Space

Just something I wrote whilst bored in work. Not the best story, but it kept me going and kept me from going insane too..



His head hurt. Extremely badly. He wished someone would turn off whatever was making that god awful buzzing. At least then he could get back to sleep. And yet the buzzing continued. He opened his eyes slowly and saw the darkness. Yet it wasn’t complete darkness. Pinpricks of light were spotted as far as the eye could se.

Memories flashed like a camera flare. He remembered the explosion, the burning light, the screams, and then … he found himself here. Somewhere, thousands of miles above him, floated the remains of his spaceship.

He called out over his radio, hoping for a reply, any reply; just so he could know he wasn’t the only one left. Yet there was nothing bar the crackling of interference. He began to sob uncontrollably. His arms and legs flailing about fruitlessly. He cursed himself for singing up, and he cursed his wife for agreeing with him. Oh his wife. His beautiful, beautiful wife. He missed her so. And he sobbed harder.

He stopped and listened, his ears straining to hear whatever it was. His heart thumped in his chest with anticipation. Yes. It was there. It was unbelievably quiet but it was definitely there. A voice.

“Hello?” he shouted with excitement, “is there anybody there?”

“I’m going to die.”

He stopped. Had he just imagined that?

“I’m sorry. Can you repeat that?”

“I’m going to die here. I know it. And I’ll stay here, forever. I’m never going to see home again. Never.”

He could hear something over his radio. He begged the voice to stop yet it continued. It just kept going and going and going. Then silence. He relaxed. Then the screams. They were deafening. The screams echoed all over his helmet. There was no way to silence them, or even turn them down. His head felt like it would explode. They were blood curdling screams; screams of pain and of woe. They resonated in his ears. Then there was silence.

The silence was worse than the screams.

“Hello?”

He stayed quiet.

“Is there anyone alive?”

He hesitated, unsure of whether the voice was real or not. Had he gone insane? Eventually he responded.

“Yes,” he replied, “I’m alive.”

“Oh thank God! Thank Jesus! I thought I was the only one left!”

He recognised the voice. He knew it, but just couldn’t quite put his finger on it …

“Did you hear the screams too?”

Jakob. That son of a bitch.

“Yes,” he replied resentfully. Out of all the people on that ship, why did he have to survive?

“Oh come on. I thought it was all in the past!”

He stayed silent. Jakob did too. The silence seemed to last until the end of time. And then:

“It was a mistake, honest. I never knew she was your wife.”

He stayed silent, turning this thought over and over in his mind.

“I know,” he said after a pause, “where are you?”

“I’m right in front of you.”

He strained his eyes staring into the darkness. And sure enough there was Jakob, the size of an ant. Jakob was waving. He waved back. The sound of laughter came over his radio. He joined in.

“How much oxygen have you got left?” Jakob asked.

He looked at his gauge. The arrow was in the red.

“Not much,” he replied.

“Same here.”

Jakob stayed quiet.

“It’s funny, isn’t it?” Jakob asked eventually.

“What is?”

“What you miss. I mean I would hardly ever think of my son whilst I’m in work, and now I can’t stop thinking about him. It’s funny, isn’t it?”

He agreed.

“He’s a very smart lad, y’know. Top of his class. As smart as his old man, that’s what they tell him,” Jakob said laughing cheerily, “he could have the world in the palm of his hand if he wanted. But he has no drive. That’s his problem. He has no ambition. Not like his old man, of course. Oh no. Now me, if I see an opportunity I go for it. Nothing to lose, but everything to gain, eh? … ow. What the hell?”

“What?”

“What the hell was that? Ow. It really burns. Ow! Oh God! The pain!”

“Jakob! What’s wrong? What is it?”

“I don’t know … ow. There it is again.”

Silence.

“Oh God! Oh Jesus! Oh holy-****! It hit me! A miniature meteorite just hit me. Ow. Ow.”

“Is there anything you can do? Can you move away from them?”

“I can’t. There’s nothing I can do. Oh god. There’s more of them coming for me. I’m stuck. I can’t move. Ah! I can’t do anything. They’re coming towards me.”

Then the radio went silent.

“Jakob?” he called eventually, “Are you alive?

The crackling of interference seemed to answer. He stared ahead of him, catching a glimpse of Jakob’s lifeless body floating.

All alone now. Nothing left to do but …

His hand reached for the pipe connecting to his oxygen pack. He released it. And a smile came across his face as he breathed his last breath.

DóC

shiv

Interesting. It kinda reminded me a bit of the opening of 'Lost' at first
And that's high praise indeed