Survival: Planet Gliese 667Cc

“Move!” I shouted at my younger sibling as I pushed them away from a white light surrounded by blue. “Ateee!” my sibling screamed as the light slowly swallowed me until I completely disappeared. I woke up in an unfamiliar place. I was inside a room with no windows, no door, not even the smallest hole. It felt like I was inside a metal box with no entrance or exit—only me inside. I couldn’t explain or understand what was happening. I walked around the room, examining every corner and every wall, but I found nothing. I didn’t know what to do, so I sat in one corner and hugged myself. “Where am I? I don’t know what to do…” I whispered to myself as tears fell from my eyes. “Father, Lord Jesus, please guide me. I don’t know where I am or if I am safe. Please do not abandon me. Please don’t abandon my younger sibling and our parents either. Give me strength. I hope I can return home safely…” I prayed sincerely while holding my necklace— a gift from my stepmother that serves as my lucky charm. Several hours passed, but nothing happened. I eventually fell asleep in a corner, hugging myself because of the cold floor and the freezing walls of the room. After a while, a door suddenly appeared in the room. It opened, and a bright light shone toward me. I stood up, but I hesitated to step outside. I didn’t know what was waiting for me. My knees trembled with fear and anxiety as I held my necklace tightly. Still, I gathered the courage to step toward the exit. The light blinded me, but I forced my eyes open. I looked around and saw many people coming out of rooms just like mine. I also noticed flags of different countries posted above the hallways of each room—flags that represented where each of us came from. As I observed the surroundings, I noticed that everyone had the same expressions—fear, anxiety, confusion, and despair. All of us were completely lost, not knowing what was happening, just like how I felt. Suddenly, another light appeared—white and surrounded by blue. It was the same light that hit my sibling and me before I disappeared. From the light, a creature emerged. It had a large head and a long body. It wore a crown and had four eyes. Its tentacles served as its legs. Surrounding it were smaller creatures about the size of normal humans. They looked like soldiers holding strange weapons—something like white shotguns. Many of us were shocked and terrified. Some people ran back toward their rooms, but before we could enter them, the rooms suddenly vanished like bubbles. I looked back at the creatures. I noticed a large screen appear in front of the crowned creature. It tapped the screen using one of its tentacles. Moments later, we heard a voice coming from the screen: “Hello, Earthlings. Welcome to my planet—the Planet of Gliese 667Cc.” We couldn’t believe it. An alien was speaking using our language. I stood there stunned. It felt like everything was just a dream. People started shouting and asking questions. Some were crying, others were trembling in fear. As for me, I stood at the side, tightly holding my necklace while repeatedly telling myself, “Don’t be afraid. The God will not abandon you.” The alien spoke again, and everyone fell silent. “Earthlings, be quiet. I am the Lord of this place, Lord Zorvath Krael. This planet, Gliese 667Cc, lies just 22 light-years from Earth and is at least 4.5 times as massive as Earth.” “So what? Do we really need to know that?! You asshole! Just send me home! I want to go home, you f*cker!” a young man shouted angrily. “I have a family out there who’s waiting for me! So please, I’m begging you!” pleaded an elderly man while kneeling. “Earthlings are indeed a noisy bunch,” the creature replied. “All 195 of you, representing different parts of Earth, have been studied thoroughly before I sent my agents to retrieve you. Remember, each of you represents your respective nation, and your lives are at stake. Your performance will determine which nation excels on Earth. Prepare yourselves for battle and s*******r. I will give you a month to prepare, and I will provide you with weapons you can use. During this month I will not show myself, and there will be no battles without my command. If you disobey my rules…I will blow up your… planet Earth.” Are we just toys to them, taken here so our lives can be easily taken? What are they going to do to us? I whispered to myself. “What will you do to us?” an elderly woman asked bravely, raising her right hand with her palm open while tears streamed down her face. “Women, and all of you Earthlings, listen to me! If you want to live and return home, you must kill and survive the games I have prepared for you. Remember, only one person can win and return to your planet and receive the rewards from us, the inhabitants of Gliese. HAHAHA! So if I were you, I would start strengthening myself and preparing for the challenges we have prepared.” The creature smiled mockingly as it spoke. Hours had passed, but I still couldn’t calm down from what I had heard earlier. I was inside the same room where I regained consciousness, pacing back and forth while holding my necklace tightly. “If I want to go home, I need to prepare. I need to choose a weapon I can use in battle,” I muttered while looking at the items inside the room. Flashback “Now that you are aware of what you must prepare for, you may return to your respective chambers. Within them, you will find the provisions and equipment necessary for your survival. You are permitted free passage in and out of your chambers, and your mealtimes shall be observed accordingly.” The rooms that had vanished earlier slowly reappeared. People rushed toward them. Some tripped, some were stepped on, and others pushed each other just to reach the rooms they came from. “Greedy… heartless… vile to the core. Such is the true nature of Earthlings—pathetic and utterly worthless.” I hadn’t even moved from where I was standing when I heard the King of Gliese 667Cc speak. His voice wasn’t loud nor soft, but I could clearly hear it. I didn’t know if the others heard it too because of the chaos around us. I entered my room and was surprised by what I saw. The room had grown bigger. There were supplies, and the flag of the Philippines hung on the wall. There was a light purple bed—my favorite color—and different kinds of weapons lined up and mounted on the walls. There was a bolo, sword, balisong, spear, arnis stick, bow, slingshot, baton, and baston. “Are these really my choices… just to kill someone and survive in this damn place? What if I’m the one who dies and—” Before I could finish my sentence, someone knocked on the door. “Who’s there?” I asked as I walked toward the door. I slowly opened it and saw a woman standing outside. “Uhm… h-hi. C-can I come in?” she asked shyly. “Sure, come in,” I replied. “Wow, your room is quite wide.” “Uh-huh… yeah, it is,” I answered awkwardly. “What weapon will you use?” “I don’t know yet. I’ll study them first.” “Oh, by the way… my name is Kate,” she said as she extended her hand for a handshake. I took her hand. “My name is Luna. By the way, what brought you here? Don’t you need to get ready too?” “Ah, yes. Actually… I’m here to make friends.” “Friends?” I replied, raising one eyebrow in confusion. “It’s true. When I saw your flag earlier, I remembered my husband because he’s also Filipino like you.” “Oh really? But why me? Is it just because I’m Filipino?” “Uhm… not just that. The reason I approached you is because I felt at ease with you the first time I saw you.” “Oh wow. But I’m not a good person, you know. Maybe later I’ll target you and kill you when the game starts.” “I know you can’t kill a person.” “Really? Are you sure I can’t kill?” I looked at her as I grabbed a balisong from the wall and spun it around my fingers. “Remember, we are all here to fight, and only one person can go home,” I added. Kate couldn’t speak. She just stared at me, clearly frightened. “But don’t worry. We don’t need to kill each other. Someone else will kill you or me. We just have to wait for our time to die,” I said seriously while staring into her eyes. “B-but I can’t die. If I die… we’ll both be gone,” Kate said tearfully while holding her stomach. “s**t… you’re pregnant??” I asked in shock. “Excuse my swearing, but… is this true?” “Yes,” Kate nodded. “That’s why I came to you. I wanted to ask for your help. I don’t know what to do,” she explained while crying and begging. “Wait a minute… why me? There are so many people you could ask for help.” “Because I know you’re a good person. I felt at ease the first time I saw you. So please… please,” she begged desperately. “Wait… I think you should go back to your room. I need to calm down and think,” I told her while avoiding eye contact. She slowly walked away, crying and weak. Kate had already left, but I could still feel the weight of her fear—that she might lose her child. I could feel the desperation of a mother who would do anything for her child. I understood why she begged me. But I needed time to process everything. I needed to prepare for the upcoming games that would surely take the lives of the 195 of us… no, 196, because there was a child in her womb. “Lord Jesus, I am scared and anxious about what will happen. But I will try to survive. I’m not sure if I can help Sister Kate with what she wants. Please guide me… guide all of us… through the trials that are coming,” I prayed while kneeling and tightly holding my cross necklace. I was standing in front of Kate’s room, hesitating to knock. I felt embarrassed to face her, and I didn’t even know how long I had been standing there since we had no clocks. I was about to turn around and go back to my room when suddenly the door opened.