0:07

Hello and welcome to me as pod episode 19. I'm your host D

0:11

Mitas. Our story for this episode is when you find the

0:15

necklace by Andrew Hughes. Before we get to the credits, I

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want to tell you about no this isn't an ad read. And that's

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kind of the point of what I'm about to say. Me this media

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Right now fountain even pays you to listen. If you donate to the

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be the very next episode. We've received some of these payments

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along with those payments. We got 10,000 sets from Kyle a

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Thank you all for your support. On with the show. Tonight's

2:01

author is Andrew Hughes. Andrew has been writing and publishing

2:05

short stories for the past decade. His stories have

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appeared unsanitary and magazine, better off dead

2:10

anthologies and on the no sleep podcast. His chapbook between

2:15

music and the sun is available now on Amazon. He currently

2:19

lives in Arizona working as a teacher and taking care of the

2:22

world's most adorable white husky. Ah, some pictures Andrew.

2:27

Helping me tell this tale or Rapunzel Rue Lorien Glenda and

2:32

blossoming V. Rue is a voice actress from Florida. She does

2:36

voice work from podcasts, animation dubbing, audio dramas

2:40

and more. She can be found at at roughens ru on all social media

2:44

platforms. Lorien is the co host of the podcast bowl after bowl

2:50

with her husband Spencer. You can remember her name by saying

2:53

DeLorean without the DA Glinda enjoys doing voiceover work for

2:58

podcasts, audio dramas, audiobook narration for Librivox

3:03

and ACX. Commercials, corporate narration and elearning

3:06

projects. She's trained in acting voiceover and audiobook

3:10

narration. Check out our website and other projects at Glinda

3:14

Villamar voiceover.com. Blossoming v as an amateur voice

3:19

actor, published poet and Twitch streamer, you can find her at

3:22

twitch.tv/blossoming V. Links to all of their work will be in the

3:27

show notes. Here's our story

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when you find the necklace by Andrew Hughes

3:48

Susan stares at Liz across the locker room bench, visually

3:52

tracing her figure from the ground up are petite feet with

3:56

her painted toes, dots of red to adorn flawless nails, or smooth

4:01

legs that lead up to firm curves that make Susan's assets look

4:05

quaint. All the way to her long, slender neck. The part of her

4:10

that looks almost naked. Even on Mars. She'd still managed to

4:15

maintain a tan. Except for the thin pale line. Like what you

4:19

see. Liz asks flashing a tongue out wink. Oh no, Susan says

4:24

slipping out of her civilian attire. I just noticed you're not wearing your necklace.

4:28

How was a long stare to get to my neck. I guess I forgot it at

4:33

home smooth. She's so smooth.

4:37

I'm surprised you notice my jewelry at all with that shiny

4:39

thing on your hand loses eyes point to Susan's engagement ring. It's a simple

4:44

silver circuit adorned with a hexagon li cut Blue Sapphire.

4:48

Yeah, the usually shimmering stone seems dull tonight, even

4:52

in the intrusive fluorescent lighting of the locker room. Liz

4:55

lips into the bulky white spacesuit and yanks up the

4:57

zipper. Somehow even this fall Unless attire complements her

5:01

figure Hurry up. We're already late.

5:04

Yeah, sorry Susan steps into the one piece and pulls it up to her

5:08

neck where it seems to choke her. She pulls the hood over her

5:11

bald scalp and sinks the zipper tight. By the time she's

5:15

finished, Liz is already standing at the door. Susan

5:18

starts with things in her locker hats her pocket to assure its

5:21

contents, then shuffles across the room to catch up. They walk

5:27

almost in tandem down the corridor. With Liz just a few

5:31

steps ahead. She reaches the door to the break room first and

5:34

holds it open. Susan acknowledges the gesture with a

5:37

nod and a thanks even though she knows the game. It's a subtle

5:41

attempt to avoid being the face of disappointment. As she passes

5:45

through the entryway Captain Mira Mota scowling face is the

5:48

first thing she sees behind her. The rest of the night staff is

5:52

already seated Nice of you to join us Blackheart

5:55

She says her voice carries a bite. But by the time Liz

5:58

follows in behind her captain Mara Modus is already looking

6:01

back at the diagram on the board. Susan inlays take a seat

6:05

in the back row. As I was saying, another day with no sightings. According to

6:11

day shift, not a single roach. That doesn't change the

6:15

procedure. Got it. Stay smart, stay vigilant and stay dark. She

6:22

turns to face them cordovan Jacobs you have interior 12 A

6:28

marks and pits interior 12 B. Cooper is the torah interior. 12

6:34

see Blackheart and Christian, you two will be doing exterior

6:39

room. Susan says nothing. It's exactly as she predicted. Suddenly,

6:44

she's very aware of herself of her place in the room of her

6:49

body and the choking suit of the contents of her pocket.

6:52

All right, folks, get to the armory and get to work.

7:00

The other members of the 12 division stand with a rustling

7:02

murmur. It's their first night back after a week of sunlight.

7:06

So there's the standard catching up the swapping of fresh stories

7:09

and replaying of inside jokes. Susan feels exterior to at all

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she cannot focus on the social routine going on around her.

7:17

I'm going to say something. This is three shifts in a row. No,

7:21

don't. Let's give her a cockeyed glance.

7:25

You know, if you don't fight for what you want, people are gonna

7:28

keep walking all over you. Susan has no response as she watches Liz crossed the break

7:33

room. She feels an anger burn in her chest. Excuse me, Liz says

7:39

falling to attention Captain mir Motus.

7:42

What is it Christian? Well, ma'am, this is Blackheart and I's third consecutive shift

7:46

on exterior duty. I was thinking it might be better if we got a

7:49

little more variety. If we're to excel at the survey duty, we're

7:53

going to need to experience the other parts of the job more

7:56

frequently. I'm sure the others would also benefit from seeing

7:59

the exterior more often kept in mirror Motus does not look up from the chart on her

8:03

desk. If you want preferential shifts. You need to show up at a

8:07

preferential time get your gear and get outside.

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There's a pause and Susan feels a sickly as she watches Liz's

8:15

face searching for a response. There are some things that even

8:19

she can't manipulate. Yes, Captain. Liz says she taps her

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heels together and turns away as she does her face flushes with

8:27

anger. Susan has to bury her contentment deep within herself.

8:31

They exit the break room and make their way to the armory and

8:34

pull to flash suppressed rifles from hold this Liz says resting

8:39

hers into Susan's arms. She crosses the room and scrolls her

8:42

name and the sign out roster. As she does. Susan presses her

8:46

fingers hard into the suppression block in the barrel,

8:48

shifting the mechanism within the bore. Can you believe her?

8:51

Liz stomps back and snatches her weapon. What a bitch.

8:54

We've been with the 12 the longest show about a

8:57

preferential time. How about you eat my ass preferentially Susan

9:01

trucks? I guess she doesn't like us.

9:04

They make their way out of the armory and walk towards the

9:06

lift. As they do. Susan feels that atoms in our pocket bounce

9:09

against her head. I don't give a damn if she doesn't like us. We shouldn't be

9:13

taking the most dangerous job every night. It's bullshit. It's

9:17

not like we're getting any extra pay. They reach the elevator and Liz presses the code. The machine

9:23

words and the doors wide open with a hiss. They both pull the

9:26

face shields of their suits down and step inside. There's a soft

9:30

whoosh from within each suit as the oxygenated pores fill in.

9:34

Susan clutches her rifle tight and takes her first sipping

9:36

breath of fabricated air. Everything is working. The

9:40

elevator door slides shut and the animatronic voice crackles

9:43

from the speaker above. Thank you for your service to the outpost. As you descend,

9:50

please check all

9:53

I'm just saying it'd be nice to get some fucking respect for

9:55

once. We're busting our ass out here to create a future for the

9:59

species. We shouldn't be subjugated for little mishaps

10:02

here and there. No, we shouldn't.

10:05

Susan says as she stares out the porthole window at the black

10:08

vastness of space. Liz shakes her head. Whatever,

10:13

I'm over it. The elevator slows and the animatronic message comes on

10:18

again, you know, let's turn this toward her.

10:20

I'm just glad I've got you as my partner. Me too.

10:25

All systems are functioning. A complete seal is necessary for

10:30

survival. Additionally, please remove all sources of light and

10:37

engage X ray capacity.

10:40

The message ends in the elevator hisses. As the doors slide open,

10:44

Susan feels the antigravity measures in her suit and gauge.

10:47

The first step out feels like walking in Waterlogue boots. The

10:52

elevator door shut and the lift descends faster than I had

10:54

calmed down as if it was fleeing the surface. For a moment, there

10:59

is only blackness. But then the X ray mask engages and Susan

11:04

sees the world through a film of vibrant neon green. They're

11:08

standing outside the outpost on their left the wall that

11:12

surrounds it stretches up almost out of sight to the right as a

11:16

plane of craters and valleys backdropped by the black sky.

11:20

Above there is nothing for the mask to illuminate. They begin

11:24

to walk along the exterior. So we go up with Jeff, how was it? Nothing exciting. I spent

11:33

most of it working at the comm station. Every cent counts right

11:37

now. Liz sighs and kicks a small rock spiral slowly up into the

11:42

blackness of all the places to find a good man. Can't believe you wrangled

11:46

one here. Yeah, he's good, isn't it? They walk a while in silence. There is

11:52

nothing out there but the wall and the void. Occasionally, they

11:56

stopped to survey the landscape. As Captain Miyamoto said, It is

12:00

quiet now. The roaches? The carnivorous insectoids that have

12:04

plagued them when they first arrived had gone into

12:06

hibernation. Now they're harmless, as long as they don't

12:10

sense light. So have you guys talked about when you'll have the ceremony?

12:15

No. We don't want to get ahead of ourselves.

12:19

Make sense? You never know what can happen out here. Maybe I'll

12:25

meet a Jeff one day. Maybe? Susan says she feels her heart pulsing faster. She turns

12:34

towards the void. Hey, what is that? what's what? Out there?

12:39

She points to the rim of one of the craters. Oh my god.

12:42

I don't see anything. If that's what I think

12:45

it is. Susan begins to walk her rifle carried down by her side.

12:49

Liz follows behind her What? What do you think it is?

12:53

Oh my God. It is. Susan walks faster. The antigravity controls in her suit

12:58

struggling to keep up so every fourth stride is a long bounding

13:01

leap. Susan, come on. Liz calls after her.

13:04

She didn't go that far out. No, I'm serious.

13:07

Susan reaches the edge of the crater sticks her hand in her

13:10

pocket and lets the thing fall. She emits a little laugh. You

13:14

gotta check this out. She waits facing the crater as Liz catches

13:18

up. The second seem to elongate and slither as she's surrounded

13:21

by blackness. When Liz finally arrives, Susan points down to

13:25

the crater. It's a steep bowl nearly two storeys deep. Do you

13:29

see it? Liz leans forward, squinting Wait, is that she

13:33

starts to pull away but Susan shoves her in the back with a

13:36

button her rifle. For a brief moment Liz dangles in space, her

13:39

tan face a palette shock ghost of itself, before the

13:43

antigravity controls kick in and pull her lurching down into the

13:46

depths of the crater. She strikes hard and lets out an

13:49

accurate tree. Find it. Susan asks as she dips her hand back

13:56

into her pocket, her fingers find the cylinder and she pulls

13:59

it out. She looked like a tiny green blip in the crater glass

14:05

candy at the bottom of the bowl, a last piece that she would

14:09

surely eat. Even if Susan was starving. Her left leg is

14:12

twisted and human angle. Her fingers are curled around the

14:15

silver chain and the X ray vision. It's only a line of

14:18

slightly more vibrant neon. You know what this is? Susan says

14:22

she clicks on the flashlight and tosses it over the rim. The beam

14:26

spirals downward and Liz screams as the ground around her

14:29

ripples. Before the flashlight construct the rocks a knife like

14:33

appendage as long as her arm breaks through the rest of the

14:36

ropes comes behind until its monstrous body towers above her.

14:40

Susan watches as Liz pulls up her rifle but there's no burst

14:43

of sound only an audible click Try holding your own gear Susan

14:48

calls out was screams as the next Roach breaks through then

14:53

another and another. Their ventures click because they

14:56

slice their cycle. First frenzy his left arm fried with a gut

15:01

wrenching tear. As the stumps float through the air, the board

15:05

hangs behind like a spray of neon paint. With oxygen crushes

15:11

her lungs, Susan waits at the top of the crater and watches as

15:15

the roaches disassemble her with voracious precision. By the time

15:19

they finished and returned to the ground, all that is left is

15:22

neon streaks of blood and Liz's necklace. The necklace that Liz

15:27

his mother had given her before they left Earth the necklace

15:31

that she would never forget at home. The necklace that Susan

15:34

had found after a night working at the comm station temporarily

15:38

last under the bed that she and Jeff shared

15:53

me this part is produced by me just media. All rights reserved

15:56

unless otherwise stated. All written works or copyright of

15:59

their respective authors. Our theme music is into the unknown

16:03

by odd sprite check out more of their work at odd sprite.com

16:08

Remember folks never let the girl whose fiancee you're

16:11

sleeping with hold on to your gear. Have a good one.