The Worst Thing That Could Happen

This was a quick-write assignment that I did in fifteen minutes for a class.

How could it have come down to this? Me, standing in the bottom of this now abandoned mine with my best friend pointing a gun at me. He seemed so innocent before this project began, this terrible project. It has corrupted him, my friend who once seemed so kind. This project has turned a great man, a great friend, into a power hungry son of a bi… no. I’m to blame; I started this project. I am the one who begged him to join me when he didn’t want to. He was afraid that he would go mad, but I just wouldn’t listen.

I want to say it was about ten years ago this project started, but down in the mines it can become hard to tell. In the time of this project my hair turned gray, and my skin turned wrinkled, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to keep my eye on the prize; the light at the end of the tunnel. What was I thinking, this is not the place for a couple of old scientists. Hell, it wasn’t even the place for the gruff miners we hired. That is, while they were still breathing. This seemingly lifeless planet turned out to be the stuff of nightmares. The creatures took all of my men away, and my friend and I were too cowardly to do anything to help them. We simply hid.

But when we finally found it, the prize, I was overjoyed. I had done it, I had found the secret that the hostile planet held within itself. The secret to eternal youth. I remember falling to my knees I was so happy, but then I turned around and saw the pistol my friend held. We just looked at each other for a moment. It felt like eternity, my tears turned from tears of joy to tears of grief. His eyes were emotionless, and I had lost everything. My life’s work, and my only friend.

And then I heard the gunshot.