Kelly Titan

Chapter 1.

An unforgiving heat scorched the rust-red dunes that stretched endlessly in every direction. The warm winds were drying her face, and fine cracks covered her lips. She took a gasping breath, but the suffocating air barely filled her lungs. Another deep breath calmed her as the air finally seemed easier to breathe. She felt a surge of pain and tasted blood and sand as her lips split open.

The relentless heat punished her skin, and the pulsing headache made it all the more difficult to wake up. She tried to stand, but realized she was half-buried in a blistering sand pit. Before she could rise, she had to dig herself out. With great effort, she painfully inched herself out of the scorching pit and stood up on weak legs. Sweat poured down her face, and her hands were blistered from the hot sand she had been lying in. Barely able to stand upright, she took a look at her surroundings and saw majestic dunes that curved like the waves of an ocean. In the distance, the heat distorted the air.

She ran her hand through her short, raven-black hair and felt the sweat running down her back. She touched her bleeding lips with her fingertips and tried to make sense of her situation. When she looked up at the orange sky, she had to cover her eyes so the sun wouldn't blind her.

A deep, rumbling noise grew louder behind her. When she turned, she could see a massive sandstorm thundering on the horizon. The storm reached for the sky like an enormous wave, making her feel tiny and vulnerable. Fear gripped her like the strong hands of a murderer, slowly clouding her rational thinking.

The sun burning her skin added to the torment. All she wanted was water. Even a single drop would be enough to strengthen her spirit. She pulled up the collar of her bodysuit to cover her neck and face as the winds grew stronger. The thin gloves on her hands were comfortable, but she had no idea why she was dressed in the way she was. While stroking the dark- blue, synthetic material of her suit she wondered who had put it on her.

She had a boyish body type, with slim shoulders and a flat stomach. In her leg holster was a full bottle of water, and when she grabbed it she noticed the bottle was still cold. She took the lid off the bottle and drank greedily.

As the water touched her lips and ran down her throat, she felt genuine happiness, but it didn't last. She held the bottle up against the sunlight and saw how the water had mixed with blood from her lips. Also attached to her leg were goggles and a dusty mask. She put them on to shield her eyes and mouth from the grainy winds. While adjusting her goggles, she noticed a large metal globe with a blue triangle on its surface that stood out high in the orange sky. Beneath the metal globe was an industrial colony pumping out pillars of black smoke. It wasn't too far away, probably within walking distance. Her sense of confusion was overwhelming. Doubt, rage, and fear battled to dominate her mind, creating a chaos of emotions.

Faint memories of her son flashed before her, teasing her like flies in the morning. The song of his voice echoed in her head. She felt like a spring- loaded stick of dynamite that could explode at any second. Maybe that would be the best end to this nightmare. Standing alone in the red wasteland, she felt like an orphaned child, but then she also felt adrenaline pushing her fear away, leaving room for bravery.

She turned around to see if there was anything she might have missed. There. On top of a sandy hill, she saw a pipe sticking out of the sand. There was a backpack hanging from it. She began walking toward it, though each step was excruciating. Her feet sank into the sand and her frustration kept building. When she opened the backpack, she hoped to find some kind of food, but she suspected there was only a slight chance of that. She was right. There was nothing except for a small note almost covered in sand.