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I brace myself for the moment we make contact with the ground, and even then, I’m not prepared.
The jolt is even more violent than when we hit the atmosphere. Instead of meeting the ground and skidding to a halt, it hits the ground and bounces before crashing down to the ground again.
Then, right before my eyes, the shuttle rips in two. One half where Karvex is. And the other with me. As if on instinct, I reach out to him, pleading with him to come save me. Protect me. I swear, I see the red glint of his eyes watching me in desperate apology.
My half goes flying away from the other one. It hits the ground hard, rolls, and tumbles.
It jerks me so violently in my seat that my head slams into the back of the metal chair. Mercifully, it’s what finally knocks me out.
I wake up feeling like I’m being crushed. Groaning, I force my eyes open and take in my surroundings.
The half of the shuttle I’m on is completely wrecked. Wires spark, and whole sections of the shuttle are torn clean off.
It’s frankly amazing I’m alive at all.
As I take in my surroundings, I realize that I’m on my back. Shakily, I lift a hand to my chest to try and unstrap myself. I wince at the pain that shoots through me, and I have to shut my eyes to keep my head from swimming.
I finally get the strap off, but when I try to sit up, my whole body screams at me. My ribs feel like they want to cave in on my lungs. My back hurts like it’s been beaten to a pulp. And my right arm has a shooting pain going down it.
All I want is to lie there and fall unconscious again. But I can’t do that. This whole thing is collapsing in on itself, and it’ll crush me if I don’t get out soon.
“Come on. Get. Up,” I tell myself.
Taking in a few deep breaths, I grit my teeth and do just that. It’s excruciating, and I nearly collapse several times just trying to stand. But still, I manage.
Swaying on my feet for a moment, I try to take in my surroundings from this angle. There are crew members scattered everywhere. Though I can see their forms, I’ve somehow managed to be launched a fair distance away from any of them.
I could go check on them. I could see if they’re still alive or if they need help. But another, louder part of me knows this is my chance to try to run for it.
Even as I make up my mind to ignore the others, my stomach churns a little with guilt. I tell myself they don’t deserve my pity. These are my captors. And unlike Karvex, they never treated me well.
Karvex.
My breath hitches in my throat at the thought of him. Of our half of the shuttle careening away from his.
Is his half as bad as ours? Is he even still alive?
Or even worse, is he alive and pinned under something? Or is he bleeding out slowly with no one to help him?
The thought sends an extreme wave of panic through me. But why? This man is no friend of mine. More than that, he’s the reason I was taken in the first place. His death should bring me nothing but joy.
With that in mind, I try to focus fully on my own escape. After all, I’m on an entirely new planet now.
I can run away.
One human slave girl isn’t worth enough to anyone to chase after. I could try and make a new life for myself. Find work and start over. I can go in the opposite way from where the shuttle crashed and never have to think about Karvex and his wretched crew again.
I begin walking out of the shuttle, grateful more than ever that I still have my shoes. By the time I make it out, I’m breathing hard, which makes my ribs feel even worse. But I’m out.
Now out of the shuttle, I see that we haven’t crashed on a planet at all, but an asteroid. No matter. Planet, moon, asteroid. It doesn’t matter because I am alive and free.
So why do I feel like something is missing? Like I should be worried about something?
Karvex immediately comes to mind. I shake the thought away.
“No, I don’t care what happens to him,” I mumble, trying to convince myself.
I begin shuffling away from the broken shuttle. Away from where I know the other half with Karvex in it has landed.
