I had more than one vote for keeping the poor sap alive, so here we go! I just want to keep moving with this story, so you can all keep reading!

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈․° ☣ °․┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

MY HAND SHAKES uncontrollably, finger brushing the trigger. Rage and confusion wallowing, I look down at the shaking guy, barely younger than myself, shielding his face as he prepares for death.

I can't do it. That's not me.

My hand twitches uncontrollably as I try to will myself to do it. To finish him, but I can't do it.

Clicking the safety on and throwing the gun to my side, I bend down to the level of the man.

"What's your name?" I ask.

Beads of sweat on his forehead and a quivering lip is all I get in reply.

I sigh, raising my hand to his, only to have him flinch.

"I'm not going to kill you. I think I've done enough of that for one day."

I grab onto his hand which feels like pumice, and pull him to his feet. He nods in gratitude.

So far he hasn't attacked me yet, so we're off to a good start.

"Where am I?" A second question. And again, no reply. He's obviously in shock.

So I decide the only way to figure out where we are is to head toward the light. Not necessarily what you want to do in all cases, but for this time, getting out of this hunk of death metal is the best option.

The raider stops as we begin walking toward the exit and runs over to his fallen comrades. Hastily he bends down by each of them, and with his eyes closed, feels around until he picks up some small boxes the size of candy bars.

We walk toward the broken doors, and the best sensation in the world wakens my senses.

The wind.

It brings in a freshness, of earth and trees, of life, in complete contrast to the smell of death where we now stood. It was as if I were experiencing the world for the first time.

We walk out to the open air, the sunlight making my eyes sting something fierce, and after my pupils shrink down ten sizes I'm able to squint and look around.

It's beautiful.

I stand on a large plateau that lets me see the entire valley below. Large ponderosa pines, red cedars, and white-barked quaking aspens fill the land. A wide rushing river juts back and forth playing peek-a-boo in the forest. What catches my eye though is an old town that must be a mile or two away, taken over by the foliage, with buildings crumbling and roads cracked into pieces. It looks like it's been abandoned for years. I can even see broken down cars, school buses with no wheels, and large dump trucks still full of gravel and heavy rocks. Large mounds of dirt cover some of the houses.

"Whoa," I say out loud. Raider boy has stopped shaking to the left of me, but still keeps his head bowed low. "Where are we?" I ask. Looking over in his direction, I see a boy with dirty blond hair that's caked and greased with lack of hygiene. Even though he is more muscular than me, and a plethora of scars go across his hands and arms, I know he must be younger than he looks. He has a baby face and when I peer into his squinty brown eyes, I see a sixteen, maybe even fifteen-year-old boy. Relief washes over me as I think about accidently killing a kid.

Turning around, I look at the large, metal object we just came from. It's about the size of two or three houses, a huge cylinder split down the middle into two pieces. A triangular piece juts out from the side like a wing, while the other half of the object scraped into a boulder-size rock and ripped the wing off.

It's a spaceship?

In big, red block letters I spot the words, "Spark Co." with a lightning bolt. Underneath those I see, "To Mars and Beyond!"

Mars.

I repeat it in my mind, as if my memory is trying to jostle a thought out of me. We were heading to Mars?

And then a cloudy vision plays in my mind. Flashes of images. Of memory.

Two scientists greet me, smiling, cheering each other about their achievement.

"Welcome to your journey to the red planet!" A scientist with dark hair and large-brimmed glasses chants excitedly.

I see myself briefly, with a beautiful, fit blond girl - Celeste. Strawberry and violet hues highlight her hair. She's carrying a tan designer handbag against a slim-fitted metallic jumpsuit that hugs her curves just right. Damn, she's hot! Her hair is done up in a bun, and she carries herself like nobility.

Then I see myself, a few inches taller than her. Slicked-back brown hair that's perfectly put in place with a wide grin of teeth that look like a model's smile.

"So are we going to take off soon, nerds?" I hear myself say.

"Don't be rude to the smart men!" Celeste quips. Her voice is light and airy, but very articulate with each syllable. "They're going to take us to my birthday present. And we are the first ones to see it!"

"Anything for you honey," I say.

The vision starts to dim, leaving me standing silently at the side of the ship, one hand resting against the cold metal. As I come to my senses, I realize I still have another piece of my identity sitting in my pocket.

I reach down with nervous hands, trying to fidget the paper out. I unfold it.

Anticipation wells up and I feel like my heart is going to leap out of my mouth.

A neatly typed half-sheet of paper reads:

*You will have amnesia when you wake up. It may last for days or even months. It's a side effect of being cryogenically frozen, so use this paper as a reminder of your identity. You typed it up so it will start the course of jogging your memory. ------ Doctor Jan Yusefson

My Name: Quinton York, Jr. (Let's just say Quinn)

Date: May 12, 2022

Age: 18 years old (and killing it!)

Interests: Girls, money, parties of course! As if there's anything else.

Where I am from: New York, United freaking States

What's happening in the world: I don't know, war or something. Chiefs just won the Super Bowl by a touchdown. Lebron retired. And we're on the first ship to go to Mars! Woot!

PS. Your belongings are in the cubby near the exit door. Please remember to grab them on your way out.

I quickly stow the slip of paper back in my pocket and run back to the ship. Raider boy just eyes me curiously as he stands near a patch of sage brush. I briefly wonder if he cares about getting ticks. Coming to the doorway, I see nine box drawers sitting tightly against the wall. I stop to think for a second if any of my hopefully dead raider friends might wake up, which only makes me rifle through the drawers quicker. I find one with a medium-sized, leather backpack with "Gucci" on the label - it feels familiar to me, so I yank it out of the door and head back into the light.

Unzipping the thing, I feel like a boy opening his first Christmas present. Only this time I'm possibly getting a piece of memory back.

Inside the bag are several wads of cash, probably at least ten grand, and cans of Pringles, Hershey's chocolates, and jerky. My stomach starts grumbling in reply, and I realize I haven't eaten in a very long time because it feels like it's eating itself.

I fumble over my phone, which of course is dead, and just throw it back in the bag. I didn't pack a charger which was stupid of me.

There's also a photo of Celeste, which I grab with buzzing fingers.

It's the same image I saw earlier of her face, only this time it shows her whole body. She's standing at a beach, a black sarong wrapped tightly around her waist and a black bikini top to match. Her tight little body and flat, chiseled abs looks absolutely hot in the bikini, and I feel a rush of wanting for her. Her smile is perfect, and her long blond hair blows in the wind. And those piercing blue eyes. Her eyes are incredible.

Then I notice the ring she's holding out from her hand.

Could I have given her this ring? Does this mean we're married? Or engaged?

I look down at my own finger, which is ringless and not noticing any kind of tan line, I figure this must be our engagement.

Flipping the photo over, I see very precise, yet dainty letters.

"To my smoochy poo. I love you to the moon and back, forever and ever. Love your soon-to-be wife, Celeste"

My heart skips a beat.

I have to find her. I know she's alive.

I try to remember our engagement, but it feels like there's a brick wall still, and after making the raider boy probably think I had a stroke for a minute while I squinted and pushed my face into all sort of contortions, I decide it's time to start moving. To start moving toward Celeste, wherever that is.

"Hey kid," I look over at the boy. "I need to charge my phone so I can call the police, or search and rescue or someone. And I need to talk to my fiancée right away. She must've left already and I don't want her to be lost in this backwoods place. I need to call her and arrange for a car or something. Can you help me?"

Toward the end of me talking, I just glared at him while speaking louder with every syllable.

All I received is a shrug from the boy.

Cursing under my breath, I hoisted the backpack over my shoulder with the hunting rifle, and turning back to look at the boy, I said, "You better get home to your backwoods Alabama family kid. Let them know I killed your uncles, or brothers, or whatever they were. Sorry about that. They were going to kill me - I hope you understand that. Hopefully you get out of that place, maybe study or something."

The boy followed my steps as I started to walk toward the run down town below.

"What?" I turned, annoyance on my breath. "It's the year 2022, and you're acting like you've never seen a human being before. You must watch TV right kid. What cult do you belong to? It's 2022, time to get with the times, get a phone. Get some new clothes instead of this weird leather stuff you got on. Here, I'll give you some cash, go start your own life!"

I start to pull out five rolled hundred dollar bills, and I feel a hand reach around my wrist. About to bring my other fist to his face, I suddenly stop.

The boy speaks.

"No."

His eyes blink deeply, and his eyes aren't so glazed over.

"What?" I reply.

"No," he says. "No other life. This is life now." He squints his dark eyes, making them tiny slits. "And it isn't 2022 anymore. Try 2027."

My fist still clenched, I screw up my face in confusion. "You're crazy, freaking crazy, man. Probably hopped up on goo goo berries or some weed from around here.

I throw the money at the kid, which he doesn't even lift a muscle to pick it up. He looks at it like it's just scraps of paper.

"I'm outta here," I say, turning angrily. "Someone will be looking for us I bet, and I'm not sticking around this hole. Don't follow me - go find your own life."

"Don't go down there," he warns, actual concern showing in his eyes. "It's dangerous."

But I'm already sliding down the mountain in rage - he probably wants me to stay so his slack-jaw cousins can eat me for dinner. No way I'm sticking around for that.

I can hear a deep, mournful howl in the distance, and my pace quickens.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈․° ☣ °․┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

I love comments, so please let me know your thoughts so far! And please remember to VOTE by hitting that little star button!

THANKS for reading :)