Red Horizon (The Martian Fanfiction)

Chapter 24

SOL 109

The Hab was unusually quiet on Sol 109. Olivia had grown accustomed to the oppressive silence that came with isolation, but today, the stillness felt heavier. Each day had begun to blur into the next—one long, monotonous stretch of survival. The rhythm of her days was predictable now: wake up, eat, work, rest, and repeat. But despite her best efforts to distract herself, the weight of Mark's absence had settled deep in her chest, gnawing at her as she fidgeted with tools on the small table, her mind wandering.

Then she heard it—a faint sound, distant but unmistakable. It started as a low rumble, growing steadily louder, sending a jolt of adrenaline coursing through her body. Her heart skipped a beat, and she froze, her breath catching as she strained to listen. It was the Rover. Mark.

For a split second, she couldn't believe it. He wasn't supposed to be back yet—he had told her it would take him 120 sols, and it had only been 109. But the sound was undeniable. The familiar rumble of the vehicle reverberated through the Martian air, growing closer, and suddenly, Olivia's limbs were moving before her brain could catch up.

Her hands trembled as she fumbled with the seals of her suit, her heart hammering in her chest with excitement and anticipation. The excitement made her clumsy, each movement more hurried than the last as she struggled to don her helmet. She barely managed to secure the gear before rushing into the airlock, her breath fogging up her visor as the door pressurized. When it finally hissed open, Olivia stepped out onto the barren Martian surface, her eyes scanning the horizon.

There, crawling toward her through the haze of red dust, was the Rover.

Her breath caught in her throat, her pulse quickening as she saw the vehicle moving steadily toward the Hab. As the Rover came to a stop, she spotted Mark emerging from the driver's side, his suit caked in the red Martian dust that clung to everything out here. He looked tired, his movements slow and deliberate, but he raised a hand in a wave, his exhaustion barely masking the grin on his face.

Olivia didn't hesitate. She was already moving, her leg aching but forgotten as she limped toward him, the relief overwhelming her. The past month had been grueling—filled with loneliness, anxiety, and the constant gnawing fear that something might go wrong, that he might not come back. But he was here. He had made it.

When she reached him, she threw her arms around him without a second thought. The force of the hug caught him off guard, causing him to stumble slightly as she pressed herself against him, but Mark quickly steadied himself, his arms wrapping around her waist in return. They held onto each other fiercely, the intensity of the moment crashing over them like a tidal wave.

"You made it," she whispered, her voice barely audible through the helmet but thick with emotion.

Mark's soft chuckle vibrated against her, though she could hear the exhaustion in it. "Of course I did. Did you really think I'd leave you here for good?"

Olivia pulled back slightly, her hands gripping the front of his suit as she looked up at him, her chest still heaving from the flood of emotions. Her relief was palpable, but so was the anger she hadn't realized had been building up inside her over the long days of waiting. Without thinking, she balled her hand into a fist and punched him squarely in the chest.

Mark recoiled, his eyes widening in surprise as he took a small step back. "What the—"

"Don't you ever leave me alone like that again!" Olivia's voice shook with a mixture of anger, frustration, and something else—something deeper that she wasn't quite ready to acknowledge. "Do you know how hard that was? A whole month of not knowing if you were okay, of being stuck here alone—"