Azure Chronicle

Dolly

"I should have seen this coming. Why was I so blind.

I heard the train gaining behind me, Its engine pounding, wheels grinding, gaining speed.

I grabbed a stone and chucked it at the train as it roared by. The stone bounced with a hollow thud.

"Jackhat!" 

After several minutes the train passed and it became a silent blurry object in the distance.

I screamed at the top of my lungs then fell to the ground.

I let me self vent for only a few minutes.

Time is up, I told my self.

I slid my knife from its sheath and laid its blade in my hand.

"May blood reveal your name" I gripped the blade and felt its sharp edge. Then squeezed. The blade now began to cut into my flesh. I released it to see a white line across my palm. A thin crimson thread travelled its middle. I remembered what this life was for, my sole purpose.

"Water" 

I checked my water skin. I had a days worth.

"Food"

My side pouch had smoked rattlesnake. That was a weak days food. But meat was easy to find. And so was water if you knew how.

I looked up at the sun.

"4:00" 4-5 hours before night fall.

The smoke trail of the sand fleas was growing faint I needed to move. Hopefully they would stop at night.

I pulled my self up, took a sip, and tore a large strip from the dried snake.

I checked the sun again.

7:00, it would be dark within the hour. The small shrubs cast long creeping shadows across the rippling sand. Though the trail of dust was long gone, their tracks remained. Hopefully the wind would not destroy it through the night.

I found a smooth stone and began digging a hole. Once the hole was a satisfactory depth, I filled it with dead shrubs and set it ablaze. 

To further conceal the flames I placed stones around the hole.

The sun was completely set but the moon provided enough light to set a snake trap and collect some cacti.

I emptied the cactus water into my skin, cooked their rine, and extinguished the fire.

The moon an ethereal blue semicircle. Its other half in permanent darkness as it slowly fell into the black of space. The stars flickered creating a dance of light across the sky.

It was growing cold and the snakes would be prowling. I buried myself in a nearby sandrift which was still warm. Closing my eyes I fell asleep.

I awoke to a sun straight up in the sky. The sand was now burning hot. My lips severely dry and chapped. My body was being cooked. 

I began to sit up, but couldn't. I wiggled and squirmed. I felt shackles around my buried hands and feet.

A short petite girl entered my view followed by a large muscular man. The girl smiled then took a knee beside me. Her hand reached for my face and I squirmed to avoid it. She brought her hand back and put her finger to her lip.

I screamed but heard nothing. The girl stroked my hair alluringly, I saw a flash. In an instant, she had lodged a knife into my throat.

I shot up and found myself face to face with a Bytaur. Its bone covered head dusted in sand. It snorted with a deep gargle. Its breath smelled like rotting plants.