Liara barely had time to process the message before the plane jolted violently. She was thrown sideways in her seat as a loud clang echoed in her ears. Oxygen masks flailed in the cabin, the scream of the passengers mixing with the roar of the engines.

  Another lurch sent her flying forward, her seatbelt biting into her waist, her head slamming against the seat in front of her. Her hands clawed at the dangling oxygen mask above, the shaking of the cabin making it hard to grasp, her vision already blurring. The lights flickered one final time, plunging the cabin into darkness.

  In one last moment of consciousness she’d hear the sound of metal screaming against metal.

  And then.

  Nothing.

  Liara woke up with a sharp gasp, her lungs feeling empty as they sucked in as much as they could of the thick humid air. Her head throbbed, each blink of sore eyes pounding against her skull. Her hand shielded her eyes, rubbing against them as the world slowly came into focus.

  To her surprise she was lying on her back on the ground of a dense jungle and not hot coals despite what her aching body was telling her. Around her, rose towering trees, glowing vines climbing their trunks and stretching far into the sky. The canopies above weaved together, creating a strange bioluminescent twilight. Large bulbs hung from trees around her and her surroundings varied in various hues of purple instead of the greens and browns she had grown to expect. The air was warm, heavy with the scent of earth and decay. As the dullness faded from her ears, the jungle came alive around her. The air carried the sound of chirps, growls, and the rustling of leaves as critters rushed through the underbrush.

  Her pulse quickened.

  This isn’t Earth.

  The thought came unbidden. She sat up with a start, wincing at the stabbing pain in her side. Lookin around her, her surroundings alien to any she had visited or seen a photo of. Her clothes were torn, her arms full of scratches and bruises. No wreckage. No other passengers. Just her, alone in this strange dream.

  She staggered to her feet, her body swaying from side to side as her knees trembled beneath her. “Hello?” She called out, her voice scratching through her throat. “Is anyone there?”

  But the only answer was the jungle. The strange sounds growing louder as she strained her ears to listen.

  Her throat was parched, her lips cracked. What few words she had spoken felt like sandpaper to push out. She scanend her surroundings once more, her head clearing in small bursts of lucidity. Liara waddled towards the nearest tree, leaning against the damp wood as she’d pause to gather herself. Water. Shelter. Something to defend herself with. Survive first. Think later.

  The search for water took hours. Or at least it felt like it did as she pushed through the dense foliage. Her already scratched hands bore new marks as they brushed against strange, rubbery leaves that oozed a clear liquid when torn. Instinct and training warned her not to risk tasting anything she didn’t recognize. Her thoughts felt sluggish as she thought of half forgotten cases of children dying as they ate innocent looking flowers. Still, her tongue felt dry and raspy as sandpaper, her limbs growing heavier with each step

  Finally, the dense jungle gave way to a small clearing. In its center it held a shallow pool of water, glimmering faintly with the surrounding glow. The plants around it were strange, holding up broad, shimmering leaves that pulsed with a slow rhythm. Slowly she’d fall a few steps from the edge of the water, closing the distance at a crawl. She hesitated at the edge, a face she could barely recognize stared back at her. The thirst faded for a moment, a hand reached up to run the tips of fingers across her face. Pale and disheveled.

  The water was still. No movement in her surroundings, no visible threats.

  Unable to wait any longer, she cupped her hands and drank. Never had she drank anything as heavenly as the alien murky water. The cool liquid soothed her throat, her thoughts becoming all that clearer. She’d sit back, the pit in her stomach beginning to fade, her thoughts turned to ponder the wisdom of drinking strange water in such a strange place. A faint breeze rustled the leaves around her, small ripples floating slowly over the water. For the first time since waking, she allowed herself a small moment of calm.

  It didn’t last.

  A low clicking sound echoed from the treeline, like two rocks crashing against each other. Liara froze, the chittering overcome by her heartbeat in her ears. Slowly, she turned towards the sound.

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  The creature emerged from the trees and into the clearing, its body down and low to the ground. It resembled an insect, but its proportions were all wrong. Four spindly legs supported a glossy, chitinous body. THe hard exoskeleton shimmered faintly in the dimming light. Its elongated body bore two glowing yellow lights. Two glowing eyes that were unblinking, and most importantly, currently fixated on her. Above swayed an anchored segmented ail, tipped with a sharp, scythe-like blade.

  Liara’s breath aught in her throat when the creature began chittering, its head tilting with eyes never leaving her. It began a slow crawl forward, its movements unnervingly smooth.

  “Fuck.”

  She scrambled back away from the creature, her hands clawing at the ground. Her fingers closed around a broken branch. She lifted it, her arms trembling as she held it out in both hands like a weapon. “Stay back!” She shouted, her voice cracking.

  The creature lunged.

  Liara swung the branch with all of her meager strength. The jagged end of the branch stroke the creature’s side. It screeched, it’s front legs stumble dsideway, but it’d shift with the strike. A sharp whistle of wind followed the bladed tail that swung over her head. She had just barely been fast enough.

  “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” Her mantra flowed from her lips as she scrambled to the side. I can’t fight this thing. I’m going to die here.

  The clacking of the chitinous legs tapping against the ground as the creature shifted to face her once more. Her branch a poor deterrent for the strange predator. She blocked the next bite, her branch being caught in between the monster’s mandibles.

  A curse caught in her throat, trying to leave her lips as she watched her branch effortlessly being snapped. It was soon interrupted by another lunge from the creature.

  Panic surged through her. The tail swung towards her, and she closed her eyes shut. Her hands held out infront of her.

  And then.

  Nothing.

  Nothing changed.

  She’d hear the chittering from the creature, but no strike came. Her head was still attached firmly to her shoulders. Her eyes opened slowly, before snapping open at what came into view.

  Thick vines wrapped around the creature, dragging it to the ground from what leverage could be found between its segments. The tail forced to the ground. From her still raised hands a green glow would begin to fade. Her eyes glued to the diminishing light.

  The clattering brought her back to reality. Thee creature still struggling against its bindings. She looked around, looking for any way out. Her eyes stopping on the remains of her branch. She rushed for it, the creature managed to shift enough to snap at her, but she was still out of its reach. If barely.

  She returned to the creature, swinging down the branch. Over and over, the monster screeching in response though little damage appeared on the sturdy exoskeleton.

  The faint glow returned and a cracking sound came from the bound creature. Its squirming became more frantic. She kept bringing the broken branch down, and the chittering became more high pitched. Suddenly, the creature went still.

  A message appeared before her eyes, glowing faintly in the air.

  Liara ignored the words for the moment. She’d still bring the stick down on the creature’s head. She didn’t stop as the glow on her hands faded, only when she couldn’t lift the makeshift weapon would she let herself drop to her knees. Her body leaned against the carcass, her chest heaving as her hands didn’t let go off the stick.

  She took this moment to look over the hovering box. The message lingered for a few seconds longer before vanishing, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

  She dropped the branch and stumbled away from the creature, her back pressing against a nearby tree. Her body trembled a bit more with each breath she took.

  “What the hell is happening?” she whispered, her gaze fixated on her hands. They felt warmth, as if the green glow was still hiding just under her skin. The warmth slowly faded and a shuffling sound came from beyond her. Her head snapped to the carcass and she watched as the vines went slack, the creature slumping to the ground.

  The words from the message were burned into her mind.