Beyond

Red sheets clasped onto the barren planet as it bathed in its Siberian, silver moons. Drilling resonated in the thin, air as the dimly lit horizon faded away; Vex could feel the frigid air gnawing at his exposed skin, steadily deteriorating layer by layer.

         Desperately he unravelled his half-empty water bottle from his maze-like bag and sipped at its scarce amount – he was fortunate enough to have oxygen but he was running low on supplies and the mine his group had discovered was running low on resources. The futility of life was rapidly increasing by the second and they had to find a way to escape the doomed planet.

         Suddenly a deafening silence fell over the vast spit of land they roamed on and high-pitched screeches pierced Vex’s brittle ear-drums. Then a softer growling reverberated in the atmosphere followed by hastily approaching footsteps. But as the footsteps ascended in noise it became evident they weren’t humans; blood drooled down their teeth dripping onto their black chins and their sunken blood shot red eyes glared at Vex’s. A sudden urge to bolt in the opposite direction of the creatures filled him yet his consciousness obliged him to observe the peculiar creature. Though it seemed terrifying the creature stood frozen for a minute before striding of in another direction.

         Curiously Vex followed the creature. Sauntering by the tail of the creature he eventually came to halt by a mine. But he thought how could there possibly be another mine, we are the only humans on this planet. Abruptly a large mine cart bolted through the mist as it screeched to a stop by the periphery of the mine’s dark entrance. A mammoth like figure emerged from the cart similar to the creature he had been met by earlier but much larger.

         “Come with me and you shall escape this planet,” he bellowed.

How could it speak? Was it human? No, it can’t be? The questions endlessly flooded him. Vex stared at the figure for a brief minute before proceeding to follow its trail down into the unknown depths of the mine. The mine at first seemed bright as torches lay scattered across its bumpy walls and the fresh scent of durian fruits replenished the mine and the deeper you went the less light there was. It came to a point where Vex had to guide himself using the sound of the gargantuous footsteps that echoed in the mine. Then it paused; it had seemed an hour and something didn’t feel alright for him. Vex started to grope his hands until he accidentally skimmed the creased surface of something (it didn’t feel like the mine or human). Instantly it stuck him that the huge creature had deceived him.

         He started to think but all at once to great palms yanked him by his neck and threw him to the ground, a scarlet red glimmered on his chest and he could see the reflection of a human.

         “Fool, I knew you would listen, Vex.”