No Sounds to be Heard

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. As astronaut Brett Williams stepped down onto the ground below, he closed the shuttle door behind him as his crew members watched closely. He turned and gave them a thumbs up before unbuckling his helmet and removing it. It was less than a second before his head pounded so sharply, that he dropped his gear and grabbed his ears as they burned. He tried to scream, but as his jaw stretched open with a tightness and a popping feeling, there was no sound. He stumbled still holding his ears, trying to scream as the crew stared in horror. Nobody moved, they were paralyzed with fear. Brett suddenly fell backwards and felt a strong pulse go through his entire body. He could still see his space shuttle, but his ears stopped ringing. And although he couldn't hear anything, he could now see what was before invisible to him, it was another world. Now, Brett could see what looked like people and some kind of strange other lifeform off in the distance. Quickly he seemed to forget everything and began to walk. Every step he took felt like walking on air. The fear left him, and he began to focus on his surroundings. There were buildings, mountains, houses and even cars. He couldn't believe it. was he dreaming? Brett tried to call out, but now not only could he not make a sound, he also couldn't open his mouth. The crew could no longer see him, as they started to get their senses back, panic set in. Noone could believe it. It was another disappearance, but this time, it was before their eyes. As they prepared to radio back to the station, they realized the gauges were all malfunctioning and they were going to have to leave their mission, and Brett. US 288 to base, over, there wasn't a sound. US288 to base, over, the silence was deafening. A decision had to be made quickly. Brett continued towards a building and was greeted by the most beautiful woman he had ever seen as he approached the stairs. The woman touched his hand and for the first time since landing, he could hear again. To his amazement, he could hear her voice. It wasn't coming from her mouth; she was speaking with her mind. All at once, Brett felt a sense of peace come over him forgetting for a moment, how he got there. The woman told him her name was Nyotti. They started up the stairs as she still held his hand. He had so many questions, his mind began to race, and she cut in. Nyotti could hear every thought he had. She explained that because they do not speak, their other senses are heightened drastically such as vision and hearing. Brett knew it was true. He felt completely different than ever before. As they continued, she led him to a door and before he knew it, she was gone. Back at the space shuttle as Brett's crew members prepared to leave, they all starred out of the windows, no one was comfortable with what they were about to do. Time was running out; they knew they may not make it home. As the countdown to lift off began, tears fell down their faces, would they ever see Brett again? Would he forgive them for leaving him behind? They knew the odds of making it back to the exact location would end as before and he would be lost in space forever with the other missing astronauts that they were sent back to find.