Sabrina
I stare at the water.
There’s a way out.
Turning away, I go back to folding my freshly rinsed and dried clothes and stuffing them back in my bag. Darolus left again this morning, saying something about there being clouds in the sky and wanting to collect kindling. I tried to convince him to let me see these ‘strange’ clouds but he refused.
Rubbing my face, I leave my bag on the hide and pace the room, climbing up and down the crumbling stairs and checking out the technology he has stored above again before heading back down and then up again. Using the cardio as a distraction to my boredom, I continue until I’m panting at the top of the stairs and staring at the white orbs collected in a pile on the ground in the back of the room.
Noticing something is different, I squint, realizing everything is darker than usual for this time of day.Stepping deeper into the room, I squint up at the cracks in the ceiling and the slivers of sky high above.
Less light is coming through than usual. I tilt my head to the side as I walk farther into the space, checking another crack and hoping for a better look.
Maybe it’s the clouds?
I don’t know what clouds are in the scope of Earth, but if they’re like the smoke clouds from ship fires, could they be blocking out the sun? I try not to think about what could be causing the clouds to form or how big they would have to be to block out the sun when there is so much sky. My only guess is that there is a large fire somewhere, creating them. I sniff the air and smell nothing, not a hint of smoke or gas. Staring at the few shafts of light still coming through, trying to wrap my head around it, my ears prick when I hear a distant noise.
Thinking it might be Darolus returning, I head to the stairs when I hear it again in the opposite direction. Looking around, I freeze, trying not to make a sound, hoping to hear it once more. Faint and coming from above, I realize the noise doesn’t sound like rocks and pebbles being displaced. It sounded like… a voice.
I listen intently, hoping to hear it again, but as the minutes pass and the noise doesn’t return, my shoulders drop. I sit down with a winded breath, pushing my boots underneath me, feeling like I’m losing my mind.
Even if I did hear something, what would it matter? I wouldn’t know what it is I heard, and I’d just end up pondering it all day long like I already am. I will have to wait and ask Darolus about it this evening.
Rubbing my brow, I know I need to convince him to let me out. He thinks I’m going to die or immediately run, which I won’t do either since I know exactly what’s upthere and it’s nothing except a bunch of crumbling stone and debris.
I have no reason to run. I like Darolus. A lot.
I wish he were brave enough to trust me.
I still want to head to the forest eventually… but I don’t plan on recklessly going straight there, not after everything I’ve learned about Darolus’s kind from him. I’d rather take my time, learn the terrain and what to use and what to avoid first, before heading into who knows what knowing I may be completely out of my scope.
I’m not ready to say goodbye to him, nor am I ready to put myself in immediate danger.
Rubbing my brow harder, I drop my hands and rest my chin on them where I sit at the top of the stairs.
Pulling my lower lip into my mouth, I chew on it and lick my lip stain off as I try pushing the thoughts of what comes after this out of my head. Will I grow old down here? Will I die? How long can I survive on partially cooked meat before I go crazy? It seems unfathomable when I’m stuck down here with nothing to look forward to except him.
How my life has changed in the past month. I went from wondering if I’ll get offThe Dreadnautalive to this. To him. I’ve gone from fear, stress, and thoughts of possible imminent death, to long days lounging around, kicking dirt. Although I could never spend another day on a colony ship and be perfectly happy, I miss the simple things, like showers and instant coffee.
Rising to my feet, I brush off my pants and start heading back down the stairs. When I take my first step, my ears prick again. Twisting toward the room and the ceiling, I freeze and listen.
“Sabrriiiina!”
I jerk then hesitate, immediately second-guessing what I heard.
My name?
“Sabrina!”
I wait and listen, my head reeling, my eyes dilating as my heart beats faster and my pulse races, excitement, stress, and confusion flooding me all at once.
“Hello?” I shout low, knowing my voice isn’t loud enough. I shout louder. “Hello! I’m down here!”
I chew on my lower lip and wait, second-guessing everything all over again as thoughts tumble into my head too quickly to keep up with. Was it my name? Did I actually hear it? Is my crew back to look for me?
“I’m down here!” I scream louder, hoping, praying for a response. Excitement fills me thinking it might be Mickie or Weston. “I’m here! I’m here!” I scream as loud as I can, hoping I’m heard.
“Sabrina?”
