The Wall

EC Contest Stage 1 - The Wall

Luke woke with a start, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. He wiped them away with a trembling hand, running it through his brown hair. The same nightmare, again and again, since he arrived here. With a sigh, he got up; trying to sleep again was pointless. The sun cast a pink light across the room. These sunrises were so different from those at his homeland. The sun seemed small and distant, failing to banish the chilling cold creeping in from outside.

After a simple breakfast of vitaminized food, Luke prepared for work. He donned his protective suit, necessary only on frosty mornings. By noon, the temperature would rise to a comfortable level. He plugged in his oxygen tubes but took only a small supply – enough for his work. In the greenery, the artificial atmosphere devices produced sufficient oxygen for both people and plants.

Luke cast a brief glance through the murky window. His house stood near the edge of the colony walls, which contrasted starkly against the barren orange landscape. These high walls, among the first constructions made after the settlers arrived on Mars, seemed to touch the sky. Often shrouded in a strange yellowish mist, their surfaces reflected the desert landscape that stretched out of sight.

The material resembled glass but proved to be rough. When trying to see through it, one could glimpse only fleeting shadows. Whatever lay behind these walls remained a mystery to the colonists.

Being cut off from the outside world provided invaluable protection. That was why the humans decided to enclose themselves within such high walls. The mysterious planet could have its dangers, and those who built the walls must have been aware of those deadly perils.

Their sanctuary had few color variations, the only ones being inside the buildings. The atmosphere, almost as opaque as the walls, always bathed the colony in an orange glow.

The greenhouse particularly contrasted with the outside. Upon entering, the lush green caught the eye, reminiscent of Earth's tropical forests and greenery. Luke was one of the fortunate ones to work there among the delightful scents of fruits, vegetables, and flowers that thrived in the Martian soil. Though initially sterile, the soil thrived as the settlers performed miracles with it.

***

With great care, Luke placed a new breed of plant in a pot. He couldn't afford to make a mistake – the plants provided the whole colony with food. He rubbed his neck where a spot sometimes hurt. Almost all the other colonists had a similar spot on their bodies, each varying in size. His was only an inch in diameter. Sometimes it was just itchy, but it was always red, as if burned, and hard to the touch. Perhaps they had got it after Earth was exposed to the deadly rays, or so the other colonists said. The sun had shone relentlessly on Earth, burning everything around. Only a few had survived.

Luke was among the lucky survivors after the catastrophe. They had managed to bring life to this barren planet. Unfortunately, they didn't have any children among them; the children hadn't survived. However, the colonists hoped that in time they would have children and their population would grow.

Luke closed his eyes with a sigh. On Earth, he had a wife and two beautiful children. He had wanted to take them with him, but it was too late.

Since then, his nights had been punctuated by nightmares: screams, fire, blood, pain, and loss. They say time heals all wounds, but Luke couldn't easily forget his family. Feeling the fatigue weighing down his eyelids, he sat at the table and crossed his arms on it. He needed just a moment to close his eyes and calm the throbbing headache caused by sleep deprivation. His body was immediately overcome by sleep.

In his dreams, he felt a smaller hand in his. When he looked down, he saw his son with the same blonde curls as Eva, his wife, who was running with a younger child in her arms. He didn't remember the beginning of his nightmare, why they were running. But the answer came rapidly: the heat, the orange of the spreading fire, and overwhelming terror. He ran as fast as he could. Eva's screams echoed in his ears as she begged him to get their children into the ship before it was too late. A blinding light, a pain in his neck, then nothing. The void.