Hufflepuffle_Sytch
'10, 9, 8...'
The countdown before takeoff seemed to mock me, taunting me before I'd be blasted off into the unknown. For all I knew, I could be in line for my deathbed.
'7, 6, 5...'
My heart pounded as fast as electricity could travel through the telephone wires to each house in pretty much the entire country. My life was flashing before my eyes as I sat there in the cushioned chair, my protective suit making my body sweat even more than it already was.
'4, 3, 2...'
One more number and off I go. Will I ever see my wife again? Our newborn baby? Probably not. My brain was seeming to make me assume I was on my way to heaven.
'1...'
I could hardly feel my grip tightening on the arms of the chair, or my eyes screwing shut. For a second, I regretted my decision to ever even come on this mission. But I pushed the thought out of my head. I was here now, and there was no turning back. All I could do was pray this light-year-traveling rocket wouldn't be a failure and kill me before I even got to Kepler- 186f.