Red Horizon (The Martian Fanfiction)

Chapter 45

SOL 561

The small confines of the Rover felt quieter than usual as Mark and Olivia shared their final meal on Mars. The weight of the moment hung between them, unspoken but palpable, as they ate their last portion of carefully rationed potatoes. It was strange, how something so mundane—a simple meal—had come to symbolize everything they had endured. Each bite, tasteless and dry, was more than just sustenance; it was a reminder of the countless sols they had survived, the endless planning and recalculations that had brought them here.

Mark sat across from Olivia, his eyes fixed on the food in front of him, but his thoughts were clearly elsewhere. His brow was furrowed in concentration, lips pressed into a thin line as he silently mulled over everything that came next—the launch, the stripped-down MAV, the sheer uncertainty of it all. Olivia could see it in the tightness of his shoulders, the way his hand gripped the edge of the container a little too firmly. He was always the one to think ten steps ahead, but now, even for Mark, those steps felt dangerously uncertain.

They both ate in silence, their movements slow and deliberate. The food was bland, but it was all they had left, the last calories that would fuel their bodies before the most crucial stage of their journey. The Rover, which had once been their lifeline, now felt like a place of finality. Olivia glanced around the small space, her eyes lingering on the control panels, the makeshift storage compartments, the tools scattered neatly in their places. Each corner of the Rover held memories—of laughter, of frustration, of fear—and it felt surreal to be leaving it all behind. This cramped, metal box had been their home for months, keeping them alive in the unforgiving Martian desert.

Mark was the first to break the silence. He set his empty container aside, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before reaching for the small, worn notebook they had kept tucked away in the Rover's dashboard. They had used it to log their journey, to keep track of repairs, ration counts, and the occasional note to one another when words felt too hard to say aloud. But now, Mark opened the notebook to a blank page and began writing without a word, his hand moving steadily across the paper.

Olivia watched him for a moment, her heart tightening as she understood what he was doing without needing an explanation. They were leaving a note behind—a final message to anyone who might one day find the Rover, a testament to their journey and survival. It was both practical and sentimental, a way to leave something of themselves on the planet that had tested them so harshly.

Mark's handwriting was neat and precise, the strokes of the pen deliberate. He paused occasionally, staring at the page as if weighing each word carefully before committing it to paper. When he finished, he passed the notebook to Olivia, the silence between them heavy but not uncomfortable. She took it, staring down at the blank space in front of her, unsure of what to say. What words could possibly capture everything they had been through? How could she sum up the fear, the hope, the perseverance, the bond they had forged in the fire of survival?

After a moment of hesitation, she began to write. Her words were shorter, less measured than Mark's, but they were just as full of meaning. She wrote about the strength they had found in each other, about the endless fight to stay alive, and about the hope that had carried them through even the darkest moments. She kept it simple, but with each word, she felt the weight of the journey settling over her, pressing down on her chest like the Martian air outside.

When they were done, Mark tore the page from the notebook, folded it carefully, and tucked it into a small compartment near the control panel. It wasn't much—just a few words, a message that might never be read by anyone—but it was enough. It was a marker, a way of saying, We were here. We survived.

For a long moment, they stood in silence, the reality of their situation sinking in. This was it. The final moment before they left the Rover behind, before they climbed into the MAV and strapped themselves in for the most dangerous part of their journey. The air inside the Rover felt thick, heavy with unspoken emotions that neither of them knew how to express. There was so much they had been through, so much left unsaid.