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  '...This can't be home.' I finally whispered. 'This can't be my home.' Ian said nothing and continued to glance with me, still smiling smugly.

  Feeling faint all of a sudden I staggered backwards and down towards the flight deck chairs and sat down to gather my thoughts. But no matter what I did or what I tried to think about I just couldn't peel my eyes away from the huge dead planet out there. My so called home. What now? I thought.

  'What now indeed?' Ian smirked.

  'This can't be home.' I demanded. 'What the hell happened here?'

  Ian smiled but said nothing. 'So this is it? This is the end of everything. I may as well just follow Mark and Anna out of the goddamn airlock.'

  'Oh don't me so pessimistic David. You should be happy and proud.'

  'Proud! Of what?' I snapped.

  'To be the last of a kind. The last of a dead race. For the final memory of what life was like on this dead rock ends now, with you. You'll go down in history you know.' Ian chuckled loudly at that. I shook my head and rubbed my eyes. When I glanced back Ian had gone. He had disappeared into thin air, never to be seen nor heard from again...Well... I secretly hoped so. I turned my attention back to the Godly and ghastly sight out there which filled up the entire breadth and width of the viewing window.

  'This can't be!' I muttered to myself again. 'This can not be my home. This can't be the end of my journey. My existence. It just can't. '

  Feeling a sudden, desperate urge to do something, anything, I stood up onto my feet and rushed over towards the main computer. The one where Mark was always working. I scrolled through the various options and programs on screen for a good long while before one program finally caught my eye.

  AUTO LANDING.

  There must be some way to land this hunk of junk. Even if it meant certain death with the lack of oxygen on the planet below, because I sure as hell didn't want to die trapped inside this tin can. I selected the program for the auto landing and the computer searched instantly for a landing bay that was within range and working. I prayed and hoped beyond hope that it would find something on the dead planet, anything at all. I waited... I waited some more. Then something flashed up onto the screen.

  NO LANDING BAY IN RANGE.

  I sighed out in frustration then browsed at the other options. There was an icon to widen my search. I felt a sense of pointlessness as I selected this. And with what little hope was left inside I entered a figure into the search box. I typed in 1000 Kilometres.

  NO LANDING BAY IN RANGE.

  I typed in 10,000! Then 100,000.

  NO LANDING BAY IN RANGE.

  My heart sank. 1,000,000 Kilometres.

  NO LANDING BAY IN RANGE.

  I was getting frustrated yet I was so determined not to give up. I would keep typing and typing in figures for as long as my bloody fingers could move, just out of spite more than anything. 50,000,000 Kilometres.

  NO LANDING BAY IN RANGE.

  'AAAAARRRRRGHHHH' I let out the most deafening frustrated roar. It was so loud and painful I thought my throat might explode. I could feel and taste blood trickling down the inside of my throat. I had ruptured something in there. This couldn't be the end no way. It just couldn't. I went to scream again, but my throat was burning. It felt on fire. I couldn't even let out a pathetic little whimper if I wanted too. I coughed and some more blood came out. I stood to my feet and glanced back out at the dead planet. I was in a state of utter disbelief. I staggered towards the three flight deck chairs and managed to sit down upon the first. A feeling of great panic overcame me. I didn't know what to do or even think. It was over. I was the last person alive and I was going to die here on this tin can piece of shit shuttle. So close to my once beautiful home, yet so far, far away.

  I stared out at the dark, grim and grey planet in front of me for a long, long while. Gradually the feeling of panic calmed throughout my body. My breathing became more controlled and steadied again. I was slowly accepting my fate, mind, body and soul. I was coming to terms with my short lived existence. There was nothing else I could do but sit in a frustrated despair. Just waiting and watching and hoping. I stared for quite some time at my dead, dying home, with a look of great sorrow and defeat caving in all over my face. It was all I could do now. Just sit there and watch. Watching her hopelessly as she stared right back at me with a look of great sadness, sorrow and defeat broadening across her face too.

  The End

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  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24