That damn, orange, lumpy alien shoves me forward so hard I stumble and nearly fall on my face. The clay packed beneath my feet is uneven and hard enough that it only makes the stumble worse. It's too quick and too steep. There's no way I can stop myself from falling and eating dirt. Or... whatever clay this place has.
Strong arms catch me before I can fall. I glance up at my savior, already knowing who it is. Of course. Eric. He always has good timing. He's... like a hero. A hero that's been trapped in this hellish world alongside me, incapable of escaping it. But...
Well. He's still a hero.
And his gray eyes...
Make my heart ache in a way that's inconvenient right now. Or ever, really. But especially now, in the middle of us being transferred from one place to another, in front of our alien captors.
"Hey? You okay? You gotta walk, Sarah." His voice is deep and soothing. I really want to lean into him. I probably shouldn't. But he's not moving away from me, so it's... hard not to do so. His hands are still firmly holding me, like he thinks I might fall again if he lets go.
I swallow and nod, taking a step forward, and then another. I can't really look back. I know the aliens are there. I know the man is right behind me, and he'll kick me if I don't move fast enough. And I'm...
I'm afraid. I just lost sight of Hestia in the group. We'd just been separated because some of us were walking faster than the others, and even though I tried to stick with Hestia, Eric pulled me ahead with him We're climbing up this hill. In the dark. I don't know where we're going or why, but...
I glance back again and—
There she is. She's too far behind me, but she's okay. She's walking. She looks so small, so fragile. I want to run back to her. But I know I can't. I need to keep walking. I think that's Mia next to her so she'll be fine. As long as Mia's with Hestia, they'll both be okay.
It's not like being next to them will change anything, anyway. Mia's much more capable than I am.
Eric smiles. "You've got a dumb look on your face." His voice pulls my attention back to him, and I frown. "You're thinking about something stupid, aren't you?"
"Shut up, I am not." I grumble.
I don't know why he's so nice to me. And it's... good, but it's also bad, because I'm starting to...
I don't know. I like him too much. And I shouldn't. He's older than me, he's way cooler than me, and I just...
We're all in this together. I should be focused on helping everyone survive, not... thinking about how much I want him to...
"You're making that face again." He says, and then laughs. "Seriously, Sarah. What's going on in your head?"
I shake my head. I can't say it. I don't want to say it.
He sighs and puts his arm around my shoulders. "Look, I know this is a shit situation. But we'll get through it. We've got a plan, right? Just a few more months and we'll be out of here. Back home." He smiles at me. "You can go back to being a bored drifter who doesn't care about anything."
"What about you?" I ask, my voice barely a whisper. "What will you do?"
He shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe I'll join the military. Maybe I'll travel. Maybe I'll go back to school. Maybe I'll... stick around. With you."
My heart leaps. "Really?"
He looks at me with a soft expression. "Yeah. I mean... if you want me to. I think... I'd like that."
I feel my face heat up. I don't know what to say. I just nod and smile. "I'd like that too."
He squeezes my shoulder and then lets go. "Good."
The sickly yellow-green sky above us is tinted orange by the rising sun. It's still dark, but dawn is coming. Soon we'll be able to see better. Soon we'll be able to rest. Maybe.
I don't know why but I...
I reach out and grab Eric's hand. Like he might just... drift away, like I might lose track of him if we're not touching. His eyes widen briefly with an expression I can't understand. I almost let go, afraid that I've done something wrong, but then his hand tightens around mine, and he smiles at me.
He doesn't say anything. But he doesn't need to.
We keep walking, side by side. Hand in hand.
As we crest the dune ahead of us, my chest tightens.
The base.
The black basalt and tidal pump facility is below. A dull, dreary, depressing sight. But it's home. For now. It's where the rest of the rebels will be, where Mia and Arden and Hestia are.
And...
But—wait...
I turn my gaze over to Eric. His grey eyes are focused on the horizon, on the distant facility. His expression is calm, determined. But it's...
Something's wrong. Something doesn't look right.
"It's alright, Sarah. We're almost there." He says, his voice quiet and soothing. It doesn't soothe me, though. It makes me feel more anxious. His grey eyes turn to me and he smiles, but... there's no warmth in it. "Just stay behind me, let me handle it."
Handle—
He lets go of my hand. No, he doesn't just let go, he rips it away and his body contorts, twists, his skin turns blue and he pulls out a rifle and—
"Eric!"
He's staring at me.
With those sad eyes.
He's begging me for... something. And—why? Why is he blue, what—
"Eric... Eric what's happening?"
He shakes his head. Tears fall from his face. "Run, Sarah." He says. And I don't—
"Please!" He begs me. "Please, please go..."
I shake my head. I can't leave him. I won't—
He lifts the rifle.
"Sarah, run!"
And he shoots.