“Back away! Back away!!”
A scrawny young man in a gray vest and dark blue pants spread his arms wide. A shotgun hung across his back from a sling over his shoulder. His blue eyes were wide beneath dusty blond hair as he stepped closer to the enormous metallic vessel dug halfway into the ground. A long trail of torn up dirt and broken wheat stalks spread behind it, and smoke was beginning to rise from various holes in the vessel’s hull.
A small group of four remained at his back—a tall man with gray hair and glasses, a middle-aged man with a Stetson upon his graying brown hair, a middle-aged woman in a floral dress with her hair pinned up in braids, and a bulky man with dark hair and a white work shirt—all with varying expressions of curiosity and hesitance.
“That’s a mighty big hunk of metal,” the man in the work shirt was wide-eyed.
“Is that a... a space ship?” The middle-aged man asked, scratching his head behind his hat while his other hand was shoved into his leather vest pocket.
“From where?” The woman shot a glance at her husband. “And what’s it doin’ in our field??”
The older man had a look of concern on his face. “Whether they meant to land here or not, I can’t imagine this ship is unmanned.”
“You think they may still be alive?”
He turned to the woman. “Shouldn’t we find out?”
In front of them, the blond man had started a wide pace around the vessel. He scanned its form carefully, looking for an entry point while keeping an eye on the ever-growing smoke.
“Thomas, be careful,” the middle-aged man called, grappling with the idea of getting closer. To his surprise, the bespectacled man beside him had no hesitancy in approaching the ship.
“There’s somethin' written on here,” Thomas’ said, glancing up to the man from his crouched position.
The woman didn’t initially move as the three men walked away from her. “Is it safe?” She clenched the sides of her floral patterned skirt and made an even wider pass around the ship until she could see all four men again.
“ORBIT Earthrise Station Pod Number One,” the man with glasses bent low to the torn-up dirt to read the stenciled letters on the metal vessel.
“Did you say Earth?” The woman stepped incrementally closer.
Thomas turned to the man. “William—that’s the planet that set up the colony here!”
“It is,” William answered, adjusting the glasses on his nose in mild surprise.
“Maybe they’re sendin’ us aid,” Thomas was rubbing his chin before continuing to the back of the ship. “By golly, we could use it.”
“Aid?” The middle-aged man spouted, rolling his eyes. “After—what—five hundred years of radio silence? We could’ve used aid fifty years ago when those damned beasts showed up—”
“I found a door!” Thomas’ voice came from the back of the ship.
“Be careful!” The woman called as she scooted around in her circle to keep them all in view.
The oval-shaped hatch had a wide, round window made of thick glass. Thomas cautiously stepped up to it to look inside, but it was too smoky to see through. He waved the bulky man over, and the two of them heaved open the lever. The ship hissed as the door clanked open towards them.
Smoke billowed out of the opening as the four sets of eyes squinted through the fog. Instinctively holding out his hand to keep the others back, Thomas climbed up into the doorway and slipped inside before anyone could say otherwise.
“Thomas, don’t go gettin’ yerself hurt! You’re the only mayor we’ve got!!” The woman shouted harriedly.
“William!” He called from within the ship.
The urgency in his voice concerned him, and he was quick to climb inside after him. The man in the work shirt peered in with worry as he remained near the doorway.
Outside, the woman had come even closer, craning her neck to try to look within the doorway from her vantage point. “What’re they doin’, Henry?”
“I don’t know, Margaret, they’re—”
Henry was cut short as Thomas shot out the door and William emerged from the ship with a woman in his arms. Her skin and red tunic were streaked with black soot, blending it with the black pants she wore.
Margaret clapped her hand across her mouth as she gasped loudly.
“Hudson,” William struggled to pass the woman to the bulky man, and he carefully accepted her limp form into his arms. “She needs medical attention immediately,” he said as he climbed back onto solid ground. “Severe dehydration, high fever, her breathing is very shallow—”
“Good thing we have a doctor with us,” Henry eyed William.
“I can’t do anything out here,” he admitted.
The woman suddenly gasped for air.
Henry and Margaret shrunk back in shock while Hudson instinctively clutched her tighter.
The woman arched her back and sucked in air as quickly as she could, coughing and wheezing in between until her breathing could even out. Her eyes broke open as the warmth of the sun bathed her in light. Between her weak eyes and her dusty glasses, it was difficult to focus.
“Hello there,” William stepped into her view.
She blinked slowly, trying to focus on the man as his kind voice fell softly on her ears.
“We’re going to get you fixed up, don’t worry. You are safe now.”
She could just barely make out a smile, warming his face, tugging the wrinkles, and narrowing his light blue eyes behind a thick pair of glasses. Her parted lips attempted a smile, and her eyes drifted closed again.
- - -
The nurse’s brown eyes bugged when she opened the door to find a half-conscious woman in Hudson’s arms. Without a word, she ducked out of the way to let him through. He passed through the office that led into the long, narrow room used to house patients in the town’s meager hospital ward.
“Lillith, can you bring my stethoscope and then set up IV fluids?” The doctor called over his shoulder as he hurried behind.
The tight curls in Lillith’s short, dark hair bounced as she nodded, and she slipped back into the office—passing Thomas, Henry, and Margaret as they huddled against the wall, cautiously curious. The three other patients in the room did their best to sit up and glance around their privacy curtains, but there was little more they could do and even less they could see.
His expression heavy with concern, Hudson gently laid the woman upon the first bed across from the office and backed away to give the doctor room.
Moments later, a teenage girl with braided brown hair darted out of the office with a stethoscope in hand.
“Carla, what’re you doin’ here??” Margaret attempted to grab her daughter without leaving her place against the wall.
“I came t’help Ms. Lillith, ‘n’she told me to bring this in here!” Carla could barely finish speaking before her eyes glued to the young mayor. “Hey, Thomas,” the corner of her mouth tugged in a bashful grin.
William’s quick surface check indicated most of the bruises across the woman’s face and arms were actually just soot and dirt when they disappeared with a brush of his hand. He turned and took the stethoscope from the now unmoving Carla. “Can you help me by getting a damp washcloth?” He pointed to the sink in the nearby corner to redirect her gaze. He then pulled up his stool and put the stethoscope into his ears.
Carla stepped backward toward the sink, though she only made it a few feet before freezing again—this time with her eyes fixed upon the patient. “Wait,” her head dipped, “is she from that crash we heard?”
Lillith rushed an IV cart around William to the head of the bed. “Excuse me,” she shooed the girl away hurriedly, only for her expression to skew when she noticed heavy confusion upon the doctor’s face. “What is it?”
“I... I don’t understand,” his pale blue eyes had glazed as they looked down at the stethoscope gently tucked into the top of the woman’s red tunic. “Her heart seems to be racing, but she’s scarcely conscious.”
The woman groaned, squinting her eyes as the nurse inserted the IV needle into her arm.
“Is she an alien?” Carla’s eyes peeked over Lillith’s shoulder.
“Alien??” Margaret shrieked. “Carla!!” She grabbed Henry’s arm and promptly began tugging on it. “Henry, get ‘er away from there!!”
“She’s not an alien if she’s from Earth,” Henry attempted.
“She isn’t human,” William uttered, passing the stethoscope between two distinct places upon her chest. “Not with two hearts.”
Margaret went white, slumping against her husband. Hudson’s eyes were wide as he backed into the wall.
Thomas darted to the bed, ripping Carla away and gripping her protectively at his side. “What’re you talkin’ about, not human??”
The woman grunted and opened her eyes. She was met by blurred faces and wary eyes. Nervous, her breathing quickened as she began to scan their expressions.
“Hello again,” William said gently, removing the stethoscope from his ears and looping it around his neck. “I hope you can understand me. But you’re safe now, and you should start to feel better very soon.”
Her eyes focused on William as he spoke, finding comfort in his voice enough to relax.
“You must have been alone for a long time,” his kept his attention solely upon her.
Her eyes grew sad and lost focus.
“How are you feeling? You’re very dehydrated so you may feel lightheaded and confused, but do you feel pain anywhere?”
“Where are you from??” Thomas butted in.
“Thomas,” William threw up his hand.
Margaret finally got the nerve to grab Carla and pull her away from both the alien and the mayor—much to the girl’s audible dismay.
“Momma, stop!!”
The woman in the bed clamped her eyes shut, clenching her teeth.
William stood up. “Can I have a few moments of peace to properly treat my patient?” He said calmly, yet forcefully.
Everyone in the room froze. Taking the cue, Lillith pulled out the privacy curtain and remained within earshot on the other side. Margaret, Carla, Henry, and Hudson retreated into the office. Only Thomas remained where he was. His wide-eyed curiosity on the rescue mission had shifted to cold distrust toward the unknown alien.
“I’ll be back later,” the young man murmured firmly.
William simply nodded and returned to the stool at the woman’s side. He heard Thomas’ footsteps start away to exit the hospital by the door at the other end of the hall.
“I’m sorry about that,” William began again. “It’s not every day we meet someone new—and it shows,” he added exasperatedly.
The woman’s eyes opened as slits.
He brought a hand to his chest. “My name is William Bauer, and I’m the doctor here. Are you in pain?”
She shook her head gently against the pillow.
The doctor perked up when he received an answer. “Good. I was worried you may have been injured in the crash, but you don’t have any injuries that I could see. Let me know if anything hurts when I touch it.” He stood and gently began to press his thumbs against her neck, around her collarbone, along the sides of her ribs, at various points of her abdomen, and down her legs to her feet. “Anything?”
She shook her head again.
He offered her a smile. “Good.” He stepped aside to gather the washcloth, though he was quick to turn back when the woman drew in a heavy breath.
“Where am I?” Her words were released in an exhale.
His face lightened further to hear her articulate words, albeit breathlessly. “You are in Westfall,” he paused, “on the planet Braecia.”
Her eyes twitched as her brows lowered slightly.
“The vessel you were in said ‘Earth,’” he tried. “Is that where you are from?”
“No.”
He nodded. “How did you come to be on the vessel?”
“They captured me. I escaped.” Her eyes squinted shut as the memories began to flare in her mind. She turned her head away in distress, breathing sharply through her teeth.
William pressed his lips together. “I see. I’m sorry,” he returned to the chair and laid a hand on her arm for comfort. “But, I’m glad you’re all right.”
She shook her head, wincing.
“You’re safe here.” He reassured, keeping his hand on her arm. “You can rest and heal, and we can try to find a way to get you home.”
“I have no home!” She spat, a tear slipping from her eye.
He sat back on the stool, half out of surprise from her outburst. “May I at least have your name?” He asked gently.
Her eyes opened, blurry with tears.
“I have no name,” she hissed.
- - -
“What??”
“I’m sorry, Thomas,” William was leaning back in his chair, glancing up at the young mayor who was standing with his hands firmly pressed on his desk. His arms were crossed against a brown vest, and the sleeves of his white dress shirt were rolled to his elbows. “This woman is in a state of medical duress and just survived crash-landing onto our planet hours ago. She did not reveal her name or where she is from, and I was not about to press her for the information at this time.”
“Then tell me all you know about ‘er!” He said firmly.
“She is not injured, but she’s not in a very good mental state. She is not from Earth; she was captured there and escaped on the vessel that she landed in. I fear this escape may have been trau—”
“How do we know she wa’n’t sent away because she’s dangerous??”
William puffed a breath through his nose. “I can assure you she is in no condition to cause any harm to this town.”
“But that don’t mean she won’t be when she heals!” Thomas leaned heavily on the desk, and the turquoise bolo tie at his neck slipped out of his vest. “What if she’s stringin’ you along like she did them—waiting to attack us with her alien power—”
“I’m going to stop you right there,” the doctor raised a finger.
Thomas’ brows furrowed, darkening his eyes in the dim yellow light of the room. “As the Mayor of Westfall—”
“Yes, I know you’re trying to be cautious,” he interrupted the young man. “You’ve been mayor for almost six months, and I know you still feel the need to prove yourself worthy of your title; but, no one is questioning your ability to lead this town. Your father gave you excellent instruction before—”
“I do not want to endanger my town.” The young mayor narrowed his eyes.
“Mr. Hiller,” William sat back against his chair, “has it ever occurred to you that perhaps this was meant to happen?”
“What’re you sayin’?”
“Of all the places in the universe she could have crashed, she crashed here on Braecia. Of all places on Braecia, she crashed just outside of Westfall—in the fields where the beasts avoid being out in the open. We were able to rescue her quickly and safely because of your leadership.” He clasped his hands together upon his desk. “What if she landed here for us to find, for us to help—and, who knows, for her to help us in return?”
“That’s nonsense.”
William cocked an eyebrow as the mayor pushed away from his desk and adjusted the tie at his neck. “Are you certain?”
He turned his head with a finger pointed at William. “I want ‘er back where she came from.”
“That may take some time considering her ship has sustained a great amount of damage and we don’t own any functional spacecraft—not to mention she needs our help.”
“I’ll ask around town; maybe the Rowletts can fix it. I don’t want more’f our resources going to t’keep her alive. We’re already strugglin’ enough as it is.”
“I will make sure the town does not feel burdened by her presence.” William said succinctly.
A brief moan and a sudden sharp cry distracted everyone in the ward.
Lillith dropped a change of clothes beside an elderly patient a few beds down and rushed toward the nameless woman just as William peeked into the room.
“Hey,” the nurse coaxed, grasping the woman’s hand as she writhed in the bed. “Hey, you’re all right.”
The woman gasped as her eyes opened and she struggled to catch her breath. Her focus darted aimlessly until they found Lillith’s steady presence.
“You’re all right, ma’am; you’re safe.”
She shuddered through one more breath before letting it out and relaxing. Her wearied mind had revisited a painful memory. She could still see the lieutenant’s burning eyes as they loomed over her and shoved her down into the bed. She shivered and released another breath.
Lillith turned toward William’s office to find the doctor had returned to face the mayor. Their discussion had fallen silent, presumably because the woman in question had proven William’s point of being under great mental strain. Sure enough, an inaudible mumble from the young mayor was followed by the front door opening and closing firmly. She gave a relieved sigh and turned back to the woman.
“That must have been a bad dream,” she said, gently wiping the sweat from the woman’s brow with a handkerchief produced from an apron at her waist. “Your fever’s breaking, so I’m not too surprised, but I am sorry you had to be so scared.”
The woman’s eyes drifted closed.
“But at least you didn’t hear any of the mayor’s ramblings,” she muttered, glancing down at her white pleated shirt. “You’ll learn pretty quick Thomas is known for his skepticism. He’s even worse than his dad was when he was mayor...”
She sighed when she received no response from the woman and turned her attention to the IV rack. She tapped the tube to ensure it was dripping properly before returning to the elderly patient across the room. After helping her dress into her nightgown, Lillith bid her goodnight and entered the office.
“Miss Pearson and Ms. Kirkland are dressed for bed, and I set up the new girl’s second IV. Her color’s already looking much better. She ate up all the soup Margaret brought by and had a pretty good nap, and now her fever’s breaking.” She paused, reaching to her back to untie her apron. “Is there anything else you need?”
William’s hands were steepled at his chin while his eyes rested elsewhere. “No; thank you, Lillith. I’ll make my final round in a few minutes and turn in.” His eyes found their focus on the bed tucked away in a smaller room that branched off from his office.
She nodded, noting the strain upon his gaze. “I figured Thomas would be wary of her. He’s wary of everything.”
The doctor took in a breath and dipped his head. “I understand his hesitance to trust her, but he should be able to trust me.”
“He does, he’s just... not showing it well.” Lillith’s lips skewed.
William finally gathered his gaze as he offered her a smirk. “I’ll trust you on that one.”
She broke into a grin and patted his shoulder. “Call if you need anything.”
“I will.” He watched her turn to the door. “I appreciate your help today.”
“Of course, Will. Good night.”
The nameless woman could only see a small sliver of the yellow-tinted office between her curtain and the doorway, but she had heard enough to understand what she had missed. She frowned and took in a deep breath, feeling soreness through her chest. So much of the day had been a blur, much like her seemingly endless days aboard the vessel. Even now that her faculties were returning, there was not much for her to remember in the span of time between leaving ORBIT and arriving on Braecia.
She shuddered. It was difficult to stop thinking about ORBIT, especially when its scenes reappeared in her unconscious sleep. A wave of anxiety washed over her and sat heavily upon the pit of her stomach. She could not let these people know what she had done; after all, there was already one who couldn’t trust her. What would happen if they knew she was a killer?
A small, annoyed groan reached her ears. Another moan was followed by the pats of two sock-covered feet on the other side of the adjacent privacy curtain. Soon, a small hand took the curtain, and a young girl peeked around the edge.
She was thin and frail and would have barely reached Lillith’s waist if she had been standing beside her. Her hair was a mass of black waves that coated her shoulders like lion’s mane. She wore a white dress that stopped at her knees and white socks on her feet, starkly contrasting her dark skin.
The woman glanced down at herself under the girl’s steady gaze. Her brown hair fell to her shoulders, and her green eyes were tired behind her glasses. Her dusty tunic and pants had been replaced with a sterile white robe tied at her waist. Her pale legs and feet were covered in a knitted, rose-colored blanket while the rest of her was propped up against a group of pillows.
“Hi,” the girl said, resting her hands on the blanket near the woman’s knees.
The woman blinked. “Hello.” Her voice was still raspy, and she grunted in an attempt to clear her throat.
“My name is Ella!”
The woman’s lips pressed into a half-smile. “Hi, Ella.”
“What’s your name?” She pressed further.
The smile faded.
Ella tilted her head. “Did your parents not give you one?”
“...No,” the woman was at a loss of words.
“Ms. Kirkland was talking about you crashing in a space ship,” Ella shifted the conversation as her eyes strayed to the IV rack beside her bed, “Did you get hurt?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Oh, good.” She seemed relieved, idly running her fingers up and down the edge of the blanket. “I’m here because I got hurt, but now I’m still here because I’m sick,” she said in passing.
The woman was quiet for a moment. “I’m sorry to hear that,” she offered, looking down at her folded hands.
Ella’s hand dropped back to her side. “But it’s okay, because Doctor Bauer is helpin’ me get better.”
“That’s good,” the woman returned her gaze. “He seems very nice.”
“Mm-hmm!” Ella’s eyes lit up. “Sometimes in the evenings he reads to us from his big brown book! I hope he does tonight!”
“Ella?” An older woman’s voice came from the next bed over. “Ella, are you out of bed again?”
“Mind your own business, Sue!” An older man’s voice replied from the next bed. “You’re not the bed police!”
“Ella, you need your rest!”
“Yes, Ms. Kirkland.” The girl submitted, rolling her head as much as her eyes. “Sorry, I’d better get back in bed. It was nice meeting you!”
The nameless woman remained still, watching Ella—and the mass of her hair—disappear behind the curtain.
All the while, William had stood quietly in the doorway of his office, watching the scene in amusement. “Good evening, everyone,” he announced his presence once everyone had settled.
The woman glanced up as he began to pull back her cloth partition to allow her to see Ella beside her. The girl began to beam as she wiggled her shoulders to rock a stuffed brown dog in her arms.
Dr. Bauer then tugged back the curtain between Ella and Sue Kirkland, and lastly between Sue and Geoffrey Hennessey.
Ella offered wide smiles as Sue and Geoffrey greeted each other. The nameless woman forced a smile as the elderly patients down the row offered strained glances in her direction.
William smiled. “How is everyone feeling? Do you need anything?”
“I could use more water,” Sue spoke up.
“Bourbon,” Geoffrey quipped.
“Two waters, then,” William chuckled. “Miss Ella, do you need anything?”
“No, thank you,” she replied.
The doctor nodded and went to the sink in the corner beside the nameless woman’s bed. “Can I get you anything?”
“Water, too, I guess,” she said softly, eyes upturned.
He nodded and filled four small cups of water, balancing them between his fingers before setting the first into her hand. He placed the second on Ella’s bedside ‘just in case’ and delivered the other two to the patients beyond her.
“Can you read from your book tonight?” Ella asked as William turned back to his office. To her glee, he dragged his office chair into the room and sat down between the four of them—book in tow.
“I thought tonight we’d read from Lamentations, chapter three,” William licked his thumb and flipped the thin pages. “It’s a good reminder that even in our sorrow and pain, we have a God who is faithful.” With that, he adjusted the glasses on his nose and began to read.
“He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes; my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, ‘My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord.’
“Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’”
“Amen.” Ms. Kirkland spoke without opening her eyes.
William’s eyes rose from the book, noting a perplexed look upon the bespectacled woman’s face. “Have you read from the Bible before?” he asked in curiosity.
The woman pressed deeper against her pillows. “No,” she admitted quietly.
“That’s all right,” he reassured her with his hand. “I wasn’t sure if such a thing was available where you lived before.”
She shrugged, glancing uncomfortably at Sue and Geoffrey’s stares.
William turned back to the book and began turning a few more pages. “A similar sentiment can be found in Psalm 31,” he spoke, holding out the book as he read.
“In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!
“For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.”
Ella raised her hand. “What is ‘redeemed’?”
“Redeemed means to rescue, or to regain in exchange for payment.” William explained. “The sacrifice and death of his Son was the price God paid to redeem us. He cleared our debt caused by our sins and failings, and his death rescues us from the death we deserved.”
The nameless woman’s eyes fell distant. There would be no hope for rescuing—no redeeming—after what she had done. She turned her head away from William as he continued to read, only half-listening as the anxiety flared within her mind.
“Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!”
Chapter Notes