Obliterate

• Aubrey Koll, Grade 8, The Illawarra Grammar School
• Short Story
• 2022

Excellence Award in the 'Summertime Fun ONLINE' competition

I float. Strung amongst the stars. An insignificant spec in an ever expanding universe. I hang there. Helpless as my world is obliterated. There is nothing that I can do.
My head spins as I gag and cough. Crimson liquid splatters onto my visor. My world is a whirl of orange and red blurs. My mind begins to transform these blurs into memories. These memories play the tape of my distorted life.
A woman is running away from men with guns on a mountain, carrying me in her arms. She sets me down and I look up at her. All I see is fear. “Run my baby” she whispers as tears swell in her eyes. “Run away, and never come back.”
I begin to open my eyes, but my memories take me somewhere else.
My body shudders with exhaustion. I have been running for hours. But I cannot stop, I must keep going. I saw what those men did to her. I saw the blood stained mountain. So I push forward, until I collapse and the lights in my world are switched off.
I open my eyes in a flash and gasp. Why are my memories showing me this? All my trauma, pain and fear.
I wake to a singing voice, soft and sweet. Wearily I open my eyes and survey the room. A woman is cooking on a little stove, a small kitchen surrounds her and a television stands in front of me. There is one thing though that catches my eye, a weird white suit stands near the entrance, my eyes widen in confusion. “Ah” the woman says, “I see that you have discovered my SpaceLabs suit.”
I nearly black out but manage to hold consciousness. The G Forces are almost unbearable. Then it all stops. As I step out, I hear “Congratulations, welcome to the mission.”
A loud voice sounds over the intercom. “Activate mission, escape safely, good luck.” That announcement meant that Earth was inhabitable, that humankind had exhausted the last of its resources. That anyone who stayed there would die. To escape Earth was not only my mission’s purpose but my purpose.
A red alarm pops up on my screen with a 10 second countdown. This is unexpected. We scatter to fix the problem, but it is too late. As the ship begins to deteriorate, I stare out the window. My world explodes. The ship explodes.
I float. Strung amongst the stars. An insignificant spec in an ever expanding universe. I may be broken, but I know that I tried with all my strength. Finally I am at peace. My oxygen alarm beeps rapidly, it is almost comical. Despite my pain I smile. With the last of my energy I lift my fractured arms and unclasp my helmet. Through the dust and debris I glimpse Earth. My world. “Goodbye” I whisper, just before my suit depressurises. My body is crushed. But now I am excited to meet the extraordinary creator of my extraordinary life.