I feel the sun on my face. I see trees all around me. Scent of wildflowers and mud. It’s so beautiful. In this moment, as I laid down naked on the floor in my jail cell after my personal training to keep my body fit, I am not stranded in space.
It’s been 100 years since a nuclear apocalypse killed everyone on earth, leaving the planet simmering in radiation. Fortunately, there were survivors. 12 nations had operational space stations at the time of the bombs. There is now only the ark, 1 station forged from the many. We’re told the earth needs another 100 years to become survivable again. I’ll be dead when it happens. I’ll be dead before I will go back to the ground. But it’s my dream.
This is reality and reality sucks. My jail cell opened and 3 male guards came in. “Prisoner 926, get up and face the wall.”
“W-What’s happening?” I asked, naked and terrified.
“Shut up and keep still.” They ordered as they handcuffed my hands behind my back.
“N-No wait.. it’s not my time to die. I still have 3 more years!!”
“That’s enough. Just be a good girl and follow us.”
“Check my file. Come on! Just check my file!”
“I said, to shut up!”
I got slapped in the face before the guards touched my watch. “Wait no. That’s my Dad’s watch.”
“Take it off!” The guards shouted angrily and I replied by shouting back, “NO!!” I gave a knee to one of the guards’ cock and pushed one of them with my shoulder, he knocked the other guard down, before i ran out of my jail cell and closed the door behind me with my butt.
On the Ark, any crime in punishable by death unless the knight of rounds decided you’re still useful. Knight of Rounds are a group of the highest rankings on the Ark. My crime, was stealing medicine for my mum. Ironically, she’s one of the knights of rounds. That’s probably the reason why I’m still alive.
Another guard came out of the cell next to mine and shouted, “Prisoner 926!” I quickly turned away from him but before I ran away, I heard my mum shouting, “Lexa! Stop!”
I turned around and saw my mum. “Mum? Mum!! What’s going on?! They’re going to kill all of us, aren’t they?! Reducing population so that the rest of you have more oxygen.. I’m going to die!!”
“Alexandra, calm down. No one is going to die. You’re being sent to the ground. All 100 of you.”
“What? No. It’s not safe for another hundred years.”
“The state of the Earth has changed, this gives you another chance to live. Your instincts will tell you to take care of everybody else first, just like your father. But be careful, I can’t lose you too. I love you so much.” As we hugged, a guard shot a tranquilizer on my back. “Take her, and get her some clothes, what the hell’s the matter with all of you?!”
“Earth, Lexa. You get to go to Earth.” Those were the last words I hear from my mother because I fainted.
——
Slowly, I woke up in a space box. I had a collar around my neck, and I was wearing my sleepwear, singlet, skirt, bra, panties and shoes. I should be glad that at least I had clothes to wear.
“Hey look! Naked girl is up!”
“We’re all going to die!! Hahahahahaha!!”
“Looks like your mummy sent you to die!! She sent all of us!!”
The guys teased me as I looked down and avoided eye contact with them, not because I was scared, but because I didn’t want to waste time arguing with them.
“Hey Lexa!” A familiar voice beside me and I turned to him. “Look.. I..”
“William? Why the hell are you here?!” I asked angrily.
“When I found out they were sending prisoners to the ground, I got myself arrested. I came for you.” William smiled at me and before I could slap his face, the space box violently jerked. We were on our way to the ground, to Earth. I made sure I was strapped down, closed my eyes and waited for the shaking to stop.
——
When the shaking stopped, it was after the space box had landed on the ground. I unstrapped myself and stood up. “Lexa.. Wait!”
“What the hell do you want, William?”
“Your skirt. Look down.”
“Ah!” My skirt was riding up my panties and I quickly pushed my skirt down. Fortunately, only a few guys saw my panties and they smiled to each other. Most of us were excited about being on Earth.
“We should open the doors and get out!”
“Woohoo! We’re finally on Earth!!”
“Let’s party!!”