After Earth.

Chapter 4

Ndeshi

The journey to the underground station was a silent one. No one was in the mood to conversate given the severity of the situation we were in. The darkness that enveloped the sky only added to our nerves. I still remembered that aliens threat, he clearly was not playing around.

What did he mean when he said that they came earlier and we rejected them? Did the government try to keep us in the dark about the entire situation? Before that alien man made an appearance on our screen we were being briefed. They sounded as if they had no idea what those space crafts wanted and why they were there. I guess it was all an act to make up for the fact that they lied. I'm sure they thought they had the upper hand, they probably thought that they made a groundbreaking discovery and they didn't want anyone to know in case it went wrong. I can't blame them for their intrigue and caution.

Up until now, we've only managed to get a minor distance past Mars. Although the foundation for infrastructure was set up on the planet the process was still tedious.  Our progress was nothing in the eyes of the great and almighty Zephonians, we were nothing more than uncivilized barbaric brutes. That man was not reluctant to tell us what he thought of our planet. There was no guarantee that they would be kind to us even if we gave them what they wanted. We weren't acquainted with their customs and how they viewed women of their own kind. That gave me all the reason to be cautious of them.

"Alright here we are," my Dad exhaled. We were literally in the middle of nowhere, there were no other cars in sight besides us and the Wongs. "Dad by here what exactly do you mean?" I asked in genuine confusion. There was not a single thing in sight except for a small cube building that seemed more or less 3 away. "There's a small door which will lead us down to the subway station. The train leaves in 45 minutes so we should get going" My Dad explained. The Wongs were outside and I could see them carrying their bags while walking towards the small cube building. They used flashlights to help them make out their way.

I put my travel backpack on both of my shoulders and I was ready to leave the car when my Dad turned around and handed me a walkie-talkie. This wasn't something I was unfamiliar with because we used it a couple of times when we went camping. Was this the reason he told me to throw away my phone? Well, that was pointless given the fact that these could only operate over a certain distance. The only advantage was that they would be seemingly harder to trace compared to actual phones.

"Make sure not to lose these it's our only form of communication if we find ourselves apart. These have a range of up to 31 miles so we should be safe using them". My Dad was right, if we ever lost each other the probability of us finding one another would be considerably low. Things move fast in an apocalyptic world.

We finally made our way outside the car and began striding towards the door. The eerie atmosphere made the distance feel longer than it should have been. The whistling wind carried an unsettling wave of anxiety. The nothingness made me feel uneasy, I occasionally looked back due to paranoia. There was something that put me on edge, a feeling that made me feel uneasy. It was like a pair of eyes were watching, ones that would disappear when I would turn my back. I squeezed Gunter tightly hoping that he would offer any sense of comfort.

My Mom sensed my discomfort and she protectively put her arm around me. "It's okay we're almost there. By the way, I left a small surprise for you in your travel backpack". A surprise? I was curious about what she had put in there " What is it?" I questioned. "You'll see it once we get to Canada," she said squeezing my shoulder.

I was not unfamiliar to surprises and gifts. My parents always made sure to bring me back something if they went on business trips. I always appreciated the gesture because I knew how busy those trips could get.