Spaced Out

Chapter Eight

  "How did you remember?" I ask looking down at my folded hands in my lap.
"We will talk about this later, but right now we don't have time. There is an asteroid heading our way and we need to act fast," Matthew says firmly as he paces back and forth.
   "No. you will stay here. This is a dangerous mission and you need to stay here," I order as I stand up and head towards the door.
   "Cheryl wait! You can't leave me here. The last time we split up, we almost didn't find each other."
   "But we did, and as long as you stay here we will find each other again. This is my job this ship depends on me, and everyone else who works with me, to live."
   "Please Cheryl!" Matthew's voice echoes in my head as I shut the door behind me. I lean back on the door and squeeze my eyes shut reevaluating the situation. We had just reunited and now I am leaving him to go on a dangerous mission that could possibly kill me if anything goes wrong. I rub my eyes, and take a deep breath before I start running to the control room where I see everyone crowded around the panels.
   "There you are! Is everyone in their compartment?" Sasha asks with a worried expression on her face.
   "Yes. Everything is under control," I say as I make eye contact with Alex from across the room. I quickly look away. I can't possibly be dealing with any dilemmas at the moment. Right now my focus is on the asteroid. I push my way to the panel ending up next to Lucas who is closely inspecting the monitor through squinted eyes.
   "What are you looking at?" I ask.
   "I am looking at the course of this asteroid it seems particularly familiar," he says quietly.
   "What is that supposed to mean?" I ask incredulously. I bend down towards the monitor taking a closer look to have a better understanding of what Lucas implied. I gasp causing heads to turn and panic to arise.
   "What is happening?" The captain asks worried, peering over my shoulder.
   "The asteroid is headed towards earth," I mumble quietly.
   "What?" The captain yells alarmed by the news. I turn to face everyone and share what I have found, "Do not panic but, the asteroid's course is headed straight towards Earth as well as our ship. We don't have much time but we must throw it off course, as well as dodge it."
   "Are you insane? We will all be killed!" Someone shouts before everyone starts to yell out questions and insults.
   "Everybody quiet! we must be patient and figure out a solution," Lucas coerces the staff.
   "Patient? The asteroid is headed straight towards us in fact we will be hit in less than five minutes if we don't take immediate action." Alex counters with an edge to his tone.
   "Alex is right. We can not worry about Earth right now, we must worry about ourselves," The captain agrees.
  "There are still people left there! What about them what about-"
   "No! That is not our concern. We are in charge of the lives this ship holds and theirs only! Earth is not our problem anymore. we can not save both anyway, it's either them or us!" The captain yells.
   "Right now we must use our initial plan and steer away from this asteroid." He continues. I turn around and angrily walk out of the room, tears stinging at my eyes threatening to pour out at any moment. My back rests against the wall just outside the door, as I slide down into a fetal position and let hot tears pour down my cheeks. My parents are still on Earth and I can not let them meet their untimely demise due to an asteroid.
   "Well at least you went down fighting," Alex's voice fills my ears. I wipe my eyes and say, "Not now Alex." He ignores my order and takes a seat next to me.
   "You have to understand that we either save ourselves or we save them. We can not do both of those things. One of us has to go down."
   "I understand that but I have family back there. It's not easy to just leave them behind to die."
   "I know," he says smugly.
   "No you don't, you probably grew up in a big house with a perfect life."
   "I can assure you that you are very wrong about that. Yes I did live in a big house, but my mother died when I was five years old from sickness, and my older sister rebelled against her gathering. I was eight years old when she was killed."
   "I'm sorry I didn't mean to judge you," I say apologetically.
   "We were playing hide and seek, I was hiding in the dumbwaiter you know the ones where they carry food and other stuff to different floors, anyway I think she gave up, and I open the door a crack to look when I hear her screaming by the front door. I run to see what is happening when I see her get shot. Two times to the chest." I wince at the thought of an innocent person being killed. I look at him with glassy eyes.
   "I'm sorry about earlier," I say quietly.
   "It's fine. You're with Matthew and I can't control your feelings. If I have to I'll wait for you." He smiles at me but it's not a happy smile. I see into his blue eyes, that he's sad and hurt. Deep inside he's cut and bleeding but worst of all I'm the one who's holding the blade.

   The ground starts rumbling, as I stand up.
   "It's starting," I say, looking around alert. "Now we just have to see if this plan will work."
   "It will." I feel Alex lay a warm hand on my shoulder, before he walks back into the control room. Every footstep echoing in my mind. I'm tired of always hurting someone. My parents, Alex, and everyone else on Earth. I guess there will always be someone who I make happy and someone who I disappoint. I just wish the world didn't work in such cruel ways.