Willow

Burning

There was a balloon, and then a pop.

"We are alive!" Was my first thought when the parachute by some miracle opened.

"I'm gonna die!!!!" Was my second reaction when I realized that my shoulder had been dislocated.

A rope had been inconspicuously wrapped around my arm, practically ripping my arm off when the parachute had opened.

It lay limp at my side, well, near my head since we were still falling. Every time it moved, even by a centimeter, it sent a sudden jolt of excruciating pain, added on to the already constant pain. Therefore, I was experiencing excruciating pain x2.

Half out of consciousness, we hit the ground, blowing up a puff of sand as we rolled down a hill. I really need to take a shower.

I heard a faint cough from underneath before I realized that I had been laying on her. Blood was beginning to show through the bandage I had placed on her waist. Not good. I tore off the parachute, throwing it to the ground in the process.

"W-what..." She began to whisper, instantly stopping due to weakness.

"Shhh, shhh. Don't speak." I told her, placing my finger gently on her soft lips.

She was already sweating against the hot sand.

She was already losing water.

If we didn't get out of here and fast, we were going to die.

Already my shirt was sticking to my chest, wet with sweat. The sun suddenly became huge. What I had thought as a small dot in the sun was now overtaking the sky, making everything appear as if you were looking through sunglasses.

Yep... I would say that now was a good time to leave.

"Come on, bed head," I whispered in her ear, giving her a piggy back ride with my one good arm. I couldn't help it, I smiled. We looked ridiculous. Me with my ruffled hair, probably standing straight up with highlights of black ash. Her, with her ankle long hair, bits of random plane parts adorned in the massive brown waterfall. And now I was giving her a piggy back ride in the middle of the desert with only one arm.

But my smile vanished as quickly as it had come.

I realized that we had miles to walk, without the luxury of food and water. Instead, we had granola bars and juice boxes, leftovers of the horrible plane food.

Tiredly, I threw the gym bag over my bad shoulder.

Trudging ahead, I walked on towards the burning sun, kicking up clouds of burning sand, and, during all of this, I could already feel the burning sun burn my skin.

Why can't deserts be less burning just once? Only today?

~***~

It was starting to get dark.

My legs were buckling.

Just one rest wouldn't hurt, would it?

I couldn't think.

My thoughts...were...

Shifting.

I could feel myself fall forward.

The ever burning sand met my face.

I could feel myself flinch as the sand rubbed against my skin.

My burned skin.

I could feel my eyelids close.

But it was as if I wasn't there.

I wasn't in my body.

I could see us.

Lying there in the sand.

Helpless.

She looked horrible.

I wish it would just end.

There was life, and then hardly any at all.