The Sands of Jakku

Kylo Runs Away

Kylo didn't know where he was going; he was chasing a feeling through the desert like a madman. He felt a pulse, a constant pull, pushing him to continue on in this direction.

His speeder kicked up sand and debris as he sped past outpost after outpost until they were all behind him. Then there was nothing but desert, and he knew he was lost.

All of the great machines were long gone. This part of the desert was devoid of them, and it made Kylo long for their constant, comforting presence on the other side of Jakku. Now, all he could see for miles was endless swirling sands and the last dying embers of the setting sun.

It was dark and cold when he stopped, setting up a makeshift camp. He fell asleep pressed against the warm engine of the speeder but awoke shivering in the middle of the night once the machine cooled down.

He couldn't sleep after that. Instead he focused on feeling the pulse, tugging at the strands of it until it told him what direction to go in. He was not close, but he was not far either. It was possible he could get there just beyond first light. Even if he didn't exactly know where there was.

Kylo sped off through the sand before the first hint of sunlight was over the horizon. He had no doubt that once Phasma and Snoke discovered Hux's body, they'd come after him. He wouldn't make it easy for them to follow.

He left no clear path, no clues, nothing . He even spent a few hours creating false trails for them to follow. Something that would perhaps keep them busy for at least a day. He knew Phasma wasn't stupid, but he also knew that Snoke would push her to follow every lead.

No stone left unturned.

He was banking on that for his plan to work.

The pulse grew stronger the closer he got to wherever he was to end up. Before long, it was loud and bright in his head, and the sun had just barely found its place in the sky.

The desert around him looked empty, despite the strange, loud pulse in his head. It breathed in him, telling him without a doubt you are here, this is where you need to be . But there was nothing to see; the desert was devoid of life, of any structures.

He waited for hours, watching the day go by. High noon sunlight burned his skin. He watched as the sun slipped the opposite way and died at the edge of the horizon.

The night was cold, but quiet. There was no one here to find him. He started his speeder, warming it up and huddling next to it. It did nothing to stave off the cold of the desert that had already settled into his bones.

He spent the second night shivering uncontrollably. He never slept. He tried, but the cold made it impossible. Even under several layers of clothing, he couldn't find it in himself to sleep.

The sun dawned again, and the pulse in his head was still as loud and bright as it was the previous day. Kylo was reluctant to move on from something that is so obviously his destination, his destiny . So, he stayed. He watched the sunrise creep higher and higher in the sky, the same as yesterday.

High noon came again, and Kylo's skin burned. His throat ached, his mouth was dry. There was no water here in the desert, and the sparse rations he brought with him were nearly gone. He drank his water sparingly, despite the fire burning in his throat.

Noon gave way to evening, then to night. Another day of nothing, another day of trusting an instinct that so far had proven not to be correct.

He was too tired not to sleep, despite the shivering. So he slept until the sun shining against his eyelids startled him awake, until the heat began slowly roasting him inside of his heavy cloak.