In the Space of My Blood

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. I hope that's true seeing how Tim and I fight every day in this shuttle. There is no reason to put our arguments out in the world. Since I was a little girl, I have wanted to explore the galaxy, but I never thought I would get stuck in space with a jerk. Tim Johnson, who everyone calls TJ, has been a thorn in my side since high school. A sports jock and incredibly smart. We were in all the same classes and both excelled in science. I did not know he wanted to explore space until that first day of the space program. My best friend, Trish, thought he had a crush on me and I thought she was right until he started teasing me and calling me this hideous name. "Short stout, get over here and help me pull down this book of supplies." Ignoring his demand is often the best solution. The space atmosphere is full of mystery even though much has been explored. Planet earth looks so small from this far away. Tim screams, "Hey short stout, didn't you hear me? I need your help.” When I was younger, this hideous nickname used to bother me, but now it just makes me thirsty for a beer.

“Why do you call me that? I am neither short nor stout, and I find it offensive. My name is Karina.”

“Come on, I’ve been calling you that for years. You never seemed to mind before.” The heat of my body rises as my jaw clenches so tight I can hear my teeth grind. “It has always bothered me. You just never seemed to care. What if someone called your daughter an offensive name most of her life that the kids adopted as well until she was no longer July Johnson, but Short Stout?” He cups his hand over his mouth and pinches his chin. With a clap of his hands, he declares, “You’re right! I’m sorry, Karina. Now will you help me with the box?” A growing light outside the window catches my attention. Squinting my eyes, I lean in closer to get a better view of the rock formation floating nearby. It can’t be a meteoroid but also resembles another planet, which is impossible. There is no record of a planet being in this location. “Tim, come look at this.” He floats beside me and peers out of the window.

Tim asks.“What is that?”

“I don’t know, but do you think we should get a closer look?”

“What if we do that and it wants to get a closer look at us, too?”

The shuttle vibrates and jerks backward, then moves forward with great speed as if something is pulling us. Tim and I fly across opposite sides of the shuttle. My body slams into our chairs. A seat belt dangles near my face and I grab it, hanging on for dear life. Tim’s screams are loud, but I can’t see where he is located. My heart is pounding as sweat drips down my face. The shuttle makes a hard stop and my body flips over the seat. We are no longer floating and have landed. I shout, “Tim, where are you? Are you okay?” There is no response. My arms are sore, but I find the strength to pull myself up and crawl through the shuttle, shouting Tim’s name until I hear a small whimper, “Ka, Ka, Karina.” A large box of supplies is on the ground and Tim is underneath, gasping for air. “I guess I don’t need your help to move the box anymore.” The corners of his mouth upturn and he attempts to laugh, but the shortness of breath caused by the heavy box resting on his lungs prevents it from occurring.

“Don’t move or speak. You need to conserve your energy.”

“Karina, I can’t feel my legs.”

When I examine Tim’s body, there is one leg covered in blood from an open cut. “Tim, you are bleeding. I have to get this box off of you.” Once I search the area, I find a knife to cut open the box. It appears to be Tim’s lucky day, as the contents are medical supplies I can use on his wounds. After emptying the contents, Tim throws the box off to the side and examines his legs. “Ugh, this doesn’t look good. I think they are both broken.” When I touch both legs, it is clear they are beyond broken. Uncontrollable tears fill my eyes and Tim grabs my hand. Our eyes meet and he says, “I know. But let’s stop the bleeding at least.” Without me saying a word, Tim recognizes he has suffered some nerve damage the moment he couldn’t feel my touch. A variety of supplies are all around enough for me to clean up the blood and dress his wounds. Since gravity has returned, I am unsure how Tim is going to maneuver. He glimpses the wrinkling of my brows, assessing the situation.

“Stop worrying, Karina.” Hearing my name come out of his mouth sounds strange, but I like it.

“I can’t help it. What the hell happened?” When I rush to the window, all I see are large rocks covered in green moss with branches jousting out of the stones high towards the sky. A strange-looking crimson flower covers each branch. “Karina, what’s out there?”

“Just rocks and tree branches. It looks like a forest, sort of. I don’t have a good feeling about this. We need to contact NASA.” I make my way to the laptop until the rumbling of boxes falling stops me in my tracks. “Tim!” I yell.

“I’m okay, don’t worry.”

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing, I’m fine. Any word from NASA?”

“No, the computer isn’t working.”

Somehow, Tim has found the strength to crawl to the window. “ I think you need to go find help.”

“What! Out there? Are you kidding? No way, why me?”

“Well, I can’t walk, and it doesn’t look like the best crawling environment.”

“I disagree. I’m sure whatever is out there crawls just fine.”

“Karina, what else can we do? We have to get out of here and to do that, we need help.”

“What we need is power. I think we should wait for NASA to contact us.”

“How are they going to do that when our technical equipment isn’t working?”

My head is hurting from trying to think of the many reasons I should not go into this dark foreign planet. “How do you know if whatever is out there will help with technical issues?”

“I don’t know for sure, which is why you must try. Take the laptop and maybe you will get a signal. There are satellites set up all over the universe. For our sake, there has to be one out there somewhere.” Beads of sweat on my forehead are growing large enough to drip down my face. My eyes search the area for any type of reason for me not to step foot off this shuttle. I break down and state the truth. “Tim, I’m scared.” Tim crawls next to me and grabs my hand. His green eyes appear heavy with a pained gaze. “Karina, I don’t want to send you out there alone, but we have no choice. If anything happens to you, then I will die as well. In my condition, I can’t survive alone. I need you.”

My head lowers before I release a huge exhale and in return inhale a tremendous amount of courage. “Okay, I will go.” While I suit up, Tim crawls to the controls, ready to release, and close the door. Perspiration covers my hands as the sound of my heart beating so loud rings in my ears. Once the uneasiness in my stomach occurs, letting me know this is the worst idea, I take deep breaths to calm myself. Tim opens the shuttle door and I embark on a new adventure or a walk to my death. The movements I make to avoid trying to step on the branches seem pointless because they are everywhere.

“How’s it going out there? See anything that can help us?” Tim’s voice is rapid with anxiety.

“Tim, I left one minute ago. I can still see the shuttle. Calm down. I have to go further to see anything new.” With slow and soft steps, I continue down a path I’m hoping I can remember, but I’m uncertain since everything looks the same. There is a suckling sound coming from nearby I decide to follow. A man with his face in the crimson flower inhaling its contents comes into view. The red liquid is streaming down the sides of his mouth as he hums, making me think these floral juices must be the most delicious meal.

“Why don’t you come closer and try one?” A strange voice resonates in my ears. “Tim, did you say something?” There is no response. “Tim! Tim!”

“He can’t hear you. I’ve disabled your communicator. Now come closer.” The voice comes from the man with his back turned, so I have yet to see his face. The branches sticking out of the rocks near me slide around my waist, making no noise, and lift me off my feet. Once they place me closer to the man, their hold on to my waist remains. The thought of death closing in on me paralyzes my body in a way I have never experienced. However, the fragrance of the flowers exudes a familiar scent. I can’t figure it out until the man turns and the flower nectar drips from the sides of his mouth. It is blood, and I was wrong. This is not a man. His piercing red eyes make my heart tremble and my jaw clenches afraid to speak one word. “Oh, my apologies, but my eyes are only this color when I am nice and full. Do not be afraid. I thought it was best to eat before we met. Welcome, Karina.”

My brows press closer to one another as I question, “How do you know my name?”

“I know many things about you.”

The thick, wavy hair cascading past his shoulders resembles a waterfall. His plush red lips stained from devouring the flowers overshadows his pale skin. While he wipes his mouth on his dated clothing, I ask, “What do you want with me?” With silent steps, he approaches me and examines my space suit.

“I don’t enjoy wearing these skin coverings, but it was all I could find from the last visitor to step foot on our planet. Why is your face covered? Remove this headpiece.”

I scream. “No! I can’t breathe without it.”

The branches don’t care as they lift my helmet. I cannot hold my breath for long. When I exhale, I can breathe fresh air. “What is this place? Who or what are you?”

He leans in closer and inhales the scent of my neck and hair. “Ah, if I was not so full, you would make a delicious meal. My name is Harborg, and I am a —“ He backs away and places his hand on his forehead as if he is in deep thought. “I can’t remember the word you humans use to describe my kind. It’s a strange word for your language and dates back to a time I know you weren’t alive, but I was.”

I interrupt his train of thought and say, “Vampire.”

“Ah yes, that’s it! What a clever word.”

“What do you want with me?”

“Two things I desire from you are the following. My sister stole something from me and fled on the last shuttle that traveled here from Earth, and I want it back.” The stern tone in his voice lets me know the fate of his sister once he finds her will not be good.“I need you to give me a ride back to Earth.”

“We can’t give you a ride. There is no room and our equipment isn’t working.”

“Oh nonsense, I disabled your technology, but once we arrive at your transportation device, I will enable it again.”

“What is the second thing?” I inquire.

“I need a mate.” His body flies straight towards me with his mouth widened, displaying his fangs, and I let out a scream so loud someone must hear it in this vacuum of space. The flesh of my neck sinks in as he inserts his teeth and sucks my blood. My vision is blurring and I can no longer feel my limbs. Harborg releases his teeth from my neck and says, “Relax.”