The descent from the pitch black of space into the blue hues of an actual atmosphere offered such hope and promise that several members of the ship became visibly emotional. Brooke felt it in her eyes, but twisted her face into a scowl.

 

Not on a ship full of men. Nope.

 

To her right, Parker was as dry as stone — his eyes, his permanent grimace, his whole being. To his right was Sebastian, face engulfed by the blue glow of his tablet as he reread information he already knew better than anyone.

 

“The signal came from farther east.” Sebastian didn’t look up.

“We can’t land there,” Brooke responded. “Farther east is that jagged rock formation surrounding the cave systems.”

 

Sebastian sighed heavily but cut it short when he caught the glare from Parker.

 

The ship continued to descend, and the thin, cottony clouds dissipated to reveal more of the land below. Limited vegetation and leafless trees became visible beyond the jagged rocks and caves. To the right of the caves, dozens of buildings had deteriorated into an unlivable situation, though Brooke still detected their familiar structure. Reminiscent of the buildings on Earth she'd seen as a child, and even more similar to the buildings on Klaspen.

 

Did the signal come from Earthlings who hadn't migrated to Klaspen with Brooke and others? Did it come from Klaspeners who'd left years ago in search of a permanent home? Or could there be people native to Nuvelle?

 

* * *

 

Brooke, Parker, and Sebastian finally acclimated to Nuvelle’s atmosphere and set out for the signal. The big guns were packed away deep inside the cargo hold, but Parker insisted pistols would be fine. “I don’t see a soul out here.”

 

Brooke led the trio out of the flat, desolate area they had landed in and past the dilapidated buildings sitting like giants in a graveyard. Several thin plants jutted out of the dry, cracked ground. The sound of soft wind blowing past was the only thing they heard.

 

“No animals,” Brooke said in a hush.

 

“Right. Humans cannot thrive here. What the hell is there to eat?” Parker was agitated.

 

Sebastian cleared his throat. “Common misconception. Humans don’t need to eat animals to survive. Observe the teeth. Squared teeth made to eat plants—"

 

“Shut your squared mouth! You need meat for the protein!”

 

“Protein comes from plants.”

 

“I don’t see any damn plants anywhere either.”

 

Brooke held up a hand, and everyone halted. The jagged rocks and cave systems lay before them. She scrutinized the area, searching for any movement. Nothing.

 

“Sebastian, is there a chance there could be animals in the caves?”

 

“Absolutely. Especially if plants grow there, they may have retreated to those areas.”

 

“Then everyone stay on high alert.”

 

They traversed boulders shaped like a dragon’s teeth, stepping carefully and grabbing hold of their imperfections to guide themselves along. Sebastian directed them to the left where he had pinpointed the origin of the signal, and they finally reached an opening to the caves.

 

Three flashlights clicked on as three explorers pushed into the dark cave, searching for whoever sent the signal. Parker thought it was a distress signal and a waste of resources. Brooke reasoned the signal was sent in such a way as to suggest hope. The exact signal they’d been looking for ever since they realized Klaspen’s resources were significantly limited. What they’d seen of Nuvelle, what they knew of Nuvelle, it didn’t offer hope, but they’d only completed scans of one-eighth of the planet. Someone residing here could have more information.

 

Water dripped and splatted on the cave floor in an eerie fashion, but the sound was promising. Their lights swept over thicker, more lush vegetation sprouting all around the damp environment. Also promising.

 

And then… bones. Just to the left of Brooke’s feet. Sebastian crouched next to it while they illuminated a complete skeleton between the size of a goat and a horse.

 

“Teeth of a plant eater,” Sebastian said.

 

“Would you quit it?” Parker hissed.

 

“That means herbivores can live here!”

 

After claiming that humans weren’t herbivores, to Sebastian’s dismay, Parker said they should turn back and say that they found nothing. Brooke shut Parker down and stated their mission wasn’t complete, so they pushed on. Ten minutes later, they found two more goat-horse skeletons. After another five minutes, they came across three squirrel-sized skeletons.

 

“This is promising.” Brooke smiled. “But would these types of animals live in a cave?”

 

Sebastian wasn’t sure, but he assumed animals like this would live in larger groups. So, if there weren’t more skeletons in the cave, he’d predict there’d be more elsewhere on Nuvelle.

 

Brooke was about to ask a follow-up question when she noticed a set of eyes directly ahead of her.

Blinking eyes.

Watching eyes.

She brought the beam of light from her flashlight upwards and illuminated an erect creature, five feet tall, large head, large eyes, and gray-beige skin. Three more of these beings emerged from the shadows and huddled next to the first, all their mouths barely open in innocent O-shapes, delicate and nimble fingers wiggling with anxiety.

 

Brooke took one small step forward. “We received a signal from Klasper. Did you send the signal?”

 

The beings looked at one another with curiosity, and then one looked back at them and nodded.

 

Brooke laughed. “Oh my God! You did! You sent the signal!”

 

Brooke stared at Parker and Sebastian, overwhelmed. The hope in her eyes evaporated. Six pairs of eyes emerged from the darkness behind Parker and Washington. Brooke looked straight ahead at the original four beings, and those once innocent mouths were stretched wide and maliciously, revealing teeth.

 

“See those incisors? And those canines?” Sebastian whispered shakily. “Those are the teeth of a meat-eater.”

 

“So, someone else called us?” Parker readjusted his grip on his gun.

 

Brooke shook her head. “No. They were calling us. Not to help us. They were calling for their dinner.”