Beyond our Earth

33: Arrival

~~~~~Braden's POV~~~~~

After the longest wait of my life, the suitcase finally ended up in the hands of Elizabeth again.

We were rolling over smooth ground for a few minutes before we stopped.

The zipper was pulled open, letting in the first glimpse of light I'd seen in hours. It overwhelmed my eyes for a moment before they adjusted.

Elizabeth's face was the next thing I saw.

"So how are you?" She asked.

There were dark circles under her tired eyes.

"Where are we?" I asked, stretching out my legs. They were both asleep.

"The wonen's washroom.. in Santiago, Chile." Elizabeth answered.

"Holy crap. How long was the flight?" I asked.

"I donno, like... Ten hours." Her voice got quieter on that last part.

"You picked here of all places?" I asked.

"Hey it was better than Australia." She replied. "How was your flight."

"I froze." I stated. "Why didn't you put me in the pets section?"

"You weren't in a crate! I didn't want us to get caught. Besides, we're here now. Let's put the past behind us." Elizabeth said.

"Why Chile?" I asked.

"It's in your notes. There's this guy here who studies UFOs. I thought it would be good for you to talk to him. Besides, all your other leads are phonies. You know half these people who said they were abducted claimed that the aliens had green faces and big black eyes. That's exactly how they look in movies, obvious fake." Elizabeth explained

"Maybe aliens really do look like that, how would we know?" I asked.

"Come on Braden, you've got to draw the line somewhere. Are you gonna get up now so we can find a hotel? I'm tired." Elizabeth said.

"Me too." I stated.

I tried getting up. My legs seemed to be working against me. They were all wobbly and unstable.

"Just give me a second. I've been locked in a box for ten hours." I said, sitting back down.

I could still feel pins and needles.

"Shhh, I think someone just came in." Elizabeth whispered.

I heard someone walk in to the stall beside us. The door closed and locked. Then the sound of urine hitting the toilet bowl serenaded us. It brought to my attention the fact that I had to pee.

"Elizabeth can you get out of here?" I asked hurriedly in a whisper.

"Sure." She replied.

She opened the door and walked out.

After I had relieved myself I met her by the sinks.

As I was washing my hands the lady who had been in the stall beside us came out. She stared at me quizzically as she pumped soap into her hands.

Elizabeth clued in.

"She's actually a girl." She explained, pointing at me.

I shot her a look and she giggled.

The other woman left the bathroom in a hurry.

"I think we scared her." Elizabeth laughed.

I dried my hands and we exited the washroom.