After finishing cleaning the kitchen, I sat back at the table, waiting for Neight.

I wonder what plan he has for today? I'm sure he's already decided everything without me, I thought irritably.

Neight didn’t keep me waiting long. He entered the kitchen, looking pleased, carrying two large metal crates, one nested inside the other, on his back. My eyes widened at the sight.

"It looks like I'm going to die today," was my first thought.

I already pictured myself dragging one of those giant baskets, filled to the brim with something heavy, with my aching muscles.

By this time, Neight had already approached the table, removing the two crates from his back and placing them next to the table. Then he took out a tablet and began "our" planning.

"It's exactly eight o'clock, so we can begin," he said, looking at the screen.

Such punctuality.

"First, let’s outline our main goal so that it’s clear why we have specific tasks ahead of us. Evie, did you bring the notebook? It would be better if you take notes."

"Yes," I replied, pulling the digital notebook from the right front pocket of my suit.

Damn, I feel like I'm in a school lesson. By the way, I did ask about our goals during breakfast, but he didn’t tell me anything about them then.

"Alright," he continued, "Our main goal, as banal as it may sound, is survival on this planet."

"So, there could be problems with that?" I asked, starting to feel anxious.

"Potentially."

Great... The further we go, the "more interesting" it gets.

"Despite the relatively favorable situation now, we still don’t have exact information on how dangerous the local weather phenomena, flora, and fauna might be. After all, we only have a rough idea of the seasons here. Winters could be quite long and harsh for us. The situation is worsened by the fact that if something happens to us, no one will be able to help."

I hadn’t even thought about that. Hearing this sent chills down my spine. It was terrifying to think about the future. "Survival," I typed in large letters on my notebook with the virtual keyboard.

"That’s why we need to set the following sub-goals: exploring the area and stockpiling food before winter. As you already know, I’ve found some edible fruits before. Our task is to gather as much of them as possible and preserve them. We will gather until lunch, and then I will go scouting while you process the harvest."

Just as I thought, everything is decided for me.

The plan didn’t excite me.

"Can I ask a question about our plan?" I asked uncertainly.

"Yes, of course," Neight replied, nodding affirmatively.

"What will happen if... if we don’t manage to stockpile enough? Do we have any backup plan? Are you sure we’re the only escaped people? Maybe we could contact someone and..."

"No," he interrupted me. "We’re definitely alone. And we won’t be contacting anyone."

The firmness with which he rejected the idea of finding other people scared me. Could Neight be my captor? Maybe right now he is the biggest threat to me. This thought wouldn’t leave me alone, and I felt completely defenseless again.

“As for the backup plan,” he continued, “if our supplies run out prematurely, we’ll have to go back into cryosleep until the end of winter or until conditions become more favorable.”

“W-what?” I blurted out, my voice trembling. Panic started to overtake me. My heart began to race, and it became hard to breathe. Horrifying images of the lab, the capsule, and my body inside it flashed through my mind. But the most terrifying thought was falling asleep and never waking up again.

No… I don’t want to…

Neight looked at me in confusion and said something, but I couldn’t make out his words. The only things I could hear were my rapid breathing and the ringing in my ears.

I lost track of what Neight was doing, so I didn’t notice when a glass of water appeared on the table in front of me. Then I felt him gently take both of my hands. Unlike my cold, sweaty palms, his hands were warm and soft.

“...vie… Evie, look at me.”

Neight was sitting across from me, looking straight into my eyes. His expression was calm and gentle.

“It’s okay. You’re not in any danger. Let’s take a deep breath in, and then slowly exhale. Follow my lead.”

After saying this, Neight took a deep breath through his nose and slowly exhaled through his mouth after a few seconds. I tried to mimic him to calm my breathing, though it didn’t always work at first. After some time, I began to feel better.

“Feeling better?” he asked cautiously.

I just nodded and lowered my gaze.

“If you want, you can drink some water.”

“Yes, th-thank you.”

He let go of my hands, and I picked up the glass of water with still trembling hands and brought it to my slightly quivering lips. Closing my eyes, I took a few sips of the cold water and continued to breathe deeply.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

After a while, when I felt I was starting to calm down, I opened my eyes. Neight was still sitting across from me, watching attentively and, apparently, patiently waiting for me to recover. I lowered my gaze. My cheeks were burning. I felt awkward and ashamed for losing control of myself.

“How do you feel?” Neight asked gently.

I didn’t know how to respond. On one hand, I was afraid to open up to someone I hardly knew, but on the other, I had so many emotions and worries built up inside me that I desperately wanted to share them with someone.

“G-good… I mean, not really… I think I need time to process everything.”

“Yes… That’s understandable. You only woke up yesterday, and so much information has been thrown at you, much of it unpleasant. You’re right, you need time to adjust, and I won’t rush you.”

The kitchen fell silent again.

I couldn’t understand him. How could he remain so calm? According to him, we were in a dire situation where any mistake could lead to our demise, and there was no one, absolutely no one, who could save us. We were stranded on this planet alone until the end of our days or until our enemies found us… We were different. But I felt grateful that he had just helped me pull through my panic attack. I even felt a little ashamed for lying and not introducing myself by my real name.

“You know,” he broke the silence, “we’re going to change our plans for today and the next few days. For now, you won’t have any heavy work.”

“Thank you, God!” I silently thanked.

“Today, I’ll just show you how to make preserves, and you can work as much as you’re able, but without overexerting yourself.”

So I still have to work... but at least not carry those heavy boxes.

“And now I’m going to gather the harvest nearby, and you’ll just keep me company.”

At these words, Neight smiled and pulled out two white helmets from one of the metal boxes. They looked almost like regular flip-up motorcycle helmets.

“I’m sure a walk will lift your spirits. Besides, some fresh air won’t hurt you.”

All my anxiety disappeared, and I felt a surge of curiosity and anticipation.

Am I really going outside now? What awaits me out there?

----------------------------------------

We stood in front of the exit door, ready to go outside. I was traveling light, while Neight carried a massive crate on his shoulders and held what appeared to be some futuristic weapon. To be honest, I always get nervous around armed people, and this situation was no exception. But I don’t think Neight would attack me. Right? After all, he had plans that involved me. True, we had to change them because of my condition, and now I was useless, but that’s no reason to get rid of me, right?

While I was getting worked up, Neight approached the control panel and placed his hand on it. The door started to open, but instead of the astonishing views of the local nature, I saw another small room of the spaceship with another door opposite and looked at Neight warily.

“This is the airlock,” Neight's voice crackled and was slightly distorted through the radio headset of the helmet. “You should know that not all planets have a life-friendly environment, so there's an extra area for safety to prevent accidental depressurization of the ship.”

He stepped through the doorway into this little room and continued.

“As long as this door is open, the opposite one leading outside won’t open. And vice versa. All for safety,” he said proudly, beckoning me with one hand. “Come on in.”

I obediently walked over to him. Inside, the chamber we now stood in seemed even smaller.

Good thing I’m not claustrophobic, I thought to myself, looking around.

Meanwhile, Neight entered some command on the panel, and the door closed. Suddenly, something hissed incredibly loudly, and I jumped in surprise. If not for the helmet, I’m sure my head would have started hurting from the noise. The longer the hissing continued, the more distinctly I could catch a pleasant, slightly sweet scent of greenery.

Fresh air!

The hissing stopped, and the door leading outside opened. Bright light instantly filled the cabin. Despite the protective coating on the helmet visor, I squinted. Then various sounds surrounded me. Somewhere, unknown insects chirped like singing cicadas, and in the distance, some birds or maybe local animals occasionally cackled. But the most pleasant sound for me was the rustling of tree leaves. All these sounds created an incredible atmosphere that strongly contrasted with the dead silence on the ship.

The view in front of me was no less impressive. Tall, bright green grass swayed gently back and forth, resembling seaweed. Colorful bugs of various shapes and sizes flitted between the blades. Some looked like large, fat, whimsical butterflies, while others resembled orange bees. Outside the ship, life was teeming. Ahead, right beyond the door, the trampled grass formed a path leading into a dense forest. Unusual trees, like something out of a fairy tale, entwined with climbing plants, stretched high into the sky. Long, thin branches swayed soothingly in the wind, and their palm-like leaves rustled pleasantly as they touched each other. I stood with my mouth agape at the breathtaking beauty.

“What do you think? Impressive, isn’t it?” Neight asked, turning to me.

“Yes. It’s just incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I knew you’d like it. Come on, I want to show you something.”

We descended the ramp to the path and headed into the forest. Neight walked ahead, and I followed, looking around and closely examining individual blades of grass that were taller than a person. After a while, the high wall of plants obscured our ship from view.

You could easily get lost here.

Tilting my head back, I looked at the bright turquoise sky, dotted with fluffy white clouds.

What an amazing place.

“Evie, don’t lag behind,” came a sudden voice.

Apparently, I had gotten so caught up in the surroundings that I didn’t notice Neight had moved ahead. With the load on his shoulders, it must have been hard for him to keep track of me on such a narrow path.

“Sorry.”

I quickened my pace, but a sharp pain in the muscles of my legs immediately reminded me of itself.

Damn, I definitely won't be able to run. Hopefully, we won't have to walk too far.

As luck would have it, Neight was walking at a brisk pace, and I cursed inwardly as I tried to catch up to him.

How can he walk like that? Doesn't he feel any pain unlike me?

The road to the forest was longer than it looked from a distance. By the time we arrived, I was already out of breath and feeling incredibly tired, but I tried not to show it. Maybe I should have told Neight, but my pride wouldn't let me. I didn't want to seem like a weak, spoiled girl. I already felt like a burden.

We stopped by a towering tree with a cross-shaped mark carved into its light bark. Neight turned to me and pointed at it.

"There are these notches on the trees. I left them while exploring the area. For now, it's our only guide in the forest, so stick to the trees with marks, or you'll get lost."

"Wait," I suddenly perked up, "shouldn't we have some sort of navigation system like GPS or something? Don't tell me that's also part of the lost technology."

Now that I thought about it, it was hard to believe that our high-tech ship, supposedly designed for reconnaissance missions, didn't have navigation systems.

"You're right," he answered after a moment of silence, "there are navigation devices on the ship. However, they're currently turned off as a precaution, so no one can track the signal."

Sounds suspicious...

"But you said no one would find us."

"I said it's unlikely. At least for some time, we better avoid using devices that send long-distance signals. Besides, if you follow the rules, you won't need them."

I didn't like it at all, but I didn't want to argue with someone holding a weapon, so I just agreed.

"Let's move on," he commanded.