Homeward Bound by Alex McMurray
Suggested by a POV image by Scott McDonald


	Mac was now alone, alone as he had never been before, his last companion, Dave, had died only hours before, his body now lying in the cart with Fredericks and Evans.  He knew he was alone, he knew he was the last, not just the last of the crew, but the last of...... of everything.   Above him, the bloated red ball that had once been their life, their mother and father, now was their executioner, the bloated red ball, that only 6 months ago, had been the source of life giving to his home, was now its destroyer.
	Six months ago, how long ago that had seemed, one month after the "Venture" had left the orbiting docking platform high above the Earth.  The sun had began to expand, no warning had been given, no indication that our own sun was going Nova, but it didn't, contrary to all known laws of physics, the sun did not explode, at least not yet, it just grew and grew and grew.  
	Protected in their own little coccoon on their way to Mars, the helpless crew of the Venture watched in horror as first, Mercury succumbed to the greed of this new giant, then Venus and finally, the Earth.   Month after month, the radio to base told of the panic and desparation, of nationwide suicides, of helplessness in the face of Armageddon, until at last, it stopped, they were alone.   Just seven men, seven sole survivors of how many billions.
	Peterson was the first to crack, during his watch, he walked to the airlock and stepped out into space, naked, now there was six. We all looked at each other, who would be next.
	They landed on Mars, as scheduled, the red sands of Mars now even more so in the light of the new red dwarf that had once been our Sun, the sky above, the color of blood, the surrounding hillside ubareble to look at.
	Captain Harmon and first officer Newton were the next to go, a heated argument, a fight and death, whether accidental or delibarate, it will nver be known, four left.
	Dave was the one who suggested trying to make the walk to Easter camp, a robot operated camp set up a year earlier in an attempt to mine the red planet, it was an utter failure, but it would be able to sustain human life.  For how long and why were the main questions, hope was the answer, while one man is alive, there is always hope.
	Evans estimated that it would be three days march to the camp, stores were loaded onto a small wheel cart, and each took it in turns to pull.  Going was hard, the roughness of the terrain worked as hard against them as they battled the planet, barely making 30 miles per day.
	Fredericks scouted ahead, looking for suitable paths through the rocks and trenches, they found him, at the bottom of a crater, his oxygen tank empty, as simple as that, he had forgotten to take a spare. Three left.
	Evans ranted and raved the whole of one day, giggling to himself, shouting at creatures visible only to himself, throwing rocks to keep at bay an enemy only he could see.  In the morning he was dead.  Two left.
	On the last day, Dave was our navigator, the camp was only half a days march, but then what, only two men left in the galaxy, two men left to do what.  It all seemed so pointless, but they struggled on, Dave slipped down a cliff and broke his leg and a rib.  Despite his injuries, he continued on, Mac at times managed to talk him into riding on the cart, sittng on the bodies of Fredericks and Evans.
	Mac resisted to temptation to dump the two bodies, but he had promised them that he would get them to Easter camp, and dead or alive, they would get there.  
	Dave began vomitting blood, the broken rib had pierced his lung, Mac was at a loss, he had no medical training, but Dave told him to go on, gripping the rope, Mac strained against the load, and continued the journey.
	As they topped the last rise, with hope of the camp on the other side, Dave smiled. 
	Mac was now alone, alone as he had never been before, the only man left in the Universe, he topped the rise, there before him.... No o o o o .
	He dropped the rope and ran towards the blunted needle of the "Venture" its nose pointing at the bloated red ball of their dying sun.
	His boots sinking into the deep red sands, his run slowed to a walk, then a crawl, the sands sucking his feet further and further into the red planet, he sank to his knees, tears streaming from his eyes, why he shouted, what is it all for.  And he fell forward, the tears hiding the only rock in the sand.