Prompt: use the words footprints, book, and tea
Her back was pressed against the door while she recounted her group members.
Five, she confirmed, Who did we leave behind?
A pounding sound began on the metal port. She closed her eyes and debated internally. For a
moment, her thoughts fled back to her quiet room on Earth.
What I would give to wake up from this dream - A book on my lap and an empty cup of tea
before me.
This was no dream, she knew. If anything, it was a living nightmare. When her eyes snapped
open, she steeled herself and barked a command.
“Go,” she said. “Find a place to hide.”
She spun and slapped her hand against the device beside the door. As it slid open, an elderly
man tumbled to the ground at her feet. Before she could react, the fearsome creature behind him
struck out and brought a hand to her neck.
She was dragged through the threshold, but managed to turn her head. In the corner of her
vision, she watched the door close and the man disappear behind it.
At least he’s safe, she thought. I will die with a clear conscience.
The beast tossed her over his reptilian shoulder. As he took her back to the building he departed
from, she saw the heavy footprints he left behind. Time stretched on as she came closer to her
terrible fate. Her view was limited, but as she watched the tail beneath her swish along the sand,
she noticed an object that hung from a strange belt.
Is that a weapon?
Her arm stretched downward, and she managed to wrap her tiny fingers around the cylinder.
There was only a single button on its side, so she pressed it. The object began to whir, and her
eyes went wide with realization.