Last man to mars

M y body shivers; my insides burn. Her words were engraved into my mind.

“I will miss you, Jade.”

I smiled knowing they would be the last words I hear. The salty water filled my lungs and the sand bit at my feet. My eyes burned and my ears rang. Then it was over; the blissful peace I have longed for.

I hear a faint hiss. My eyes are crusty and my mouth tastes like a lemon. I am encased in a dark chamber no bigger than myself. “Where am I?” I yell.

No answer.

I don’t know if I’m dead or alive, but if I’m dead, I’m in hell. Suddenly, the top lifts, and the sun peers through. “Nope, not dead”, I groan.

I slowly lift myself out, as if I were a crippled old man. My wet feet cling to the cold tiles of the hospital floor. I feebly sit on the flimsy examination table. My head hurts; probably because of all the shitty chemicals they pumped in me. Suddenly, a robotic voice chimes in.

“Good morning Jade 2063-3296! It is May, 23rd, 2081. You are scheduled for one craniotomy at 2:30 P.M. Please wait for assistance.”

“Oh god, just shut up!”

My head aches; I just want this to be over.

I waited for about 2 hours. No doctors or nurses have come to see me. I watch the never-ending tick of the clock. It ticks and ticks and ticks. Tick… tick… tick… I can no longer bear it. I stand up on the end of my toes and strain. I narrowly grab the clock, open the window, and throw it out of the building. I look out and see the shards on the ground and smirk. My happiness is quickly short-lived.

I see no people. No giggling children. No yapping dogs on a leash. The city of Atlanta, Georgia now looks utterly lifeless. No movement except for the autonomous solar taxis and buses. I step back in shock.

“W-where is everyone?” I rushed to find my backpack in the hospital room. I rustle through the miscellaneous items and grab my phone. “No service? Earth always has service damn it!’’ I feel my heartbeat faster and faster. I walk towards the hospital sink and timidly turn on the tap. No water flows. I shudder. “It must be an outage, but- but where is everyone?”

I get up and rush out of my room and down the stairs. I know something that may help me. I climb aboard the autonomous solar taxi. Recently, many vehicles have switched to solar energy to lower emissions. I can tell you though, it’s far too late and won’t work. Stupid ass politicians wouldn’t lower carbon emissions and here we are. Atlanta averages a stupid hot temperature of 112 degrees. Today, the air is cool, the sun is grey, and the clouds weep. I have only seen rain a handful of times in my life, but this rain induces a truly sickening feeling within me. The once-bustling city of Atlanta is now a ghost town, populated only by taxis and buses. I click through the taxi prompts and set my destination to Grant, Alabama. I look at my window and see that even the stupid pigeons are gone. Never thought I'd miss those shits. One thought lingers in my mind: Where is everyone?

I finally reached my destination; my grandaddy’s house. It took a full three hours into the Alabama wilderness until I finally came upon his house. I try to get out of the taxi, but the door won’t budge. I see upon the dash “$200 fee required to descend the bus”

“Just my luck...” I sigh. Surely no one will miss this door. I set my back firmly against the opposing door. I firmly kicked in the door which was followed by a loud crack. I do it once more then the top hinge comes loose. I get up and pull the door off like taffy. What are they going to do? Arrest me?

Nope.

I shuffle out and embrace the warm sun, which I haven’t seen in a while. Then I feel it. This isn’t warm. It burns. I feel the sun digging into the depths of my skin. I scream and run under the porch of the house.

“T-this is impossible! How hot is it?” I yell. I feel the heat penetrating my face. “I don’t understand. The world is abandoned and it’s a damn oven? Give me a damn break!” The sun peeks through the rotten wooden ceiling, nipping at my sides. I quickly open the rickety door as the taxi buzzes off. “Yeah! f*ck you too!”

I slammed the door and sighed. My stress quickly melts away with the familiar yet comforting scent of my childhood home. I came for one thing; my papa’s IPC (Interplanetary Communicator). When I left for a brief visit to Mars in 2075, My papa got me a set of two. I broke mine on the trip home, but I’m sure he still has his. Although they were succeeded by a much more modern type, my papa preferred to use the simple old type. Using an IPC sounds like a stupid plan, but it may be my only ticket out of here.

I rummage through my papa’s belongings, but, in a way, I’m rummaging through my memories. I miss his warm laugh and lively personality. This house, without him, feels lifeless. Just a wooden box; a hollow shell of what it once was. The wooden floors are littered with dust, the walls hold a colony of cobwebs, and the window is a dingy color of yellow. I try not to think about anything. My grandaddy was the one who truly raised me. Took me fishing, scolded me, and taught me how to be a man. My parents left to live on Mars, for reasons I don’t know. They wouldn’t take me because “the red dust would hurt my young lungs.” But I know they just didn’t want to take care of me. I haven’t seen them in a while, and I would like to keep it that way. I haven’t seen my papa for a few years because I’ve been at college. He told me to go instead of getting a brain chip because it “builds good character.” Well, I remember seeing him a few hours before going into the cryo chamber. I was too high on medicine to understand, but I remember hearing his soft laughter. Knowing him, he was laughing at the “rat’s nest” on my head. I continued to rummage through his drawer and grasped something hard. Under the cotton socks lies my treasure; an IPC.

I fiddled with the stupid ass thing for a few minutes and concluded I forgot how to use this thing. I sigh and scratch my head. Not only are old people hard to deal with but so are their inventions. I hit it with my hand and finally the stupid thing turns on. I scroll and tap. Then I went to contacts to make a call. I see my mother’s I.D. I clench my teeth.

Suddenly, my IPC buzzes. I jump back and watch from the couch. I walk forward and reluctantly answer. A feminine face appears. I hide back behind the couch. Why is some random lady calling my papa's IPC? Suddenly, a voice rings out.

“Uh, hello? Sorry for calling. I just noticed an IP address located on Earth.” she smiled. “It's just kinda weird ‘cause everyone left about a week ago.”

I didn't speak. Everyone left? What the hell? I guess that makes sense as I just assumed the sun burned everyone.

“Is anyone there? If not, I'm going to hang up.”

“No, wait!” I picked up the IPC off the couch. “I'm here. I just uh- lost my IPC.” I sighed.

“How did you find me?”

She smiled. Her face had the soft features of a doll, yet her eyes held an intimidating gaze. The sun behind her shined heavy on her dark short hair. “Well I work for the PROES artificial intelligence unit. I hacked Mars's satellites and set up a firewall to see if any humans left of earth would connect to it. I waited for any address to show up, and here you are! Excuse my rudeness, my name is Elise. Nice to meet you.”

I was astonished. How could some random girl hack Mars’s satellites?

“I don't believe it! Some girl like you can't hack Mars' entire internet system!” I scoffed.

She smiled and laughed. “You silly. I'm not just “some girl” I am a robot, and, besides that, I'm very experienced with coding and computer programming.”

I gasped, “What? A robot? They stopped making those things like uh- 40 years ago!”

She sighed, “I- we aren't things,” she crossed her arms, “we are people, you know.”

I felt blood rush to my cheeks. “Right. I'm sorry.” I bite my pride. “But what happened? Where's my papa and everyone?”

She looked rather upset by this question. “Well, everyone from Earth is now on Mars. It had to happen immediately. I'm sure you know what the sun did. A huge solar storm occurred and ruined the already sick climate. No one even saw it coming. People didn't even have time to bury their dead. People just took what they could and left.” Elise dug her face into her palms. “Oh, only if I was human could I cry. It greatly pains me.”

I was at a loss for words. Her sentence pierces my soul. While I lie asleep in a cryochamber, millions around me perish. I fell to the ground as if her words were a weight placed on me. I feel weak; sweat drips down my face. I haven't had time to get a thought in before she talks again.

“This is why no one likes robots...'' I murmur.

She explained to me that although the rockets left off not long ago, it would be impossible to come back. Many of the rockets were old types from the 2030’s that could only be routed. She said an emergency ship would be the best bet, but is small and hard to maneuver. She also explained that my best place to stay at PROE headquarters and await help. She also told me, “You mustn't leave today, wait until tomorrow, and I will give you instructions.”

“So how long will it be?” I asked excitedly. My mind completely forgot about the whole earth-burning apocalypse. I might actually get to be free and see papa once more.

“It may be around a month or so, I am afraid. PROE’s priority is on the Earth's refugees.”

“I-I will be dead” I whisper.

She looked confused, “You'll be what?”

“I'll be dead! I will be f*cking dead, lady! How will I find food or water or anything? Besides that, I have brain cancer! F*cking brain cancer! I am not supposed to live for another three weeks!” I shudder and curl into a ball. I've only told one person about my cancer, and that was my papa. I can't believe I told a stranger my worst secret.

“Oh. I'm so sorry. I-”

I turn off the IPC. I can't bear to be pitied anymore, and especially not by a damn robot.

I wait until the cover of darkness to make my escape from the unmerciful sun. The air is hot like a summer day, yet the sky retains its indigo shine. A faint wind blows by and I head forward. I say my final goodbyes to my childhood home and walk away. I must make it to Atlanta before sunbreak or I'm toast. Literally.

I know this plan is stupid; maybe I’m just too stuborn to listen to Elise. I don't encounter much on my journey. I check the time. It’s 2:32 A.M. Usually I hear the sounds of crickets and rustling grass, but all I hear is eerie silence. I've only traveled 20 miles. I feel sick. I check my IPC. Maybe I was being too hard on her. She just wanted to help me, and I blew up. She's tried to call me back 4 times since then. Guntersville shows up on my GPS. I'm getting close to a city, so maybe I can find a taxi there. My clock moves by quickly but then I see my worst fear: the sun.

I run quickly. It's 5:52, so I have some time but not much. My heart threatens to beat out of my chest. My lungs burn and sweat drips down my forehead. “Just one more mile” I groan.

I know the sun needs time to rise, but I still run with all my might. I feel the air warming with each passing second. I start to feel the heat biting at me. I start to slow down until my sprint is reduced to a feeble shuffle. I take rest under the shade of a tree, although it offers me no salvation.

“I will not die here!” I grip my bag trudge forward. I should have listened to her. My stubborness will be the death of me. I collapse, tired and burning. I hear a faint rumble in the distance. Maybe it's god but who knows, once I'm dead I don't care. The rumbling gets louder with each passing minute. “Damn, god, are you going to take me or not?” I look up and gasp.

A solar taxi stood before me. I can't even wonder how. I walk on and fall to the floor. The cool air is my salvation. I see up on the LED dashboard.

“You left your GPS on, lol. Next time listen to me-Elise”

“Yeah, real funny,” I sputtered out. The heat has taken its toll on me, and I pass out on the dirty floor.

I woke up some time later. I feel groggy and tired. I check how long I've been asleep.

“Seven hours!” I groan and get up. That's what happens when you pull an all-nighter, I guess. I pull out my water bottle and drink what's left. The dash says I'm currently passing through Richmond, Virginia. I can't see much through the dark tinted windows, but I know it's nothing like Atlanta. The ground is deep orange and all the trees look dead. The bright green of my past has become an orange in the present. I don't know how to feel; the Earth is truly dead.

The road is sometimes bumpy. I dare not look. I bite my tongue over each bump and pray it wasn't a person or animal. Elises words lay heavy on me today. I can truly feel how these people felt. An inexplicable dread filled me. While I lay asleep, millions around me burned. I know I haven't done anything I couldn't have done, yet I feel guilty. I wondered if maybe the sun should've taken me too. People often teased me. My biggest strength was my biggest downfall. I act aggressive on the outside, yet my emotions shine through at times. I always put on a facade of coldness, yet I don't know why. I just don't want to be hurt again, so I push people away. I'm done pretending like this isn't affecting me. I just want to go home and see my papa.

It's been a while since I've talked to Elise. I miss talking to someone, yet my stubbornness won’t allow me. I try to bite my pride, but I can't. How can I admit to her that I was wrong? I am so ashamed of myself. But why did she have to laugh at me? I'm gonna teach her a lesson. Suddenly, before I finished my thought, My IPC rang.

“Why does everything conveniently happen? The universe hates me!” I reluctantly grab it. It suddenly answers. “What? Damn old thing! I didn't even answer it!”

“Yeah because I hacked it. Now that I think of it, I should have thought of it earlier. Silly me. Anyways, stop ignoring me!” she crossed her arms and huffed. “I saved your life, you know. Sorry if I offended you during our last chat. Anyways, I've been trying to tell you that an emergency spacecraft will be arriving in exactly a week. Even better, I will be assisting in Tracking so I will be coming.”

“Wow! How did you convince them to come and get me?”

“I didn't. Some PROE leaders forgot their documents. Getting you is just a side task.”

I grimace. Seriously? Some papers are more important than me?

She looked confused. “What’s wrong, Jade? Aren't you happy we are coming?”

“Well, I am, it's just like some papers are more important than me. Wait, how do you know my name?”

She stared at me and became flustered. “Well you see uh, um...”

I laughed. “You totally ran a background check on me!”

She groaned and hit her head on a desk. “Maybe.” She murmured. We both laughed. Suddenly, the taxi dinged. “Oh, it sounds like you are there. I better hang up.”

“Wait, I have a quick question. Why did you want me to go to the HQ? Isn't it dangerous?”

She smiled. “I thought you might ask. The HQ has a large landing pad nearby and there's a lot of supplies from the last presidential meeting.”

I was happy; I never thought a person would care about me so much that they would put this much effort into saving me.

“Anyways, I must go. I have to map a course for our ship. I will talk to you soon.” The call went silent. I never thought I would care about a stranger. I stepped out of the taxi. Thank goodness Elise paid my fee. I ran out and into the building as fast as I could. The doors were already opened. I smile, knowing who did that.

The building was cool and open. Although I thought this would be fun, it was quite nerve-wracking. No citizens have ever been allowed near the building. I walk around through the futuristic building. I look for things to pass the time. A huge couch lays in the lobby and computers line the room. I look down the hall. Each president's picture hangs on it. I look through the pictures and quotes. I see the declaration of peace, which shows both U.S and China's leaders shaking hands. Ten years after this picture was taken, a new leader rose to power, hungry for world domination. China unleashed an EMP strike on the U.S. The U.S succumbed and then China quickly dominated other countries. I could honestly care less, but my papa missed his country. I felt bad for him, yet I couldn't understand this pain.

Four days have passed. I haven't gotten a single call or text. For the past six hours, I've been on an employee's computer, looking for any news on my papa. The only people who show up are me, my mother, and my father as we share the same last numbers. My head hurts either from the lack of sleep, stress, or both. My eyes burn, yet I continue on the computer.

“I must know,” I whisper. I'm worried. I know he isn’t dead. That old man wouldn't go before saying goodbye. Although I tell myself this, my hands still tremble.

“I will see you soon papa. Wherever you are.”

I swear I know this stupid ass place like the back of my hand. I've been up the stairs like, two hundred freaking times. Boredom rings like a never-din. Who would have thought that the most secretive place in the world was so boring. My current pastimes consist of throwing chips covered in guac at the president’s faces. Washington looks very unamused. I sigh and fall to the ground. I eat the stale chip and glance at my IPC. She hasn't answered my calls. I try to tell myself that she is busy or has forgotten her IPC. The seventh day is approaching sooner and sooner with each passing second.

I wake up bright and early. I make myself a cup of coffee, jittering with excitement. This is the day I'm getting off this shithole!

I run down the stairs and yell, “Good bye b*tches! See you on Mars!”

I giggle like a little girl. I feel stupid, but I dont care. I just hope no one comes back and sees the CCTV footage. I thought I would make my sad, bittersweet goodbyes, yet I don't feel sorrow. I feel like this is the best day of my life. I will finally see my papa again! I just have to wait for my call from Elise. I hope it comes soon.

I've been waiting since 7:00 A.M. It's now 2:47 and my happiness is dwindling. I sit by the IPC, eagerly awaiting. I sigh. What if this whole thing was a joke? Just troll messing with me, giving my naive, dumbass false hope. I start to curl up into a ball. Although I haven't cried over the death of Earth, I now feel tears welling in my eyes. I start to weep. I see that I was a fool for ever trusting again.

A few hours later, I was awoken by a ring. My sore eyes scan the ground. I see now that it's late afternoon, and the sky is a dark crimson. I pick up my IPC and answer it. I sluggishly sit up, still half asleep.

“Hello? Oh, Jade, you've answered! I've been trying to call for the past 6 hours!” She sounded worried; scared even.

My body jolts awake. “What happened? I thought you would never come!” The IPC starts to break up. Static fills Elises words.

“Listen to me, Jade. Our fall into Earth's atmosphere did not go as planned. I don't know if we will make it. If anything happens, just know I will miss you. Thanks for being my first friend,” Then the device cut out. The static rang heavy.

“No… No… No! This cannot happen!”

I threw a computer at the wall. I heaved and choked. Tears rained down like a downpour. The sky was now black and dark. I ran through the building, pushing desks and chairs out of my way, all the while sobbing. I ran through the final set of doors into the night. I can no longer bear to live.

I walked in the hot, dark night. My cheeks stained by tears, lay heavy on my face. I don't know where I'm going or where I am. I'm numb. My last hope, gone in an instant. I see a cliff a few hundred meters forward. My feet blisters and my legs ache. I will soon reach the top. I pull out my IPC and start recording, even though you can't see my face.

“Hello to anyone who may have found this. My name is Jade. Just Jade. I'm 18, from Grant, Alabama or Earth.” I start to cry harder with each word.

“If you hear this, tell my grandaddy I love him. You were always my hero. No matter how stubborn we both were, I have always loved you, and I always will.” I looked behind me, as the ocean kissed the beach.

“To Elise, thank you for being my first real friend. I only knew you for a week but you're the first person I opened my heart to. For the first time, I felt like someone outside of my family cared about me.” My crying begins to soften.

“ My cancer will take me soon, but I have always preferred to do things my own way,” I said timidly. I threw the IPC down.

“Goodbye, Papa. Goodbye, Elise,” I hesitated. “Goodbye everyone.”

And then I lept.

I heard a soft voice. Maybe it was god or just my head. I felt the ocean swirl around me. My world was bleak. I wasn't conscious, yet I could think. Then, I was out. I lay empty in the void, not dead nor alive. Is this where it ends, Jade?

I heard a faint hiss. I'm in a dark chamber no bigger than myself. I don't know where I am or who I am. I ache from head to toe. Suddenly, the top lifts. Was this a dream? I hope so. Before I have time to think, the red sun pours through. A robotic voice calls out .

“Good morning, Jade-2063-3296! Today is June 5th, 2081.” I can't get up. Suddenly, a nurse comes in.

“Yes, he is stable. He fell quite high up. He's lucky to have his legs.” She says.

Then I saw him. Papa.

I sob, “Papa!”

“Oh Jadie, I was so worried.” We both embrace one another and cry.

“I-I thought you died and Elise wouldn’t come and-”

“Hush, boy. It will be alright.” He softly said.

I later found out Elise did safely make it to Earth. She tracked my IPC and had to resuscitate me. I was then put in a cryochamber with twelve broken bones and a collapsed lung. They said I was very lucky to live. After the entire incident, I decided to go back to college. I finished my bachelor's degree in English and sold a best-seller about my story called “heatwave.” I bought a house for my Papa on Mars and we have been here ever since. I have never got to meet Elise, or know what happened to her. I often wonder how she is doing.

4 years later, I'm at my Papa’s house. Right now I am taking care of him in his elderly years. I make him a cup of sweet tea, while he watches football on the T.V. I stand outside on my patio. Phobos and Deimos shine bright tonight. I often think of my days on Earth. It was lively, greener and brighter. I miss Earth, But i am grateful to be alive. I now look fondly on earthling days, always treasuring them. I have outgrown my rebellious teenage phase, too. My papa calls out.

“Are you going to give me my tea or not, boy?” I hurry and give him the now warm tea.

“Sweet tea. Your favorite.” He thanks me. Suddenly the door knocks. My papa smiles “You better check the door, son”

I walk over to the door and open it. '’Hi, How can I help you?’’

Then I saw her:

Elise.