Category : Stories

Sub Category : Science Fiction

       Running. I'm out of breathe. Something is chasing me. What is it? I can't turn around. I have to keep running. What am I wearing? It's weighting me down. Its getting harder to run. I have to keep going. Left turn. Jump over the red rocks. I barely made it. Right turn. Dead end. What is this? I turn around to accept my death, but there's nothing. The pain in my side is slowly killing me. I leaned back against what appears to be a wall to catch my breath. Where am I? I looked around in front of me. Everything is red. I bent down to pick up a piece of rock. It felt like sand. The rock fell apart in my hands. I dropped what was left of it on the ground. I slid down and sat on the mysterious red sand. I looked to my left. Just more read sand. I looked to my right. There was a skeleton. Why would there be a skeleton in such a strange place? Suddenly the was a high pitched ringing. Everything was fading. What's happening? Am I dying? Everything was gone. I opened my eyes to my one bedroom apartment and my phone ringing. I rolled over in bed and grabbed my phone. My boss was calling. Shit. I must be in trouble.
   "Yes? Hello boss."
   "HARTLEY DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT TIME IT IS!?" He shouted at me through the phone. 
   "No sir, I just woke up," I pulled my phone away from my check to check the time. It was 11:37am. I was supposed to me at work three and a half hours ago! "I'm very sorry sir. I'm on my way."
    "YOU BETTER BE! GONZALEZ GOT HERE TWO HOURS EARLY! AND YOU DON'T EVEN BOTHER TO SHOW UP! WE LAUNCH IN 10 MINUTE WITH OR WITHOUT YOU!" He hung up. I rushed out of bed and put on my GI shirt and my jeans, grabbing my shoes to put on a different time. Time to go to work. I have a ship to catch. I got in my car a drove as fast as the law would let me. I got there in 7 minutes. The time was 11:49. My boss marched over. A fat short little man who looked like he was about to kill me. Behind him was an angel. Rose Gonzalez. Her raven hair in a loose braid to her left side. Her pale skin almost shined in the light. 
     "I HAVE A BONE TO PICK WITH YOU BOY! YOU'RE MORE LATE THAN YOU EVER HAVE BEEN!" The boss shouted dispite the fact I was focused on someone else entirely.
     "Hi Colton." She said with the most beautiful smile. "Why were you late?"
    "I um I over slept. I must've forgot to set my alarm." I let out a slight nervous chuckle. How embarrassing. "Don't we have a ship to catch?" 
   "It would have left at 8:30am like it was supposed to but SOMEBODY over slept." My boss said clenching his teeth. 
    " Yeah yeah. My fault but I'm almost always on time.. So let's stop bickering about it and get this show on the road. Or well in space. James you have nothing to worry about." I walked away to grab my stuff. I need my space suit, my helmet, and some disgusting astronaut food. Off to Mars I go.