Heather Torrez
Everyone stood at the door, gazing, open mouthed, no one moving to step outside. Heather looked around at them thinking, 'What are you all waiting for, the chance of dying from radiation will be the same in here as they are out there now that the door is open.' She, being a bit smaller than everyone else, made her way to the front. She was tired of waiting, her curiosity to see what was on the ground brimming in her chest.
When she finally shoved passed the last row of people she stumbled out, her boots crunching on the dirt. The air was plentiful and filled her lungs completely. She stared at the ground for a minute, examining dirt that she had never seen before, then slowly her eyes raised upward to the green, all the green. She had seen plenty of pictures, of trees and knew about their biological components, but seeing them in person, made her briefly forget her homesickness for the stars.
Then out of the forest around them came a man with a blade, running to attack her. Heather's heart momentarily stopped, her eyes widened, and she stumbled back, falling to the ground. He stopped short and stared at her then the others.
"Another step and I won't be so kind." He stood above Heather, then took her arms, cutting into one. Heather tried to pull away, wincing, her breath catching. 'What is he doing?' she thought, 'Is he going to have me bleed out, why not kill me quickly?'
"Good. Now, if you want to keep your fucking heads, you'll tell me where you came from." It wasn't a question, but Heather's voice was caught in her throat, she was hoping someone else would speak up before he took it out on her again. When he lowered his weapon, Heather allowed herself to breathe, she scooted away from the man before standing up, he then leaned close her, she stiffened up and went to take a step back.
"Most of your' people here will die tonight. There's no way around that. But some can survive. Find weapons, put them in capable hands. Build yourselves a camp. I have some food I can give, but only enough to feed for a night. You will have to learn the ways of the ground."
"I don't understand," said Heather, "you go to attack me, cut my arm, and now you're trying to help us? What is it that you want? Do you truly want to help us or are you just lulling us so we don't see when you will next attack?" Heather asked. He walked away at this moment and came back with a dead panther.
"Here, find a way to divide it amongst yourselves."
Heather scrutinized him, just staring, "Well if you're truly here to help," she said hesitantly, "then maybe you could repair the damage you've done." She held up her handcuffed arms presenting the cut he had inflicted on her, "After all we don't really have any supplies let alone anti-viral or anti-bacterial medicine that could seal the wound up before it becomes infected. Our bodies aren't accustomed to your bacteria."
She could feel the eyes of everyone else on her, she had been singled out by this person, they didn't even know there were people living on Earth still, they had been taught that everyone who wasn't sent to the stars had died and that Earth was desolate of humans. Heather could feel a hundred questions bubbling up, her own amazement having been suppressed for the moment, there were other things to worry about. Such as her cut, such as food and shelter, there was no logical time at the present for her to give into her wonder and questions now.