Navis

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. A space completely devoid of all matter. Matter is what makes up the universe. I lived on a space station 300,000 km away from Earth. Life on the planet as we had known it had ended over fifty years ago. There were about 400 human survivors currently on board with no real end in sight. I had been born on the ship almost twenty-five years ago. Earth had been completely demolished in a nuclear apocalyptic war that destoyed everything.

Rules were strict up here. On board the space station called Navis, here we release those who have committed serious crime from an air lock unit to their death in space. Same way we release our dead. There was no real secure way to isolate prisoners on the ship. I suppose that's why they say nobody can hear a scream from the vacuum of space.

I was currently waiting in the temporary lock-up. I had been caught stealing medical supplies for my wife. She needed the extra medicine and like I had said, there were some serious strict rules on board Navis, especially regarding supplies. There were rations for a reason. I had been born on the ship, nearly twenty-five years ago. Criminals were frowned upon, which is why the punishment was usually death when someone committed a crime on board the ship.

When my wife Clara first got sick, we immediately seeked help, but alas, it seemed as if she was doomed to die of this really nasty stomach virus that was spreading around the ship. Before I could give her the medicine I had stolen for her, I had been caught by the ship's doctor. Some sneaky spy I had managed to be.

Now, I wait here, locked in a prison cell worrying about my sick wife and doomed with terrible thoughts in regards to my own fate. I was allowed a trial, but those normally didn't end too well, as crimes were not very common among those that dwelled on the ship. Allegedly, the death was painless. Although nobody was around to really elaborate on that either. I never witnessed it myself, but those that did described it as a gush of air being sucked out from all around you. That seemed pretty painful to me. At least my crime wasn't murder. Trust me, I would kill for my wife. Lucky I didn't have to otherwise I definitely would not stand a chance getting out of this cell alive.

There was a knock on my cell door. A friend of mine, Charles was at the door. He was also a guard on board the ship. Holding a plate of food, he looked me up and down, and sighed. "Well you've looked better."

"Jeez, thanks pal." I replied. He handed me the plate. I was cuffed to bedpost in the room by my ankle. "Tell me, do you know how Clara is doing?" I asked Charles.

His face grim. "She's not eating anymore. They have her in med bay hooked up to some IV drips but it's not looking too good James."

I sighed. "I never should have tried to steal that medicine in the first place."

Charles watched me take a bite of my sandwich. He looked sympathetic. "I'm sorry James. There's not a whole lot I can do."

I gave him a small smile. "Don't worry about me, just make sure my wife's okay."

Charles nodded then sighed again. "Have you given much thought into what you're going to say at your trial?"

I sighed heavily. There were strict quotas on medicine. Even the fact that Clara was in getting an IV was some kind of miracle. "I don't really know. I mean I was caught. You know the punishment usually fits the crime."

He glared at me. "You know James as an engineer, you do actually matter on this ship. Maybe they will pardon you as you didn't actually consume any of the medical supplies that you stole."

I sighed again, taking another bite of my sandwich. He did have a point. I could make it out of this cell alive if I just proved a point during the trial somehow. "You know," I said in between bites. "You might have a point there. Thanks pal, you cheered me up a little bit."

Charles smiled. "Anytime James. You know I would do anything for you." He looked at his watch. "I better get back to work though. I'll come bring you supper later."

I nodded my head in goodbye. He shut the door tightly behind him and continued on his rounds. He had given me some relief into my worries about Clara, but my life was still at stake here. I was desperate to survive. I would do anything. Say anything during that trial. Anything to keep me here alive with my wife. I couldn't imagine the pain of the air disappearing out of my lungs from the air lock. I knew I could survive this. Somehow, I will make it out of this room and live the rest of my life after the mistake I had made.

Chloe Rose Violet