My Human

Chapter 1

I coughed, heaving in dust while I desperately tried to get oxygen.  My body hurt, but I forced myself to open my eyes, though I found no comfort; only terror.  The sky spun with blood red clouds and smoke continued to billow upwards.  

I pushed myself up but felt a piercing pain in my leg.  I tried to pull it away only to realize something was pinned against it.  The ground rumbled and rubble fell around me as I realized a large chunk of cement was crushing my leg.  My eyes drew forward, watching the building before me crumbling from the quakes.

Desperately, I grabbed the cement and lifted with all my might, screeching in agony as I managed to pull myself from beneath it.  I urgently drew myself up, finding the strength only in adrenaline to push forward through the pain and limp away quickly down the street.

Buildings continued to crumble and windows blew out from fires and explosions inside.  Again the earth rumbled and I watched as the street tore open as if ready to eat me alive. I clung to a street post nearby, heaving and coughing while my mind raced.  Everything was falling apart and there was nowhere to escape to.

I screamed for help but heard nothing except the destruction.  There was no other soul in sight.  I needed to get out of the street and away from falling debris.  Though every inch of my body ached, I pressed forward, stabling myself from the tremors and avoiding items falling from above.  Car alarms roared as the soundtrack to my solitary journey to the lakeside park.  I didn't know what I thought I would find there, but I couldn't just wait around to die.  I had to move forward, even if there was no objective.  

I stumbled onto the pavement at the edge of the park, just in time to watch the observation tower topple into the violent waves crashing against it.  Power lines above snapped and sparked as they whipped toward me.  Drawing every ounce of strength left, I dodged out of the way and clung to one of the memorial statues.  

Panting and heaving, the energy was leaving me and my sight was beginning to blur.  This was it.  This was where I was going to die.  There was nowhere to go and no sign of help.  Everything was going to end in one violent massacre and there was no way to escape.  So I did the only thing I could and I clung to the statue, closing my eyes to desperately take myself somewhere else until it was over.

Suddenly I heard a loud engine roar.  My eyes shot open and across the park, I saw a flash like lightning.  As if by magic, I saw a shimmering gold... space ship? It was the size of a semi-truck and it had strange blue etchings across its oval surface that glowed the like stars in the night sky.  I blinked a few times, but it didn't go away; I wasn't hallucinating.

Another flash appeared and now a door slid open in the center.  A male figure climbed out and stood on the edge of the ship, taking in the sights of the destruction nearby.  He held something in his hand and appeared to be recording.  He walked away from the ship and appeared to be analyzing the ground.  It was like he was collecting data.  He moved further from the ship, seeming fearless to the Armageddon.  

One thought shot through my mind; this was my chance!  If I had any hope of survival, I needed to get on that ship.  Surely it would be departing soon after this man got the information he was looking for.  This was my only means of survival and if I was gonna do it, I needed to do it quickly before he hopped back on board.  

I forced myself up while he continued to analyze the soil and hold his mobile device up toward the sky.  I stumbled and limped as fast as I could, not even worrying about stealth.  With explosions and violent waves, there was no need for silence.  My eyes stayed fixed on the prize; the open door.  Ignoring the pain, I still carried on, breathlessly desperate to get inside until finally, my hand placed on that smooth archway.  

I tumbled inside and found myself in what felt like a high tech breezeway.  Panels and buttons lined the walls and a doorway lead way to a cockpit.  There was no time to look around, I needed a hiding place.  

Nearby, I saw some strange metals boxes with a metallic tarp draped across.  That was it.  I could hide there! I crawled over and hid underneath the tarp and in between the boxes, praying that this would be enough. I knew it was crazy and dangerous, but when death was impending, this was a necessary risk. 

Footsteps entered and I heard the doors close.  My body froze, pleading not to get caught.  An opening in the cover let me see my choufer.  He was a man in his late 20s it seemed, with black hair.  He walked into the cockpit and took a seat in the pilot's chair.  Buttons were pressed and the engine grew louder.  The ship jerked and I could see through the window that we were rising off the ground.  Though my stomach twisted and the breath caught in my throat, I remained silent.

I heard him press another button, but this time the ship shot forward with such intensity that I fell flat on the floor like gravity was holding me down.  I cursed in my mind, hoping he heard nothing.  My eyes drew forward and he seemed not to have noticed, most likely from the volume of the engine.  The view from the window was like a blur of Vegas lights.  It was terrifying, but also beautiful.

My breathing now felt shallow and it was getting harder to breathe.  I hadn't taken any of this into account.  I had never been to space!  Clearly, there were preparations that should have been made and I didn't give one single thought to!  But it worsened and not only was breathing becoming difficult, but I felt myself beginning to choke.  I crumpled to the ground, clutching my throat, feeling it close up.  I clawed at the ground in anguish, feeling the burning of my lungs desperate for air.  

Suddenly, the tarp was torn from above and standing above me was the man, staring at me with sharp silver eyes!  I coughed and choked as my vision began to blur.  The last thing I saw was his hands reaching towards me and then it all went black.