One way to get off
I suddenly awoke from the deep sleep that drugged my mind. Darkness engulfed me. I found myself in a compacted room that was filled with a metallic smell. I tried to move my hands from behind my back but there was a great force that was restraining my movement. A thundering noise echoed through the shadows. It frightened me to my very soul. I was trapped in between the dull grey walls. The hard metal cuffs were biting into the flesh of my wrists. A moan came from the cubicle next to me. I could feel a frisson of fear surging inside of me, gnawing away at my soul. Terrified. I asked in a trembling voice;
“Who are you?” A startling voice replied back;
“I am Irene. I do not know how I came here”
Soon enough my hands were free, and the doors to the cubicle drastically opened. Light shone on Irene’s face, her eyes glistening and her brown hair shining. She wore a shaggy, black button down top and dirty work boots. She seemed frightened from the darkness, but her skin was so porcelain, both pale and perfect. I couldn’t get over the fact that her face looked like a perfect china doll you’d purchase at an antique store. Her lips were a glowing red, and her jaw was so pointed, falling perfectly with her diamond shaped face. Her forehead was rather wide, her eyes almond, her noise pointed and her mouth, a cupid’s bow. Her teeth were perfect. And she had very high cheekbones. Her face would get the attention of anybody, but her clothes were such shabby things. But her wiry brown hair made it all fit together.
“Good evening” A deep dark voice appeared out of the darkness.
A faint shivering ran through me. I felt a dreadful sinking pain at my heart, such as I had never felt before.
“Who are you?” I questioned in a state of nervousness.
“MY IDENTITY DOES NOT CONCERN YOU!” The loud, booming voice seemingly shook the room. I was frightened. The voice reverberated long after it finished speaking, and I had not heard such a threatening sound in all my life.
“You will be given a set of instructions that you will need to follow. Those instructions must be completed in order for you to get off this planet and return safely to Earth.” The voice stated firmly.
“Steven is in charge of this operation. Michael and Irene you two will assist Steven in this operation.” The Voice commanded.
It was official. We were all here to complete an irrational operation without a reason. We were not allowed to question the motif, just follow the command like hopeless dogs. Once the job was finished we will be given our bones as a reward. A strange figure appeared from the rising darkness, he wore a baggy blue shirt, and shaggy dull green pants. The dark brown jacket was rather loose and seemed very heavy. His aged skin was moulded into an almost permanent scowl. Years of unhappiness were etched by every deep line and wrinkle on his face. His pensive, brown eyes never focused on anything as he seemed to be permanently lost deep into his thoughts. His lips were slightly pink and his forehead had deep creases that pulled his eyebrows down, as if he was glaring, constantly angry with the melancholy that washed over him. “Hello,” he said in a dead voice.
“I am Steven and as you heard the Voice I will be in charge of this ‘operation’” he continued.
The Voice appeared again.
“You are required to go inside a chamber that lies fifty meters ahead of this ship. There you will notice a rather odd looking and elongated vase. You need to observe the vase and the substance inside and identify the organic molecules that are present in the substance. Once that is done, you are then required to replicate the substance and produce at least three vases similar to the original. After this you shall receive your reward.”
The Voice disappeared into the obscurity once again. We set off, into the sightless world that lay before us. We followed Steven like baby ducks following its mother. The land was barren. There was no sign of any living thing. All I could witness was the rough boulders that lay flat on the ground. We approached a peculiar dome like chamber. It was surrounded with tiny particles of brown dust. I set my foot on the doorway trembling with fear, not knowing what to expect next. Irene’s trembling but breathless face caught my eye. I noticed the sweat that was dripping from her forehead. We made our way through the alleyway. White light was approaching through a small hole on the ceiling. There in the light sat a black, elongated vase. Steven carefully made his way towards the vase and cautiously observed it. The chamber did not only enclose the vase, but it encapsulated a very odd laboratory. Different types of test tubes, beakers and conical flasks were available. Various chemicals, such as methylamine and hydrofluoric acid were also present. Steven opened the lid of the vase with his wrinkly, pale hands. A shiny, thick black substance oozed out as if it was waiting for someone to free it. I cautiously made my way towards the vase and started to observe its movement. Irene however, stood in the background with complete silence. Fear, like a python with a prehensile tail, throttled her, leaving her breathless. Her brows drew together and her eyes widened in terror. Her forehead glistened with perspiration. Her face was ashen. Her heart palpitated heavily against her chest, and the drumming of her heart reverberated through her ears. The python must have gnawed away at her legs, for her body trembled as though they were built on stilts. Even her feet, which were comfortably ensconced in their cosy sanctuaries, twitched involuntarily.
Steven took the black substance over to the granite bench top. He observed its uncanny structure under the microscope. He was familiar with the equipment placed on the bench as if he has done this before. He started to closely observe the substance; trying to identify the organic molecules that were within the substance. Irene however, stood in the background observing us and watching our every move. Somehow, she found the courage to proceed forward and come to the bench. She looked at the substance in a peculiar manner, as if its presence was haunting her. She had an uncontrollable desire to touch the substance with her bare hands without wearing any protection. Slowly and steadily, the substance engulfed her hand and arm. Gradually, her hand started to change colour, her pale skin turned grey, her dark green veins were now black and dull like the roots of a tree. Her almond eyes dropped low and turned black. She was changing. Her whole body was changing. I stood in shock, just watching, helpless, and unable to do anything, but watch. This substance was nothing ordinary it was deadly. She collapsed on the floor. I slowly approached her.
“DO NOT GO NEAR HER!” Steven screamed in his deep voice.
I trembled at the sound of his voice and moved back.
“We have to find the organic molecules and replicate this, it is our only way to get off this monstrous place and rid ourselves from the shadow of the substance forever.” He stated in a scared voice.
I stood motionless, my heart beating fast as if it were about to jump out of my chest. My hands rested on my mouth and my eyes were wide open from the horrifying image of Irene’s contaminated body. The wall of hope that I had built, started to crumble into tiny pieces that were now impossible to glue back together. There was nothing, but death here. The only way to beat death was to find the organic molecules that the black substance contained.
The bleak wind was blowing, and the solemn, surging moan of it in the barren land was very dreary to hear through the night’s silence. Steven and I continued our search.