Predator Pandora's Box

Chapter 3

Evelyn had dreamt about her past, before the time she had left. She really missed Emily and weirdly enough, her father too. Despite everything that has happened, she still misses his presence. To some degree. It has been the past few years without them. Evelyn let out a big sigh, knowing she had to get up at some point. She outstretched her arms and flinched at the pain coming from her joints. Evelyn whined, letting out a 'ahhhhh'. She felt overwhelmingly uncomfortable, while she "gracefully" tried to get out of her seat.

While trying to get up, she couldn't help but notice the room was spinning, or so she thought. Evelyn looked out of the window to see the stars were drifting across her view ever so slowly.

She looked down, expecting to see the autopilot on, only to realise that it had been off this whole time. She had been drifting and spinning drunkenly across space for the duration of her slumber. "Ah, so that's why I'm dizzy." She muttered to herself, while reaching down to turn the on switch. She felt the room settle as the ship brought itself to level. With that said and done, Evelyn made her way groggily to the bathroom to fix herself up. 

Evelyn groaned with every painstaking step she made, and looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. "What happened to me?" she thought to herself. "Why am I here, wondering the plains of the galaxy with no where to go." She wept before looking at the dirty water she had been using. She grew thirsty at the sight of it, but didn't dare drink it. Evelyn looked back at her reflection, while also examining her face. Her skin was dry and coarse to the touch, instead of the softness she was used to. She didn't look the same as before. Evelyn was unrecognisable. 

Her once long, white, silky smooth hair. Now dull in colour from built up dirt, matt and grease, draped to the side of her face. The mere weight of it was no exaggeration on how heavy it was for her head. The thought of cutting it did come to her mind, but it reminded it of her mother, how she lovingly spoke of Evelyn's long locks. 

Many attempts have been made, but she couldn't go through with it. Now, staring back at the cold dirty mucky water, she began to lick her dry lips. The thirst was driving her crazy. She turned away, locking the bathroom door. She scanned the area, knowing how dirty her ship was. 

After spending years on the ship, Evelyn got used to the smell after not being able to bathe for a while. She pushed her hair into one big bun, as strands began to seep out from the band. It was even more heavy, but it was manageable and out of the way. Evelyn didn't know where to start, as the mountains of clothes were just piling up. She grabbed what she could and threw them into the bathroom. The ship was quite bare, but it still had that lingering smell. Evelyn couldn't find it, till she fell over another pile of clothes that were hiding under her chair. Growing irritated, Evelyn threw the clothes in the far corner, before letting out a sigh of frustration.

She curled up into a ball, pulling her legs close to her chest. "I want to go home." She spoke to herself. Evelyn cried, wishing she could undo everything that had happened. 

(5 hours later)

5 hours have passed. In that duration, Evelyn kept herself busy. "Tidying" the ship and doing basic exercises. While looking at her ship, she noticed that it needed a complete cleaning service, and checked up. On top of that, Evelyn needed water and she was fresh out of water a couple months back. To her luck, her radar went off. She panicked and ran to the controls, thinking it was another meteorite shower. On close inspection, Evelyn saw a large asteroid with blinking lights. It was some sort of space station inside an asteroid. It blended well with its surroundings, but still looked very busy. Various ships entered and exited, which looked promising. She sat in her seat, and buckled up. On her approach, she saw an empty landing dock.

While closing on approach, Evelyn noticed there were no domes on site, just people walking around without breathing gear. This confused her. Evelyn felt her controls shaking in her hands, feeling the vibrations of her ship struggling. She noticed that her approach to the asteroid was getting close rather quickly. She felt the joystick jump out of her hands a few times, before bracing for impact. She felt her ship swerve, missing her stop entirely. She was fast approaching a junkyard, on the other side of the station. "This will have to do for now. '' She told herself, before she aggressively turned her controls. She "softly" and "gracefully" crash landed, letting out a concerning hiss. "That didn't sound good." Evelyn told herself, before unbuckling herself from her seat.

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As the door opened, I stepped out, feeling the weight of simulated gravity. "Ohhh, that's why I almost ate shit." I spoke to myself. I looked around to see nobody in sight. "I couldn't have picked the most isolated area, couldn't be me." I thought to myself in irritation. However, there was a small shop that caught my attention. It seemed to be dead, but the lights were on. As I entered, the doors slid open as the doorbell rang. I didn't realise sooner, but it was a lot bigger than the interior of my ship. I approached the large counter, where a newspaper covered the shop owner. I went to reach for the service bell, but was caught off guard as he tossed me some keys. He started talking in a language, which I couldn't understand.

"Umm... S-sorry but could you please-" I spoke softly, before jolting as he hit the desk in front of him. A little radio popped out of the desk, and was described as the translator. As he spoke again in annoyance, it was translated in a synthetic mannerism. "Bathroom is down the back of the building to the right.. Do not touch the switch unless you want to be electrocuted.. Any further questions, please come back later..." I didn't know what else to say to him, but reluctantly went..

In hopes to get some water from the taps, I began to feel excited. But to my luck, it had no water in the pipes. No matter what tap I used, there was the same repeated noise of clangs and slurping. It sounded like the pipes themselves were crying for thirst.

I went back inside to see the shop owner, but he was gone from his seat. I placed the keys on the desk, and went to leave till I looked at the fridge. I looked at the reflection on the glass door, seeing how dirty I was. "I need a bath, ASAP." I thought out loud. I went out the front, looking at a mini map of the entire station. That was until I found the owner with his back to me. His long dreads swung side to side, as he was making irritated noises. I didn't want to approach him, but I was desperate. "H-hi, umm... I left the keys on the counter... D-do you know where I can find a bathhouse?" I stammered. He didn't turn in my direction, but stopped what he was doing. It seemed like he was trying to calm himself down, as I heard him purring and clicking.

Was I going mad? Or have I heard this before?

I started to have flashbacks, not paying attention. With growing irritation, he tapped his nail on the board pointing at the map above him to get my attention, which snatched me back into reality. "O-oh s-sorry. Thank you!" I jumped. He shook his head, and continued with whatever he was doing. "So, he can understand me..." I told myself. I noticed some scars on him, but I didn't dare to stay any longer. I went back to my ship to find my bag of jewels. I grabbed a handful, before I put a coat on to 'hide' my smell. With my coat on, I was able to cover my dirty face, as I didn't want people to see me looking the way I did. As the owner was still in his position, I approached him again. "W-would I be a-able to leave my ship here with you?" He didn't respond, but instead nodded his head. I placed some gems and gold coins beside him, before leaving. "T-thank y-you! I shouldn't be gone long!"

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The shop owner didn't see what Evelyn was doing, as he assumed it was junk. He glanced over to see what she had given him, which initially shocked him. No one had ever paid him. While looking back at her, to see her silhouette go further in the distance. He let out a satisfying purr, while reaching for the gems.