Following the Stars

Chapter One

"So we've been in cryo for 125 years and we're flying over Planet Alpha, where one of the Eligius missions colonized?" I asked.

Jordan nodded, "Yep."

Everyone in the room looked just as confused as I was or more.

"I think we're gonna need some time to process this," Raven was the only one smiling.

We all wandered around the Eligius dropship for a while. I couldn't move from my position by the window in the cafeteria.

Planet Alpha was coated in forests and lakes and rivers. It was truly remarkable, especially the strange swirl of green light that looked almost like a hurricane.

"Told you you'd like space," Bellamy smiled.

"It is amazing," I agreed, "When do we wake the others from cryosleep?"

He sighed, "When we figure out if this planet is inhabitable or not."

So far, we'd woken up Raven and her new friend Shaw, Abby and Jackson, Miller, Madi, Gaia, Murphy and Emori, and Echo.

"We're meeting on the bridge," Bellamy told me, "Come on."

I left the amazing view of the new planet to follow him to the bridge.

"Alright, we're sending a team down to the ground," Clarke said, "Me, Bellamy, Echo, Murphy, Emori, Miller, Jackson, and Shaw will go down and explore. Everyone else stays here and takes care of the ship."

"I'm coming," I said.

Clarke shook her head, "We need you looking after the ship."

"What's going to happen to it?" I asked, "The Eligius 4 prisoners are still in cryo, and if an asteroid hits us, I can't exactly punch it out the way."

"She's got a point," Echo said, "If I'm coming, she's coming."

Clarke sighed in frustration, "Fine."

We walked to join the others on the dropship. The trip down from space was very bumpy and loud.

Well, Raven wasn't flying. Of course the new pilot wasn't as good.

When we got to the ground, the hatch opened and let us all through.

"Alright, let's go," Clarke said.

"How aren't you excited?" I asked.

Clarke shrugged, "Because I know that I'd there are other people here, they'll probably kill us."

We stayed the night camping out at a beach while Murphy dragged Emori into the lake.

They climbed out and just laid on the ground watching the stars.

There was a large blue planet in the sky with spiraling rings around it. Beyond that we're two moons, though the second one vanished out of sight.

"A sign of alien life," Jackson said, staring at a bug in a jar, "Amazing."

"Yeah, pretty cool," Miller agreed.

Then, his face exploded with joy, "Oh my god, we're aliens!"

Everyone laughed a little at that.

"Huh," he continued, "Five minutes ago, this bug was eating out of my hand and now it wants to eat me."

It was banging into the glass like it wanted to destroy the world.

"It's quiet," Bellamy noticed, "The bugs aren't making any noise anymore."

"Typical bugs do that- right before they swarm," the realization hit me, "Run!"

A cloud of black bugs blocked the other planet from my vision.

We all started running into the forest. Murphy grabbed Emori when she fell over.

Reaching a field with a strange glow around it, we used flares to keep the bugs away. Shaw ran through the field, but screamed in pain and collapsed.

"Radiation," Clarke noted. We both ran forward and pulled him out of the field to the other side.

Radiation proof nightblood. Nice.

"The override code is the same for all Eligius missions," Shaw told us the number.

The shield came down, but Shaw didn't survive.

"Raven deserves to be happy," he whispered before closing his eyes.

"No," I whispered, "No."

I don't know why I even cared. This guy helped Diyoza torture me. But he was good to Raven.

We buried him and kept walking through the farm up the spiraling steps to the village.

It was empty and deserted.

"Nice welcoming party," Murphy joked. He found music and started blasting it at full volume.

"That's a very creepy kids book," I said, referring to the story about people killing each other.

"I wonder what the handcuffs on the walls are for," Clarke asked.

A scream broke out from outside, so we naturally ran towards it.

Emori was stabbing at Murphy, "I'm going to kill you!"

We gave her a sedative that caused her to collapse.

"What was that?" Clarke asked.

"I don't know, she just started stabbing me," Murphy clutched his shoulder, which Jackson quickly patched up.

My eyes widened when I realized the two stars on this planet were eclipsing.

"That book about the eclipse," I said, "About the bugs and then people going crazy."

"That was a kids book," Clarke argued.

Bellamy frowned, "But it's all true."

"This must be what the chains are for," I said, "Everyone needs one."

Reluctantly, everyone agreed to be chained up. Unfortunately, I had to share the same room with Murphy.

There was screaming, "Miller, Jackson!" Clarke shouted.

"Clarke, come here, quick!" Miller shouted.

Clarke and Bellamy rushed away.

"Guys!" Murphy shouted, "Really?" For once, the cockroach had a point.

We sat there for a long time before the screaming started again.

This time, it came from Echo and Emori.

"I can't sit here," I said, taking my dagger out of my boot and using it to cut through the leather restraints.

"Isn't the whole point to stop-" I tossed Murphy a knife, "Nevermind."

After walking outside, I took a moment to look at the eclipse. For something so deadly, it sure was beautiful.

Then, whatever toxin was in the air slowly started getting to me.

I saw their faces. Everyone's faces. Of the people I killed and the people I'd lost.

"No!" I screamed.

They were whispering to me, telling me it was my fault. All of it.

"No!"

They wouldn't go away. They had to go away.

I curled up in a ball, plugged my ears, and closed my eyes, "No."

But even with my eyes closed I could see them.

"No!"