Artificial

13 | Stranded

The first thing I feel is the cold. Unbearable shards of ice prickling at my skin, whipping against my face and hair. I groan, pressing a hand into my forehead, as if it would somehow stop the pounding ache deep within my skull.

Peeling open my eyes only makes things worse, and I'm met with a blinding light that only intensifies my headache. The sky is a pure white mixed with gray clouds, snowfall dancing across my vision and into my eyes. Snow. I jerk my head forward, panic closing around my throat as my eyes dart back and forth. I'm situated against a broken pod wall, wreckage and metal scraps lodged deep within the surrounding snow.

Just how long had I been passed out? I reach down to pull myself up, then wince, as I feel a sharp stabbing pain in my ribcage. Fire crackles somewhere to my right, and I shift my gaze in that direction.

Tending to the fire is Elias, sitting on a log as he pokes the remainder of our emergency parachute into the fire. Over the fire, he's boiling something. Pushing through the pain, I stumble to my feet, backing up several steps. His coat falls off my body, and the air around me suddenly grows ten times colder. I kick his overcoat aside. I don't need his clothing.

I turn three hundred and sixty degrees, half expecting to see the bodies of Shelly, Sadie, and Renya among the wreckage. But they're nowhere to be seen, and we're completely alone. After inspecting the decimated pod remains for the second time, I realize the pod must have snapped in half after disconnecting from the main ship, before plummeting into the nearby planets stratosphere.

Memories come flooding back, and I remember Elias tackling me, practically throwing me across the wall into the storage room. I glare at him, holding my arms together for warmth as I wait for him to say something. He doesn't glance up from the fire, his jaw set as he continues poking at the flames.

Gone is the charming man I met on Andromida. Elias looks more pissed than I've ever seen him before. There's a line of dried blood running down his forehead and neck, exposing some of his internal metal. It's a gruesome sight, and I almost feel bad for him.

"Where are we?" I try to keep my tone even, and to stop my chattering teeth. I want to lunge forward and grab him by the hair to demand answers, but my body doesn't cooperate. The world still spins, static red, green, and blue dots dancing along with the snowflakes in my peripheral.

At the sound of my voice, some of the tension leaves Elias' body. His shoulders slump, and he leans back to stare at the sky. He sighs loudly, then stands.

In his hands, he holds a slightly malformed metal cup, steam pouring off the top. I tense when he approaches me, bringing my hands up to guard my face. Elias softens instantly, and he stops in his tracks. His next words are slow, as if speaking to an animal.

"Sit down, Mira. You're still injured." He reaches out to help me down, but I slap his hand away.

Gods, I want to punch him. And I would, if only sensation returns to my hands, and my teeth stop chattering. Elias reaches for me again, and this time I'm unable to stop him as he helps me back onto the ground. He places the cup of hot water into my hands, and brings it to my mouth to drink. Briefly, I consider tossing the boiling water into his face. I don't though, and I drink from his cup begrudgingly.

"Giving me water won't make me spare your life," I spit. "You're a dead man walking."

"I don't doubt you for a second," Elias replies dryly. "Finish your water."

His water burns my tongue as I down the rest, warming me from the inside out. I hurl the cup back at him, and he catches it.

"I'm going to kill you," I snarl. I'm aware of how ridiculous it sounds, with me on the ground drinking water, and him kneeling over me. My words ring empty against the wind and snow blowing between us. "And if I can't, I won't rest until I've ruined your life."