Beyond Earth - The Harvest Ch. 01

As the realization set in that the nearest glimmer of hope was a solitary, one-pump gas station agonizingly out of reach, a full five miles away, a chilling sense of isolation gripped Katherine's heart, suffocating her like the unforgiving grip of quicksand.

Katherine's breath caught in her throat as she checked the rearview mirror again, but the impenetrable darkness revealed nothing. Her hands trembled as she gripped her rifle and stepped out of the truck. The air was unnaturally still, devoid of the comforting sounds of insects or the distant calls of coyotes. Even the downpour of rain was hushed under the sound of her heartbeat throbbing in her ears.

With her rifle raised and heart pounding, Katherine strained her eyes to pierce the darkness that enveloped her truck. She pivoted, scanning her surroundings for the slightest hint of a threat. As she turned towards the city, a shiver ran down her spine as every single light blinked out. The hairs on the back of her neck and arms stood on end.

Katherine knew something was terribly wrong. This road was well traveled, and the fields were far from empty, despite what she was hearing and seeing—or the lack thereof. Her instincts screamed danger, refusing to accept the mounting coincidences as mere happenstance.

Suddenly, an eerie shift in the silence behind her sent her into a frenzy. She whirled around, coming face to face with an enormous figure looming over her, rapidly closing the distance. Panicked, she fired the rifle, the round tearing through the man's stomach. She racked another round, aiming higher, and fired again. With her heart in her throat, Katherine sprinted backward and swung the now-useless rifle, smashing the butt against the man's arm.

As she stared in horror, she realized with a sinking feeling—this was no man.

Katherine's eyes clenched shut, her scream piercing the air as terror rooted her to the spot. She could hear the soft, sinister hiss of the creature's breath inches from her face, but she refused to open her eyes.

"Please," she choked out, her voice thick with raw emotion that went beyond fear.

"Safe," whispered the stranger, and Katherine mustered the courage to open her eyes. It didn't matter that she couldn't discern its skin color through its suit; she knew there were no seven-foot astronauts with four-fingered spacesuits lurking in the heart of Montana.

"You killed my friends!" she snarled, hoisting her rifle. But the creature effortlessly disarmed her, twisted the barrel, and tossed it into the bed of her truck. As it reached for her, she recoiled, her heart pounding in her chest. "No!" she cried, spinning on her heel and sprinting towards the darkened city, every muscle in her body straining with exhaustion.

The creature pursued her, its powerful strides matching her frantic pace. She stumbled, crashing onto the pavement. It was on her in an instant, its grasp lifting her off the ground. But Katherine refused to die without a fight.

Her fists pounded and her nails clawed, her snarls and kicks landing against the creature's body. She knew it couldn't survive on Earth without its suit and helmet, and she was determined to give it a brutal welcome. Seizing a hose connected to its mask, she yanked with all her might. Although it didn't come free, the gesture was enough to strike fear into the creature. It released her, its hands raised defensively as it scrambled away, the tables now turned.

"Fuck you!" Katherine snarled, her body coiled with rage as she lunged at the creature, her fists a blur in the air. One powerful blow connected with the reflective blue visor on its helmet, releasing a billowing white cloud of pressurized gas. The creature let out a cry, collapsing onto the pavement.

"Katherine!" it gasped. In that adrenaline-fueled moment, everything clicked into place. Her mind raced, finally able to process the scene before her. The creature writhing on the ground, struggling for breath, wasn't four-armed or reptilian like the monstrous beings that had attacked her earlier. She should have run, left the creature to die, or finished it off. But as she rolled it over, she saw its face clearly for the first time.

It was a man gasping for breath.

Katherine sprinted back to her truck and tore open the toolbox. She'd only intended to grab her roll of duct tape, but when a Ziploc bag of trail mix fell out of her lunch pail, she knew what to do.

The man coughed, clawing at the locks on his helmet, but she stopped him. She ripped open the plastic baggie, scattering trail mix, and draped it over the shattered visor of his helmet.

Katherine clenched the duct tape between her teeth, tearing off strips to secure the makeshift seal. As she applied the final piece, the plastic bulged, condensation clouding her view of the man inside.

Exhausted, she fell back as the helmet vented from the sides. The man rolled onto his side and scooped her up, his grip unyielding. Katherine screamed, thrashing in his arms as he carried her down the road. She clawed at his suit, pummeled him with all her strength, but nothing stopped him. Biting him had no effect. There were no hoses, no seams to exploit. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't reach his patched visor.

The faint whirring sound caught her attention, and her eyes widened as a ramp materialized out of thin air, leading to an impossibly hidden room. She couldn't see beyond its confines, but the man carried her relentlessly towards the ramp.

"Please, please!" She pleaded, "I saved you! I saved your life!" Ignoring her pleas, the man hauled her up the ramp, the mechanism humming softly as it closed behind them. They were inside some sort of aircraft, with rows of seats, cargo netting lining the ceiling, and an unsettling mix of familiarity and strangeness. A door hissed shut, and he deposited her on a large seat.

They were in a cockpit, and he was the pilot. A vast dashboard stretched before two seats, a panoramic window offering a view of the desolate road she had just traveled. Two massive computer screens, hundreds of buttons, switches, and dials blinked in a mesmerizing dance of colors. As soon as the man settled into his seat, Katherine sprang into action.

She attacked the dashboard, her fingers clawing at the switches and dials, setting off a cacophony of alarms. When he didn't intervene, Katherine slammed her fist into the computer screen, shattering it into darkness.

She glanced at the man, gauging his reaction. He merely leaned back in his chair, gesturing expansively as if encouraging her to continue her destruction. Fueled by his indifference, she focused her rage on the dashboard, methodically flipping every switch, twisting dials, and jabbing buttons. The noise of additional alarms filled the cockpit.

She shot a look back at the man, only to find him waiting patiently, as if she were a child throwing a tantrum. To him, this was nothing more than entertainment.

"You sure look stupid with a sandwich bag duct-taped to your helmet," Katherine taunted, reaching for the black joystick at the end of his armrest. It was only then that he made a move to stop her. Defiantly, she slapped his four-fingered hand and slammed her own into the joystick.

The world spun, making her stomach lurch. She gasped for breath, trying to soothe the turmoil within her. Whimpering from the aches in her body, she found herself lying on the cockpit's ceiling, with the man's gaze tilted downward to meet hers. Strapped into his seat, he seemed unfazed.

"Fuck you," she whispered, arching her back to escape the sharp edge of the panel beneath her. "You're not taking me." She stood and smacked the man's helmet, the force causing her to stumble as gravity shifted. The man calmly manipulated the joystick, rolling the spacecraft until they were both upright.

Determined, Katherine clambered onto his seat. Instead of fighting her, he held his hand protectively over the joystick to prevent her from interfering. She unlatched his helmet and pulled it off with a forceful yank. He held up his hand to steady her, preventing her from falling back.

As she dropped the helmet, she stared at the man's face, now fully visible. Previously obscured, she could now see the unmistakably human features staring back at her. Her hands shook as she reached up, the whispering fear in the back of her mind warning her of the danger he posed. Yet, she dared to touch him. The pads of her fingers slipped under the edge of the black hood framing his face, and as she slid it back, her breath caught in her throat.

Copper-bronze hair tumbled from beneath the hood in loose curls, its silky softness caressing her fingers as she pulled the hood down to the nape of his neck. His skin was initially pale and nearly translucent, but as she leaned closer, vibrant colors erupted across his cheeks, converging at the bridge of his nose. Apart from his jet-black eyes and the shifting colors of his skin, he bore the appearance of an ordinary man.

His features were sharp—narrow eyes and a straight nose—yet his full lips exuded a softness, displaying a dusty bronze hue with streaks of teal. The longer she stared, the more she believed he could be human.

"You can't take me," Katherine whispered, mesmerized as his skin rippled with color in response to her voice. The black in his eyes receded, revealing the unsettling truth: they were more alike than she cared to admit. His eyes were a striking blend of blue and yellow, their hues intensifying the longer she gazed into them. She ran her fingers through his coppery-bronze hair, delighting in its softness. The man emitted a gentle hiss.

As she turned his face in her hands, the colors continued to shift across his skin. Leaning closer, she observed the bursts of pigment reacting beneath the surface. His skin responded to her touch, its colors transforming.

Suddenly, his expression morphed into one of pain. His mouth opened, and he exhaled softly. Curious, Katherine gripped his jaw and peered inside. Instead of the dusty pinks she anticipated, the interior of his mouth was white, rapidly turning dark teal before darkening further to near black. His teeth were inhuman, but not entirely unfamiliar. As far as Katherine could discern, their sharpness indicated that he was some sort of predator.

"Are you going to eat me?" Katherine asked, shutting his mouth. The man gave the faintest shake of his head. "You can understand me?" He tilted his head and winced. Katherine leaned back and noticed him clutching his chest. The smell of copper emanated from the teal fluid seeping through his fingers.

Applying pressure with her hand over his, he gasped, pressing back against the seat. "You're bleeding? Oh, fuck—I shot you." Katherine recoiled in horror, realizing the other wound was also oozing. "You have to apply pressure." She attempted to grab his other arm, but it remained firmly anchored to the armrest. Glancing down, she observed his fingers delicately adjusting the joystick.

Slowly, she turned to peer out the panoramic window. Earth unfolded before her, a sight she had never witnessed before. Clouds cast ominous shadows on the verdant landscape, sunlight reflecting off water features scattered across the terrain. Her home. Fear slithered down her spine as she refocused on the man. He was bleeding, and if she had any hope of returning to Earth, he needed to survive. Hastily, she unbuttoned her long-sleeve shirt, removed it, and balled it up. Pressing the shirt firmly against his stomach, she applied pressure.

A wet, crackling cough erupted from the man's chest. His coppery eyebrows lifted, and his expression eased. He retched, baring his sharp teeth. A sense of calm washed over Katherine amidst the roar of alarms in the cockpit. He continued to guide the ship, but to where?

She was in outer space, and the man piloting the ship was dying. Katherine patted her pockets and extracted her knife. The man remained unfazed. It wasn't until she reached for his neck that he finally spoke.

"Katherine."

His voice, previously distorted by the helmet, now rang true. Her name.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. Grasping the fabric of his hood, she sliced it with her knife, cutting down to the neckline of his suit. She tore it away, revealing his chest. The pale, translucent skin rippled with color as it met the air. Black, festering flesh surrounded the wound. Holding back tears, she pressed her hand against the injury.

It was soft—too soft. Even with the slightest pressure, the necrotic tissue began to slough off. Katherine stifled a sob. The man raised his hand to his face and, using his teeth, removed his glove. His hand darkened with patches of color as he reached for her.

The ship rumbled. Katherine's gaze darted to the window, but the man caught her chin, directing her attention to the seat beside him. Alarms blared and buzzed relentlessly, and the vessel's quivering intensified. Bathed in an orange glow, Katherine scrambled off the man and into the massive seat. As tears clouded her vision, she fumbled with the buckles, fire streaking past the panoramic window.

The moment her buckle clicked into place, her stomach plummeted. A guttural groan escaped her as an invisible force compressed her chest, expelling the air from her lungs. Her body pressed into the seat as they hurtled into space.

Weightlessness. The alarms grew louder, and lights flashed across the dashboard. The man's head slumped forward, and the fire dissipated. Earth—the Pale Blue Dot—was more breathtaking than any image could convey. Katherine unbuckled from her seat and began to float, black liquid bubbles clinging to the man's wound.

She grasped the dashboard and flipped the blinking switches. After silencing a few alarms, she clung to the edge of the dashboard, methodically undoing her earlier sabotage. She adjusted dials until all the lights glowed green, then pressed the remaining flashing buttons. One green bordered button pulsated urgently; she pressed it.

The man's seat slid back, and the control arm retracted into the floor. The entire panel now displayed green lights, but one soft buzz persisted—the man's suit.

The ship jolted, accompanied by a muffled thud. The sound of pressure releasing filled the air as the vessel shook again, this time more violently. Katherine's grip on the dash faltered. Desperate, she flailed her limbs, as if swimming through the air.

Gravity returned, and Katherine crashed to the floor, panting. The button she had pressed had triggered something. Rising to her feet, she felt lighter. Jumping, she floated gently back down and peered out the panoramic window.

Metal and lights drifted past until the ship halted with a soft thud. Alien creatures darted before the ship, and Katherine turned to see the man's lifeless, blackened form. His wounds no longer bled, and his exposed skin had turned black. He was dead.

The door behind her slid open. She barely had time to react before a sharp sting pierced her back. Her legs grew heavy, and alien chatter filled the cockpit as she leaned against the dashboard. A gloved hand placed a black mask over her nose and mouth. Darkness encroached, swallowing her vision whole.

—

"Merde! Oh, nom de dieu!" A man's voice jolted Katherine awake. She let out a horrified scream at his presence and flailed her arms defensively.

"Don't you dare touch me!" Katherine growled, rolling to her knees on the sandy beach. Disoriented, she scanned her surroundings before fixating on the man. He raised his hands in surrender, lying on his side.

"Je suis désolé," the man whispered. Katherine recoiled and stumbled to her feet. She was naked. The man scrambled up as well, equally exposed. Katherine shrieked, shielding her eyes from his nudity.

"Ce n'est pas ce que tu penses!" The man protested, covering himself with his hands. He hunched over, repeating the phrase. Katherine wrapped one arm over her breasts and used the other to cover her groin.

"What the fuck? Where am I?" she demanded.

"Non, non, non," the man muttered.

"You did something!" Katherine accused, advancing toward him. The man stumbled backward, falling onto the sand.

"Aidez-Moi!" he pleaded.

Frustrated, Katherine scanned the beach and stormed toward the nearest treeline. She screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping someone would hear her. As she reached the edge of the trees, she realized there was no sign of civilization. Disturbing memories rushed back to her.

"Mademoiselle," the man panted as he approached her cautiously. Katherine eyed him warily, her body tensing as he neared. "Uh, hey y'all?" he tried, raising an eyebrow in question. Katherine couldn't help but snort.

"French?" she asked.

"Oui, Français. French." The man patted his chest and sighed. "Extraterrestre."

"Extra... Extraterrestrial?" Katherine echoed, her gaze drifting to the gentle waves lapping the shore. The sky above was an unusual shade of gray-blue, growing stranger the longer she stared. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she noticed the sky appeared as a solid barrier.

As the man continued to ramble in French, Katherine struggled to understand him. She picked up a twig from a nearby shrub and began sketching in the sand, crudely drawing the four-fingered hand of the man. She gestured to her artwork, and the man tilted his head, intrigued.

"Very good," he complimented, nodding.

"Thank you," Katherine replied, then shook her head in frustration. "No, this is the man. Alien? Extraterrestrial!"

"Yes, very good. C'est bien," he agreed, nodding and smiling, although he clearly didn't grasp her meaning.

"We're going to die," she muttered.

"Uh, tu dis 'How do you do?'" the man ventured, impersonating a cowboy accent. "Partner," he added with a grin. Despite the dire situation, Katherine struggled to suppress her laughter.

"What is your—"

"This town ain't big enough for the two of us," the man interrupted, feigning a quickdraw of a revolver. "Yes?" he asked, grinning expectantly.

"Do you speak English?" Katherine asked.

"Yes!" he exclaimed, then demonstrated with another impression. "There's a snake in my boot!"

Katherine sighed in resignation. "Come on, cowboy," she teased, taking the man's arm to guide him into the shade of the palms.

"Cowboy, yes," he agreed. They had only taken a few steps when he halted. "Mademoiselle, vous allez dans le mauvais sens."

"I don't understand French," Katherine whined. Her expression crumpled, and the man's face softened. Gently cradling her face in his hands, she couldn't hold back a sob. She was lost, with no idea where she was or how to get home. There were no signs of people, except the equally disoriented man before her.

"Shhh, shh," the man whispered soothingly, pulling her into a comforting embrace. Nothing about their situation was okay, but for the moment, they had each other.