Only the Beginning

The clouds hang dark and heavy over the shadowed wasteland, flashing and rumbling with hints of the approaching storm. Far below, trekking silently across the dry, lifeless expanse of land, is Nancy and her crew. They glance up nervously with every echo of thunder rolling across the planes. There is nothing to hide them from the storm's path - no trees, or caves, or even a simple rock to hide behind. A light breeze whispers past them, deceptively gentle for the wall of darkness fast approaching from the horizon.

But they can't turn back, where would they go? Behind them lies nothing but waste and remnants of a past better left behind. The kind of past so frightening they would rather face this storm with nothing but grit and each other. So, they trudge on wordlessly, faces pale and coated with a sheen of sweat, but hard-set with determination nonetheless.

Nancy watches Bryce fidget with the straps of his backpack, and when he's not fidgeting, he's wiping away the tears threatening to spill from his eyes. She can't help but pity him, despite her own fears. The only reason Bryce left with them in the first place is to find his brother, Angus, who was taken after the invasion. But now, he may never get that chance; no one has ever survived a storm in these parts. "Better caught under a stampede of angry cattle than a storm out there.", the elders would always say.

And Lina doesn't look in much better shape. She clings to Bryce's arm for support. Her steps are weak, and she trips over almost every rock or uneven surface, leaving her knees red and bloodied. She is, perhaps, the worst off of them all. Lina has always been weak and sickly, but this journey has worsened her condition tenfold. Her breathing is ragged, and every now and then, she whimpers, legs going weak beneath her before Bryce pulls her back up again.

“I can't -” Lina's voice cracks, breaking the silence. “I can't do this anymore. You have to leave me.” Her voice is barely above a whisper, rough and scratchy. Nancy pulls out her canteen and hands it to Lina. It's the last of their water, but she has no other choice. “Don't be ridiculous, Lina. We aren't leaving you behind.” Bryce doesn't speak, too tired to even try, but he nods his head in agreement. They’ve come too far to lose someone now.

The wind picks up suddenly. No more gentle breeze, no more soft caresses of wind against their face. It's so abrupt that neither Nancy or Bryce can prepare themselves as an arid, hot wall of air pushes past them, nearly toppling them off their feet. Lina cries out, as she stumbles once again. “Just go! I’m only slowing you down, you’ll die if you wait for me!” The wind whips violently around them now, drowning out her voice. And it only gets worse, slamming into them and jostling them around wildly. Nancy winces, bracing herself against the sting of sand against her skin.

“Quit saying that!” She doesn’t even know if they heard her, but Lina struggles to her feet again regardless. They all huddle together, desperately holding on to one another as the wind and sand buffets around them. The storm hasn’t even begun in full yet, and they’re already being swept into its unforgiving hold. The clouds above them only darken, fully obscuring the sun form view and threatening to open the floodgates of their demise at any moment.

They push forward, straining and shaking with every step. Nancy thinks she catches a glimpse of tears on Lina’s face, but her own eyes are too blurry to tell. From the corner of her eye, Nancy spots a dark, looming shape in the distance. She squints against the dust and wind. Could it be…?

“Over there!” She yells over the wind. “I think I see something!” Hopefully a cave of some kind. But even a rock could give them some kind of shelter from the weather. Before they can react, lightning flashes, striking the ground beside them with a sharp, painfully loud bang. Someone screams. Nancy doesn’t know who. They burst into motion, running to the shape that Nancy pointed out. Potentially their best and only hope.

The lightning doesn’t let up, tearing through the sky like a vicious beast. Nancy’s ears ring as they struggle onward. If they could just get some respite, some kind of break from the oncoming onslaught, but as they get closer, her heart sinks to the ground. No. No. There’s nothing there! It was all just an illusion – a trick of the eyes amid the sand and wind.

Lina doubles over, choking and gasping. She inhales deeply, desperately, only to be met with more sand than air. Another explosion of light and searing heat. Another crack splitting through the sky as lightning strikes far too close for comfort. The ringing in Nancy’s ears turns to clamoring; her thoughts spin out of control as panic takes over.

Bryce stumbles back as more lightning strikes, tripping and stumbling to the ground. Nancy pulls them both close to her in a crouch to shield them from the raging elements. They cling to each other, grimacing under the worsening gale. It’s not long before the temperature drops drastically. The clouds begin to unleash their torrent, slowly at first – the first few drops are carried by the wind before splattering to the ground with a small sizzle. But then, it’s as if everything comes down all at once.

The rain crashes down around them, and, caught in the wind’s wild raging, tears into the three companions like knives. Mud streaks down Nancy’s face and into her eyes – or is that blood? She can’t tell. And right now, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is survival, hers and her companions’.

“Nancy! I think I see someone!” She can barely hear Bryce over the rush of noise. He says something, but she can’t quite make it out. “Don’t you see? It's Angus!” His brother? Nancy looks to where he’s pointing, cracking her one eye open painfully, but she doesn’t see anything.

Bryce doesn’t wait for a response. He scrambles to his feet, awkward against the harsh whipping of the wind. Stop! There’s no one there! She wants to yell for him to come back, to stay with them, but the moment she opens her mouth, she’s met with the horrible sensation of sand on her tongue, even in her throat, and all that comes out is an incoherent garble. It’s another illusion, it must be.

Lina crawls forward on shaking hands, crusted with dried blood and sand. Together, the two slowly inch their way towards his silhouette, blinking and wiping at their painfully dust-filled eyes. Nancy’s swears she only shuts her eyes for a moment, just a second of respite. And when she opens them again, Bryce is gone.

Her breath catches. She tries to call out to him, but the wind steals her voice before she can even say his name. Lina’s weight suddenly doubles against Nancy’s side, a horrible sensation. “No! No, Lina – not you too, please! Just stay with me!” Her friend’s head drops, completely slack.

“Please… Just stay awake.” She flinches, pulling Lina’s unconscious body closer to her as yet another bolt of lightning strikes the ground, merely a few paces away. Again, she looks around, searching for Bryce, but the longer she doesn’t see him, the more afraid she becomes that she never will.

Whenever Nancy tries to look into the distance for too long, it’s like she can see the faces or her own loved ones, but then she blinks, and suddenly, they’re gone again. She almost imagines her own mother coming closer, with that gentle smile, arms wide open. If it weren’t for Lina, Nancy would surely run to meet her. But then she blinks, and the figure is gone. Like it was never there.

Nancy doesn’t know how long she clings to the last of her sanity – fingers clutching to Lina’s form like a lifeline – before, with one final boom of thunder that echoes through her bones, everything suddenly turns eerily quiet. The wind seems to calm, holding its breath, and the lightning ceases

A spark of hope flares in her chest. A chance, maybe, to find her friend. But as Nancy wipes at her eyes and lifts her head, that flicker of hope sputters and dies out. Around them is nothing but a wall. A wall of wind, dust, and rain. No Bryce, and no way out.

And worst of all? Nancy thought the storm was over, or at least the worst of it. But now, with growing dread, she sees; it’s only really just begun.