Breathe In, Breathe Out

Breathe in, breathe out. The cool air flows into my lungs like cool water. My footsteps echo against the glossy floor. Each step bounces off the walls around me. Paper crumples underneath my feet as I continue down the dark corridor. In front of me, I see two metal doors. The cool reflection stares back at me, seemingly judging my movements. I pause for a moment, as I wonder what’s between me and the clean white doors ahead. The doors burst open, a flood of people pour out into the dark hallway. A dam has burst. Men and women frantically spew out towards my direction. The stethoscopes and clipboards reflect the flickering lights above. The look of terror is plastered across their faces, each one frantic to escape whatever is behind them. My foot crushes a magazine, a notepad, and random documents. So much chaos, so little care for what’s going on around. The crowd people barrels past me, with the members looking back to ensure they aren’t being followed. What are they running from? Why is there so much fear? The terror was electrifying. It seemed as if the crowd fed off each other in this battery of anxiety. “Turn back.” One of them told me. “Please turn around.” Another said to me. Each person looked traumatized, peaking my interest. What is going on? I wonder.

Breathe in, breathe out. My heart beats steady, my breath easy. Curiosity envelops my mind as the crowd dissipates. The footsteps fall silent, and I’m left alone once again with the metal giants before me. The looming doors, now inches away from me, loom above me. In the doors are windows. A faint glimmer of what is beyond me and my barrier. I press my face against the glass and peer into the other side. Chairs and shelves lay strewn across the floor, papers and sheets scatter the floor below. Stains of handprints can be seen across the walls. The emergency lights flicker, barely illuminating the surroundings. I gasp in awe, my breath fogging up the glass. I want to see more. I need to see more. The desire aches inside of me, as I need to know more. I look behind me for a moment to check if anybody was watching me, when I’m startled by the sound of a loud slap against the windowpane. I spin around back towards the door to witness a small hand against the glass. The skin was smooth, yet the hand was almost transparent. Behind the glass, I hear laughing, more specifically, I hear a child’s giggle. The hand slips away as I’m left alone in confusion as to what’s going on. I’m then greeted again by the child once before. Her bright white smiles pierces my vision, as smooth black hair drapes over her face. She giggles again, her breath again fogs up the glass. I move in closer, trying to get a better look. Her face and mine, separated by an invisible barrier as we both look back at each other, both parties studying the other. “Move your hair,” I say, “I want to see your face.” “If you want me to!” She giggles as she begins drawing back her hair. Disgust and horror flood through my body as I see the blood drip down her face. Staring back at me where two empty eye sockets. The black pits burn into me as the dark velvet stains her white teeth. Her smile widens as she whispers, “come find me.” She turns away, and skips back into the darkness of the hallway before me. I begin to turn to leave, but the doors swing open and begin to suck me into the wing. With nothing to hold onto, I’m thrown into the dirty corridor and the cold panels swing shut. The world becomes quiet once again. Panicked, I begin pulling on the handles, with any hopes that they would release me from this terrible predicament I found myself in. I switch around as the sounds of bare feet patter against the cold tile. Her giggle echoes the hallway, shivering down through my body. Shaking with fear, I make my way forward.

“This is getting boring!” She pouts. “You’re the worst finder ever!” Her voice carries through the wing. “I’m a good finder! I’ll find you instead!” She calls out. “I’ll count to 15 and then I’ll come find you!” Frightened, I begin looking frantically for a hiding spot, as I do not want her to find me. I don’t know what she has in mind but I do not care to find out. I duck into the nearest room and hide underneath the desk. “14, 15!” She yells as I hear her skipping through the hallway. “Where are you?” Her voice lingers on the “you” as her prance becomes increasingly louder, closing the gap between me and the demon. The desk has a small crack that I can peer through, enough to get a slim look on what’s on the other side. I see her feet pause in front of the doorway, as she begins to peer around the room. My heart is bursting through my chest, and the blood can be heard rushing through my ears. I hold my breath for what feels like an eternity as she looks through the closet. Dissatisfied with what she found, she resumes her skip down the hallway, calling out for me as her voice fades. With the slim window that I have, I leave my hiding spot and begin to traverse my way down the hallway, each step deliberate in hopes to minimize the noise I emit. My eyes are frantically scanning the shadows, looking for anything that resembles the figure of a little girl. On the floor are bloody footprints that I think she is leaving behind. The blood is still fresh as it gives me a sense of where she’s at, more specifically, where she was. Down the hallway, I see a faint glimmer of light. Creeping through a small glass pane is a faint sign of hope. Above the light read the words, “EXIT.” That was my way out. That’s where I need to go. Before I have the chance to make my way towards the doors her gait can be heard behind me. Thinking as fast as I could, I hide underneath a stretcher and quickly throw a sheet above it, in hopes it suffices to conceal me. I hear her feet slapping against the floor, rippling through my body with each step. “Okay okay,” she yells, “I give up! You can come out wherever you are!” she chants as she continues down the hallway. There’s not a chance I’m giving away my location, especially when I’m so close to my destination. I peer through my right towards the exit, the light begging me to come bask in it’s safety. Entranced, I being to move out of my spot, when to my left I see her face staring back into mine. The blood trickles down as her smile widens. “Gotcha!” She says as she grabs the collar of my shirt, ripping me out of my hiding spot. The light fades out as her laughter swallows my body, her white smile engraving itself into my vision as everything fades into darkness.

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Blissful memories

“Did it really happen? Or was it all a dream?” I’ve been having that feeling lately as I have been reflecting on my life. I recall memories that I have had, but it’s hard to believe it was actually my reality. Once crisp images in my head of faces are now nothing but blurs. I have a hard time remembering the exact experiences I’ve had with people, yet one thing stays, the feelings. However, I will say many of the feelings that echo in my body hurt; almost as if I was forced to swallow a cauldron of molten steel. Images fill the black canvas in my skull, bringing along with it the sharp pain of agony and sadness. The fiery metal courses through my veins as I try to force the images out of my head. I scream at myself, begging me to let them go, yet they remain. Trying to run away from your problems is significantly  harder when they’re intertwined with your DNA. An endless chase, between me, and the demons from Hell who thirst for my damnation.

My feet pound against the pavement, my heart bounces in and out of my chest, on the breaking point of bursting. My legs are tired, and my body is numb, so badly do I crave rest, but I won’t stop. The city’s darkened lights, faint in the fog, give me just enough to see the road ahead of me. My breath puffs in the cold, the sleet penetrating into my skin, an icy burn with each droplet. Blood drips from my forehead clouding the vision in my right eye, yet I have no time to wipe it away. Looking above me, the looming skyscrapers look down on me, as if they were watching me. The city was huge, but it was a ghost town. No movement, no sound. Then I heard it. The harrowing shriek. The scream bounced off the buildings, entering into my ears, sending chills through my body. I stop, frantically darting around me, hoping to get a glimpse of where she might be. My breath is heavy, and I’m afraid it might give me away. There’s no point in hiding anyway, as she already knows where I am. She always knows. The rain pours down around me. “I need to keep moving.” I think to myself, restarting my brisk pace through the streets. The squeal rings through the streets again, closer this time. I needed to get out of the open. Forking a left, I find an abandoned apartment complex. Trying the wooden door, it refuses to budge. Panic starts seeping into me as the screams get closer, and closer. I plant my foot down on the cement, the other forcing down the door. Each kick resonating throughout the streets, luring her towards me. Perspiration forms on my brow as the last kick breaks the door jam free. I fling myself into the cold hallway of my newfound safe haven, for now.

The screams subside, leaving the faint dribble of the downpour of the rain. I’m submerged in  darkness as the pale light from the outside door creeps into my surroundings. My clothes soak the wood floorboards. The damp wood groans with each step, the gust inhaling fresh life into the floor. Before me is doors on each sides, each room once filled with the souls of families. Now, what remains is the must of paint residue which fills my lungs, exhuming shaky breaths as I enter the first room. The apartment looked ransacked as I looked around seeing storage boxes sliced open, cans of food littered across the counter, and half packed suitcases strewn about the couches. Searching the drawers, my hands grace across a cool steel flashlight. Grateful I can now see a little more ahead of me, I make my way through the rest of the complex. My light floats up the wall, making contact with what looks like a bloodied hand streak across. My mouth goes dry as I make my way towards the room that the blood trail leads to. Broken glass riddles the ground, my eyes darting ahead of me. My heart rate rises as my boot steps into a puddle onto the floor. Quickly I shine my flashlight onto the ground immediately regretting my decision. Scarlet red liquid lies below my boot, coating me with fear. Broken glass cracks with each step I take as I make my way through the room, cautiously observing any movement that may come through blasted window in the corner. I shudder against the crisp wind blowing from the outside. shuffling around drawers inside the apartment, to find myself empty handed. Deflated, I exit the apartment and made my way to the next door. Reaching for the cold steel handle when I hear the scream again, louder than before. My heart rate rose, as I quickly turned the handle and locked the door behind me, and shrink to the ground. Tears well up in my eyes as how desperately I yearned for this to end. Choked sobs emerge from my throat as I clutch my legs next to my chest, wishing to disappear from this nightmare I’m in. “Snap out of it Garrett! Keep it together!” I yell at myself, repeating the sentences until my heart rates slows. I clear my vision from my tears as I shine my light from my corner of the room to the other side. Unlike the previous apartment, this one was spotless. A hunter’s home for sure, as I notice deer skulls in a corner of the room with a bear rug on the floor. The room was neat, and helped ease the claustrophobia that was collapsing on my rib cage. I began to breathe as I got up from the floor and began examining the household looking for anything that could be of use to me. The cool torch in my hands gently rolls up the wall, making contact with a dark brown wooden casing with glass revealing its contents. A faint smile creeped up on my face as I inched closer to the handle, leaving me breathless. “Is it too good to be true?” I quickly dash that thought out of my mind as I softly swing the door open. Inside my light glosses over the hardened steel, the crisp stained stock matching the pump handle. Electricity rings through my hands as I feverishly pick up my new best friend. The shotgun was sturdy, with the simple lettering of Remington engraved into the side of the weapon. Looking above the case, I notice a sling, and 2 boxes of 12 gauge shells making my stomach giddy. I slide the ammunition into the sling and syphon 5 rounds into the firearm. Grateful I have something to combat with, I shuffle through the drawers, finding duct tape, to where I immediately tape my light to the front of the gun. While doing so, my attention was drawn towards the sound of scratching on the wood, as if someone was sawing through the wood. The scraping moves closer towards the door on the other side of the room. I hear faint growls past the walls. My blood runs cold, as the echoing pierce of the scream rings through my soul once more, now much than ever before. The sound of what sounds like 2 cats fighting, emits from the other side of the wall, rising my blood, and making my vision blur. The scraping pauses right next to the door, as for a moment, everything is silent. I wait and hold my breath, praying that the thing on the other side, passes by not taking notice of me inside. But my dreams quickly dissipate as the handle begins to turn. Fear clouds my thoughts, as I hope that what’s on the other side is in fact not my worst nightmare. For so long I have tried from this thing, and now here I stand on the devil’s doorstep, waiting for my demise. I shuffle a shell into the chamber, and point the cold steel towards the doorway, my heart pounding against the butt of the gun. My finger on the trigger, I prepare myself for what’s to come as the handle continues downward. I take a deep breath after noticing I haven’t inhaled for what seem like hours as I notice the door handle stops creaking downward, and slides back into its original place. Relief fills my body as I lower the shotgun, gasping for air as I realize I didn’t breath that whole time. The claw scratching continues down the hallway outside of me, dissipating into the distance. “I need to get out of here.”  I thought, forcing my feet move towards the door. Everything in my body screams for me to stay back and hide out. Just stay. You’re safe here. Nobody will find you. These thoughts bounce around my mind but I know I can’t remain here. Toeing closer to the wood panel that protects me from the unknown, I creak the door open, and peak my head out into the chasm. Seeing fit to emerge from my shelter, I sling my friend over my shoulder and make my way down the hallway, swiftly, but quietly. I place my hand on the wall, guiding me towards the open light source from the open entrance at the end of the hallway. My fingers drift across sharp claw marks, feeling similar in size to that of a bear. I turn my walk into a brisk pace, closing the gap between me and my escape into the storm. My worn boots clop against the floor the cool steel bouncing off my back.The outside wind begins to hit my face, indicating that I am almost home free. The light begins to hit my face, when I notice a head looking down on me with two glowing eyes. The dark silhouette of hair covers the top part of the doorway, and the hint of bright white teeth, glaring back at me stops me in my tracks, horrified. “She found me.” I slowly begin to back up as she spiders down onto the floor, inching towards me. Her legs were long, and twisted at the shoulder. Her arms were likewise as her limbs were similar to those of a spider. Her thick dark hair was frayed at the end, blood dripped from her mouth, as her head twitches uncontrollably from one side to the other. Yet, when she spoke, her voice was soothing, almost as if it was trying to draw me in. She coos, as she inches towards me. In the past, I would’ve allowed myself to become seduced to her sweet voice, but tonight I would not for I know the true side to the demon that stood before me. Her simple words became more intense as her words no longer were coherent and she became to scream. Her cry rang through the entrance way ringing my ears and freezing me in my tracks, unable to move. Sensing my weakness, she smiled a crazed smile as I began to see in my blurred her legs start cock back into place, ready to pounce onto her pray. My heart’s pounding, my body is numb, and my arms can barely move. Hurriedly I reach for the firearm strapped to my back, my hands barely functioning enough to aim down the sights of the weapon. Seeing my defense, she pauses. Not afraid, yet more calculating the situation. Unaware of what I am to do, my finger stays on the trigger both of us at a standstill. I look behind me and see an open window, with a cool breeze rolling in, begging for me to embrace its presence. Turning back around I see that thing sprawled out in the air diving towards me. Instinctively I pull the trigger, the fiery orange blast knocking her back from me as I quickly shuffle another round in. She screams in agony and frustration as she bounds towards, her mouth unhinged with 4 protruding fangs. Her legs scuttle towards me her arms outstretched, blood seeping from her chest, the wound not stopping her momentum. I fire another shell, the smell of gunsmoke begins to cloud my senses. My ears are ringing and her wailings sends shivers to my core. I pull back the pump once more and aim down my sights, while observing the damage that I caused to the beast. Her left leg remained disconnected from the rest of her body, blood seeping from her wound, as she looks at me, hungry for my demise. “All you’ve done is piss her off Garrett. Way to go.” The thought brings back common sense into my head that i realize I’m not invincible as I begin to run towards the open window, while I have a moment to do so. As I run, I begin to feel her breath against my neck, and tongue rolls down my head. I don’t look back as I dive towards the opening, landing chest first onto the dark pavement. I groan, and a sharp pains emerges from my chest, possibly a broken rib from the fall. I roll onto my back, looking for the predator as I make contact with her crawling out of the window, her leg that once was discombobulated fully connected again. My panic rises as I crawl away from her, the shotgun fallen on the ground ahead of me, with no chance of getting it back at the moment. She begins to crawl around me, toying with her trophy. Tears flow from my face as I see arch her legs back once more, as I scream as she jumps on top of me fading my vision to black.

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Patriot

My hands are shaking. My stomach is uneasy, I’ve thrown up already and have nothing left in my body. The boat crashes into the wake with absolute power that causes me to lurch forward from where I am standing. A friend of mine extends his soaked arm towards me, lifting me back up, allowing me to see the shore where we would be landing.

The previous morning all of us, ranging from young boys to old men, were all waiting with anticipation and a little excitement for the upcoming journey that we would all participate in. Now, we all stood, sopping wet, our hearts stricken with fear as we waited for our inevitable doom.

The sound of bullets bounce off the outer hull of our boat, leaving deafening rings and squeals, tightening the fear that gripped my heart. All of us ducked our heads down as the water splashed all over us, that we could at least make it onto the shore alive at the very least.

“20 seconds!” The driver yells, over the deafening sound of shrapnel flying around us. Hearing a sound above us, a noise indescribable, yet sends shivers down my entire body. Then hearing an explosion, right next to us and seeing the landing craft next to us turn into a fiery inferno of Hell.

“10 seconds!” He yelled again, making my blood rush through my body and my heart pound right out of my chest. Praying to God with all my might, that if I made it out of this alive, I would devote my entire life to Him. The boat stopped abruptly, and for a moment, nobody made a sound. The landing gear lowering the door broke the silence, letting me get a full view of the beach ahead of us.

Barbed wire and metal bars laid ahead of us, and 4 giant bunkers mounted with MG42s roared to life, sending the fiery darts from Satan himself directly at us. My brothers in front of me took the blow for me, absorbing the bullets into their chests, spraying me with blood. Yells and screams ensued, and chaos began. Realizing I was the next in line to take the blows, I jumped over the side and into the water.

Splashing onto shore, I spit the salt from the ocean and the blood from my allies out of my mouth. I reach for a Thompson that laid in the hands of another friend, and rush for cover behind a wood post, I checked to see if the weapon was loaded. The magazine was full, he didn’t even have a chance to fire a single shot. Looking around me, the whole front of the beach was coated with bodies. Screams of the wounded could be heard, as the bullets ripped past me. A dismembered man clawed his way towards me, screaming for me to help him.

Before I could even respond, a bullet pierced his skull, blowing brain matter and metal apart like it was a watermelon. Tears began to overcome me, but I fought back with all my might, and looked ahead at the cliff that was before me.

A corporal hit me in the head with the butt of his rifle yelling, “Move Dammit!” instincts kicked in as I lifted myself off the ground and ran forward. Stepping on bodies and in puddles of blood, I kept moving forward. I heard the sound again, the deafening roar above me in the sky, raced down into the ground, landing right in front of me, blowing me backwards. My vision went black for a moment, slowly returning in the form of a blurry haze. My ears rang and my head was swimming as I laid on that beach. My vision cleared and I felt a terrible pain from my stomach.

Fearing what I knew it was I looked down at my abdomen. My intestines emptied out of my stomach and a pool of blood surrounded me. Tears overcame me as I screamed for God to take me away from here. I tried to put my intestines back inside my body, but to no avail as I knew I was going to die. A red and white cross appeared above me, and told me everything was going to be ok, even though we both new I was a dead man. Blackness overcame my sight as I drew my last breath, and felt my soul leave my body.

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Unsung Hero

In the light of Mother’s Day I felt as if I needed to write something about my own mother, the unsung hero. I know how far away from you I may be at this moment, and how that distance won’t be getting shorter any time soon, but I know that I still feel your spirit of peace and comfort in my heart each and every day. Throughout my life, I can never recall a time where you haven’t been by my side, weather that may be spiritually, physically, or emotionally, I know I have been in your thoughts and prayers constantly. I greatly appreciate that.

Nonetheless, I have taken that for granted at times, and I sincerely regret that. You have been my true ally, the one that withstood the fiery darts of Hell for me, the one that I have shed numerous tears with, and the one that has carried me through countless challenges. When I felt alone, when it seemed as if a darkened of sorrow and isolation was about to collapse around me, you were the one that extended your hand and lifted me back up. You are my unsung hero.

I sincerely believe that God has given me the blessing to have you as my mother because he knew that there were few that could teach and guide a soul that is as stubborn and as lonely as mine. I know that the challenges you faced in your life were meant to teach you in order to lift up your children in a way that has made us leaps and bounds greater than anything we could have been without you. I know that God gave me the privilege to call you my mother, and gave me the opportunity to call myself your son.

The years may go by, and our relationship may change, but the memories and experiences we have had together will always remain in my heart. You have been my lighthouse, when the waves begin to crash against my vessel and I begin to sink, I know that I can always come back to the light that shines from your soul. You have not only taught me, but countless others around you. Your spirit brings people towards you. It’s a beautiful gift that you have that I think God gives to the ones he cherishes. You radiate with love and peace that drives people closer to you. Always remember the impact you have on others. Your path may be lonely, but leaders usually trailblaze alone. However, we forget to see the impact leaders have on others. Because of your hard work and sacrifice, you have created a trail that thousands will walk on because of your incredible example that you have left on this world.

Here’s to you, the unsung hero, my friend, my mother. I hope you know that you are always loved and never forgotten. When I’m alone, I always know who to come back to. I know I don’t say this enough but I hope you know that I love you. I love everything that you are. I love your humor, your sensitivity, and your love for your children. I love that I can always come back home, no matter how worthless I may feel at times, there’s always a home in your heart for me.

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Morgan

Darkness spins around her. Curiosity and concern enters her mind as the unfamiliarity of her situation leaves her uneasy and her stomach queasy. Beads of sweat drip down her forehead, as she tries to assess her situation. She attempts to move forward, but her feet are planted into the ground, her toes thick roots embedded into the floor below, refusing to budge.The empty void continues to swirl around her, almost as if it was alive. Her heart rate increases, as she begins to scream, begging whatever was holding her captive to let her go. The dark cloud responds to her pleas, by becoming increasingly violent, ripping and tearing at her. Clutching at her chest, her screams become dampened by the wrath of this thing and she gets on her knees and begins to pray. Tears flow from her face as the darkness slows down, preparing to pounce on its prey. Putting her hands to her face, she accepts her fate, as she closes her eyes and utters “God be with my soul,” under her breath, as the darkness collapses on her.

A deep gasp fills her lungs as she lurches up from her bed, her eyes slowly adapting to the light. The light from the dawn breaking gives her comfort that what she had witnessed didn't actually happen. Her heartbeat pounds inside her chest as she looks over her hands. “Calm down. It was just a dream.” She repeats that phrase in her mind until her breaths slow down and her heart rate calms. Her hands are shaking, as her dream felt real. Never in her life has she experienced that and it terrified her to the core to think about.  

Shaking her mind from what she just experienced, she began to wake up for the day. Sliding out of bed, she walks over to the shower, in hopes that she can calm down for a moment. Turning the nozzle brings frigid water, but quickly replaced with a soothing heat, while she collects her thoughts. The hot water flows off her back, rejuvenating her again, almost wiping away her fears and her troubles, making it almost impossible to leave the warmth. Stepping out of the shower, she gets dressed for the day, a faded pair of jeans, and a plaid flannel.

As she slipped on her clothes, she didn’t feel right. A dark feeling filled her stomach, making her almost sick and on the verge of throwing up. In the church she attended, they always told her that feeling was when you did something wrong and God didn’t approve. Yet, when she searched her mind, digging for anything that may have been enough to lose the light of God, she couldn’t think of anything. “Why do I feel this way then if I haven’t done anything wrong?” It scared her that she didn’t have the answer to that inquiry.

In her dark room, with the faint light making its way into her room, she looked into her bedroom mirror, staring down the person standing across from her. In that piece of glass she saw a girl, alone, and afraid. She despised who she saw, as she stared back into her pale blue eyes. “The eyes are the window to the soul.” She thought to herself as her icy stare burned into her memory. William Shakespeare nailed it on the spot as she looked into her eyes and saw the darkness and pain that they emitted. Inside of her, she felt pain, something that is almost impossible to describe. She didn’t know why she felt this way, but she hated the dark void that filled her soul. She wanted to push the reflection away, hoping that she could run away from who she was.

“Morgan! Come upstairs!” Her mother called, taking Morgan’s mind off the dark thoughts that swim inside her head. Her mother’s voice echoed into the hallway, flowing into her room hitting Morgan with a force that only a mother can muster. “Coming!” Morgan faintly responded, her quiet voice drowned out by the commotion from upstairs. “WHAT?” Her mother’s voice hollered back, again thundering throughout the household. “I’m coming! Goodness!” Morgan yelled back, her voice now becoming more prominent in the distant conversation.

Morgan slugged up the stairs, each step creaking beneath the her feet. The stairs sound like dull moans, as if the house begs for rest. Making her way upstairs, the bright lights of the kitchen cause her weary eyes to ache, as she connects with the worn out eyes of her mother. Her mother looked tired, as she gave a weak smile. Morgan’s mother, Jessica, was a small Texan woman who signified everything opposite of a Texan. Jessica was small in her build with pretty blue eyes and a genuine smile. She was a sensitive woman, who had a compassionate heart and a devout love for God. Morgan always liked her mom’s eyes, the bright pale blue that made everyone feel comfortable around her.

“Hello!” Her mother whispered, in a feeble, but loving tone. “You dressed and ready?” Her mother asked, trying to start up a conversation. Morgan gave a reaffirming grunt as she sat down at the barstool. Her mother continued, “Ready for school today?” Trying to make eye contact, with Morgan, but her child refused the offer. Morgan’s eyes darted down to her feet as she gave off another grunt, as her hair covered her face, the human veil that provided her with safety from her mother’s eyes. Her mother quickly got the hint that her daughter was in no mood to talk, and went back to tending the eggs.

Inside, Morgan felt sick. She knew she had no illnesses, she was doing fine for now, but the thought of eating the eggs repulsed her. The smell was intoxicating and she wanted to convulse. She was confused, usually she doesn’t mind eggs or anything whatsoever, but nothing seemed appealing to her. Her stomach churned with the thought of food, and Morgan wanted to weasel out of eating, and get to the bus stop that was five minutes away.

Morgan’s mother slapped the eggs onto the blue plate that was sitting on the barstool. The steam from the poultry rose up into Morgan’s face, forcing her to look up again. “I’m not hungry.” Morgan simply stated as she looked back down into the floorboards below, pushing the yellow mesh away from her. “Why?” Her mother retorted, “I made these special for you!” Her mother was starting to guilt trip her into eating, and it certainly caused Morgan to feel bad, but she wasn’t changing her mind. “Just take a bite.” Her mother pleaded, trying to cope her firstborn into eating. “I said I’m not hungry.” Morgan’s voice quickly became deeper, and darker, and slower. The hint of anger with each syllable, each word coated in venom of hate. Inside of her, a beast was stirring, awakening from its slumber from the pit of her heart. The dark eye from the animal as it began showing interest in the situation.  Morgan hoped that her message was clear, in hopes that she could leave and the beast would rest, but her mother had other thoughts. “Morgan, you will eat those eggs. I made them, and you will eat them.”

Anger consumed her, her frustration and hatred burned inside her chest. The best began stirring, as she fought back to refrain but she could no more. She had enough, and there was no stopping her now. “NO! I WILL NOT EAT YOUR FRIGGEN EGGS! I DON’T KNOW WHY YOU CARE SO MUCH!” Her sentences became rants, as she flung word after word at her mother, like bullets from Hell, who looked at her like a deer in the headlights. Morgan’s whole body was consumed with absolute fury. Her rant came to a close, as her mother stood in silence. Her mother thought to retaliate, but her common sense thought better of it as she watched her daughter slam the door to the outside world and into the rain.

Morgan stood in the rain, her anger like an inferno inside her chest. She trembled with frustration and her throat ached from her recent outburst. She wasn’t mad about the eggs, why should she? In fact, it wasn’t even her mom that was the problem. It was where she was going that she despised, and her mother was an easy way to take out her frustration. The bone chilling rain soaked her body as she stood on the corner of the street, waiting for the demonic machine to carry her to Hell. Watching the rain fall onto the pavement, the water a temporary glass on the streets reflected a dull glow from the houses around. Her mind raced around her head as she wondered why she shouted at her mom in the first place? “Why do I treat the ones I love most so poorly?” Her anger was replaced with guilt, and the sickness in her stomach sprouted inside again. The dark thought danced around her head, as she felt just as cold on the inside as it was outside. It felt fitting to her that the skies were so gray, almost as if her emotions dictate the weather.

As she waited for the school bus, dominating sadness swept in again, finding its familiar territory in her soul. The gloom radiated from her body, her face reflected off the ground. She looked dead on the outside just as she did inside. Looking up from pavement, she heard the sound of footsteps coming towards her. Down the road, emitted the sound of many different neighbors pacing down towards the bust stop, full of life and happiness, something she was jealous of. “Don’t they know how hard life is? What’s there to be happy about?” Surrounding the curb, ranges from twelve to seventeen, they each began talking about their days and what lied ahead of them. Typically the boys discussed football or basketball and their epic adventures from the weekend. She didn’t mind them much as the guys were usually rather annoying anyway, making her pleased when they didn’t pay attention to her either.

However, the ones she hated more were the girls. She didn’t understand why, but she saw that they always had the need to start drama. “Why the need to always bicker and fight with one another?” This sparked an interesting idea in her. “Why is it that we feel the need to talk about others?”  Why does the typical conversation go alongs the lines of, “Recently he said that she said the they said that I said that I was dating Jake. That is SO not true.” She stored that question in her mind for later, as she didn’t have the answer quite yet. The Girly Girl Gossip, as she liked to call them, will be flapping their mouths until the day they die, giving Morgan the time to ponder on her inquiry.

Looking to her left, she hears the familiar growl of the yellow bus that lulled around the dark bend. Clutching on her backpack straps, she took a deep breath, anticipating the slow roll of the bus stopping in front of her. The swing of the rusty doors pushed a cool breeze towards her, sending the chills through her body. She hopped onto the darkened steps, fearing what laid ahead. The rain caused her shoes to lose what felt like all of her friction, as she lost all balance. She gripped onto the handrail, in hopes it would stop her, but the floor was too slick, and the stairs became a slide. Morgan plowed into her peers at the opening of the bus. She tried her best to stop, but might as well stop a bulldozer. Morgan’s head bounced off the steps, each hit sending flashes through her vision, as the gasps and howls of pain could be heard as her body connected with each kid coming down. Morgan torpedoed out of the bus, stopped by a puddle in pavement. Her head rang, and her cheeks flushed as she stumbled getting herself off the floor. At first, it was quiet, the kids didn’t really know how to respond to the commotion they had just witnessed. Then, the mocking ensued, like a thunderstorm the students flung laughter and insults at her, driving her deeper down in darker sorrow. She rose up off the ground, and hung her head, as the laughter swarmed her thoughts and her spirit. The grime stuck into her hands, and the stench clung onto her clothes like a musk. Embarrassment flushed her face as she took the nearest seat and pushed her face into her arms.

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Mars

“If anyone can hear me, I need you.” The voice cracks through the intercoms waking me up from a light sleep. “I’m here! What’s your issue?” I respond to the voice on the other side, as I wait patiently for a response. Nothing. “This is the USSS Hercules please respond.” I urge, in hopes that I can get a response from the unknown source. A fuzz emits from my coms, “N-n-not s-s-aAaA-f-e here, h-h-help mmm.” The voice fades out, only static remains. Confused, and a little concerned for my new friend, I begin to look at the map, to see if any other ships are nearby. The green glass pulsating back at me emits a small dot in the upper right. Looking out portside I take a glimpse of the outside. The massive red orbiting planet floating nearby fills most of my window. It’s looming presence keeping me company as I work through the day. Though I have never been on Mars, it’s sort of become my friend. I draw sketches of what I imagine is underneath the sandy surface. Underground mines that have never been seen by the human eye? Some sort of water supply with all sorts of new species? More sand? The massive red planet excites me, the thought of being on a planet that I may have the opportunity to explore. That’s why I took this job in the first place. I yearn to be the first pioneer of something in this world, and with almost all of Earth being explored I want carve my own name, make my own trail, and Mars is the perfect place where I can leave my footprint. A small figure catches the corner of my eye, snapping me out of my daydream and back into reality. I notice a ship, relatively large in size, heading towards me. I grab the radio. “This is USSS Hercules, please confirm your identity.” Static rings through. “This is USSS Hercules I repeat, please confirm your identity.” Silence. By this point this ship is approaching rapidly as it’s nose is directed straight at us, with no sign of stopping. My body tenses up, the shivers crawl down my spine, leaving out into my toes. “This is USSS Hercules I DEMAND that you change your course immediately. Over.” At this point I know there is no use as the ship is about a half kilometer away from impact. I grab the local intercoms. “Attention all crew members this is not a drill. Brace for impa-” The nose of the ship cuts deep into the side of us. The force sends me flying back into the wall, the momentum of the ship now causing us to spiral out of control. “Emergency stabalizers in effect.” The ship begins to slow down to a stop as the spinning begins to slow. Dizzy, nauseous, and bruised, I rush over to the window. Debris floats all around me, remains of both ships hurling past, slicing deep into the hull of the ship. I need to get a diagnostic of the condition of the ship and how many passengers survived, but the impact knocked out the power supply. I would need to get to the deck. I make my way towards the space suits and begin to strap myself into a suit. I have always been known to be paranoid, I accept that, but I want to be prepared. I was lucky enough to be far enough away from the impact that my wing was relatively unaffected. However, I know that isn’t the case for most areas. Besides, it would give me a chance to try out the latest military tech, which I have been excited about since they were first announced. The suit was warm, yet it stuck close to my body like an extra layer of skin. I brush the American flag patch on my shoulder and put on my officers jacket over my suit as well. I make my way through the cool metal corridor, careful to not injure myself. I wonder what happened on that ship. What’s their motive? Where are my crew members? I haven’t seen anybody which has been odd to me. There’s at least a few dozen of us on this cruiser, so while yes it’s large, I should’ve seen at least somebody by now. It’s dark, and the silence is eerie. The faint light of Mars emits through the windows illuminating my path slightly as I continue my way down into the darkness.

20 minutes have passed by now and I still haven’t seen anybody. The deeper I go the more of the wreckage I see. The debris floats around me as I know I’m getting closer to the impact. I take extra precaution as I don’t want to get sucked out of the ship accidentally. I have been trying to call out on my radio to anybody that might still be alive but haven’t heard anything so far. I sure hope they’re ok. It wasn’t until I stepped on what looks to be a hand that I realize that I made it to the initial impact. The nose of the ship is buried deep into the backend of Hercules, and it didn’t look good. The nose was stuck inside of the generator of the ship and I don’t know how we’re going to get it out. My coms on my helmet chime in. “Officer Halls! Is that you?” Confused who’s reaching out to me, I touch the side of my helmet. “This is he. Who am I speaking to?” The voice comes crackling through again. “It’s Sergeant Briggs, look to your left!” I look outside the window to see the sergeant flailing her hands back and forth trying to get my attention. “I’m in a tight spot. I was out doing maintenance work on the exterior of the ship when the impact knocked me off the ship. I’m losing oxygen fast and I don’t know how long I can stay out here.” Panic was rising in her voice and I could sense it. I need to get her to safety, but I don’t know how. Briggs has been a good friend to me, she helped me rank up quickly and was the one that recommended me to the Captain of Hercules in the first place. She was a mother too, and is close to getting out of the military. It wasn’t long ago where she was telling me about all the things her and her family were going to do when she got out. I’m happy for her, but now she’s stuck out the middle of nothingness and she’s floating away quickly. If she has any chance of surviving I needed to act fast. I knew if I could get her to change her trajectory, I could manage to get her to where she would eventually hit one of the ships. I needed to get a better view. “Just hang in there!” I tell her. Crawling out of the gaping hole, I position myself on top of the ship. Looking, I see that she’s perpendicular with the unidentified ship, the perfect potential for a straightaway shot towards safety. There was no way that I could throw something at her, for fear of potentially killing her. She was more valuable than I, besides she has a family, I don’t. It makes sense. I know what I needed to do. “Halls I need your help! The other generator is knocked out and is going to short out!” No time to think. I need to act. I situate myself on the side of the Hercules, making sure my aim is good, and I push off. I stick out my arms ahead of me, exerting all of my force into Briggs. I look to see if I aimed true. “Halls what are you doing?!?” She screams, but I don’t care. I ignore her cries as I know that she’s going to make it. “You’ll be fine Briggs, just make sure to grab onto the ship.” I say. I laugh to myself as I feel relieved that she’ll make it, hopefully. I sit in the middle rather bliss and happy with where I’m at. My oxygen is close to empty, but who needs oxygen anyway. I take a minute to take another look at my friend, silently watching me. I hope he’s proud of me, and while I don’t think I’ll be able to explore the surface, I think it’s better this way. Maybe one day I’ll have a chance to. The oxygen in my tank empties as I close my eyes, I feel accomplished. I think I made my mark.

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