After Mars

There was a disparity between the warm air that buffeted Lily’s face and the cool air that she pulled into her mouth via the oxygen purifier. The deepening red sky was streaked with yellow clouds like little dead bugs a windscreen wiper couldn’t quite expel. She wondered how many more years she had left. At the ripe old age of 31 she was faced with the very real reality that the planet she lived on was dying. Mars, now increasingly uninhabitable, even for the rich and especially for people like her - low means, was in the final countdown.

She looked down at her hands, bare but blackened from the work she’d done in the scrap yard. If she wiped the dirt and oil off and they would look like the hands of any number of wealthy people living in the prestigious and safe bubble district. The only difference? The hands of a bubble local would get to live out the rest of their natural life on Earth.

Another Earth Shuttle digital ad rolled slowly up the screen ahead of Lily on her walk home. After decades of investing trillions, trying to solve a climate crisis they were centuries too late to solve, they finally switched tact and built shuttles large enough to transport life elsewhere. Earth, an untouched planet teeming with life and most importantly an atmosphere viable for human life was just “next door” as so many had put it. If you had millions of credits at your disposal you could get a one-way ticket to a new beginning. Most were not going to be able to afford a ride on those escape pods, and Lily and her twin brother James were one of the unlucky ones.

The street Lily had turned down was one she had walked many times. Piles of garbage and forgotten belongings encroached upon the narrow walkway like a rising tide. The oceans Lily was used to were made of human waste, strewn across dry wastelands devoid of life. Most real oceans were long gone and the creatures within them perished along with them. She craved the view of an ocean and wondered why she missed something she’d never had.

The evening was closing in quicker on the route she was taking; the buildings around her looming overhead in a claustrophobic way. She glanced down at her ID band, the small screen was a beacon in the shadows. A dismal amount of credits flashed up on the screen. She’d spent the best part of a decade scraping together an amount that was laughable when compared to even the poorest bubble dwellers interest account. She was now directly below the screen still displaying the advertisement with the line ‘Price on request’ which she could easily translate into ‘there is no way you can afford it, so don’t ask.’

A middle aged lady suddenly appeared from her home to Lily’s left. She followed Lily’s gaze and sighed wistfully, “my brother won a ticket just last week.”

She looked a lot like most people that dwelled in the slums do. Her shoulders stooped forward seemingly from the weight of day-to-day life. She had spidery cracks in her sallow skin which had been exposed to ultraviolet rays unimpeded by an ozone layer disappeared centuries ago. Despite this, she had kind eyes, the crinkles at the edges deepening with her smile.

“He’s a lucky man,” Lily replied.

“He was,” she said, “but he was also a stupid man. That ticket is now in the hands of someone else, along with his blood.”

Stories like this were common nowadays and sadly lacked the punch they would have, in simpler times. Still, Lily looked politely mournful but said nothing in response. The lady smiled sadly and reached down to grab a small container of bolts and nails to the right of her door. Without another word she disappeared from view, her skirts straying in the door for a moment.

Lily continued on her way and closely avoided a delivery drone while rounding the corner. She wondered if James would be working late tonight. He’d been gone for most of the day but that didn’t mean much. He worked for the biggest drug lord in Dresdon; Lottie Dozer, and was more often than not, out. Working for Dozer had its perks, both James and Lily had protections afforded to them, a place that was more than liveable, as well as the best oxygen purifiers money could buy.

Lily adjusted the oxygen purifier on her face, a contraption that strapped from her ears around her nose and mouth with a small circular filter in the centre. This meant that the air Lily breathed was fresh and pure, she wouldn’t die of the lung diseases that plagued so many due to the state of the atmosphere.

She was nearing home, a small hut on the crest of a hill that offered a view of the city skyline. Most days it was too smoggy to see that far, however, today was clear enough to see the twinkling lights of the CBD and the working class living blocks.

Before making the trek up the small slope, Lily paused at the village notice board. Most of the time there were bounties advertised there, most were black market deals that Lily had no interest in partaking in. Still, she scrolled through the ads with a small flick of her wrist and watched as text and photos slipped by. She was about to give up when something on the screen caught her interest.

‘Lost necklace - Earth Shuttle tickets as a reward’ glared at her in large red font. Lily zoomed in on the photo of the necklace. It was a small, silver heart locket with three words inscribed on it - ‘hate me not.’ Frowning, Lily exited the ad and gave up on looking for quick side jobs that wouldn’t land her in prison. She had spent most of her day looking for pieces of salvageable scrap metals and had come up relatively empty handed. For her days efforts she had received a dismal amount of credits and would barely be able to cover the cost of eating tonight.

She began walking up the hill, kicking up dust around her feet. She imagined finding the tiny heart locket, it revealing itself from beneath her stirring boots. With her eyes downcast, she scanned the ground with a fervour she would be embarrassed to admit to. The pipe dream of escaping Mars and her inevitable death, was one she shared with many.

Finally, she dragged her eyes from her fruitless search and smiled grimly at her neighbours as she passed them by. Her hut was located in the nicest area of the slums. Less than a block over was the Neon District which later fed into the outskirts of downtown. During the late hours, the lights from the Neon District overpowered the blood red of the skies. Pink, blue and green hues permeated the air and made Lily’s skin seem alien in colour.

She glanced once more at the skyline, the closest thing to a beautiful view that her eyes would ever see, before unlocking her front door and stepping inside.

“James?” she called locking the door behind her.

The smell of home was a small but welcome comfort. She dropped her bag at her feet and pushed it aside before reaching for the light switch.

“Don’t,” James’s voice murmured from the direction of the couch.

The sound startled her, “don’t what?”

“Don’t be afraid,” he replied.

“What?” Lily asked, a pit forming in her stomach.

“Something happened at work today,” he said, “I don’t know what to do.”

Lily flicked her wrist and light filled the space, James was no longer a silhouette, his dark skin was slicked in blood.

“Jesus Christ,” Lily breathed and rushed forward.

Their tiny living space was cramped and low ceilinged, the couch James was slouched on was barely big enough for two people. Lily pushed aside the small table that acted as a dining space in front of James and grabbed his face.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he replied, his dark green eyes meeting hers.

“Then who’s blood is this?”

“She’s in the back room. Lottie needed me to get her out of the city,” he sniffed, “I don’t know who she is, but when I met my buddy at the pickup she was already bleeding out.”

Lily stood and made the short trip to the back windowless room. She pushed aside the curtain and didn’t wait for her eyes to adjust to the dark before turning on the light. She paused, her eyes taking in the scene. Stretched out on the bed was a very dead girl. The pale sheets were almost a perfect match in colour for the girl’s. Violent shocks of blood, deep red, sharply contrasted the scene. Her mouth made a slack 'o' and was slightly ajar. Her eyes sightless and resting on the wall next to the door. She had a shock of bright orange hair which was matted in blood and dirt. Lily stepped closer in an effort to discern where the blood stemmed from. It looked to have multiple sources, chest, abdomen and throat. She wouldn’t have lasted long. She was young, no older than 16 at most.

Lily knelt on the shaggy rug that had mostly avoided spatter and placed her hand on the girl's face. It was cool to the touch. Death had taken her a little while ago. She heard James get up from the couch in the other room and make his way to the scene.

“Lottie hasn’t returned my calls,” he said.

Lily sighed, “she can’t stay here. It’s 110 out, she’s going to start smelling soon.”

“I know.”

Lily looked down at the girl once more and scanned her body for anything out of place. She noticed one of the girls jean pockets had something in it. She reached in and delicately pulled out a necklace. A little heart locket.

“Holy shit,” she gasped.

The words Hate Me Not were engraved on the front of the simple locket.

“Who is this girl?” Lily turned on James.

“Lottie didn’t tell me.”

“Do you know what this is?” She held up the locket.

James shrugged.

“It’s our ticket out of here.”