"Colonel! Colonel!" she screamed, looking into each side room on her way to the bridge. Sparks flew from every other circuit, jumping out of the dying ship. "Colonel!" the scared girl screamed louder now as she felt the heaving last breathes of the engine.
"Damnit Maria, what are you doing here?" her Colonel finally answered, emerging from the engine room. His suit was covered in black liquid, smeared across as he tried to save the ship.
"Wasn't gunna leave you," she spoke through the lump in her throat. The look in the Colonel's eyes scared her; it was dark and dismal, with a fear she never saw before.
"I ordered all crew to abandon ship, didn't I? Last time I checked, we got a giant hole in our side that will kill us all," the Colonel answered harshly, pushing past her. Biting down on her lip, Maria continued to follow after him.
"You're here," she pointed out the obvious as the Colonel leaped up the stairs to the bridge.
"Thought maybe I could save her. Had to be some way to fix the hole. Some seal or another," he groaned, and in response the ship lurched forward. Flailing her arms, Maria fell up the stairs while the Colonel dodged the flying loose portions of the main board.
"Sir, the entire left side was ripped apart. There was nothing you could do," Maria told him as the Colonel helped pull her to her feet.
"Don't remind me," he sighed, sitting down. As he dropped his head into his hands, Maria's suit began to beep shrilly. With a meep of fear, she covered the small red icon at the base of her suit's neck. Opening one eye, the Colonel looked at her with a small smile. "Ten minutes of oxygen let?" he spoke lightly, not wanting to further alarm the girl. She nodded rapidly, her eyes filling up with tears. "Don't worry. Mine went off five minutes ago," he chuckled, standing up now.
"Don't worry? How is that supposed to help me?" Maria shrieked, throwing her hands up in the air. Ever since the collision with the meteor, her heart had been pounding. Now, the hyperventilating began.
"You're not supposed to do that," the Colonel sighed, coming to her side. Clutching her chest, Maria felt the burning of tears in her eyes. "Really, you shouldn't ," the Colonel cringed. Emotions were not the war veteran's forte.
"We're going to die in ten minutes! What does it matter anyway," she sobbed, grabbing onto the Colonel's arms. The glass of her helmet fogged over from her heavy breathing, and in seconds the light began to beep again.
"Die in five minutes actually," the Colonel corrected her, but winched as Maria's cries grew more frantic. Her legs buckled underneath, and Maria fell down to the floor. Taking one single deep breath, the Colonel continued to hold onto her as they fell. Any attempts at hushing her were drowned out over Maria's cries.
"I can't die like this! I never got to travel like I wanted to! I've never been kissed! I never did anything with my life!" she sobbed more and more.
"Never travel? Maria, you're in a bloody space ship heading to the next galaxy. I'm pretty sure that counts as traveling," the Colonel attempted a cheerful joke, but Maria shook her head.
"Never going to make it there. Oh, I'm just a miserable failure," she said. Now, the Colonel had had enough of her whining. Taking a hold of her by her shoulders, the Colonel looked Maria right in the eyes.
"I am ordering you to stop. Now," he said firmly. Of course, Maria opened her mouth to protest, but he placed a hand on her helmet. "This is no way to die," he told her softly, and Maria slowly closed her mouth. He could feel her shaking grow worse by the second, but the Colonel let her go. Giving her a strong smile, the Colonel took a hold of his own helmet. He closed his eyes, and then twisted it. With a loud hiss, the helmet detached from the spacesuit.
"What are you doing?" Maria screamed at him. As he reached towards her, Maria tried to pull herself away. When the Colonel took her hand, she wept even louder than before. The look in the Colonel's eyes told her to trust him, but Maria was unsure. With a pained moan, she let the man who had guided her for the past two years to pull her close. His skin flushing from the strain, the Colonel reached for Maria's helmet. Even though she let him twist it, Maria franticly cried out. Finally, she stopped once he pulled it off. Taking the largest breath she could, Maria waited for his next command. The emptiness of space felt cold against her skin. She could sense what air was left being drawn out as the hole in the back of their ship sucked all the life away.
As her final breath burned in her chest, Maria watched the Colonel close his eyes. In the next second, he had pulled her against his chest and pressed his lips against hers. It being her first kiss, Maria was unsure of what to expect. His lips were cold as they meshed with hers. It was a strange sensation, but quickly Maria let herself melt into the kiss. Closing her eyes, Maria felt lightheaded, with a tingling across the back of her skull. Maybe it was from the lack of oxygen and the growing vacuum of space, but she had no thoughts for that. Now, she let herself fade into the kiss until everything turned to black.
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