The face in the mirror was worn and tired, but not exactly old--maybe 30 or 35. And it was darkened by a bit more than a five o'clock shadow. Tight wrinkles made the eyes look older than the rest of the face.
The forehead--my forehead was taped with a fresh, white bandage.
I opened the door slowly to the sound of static.
The redhead was sitting attentively, hovering over a tablet device. A voice kept cutting in and out between the static.
"Can you hear me?" she asked the static.
Liv stood up and walked toward me. "Do you need anything? Water?"
"Yeah," I said. "I could use some water."
I followed her through the door in the center of the room. It was a small room with a sink, a microwave, and racks and racks of packages, probably food.
She reached to a lower shelf and handed me a bottle of water.
"Don't drink from the sink," she said. "It's good enough for cleaning, but not drinking."
I sipped from the bottle slowly, but long, nearly drinking the entire bottle.
"...Another sweep," said the voice on the tablet before cutting out again.
"We heard someone," Liv said. "They might be rescuers."
Liv and I walked back into the main room then were thrust off our feet.
With a loud crash, the entire pod was jolted, then a steady rumbling and shaking persisted.
When the ground was finally still, a muffled squawk echoed through the room—then another, and more.
The women both ran into the room to the left of the bathroom.
"What are those?" one of them said.
I waddled shakily into the doorway of the room. It was like a jet cockpit with a large domed windshield and buttons and switches filling the space below it.
Out the window, it was bright. Shiny snow and ice gave a glare.
A herd of two-legged creatures ran before us like white furry velociraptors.
I stepped closer. They were running toward what looked like a massive green blob. I stepped closer still.
It was a bit off to the distance, but I could see tiny worms squirming around in a pile.
I was standing between the two women now, who were both sitting in chairs. Liv looked up at me.
"...Coordinates of your e-pod now," said the tablet from where it was left. "I repeat. If anyone can hear me, broadcast the coordinates of your e-pod now."
Liv gasped, and the other woman jolted to the tablet which was left on the floor in the main room.
"Broadcasting now," she said.
Another piercing squawk caught my attention. One of the two-legged creatures stopped just outside the windshield with its mouth—its teeth—pointing toward me.
Two teeth were gray and long, like spikey tusks. The rest were tiny triangles, razor-sharp, hundreds of them.
"Tessa Higgins, Olivia Elliot, and... another. A male."
"Coordinates received. We're on our way."
