The morning heat fills the tent as Mia and myself groan our way to waking. It seems the day has to start early with the sun. This must mean it's going to be an. intense day.


"Ugh, I hate hot days." She says as she rolls out of bed.


I slip into my days clothes at the same time she does. This way it helps ensure neither of us are doing anything questionable. We are adults, but we should have rules between us none the less. I believe this to be one of our unspoken rules.


We stay quiet for the time as we fuss about with getting ready for the day. I get ready first, hopping out of the tent to start packing up. Retracting the campfire within a moments time. She emerges from the tent and sets it to retract as well. She nods as she picks the devices and puts them in her pack. I sigh with exasperation. I know today is going to be long, it's already hot as can be.


"We are going to have a bit of a rough day. Thankfully it will be cooler in New Boston." She admits.


"So, I guess the weather is affected by where we live huh?" I ask.


"Location dictates weather patterns. Not the other way around, Etha." She laughs lightly.


"Oh." I say. I feel rather idiotic.


"After New Boston, the Lawrence Canyon is going to be cold. Especially as we get closer to the coast." She says.


"Okay."


We both leave the campsite we used for the night and start on our early march towards New Boston. I am rather glad that Mia knows her way there, because I certainly don't. I never heard of The Lawrence Canyon. It seems this journey is just beginning as I go. There seems to be alot this world has to reveal to me.


"So, what is it like, New Boston?" I ask.


"Well, my parents thought it would be the beacon of hope for a new chance at humanity living in peace again." She replies.


"So what does that mean?" I ask.


"It's a bit of a story." She tries to shrug my question off.


We walk a few steps more. I stop. I have to know.


"Mia, come on. What's it like?" I press further.


"We aren't going to get there like this." She huffs.


"Tell me and I keep walking." I cross my arms.


"Ugh, fine." She huffs. I start to follow her again. "Look, we left Basha because my parents wanted to join the Mercenaries in New Boston." She begins.


"Yeah? What had them interested?" I ask.


"The idea we can make the world livable again." She says. "The mercenary group found some old text and writings about a group called The Stormriders. They believed we could reclaim the Old World." She adds.


"I see." I reply.


I don't pay much attention to how far we have come along. I wipe the sweat from my face. I know now, she only means for the best.


"So, I joined when my parents never came home." She sighs. "I keep trying to get their dream to be a reality." She adds.


"You face all this to keep their dream alive?" I ask.


"Yeah. I figure it's somewhat of a daughters duty." She admits.


I laugh lightly. She shoots me a dirty look, as if the laughter is not permissible. I sigh and rub the back to my neck.


"All I ever did was hide, like my parents. didn't save them either, though." I admit.


"We've all lost because of the Old World." She sighs.


"True." I agree.


I look up the distance from us and notice a few buildings emerging from the sands. Mia slows down for a moment. I take in the sight. The sands sparkling in the brightly lit afternoon sun.


"That's New Boston." Mia says.


"I thought it would be bigger." I admit.


"Most of the settlement is underground." She admits.


We slowly walk the desert sands. I keep my eyes locked on the reflective surfaces from the settlement. The shine makes it hard to make out the entirety of the area. I look over to Mia, who is beaming with a bright smile.


"Although, it is like home." She says with a sigh.


"So that's how they avoid the creatures." I say.


"What?"


"I mean being underground must be a good way to hide." I explain.


"I guess, maybe that's why the built down instead of outwards or upwards." She sighs.


We both are walking, tired from the heat. The sands seems to be shifting. I can't tell if it's the heat getting to me, or if I'm actually seeing the sand roll like waves. Mia darts a hand onto my chest. I stop and stay still, copying her. I wait for her to analyze the situation as I have little knowledge of what's possible out here.


"That's a Wyrm moving by. We have to wait it out." She says.


"A sand wyrm? What would that even look like?" I ask.


"Picture a long snake like thing, but pale, almost snow white. They have no eyes or nose, but one giant mouth filled with hundreds of rows of teeth throughout its digestive system." She explains. "Not ever a creature you want to die because of." She adds.


"How big are we talking?" I ask.


"Watch." She says.


I keep my eyes on the moving sands. I wonder what the size of this thing could possibly be, even though we are far in the distance, for now. I look to Mia, who is watching the sand intently, my mind pictures her like a predator, watching its prey awaiting to take down its target. The sand stops moving and she nudges me to point it out. The Badlands go quiet.


A burst or sand wind bulges out from its own depths as a huge white scaled animal, reaching higher than I've ever seen. It bellows out from the sands. The height this thing reaches is beyond my own understanding. The wyrm goes up into a point where it vanishes into the sky. I feel the ground start to shake.


Sands and dust begin to form waves like water would. The worm begins to sway over one way, away from us, but still away from New Boston, as far as I can tell. The tremors pick up as the sand waves begin to form a larger one as they travel. I stare as a wall of sand begins to rush for us.


"We better move it!" Mia says as she grabs my shoulder.


She begins to pull me as we run from the massive sand wave. The wyrm burrows back into the sands with violent tremors nearly making us lose balance. The sand already is hard to run in, the shaking and panic of this wave coming to bury us to be forgotten in the badlands forever.

We run as fast as either can manage. It seems we are out of luck as I look back, seeing the wall getting closer. It seems to be faster than us. I look around and only see sand pile after sand pile. I feel my heart pump through my whole body with its force. Mia seems to be doing the same as me, seeing if there is somewhere we could take shelter.


Our attempt to find shelter is hopeless it seems. We can only try to outrun this wave. We sprint across the sands trying our best not to stumble across. Rumbling begins to echoes through the air. It fills my head to the point I can no longer think, at least for what I can tell.


The sands shift beneath us. They slowly climb up our bodies as we continue to try to move. The struggle to break free is pointless.


"You led us into quicksand!" I shout.


"I couldn't tell the difference!" She shouts back.


The rumbling gets heavier and louder as the wave comes closer. I fear this is my end I am meeting. I reach an arm out towards Mia. I can't reach her. The sand crawls it's way up to my chest.


I glance to the wall of sand that approaches and I close my eyes. This is it. We are dead. I had to try at the least.


Suddenly the sands start shifting away from our bodies as the wave nearly is over us. We manage to sprint a few feet. The rumbling wave becomes silent as it breaks over us.


C-CRR-RAACC-K!!!


The ground beneath us gives way as the sands chase us into the earth from above. The sky above swallowed by the shadows of the falling wave. I land on my ass as I slip following Mia who slides further into the earth. The land shifts and turns like I have never experienced before. My heart races as we descend into the dark tunnels into the underground world we had thought was lost forever.


Mia suddenly comes to a stop against a big grey slab. I slide crashing into her. I feel dizzy from all of the movements suddenly ending. My head gives a dull ache.


"Sorry." I say as I roll onto the grey slab.


"All good. where are we I wonder." She says to me.


"No idea." I say.


She shakes a stick and it begins to softly outline that cavern like hole we fell into. I am grateful for the little light being shed into our view.

"Thanks Ark Tech." She says.