The Cosmic Terror

Day 7: Escape

There was an escape pod in the module, which hadn't been opened the entire time we've been here on the moon. Ben wants me to take it, and he seems confident that he would be able to operate the cosmonaut's module. Our plan is to rendezvous on Earth and report back to NASA what we found, aborting the mission. I had a feeling this mission was classified for a reason, but I never thought it would resort to an alien encounter.

I would be alone...

I frantically try to get the escape pod powered up and I contact mission control.
"Mission control, do you copy?" I spoke into the mic.

"Mission control, copy," the speaker replies back to me. "Oh, thank goodness," I leaned back in the seat with relief.

"What's wrong?" mission control wondered with concern. "Something's wrong, something has gone terribly wrong," I was panicking, feeling like I was trapped.

"Okay, Captain Rhodes. Slow down and take deep breaths, what's going on?" "Nate is dead, something happened, and he went crazy. We think we may have encountered aliens," I was sobbing like a child because of how terrified I was becoming.

"Where are you right now?"

"I'm in an escape pod, about to take off." I press a series of buttons to begin my maneuver off the moon.

Crack...

My speakers go out and loud shrieking pierces my hearing.
"What's happening?!" I bellowed. The module was airborne, and suddenly it jerked to the right.

My arm suddenly got a tickling sensation, and I look down and my heart sinks at what I see. One of the rock aliens had snuck into the pod.

"NOOOO!!!" I suddenly can't stop screaming. If this thing bites me, I'm done for. "Get away from me, you little pest!" I used my flashlight nearby and I attempt to smash it to tiny pieces. The creature was too quick for me, and it crawled up my face.

I can't control the pod. I swerve in different directions; preventing me from reaching my destination.

The alien is about to sink its teeth into my face, but I did the bold thing of picking it up, tightening my grip around it.

"I've had about more than I can take from you!" I pin it to the control board and smash it into oblivion.

Putting the pod on autopilot, I lean back against my chair, catching my breath. Everything had gone down the drain on this mission.

My crew were probably dead, and we discovered a secret that we most likely weren't supposed to know. I have no idea why we were sent here on a classified assignment.

I break down in tears, and I'm screaming as I'm doing so.

I'm worried about Nate, John, and Ben. I know they most likely didn't survive, and I'm probably not going to make it through this either.

I want to make it home to my husband and children.

Memories of life with my family flash like a movie screen: Michael asking me to marry him, going on our honeymoon to the Bahamas, our children being born, taking our kids to Disneyland, and so much more.

Tears slide down my face, and my fate seems to be sealed as my pod crashed landed on an island I don't recognize.

I feel my shoulder break, and I can barely move. I'm shrieking and sobbing in pain. I need to get somewhere safe; I need to get to the hospital.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" a voice calls to me. I look to the sounds of the voice.

It's an old lady who was gardening in front of her house. I collapse to the ground and I can't stop crying, and the lady gets up from her gardening and quickly makes her way towards me.

"Let's get you to the hospital, sweetheart." she takes me to her car and we begin the drive.

"What's your name?" the old lady tries to get me to focus on calming down. "Captain Leah Rhodes, I'm an astronaut." I sweat from the intense amount of pain I'm feeling. Every part of my body is radiating pain.

I lean my head back against the seat in exhaustion. "What's your name, ma'am?" I ask politely. "My name is Rose, nice to meet you, Leah," she says pleasantly.

I wince in pain and I squeeze my eyes shut.

"What happened? Are you alright?"

"I crash landed from the moon, and all my fellow astronauts from my crew are dead." I tell her in a shaky voice.

"What? That's awful, I'm so sorry you went through that," she said sympathetically. "It was terrifying. I want to believe that none of this actually happened." tears slide down my face. "My friends are dead..."

I can't think about what would have happened if Ben didn't have me go in the escape pod, and instead have had me go with him in the cosmonaut's module.

"They could have killed us..." my speech has become slurred. "Leah, stay with me. Stay awake." Rose prompts.

The pain has come too much for me to bear... I pass out... the terrifying screeches of the rock aliens are the last thing I hear.