Leaving Arcadia Bay | A Rachel Amber Story

Chapter 18: The Desert

The blazing sun shined down on Rachel as she slowly walked down the highway. The warm air caused her to sweat and without any water, she was extremely thirsty. She hasn't slept since she left Las Vegas. She's been on foot for nearly a day. And right now, it wasn't looking good.

At all.

And dammit. She left her new clothes back in Vegas.

Keep walking... Rachel...

Rachel's arms dangled at her sides as she walked, nearly stumbling, down the road. She was hungry. Thirsty. Sweating profusely. Exhausted. And the extreme heat wasn't helping. Rachel's eyelids covered half of her eyes as she walked. Her blinks slow.

There was nothing around her but the desert. The dry land went on for miles.

How did she get in this situation? This time the previous day, she was playing video games with Joey and Levi in their room, at a house where she could live again. Drink and eat. Where she forgot she was on the run from the cops. A place where she was falling for her childhood best friend. A safe haven where she could sleep in a bed. Feel clean and fresh after a shower every morning. Where life just felt normal. She could blossom and be free. And finally be with her best friend she lost years ago.

But now it was all gone. As happy as she was, she eventually would have to go. Start her journey again.

Just... keep... going...

Rachel tried her best to keep going. To push herself. To make it to Long Beach. But she was in the middle of nowhere, moving slower than a snail. At this point, it was just getting too much for her.

You're... almost... there...

Rachel walked a few more miles down the road before finally, her eyes fluttered closed and she collapsed onto the ground.

She was finally done. This was it. This is where her story ends. She was going to die here in the desert. With the extreme heat and no water or food, she was going to die on the side of the road. It was a good run. She tried her best. She should be proud she made it this far. But it was inevitable that she would eventually lose. In the end, everyone loses.

Rachel lied on her side in the dry dirt. Eyes closed. Not moving.

She was ready. To go to sleep.

Forever.

~

Rachel opened her eyes. She was still in the desert. But everything was... peaceful. It looked ghostly. A greyish fog covered the landscape. Rachel sat up, looking around at the fog that surround her.

I guess this is it. This is where I die.

Rachel stood to her feet. When she stood up, she looked around the ghostly fog. Alone. Abandoned.

Rachel crossed her arms and sighed. As much as she accepted it, she was still disappointed in herself that she couldn't push on. That no matter how strong she thought she was, she still failed. But making it this far wasn't anything to scoff at.

Someone walked up to her from behind.

"What are you doing here?" Rachel asked.

"Just checkin' on you." The person said.

Rachel turned, and standing there was Sam. Rachel looked at her, silence between them. It was silent before Rachel spoke.

"I failed, Sam. I wasn't strong enough." Sam softly frowned as she listened. "I thought I could do it. I thought I could make it. But I can't." Rachel said. "And maybe that's okay. If it wasn't the desert that got me, it was going to be the cops. Either way, I was going to lose."