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Copyright reserved. No part(s) of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form by any means without the written permission of the author. Sands of Time by Matt Gentry
A searing heat. Blackness! His suit was no match for the extreme pressure, and he could feel his body being tested to its limits then, as the ship arced high in the sky, he felt himself break. His mind was enveloped by a darkness, and he fought at it, ultimately losing. He was sucked back into consciousness by piercing alarms. Warning lights flashed their brilliance before him, he glanced to the left and saw his friend, and fellow traveler, pass out. The ground was rushing up before him at an incredible rate, the shuttle was now like a runaway missile, targeting some unknown enemy. He tried to save them; tried to prevent a horrid finish, but in the end his attempts proved futile. The earth erupted and the darkness once again entered his thoughts. This time he welcomed it, giving in to the night. His senses were shocked into reality, his nostrils awakening to the smell of breakfast. Bacon! His eyes remained shut, not wanting the sleep to be over. He could hear his mother calling up to him. "Vincent honey. Wake up! Vincent. Vincent." The voice became distorted and took on a whole new sound. "Vincent. Yo, Vinny! Wake up man!" He sat up and shook his head in a vain attempt to clear his mind. This action brought a wave of pain upon himself. His partner was standing over him, checking the battered man for damage. Vincent gingerly touched his head, wary of the dull pain slowly developing. "What happened?" "Guidance systems failed. We could be anywhere. It's got to be a planet similar to Earth, anyway. I mean, we can breath here, and all." Vincent stood up and surveyed his surroundings: the whole place was a desert as far as he could tell. Sand filled his vision with every turn. His clock read 9:21 and already the sun was burning high overhead. He tore off his suit and launched it across the hot sand, then grabbed a pack and began filling it with supplies: most of them had been strewn about in the crash and were worthless. Salvaging a small portion, he hefted the bag on his back. The other man, a cocky young pilot named Mark, cried out. "What do you thing you're doing?" "Look, there's enough food and water for about 36 hours. I don't intend to just sit here and wait for death to come knocking. Now you can either come with me, or hope for some small miracle and stay with the ship. Me, I'd rather take my chances out there, among the sand." Vincent could sense the hesitation in Mark's eyes, but was relieved when he grabbed a pack and stocked it. "Let's do it!" The two set out with no direction and no real way, they just prayed for some sort of guidance, something to show them the path. The intense sun beat down upon them and Vincent could feel the sweat roll down his back. The tiny canteen of water did nothing to quench his thirst: only helped to dry his already parched lips. They had only traveled a few short miles and Mark was beginning to show signs of weakening. The two compatriots peaked a dune, its contents filling their boots and mouths. Vincent looked back, as Mark lost his footing and stumbled. He slammed hard into the ground and his breaths became labored. Vincent rushed over and look down on the fallen man. Blood trickled from Mark's mouth and all signs of life ceased. Vincent turned away, terrified that he might be next. Day turned to night and the sand cooled, barely. Vincent kept moving, wanting to put as much distance between himself and his fate as possible. The sun returned once more, its power slowly affecting him. Images of water appeared and he ran, only to be greeted by more of the scorching sand. His vision blurred and he fell to his knees then collapsed and his face slammed hard down onto the earth. A noise! He forced his weary eyes open and saw a strange creature before him. It spoke and turned, hopping up a small hill. The vulture spread its wings and took flight over the enormous town, finally coming to rest on a sign which read: "Welcome to Las Vegas"
THE END
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