Isabel held herself close as she scanned the grayish trees surrounding them. The trees shoot into the sky like iron totems, and she imagined them caging her in like an animal. The red foliage hanging from their boughs looked like splatters of blood on the metal.
Something furry and with too many legs skittered across the ground, and Isabel jumped. “Ugh, this place is nightmarish! I’m going to find that pilot and sue him until there’s nothing left—I can’t believe he dropped us on the wrong side of the planet!”
“I suppose that’s what we get for contracting the cheapest possible shuttle,” Himiko replied. “On the bright side, since we finished our last mission with so much time to spare, we’ll still reach Huihung City and be able to report for duty on time.”
Isabel retorted, “We rushed through fixing those military robots and requested to be dropped off on this planet early so we could spend a couple days relaxing, visit the spas and get some good dim sum—not so we’d be stuck traversing this messed-up jungle!”
In the afternoon a thick fog settled in the area. Himiko took a bit of rope from her duffel bag and tied it around her and Isabel’s waists just in case. Then she pulled out her navigator. “It’s telling us to go north.” She pointed ahead of them. “We’ll just need to step carefully.”
“I’ll let you lead,” Isabel said. Together, they shuffled through the underbrush, trying to be mindful of any logs lying in their path or sharp drops.
When Himiko ran face first into a boulder, she said, “Okay. It’s your turn,” rubbing the red patch on her forehead.
“Fine.” Isabel stepped in front of Himiko then gulped. It had been fine a minute ago. Yes, she had felt suffocated by the fog, but seeing Himiko ahead of her and tracing her steps, Isabel felt secure. Being the leader made her feel completely mortified.
To stall, Isabel asked, “How much longer until we’re there?” She hoped the answer would comfort her. If she found that the city remained only a couple hours off, Isabel might muster enough courage to forge onward.
Himiko checked the navigator. “Oh, no,” she mumbled. She bumped the screen a couple times. “It might be broken. The compass is spinning around wildly, and our location isn’t showing up on the map.”
Isabel whirled around. “Seriously? So this entire time, we might have been heading in the opposite direction of the city!”
Himiko put her hands up. “I’m sorry. It seemed fine just this morning. Let’s just camp here for tonight. I’m sure the fog will lift by morning, then we’ll check the navigator again.”
“Ugh, I don’t want to sleep in this strange place,” Isabel said.
“Me neither, but there’s nothing we can do about it,” Himiko told her. “It’ll be dark soon, and between the fog and the dark we’ll surely run into danger if we aren’t careful. Let’s not push our luck.”
Dropping her duffel bag on the soil, Himiko began unrolling their sleeping bags—which she brought with them on every mission since she’s slept in some seedy places. “Start a fire. We should eat something hot before going to bed.”
Isabel picked up a silver stick and held it above her lighter as she pressed the trigger. The flames licked at the stick, but the stick wouldn’t light. She grimaced. “Nothing makes sense on this planet.”
“Try a leaf, maybe,” Himiko said.
Sighing, Isabel walked over and picked a leaf up and lit up. It melted into goo, and she wiped it off her hand. “I guess we’ll be eating cold rations today,” Isabel grumbled, obviously unamused.
Himiko ripped the wrapper off the ration tray and took out metal chopsticks, handing a pair to Isabel.
“Isabel.” Himiko reached to place her hand on Isabel’s shoulder. “It’s going to be alright. At least we’re together.”
“I’d rather be alone in a nice hotel room,” Isabel said.
Himiko withdrew her hand and took a bite. “You know, this isn’t that bad. At least there’s no one chasing us. And there aren’t any weird bugs.”
Isabel smiled. “Remember that time we went to that mining planet to fix their mining bots? There was a centipede in the motel we slept in. It laid eggs in my suitcase.”
“Those eggs sold for quite a bit,” Himiko said. “It allowed us to take that week-long vacation on that fancy space cruise.”
“Oh, I miss being there,” Isabel said. “We had the best view of the nebula from our window.”
Her stomach rumbling, Isabel grudgingly began eating her half of the ration tray. “Surprisingly this isn’t that bad. It tastes just like the instant ramen at home. If only we had some meatballs to add.”
“Once we get to Huihung City, I’ll buy you a bowl of noodles,” Himiko said.
Isabel perked up. “With pork belly?”
Himiko laughed. “Yes, with whatever you want.”
By the time they finished dinner, the fog cleared just enough to allow moonlight to shine upon the silver bark of the trees, which reflected the moonlight onto the red leaves. As the light danced, Isabel could imagine that instead of the trees being the steel bars of a cage, they were columns of painted glass.
Isabel said, “You know, this jungle isn’t actually that horrendous. I wouldn’t want to be lost in it again, but it’s pretty.”
“I’m sorry. I was the one who wanted to save a bit of money and insisted we go with that cheaper company,” Himiko said.
“No, it’s their fault for being so sloppy,” Isabel said. “I’m sorry for what I said earlier. We’ve gone to some pretty weird places on our missions. Some of them were the good kind of weird, and some of them were hellscapes. But, we’ve always made it out alright, and it’s because of you. You always figure things out. I’m sure as annoyed as I am now, we’ll be laughing about it in a couple days.”
“Thank you,” Himiko said. “I’m glad we started working together. Well, I’m exhausted.” Himiko slid into her sleeping bag and zipped up.
Minutes later, Isabel did the same.
Lily Lu is a student in DePaul University’s Psychological Sciences PhD program. She enjoys reading and writing fiction about regular people living in fantastical or futuristic settings. She also likes playing video games, watching K-dramas and anime, and petting cats. To stay updated with Lily’s writing, check her out on Twitter: @jingliluauthor.