Chapter 6: Wake up Call

Following her section leader to her room and sleeper cell, Lila couldn't stop the pleasant feeling bubbling inside her. She didn't think it would be this easy getting on the ship using Ms. Joy's ticket, but she was glad it was. Maybe it was because she was part of the last group that they overlooked the issue.

"You'll put your carry on bag in the closet, the strap yourself into the launch seat and prepare for take off in five minutes. Is that understood?" Understanding the steps Lila nodded her head.

Astounded by the sights and the sounds happening around her, Lila's heart was beating out of her chest. She never thought she would get the chance to be here, and now that she was it's unbelievable. All the things she never got to do are possible now.

Noticing the section leader was waiting at the room door, Lila swiftly tossed her bag into the tiny closet and secured herself into the seat to prepare for launch.

The soldier double checked her straps before leaving, after seeing to the last of his charges he went to report to his supervisor.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We have loaded the last of group of citizens into the ship. We will be launching in five minutes before we do though I would like everyone to give a moment of silence to all of those will be left behind. We are their hope for the survival of our species, let's not disappoint them..."

Silence descended on the ship as everyone either bowed their heads or closed their eyes in remembrance of the dead and living.

Hot tears dropped from Lila's eyes as she thought of Ms. Joy and her sacrifice so she can be here.

"Thank you. I'll never forget you."

The captain's voice came back over the speakers as he started the countdown.

"10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1 Liftoff!" Everyone felt a heavy pressure weighing on their bodies as the ship shot up into the sky.

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"Be happy Lila." Ms. Joy said as she watched the last ship fly into the sky.

Turning from the window, Ms. Joy looked at her husband's face. Seeing his face still bought on all the feels she felt when they first met.

"I love you." Leaning down she kissed his lips.

"And I will always love you."

Tears streamed down both their eyes as they held each other in their arms.

____

After eight months on the ship, everyone has developed a daily routine on the ship filled with rules and order. With the captain being the big man in charged, passengers knew to stop what they were doing to listen when he spoke.

"This is your captain speaking. Soon we will pass the farthest planet in our solar system, Von. Once we have passed Von, our fleet will enter into hyper-drive. However, because hyper-drive can be painful and uncomfortable, passengers will need to enter into their sleeper cells for deep sleep..." The captain didn't finish before whispers broke out among the passengers.

Everyone has heard of deep sleep for many months now as their section leaders were prepping them on the sequence to enter the sleeper cells.

Deep sleep is a chemically induced sleep the military developed. It is to help the passengers and soldiers overcome hyper-drive and Star-craze.

Apparently, at long extended periods of space travel, people in confined living develop a need to escape or destroy the ship or other passengers. The solution of putting people to sleep will allow the minds to dream, stimulating hormones to destress the passengers.

When Lila first heard about this, she wondered how many cases of Star-craze it took for them to come up with this solution.

Making her way to her room, Lila bumped into a person she loathed to see.

"Move out of the way!" Tweetle Dimwit shouted out, giving Lila a strong push.

Three months into the start of the journey was the first time Lila realized her luck was just as crappy as ever. From the time Dimwit saw her, she would find some way to trouble Lila life on the ship.

Ever since her sister died during the earthquake, Tweetle Dimwit has been like an angry cat. Biting and snapping at anyone who crosses her path.

At the beginning of Dimwit's bullying, Lila didn't blame her for her attitude as she was grieving. But, now it's becoming a sorry excuse to act rude.

Hopefully, that stick up her ass would come out after her deep sleep.

Picking herself up off the floor, Lila moves out of the way of Steroid Dimwit and pray she wouldn't have any more interactions with her before the deep sleep.

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"Warning!...Warning! The ship is taking heavy damage. Evasive maneuvering is needed. Warning!..."

Lila awoke on the floor in her bedroom to blaring red lights and the ship's computer voice over the speakers.

Her sleeper call which looked like a coffin was on the floor on its side. She guessed that's how she ended up on the floor awake.

The drugs still in her system, Lila had a hard time getting her lethargic limbs to move correctly.

Crawling, Lila finally able to reach her bed only to be propelled to the opposite wall.

Taking her time to clear the fog cloudy her head, Lila could hear banging against the ship.

"What is that noise? Didn't we just enter deep sleep?"

Stepping out of her room, Lila was welcomed to chaos. People were on the floor begging for help as military personnel just ignored them and kept running. Objects were scattered all over the hallway floor, and sleeper cells looked like they blasted through their room's door.

The alarm light kept blinking on and off, giving the hallway an eerie contrast between red light and complete darkness.

Lila's mind was on overload, her body was pumped up on adrenaline as she took in all that was happening around her.