Since my mind tends to go a million miles a minute and is constantly flowing with random thoughts, I thought "Hey, why not add another 'series' to my blog?". And that is what this is. Steph Writes...because I like to add my name to the title of everything! I will write a short story or a portion or a story or something totally impromptu. So here is the first installment, totally made up on the spot. Enjoy!
I wasn't particularly surprised to be picked to go to Earth, being among the top 5% of my graduating class, but I definitely didn't expect what would come next. The Station was sending a shuttle to Earth to examine the ruins and see if there were any forms of life left. I was picked along with 9 other soon-to-be scientists. It was basically the grunt work because nobody knew what to expect. But it was a mission I was actually excited about. Having only read about Earth in textbooks, I wanted to see it for myself. Earth was once a flourishing place full of humans very similar to our own species. By studying the life and fall of Earth, it was expected we could predict the future for our planet- Zebulon.
I grabbed my gear and walked towards the shuttle. A gate stood between me and the shuttle, where we were expected to answer questions to a recorder to insure we were of sound mind. "The year?", he coldly asked. "3021", I replied. "Your name?", he asked, not even looking up from his clipboard. "Gertrude Gains." I answered. "And lastly, do you understand this mission is purely experimental and you may not make it home?" he asked, showing a tiny bit of sympathy. "Yes" I answered, trying not to think of that possibility. Space travel had advanced over the years, but it still wasn't perfect.
I walked towards the shuttle and got situated with my fellow travelers. With the advancements of space travel, it would only take 4 months time to reach Earth, which was astonishing considering how far away it was from our planet. The shuttle was about to take off and for the first time in my life I was happy I didn't have a family to miss. My parents were also scientists who volunteered for space exploration experiments. But they didn't get the luxury of coming back home. Lost in space, I was told. So I was raised by a family friend, who encouraged me to follow in their footsteps. To do great things. And I did.
The shuttle took off and we went flying through space. Shuttle 241, our first attempt to reach Earth. The four months went by with nothing particularly interesting happening. I prepared with my shuttle mates and we passed the time researching and comparing notes. We entered the Earth's atmosphere and the shuttle uneasily landed. I had never been more excited. We got our gear on, and headed to the door to get our first glimpse of what was left of Earth. The door opened and to our surprise, we were greeted by 10 faces. I didn't recognize the species, but I was sure they weren't human. They stood at least 7 feet tall and their skin was grey and ashy instead of the customary skin of humans. Two rows of sharp teeth stuck out of their thin lips. Their nose-less faces were overcompensated by 2 huge eyes, void of eyelids. Before we could decide how to approach them, an ear splitting screech brought us all to our knees.
The next thing I remembered was waking up in a cold room, similar to a jail cell, but without bars or walls. I could see my fellow shuttle mates, but some kind of invisible barrier kept us in our own sections. Whatever the barrier was, also was impenetrable to sound. I could see them calling out, but the only sound I heard was my own voice screaming. I was striped to the clothes under my spacesuit, which consisted of blue jeans, a black t-shirt, and white socks. My head ached and it was only until I brought my hand to my aching head, that I noticed small cut in my wrist. Upon further inspection, I noticed some sort of chip inside the tiny wound. I tried to dig it out, but when my finger made contact with the chip, I was zapped with some sort of electrical shock.
...TO BE CONTINUED!
Well there you go! Hope you enjoyed it!! More stories to come. And the continuation of this story!
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