Water seeped in through cracks, rising steadily on the carpeted aisle. Papers floated slowly through the air, tattered, and sunk beneath the rising threat. A brief case slipped from Markous Baltar’s lap and collided with the seat in front of him before sinking into the water at his feet. The splash awoke the unconscious man and his eyes blinked away the foggy, dark haze. Fragments of memory clouded his mind. The attendant’s cry. The sunlight from the small round window. The talkative girl sitting next to him. The explosion. Markous’ hands unbuckled the seatbelt at his waist and he stood as an oxygen mask swung directly into his face, causing him to fall to the side. Frigid liquid embraced him with open arms. He greeted it with a surprised shriek and rushed to his feet, hands reaching for anything to grab on to. His hands. Why were they empty? Markous glanced around, panic welling up inside. He lunged for the water around him, searching the seats. Creaks fill the air as he desperately probed around for the missing object. Then finally, he found it: the brown brief case. He sighed with relief and closed his eyes for a minute.
There was only silence. His eyes cracked open and he glanced around, a shiver racing down his spine. People sat in their chairs and laid on the floor, their bodies lifeless. The little girl that had sat next to him was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she too was dead. A rumble caught his attention and he looked down. Water flowed freely around his knees. Another rumble echoed and everything around him shifted. He stumbled forward and sprinted down the aisle, brief case in hand. Water rushed after his every step. Markous reached the exit and pried the door open. Water. The only thing in front of him -surrounding him- was water. Panicked, He looked to his left and exclaimed in relief. There was land not too far away. Markous risked a look back, then plunged into the water, holding his brief case above his head. His blue suit was soaked from the chest down and he could barely move, but he continued on, away from the destruction. He waded through the crystal blue water and eventually reached the safety of land.
Markous then sat exhaustedly on the shore and watched the metal giant slowly sink into the depths of the void. His eyes wandered across the sky, hoping to find rescue. As the sun began to set to the west, he reluctantly tugged on the brown brief case at his side and placed it on his lap. He unlatched it and glanced at its contents. In the center, only a small, black flip phone sat, untouched by water. Markous took the phone wearily and opened it. There was a single missed call, but no voicemail. He
Inside the Void
by Lindsay Neil
15