1 HOUR LEFT. That's what it read on the oxygen gauge for their escape pod. One agonising hour left. The two boys had been sat in silence for the past hour, the quiet had taken over them like a plague. After all the hell. After all the fighting and struggle. All the trauma they had been through. They would die, alone, having fought for nothing. 

Dylan looked over to his friend Percy in the corner. He was shaking, breathing uneasy. The effects of adrenaline must have been wearing off. Percy was not a brave person, a few times Dylan thought he was going to give up on trying to survive. He was glad to have been proved wrong. His once vibrant blue eyes now seemed dimmed. His already pale skin was now looking almost completely white in the dark lighting of space. His blonde hair doing the same.

Dyan had hoped they could have both been able to escape with any other survivors and make it back to civilization. He reached his hand out to meet his friend’s and felt the tight grip of Percy’s back. At least they had each other. It was hard to believe that six hours ago they had been sitting in the canteen eating lunch when the power had gone out and the carnage began. Dylan knew Percy held some blame against himself. His dad had created the creatures which had taken over  and attacked the ship. He had been experimenting on bodies to try create god knows what. He thought they had been contained. He was wrong. Now here the two of them were, waiting to die.

“I wish we could have made it to our new home”, Percy spoke with a raspy voice. Dylan looked over to find his friend staring at the wall. They had been travelling to one of the new colonies to help populate the planet and make it into a working metropolis. He wondered what the people would all think when the ship never arrived. Would they send out search parties, would they find their little escape pod or the cruiser. He hoped they would find the pod first. They left a recording of what had happened on the cruiser, Dylan could only pray they wouldn’t walk into the cruiser unprepared for what they would face.

“Yeah”, Was all he could whisper. Percy shifted and he gave a wince of pain. Dylan looked and saw that the wound he had taken from one of the creatures earlier was looking worse than he had remembered. He knew his friend was in pain and shuffled over to sit next to him and felt a wave of lightheadedness come over him. They were both exhausted. Dylan wondered how they hadn't passed out already, but it seemed their bodies wouldn’t let them rest.

“Can I tell you something?”, Percy asked.

“Of course”.

“I’ve had a crush on you for the past four months”. Dylan turned his head towards him. Percy was just staring at him. His eyes were concerned, scared of how Dylan would act and respond in the final moments they had.

“What?” He said softly.

“Yeah”, Percy sighed, hanging his head down. “I figured since we’re not gonna make it I might as well come clean about it”. Dylan paused for a second before responding.

“I hoped you did”. He smiled gently.

Percy looked up at him, a smirk appearing then disappearing seconds later. He leaned his head against Dylan’s shoulder with a sombre look on his face. They sat like that, Dylan didn’t know for how long. There was no celebration in the confession. If they had confessed their love any other time it would have been impactful, a chance to develop and grow. Now it was just for them to clear their conscience before they never got the chance to do so again. He felt Percy brush against his side and start to fall forward. Swiftly moving Dylan caught him and moved his body so that he was cradling him. After a quick panic and checking his pulse Dylan saw that Percy had just passed out. His breathing was steady. It was the most peaceful that he had seen him since lunch that day.  It was strange Dylan thought, How calm he felt. When they had been fighting to get off the cruiser there was panic, fear that they wouldn’t make it out alive. There had been hope then, they knew there was a chance of survival. There wasn’t any of that now. There was no escaping death. Leaning against the wall he looked out the window of their escape pod. The expanse of space outside was beautiful. All the stars showing left him feeling comforted. There were waves of bright colour mixed in the blackness. Dylan had always found space beautiful. He used to admire it for hours. He found his eyes closing, the exhaustion was finally catching up to him. Dylan let the feeling wash over him and drifted into sleep. Holding one of the people he held most dear to him in his arms. Both of them were at peace with one another. Both of them were at peace with fate.

0 HOURS LEFT. That's what it now read on the oxygen gauge.
© Ancient_Myths