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Roy doesn’t bother to check it out. He simply slides it into the back of his pants and smiles at the sight of the beach ahead.
It’s hard to believe we made it when we’ve been on the verge of collapsing for months. But we did it. We did the thing no one else was brave enough to do.
When we reach the shore, I’m struck by the beauty of this planet. Whatever dark thoughts I had yesterday are now forgotten.
This is a place out of one of my dreams. Untouched and innocent, it’s a sanctuary where humans can start over. If we can aid in the construction process, if we can get this thing to really work, I could imagine myself staying forever.
I dig my boots into the sand and find a path into the surrounding jungle.
Roy points. “Look, a used trail. See it, Hugh? Tire marks. Looks like we’re not alone, after all.”
Hugh mutters under his breath. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
Fassbender doesn’t hesitate to push through the foliage. I follow close behind.
Holding a map against the sunlight, Fassbender compares the trails. I keep a look out for any sign of life, but nothing really out of the ordinary stands out.
It’s odd, actually. There should be something. We can breathe the air, bathe in the sea, and nothing seems to hurt us. This planet has the perfect conditions for human life. Yet, no other animals exist here.
It doesn’t make any sense.
We reach a small clearing. The trees are tall giants with a wide canopy of leaves. The jungle is darker ahead, and the trail has thinned out, but Roy is certain we’re headed in the right direction.
“Slow down,” Fassbender warns.
Roy is stubborn. I knew he’d be a challenge the moment I met him.
“It’s like I told you all before, there’s nothing we have to worry about,” he says, almost willfully uncritical, as if to keep from diluting his courage. “We are life. The only life that exists.”
“You don’t believe in other forms of life?” I ask.
Strangely, one hand rests against the gun behind his back. “Naomi, if there were aliens, we’d have known about it by now,” he says, glancing at the tall canopy that darkens the jungle. “As sad as the truth may be to an explorer such as yourself, we’re the only beings that exist.”
CRACK!
We hear a noise. It’s the sharp noise of twigs cracking underneath a set of feet, followed by the rustling of some leaves.
The sound stops.
Fassbender cups his palm around my mouth. “Don’t say a word,” he whispers.
My heart pounds against my sternum, each beat reverberating my vision. Blood running cold through my veins, I stand as still as I can.
Hugh rests his finger against his lips. “Shh.”
We all see it. There’s no denying it. Even Roy looks shaken to the core.
An inhuman corpse, taller than any man I’ve seen has been staked to a tree. Half of its chest has been cut open, innards displayed on the soil.
This must be him, the alien from the photograph.
My eyes search for a clue, but nothing else remains. No footprints or other signs of life are visible.
Were humans responsible for this? Did the scientists kill it?
We pull our weapons. Captain Halloway weasels his way past Roy. “Stay close,” he says.
I nod, but I want to walk in the opposite direction. I want to run back to the shore, to dive into that clear water and fly back to Earth.
