The Extinction Trials(27)

Maya had to admit, the message had been a disappointment. And a bit confusing. She’d expected it to be some sort of plan that would help them. Or directions on how to get help or where to go.

On the tablet, an alarm sounded. The timer had run out. Owen’s suit was down to 30% oxygen.

Maya had hoped that he would be back by now.

She rose and moved out of Observation Two, down the corridor, and to the outer airlock. She peered through the narrow window into the dark cave tunnel where the dead man lay, his body illuminated only by the flashing red light.

She waited, chewing her lip, debating what to do. Cara arrived beside her and stared out the narrow window as well. “Are you going out there?” the doctor asked.

Before Maya could answer, the power flickered and went off again.

“I think I should,” Maya said in the pitch darkness. “We’re out of time. Whether we use the suits in here or out there, we’re running out of time and breathable oxygen. I’d rather take our chances trying to survive—not waiting. We need to look for help or a way out.”

“I agree,” Alister said from behind them, his voice disembodied in the dark. “I’ll come with you.”

“No,” Maya said. “We shouldn’t risk anyone else. If neither Owen nor I come back—”

“If neither of you comes back,” Alister said, “We’re no better off. If he’s hurt, you’ll need me to help you carry him back.”

“And I’ll need to help him if he’s hurt,” Cara said.

“You can’t do much through the suit,” Alister said.

“We don’t know that,” Cara replied. “And for all we know, we can take the suits off beyond the cave—perhaps Owen discovered that.”

“I’ll take care of Blair,” Will said, another voice in the darkness, quiet but confident. “You know it’s the right move, Maya. The longer we talk about it, the less time—and oxygen—Owen has left out there.”





In the cave tunnel, they marched single file, Maya leading, Cara behind her, and Alister bringing up the rear. They maintained radio silence, as they’d agreed.

There was one bit of good news: Owen’s footsteps were very clear in the muddy passage. Maya traced them out of the winding cave, the wind growing stronger and the light growing brighter with each step.

At the mouth of the cave, they found rocks piled around the entrance. She wondered if Owen had unblocked the passage or if someone else had. And why had it been covered up to begin with?

Outside the cave, clouds of fog drifted through the towering trees. In the presence of the massive trees, Maya felt as though she had been shrunk and placed in a world out of size, an ancient place that was dominated by beings far larger. She had expected that the station was in the middle of a city or at least near a road. There was no sign of civilization here.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to find Alister pointing at the ground, at Owen’s footsteps. His meaning was obvious: come on, we’re running out of time. Even after knowing him only a short amount of time, she could almost mentally hear his unspoken words in her mind. And he was right.

They had agreed that they would use the suit speakers and microphones to communicate, but that breaking their silence would be a last resort. Being quiet was safer, at least until they knew more.

Maya led them back towards the cave, following Owen’s steps in the soft ground. They climbed up the mountain, snaking through the trees. The footprints were fainter higher up—the ground was shallower and the trees were thinner, which allowed the wind to wipe the tracks away. Maya felt as though she was following a map that had been dipped in water and was slowly dissolving before her eyes.

She checked her forearm panel. Owen was at 17% oxygen now. Was it already too late?

She pumped her legs harder. Soon, her chest was pounding. Sweat rolled down her face. The sound of her breathing in the helmet fought a war with the sound of the wind through the speaker. She felt as though she was in an echo chamber.

Finally, she stopped and put her hands on her knees, bending over to try to catch her breath. Soon, Cara arrived beside her and Alister shortly after. He was in the worst shape of them all. But he was easily the strongest.

Without a word, Maya resumed, but she had only taken a few steps when she encountered a problem: Owen’s tracks were gone. The last of them were so faint she wasn’t even sure they were indeed Owen’s boots in the ground and not some natural indentation. The wind was stronger here, and the trees had taken more damage. Leaves covered the ground, preventing anyone from making any tracks.

Catching her breath again, Maya glanced at the others. Alister motioned ahead impatiently, silently saying, let’s just keep going.

The ground changed as they went. With each step, the soft, rain-soaked dirt covered by leaves went away, leaving rocky terrain that was bare except for a few shrubs. Ahead, a sheer rock face loomed, almost vertical. There was no sign of Owen. Would he have climbed up it?

A cloud of fog cleared, and Maya stopped in her tracks. For the first time, she saw the sky beyond. It was a stark contrast to the wind and rain and fog that surrounded her, as if another world lay ahead.

For some reason, Maya felt certain about what Owen would’ve done if he had come this way: ascended the cliff and gazed out from the peak. Even if he wasn’t here, she might find answers up there. She might be able to find him—and see where they were.