“Jameson?” he cried.
Gideon’s voice echoed and died. The smoke from his dead flame and the odor of his last meal hung in the air. Where was everyone?
“Jameson!” he yelled, more insistently. “I need you to get me something! Now!”
The skittering grew closer. Something sniffed the air.
Not a person. An animal.
Gideon cried out and grabbed at his sheets, but he couldn’t move quickly: his muscles were atrophied; his leg was lame. He tried rolling and catching his balance, but fell to the ground instead.
Gideon landed with a painful thud on the side of his bed. He cried out, trying to get to his feet, momentarily forgetting that he had only one leg remaining. He tried dragging himself, but his movement was limited.
Even if he could get out of the cove, where would he go?
He was directionless and in the dark.
His eye roamed the pitch-black room, scanning for whatever occupied the cove with him.
A growl pierced the room.
For the first time in a long while, fear shook Gideon.
“Jameson?”
With effort, he managed to turn, grabbing his bed and trying to pull himself back up.
He never made it.
The wolf’s first bite tore into his empty pant-leg, causing no pain, but the next one punctured his arm, and the one after that, his shoulder. Agony washed over Gideon. He screamed as more wolves joined the first—a pack of feral animals chewing his flesh, ignoring his frantic flailing, and ripping off pieces of his body.
No one came, even when he screamed for them.
Nor did they come, when the wolves tore into his neck, turning a scream into a gurgle.
And then Gideon felt no more.
Epilogue
Shouldering their bags, Neena, Kai, Raj, and a dozen others stood in the middle of the hunter’s path, facing the hundred and eighty colonists who had gathered to see them off. Studying the faces of the people in front of them, Neena couldn’t help the nostalgic lump in her throat. Three months of working together, sharing plentiful meals, and rebuilding their homes had forged bonds she never would’ve imagined. She’d always felt close to her brothers, but now it felt as if she had a newer, larger family, two hundred strong.
Walking forward from her group, she met Roberto and Salvador, who watched her with affectionate concern.
“Are you sure you want to leave?” Salvador.
It was a formality, rather than a question.
They’d discussed their plans ad nauseam. She knew they’d take care of things here, just as they knew that Neena and her group would be careful. A few of the children in the crowd shifted anxiously, looking at the fifteen leaving people with inquisitive eyes. Neena’s attention turned to Samel and Adriana, who broke away from the crowd to see them off.
Samel reached Neena first.
“You behave for Amos, okay?” Neena said, hugging him.
She looked over at his shoulder at Amos, who smiled in his grandfatherly way.
“I will,” Samel promised.
“One day when you’re older, I’ll take you on a trip, too.” She glanced over at Raj. “Or maybe your brother will.”
Raj nodded proudly at Samel, before saying goodbye.
And then it was Adriana’s turn to step forward. After a brief farewell to Neena and the others, she moved over to Raj.
“I want to hear all your stories when you get back,” Adriana told Raj, clutching him tightly.
“Don’t worry, I’ll save them for you,” Raj promised.
They leaned in, kissing briefly.
And then it was time to leave.
Neena looked at the people around her. Their nervous posture reminded her of the meetings they’d held in the caves, but this time, they had hope. She glanced at Red Rock a last time, scanning the buildings and the hovels.
Her colony would always live in her heart, no matter where she went.
But now, it was time to trek between the soaring, auburn spires and into the desert.
**
“Do you think we’ll find them?” Raj asked Neena and Kai, after they’d put several klicks between them and Red Rock.
“If the heavens are with us,” Neena said.
She adjusted her bag, glancing up at the twin moons. In their collective sacks were enough supplies for several weeks in the desert—enough to provide a good chance at finding New Canaan, if their luck held.
“If we don’t find them on this trip, we’ll find them on the next one,” Neena added.
Turning to Kai, Raj asked, “How do you think they’ll react when they meet us?”
“I’m not sure,” Kai admitted nervously.
The risk of being thrown back in jail was a very plausible fear for Kai. And he had no idea how his parents would react, if he found them. Still, he was committed to reuniting with his family, and potentially improving the lives of both Red Rock and New Canaan.
Sensing his nervousness, Raj said, “You know what I think? They’ll consider you a hero when you prove that the creature is dead, and show them the piece of its heart, and the quills on our spears. I’m sure of it. You helped to save both our people and your own. You are no criminal here.”
Kai smiled, wiping some of the beading sweat away from his markings. “I appreciate that, Raj.”
“If the worst happens, you can come back with us to Red Rock.”
“We’ll be there with you, vouching for your honesty, and what you have done for us,” Neena vowed. “Whatever happens, I think it’s time for both our people to work together. Years ago, the people of New Canaan reached out a hand. Now, it time to extend the hand back.”
Kai nodded. “Maybe we can find a new way of life that will be better for all of us.”
They traveled for a long while, drinking from their flasks, keeping cool from the morning sun, while making headway.
When they’d hiked about half a day from the colony, Neena abruptly changed course.
“Where are you going?” Kai asked.
“I was hoping I could show Raj something,” she answered. “It’s not too out of the way.”
She looked around at the other dozen who accompanied them, none of whom objected.
**
“What is that?” Raj asked, furrowing his brow.
In the distance, a tall, circular formation of rocks appeared.
“Is that another place you stay while hunting?” Raj asked.
In the time they’d been out, he’d marveled at every landmark, and every story Neena told.
“It is a special place,” answered Neena vaguely. When they’d gotten within fifty yards of it, she turned to the others and asked, “Would you mind if Raj and I went alone?”
The group agreed.
Sunlight glinted off she and Raj’s faces as they trekked across the desert, reaching the reddish rocks and heading into the middle of them.
Nostalgia washed over Neena as she reentered a place she’d been many times, but not in a while. She and Raj stood in the center, enjoying a reprieve from the day’s heat, while Raj turned in wonder and studied the rising rocks.
“This is where Dad taught me to hold my spear, when he first took me out to hunt,” Neena said.
“When you were thirteen?”
Neena nodded. “I’ll never forget the long talk we had here. It is the place where he told me to be strong, if anything ever happened to him.” Emotion welled in her throat, as she looked toward the sand in the center. “It is also the place where I buried him.”
Raj opened and closed his mouth, as understanding set in. “Is that why you brought me here?” His voice wavered with emotion.
“Dad knew we couldn’t come after him when he was sick, due to our tradition. But I think he came here as a final message to me…to us. He wanted us to know that he was thinking of his children, even in his final moments.”
“Dad…” Raj whispered.
Tears sprang to his eyes, as he collapsed in the sand.
<
br /> “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, Raj. I meant to.”
Emotion filled Neena’s heart as she walked over to him, huddling down and embracing him. For a while, they held each other, sharing in their grief and loss, until all their tears were spent.
**
After drying their faces, Neena and Raj sat among the circular rocks.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” Neena said.
“It’s okay,” Raj said, still hanging his head. “I thought you might be waiting for the right time.”
“I knew this day would come,” Neena said. “I just wasn’t sure when.” Looking down at her new, quill-tipped spear, she said, “If I hadn’t lost Dad’s spear, perhaps we could’ve practiced with it.”
An eager expression crossed Raj’s face, as he looked down at the spear in his hand. “Why don’t you show me using this one?”
“Do you think you’re ready?” A competitive smile sprang to Neena’s face.
Raj nodded excitedly.
For the first time since they’d arrived here, Neena felt a true sense of warmth.
Walking over to her brother, Neena had him open his hands, while she showed him what her father had taught her. “First, you’ll want to find the spear’s balance point.”
“Like this?”
“You’ve got it. Now, relax your hands, and I’ll show you how to grip it.”
“This way?”
“Perfect! You’re doing great.”
Raj beamed. Neena could almost hear her father speaking to her in the desert, all those years ago. With those memories to guide her, she finished showing her brother how to hold the spear.
“Perhaps I’ll be even better than you, when I’m done learning.” Raj looked up at her mischievously.
“We’ll see,” Neena said, with a sisterly smile.
**
“Are you all set?” Kai called out to Neena and Kai as they returned to the group.
“I was just showing Raj one of my favorite places to rest,” Neena said.
“And she taught me how to hold my spear,” Raj added, rearing it back and taking some practice heaves.
“It sounds like he’s picking it up quickly,” Kai said.
Neena smiled at him. “I think he’ll impress all of us.”
She and Raj shared a happy glance, while walking alongside the others.
Together, they traveled through the desert with the group, traversing over long stretches of sand, until they reached the dunes where she and Kai had met, passing them to whatever lay beyond.
THE END
Afterword
It has certainly been a blast writing the SANDSTORM series.
There is always a possibility I’ll return to the world and characters (I have a few ideas), but for now, I’m happy to leave you with the last image of Neena, Kai, and Raj heading off under the desert sun.
That image somehow feels right.
If you’re looking for something else to read, THE LAST SURVIVORS and THE RUINS are similar, though a bit more post-apocalyptic.
If you’d like to receive an email when I have new releases out and get a free story, sign up for my newsletter here!
Thanks again for checking out my stuff. With so many choices for entertainment, you chose to spend some time with me, and that means a lot.
Talk soon!
Tyler Piperbrook
Ps. If you enjoyed the SANDSTORM series, please leave a review! Reviews go a long way in helping other readers find what they like.
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Other Things To Read
Looking for another series to read after SANDSTORM?
THE LAST SURVIVORS COMPLETE SERIES might be a good choice! It’s a sci-fi series that explores what happens 300 years in the future after the apocalypse, where man has rebuilt and gone back to a medieval society. You can get the COMPLETE SERIES here!
Text copyright © 2020 T.W. Piperbrook
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author/publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, places, or events is purely coincidental.
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