Mini Contest Entries

Hope

A/N: Trigger warning. People who are sensitive about death should not read this.

The leader of operations, Jiva, led me down an endless, white corridor as I gazed though the windows. The dark sky was littered with bright stars and half of our planet's 72 moons. It was going to be the last time I could see them.

"Hope! Are you listening to a single word I'm saying?"

I snapped out of my trance and nodded. I didn't need to hear what she was saying to know what was going to happen to me. It was all said in the prophecy foretold by our ancestors.

✣

The flame inside our planet's core will one day be extinguished. A single child capable of reigniting it will be born twenty years prior. Their life energy will be the sacrifice necessary to replace the flame.

✣

A lump formed in my throat just thinking about it. I was the only hope our planet had.

"How much longer until the ceremony?"

Jiva rested her hand on the shoulder of my fur coat.

"I don't want to keep repeating myself. You need to pay attention!"

She smacked me upside the head and continued walking. Her high heels clacked sharply on the tile floor ahead of me. 

I knew that she didn't want me to die. We had been friends since diapers. It was as if we were sisters by blood. I could remember all the times we spent together playing like it was yesterday. But our carefree days came to an abrupt end when our parents introduced us to the prophecy.

Eventually, the door we were searching for came into view. Our strides grew shorter, stalling the inevitable moment before us. Despite the warmth collected in my clothing, I still got shivers when Jiva put her hand on the door knob.

She opened the door, revealing a room full of our seniors. A plain banner hung over the conference table. It said:

"Thank you, Hope"

My knees softened, and I collapsed. Quiet tears escaped my eyes, plopping onto the cold floor. Jiva squat down beside me with a forced smile on her face.

"Why are you crying? There's nothing to be sad about."

Her words only brought more pain to my heart. I couldn't take it anymore.

"You try being in my shoes! Why do I have to die? Isn't there another way we can fix the core?"

My whole body was shaking. The seniors didn't move from their positions. Jiva kept her mouth shut but continued smiling. 

I heard a gun cock behind my head. The sound was shortly followed by a powerful voice. 

"Stand up."

It's now or never.

I tripped the armed solider and reached for the AK 47. We wrestled on the ground for a minute while everyone stood there in shock. The solider pulled the trigger and accidentally shot himself in the leg. I let go of the gun. Instead of running, I put pressure on the wound.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."

Jiva pushed me aside and pried the gun. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she smiled at me for the last time.

"Get out of here."

Our seniors tried to stop me, but Jiva shot into the room like a madman. The metal shells clattered on the tile behind me as I ran from the scene. I tossed my coat to the side. The freezing air sank its teeth into my skin, but it was weighing me down. I hid my face with a scarf and made my way towards the security office, which was the only place I could get a key card. The launch pad was protected by a heavy metal door that required one to open.

I desperately knocked on the security door. A man opened it with a look of annoyance.

"What do you want?"

"There was a shooting in conference room three!"

"A what!?"

The man quickly loaded his gun and bolted out of the room. I placed my foot in the door's path and slipped into the office. The key cards hung on a bulletin board. I snatched all of them from the hooks and sprinted over to the launch pad. No one else would be able to stop me from escaping if they couldn't get in.

As soon as I reached the metal door, I scanned one of the cards. The door popped open, and I slammed it shut behind me. I shoved a key card into my pocket, dropped the rest, and rushed over to the escape pods. I was never trained how to use them but had a general idea of how they worked. I scanned the card and crawled inside a pod. After sitting in the only seat, I set my destination and strapped myself in. The pod shot off into space, leaving my home planet behind. 

My adrenaline cooled off and realization hit me. I was going to a new planet all alone. I had no friends or allies. I didn't have anyone to help me. 

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After a few days of travel, a hologram projected itself in front of me. A picture of the new planet appeared. The estimated time of arrival was two hours.

I would finally see where my people originated from. The beautiful green and blue planet I always admired in textbooks was within my view. 

The planet called "Earth".