Keeping Watch: A Horror Anthology

1

Snakes in the Tomb

By Matthew M. Montelione

We’re ready to descend on Yellow Six, Captain Adrian Morelli of the USA Sun Crow said. He breathed in deep and closed his eyes. He was a little nervous about descending onto the new world, but he tried not to show it to his crew. He pushed his dark brown hair out of his face and clutched the sides of his seat.

If all went according to plan, Yellow Six would be their home for the foreseeable future. There, the crew of thirteen would start another human colony, by natural means as well as frozen embryos. Judging from the early data, Yellow Six was Earth-like enough and a prime candidate for a human colony. The approaching rocky planet received its name simply because it was the sixth planet from the blazing yellow star in the distance; the star mimicked Earth’s own, but was greater in diameter. Yellow Six was one of ten possible habitable planets that showed favorable evidence. The crew aboard the USA Sun Crow were especially excited because their appointed planet was the cream of the crop out of the ten planets.

Take us down slowly, Lieutenant Caldwell, Morelli said. He wiped his sweat-soaked brow. They had been traveling for a long time, and for Morelli and others on board the ship, this was their first major mission of colonization. Most did not know what to expect. Morelli just hoped that all went according to plan. At least concerning the landing, he had total faith in his pilot, Lieutenant Sarah Caldwell. The two were close friends and graduated from the same class. Both were talented and passionate adventurers, driven to find uninhabited Earth-like worlds to satisfy mankind’s dire need to spread out in the universe or face eventual extinction.

Caldwell’s sharp blue eyes stared ahead towards Yellow Six like an eagle to its prey. Her lips were curled; her long blonde hair was matted against her sweaty face.

The crew fell silent as they felt the ship cut through the blazing-hot upper atmosphere of Yellow Six.

Morelli hated the turbulent, ear-popping effects that landings produced. He felt like they threw his body off of its natural equilibrium. In truth, Captain Adrian Morelli was not the typical commander of a spaceship. He loved being on the ground much more than being in space. He enjoyed arriving at the destinations, but was never thrilled about the journeys. Only Caldwell knew that about him.

After what felt to Morelli like a half hour but was, in reality, only a few minutes, the ship landed. His ears hurt, but he breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Caldwell. She chuckled and blew long strands of hair off her face.

Piece of cake, Caldwell said.

Mhmm, Morelli grumbled.

The crew rejoiced and unbuckled themselves from their seats. They stretched and conversed about the upcoming mission.

Doctor Jessica Brisson immediately started gathering her materials. Finally! she said, jittery. Brisson exuded excitement as she strapped her largest pack on her back. She tugged her red hair back and put it in a short ponytail. She turned to her mentor Doctor Michael Andre. Excited, Dr. Andre? she asked.

Sure, but remember, Dr. Andre said, first we study the levels of elements in the atmosphere, as best as we can, from the safety of our lab. Then we can explore outside and get a closer look.

Yes, Dr. Andre, I know. Sorry. I honestly just can’t wait to get out there and breathe the alien air, Brisson replied, that is, as long as free oxygen levels are somewhere near twenty percent like our data suggests.

Indeed, Andre said with a smile. He was Brisson’s professor, and was used to her childlike exuberance. Andre, for his part, was happy to be landing on another planet, but contained his enthusiasm well. He was one of the most seasoned and skilled chemists the United States government had on its payroll. Andre had been on two other colonization missions, both of which resulted in success and hardy colonies that started new lives on alien soil. He was admired by the crew as a wise professional who would ensure the sound completion of their mission.

I trust that we have all of the instruments? Andre asked Brisson.

Of course. Along with all of the computers that contain the data taken while on Earth, she replied.

And what about the—

The cameras? Yeah, I have them, she said, but Dr. Gennaro has the bulk of them in one of his suitcases. Doctor Godfrey Gennaro was the crew’s sole geologist; he was a bright young man who specialized in stratigraphy. His burden was lightest among the scientists, so the team had saddled him with many different cameras. Brisson doubted he would be responsible for them, but at least they were on board.

Good, good, Dr. Andre said as he scratched his silver-haired head. I will admit, I’m rather giddy myself, Jessica. It’s my third time doing this, but don’t let anybody tell you differently, he said with a gleam in his brown eyes, it doesn’t get old. In fact, I think it keeps me young. At least, young at heart.

It keeps us all young, Dr. Andre, Captain Morelli said with a smile as he walked over to them, and not just at heart. Morelli was thirty-five years old, and was not looking forward to being closer to forty after his thirty-sixth birthday.

Morelli cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. Start your studies from the ship as soon as possible, and report to me with the data. The sooner we get that, the sooner we can safely leave the USA Sun Crow and make the first human footprints on Yellow Six!

The group cheered and then scrambled about as they rushed to set up their respective instruments.

Doctor Ahmet Bozer, botanist, stood beside Dr. Gennaro, who was sketching the terrain as he studied it from the window of the ship. It’s a good thing we landed during day-time, Bozer said. Forty-eight hours of day here, can you believe it? Plenty of time for you to use all of your cameras, he joked.

Not my cameras, Gennaro said. He let out a half-hearted laugh, but did not take his eyes off of the reddish-brown terrain. Looks like it’s mostly sandstone. I doubt you’ll find any lush vegetation in this region, Dr. Bozer. It’s somewhat reminiscent of the Mojave Desert at first glance, don’t you think?

Maybe, Bozer said, suddenly not looking forward to a lifetime of studying hardy little bushes and shrubs. We’ll see, once the chemists get a reading on the atmospheric makeup.

Yeah, Gennaro said, still focused on his notepad; he scribbled down notes next to his sketches. Bozer walked away, noticing that Gennaro was not in the mood for small talk. Gennaro really could care less about the plant life of Yellow Six. He was a meticulous note taker and cared solely about geology; his love for minerals and rocks was his driving passion. He had a bright future at thirty-two years old, and had worked for the United States Geological Survey for seven years. The handsome doctor gained a reputation for being a seducer of many women in the department. Indeed, the only time Gennaro moved his eyes away from the window and his notepad was to glance at Autumn Crawford, a twenty-three year old nurse from his home state of New York, who moved busily about the ship, gathering her medical supplies and making sure that Doctor Dawn Prescott had everything she needed. Gennaro’s mind wandered, and he started sketching Crawford instead.

Almost ten hours passed. Some members of the crew were sleeping, others were wrapped up in their own heads and projects. Captain Morelli was sipping his third cup of coffee and talking to Caldwell when Second Lieutenant Gary Davis informed them that Andre and Brisson had finished an initial reading of the atmosphere. Send them in, Morelli ordered. Have them address us as a group. Davis nodded and fetched the chemists.

Andre and Brisson emerged from one of the back rooms in the ship. They were clearly disheveled. They had been enveloped in investigation and debate since the landing; they were mentally drained. Brisson snacked on a granola bar, relishing every bite. She waited until she was done to even look at her laptop data. Andre, for his part, sipped his water and patiently waited for her. The crew stood alert, anxious for their results.

Brisson took a drink of water and cleared her throat. It was obvious that she was thrilled with the results thus far, and proud of herself for working well on her first official study on Yellow Six. Andre signaled to her to do the honors of reading the data.

Good news, guys, Brisson started with a big smile, it appears that the atmosphere of Yellow Six is almost identical to Earth’s. From what we can tell, it’s made up of mostly nitrogen, with about twenty-one percent oxygen, almost one percent of Argon, some Carbon dioxide, and trace amounts of methane, neon, krypton, helium, and water vapor. Of course, the planet has liquid water, too.

The crew cheered and squirmed in excitement.

Historian Bramwell Saladino called out, so that means we can go outside now? He asked with a half-serious grin. Saladino was the least fluent in the hard sciences. He was a recently graduated historian, a young man on the expedition to preserve humanity’s historical records and to teach history to the colony’s future youngsters.

Not yet, Andre said. We need to do a few more studies. But it should be soon.

How much longer do you need, Doctor? Morelli asked.

Probably four days, maybe more. It all depends on the consistency of our data. Andre was itching to get back to the lab. Brisson had already started jotting notes down on her laptop, remembering something that she had forgotten to record earlier.

Understood. Report to me when you’ve completed your work, Morelli said. He was getting impatient, too, and yearned to set foot on their new home. He was interested in the entire feel of the place, not so much in the cold logistics behind it. He wanted to have firsthand experience on the planet and learn the details later.

Remember, Captain, Caldwell said, sensing his impatience, we’ve been in space for much longer than four days. We have plenty of food, water, and comfort; especially considering we’re thousands of light years from Earth. She flashed him a warm look.

Morelli laughed. We need more coffee, Lieutenant. Coffee, I say! And then, if you’d be so kind as to help me decide the members of our first exploration group, that would be wonderful.

Andre and Brisson felt comfortable enough with the data in four and a half days. Captain Morelli ultimately decided that eight people would venture first onto Yellow Six: himself, Lieutenant Davis, Dr. Andre, Dr. Brisson, Dr. Gennaro, Dr. Prescott, nurse Crawford, and Dr. Bozer. The crew who remained on the USA Sun Crow would man the ship and be their large-scale eyes and ears. Lieutenant Caldwell was left in charge in Morelli’s absence, and with her was Mr. Saladino, renowned Information Technologists Doctor Daniel Kahn and Doctor Avery Franco, and school teacher Ms. Valerie Vance.

Five days after the initial results were given, the explorers stepped off the USA Sun Crow and onto the rocky terrain of Yellow Six. Morelli nodded, and the group removed their helmets. Morelli had originally thought that they would celebrate when they took their first breath of fresh air. Instead, the group stood in pensive silence, each of them breathing in deep and appreciating the beauty of the clean air. It reminded them of how Earth used to be.

Wow… was all Morelli said.

Communicating to Morelli via headset, Caldwell broke through the stillness. What’s it like? I’m getting jealous in here.

Morelli adjusted the volume on his headset. It’s beautiful, Sarah, he said, dropping the formalities of rank. You’ll see soon.

Remember, our instruments detect that this desert goes on for at least nine miles eastward before coming to plains, and then finally to some sort of forest. Take pictures for me?

Morelli smiled. I’ll try. We’ll take our time through the desert… have to be careful with the heat. I doubt we’ll go past the plains today before turning back.

Definitely take it easy, Adrian. How hot is it out there? Caldwell asked.

My watch reads ninety-one degrees, Morelli replied.

At least the air is dry. Keep me posted. I’m switching you over to channel two, where you’ll be able to hear the whole team. Switch to channel one to communicate exclusively with me again, if you need to.

Thank you, Sarah.

Pictures, Captain, she said, and she changed the channel.

Alright, explorers, Morelli said as he addressed the crew, Lieutenant Caldwell said we’ve got at least nine miles to cover, if we’re going to explore the length of the desert.

We’ll take some breaks to collect samples, right? Gennaro asked.

Sure, Doctor. But not for every outcrop you see. You’ll have plenty of time to analyze the place once we’ve established that the region is safe to build on and inhabit. That goes for all of my scientists here, Morelli said. Don’t get caught up in your studies yet. Now isn’t the time. But, he paused, do take some pictures.

You don’t have to worry about me, Captain. I don’t need any samples, Dr. Dawn Prescott said, I’m here to make sure that nobody scrapes their knees, she said with a light laugh.

Most of our instruments are collecting atmospheric data back at the lab. We have a few handheld devices, just in case, though, Brisson added. Has the data changed, Dr. Andre?

Not in the slightest. We’re certainly clear to go on, Andre replied.

The air smells incredible. It’s so fresh, Crawford said.

Can you imagine if Earth’s atmosphere was still like this? Gennaro asked.

I wish, Crawford replied. But, then again, we wouldn’t have come to this promising planet if Earth wasn’t in the position it’s in. Oh well, she said with a sigh. The doom of Earth saddens me, but at least it led us to beautiful places like this.

That’s true, Gennaro replied, more places to use this wicked metal walking stick, too. He pulled out a short metal rod that, when he hit a button in the middle of it, expanded into a staff. Muahaha, he laughed.

Crawford laughed and rolled her eyes. You gave Dr. Brisson a hard time over the cameras, yet you brought that?

The explorers traveled through the desert, stopping only for pictures, samples, and water breaks. Bozer clipped branches from various shrubs and placed them carefully in plastic bags. Gennaro took only a few rock samples; he did not want to weigh himself down too much. While they journeyed, Bozer and Gennaro often talked about their initial thoughts on the plants and rocks of Yellow Six. Mostly, the two were just thrilled to finally be on a foreign world, on their first official United States mission.

I know that we grew up learning that this was possible, Bozer said to Gennaro.

What’s that? Gennaro asked, temporarily lost in his own thoughts.

You know, that Earth-like planets existed, and that maybe we’d live on one in the future. I can hardly believe that I have alien plant samples in my pack, Bozer said with an excited smile.

Oh, absolutely, Gennaro agreed. It’s one of those things, you just have to experience it yourself to believe it.

The group travelled along the relatively flat region for nearly five hours. Besides the patchy vegetation, the only living beings they came across were small, mouse-like critters that scurried from bush to bush, apparently taking cover from the hot rays of the sun. There were no birds; the blue sky was clear and empty. It was mostly quiet in the sunny land. Thankfully, a breeze blew once in a while and cooled their sweaty faces. They sometimes conversed at long lengths, but most of them spent a lot of time in silence.

As they approached the nine-mile mark, Lieutenant Davis clipped his cigarette and grew tired of the quiet. He wanted to discuss the future governance on Yellow Six. Even though he knew this was a hotly debated topic among the crew, it made Davis nervous to know that a formal government had not yet been established to rule over the new world. He offered his direct opinion. Establishing a government is the only way to keep order, especially when the tube babies grow up, Davis said. Think about it. The very definition of a society is a group of people who live together in a somewhat orderly fashion. To claim that a country… or a planet… can run without a well-organized government is pure silliness.

Jessica Brisson cringed. She wholly opposed the establishment of a formal government. She tried to hold her tongue, but failed. The desert heat was enough to deal with, she did not wish for her ears to be