Hello and welcome to me as pod episode 19. I'm your host D
Mitas. Our story for this episode is when you find the
necklace by Andrew Hughes. Before we get to the credits, I
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Thank you all for your support. On with the show. Tonight's
author is Andrew Hughes. Andrew has been writing and publishing
short stories for the past decade. His stories have
appeared unsanitary and magazine, better off dead
anthologies and on the no sleep podcast. His chapbook between
music and the sun is available now on Amazon. He currently
lives in Arizona working as a teacher and taking care of the
world's most adorable white husky. Ah, some pictures Andrew.
Helping me tell this tale or Rapunzel Rue Lorien Glenda and
blossoming V. Rue is a voice actress from Florida. She does
voice work from podcasts, animation dubbing, audio dramas
and more. She can be found at at roughens ru on all social media
platforms. Lorien is the co host of the podcast bowl after bowl
with her husband Spencer. You can remember her name by saying
DeLorean without the DA Glinda enjoys doing voiceover work for
podcasts, audio dramas, audiobook narration for Librivox
and ACX. Commercials, corporate narration and elearning
projects. She's trained in acting voiceover and audiobook
narration. Check out our website and other projects at Glinda
Villamar voiceover.com. Blossoming v as an amateur voice
actor, published poet and Twitch streamer, you can find her at
twitch.tv/blossoming V. Links to all of their work will be in the
show notes. Here's our story
when you find the necklace by Andrew Hughes
Susan stares at Liz across the locker room bench, visually
tracing her figure from the ground up are petite feet with
her painted toes, dots of red to adorn flawless nails, or smooth
legs that lead up to firm curves that make Susan's assets look
quaint. All the way to her long, slender neck. The part of her
that looks almost naked. Even on Mars. She'd still managed to
maintain a tan. Except for the thin pale line. Like what you
see. Liz asks flashing a tongue out wink. Oh no, Susan says
slipping out of her civilian attire.
I just noticed you're not wearing your necklace.
How was a long stare to get to my neck. I guess I forgot it at
home
smooth. She's so smooth.
I'm surprised you notice my jewelry at all with that shiny
thing on your hand
loses eyes point to Susan's engagement ring. It's a simple
silver circuit adorned with a hexagon li cut Blue Sapphire.
Yeah, the usually shimmering stone seems dull tonight, even
in the intrusive fluorescent lighting of the locker room. Liz
lips into the bulky white spacesuit and yanks up the
zipper. Somehow even this fall Unless attire complements her
figure
Hurry up. We're already late.
Yeah, sorry Susan steps into the one piece and pulls it up to her
neck where it seems to choke her. She pulls the hood over her
bald scalp and sinks the zipper tight. By the time she's
finished, Liz is already standing at the door. Susan
starts with things in her locker hats her pocket to assure its
contents, then shuffles across the room to catch up. They walk
almost in tandem down the corridor. With Liz just a few
steps ahead. She reaches the door to the break room first and
holds it open. Susan acknowledges the gesture with a
nod and a thanks even though she knows the game. It's a subtle
attempt to avoid being the face of disappointment. As she passes
through the entryway Captain Mira Mota scowling face is the
first thing she sees behind her. The rest of the night staff is
already seated
Nice of you to join us Blackheart
She says her voice carries a bite. But by the time Liz
follows in behind her captain Mara Modus is already looking
back at the diagram on the board. Susan inlays take a seat
in the back row.
As I was saying, another day with no sightings. According to
day shift, not a single roach. That doesn't change the
procedure. Got it. Stay smart, stay vigilant and stay dark. She
turns to face them cordovan Jacobs you have interior 12 A
marks and pits interior 12 B. Cooper is the torah interior. 12
see Blackheart and Christian, you two will be doing exterior
room.
Susan says nothing. It's exactly as she predicted. Suddenly,
she's very aware of herself of her place in the room of her
body and the choking suit of the contents of her pocket.
All right, folks, get to the armory and get to work.
The other members of the 12 division stand with a rustling
murmur. It's their first night back after a week of sunlight.
So there's the standard catching up the swapping of fresh stories
and replaying of inside jokes. Susan feels exterior to at all
she cannot focus on the social routine going on around her.
I'm going to say something. This is three shifts in a row. No,
don't. Let's give her a cockeyed glance.
You know, if you don't fight for what you want, people are gonna
keep walking all over you.
Susan has no response as she watches Liz crossed the break
room. She feels an anger burn in her chest. Excuse me, Liz says
falling to attention Captain mir Motus.
What is it Christian?
Well, ma'am, this is Blackheart and I's third consecutive shift
on exterior duty. I was thinking it might be better if we got a
little more variety. If we're to excel at the survey duty, we're
going to need to experience the other parts of the job more
frequently. I'm sure the others would also benefit from seeing
the exterior more often
kept in mirror Motus does not look up from the chart on her
desk.
If you want preferential shifts. You need to show up at a
preferential time get your gear and get outside.
There's a pause and Susan feels a sickly as she watches Liz's
face searching for a response. There are some things that even
she can't manipulate. Yes, Captain. Liz says she taps her
heels together and turns away as she does her face flushes with
anger. Susan has to bury her contentment deep within herself.
They exit the break room and make their way to the armory and
pull to flash suppressed rifles from hold this Liz says resting
hers into Susan's arms. She crosses the room and scrolls her
name and the sign out roster. As she does. Susan presses her
fingers hard into the suppression block in the barrel,
shifting the mechanism within the bore. Can you believe her?
Liz stomps back and snatches her weapon. What a bitch.
We've been with the 12 the longest show about a
preferential time. How about you eat my ass preferentially Susan
trucks?
I guess she doesn't like us.
They make their way out of the armory and walk towards the
lift. As they do. Susan feels that atoms in our pocket bounce
against her head.
I don't give a damn if she doesn't like us. We shouldn't be
taking the most dangerous job every night. It's bullshit. It's
not like we're getting any extra pay.
They reach the elevator and Liz presses the code. The machine
words and the doors wide open with a hiss. They both pull the
face shields of their suits down and step inside. There's a soft
whoosh from within each suit as the oxygenated pores fill in.
Susan clutches her rifle tight and takes her first sipping
breath of fabricated air. Everything is working. The
elevator door slides shut and the animatronic voice crackles
from the speaker above.
Thank you for your service to the outpost. As you descend,
please check all
I'm just saying it'd be nice to get some fucking respect for
once. We're busting our ass out here to create a future for the
species. We shouldn't be subjugated for little mishaps
here and there.
No, we shouldn't.
Susan says as she stares out the porthole window at the black
vastness of space. Liz shakes her head. Whatever,
I'm over it.
The elevator slows and the animatronic message comes on
again, you know, let's turn this toward her.
I'm just glad I've got you as my partner.
Me too.
All systems are functioning. A complete seal is necessary for
survival. Additionally, please remove all sources of light and
engage X ray capacity.
The message ends in the elevator hisses. As the doors slide open,
Susan feels the antigravity measures in her suit and gauge.
The first step out feels like walking in Waterlogue boots. The
elevator door shut and the lift descends faster than I had
calmed down as if it was fleeing the surface. For a moment, there
is only blackness. But then the X ray mask engages and Susan
sees the world through a film of vibrant neon green. They're
standing outside the outpost on their left the wall that
surrounds it stretches up almost out of sight to the right as a
plane of craters and valleys backdropped by the black sky.
Above there is nothing for the mask to illuminate. They begin
to walk along the exterior.
So we go up with Jeff, how was it? Nothing exciting. I spent
most of it working at the comm station. Every cent counts right
now.
Liz sighs and kicks a small rock spiral slowly up into the
blackness
of all the places to find a good man. Can't believe you wrangled
one here.
Yeah,
he's good, isn't it? They walk a while in silence. There is
nothing out there but the wall and the void. Occasionally, they
stopped to survey the landscape. As Captain Miyamoto said, It is
quiet now. The roaches? The carnivorous insectoids that have
plagued them when they first arrived had gone into
hibernation. Now they're harmless, as long as they don't
sense light.
So have you guys talked about when you'll have the ceremony?
No. We don't want to get ahead of ourselves.
Make sense? You never know what can happen out here. Maybe I'll
meet a Jeff one day.
Maybe? Susan says she feels her heart pulsing faster. She turns
towards the void. Hey,
what is that? what's what? Out there?
She points to the rim of one of the craters. Oh my god.
I don't see anything. If that's what I think
it is. Susan begins to walk her rifle carried down by her side.
Liz follows behind her What?
What do you think it is?
Oh my God. It is.
Susan walks faster. The antigravity controls in her suit
struggling to keep up so every fourth stride is a long bounding
leap. Susan, come on. Liz calls after her.
She didn't go that far
out. No, I'm serious.
Susan reaches the edge of the crater sticks her hand in her
pocket and lets the thing fall. She emits a little laugh. You
gotta check this out. She waits facing the crater as Liz catches
up. The second seem to elongate and slither as she's surrounded
by blackness. When Liz finally arrives, Susan points down to
the crater. It's a steep bowl nearly two storeys deep. Do you
see it? Liz leans forward, squinting Wait, is that she
starts to pull away but Susan shoves her in the back with a
button her rifle. For a brief moment Liz dangles in space, her
tan face a palette shock ghost of itself, before the
antigravity controls kick in and pull her lurching down into the
depths of the crater. She strikes hard and lets out an
accurate tree. Find it. Susan asks as she dips her hand back
into her pocket, her fingers find the cylinder and she pulls
it out. She looked like a tiny green blip in the crater glass
candy at the bottom of the bowl, a last piece that she would
surely eat. Even if Susan was starving. Her left leg is
twisted and human angle. Her fingers are curled around the
silver chain and the X ray vision. It's only a line of
slightly more vibrant neon. You know what this is? Susan says
she clicks on the flashlight and tosses it over the rim. The beam
spirals downward and Liz screams as the ground around her
ripples. Before the flashlight construct the rocks a knife like
appendage as long as her arm breaks through the rest of the
ropes comes behind until its monstrous body towers above her.
Susan watches as Liz pulls up her rifle but there's no burst
of sound only an audible click Try holding your own gear Susan
calls out was screams as the next Roach breaks through then
another and another. Their ventures click because they
slice their cycle. First frenzy his left arm fried with a gut
wrenching tear. As the stumps float through the air, the board
hangs behind like a spray of neon paint. With oxygen crushes
her lungs, Susan waits at the top of the crater and watches as
the roaches disassemble her with voracious precision. By the time
they finished and returned to the ground, all that is left is
neon streaks of blood and Liz's necklace. The necklace that Liz
his mother had given her before they left Earth the necklace
that she would never forget at home. The necklace that Susan
had found after a night working at the comm station temporarily
last under the bed that she and Jeff shared
me this part is produced by me just media. All rights reserved
unless otherwise stated. All written works or copyright of
their respective authors. Our theme music is into the unknown
by odd sprite check out more of their work at odd sprite.com
Remember folks never let the girl whose fiancee you're
sleeping with hold on to your gear. Have a good one.