I Remember

I remember when I stood there watching as the sky filled with those flying ships hovering above. I looked around as my neighbors came from their homes, pointing up at the sky. A ship in the distance hovering above the city miles away. A beam of light shot from the spacecraft hitting the ground causing a big mushroom cloud that covered the skyline of the city. People began to scream and run into their homes.

My fear and curiosity stopped me from showing fear like my neighbors. I just remember not being able to take my eyes off of the flying ships above me. I could hear my name being called and someone grabbing hold of my hand, pulling in the opposite direction of the city. I looked at my wife, who was leading me towards her car.

As we drove towards the opposite direction of the city and towards the forest. I remember the look in my wife’s eyes. They held fear but remained focused on the road ahead.

“Where are we going?” I asked. I wasn’t able to recognize the road we were driving on. My wife remained silent.

“Do you know what’s going on? Does this have to do with your research?” Again nothing came from her mouth. My mind was racing and my frustration grew as my questions went unanswered.

“Answer me, damn it!”

My wife stopped the car in the middle of the road and turned to me.

“Amber, I will answer all of your questions once we’ve reached the location.” She said, reaching into the backseat and grabbing her leather briefcase.

“You promise?”

“I promise. Now let’s get going.”

We both exited the car and I followed her deeper into the forest. We climbed over streams and fallen branches. The smell of the forest reminds me of my childhood, camping with my mom and dad. I was always so curious about the types of trees and small animals we came across.

I remember-

"We’re here.” My wife's voice interrupted my thoughts as she pointed out a small cabin.

We rushed inside of it. My wife closed and locked the door behind us. I followed her to the hallway where she lifted up a rug revealing a hatch to the basement of the cabin. She motioned for me to climb down into the basement. As I reached the bottom of the ladder, I could see machines and computers come to life. I walked around the room, taking in all the machinery, especially the big tube in the middle of the room. I knew of her occupation but I never would have thought it amounted to all of this.

“What is all of this?”

My wife grabbed my shoulders and looked into my eyes. I could see the tears forming in her eyes as she began to explain everything to me.

“Baby, those things in the sky have to do with my research. This makeshift lab was created because my research was successful in contacting those above. They are here to destroy us because of me. I created this machine to help save the human race.”

She walked over to the machine and opened the hatch. The cold air emanated out of the machine sending shivers down my spine. She reached out for my hand. I placed my hand in hers and held on to it. I didn’t want to let go. It felt like this was the last time.

“I need you to step inside, love.”

I stepped away from her and the machine. “I can’t... I won’t.”

“Please, Amber, I need you to trust me.”

“But what about you? Is there another…’ I looked around the room. ‘...Machine.”

“Listen to me, there’s only one machine and I need you to get inside. When you wake up, you will help save the earth and our people.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a heart-shaped locket with a red gem in the middle. “Hold on to this for me, okay? Carry my heart with you always.”

“Julia-” Before I could finish speaking, she kissed me. As we parted, the ground shook. Julia pushed me into the machine and closed the hatch. I banged my fist on the glass and tried my best to open the hatch but it wouldn’t budge. I could see my wife typing on the computer and pressing a button. The machine began to make a whirring sound and the temperature began to drop. Julia walked over to me and placed her hand on the glass. I mirrored her placing my hand as well. My body began to feel heavy and tired. The last thing I remember was seeing the hatch of the basement open and two large figures coming towards Julia, taking her away.

I remember my past life as if it was a dream. Pieces of my memories are missing or cloudy. But I will always remember my love and our life together. The quiet and lush forest is my new reality now. I don’t know how long I was in that machine. I don’t know if there are any other survivors. I could hear the whirring of machines coming closer.

As I looked past the tree branches and up in the sky, I could see small aircrafts flying by. I touched my heart-shaped locket and ran towards the cabin, closing the door behind me. I climbed down into the basement and went to the workbench. I’ve been trying to open the locket since waking up with no luck. There is a small keyhole on the side of the locket. I’ve tried to find the key to it and I have tried to pick the lock but to no avail. I wanted to just smash it open but didn’t want to break the locket completely.

Suddenly I could hear the front door of the cabin open. I could hear footsteps and the sound of voices coming closer. I grabbed my rifle from the wall and checked the ammunition. I pointed the rifle towards the hatch of the basement as it opened.

“Stay back! I have a weapon. I will shoot.”

Three masked individuals jumped down into the basement pointing weapons at me.

“Who are you? What are you doing in my home?”

One of the intruders lowered their weapons and removed their masks.

“Amber?” She asked.

“How do you know my name?”

“We’ve been ordered to retrieve you.”

“W-Who sent you?”

“Julia sent us.”

I lowered my rifle. “Julia… is alive? Can you take me to her?”

“Yes, we can take you to her. Will you come with us?”

I nodded my head as the other intruders lowered their weapons and walked towards the ladder. I followed them up the ladder and out of the cabin. As we walked away from the cabin, I looked back at the place I called home for the past couple of months. But there was no looking back at this point. I touched my locket and thought of my wife.

After walking along a highway and crossing an open field, we came across a small town. Seeing people for the first time since waking was such an odd feeling. Groups of people parted and stared as I and the intruders walked towards the large building in the center of the town.

The anticipation of seeing Julia again made my heart race. As we walked into the building, we walked down a long hallway and then entered an office. I see a group of people standing around a table.

“We found her.” The unmasked intruder said.

The group of people looked up at us. I looked at each of their faces but none of them were Julia.

“Where’s Julia?” I asked. The unmasked intruder looked at her colleagues before motioning to me to follow her.

“Come with me.”

I followed her out of the office and down the hallway towards another room. There was a couch with a T.V. in front of it.

“Have a seat.”

I sat on the couch. “Is Julia coming?” I asked.

The intruder turned on the television and Julia’s image appeared on the screen. She looked older and tired. I looked at the intruder and then back at the screen. She pressed play and hearing Julia’s voice made me tear up.

“Amber, I know all of this may come as a shock to you but I have asked my people to search for you. You and the contents of that locket are the key to saving the human race from these foreign beings that have taken over our planet. I saved you because I knew you could save the human race,’ She paused, looking down at her hand that held a small key. The same small key was placed on the cushion next to me by the intruder. “Remember when we had that argument about who was the strong one in the relationship and I said it was me. I lied. It was always you who was so strong. Hell, you were strong enough for the both of us.”

“Julia…” I cried. I took the small key and held up my locket. I put the key into the tiny keyhole on the side of the locket, finally opening it. A small USB inside of it.

“My love, I have long left this world. Remember that I will love you always and I believe you can save us all.”

“What if I can’t?” I asked the screen as if her image would answer me back. Julia’s image was paused by the intruder, her soft smile frozen. She sat down next to me, hesitant to lay a hand on my shoulder but she did.

“We believe in you just like Julia did.”

“Did you know her?”

The intruder nodded and smiled. “I did. She saved me when I was just a child from the spaceships that hold thousands upon thousands of our people. She tried her best to fight and save our race but the stress of it all caught up to her. I believed she kept you alive in that chamber in case she didn’t make it.”

I smiled down at the locket and key. “It’s just like her to be a badass and also believe in me and all that crap.”

The intruder took my hands in hers.

“You are not in this alone, Amber. My men and I will help you save us all.”

I had no words for her statement. I looked up at her and smiled.

“What is your name?” I asked.

“Nadia.”

I placed my hand on top of hers. “Well, Nadia, let’s get to work.”

I looked at the television at Julia’s smiling image. I will always remember your words.