No! I have to stay awake!
There was only one hour left until his rendezvous time. The pickup point was only twenty minutes away but he couldn't risk leaving too early. The weather was too unpredictable, too brutal. The heat seemed to have lessened slightly by Reuben was not fooled.
His stomach growled. The first thing he was going to do when he got back was eat. The roots that he had found and the rations had been enough to sustain him, but not much else. The biting edge of hunger had become an old friend by this point... his only friend.
Forty minutes left.
Reuben peered outside his cave. The weather still seemed to be holding. Now was the time. Tightening the straps on his pack and boots, he set out at a brisk pace despite his protesting ankle. There would be time enough to let his limbs heal. He would not be stuck on this lifeless rock.
Twenty-five minutes left.
Vert!
The ankle was slowing him down more than he thought it would. He was going to have to pick up his pace. The weather was noticeably cooling off by the second which made Reuben glance around nervously. Snow was sure to start soon, he could feel it. There would be no way for him to make the pickup in time with a bad ankle and trekking through feet of snow.
Gritting his teeth, he tried to ignore the pain as best he could and pressed on.
Ten minutes left.
A thin sheen of frost began to form on the skin of the mushrooms. Reuben looked at the time and quickly did some calculations. At this pace he should arrive there exactly on time. Exactly on time. No room for error.
Two minutes left.
His tracking device began to blink and fuzz out.
"Vert!"
Looking around frantically he search for any signs of the ship. The mushroom forrest made it impossible to see very far but he should at least be able to hear the ship... anything!
He heard a low rumble coming from the south. At least he thought it was from that direction. It was impossible to be certain but he didn't have time to question his decision.
He sprinted in that direction has fast as he could. The rumbles were growing louder as the engine prepared for take off. There! In the small clearing! He could see the transport shuttle. The doors were slowly sliding shut.
"Wait! I'm here!"
Two minutes left.
His tracking device began to blink and fuzz out.
"Vert!"
Looking around frantically he search for any signs of the ship. The mushroom forrest made it impossible to see very far but he should at least be able to hear the ship... anything!
He heard a low rumble coming from the south. At least he thought it was from that direction. It was impossible to be certain but he didn't have time to question his decision.
He sprinted in that direction has fast as he could. The rumbles were growing louder as the engine prepared for take off. There! In the small clearing! He could see the transport shuttle. The doors were slowly sliding shut.
"Wait! I'm here!"
