Elizabeth Scarlett Hall's Story

"The Lost Group"

He hadn’t completed necessary ship tests and departed leaving a trail of murky, gray, fusion behind him.

The mission was a yearly trip of dropping c24-cubes on planet earth. Ever since Global Warming, leaders decided to relocate humans to mars for 100 years. The earth was on its last breath of oxygen needing time to replenish itself. These thoughts swarmed like angry bees in Matt’s head. He had been hurt, but had no time for his stings.

Darting through hot dry sand Matt saw a shield around the village keeping oxygen from leaking out. Children inside wore frayed muted clothing. Matt looked at his crisp blue air suit and felt sympathy for them. “Fix ship,” he said. “Arg! Bang!” Suddenly strong, leathery hands gripped him and everything went black.

Matt awoke in a sparse, dark hut surrounded by The Lost Group. Long ago, abandoned and thought dead, these sickly villagers survived explosive, deadly meteorites and windstorms while reallocating to the wrong side of Mars. Why should they help a privileged survivor? Carefully he explained he needed his ship repaired. Silence enveloped the hut. Their sad eyes said they needed his ship and supplies. 

Matt’s plan changed. He decided to give the villagers one of his c24-cubes to consume the deadly carbon dioxide and allow oxygen to flourish inside their shield. Could they accept a compromise? Earth’s recovery would be delayed by 10 years. He would race his ship faster than a shooting star back to base for another c24-cube for Earth.
    

Waves of disbelief and happiness ran through the haggard parched faces of the exhausted victims. For 75 years they fought against Mars’s red madness to survive. The villagers are forced to tolerate him and their isolation for a little longer. The Lost Group clutches grains of hope until he returns with his promise of shuttles and supplies.

Elizabeth Scarlett Hall is from Toronto, Ontario.