Oriehn

Chapter 37- Alice

Chapter 37- Alice

I dimly felt pain, but that was overridden by my headache. Tormented moans filled the shuttle, and I blearily opened an eye. "Is everyone okay?" I shouted, and then immediately regretted that, since it just magnified the ache.

Varied shouts and mumbles replied followed my question, but I was too busy rocking back and forth on my feet, trying to stand up. Judging from the angle we were in, the shuttle must have crashed and landed on its side, tilting on its head.

"Okay, everyone follow me. We have crash landed on the moon Crious, and we are going to have to get out of the shuttle. There are Oriehns here, they are a resistance, and they have survived. We will be joining them, far away from the humans," I commanded.

"Aren't you one of them?" Someone sneered, contempt evident in his voice. "How do we know you will not go back to your old ways? How do we know that this is not a fluke right now, that this is not just another one of your well-crafted plans?"

A lump grew in my throat. "I can promise you that I am not, but of course you won't believe me," I said. "But if you do choose to follow, I will promise that I will put my life out for you. I promise that I will get you to the resistance, and if you don't follow, I won't force you to." I shrugged, and grabbed my small backpack under the seat.

It was for emergencies, and I think this qualified as one. "Can you all slowly stand up? Help each other out. I will open the emergency latch, and then you can all step out slowly. Be careful!" I yelled into the corridor, and the Oriehns all nodded.

Frowning at the red handle on the door, I pushed on it but it did not open. "You have to follow the instructions," Hrypa said, limping towards me. "All aircraft carriers have it, but your shuttle may be different than ours. There is usually a paper somewhere in the front."

I nodded and ran towards the dashboard, looking in the small container that held important papers. "Yes!" I exclaimed triumphantly, taking a small brochure out. Flipping through the pages of the manual, I finally reached the emergency procedure section.

Applying the steps the the handle, along with some force from Hyrpa, the door opened and I gazed into the barren landscape. It was rocky and tumultuous, and looked hard to navigate, not to mention the cold that seeped under my skin.

"Welcome to Crious," I said, and all of the Oriehns cheered.

Hyrpa jumped out first, extending his good arm for the Oriehns to climb out. I looked around the shuttle for possible things that might help me later, and so far I found an extra flashlight with batteries. I pulled a jacket on from the few clothes in the back, and I gave the rest to another Oriehn, who distributed them to the more elderly of the followers.

As I made my way further in the back and closer to the engine, I noticed some sticky black substance on the floor. My eyes widened as the smell of oil filled my nose. "H-Hyrpa?" I yelled.

"Yes? What's wrong?" He asked.

"There is engine oil on the floor. Try to get the the Oriehns out as fast as you can. I think it's going to explode soon." I said, smelling the vapors as well as the extreme heat.

"Alright, then! All of you, link arms with someone and jump out together! Quickly, there has been an oil leak and the shuttle may explode any minute!" Hyrpa yelled, and I quickly ushered all of the Oriehns towards the door.

There was a six year old who absolutely refused to move, crying and saying that he wanted his mom. I closed my eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry, but you need to move. Your mom could be outside waiting for you," I didn't want to lie again, especially to someone so young, but I wanted to make sure he was safe.

Hyrpa held out his hands for the little boy, and I placed him in there. Turning around, I quickly counted the rest of the Oriehns in the shuttle, and there were seven. Taking one glance at the fire brewing in the engine room, I knew we had very little time left.

"Hurry, hurry!" I watched anxiously as Hyrpa tried to get the last few stragglers out. Finally, there was only one Oriehn left and I breathed a sigh of relief as he ran out as well.

I relaxed too soon, though. Just as I was about to step out, a deafening roar cracked through the air, and heat washed over me. I fell down as the whole shuttle tilted, and I just barely held onto the door. I grunted and pulled myself up, then jumped out, just as the shuttle exploded.

I groaned, feeling the impact. Faces hovered in front of me, but they were blurry. Somehow I made out a hand hovering in front of my face and grabbed onto it.

"Are you okay?" I blinked at the voice.

"Ian?" I whispered lightly as warm arms engulfed me in a hug. "Ian..." I cried, leaning into his embrace.

"Shh..." He whispered back. "It's okay, Alice. You saved them and you survived. It's over now, and you are safe," Ian said, sounding happy. "We even have a small settlement just over the hill. I heard noises and came over to check, only to see you."

I wiped my eyes slightly and smiled at him. "It is good to see you," I say, and he smiled back. He led me up the hill, holding my hand, and we continued on the trek in silence.

"I have missed you, Alice," Ian replied seriously, all smile gone. "It hurt not knowing where you were and if you were safe or not." He glanced at me, and my breathing hitched. "It really killed me, you know?"

"I..." I muttered. "I'm sorry, Ian, I didn't know."

"It's okay, but don't do that to me again," he said sadly, avoiding my gaze. I placed a hand on his shoulder gently and he looked at me.

Just then, a crackle in my backpack ruined the moment. Frustratedly, I opened it and gave an apologetic look to Ian, who shrugged. Pulling out the radio, I spoke into it, "Hello?" There was no reply, but when I had heard a low growl before a crackling voice eased out.

"Alice." A collected voice spoke.

"Sin?" I gasped.