backpack. He waded over to her backpack and dragged it along with him until he was in the largest cavern he had ever seen.

  “This place is awesome!” he said. “It’s big enough for the entire colony to live down here.” He noticed how warm it was. The ceiling was very high, and the glowworms shined brightly above the flowing water. Alex looked back at the entrance. It was completely dark. Celine must be in here with the light, he hoped. He looked around. There are plenty of safe, dry places in here. He pulled himself out of the water and began his quest for Celine.

  He didn’t see any footprints or signs of her. She’s never swum in real water. She probably needs me. He began swimming reluctantly into the darkened lava tube. It was so dark that he could not see his own hands. He banged his fingers on the wall. He heard a click and felt a sharp pain in his index finger. He wailed in pain. I’ll have to wait until Celine makes her way over here…or until the glowworms in the tubes feel safe enough to come out. It’s too dark to look for her. She has a better chance of finding me anyway…if she’s still alive.

  He swam to the shore where he had left their backpacks. He stretched out, lying on his back and looking up at the ceiling. This place is truly beautiful. Glowworms lined the uneven ceiling. As he watched them, he experienced an odd sensation: he felt them getting closer and closer until it felt like they were just centimeters above his face. He blinked and sat up. “I’ve got to find a way out of here.”

  Thump! Something jumped on Alex’s back and wrapped a filthy arm around his neck.

  “Who are you?” the thing said. It held Alex around his throat.

  “I am Alex. Alex Rittenhouse. Stop. You’re hurting me,” he cried.

  “You’re a boy!” the thing said as he flung Alex to the ground and stepped back.

  Alex stared wide-eyed. Before him was a skeleton of a man covered in red mud. He had long, dirty hair that appeared to be reddish brown and curly like Celine’s.