The Old World

3

"The baths we had taken made our long journey worthwhile. We had decided that this would be the best spot to establish a colony, among the valleys and the mountains. We descended the hills again, returning to the west from where we came. This would ultimately be our biggest mistake.

"The desert sun was brutal, and the screeches of the dragon ould heard for miles, echoing across the valley in which we now sit beneath a tree. Phillip was worried, and I knew this because of what he saw earlier with the plant samples, but I couldn't find the pride to ask, I knew he would only disregard it. But our problems were stacked atop each other. The Dragon returned, gliding across the sky as it did before. The mighty beast was huge- if I were able to describe it from the ground. A dangerous beast no doubt.

"Phillip jumped at the sight once we noticed it, and pulled his handgun from his pack. 'No, don't shoot it,' Zoey said, waving her arms in front of Phillip.

"'We need to study that thing,' Phillip said gruffly, raising his weapon to the air.

"'Evan, Parker, help me!' Zoey shouted, trying to stop Phillip. Phillip overpowered her and without Evan and I's aid, he began shooting into the sky, not hitting the beast, but frightening it. The beast flew away after a few shots, but Phillip kept his eyes on it.

"The Dragon quickly flew down in almost a nose dive into a forest along the river in the valley. Phillip glanced at the rest of us. 'You're welcome. Now let's find that thing.'

"We knew that it was best to equip ourselves in our search. The dragon looked fearsome. I knew this, deep down, that something was going to happen. Somehow this hunt might go wrong. We entered the forest around the river and watched the trees. As before we saw and heard the scattering of creatures, but without our attention, we could not notice them. We walked for almost half an hour before suddenly the dragon screeched again. We froze.

"My heartbeat picked its pace up to almost a million per hour. The screeches grew louder and more horrifying, the beast was warning us. We could hear the beast just above us. Through the treetops and leaves, we could faintly see the shadow of the dragon circling us. A nest, I realized. A nest must be nearby. I excited myself but remained quiet. I kept my feet planted and stayed completely still. Evan slowly turned his head to me. The screeching stopped.

"A minute later Evan spoke aloud, 'Is it gone?'

"If only it were. The Dragon dove through the tree leaves above us so quickly that we had to jump to the ground to avoid it. I could not see it completely, only hear and feel the screech and the blast of wind from its mighty wings in my face. I dug my hands and knees into the dirt as I dove, my pistol at the ready. I quickly rolled to my back and watched as Evan had been clawed and grabbed. The Dragon's roar was deafening, even as we shot it, it did not flinch. The Dragon wrapped its talons around Evan's arm as he swung and shouted.

"It was then that I stopped shooting. I knew there was nothing we could do. The Dragon turned to us, and I could swear the creature looked us in the eyes. It roared and leaped at Phillip who was ahead of me and Zoey. Phillip fell back again, 'run!' He shouted and shouted again. When he said it, Zoey quickly followed, and I assumed Evan would be at my back safe. I turned to run with Phillip and Zoey, but the Dragon tumbled and rolled ahead with Evan still hooked. The dragon pulled Evan away through the forest, separating us from them. Before I knew it, Evan was crying and shouting for help as he was being lifted from the very ground which we had walked for days. The Dragon flew into the sky with Evan dangling from its talons by the arm and waist. A sight so terrible I couldn't believe my eyes.

"It seemed like a lifetime as I stood in shock in that forest. The dirt that was untouched before was now kicked up and ridden with footprints and blood. The branches around me were destroyed and snapped as if a space shuttle had crash-landed. It was too long, I soon realized that I had waited in shock. I was separated from Zoey and Phillip.

"For almost the rest of the day, I tried to find their footprints. I tried to follow them when I did but they were too faint. Fate was looking down upon me that day, I could smell it in the air before it came: a storm rolling in from over the mountains. As afternoon set and the sun was taking its last look upon the land before bed, the dark grey clouds rose above me. Rain fell slowly, then fast, then so fast and hard I had to hide under a tree with a shelter of sticks and leaves crafted for safety. The rain was so loud and heavy I could barely hear my own thoughts. The drops drummed against the large leaves of the forest, pushing them down and soaking the dirt to mud. Quicksand was something a thermal suit would not be able to help me with if I would ever get caught amongst it.

"I understood that the chances of Evan being alive were slim, but if he had somehow kept a hold of his weapon, he very well might have been able to make a bloodbath of whatever nest he was carried to. I hoped and prayed for the best of him, but there was nothing I could do alone. There was no way I could find him, not without our transmitter devices, which did not work here until a proper colony could be established.

"The rain lasted all night and I had barely slept throughout it. When the morning dawned and all that was left was the dew of the rain on the green leaves I quickly began searching again. I drew the safety flare gun from my kit. I quickly loaded the gun and shot it straight into the air. The red bright flare rose into the day sky and lit up to a glorious explosion of light. Even against the blue sky, it was glowing enough to be seen for miles. I hoped I would soon see another light from my comrades rise too, yet I was discouraged when after five minutes I had not seen it.

"I knew I was alone then. Maybe forever, If I never made it back to the beach. Perhaps the colony had moved on without us, perhaps they assumed we had died and would never return. If it were the case then we surely would never return home. I would never see another human face in my life unless by the smallest chance.

"I arrived at the sight again. Slowly I knelt beneath a tree where the battle had taken place. I was truly alone.

"I can't explain the true feeling. The feeling of being truly alone. Not within your mind. Not within your house or outside alone in the forest just near a big city or even not. I cannot explain the feeling of being the only human that you would ever know. I cannot describe the shock I felt. All I could say was that I was done. My journey, my mission, my adventure... It was over.

"I could only pray that the others would soon establish a colony. I would only hope. I fell beneath that tree, and so too did my eyes fall as I rested in the peaceful stillness of the morning after the rain.

"My slumber was quickly disturbed, however. Perhaps it had not been even an hour before I awoke. Through my eyes, as it was when I came from the crystal pod which carried me through time and space before, I could sense, hear, and somehow feel the presence of something above me as I lay. I heard the whispers of the wind, the movement of air, but not footsteps, not voices. I was slow to open my weary eyes.

"Standing there before I was three strange men. They were not fair-skinned, instead, sun-kissed and dark-haired. They wore no clothes but linen and short fur that barely covered them. They were primitive, piercings at the ears and nose, beads and necklaces hung around them, and scars and war paint covered their caramel skin. One approached me quickly after my eyes opened and attempted to communicate.