“Ow!” I jerked my hand back and shook it after poking a spine. Blood pooled to the surface of my fingertip proving it was as sharp as I thought it was. “Stupid.”
I wiped it on my pants and continued following the tune. With no walls blocking my path, it was pretty much a straight shot.Sweat beaded to cool my warming skin. If I wasn’t careful, my pale ass would burn to a crisp out here. I pulled my arms into my shirt and prayed I didn’t suffocate.
The heat waves danced for miles. I was their lone audience, and their performance hypnotized me. Everything lost focus in my heat-stroke induced stupor. My mind drifted off as I chased the dwindling song, bouncing from one thing to the next as I tracked the sun across the sky. No matter how much I fought it, my brain continuously circled back to Astaroth and attempted to force the jumbled mess of memories back into their proper places. He may have returned our past to me, but without explanation, none of it made any sense. My subconscious was a dumpster fire, much like my current situation. Was the realm guiding me to my freedom or was it leading me to my doom?
Feet heavy, the toes of my shoes caught in tiny sand mounds and made me stumble about. My tongue felt like sandpaper. Each swallow became drier until it felt like I’d choke on my tongue. I kept my head down to protect my burning face, only to cause my neck to burn and ache. Glancing back, I wondered how far I’d come and if I could make it back where I started before I died out here.
The music stopped.
I whipped around and pushed on. “I’m coming!” But I couldn’t hear the music. It was gone. Panicked, I ran forward with what little energy I had. “You can’t leave me out here. I’ll die!”
Still nothing.
“Ugh!” I screamed and kicked a weird green plant in my path.
The ground shifted around me, forming what looked like tunnels beneath the sand. Then the green plant swayed as it rose up from the ground, connected to a sand-colored body.
“Oh fuck.”
The petals opened to reveal a scaly, serpent-like face filled with pointy teeth. It hissed, the petals around its head fluttering,and sprayed liquid from its mouth. I barely jumped away before the sand sizzled and bubbled where I stood. The tip of my shoe looked melted at the edge. I scooted back as it rose higher, struggling to slip the spear from my belt loop with my arms trapped inside my shirt.
A low rumble I’d only ever heard in dinosaur documentaries vibrated every cell in my body. Terrified, I did the only thing I knew to do. I ran, trying to shove my arms back into my sleeves and failing. The creature’s head swung around with a screech and struck the ground next to me. I screamed and took off the opposite way, nearly falling when I looked over my shoulder to see where it went. The sand tunneled behind me. If I zigged, it zagged to follow and cut me off. My shirt worked its way up my torso to become a scarf as my arms pumped. I prayed the damned thing didn’t spray my back as I ran.
Suddenly, it exploded out of the sand beside me, all twenty-something feet. Its face petals opened wide like the wings unfolding on its back.
Seriously? A giant fucking sand dragon?
Grains of sand rained down from its massive body. I tried to shield my eyes, but I wasn’t quick enough. Its thick body wrapped around my middle and jerked me into the air. Steamy breath blew in my face, making my eyes water more. All those stories about your life flashing before your eyes before you die are lies. Mine felt like time froze as I came to grips with the inevitable. I was about to be its dinner. Then, it squeezed me like a boa constrictor and rumbled. Time rushed to catch up, along with my survival instinct. The spear tingled in my palm as I swung blindly at the creature. It roared in pain and dropped me. My ankle twisted under my weight and my legs buckled. I sucked air between my teeth, along with sand, as I pushed off the ground, tightly clutching the spear and hobble-ran away while it squirmed on the ground.
Vision clearing, I groaned and nearly dropped to my knees when the hill took shape in front of me. The entire landscape blended into one sandy brown blob of dirt. There was no going around it. How was I going to see that thing in there?
A quick glance behind gave me the motivation I needed to get up the hillside. The dragon dove into the sand and burrowed its way toward me.
“Move your ass,” I ground out.
The loose grains of sand rolled away under every step, making my climb difficult. When I reached the top, my gaze darted around to survey the other side. Hope swelled as I blinked and prayed my eyes weren’t playing tricks. About a half mile away, rock formations towered creating cliffs and arches. I could make it. I needed to make it.
As I started down the hill, the momentum causing me to surf down the better half of it, which was good. I needed that energy to make it to the cliffs and hide from the demon snake chasing me.
The dragon burst through the side of the hill beneath me. I fell forward, landing on its winding body, narrowly missing the wings, and held on for dear life as it sailed toward the cliffs. That’s when I heard it. The peaceful tinkle that I thought had evaded me. Saliva misted my face when I rose up to hear it better. Crocodile-like jaws snapped near my throat. I trembled and wrapped my arms and legs tighter around its strong frame. Unable to reach me, it roared and flew higher, whipping its body in a wave motion to buck me off. My hold loosened, and I slid down toward its tail. That was a terrifyingly tall drop to my death. We were as high as the fast-approaching rocks were tall. I stabbed the spear through its tough, scaly skin to give me a handle of sorts. Horrible idea. It shrieked and writhed in the air before arching into a steep dive.
Wind slapped my face and flapped my cheeks as we plummeted to the ground. The song grew louder, and I frantically yanked on the spear to dislodge it. I couldn’t lose the only thing that would keep me alive. Blood oozed out of the wound, turning its wiggly body into a slippy slide. My heart tittered wildly as the ground came into focus. The song hadn’t moved. It remained right where the dragon was pointed.
Never doubt.
I already did that once. Look where it got me.
I had two choices: trust the realm and slam headfirst into the ground while the dragon burrowed to safety or doubt it once again and jump off, injuring myself and probably becoming this worm on steroid’s meal.
I squeezed my eyes tight and fought the debilitating fear that urged me to jump. Sand sprayed around me before I hit the ground and rolled. When I opened my eyes, I was back in a corridor of the labyrinth.
