“Alone” - A short story

Science Fiction Thriller set on an Alien Planet

Short Story:

The green, crunched soil clamps agains my feet as I walk forward. This land is deserted, unlike any land humans have ever set out on. It’s not for humans to inhabit this new world, this alternate Terra. I’m alone here. I have no friends. No people to interact with. I don’t remember what communication is like.

Photo by Hammam Fuad on Unsplash

I gaze into the dramatically bright and blue sky as I prepare to get water from the artificial lake. I stretch on my heavy suit and get ready to go outside. The heavy metallic doors slide along the stretch of steel supporting the last part of my spaceship. I gaze through the solid glass that is the hood of my space suit. Fog covers it as my breath echoes through the silence of my world. I feel myself lift the heavy boots on my feet while I gaze into the cloudy sky. As I walk on this deserted land, I see the artificial lake in the distance. I feel heavy. It takes me around an hour to get to the lake.

I get a bucket out. Plop. It lands in the water. I wait for it to fill up. Splash. I pull it out of the water. This repeats for 20 minutes. Once I feel that I have enough water to sustain me for the next few days, I begin the towing. Luckily, to save me some time, I have a rover nearby the lake I can drive while dragging the water in the back.

Photo by Riin Aisent on Unsplash

I want out. This place is lonesome, quiet. I want to communicate, to have friends. This is too quiet. I WANT OUT.

The next day, I hear my heavy iron boots fall off the rack from my bedroom. I’ll get it later. First, I need to have a meeting with the director of this space mission. I get dressed and ready, looking polite. I tun on my laptop. No connection. I check the router. It’s unplugged. I plug it back in, and everything works. I wait a few minutes for the connection to stabilize, and the director joins the call. “How are you feeling, Dave?” The director asks. “Lonely. When can I get out of this place?” I respond lazily. “We have some news to share with you, and you aren’t going to like it. Ready?” I hold my breath. “We need you to stay up there indefinitely. There are things down here on earth to dangerous for you. We need the recourses you are extracting, and as such, we can’t risk your life.” I feel shattered. “What?” I panic. “You heard what we said.” That’s it. I decide that I need to get out, off this horrid planet. I will voyage to earth. I load in some fuel tanks, get my water supply ready, and prepare for a full week.

I feel unnatural during liftoff. You never get used to the feeling. I feel as though there should be wind whipping me in the face, but there isn’t. Just the silence of my ship entering space.

2 weeks later…

I begin to see sky. I see sparks flying on the windows next to me. I’m making my approach. Suddenly, I can see a lake. It hurdles towards me at colossal speed. Crash.

Photo by Iván Díaz on Unsplash

I feel panicked as I swim through the cold, aching water. Everything hurts. After a while of swimming, I reach land. What I see is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Next to the water draining station, three bandits are climbing up the tower, heading for a water tank. I suddenly remember something director said to me. “The thirst has made them mad. Crazy. Maniacal.”

I should have stayed on my planet, all alone and safe. But it’s too late.

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