What is death? Many definitions have been attempted to be put on what the experience of death could be. A simple release or a painful exit, maybe even an undefined toil of one's heart. Truthfully, nobody could definitively know what death is exactly because none living have experienced it.
I wonder what he felt… Was it peaceful or scary? I wonder if he left a footprint behind. Something that forever will be remembered as Graham Young's work. One thing is for sure though…
His death had severe effects on this team.
"Obviously, I am supposed to be the leader now! I was the closest to Graham! He would want me to be team leader! Celeste shouted vigorously at Jennifer as they stared each other down, ready to pounce one another.
I sat a few feet away on a log as they handed it to each other.
"Well, I think that we all should make a vote on who should be the leader! It's only fair! It's democracy!" Jennifer said as she grinded her teeth together… just adorable if you ask me.
"That would be pointless! Everybody would just vote for themselves!" Celeste responded. Her eyes were bloodred. I couldn't tell whether it was because she cried for Graham's death or because she was hellishly angry.
Their voices began to fade away as I sank into my conscious, daydreaming.
Graham's death began tearing a rift within the team. Without his leadership, the girls felt lost in a way. What surprised me was the fact that he hasn't even been dead for 2 hours and Celeste seemed more interest in being the leader. Maybe, you didn't have something as special as I thought, my friend.
I didn't really care either way.
Whether Celeste or Jennifer was leader didn't really affect me. As long as they kept me out of it. I just wanna get off this accursed rock.
"Then let's just make Michael the leader!" Jennifer screamed. Her scream brought me back to reality.
… silence…
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Yeah! If me and Celeste are stuck at an impasse, then you should be the leader." She said, looking as if she were at her breaking point. She even began scratching herself in frustration.
Celeste glared at me with her arms crossed.
"I don't have any leadership skills whatsoever. You guys should just work out your differences."
"You think I didn't see how you handled everything when the ship disappeared? Not even Graham couldn't come to a rational conclusion. You did! You are qualified, Michael." She had to bring that up. Well, at least someone acknowledged me.
"She is right though. You do seem to hide your abilities from us." Even Celeste began to agree with Jennifer.
Guess I'm stuck.
"Tch…" Celeste antagonized as she took out one of the tents within Graham's backpack.
Her face red and her teeth grinding in anger, she began setting up her tent. I wonder… is she thinking of him?
Jennifer smiled at me as I nodded and moved towards Graham's bag. I was exhausted. I needed the sleep. After all, I just lost a friend, right?
I took out the components and began setting up our tent as well.
"Don't you guys think we should relocate? Things seem more dangerous." I turned my head as Jennifer spoke. Her words were logical, however, whatever set that trap clearly wasn't doing it for hunting purposes. If I had to guess, it didn't want anyone trespassing on its territory.
Celeste didn't even bother to pay any heed to what Jennifer had to say.
"I don't think it's necessary, Jennifer. Whatever set that trap wanted something out and is not out to hunt. There were no nets or anything for a capture. So, we're safe for now."
"Well, if you say so." She responded, still clearly anxious. She then began helping me with the tent set up.
I couldn't help but think of what was going through Celeste's head. I questioned myself. Was she angry because of the conflict or heartbroken? I couldn't rationalize it. I gave up in the end. Who was I to understand the human psyche?
It took us roughly 6 minutes to set up the tent. After that, I just glanced at Celeste's tent. I could only see her shadow, sitting… doing absolutely nothing. I sighed and headed inside. I craved sleep more than anything else at that point.
I lied in my sleeping bag as Jennifer entered. I then acted as though I was asleep. I wasn't interested in any kind of conversation.
"Hey, Michael"
I didn't respond.
"Do you think that Graham committed suicide?"
I still didn't respond. However, I was interested in what made her think that was the case.
"Did you see the symbol on that sawblade? It had NASA's symbol on it. Doesn't that mean that he killed himself?"
There's an easy explanation for that, Jennifer. The unidentified creature that stole the ship could've gotten into our weapons and set traps throughout the jungle. That was the conclusion I got to, but I'll let your imagination run wild.
"Maybe I'm just overthinking it." She said as she laid down on her sleeping bag. She let out a sigh of exhaustion. Her voice sounded cremated with disappointment. I still acted as though I was sleeping. I mean, I wasn't really needed if she was answering herself. I closed my eyes after that.
I then passed out.
…
The sky didn't change its colour nor its weather when I awoke. Jennifer was still asleep, so I decided to take a walk. The sun looked like it was exactly on the same spot as before I fell asleep.
That kind of toyed with my mind. The difference between Planet Alpha and Earth's time flow seemed unreal. I sighed and turned around. 7 Earth minutes passed as I walked back. I glanced at Celeste's tent and her shadow seemed to not move an inch since before I fell asleep as well.
My suspicious side began brewing up. I rubbed my chin. I proceeded to take a peek; I mean what was the worst that could happen?
To my surprise, I came upon an empty tent with nothing, but a fake body made of pillows to create a silhouette of Celeste. On the ground, she left a holographic projector. Probably with her parting note recorded onto it.
I would be lying if I said I didn't see this as an outcome.
I sighed as I then returned to Jennifer, she was going to want to see this.
Jennifer's Perspective
Why is it that everything seems to be temporary? Time, pleasure, happiness, bonds, life, friendships… all of these seem to end unexpectedly, and we are all bound to this law. None have a choice, and all must abide by it.
He showed me the hologram. We watched it together, yet still he showed no emotion nor sympathy.
"I am sorry… Michael and Jennifer, but I must leave. Without Graham, I cannot be on this team. The only reason I joined this program, was to be with him and I can't keep going without him. Michael is probably thinking: 'How do you expect to survive alone?'… Don't worry your little ass about me. I have a radar leading to the ship, so I'll follow it and if I happen to get there before you, I'll wait. However, I cannot keep travelling with you and pretend as though everything is alright. I hope you can forgive me… except for you, Michael. I don't really care what you think. Goodbye for now." Was her message. As the hologram terminated, I glanced at Michael. His face showed nothing but a blank expression.
He looked at me. I didn't know what to do, because of the surprise message, so I asked him the dumbest question on this world.
"So, what are we going to do now?"
I feel so stupid because I know what his response is going to be.
"We keep moving. Who knows, we might get her along the way. However, our main objective is to get off this planet and that is clearly her objective as well. So, all we can do now, is hope for the best until we find the ship." He said, showing no sympathy whatsoever. I felt like slapping him silly right there, but I kept my cool. After all, that wouldn't accomplish anything.
I just nodded as he exited. I sighed and picked up the projector. I'm so going to slap her next time I see her. I left her tent then as well.
…
After a meal, we began packing the tents and equipment back into there respective bags. Although Michael could be a real jerk sometimes, he had the physique of a Greek god. I mean he had muscles for days… I probably shouldn't be thinking stuff like that. I averted my eyes away from him and continued… a bit flustered, but still keeping my cool.
"We should probably get a move on now." He said as he turned his back towards me and faced the jungle. He had such an eerie feel to him, like he was planning something in secret. However, he still felt trustworthy to me. It was odd, but I accepted it.
I nodded as we then set out again. I checked the tracker and there was only about 15 kilometers left before we would reach the ship. I don't know if I'm happy or sad about that.
The time that we have spent on this planet has changed each of us in some way. In a deeper level… but Michael… he doesn't seem any different whatsoever.
Or it might just be my imagination again.
About 15 minutes after we set out, we came upon a ditch. A concaving crater on the planet and it was deep and broad.
"It's going to take us half an Earth Day to walk around this." Michael said as he stared down into it. He didn't turn face to look at me. He seemed pretty determined to get to the ship.
I got on my knees as I picked up a stone and dropped it into the hole.
…
There was no contact sound. Only the sound of wind. It sounded like it had a lot of pressure. I turned my head to Michael, and he looked me dead in the eyes. I don't know why, but I felt scared.
"How old are you, Jennifer?" He nonchalantly asked. Suddenly that fear disappeared. I sighed in relief.
"That's not the kind of question you ask a lady, Michael."
"I just need to know." He responded with almost no reaction to my joke.
"Well, if you really want to know that badly… I am 23 years old."
"I see… then what I am about to do won't be so bad." He said as he lifted his leg.
FEAR…
"What do you mean?" I attempted to turn my body… Then suddenly, I felt his foot on my left arm. He kicked me. My body turned as I went down the hole. It felt as though time itself slowed down as I looked into his eyes. No emotion… no reaction.
I could merely lip read what he mumbled in that moment.
"I apologize, but this is necessary."
The emotions I felt went from fear to anger at the speed of light. How could he do this to me?
I fell.
The light began growing dimmer and that nasty feeling within my stomach grew bigger as total darkness engulfed the hole.
The wind hit my eyes and it felt like my face was being torn apart. I felt like crying.
He betrayed me.
It felt like I was falling forever. Time didn't matter to me. The nasty feeling began to subside. All there was to wait for was the inevitable collision between my body and the ground.
Then, the stone I threw down hit my leg as it changed direction. My body twisted as the wind repelled me back upwards… or downwards. Direction is a mystery.
After about another half an hour of falling, I popped back up at the same spot I fell. However, I latched onto the other edge of the hole. I climbed up and out of the hole.
At least I made it to the other side. Michael was nowhere to be seen. I felt… empty. I couldn't put my finger on it, but this feeling resonated and grew as I thought more about what he did.
I decided to keep moving.
It became dark very quickly. Luckily, I had my equipment with me in my backpack when Michael kicked me. However, I wasn't going to set up camp. It would be easier to catch up to him if I hiked through the night.
He's a real piece of work, you know? How could he do that? Was he planning on killing me? It doesn't matter now. I guess our entire team separated. The temporary existence of everything and anything… it eats at my soul. All I wanted was peace between us. That's all I ever asked for.
This planet is worthless if humans cannot cooperate with each other and the four… well, the three of us aren't making a very prominent example of cooperation.
Maybe Michael was right…
I found myself fixated on what he did. It replayed repetitively in my head. My subconscious took over. I was caught in a sort of daze.
I battled with my thoughts as they ran rampant. Suddenly, someone grabbed me from behind at my neck. I immediately flipped them over with my body weight. NASA's self-defense training was no joke.
They got up and turned face towards me. It was her… Celeste.
"Jennifer?" She asked, sounding very confused that I was there.
"Yeah?"
"How the hell did you get this far so quickly?" Only then I understood her confusion. She probably didn't cross the ditch like I did.
"It's a long story."
"Where's Michael?" I couldn't bear to hear his name. It angered me. Nevertheless, I kept my composure. I couldn't disappoint her even more… not after Graham.
"I lost him by the ditch. You see, I accidentally fell in. Turns out that the wind pressure ricochets you back up. So, I grabbed onto the opposite side. Which is probably why I caught up with you so quickly."
"Oh, I see."
That means Michael is still behind us.
I felt that same fear again. The look in his eyes… Could he be trying to kill us? Did he kill Graham? What is going on inside of your head, Michael?
"We should probably keep on moving." I attempted to diverge the conversation. We needed to stay ahead of him.
"Shouldn't we wait for Michael?"
"Hey! You're the one who left us, remember? Michael will be fine. Let's keep moving." I shouted in anger. I didn't even know where the anger stemmed from. I continued walking.
Celeste followed me in silence. She stared at the ground, avoiding eye contact. She looked pale. Maybe I was too harsh.
I felt guilty for bursting out like that, but I had to keep moving. There was no time for apologies.
At first, I wanted to catch up to him… now I'm afraid of what he might do. What are you, Michael?
Michael's Perspective
I watched them from a distance. It would seem as though my plan to eliminate Jennifer failed horribly and we are getting very close to the ship's location… too close for comfort. I haven't yet completed my mission.
I checked my radar.
"Only 3 kilometers left, huh? I may have to move the ship a bit further this time."
I set the coordinates on my manual remote. The system spoke as I typed in what I wanted it to do. I almost got caught the first time. So, this time it must look even more inconspicuous.
"AUTO-PILOT ACTIVATED"
That should set them a little off course for a while. Or at least until I can devise another plan.
I decided to walk in the direction I set the ship to fly towards. I would get there before them and use the ship's equipment.
I checked my bag to see what I had left. Water, food and 7 batteries left. The water could probably hold me for 6 days if I used it sparingly. I had enough food to keep me 2 weeks and the batteries could hold for another month or so. I wonder if they are checking these things.
It'll probably take them a while to realize that the ship moved. I reckon about… 3o minutes from now. I would already have an estimate of a 1,6-kilometer head start.
Perfect.
Jennifer's Perspective
Celeste was silent for about 24 minutes of walking behind me. She barely made eye contact as well. The good news was that we didn't run into Michael. I sighed and stopped. She stopped as well. I turned around and I could see her eyes were tearing.
"I'm sorry for bursting out at you like that. I was just hurt that you left without warning and frustrated that we're stuck on this hunk-of-junk. I didn't think about your feelings. I apologize."
"No… it's fine, truly. It's my fault. I was reckless and impulsive as usual. I shouldn't have left like that." She apologized as she sniffed and wiped her face of the tears.
I hugged her. She was cold. I could feel it through the armor. It felt as though a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. It was comforting.
We broke the hug, and both of our eyes were tearing. We almost broke down like 2 high school besties after a major fight.
"Why are you so cold?"
"Well… It's nothing really. Maybe I'm just coming down with something." She said, holding her left arm as she averted her eyes, looking up to her left side for a brief moment before looking back at me and smiling. She was lying and tried to play it off as joke.
"Why are you lying?"
"What? I-I'm not lying." Defending herself, I see. That was useless.
"Did you know that the FBI found a way to detect whether one is lying or telling the truth?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" She asked with a confused look on her face. She was really sticking to her story. She had a thin layer of sweat over her forehead.
"When a person lies, they tend to avert their eyes in the direction of their dominant side. In other words, if you're right-handed in writing and in general, the creative side of your brain lies on your right side and the memory side on the left and vice versa. When you just lied to me, you looked to your left side and we both know you're left-handed.
"H-How?..." She asked as she averted her eyes again, still holding her left arm.
"So, tell me what's going on."
She dropped her arm and revealed a cut straight through her armor and flesh. It wasn't bleeding but it looked infected.
I quickly swung my bag over my shoulder and scratched in it. I took out an antiseptic liquid and a maxi pad because I didn't have a bandage. I tore off a part of my suit and told her to sit down.
She sat down and looked at me with a surprised expression.
"I went to medical school for 3 years before joining NASA, so I know what I'm doing. No need to look so surprised."
She giggled at my statement. Now I was confused.
I then tended to her wound. It was infected; however, it was not extensive. So, she was going to be fine for the trip to the ship. Once we're there, I can properly tend to it.
"Why were you giggling just now?"
"You're starting to act like Michael. Rational and less emotional. Quick to respond and explains why the opposition is wrong before telling them they're wrong. He's rubbing off on you." She said his name and compared me to him. I felt furious but happy at the same time. I accidentally gripped her arm a bit to hard. She grunted in pain and looked at me weirdly. I just chuckled and rubbed my head as if I just made a joke.
The mixed emotions I'm having is troubling to me. What am I feeling really? What is Michael doing to me? He's not even here, but I'm still thinking of him like he is. I'm spiraling again.
Her voice faded out and back in as I came out of my daydreaming.
"Earth to Jennifer?" She asked as she waved her hand in my face. I didn't even notice it.
"Are you okay?" She asked. She seemed worried, but I couldn't bring myself to tell her.
"No… I'm just thinking about your wound. It'll be fine for now, but we need to get to ship as quickly as possible so I can stitch it."
"Oh! You had me worried about you for a second there. Guess it's just the regular Jennifer… Always worried about others."
I giggled as I nodded. She sighed in relief.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, at least we don't have to walk that long to reach our destination anymore." Celeste said as she pulled out her radar from her utility belt.
I smiled in relief. I felt so good that I nearly forgot about Michael. Whatever, there was no way he could ruin this moment right now.
"That can't be right." She said as her smile slowly evaporated into a frown. She kept on refreshing her screen.
"What is it?"
"The ship…" She said as she looked into my eyes. Once again, the same exact fear and anger bloomed in me like a poisonous flower.
"What about it?"
I moved towards her as she showed me her screen. It read 78 kilometers to your destination.
The silence spoke enough volumes.
"That son of a bit…"
-Chapter III End-