Dagger
I don’t know what planet I’m on.
I don’t recognize the terrain or the trees or the fucking flowers. I should, probably, because there are a ton of flowers. Seriously, what kind of jungle is sprinkled with beautiful pink-and-purple flowers? Is that even allowed? Jungles should be harsh and unforgiving and ugly. They shouldn’t be pretty. They shouldn’t make me want to curl up and take a nap.
They shouldn’t make me feel comfortable.
They shouldn’t make me feel safe.
It’s been about an hour since I crashed my pod on this planet, about an hour since I started running, trying to get as far away from it as possible. I don’t know what kind of tracking devices are on the ship, but I don’t want to let anyone get close to where I am. I don’t want to be dragged back to Mars.
No thank you.
The pod I took was only small enough for one passenger. It was perfect for what I needed: a quick, unplanned escape. In actuality, it was stupid to take it. The pod didn’t have any food or supplies or anything that would help me survive once I reached my destination, which is apparently a jungle.
I live in the jungle now.
This is my new home.
Maybe I’ll get lucky and stumble across a little house hidden in the trees. That’s what happens in the fairytales. My mother used to read me stories from a book she liked on Earth, and in those stories, the characters always find a place to live.
They always find hope.
They always find love.
In those stories, the characters always have wonderful adventures with happy endings. Somehow, I’m not so certain that my own ending will be happy. If Stremon finds me, it’s all over. If he hunts me down and catches me, there’s no one here to save me. Maybe running was the stupid choice. Maybe I should have just gone straight to the authorities. Maybe I should have been braver or smarter.
Maybe.
“You can’t live in the past,” I whisper, shaking my head. I’m not so great at convincing myself, but I’ll try. When I hopped in the pod, it was only as a hiding place while Stremon and his goons were looking for me. I never planned to take the ship. I never planned to leave Mars.
When I thought I was alone, though, I realized there was nothing left on Mars for me. I could spend the rest of my life hiding, being hunted, being miserable, or I could go somewhere new and start again. I could go somewhere else and start a new life.
I know enough about piloting ships to figure out exactly how to get the pod up in the air and off the planet. It wasn’t until I turned on the speakers in the ship and started listening to the incoming and nearby transmissions that I realized Stremon knew exactly what I was doing and he was going to follow me.
I took every twist, turn, and shortcut I knew to try to get somewhere I knew he wouldn’t dare go: Dreagle. It’s the darkest, worst planet I’ve ever heard of and surely, it’s a good place to hide when you’ve got nowhere else.
That’s not where I ended up, though.
Apparently, the pod I took wasn’t designed for extremely fast flying because the tracking and mapping systems completely died after my first day. Then I was just flying through space. Then I was out of gas and falling and crashing.
And now I’m here.
I’m here in the middle of the prettiest damn jungle I’ve ever seen and even though I’m sore and hungry and tired, everything is so lovely that I just can’t be mad.
After trudging through the jungle for awhile, I spot a creek, which is beautiful, just like everything else I’ve come across. I hurry up to it and kneel down, desperate and eager to sate my thirst. I’m starving, but I’ll start with water. Even if I can’t find anything to eat, at least I won’t die of dehydration.
I scoop up some water and sip it quickly from my hands. It’s cool and refreshing and tastes like wild berries. How is that even possible? I may have grown up on Mars, but there’s nothing on that planet like this. Wherever I am, it’s beautiful, and I kind of think I could stay here forever.
That is, if Stremon doesn’t find me and kill me first.
I push the thought from my head because this is a happy moment. I don’t want to think about the fact that he might have followed me, that he might know where I am. I don’t want to think about anything except enjoying this drink.
I don’t want to think about anything except the fact that maybe, just maybe, I’ll find a magical hut in the forest where I can hide out and live forever and have some pet birds and maybe even a wild animal friend.
That would be the life.
That would be perfect.
And I know it will never happen.
After I drink my fill, I take off my shoes and sit with my toes in the water. It’s cold and refreshing and feels wonderful in the afternoon heat. Wherever I am, it gets hot. I wouldn’t have thought jungles would be hot considering how many trees there are, but despite sitting around resting, I’m sweating more than I ever have in my life.
When I’m done splashing and playing in the water, I regretfully put my shoes back on. It’s time to find some food and keep moving. I need to eat something for energy, but then I need to put more distance between myself and my ship.
If Stremon finds this planet, he’ll go to any lengths to find me, and he’s a damn good hunter: possibly the best on Mars. Oh, he doesn’t hunt animals. That would be too simple. No, Martin Stremon hunts people. He’s a bounty hunter, and an incredibly well-paid one. Personally, I think his job should be illegal, but it’s not up to me.
I walk along the bank until I spot some red berries up ahead. Good. Those look edible. I’ve always loved berries, ever since I was a little girl. I’ve always loved the way they’re so cool and refreshing and just explode in your mouth.
I grab a handful, careful to avoid the sharp thorns on the bush. It’s curious that there are so many berries here. When I think about jungles, I imagine places that are full of life and animals and creatures. Surely birds or tigers would have eaten these by now. With a shrug, I lift my hand to drop the berries into my mouth, but before they hit my tongue, something hits me with a huge force and knocks me to the ground.
I scream as I fall and land in the damp soil.
I’m going to die.
An animal is going to eat me.
Stremon doesn’t have a chance at finding me now because in just a few seconds, I’ll be dead. I squeeze my eyes shut, not wanting to look at the creature that’s going to devour me whole in just a matter of minutes.
Then it speaks.
“Are you fucking stupid?” The voice says. “Myrkky berries are poisonous.”
My eyes pop open of their own accord and I see two bright, beautiful blue eyes staring into mine.
It’s not an animal.
It’s not an animal at all.