The air went cold with a loud hiss as Reilly’s serenity froze then shattered like a glass thrown against a cement wall. Hinges squealed metallic pain, billowing cold air into his private space and flooding the silence with the screaming of bells.

The small pod door raised, then slid back.

The ship’s cabin was bathed in a red light as if serial killer had taken a machete to the rest of the crew. Reilly squinted hard as the cabin blurred in and out of focus. The fog of sleep gripped the sides of his temples, pressing hard – all the time pressing – like fingers of the damned trying to reach into his skull. The alarm made his ears swell. He cupped them with his hands, surprised to feel his own fingers.

How long have I been asleep?

He tried to think of his most recent memory, but his mind produced a black void, peppered with the distant icy light of stars. He closed his eyes, hoping to be embraced by the darkness.

The ship rocked with a loud boom and for just a moment, the cabin went black. The lights and the alarms died. The world fell into silence. A wish granted.

Seconds passed like hours. He felt the ship spin like a top. An invisible hand touched his chest, then pressed against it. It was a gentle push that grew heavier with each moment.

I’m falling.

The lights turned back on. The alarms poured back into the empty space. A soothing woman’s voice assured, “Brace for impact.” Drowsiness washed off him as the thought repeated itself.

We’re falling.

Another bang, and the ship shimmied back and forth, rattling everything on board. His teeth clacked against each other. He gripped the pod’s walls as he jerked back in forth inside of it. He closed his eyes, feeling the last effect of the hibernation dissipate back into the dark as adrenalin filled all the empty spaces. Even with his eyes closed, the darkness turned orange as the ship’s cabin glowed with light.

We’re entering an atmosphere. We’re going to burn up.

He hoisted himself out of his pod, knowing it was too late to do anything.

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