Galaxies Away

Through my murky vision, I could see figures. Some slumped against the twisted trees, some trying to stand but unsteady. There were 13 of us, that was one thing that was clear. I groaned. My mind was hazy, my vision unclear. And my head was pounding harder than my heart. A thread was coming out of my tattered black jacket which was now more brown than black from the dirt. My top was covered in rips and stains. My boots were scuffed and worn; and my memories were gone.
Though my mind was still shrouded in confused thoughts, I stood up slowly. I staggered up, leaning against the tree trunk for support. It was the perfect shade of brown, as if someone had carefully mixed paint and evenly painted it. The leaves were waxy and hard. They all looked the same, carefully crafted and each coated in the same shade of green. It towered over me, casting a dark shadow that could have swallowed me. Something about the tree was wrong. It was flawless and consistent. Almost unnatural. Its presence made me shudder.
The others had all started to stand, they all had the same confused and fearful expression on their faces. We looked like lab rats that had been thrown into a cage for testing.
A faint whirring sound captured my attention but I was quickly distracted by a bird flying over the perfectly circular clearing we were in. Dark green feathers covered its body, and black-red beady eyes protruded out of its tiny head. Its movements were rigid; it didn’t soar through the sky freely. Its movements were stiff and restricted. It reminded me more of a drone than a bird.
Not far from where I woke was a malicious thorn bush. Among the sharp and vicious thorns grew berries, the colour of red.

* * *
…blood, blood everywhere. Dead bodies lined the chaotic streets. Explosions and the sound of bombs erupted in my ears. The injured cried for help and those who had lost a loved one wept. But I kept running.
* * *
I gasped and started breathing again. My hands were trembling. I wanted to remember more, but that was all that came back to me.
The sound of running water came from somewhere not too far away. The others looked around with helpless eyes. But a boy, around the same age as me, stood up. He suggested going to the river and try to discover where we are and it was as though his deep voice had woken me from my confused trance. The others all murmured and looked at each other for reassurance, but soon enough everyone slowly started to get up and follow him.
Something about him felt familiar, I just couldn’t grasp what. But all that mattered for now was where I was and what had happened. Although my memory was near blank, something in my brain kept tugging at me. This isn’t our home. This isn’t our planet. This isn’t Earth.


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