The rain had subsided; The group was moving again. Jimmie held the top of Chris’ stretcher, head hung low as his mind was off somewhere else.

And time ticked on.

Jimmie glanced up at the sky, the orange slowly bringing with it the coming of the night. Jimmie rejoiced for a second, but stopped immediately after, as even his thoughts were making him tired. He was so tired, the whole group was. There was no talking, no thoughts, only walking. Jimmie didn’t even have the energy to be angry, to feel, he was just walking. Waiting for the night, waiting for when sleep gave could finally give him some small respite from the long day.

Jimmie knew that a lot of it came down to the lack of food, water and heavyweight of what they were carrying. It all came together like a maelstrom of shit. The acid rain, the unbearable suns and the long, long distance that they were walking wasn’t making it easier.

Jimmie wished for a break, he wished for something to bring his thoughts away from pain and exhastion, he wished for anything, anything except this endless exhaustion. He even wished for aliens to show up, so he could do some shooting, and maybe even eat them. Oh how wonderful, Jimmie thought, he didn’t even consider that their different biologies would probably kill him.

And time moved on.

Suddenly, Jimmie felt himself forcefully stopped, something that almost made him buckle, his legs used to the monotones walk, but barely strong enough to stop. He angrily looked up, only to see the commander with his arm raised, gesturing for the group to stop.

Jimmie narrowed his eyes, trying to understand why they had stopped. Then noticed, in the distance, a large black shape. It wasn’t any bigger than a rock, but even from this distance he could tell that it wasn’t a rock.

The commander spoke up with a hoarse voice.

“Piernov, why haven’t you informed me about this thing in the distance?”

Piernov turned around to look at the commander, two opened eyes with an expression that told of little sleep.. He looked downward in shame, talking softly.

“I didn’t see it.”

The commander stared sheepishly at him, bowing his head in defeat while saying.

“Piernov, mistakes like that could easily become our entire group’s death. Dont do it again.”

Piernov didn’t respond, merely keeping his head low. The commander shook his head, turning to the rest of the group while saying.

“And you guys, keep your heads up. Things like this happens, and I need everyone here with their eyes open.”

The group nodded, a bit out of it to really listen. Then Bill came jogging up, his eyes sagging, and his breathing sounded like he was garbling rocks in his mouth. He talked through clenched teeth, asking the closest person, who happened to be Jimmie.

“What’s happening?”

Jimmie didn’t even glance back; He didn’t have the energy, nor did he answer. He simply stared forward in silence. Rick glanced back, noting Jimmie with a frown, then looking to Bill.

“Piernov forgot that he had special eyes and was a lazy cunt”

Rick seethed out, his expression just as exhausted, with a hint of anger hidden behind. Bill seemed taken aback by the calm outburst from Rick, responding with.

“It couldn’t be that bad. Right, Jim?”

Bill asked helplessly, looking to Jimmie for help. No help would come; Jimme remained quiet. Bill looked back at Rick, who had himself stopped caring about Bill, instead letting his focus go down on Chris.

The awkward tension was only broken when Piernov spoke up.

“Commander, it looks like... A ship?”

The group focused back on Piernov. Jimmie’s eyes flared to life, the thought of ship either meant people or aliens. Both would be awesome.

“You sure?”

The commander asked hesitantly, one brow raised with a disbelieving look on his face. But Piernov held strong, simply nodding at the question. The commander nodded back, and said without looking at the group.

“Okay then. We’ll continue towards the ship, be ready for anything. Dick, you take the front with Piernov.” The commander turned around, looking wearily at Rick, Jimmie and Bill, slowly looking down at Chris.

“Bill, move in front of Jimmie and Rick. And you two, if something happens, immediately drop Chris and move him to the closest cover, dont play hero.”

The last bit made Rick narrow his eyes, but he didn’t speak up, he kept whatever bothered him, inside. Jimmie nodded, happy that something was finally happening. Bill placed his gun in a more comfortable place on his shoulder as he moved to walk.

Moments later, the group moved in unison, a tired train that was moving on rusty and badly managed rails. But Jimmie held his head high, he kept staring at the black dot on the horizon, letting the hours pass by as it slowly inched its way closer. Growing bigger and bigger, until the naked eye could see sharp edges and forms. Which made Jimmie quickly realise that this wasn’t a human ship.

The others seemed to have realised the same as the tension rose higher, hands holding guns a little firmer. Jimmie noticed that Rick was walking with a slight hunch, looking like a tiger ready to pounce. Bill held his gun in two arms instead of resting it on his shoulder, with Chris’ gun slung on his back. Piernov had narrowed his eyes, staring as if his life depended on it, which it probably did. And The commander glanced around, noting down rocks, mounds and defensible positions.

And Dick, he looked normal.

Which took Jimmie by surprise, something Dick seemed to do a lot to Jimmie. So Jimmie looked closer, and quickly realised that he wasn’t acting normal; in fact, it just looked like it. Jimmie noted that Dick’s face was a mask of nonchalance, but his body felt too stiff, ready to move at the slightest sound.

Jimmie stopped paying attention to Dick as they got even closer to the spaceship. The group could now easily see that it hadn’t landed; it had been shot down. A big rounded hole in its side exposed its innards to the two suns and the elements of this deadly planet. But the group continued to move towards it.

As they got even closer, Jimmie looked at the hole in surprise, as it looked melted, the same kind of melting that a plasma gun would do, the same plasma a mech alien would shoot.

The commander gestured for a halt; The group hunkering down on their knees, aiming their rifles.

“Piernov, what do you see?”

The group moved their attention to Piernov, rifles fixed on the alien ship in the distance, no further than a few kilometers. away

“Nothing sir.”

He reported quickly, no emotions, only glancing back at the commander. The commander stayed still for a moment, peeking over at Dick, then back to the alien spaceship.

“We’ll continue, eyes and ears at the ready. If you see or hear anything, you tell me first, don’t shoot if I dont say so”

The commander ordered, his voice raspy and almost a whisper, but the group heard and moved to perform them.

When Jimmie started to move, he realised that he had forgotten about his previous exhaustion. Although Jimmie couldn’t tell if it was his beating heart, or giddiness about something finally happening. But he could tell that whatever was about to happen, he would be of clear mind and ready for anything.

The group ambled, slower than before, each person ready to either shoot, or run away. The commander whispered something into his helmet, narrowing his eyes with his rifle held in the middle by one hand.

And as they got even closer, it towered above them. It wasn’t massive; It wasn’t a capital ship, but it was big. Big enough to fit several tanks and presumably a few hundred men inside with room to spare. But still the hole was massive, practically two-thirds of the side of the ship, and from what Jimmie could tell, it had clawed out a big chunk from the inside as well. Looking around, he couldn’t spot any movement, but there were many places to hide, and Jimmie noted many good hiding places on top of the ship. Aiming his rifle with a slight tilt upwards.

They came even closer, only a sprint away from making it to the hole of the ship. And they still moved towards it, even slower than before. From this distance, the group could see that the hole was practically spewing out dirt and sand, melted metal and things that looked to be flesh, but Jimmie couldn’t quiet tell.

And soon enough, they were only a few meters from the left side of the hole. The group quickly sprinting towards it in a quick burst, practically throwing their backs against the alien ship.

As the group made impact, a low ringing sound echoed out, louder than a bullet, or at least it felt like that for the group. The commander swore, saying something about being a stupid fuck. He then breathed out, slowly, and peeked around the corner, looking into the alien ship. The group stared at him in silence, awaiting his order with different emotions.

Only a few seconds passed until the commander turned around, looking at the group then saying.

“I dont see anything. Piernov, you and me take the front, Dick and Jimmie behind us and Bill, you take up position here. Rick, I want you to stay with Bill... Monitor Chris.”

The group nodded in silence, Piernov moving up to the commander's right side. Then waited as the commander looked around the corner again, his hands firmly holding his rifle. Then he whispered something and moved in with Piernov close to his right.

Jimmie and Dick followed quickly behind, being at least five steps behind. And as Jimmie rounded the corner, he was met with the sight of a vast room, corridors to his left and right. The corridors were small, too small for a human to walk, maybe only big enough to crawl through. They also looked as if they had been cut off by a hot scissor, melted metal forming small pools by the corridors respective entrances. He pushed the thoughts away as the commander moved behind cover. Jimmie and Dick imitating, ducking behind their own cover, square things, looking like silver metal boxes, their tops opened up, exposing its inside, insides filled with nothing.

Jimmie glanced to his right, spotting what looked like stairs, too small to fit a human standing upright, probably just big enough to crawl through. A little further right to that, he noted what looked like coat hangers, but too thick and made of black metal. There were over twenty of them from what Jimmie could see, but whatever they were supposed to hold, they were nowhere in sight.

The commander started to move again, Jimmie and Dick moved to follow. They moved a few more steps before the commander ducked behind cover. Jimmie and Dick moving behind their own.

Jimmie scanned the ship again, but couldn’t see any movement. The place was dark, both from the dark metal and the lack of light. But it still felt very dead; it was too silent, too unmoving, especially after their loud entrance.

The commander seemed to think the same, as he moved out of cover and towards the small stairs. Walking out in the open, easily seen from the corridors, corridors that could contain any number off foes, anyone could easily shoot him from within.

But nothing did, and the commander was standing at the foot of the stairs, Piernov just behind him. The commander looked around, then touched his helmet, saying something that Jimmie couldn’t hear. But a tap on Jimmie’s shoulder made him look around, facing Dick.

“The commander wants us to scan the corridors.”

Jimmie stared blankly at him for a second, then said.

“Which one?”