Trial 017 - 2019 Wattys Sci-Fi Winner

Chapter 8

14.01.2723

My chest felt like it was about to cave in. Something - I didn't yet have the strength to open my eyes - kept pushing down near my sternum, pumping my chest repeatedly. I tried drawing an awkward breath, but whatever was pushing down on my chest kept me from making any sound.

Suddenly, the pressure vanished and my nose was pinched shut. I panicked, trying to breathe through my mouth, but something closed over that too, forcing hot air down my throat as silky coverings draped themselves over my face and throat. My arms wouldn't respond so I tried speaking again. This time, my tongue moved, albeit sluggishly, brushing over the object clamped over my mouth. It felt warm, and...moist?

My eyes cracked open, straining against sudden sunlight, nearly blinding me. Through the light, I could see a creature bent over my face, its long hair streaming down across my nose and chin.

"Ack!" I coughed, heaving violently.

The pressure over my mouth suddenly retreated, and the creature sat up abruptly. It spat to the side and leaned back, revealing an auburn-haired human girl about my age.

She seemed to be about my height, but it was hard to tell because her knees were drawn under her. The girl was dressed in a pair of dark leggings and a loose shirt with billowing bell sleeves, cinched around her narrow waist with a belt. Something about the clothes looked familiar to me, but I couldn't quite place my finger on it. As my eyes adjusted to the sunlight, I could make out her light skin and her auburn hair, bound into a loose ponytail that was slowly coming apart. She had canted eyebrows and hazel eyes, I noticed, along with a slender nose and thin lips.

"Hey," she said, straightening her hair. "Are you alright? You weren't breathing a second ago."

I stared at her, my mind clouded by a thick haze. My surroundings were blurry, as if viewed through cloudy lenses or through mist, and the light was too bright. Even the sounds I heard seemed as if coming from the other end of a long tunnel. Questions swam through my head. Did I know her? Who was I? I didn't remember my name! No, Charlie. That's my name. Was this my home? Where was I? Did I miss school?

"Who are-" I started to say, but then the memories of the evacuation and the Gholians came rushing back like a sledgehammer and I quickly recoiled, suddenly feeling ill.

"Stay away!" I blurted, sitting up quickly. My shoulder struck something hard and I noticed I was lying in a sort of coffin. "Where am I? Who are you?"

I bit off my questions, coughing as my nausea caught up to me. Before I could help myself, I leaned over the edge of the coffin and dry heaved onto the ground. Nothing came out, but I still felt terrible. And to top it all off, my head was killing me.

"Whoa, calm down," the girl said. "I found you like this just now. You might want to take it easy; you weren't breathing a second ago."

My cough lightened and I sat up, wiping my mouth. It was dry, and my stomach was rumbling, as if I hadn't eaten in a while. My knee struck the edge of the coffin and I glanced down at my metal tub. My head throbbed, but at least my thoughts were clearing up.

"What's this? And...and what do you mean I wasn't breathing a second ago? Oh man, my head is killing me."

"I found you submerged in some sort of cryo-sleep," the girl said. "I woke up in one just like it not so long ago. And about the headache, it'll go away in a few minutes."

"Were you just kissing me?" I asked abruptly.

We shared a moment of stunned silence.

"What?" the girl said. "What the-no! I was trying to revive you. Weren't you listening? You weren't breathing!"