Pierce ripped the blindfold off her head and blinked. A high noon’s sun shone in a sky with a shade of blue so intense it seemed fake. Wait, it is fake, thought Pierce. This is just a stimulation. The dry, scratching wind blowing through the land convinced her otherwise.
She took some time to observe her surroundings. Gone was the bare room she had walked in. Gone was the control room. Gone was the doorway she entered the Stimulation Room through. She could see around her for miles in all directions.
She was in the middle of some type of desert. The coarse, red sand somehow made its way into her shoes. To her right, she spotted a small oasis; to her left was a cluster of some stone buildings. Pierce couldn’t tell if the buildings were inhabited or not. Rick said I only have to survive fifteen minutes in this environment, she thought. There has got to be more than this—this is way too easy.
She sharpened her ears and eyes, scouting for any signs of life. She came up with nada. She was completely alone in a strange world. Another gust of wind blew through, pushing wispy strands of clouds across the azure sky. Azure, that’s a pretty name for a color.
Pierce wished she had a watch or something to tell her the time; she itched to know how long she had been in this stimulation. I suppose I should prepare for what possible danger Rick might throw at me, she thought, trying to anticipate what Rick would do to put her under pressure. Well, I’m in a desert, and deserts in general lack water. It’s a safe bet to stake out by oasis.
Pierce wiped some sweat from her eyes and started trekking towards the water. Speaking of water, I’m actually pretty thirsty right now. Heat waves emitted from the sand dunes. The oasis didn’t seem to get any closer nor any further. Must be my mind playing tricks on me.
A gust of wind raced through the air, this one stronger than the last. Pierce shaded her eyes and looked up towards the sky; it was still clear and showed no signs of a storm. Think, Pierce, think. What do you know about deserts? “Not very much,” she said to herself. “Considering I don’t remember a lot of things.”
But you do remember some things. Think harder.
“Okay, okay. Well, I know dehydration can be fatal. Mirages are often seen in deserts.”
That’s a start.
Pierce had to sit down for a moment when she realized she was talking to herself. Crap, am I becoming dehydrated? Do dehydrated people talk to themselves? The gusts of wind continued to grow fiercer, swirling up clouds of sand in its wake. Then suddenly, everything came together. “Sand storm,” Pierce whispered. “There’s a sand storm brewing up.” She had to find shelter.
She silently cursed herself for choosing to walk towards the oasis instead of the buildings. She was so naïve; of course Rick expected the average person to choose water over shelter when he or she was stranded in the middle of the desert. But I’m not average, Pierce thought. I should’ve outthought this. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
Swirls of sand rose from the ground. Even though the oasis didn’t appear any closer to Pierce than before, the buildings definitely appeared to be further away. “What to do?” she said. “Run for the buildings or the water?”
Pierce gauged the distance between her and each landmark, squinting through her lashes to prevent being blinded by the sand. The buildings appear to be three quarters of a mile away, the oasis a third of a mile. She chose the oasis. Even though she had no idea how she was going to seek relief from a sand storm at the oasis, she knew it was better than staying out in the open.
