Marliene, Lana, Vivienne, and Lucas were scientists employed by Dr. Kate to work at Feronia, where they explored, researched, and found evidence of phenomena on other planets. Feronia recently started their business to discover something to make them better known. Dr. Kate chose these four scientists specifically to explore the planet Kallan due to their tremendous work in the field when they worked alongside Dr. Paola, a renowned astronomer and scientist, at Lorna Stewart’s Space Station before it was shut down. They’d all made groundbreaking findings and had proven their research to be beneficial. Accompanying them on their expedition was an astronaut named Stella who found and explored two planets, which came to be named Zuria and Asphodel.

Because Dr. Kate was desperate to get her company out there and gain funding, the four scientists had only two weeks to go through basic training. Through the course of those days, they all worked hard to complete their training. During this time, Dr. Kate and her crew decided it was best to test the pressure of the atmosphere in Kallan with a satellite-borne laser. The satellite orbited Kallan for about a week, and they discovered that the atmospheric pressure was the same as Earth’s. It was time for Vivienne, Lucas, Marliene, Lana, and Stella to set off for discovery. The scientists’ nerves were heightened as their training was cut short; they’d never been to space before, and they would have to test whether Kallan’s atmosphere was breathable. 

The trip to Kallan was smooth. Upon arriving, they all noticed how vigorous and alluring the planet was, nothing like they’d ever seen. Kallan was a mix of different pinks, with shimmering pink glitter floating around. But now was the time for the scary part: they had to test the breathability. 

“So, who wants to take their helmet off first?” asked Lana.

Moments later, Vivienne said, “Uh, I guess I will.” She slowly lifted her helmet and breathed in the air, then stood, still breathing and seemingly not frozen. “I’m still breathing!” Vivienne shouted. “The air tastes so sweet. Come on, take y’all’s off too!”

There was a mist of a dewy substance that tasted almost sweet, like honeysuckle. It was like a fantasy, something only out of your imagination, but here they were. Bewitching flowers cascaded along the ground, leading to an array of azalea pink weeping willow trees. It was unbelievably majestic, as the moonlight shone down, encapsulating a distinctive aura. Cherry blossoms blew through the wind, falling gracefully to the ground, some landing in the glistening water. Vivienne noticed the flow of water and beckoned everyone over. 

“Look, there’s something in the water,” Marliene pointed out. Everybody gathered closer to get a better look. Lucas decided to reach in and pull the thing out, but it wouldn’t budge, so he pulled harder. In doing so, he ended up puncturing the strange item. This caused a fair pink, gaseous vapor to be released. Little did they know, chaos would soon erupt.

The pink vapor somehow burned through Lucas’ space suit. The group quickly ran to the spaceship, away from the vapor. As they made it in, Stella began repairing the torn suit. While doing so, she noticed that Lucas’ skin was burned. His skin had warts growing with an eerie fluid wavering around. But that wasn’t the only problem: Creatures were lurking, waiting to make themselves known.

When Lucas’ suit was patched up and his burn was cleaned and wrapped, the remainder of the group decided to retrieve a sample of the object to test what it was. With the proper gear, they were able to get a sample. They looked at it under a microscope, and what they discovered was strange. The substance was nothing they’d ever seen before; it looked like an organism rather than a substance. There were noticeable cells and a nucleus, but how could this have caused a severe burn?

The cells appeared to be throbbing and growing bigger as minutes passed by. But before they could come to a conclusion, a loud scream from Lucas interrupted them. The group quickly rushed towards him, only to find him curled in a ball holding his arm. Not knowing what to do, Stella unwrapped his bandage and discovered his arm was redder and pulsating. After getting Lucas to calm down and rest, the group went back to the sample to figure something out while Lana settled for watching over Lucas. After about an hour and to no avail, the scientists called it a night. Everyone slumbered peacefully, while Lana stayed up to keep an eye on Lucas throughout the night.

A little into the night, Lucas awoke. He looked around, but his surroundings were different. He was in the forest of Kallan, surrounded by trees and vines. He didn’t know how he got there, but he knew he needed to find a way out. Lucas began walking and made his way through the forest. He started to panic; it was like he was in a labyrinth. The forest was never-ending, and Lucas cried and grew hopeless. Suddenly, he heard the snap of a branch. He turned around, but nothing was there.

Turning back around, Lucas came face to face with something demonic. There stood a two-headed deer, one with no face, while the other’s face was stretched and had razor-sharp teeth with blood dripping from them in a circular pattern. Lucas felt like he couldn’t look away or control himself as he stood there, completely frozen. The deer’s eyes were almost hollow, as if he were looking into a black hole being sucked in. As the creature charged at Lucas, he finally gained control of his body, and he stumbled out of his shock. He fell to the ground. Instantaneously, the vines began wrapping around him, pulling him up. The deer stood in front of him, looking at Lucas predatorily.

Without thinking, Lucas reached for something, anything he could find, landing on a stick within his reach. Before the vines could grab his hand, he swung at the deer. Abruptly, he was pushed to a wall. Confused, he saw he was now back at the spaceship with everyone surrounding him and looking angry. Simultaneously, Lucas noticed Lana was holding her head and looking at him with fear as blood dripped down her forehead. There on the floor lay a metal pipe. Lucas concluded that he had somehow hurt Lana, and quickly explained what he had seen. 

A new symptom was discovered: hallucinations. Along with that, the warts on Lucas’ arm were now the size of his fists. The group was appalled. They needed to find out what was happening to Lucas before it ended up killing him. They decided to take a sample of Lucas’ blood to see how the foreign organism was affecting him. They discovered that Lucas’ white blood cell count was extremely high, and there were traces of another cell growing. They observed that it was two times larger than the normal blood cell, and it was a shade of emerald green. This foreign entity was acting as a pathogen. Through the blood, it was somehow taking over Lucas’ body. Another question arose: What would this lead to? Could it possibly take full control over the body to the point where there was no stopping it?

They walked back to where Lucas was sleeping. All of a sudden, Lucas’ warts burst open, pink moths flew out, and pus spilled everywhere in the shade of sunbound yellow. Lucas dropped dead in the process. Some of the moths immediately went towards Lana, seemingly attracted to blood, while the others flew to the exhaust vents. The moths tried eating Lana, tearing through the cut on her forehead and entering through her mouth as she screamed. Lana fell to the ground as the moths ate her from the inside out, crying out for help, but no one knew what to do. Vivienne, Stella, and Marliene heard a loud rattling noise over Lana’s screams. 

“It must be the moths that went in the vent!” Stella yelled. “We need to get out of here before it explodes!” Scared out of their minds, they ran off the ship. Seeing as there was no saving them, they left Lana and what was left of Lucas behind.

BOOM! 

A series of loud noises rang through the air. There was a large cloud of smoke and fallen debris everywhere. Stella, Marliene, and Vivienne were able to feel the heat of the explosion as they were thrown to the ground.

Although Lana was cautious, she was compassionate and empathetic. She had stayed with Lucas in his time of need, even after he hurt her. In the end, it cost her her life.

“What the freak is next?” Marliene yelled.

“This can’t be happening,” Stella said quietly.

“Are they really gone? Did we just witness that?” Vivienne sobbed.

Surprisingly calm, Stella said, “We have to find a way to report this to Dr. Kate.”

“How. The. Heck. Are you so calm about this? Lucas and Lana just died right in front of us,” stated Marliene.

“You have had to expect something like this to happen. I mean, come on, we’re exploring a new freaking planet,” Stella snapped.

“Can you shut the heck up, Vivienne?! I can’t take your crying anymore,” Marliene stated annoyingly. 

To which Vivienne shouted, “Well, I’m sorry I’m very emotional, but we did just see our two friends die, so don’t come at me, you stuck-up brat.”

Marliene and Stella both stood dumbfounded by Vivienne’s outburst, as she was known for being tremendously shy and for not sticking up for herself. Marliene, Vivienne, and Stella stood there in silence. After a few seconds of blankly staring at each other, Stella said, “We need to find somewhere safe to stay,” and started walking off. Vivienne and Marliene trailed shortly behind.

After about an hour of walking through the angelic wilderness, the girls grew anxious. There was seemingly nowhere to go, and they lost their only communication with Earth, and the only way off this planet. They hadn’t been here long, yet there was considerable havoc. As the women began to lose hope, they heard a cascade of water. They climbed up the hill where they were met with a vast waterfall. The mist of the water hit their face, helping them relax from the shock of everything. The breeze from the water hitting the rocks added to their state of tranquility. 

“Look over there,” Marliene pointed. “It looks like a cave behind the waterfall. We can camp out there.”

“Okay,” Vivienne muttered quietly.

“Stay close. Let’s go,” Stella commanded while walking the short distance to the cave. The three women sat in the cave, seemingly safe from what lay in the forest. It was quiet, besides the sounds from the waterfall and the drips of water in the cave. “Y’all go ahead and rest, I’ll keep an eye out,” stated Stella. Hoping to find some peace. Vivienne and Marliene went to sleep.. Suddenly, they were awoken by Stella.

“Wake up! I heard something. It sounded like it was getting closer,” Stella said, sounding petrified. 

“OH MY GOD,” Vivienne gasped.

“Oh, don’t start crying again,” Marliene sneered. Vivienne looked at Marliene, annoyed, squinting her eyes as her lip curled. But before she could reply, a cry for help was heard.

“Please help me!” someone sobbed. “Why won’t you help me? Please,” the voice continued, sounding like it was outside the cave. Although the water drowned out the noise, it was still distinctive. 

Vivienne gulped in fear. “That sounded like Lana.”

“It can’t be her, can it?” Stella inquired. 

“It can’t be. You saw what happened to Lucas. The same thing would have happened to her, plus the ship blew up,” Marliene replied. However, they all fell quiet as footsteps were heard, evidently getting closer. What stood in front of them was nothing they’d ever seen. A fearsome beast with antlers and sharp claws. Its eyes sunken in, as if it was decaying, peering at them hungrily like it was ready to feast.

“What the heck is that?” whispered Vivienne.

Hesitantly, Stella spoke, “It’s a wendigo. We need to run now!” They ran deeper into the cave, the beast came pouncing after them. In no time, it caught up to them, slashing Stella on her back. She screamed as her flesh tore, falling to the ground in hopeless pain. She reached her hand out for help, but Marliene and Vivienne were already running past her back out of the cave. They heard Stella’s continuous screams, pleading for help, but shortly they stopped. Marliene and Vivienne were able to catch the distant sound of a bone break.

Vivienne and Marliene ran faster than they ever had, trying to make it far from the wendigo. They happened to come upon a large hollow tree where moss grew carelessly. A warm, captivating light surrounded the hole as fireflies flew out, illuminating the night sky. After contemplating their options, not having many, Marliene and Vivienne decided to enter through the hollow tree. Inside, they found small mushroom creatures playing around and laughing when they noticed them. At this point, they thought nothing else could shock them. The mushroom creatures stared at them with curiosity. Their faces turned to excitement, and they began chattering.

“They can talk,” stuttered Vivienne.

“Uh, yeah,” Marliene replied. The creatures began parting, making room for one of the seemingly important mushroom creatures which had an elderly appearance.

“We’re mushroom fairies. We mean no harm. We guide those of the forest. I’m Nilou, the leader of the fairies. Come, follow me, we can help,” the elder spoke contentedly. 

“How do you know we need help?” Marliene asked cautiously.

Without wasting any time, Nilou spoke. “We’re the guardians of the forest; we know everything that happens. Now come, we have things to discuss.”

Marliene and Vivienne followed Nilou deeper into the tree, which seemed to run deeper and taller than expected. Soon, vines came into their vision. Nilou pushed forward through the vines. Promptly, the two girls followed. What lay within was a whole other world. Mushroom houses were scattered, forming a small village. Nilou beckoned Vivienne and Marliene as they stood there in awe.

“I know it’s mesmerizing, but we don’t have time,” Nilou said in a small, panicky voice. “The beast will soon track you down, leaving our village at risk. It has a mind of its own.” In due time,e they made it to Nilou’s quarters. “I’m going to tell you about our ruler, Vedia,” Nilou started with a gloomy sigh.

“I thought you were the guardian. Aren’t you the ruler?” Vivienne asked, puzzled.

“We are the guardians of the forest, but the ruler is the protector and defender of all. She kept the peace of the forest,” Nilou spoke sadly.

“What happened to her?” Marliene inquired.

“We’re not sure. One day, Vedia just disappeared, leaving the forest vulnerable. Without her, many creatures are driven by hatred,” Nilou stammered. “The forest is rotting, dying slowly, causing a division between the creatures, and it’s killing us all. However, since your people arrived, the forest has reawoken. But we still need Vedia to eradicate the chaos. There’s been talk that the other fairies believe Vedia to be alive, that she has resurrected. My foragers felt her presence while they were on their search for food. They say she rests in the heart of the forest.”

“Where’s the heart of the forest?” Marliene questioned.

“It lies in the center of the forest. Please go there and bring back Vedia so that we can finally have peace,” Nilou pleaded.

“We can’t. You know the beast is after us, and we don’t even know our way around the forest; we’ll just get lost,” Marliene stated.

Nilou snapped, “The only way to stop the beast is to find Vedia. I’ll send one of my foragers with you, they’ll show you the way. Please, I beg of you.”

Vivienne said, “Of course we’ll find her.” All Marliene did was stare at her blankly. “Come on, Marliene, it’s our only chance,” Vivienne said softly.

“Fine,” Marliene stated.

Nilou called in one of the foragers, and they began their journey. After what seemed like forever, the forager said, “We’re here.” But nothing looked different.

“There’s nothing here,” Marliene said angrily. 

“You have to look deeper beyond the surface,” the forager replied. Vivienne went to ask what that meant, but fell short when the forager disappeared.

“Where’d it go?” Vivienne asked. Before Marliene could reply, a loud, murderous growl was heard. 

“The wendigo’s back! Run!” Vivienne yelled, taking off. The beast charged forward, picking up its pace. 

“This is it,” Marliene and Vivienne thought, only nothing happened. They both stopped running and turned around, then face to face with a swarm of pink moths. With great fear, Vivienne and Marliene swatted them away, but they wouldn’t go away. The moths began forming into something. What appeared in front of them now was a tall woman with sharp claws and spider-like legs. She wore a gold crown, along with a flowy gold dress and black cloak. The Shapeshifter stood there, staring at the hateful beast. It looked at the beast, talking to it with her eyes. Unexpectedly, the beast knelt to the ground. The strange, woman-like creature reached one of its legs out and touched the wild beast. The once ferocious beast transformed into an elegant, white deer. It had tree-like antlers with wildly growing flowers and leaves sprouting from them.

“That must be Vedia,” noted Marliene with a sense of relief. The deer ran off at the sound of their voice, and Vedia turned around.

“Lana,” Vivienne shouted with astonishment. “This can’t be real. How are you here?”

“What are you?” Marliene asked in a curious tone.

“She’s our new ruler,” Nilou said suddenly. 

Vivienne and Marliene jumped. “Where the heck did you come from?” Marliene frighteningly asked, but her question was ignored. More creatures began gathering around, cheering as their protector had returned. The disease of hatred finally left the planet of Kallan, and peace and harmony could be restored.