THE WORLD IS DYING.
Global warming, lack of resources, and the collapse of authority across all seven continents has caused worldwide strife. People are willing to do anything to survive.
The solution? Project ERAA, humanity's last effort to...
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ON THE horizon, the shadows of dinosaurs loomed. Fire spun through Amelia's veins as the darkness engulfed her; only it wasn't a dinosaur above her.
It was Ichabod, lifting his gigantic foot like she was a roach that needed to be squashed —
"Amelia." Tina nudged her awake as her eyes shuddered open, her lungs rasping for oxygen. The air around them was hot and sticky, but Amelia's leg burnt with even brighter ferocity. Her curly hair was plastered to her forehead, and she wiped it away, ignoring the goose bumps across her arms.
Tina moved slightly, and a quake went up Amelia's spine. She felt her friend's gaze boring into her as she tried to catch her breath, like she'd been running a marathon instead of sleeping. "You okay?" Tina was concerned, Amelia could tell as much, but what could she do when she figured out Amelia was ill?
Amelia herself had realized that, and her throat grew even drier as she thought about what was going to happen if she didn't get help. (From who? She blearily wondered. Her good mood that had been so vibrant before had evaporated completely under her fever, and she felt sick to her core. Ichabod won't be helping us, that's for sure.)
Amelia couldn't worry Tina, or Lale. They both had bigger things to worry about, and Tina had her own wounds to deal with. What sort of friend would she be weighing them down with worries that they couldn't help?
"Yeah," Amelia finally croaked. "Just thirsty."
Tina didn't look convinced, and Amelia didn't meet her eye as she stiffly got up, fighting against dizzy vertigo as she caught hold of her crutch. To emphasize on her point, she began to move towards the pond where most of their water had been coming from. It felt like a bloody cattle prodder was being dug into her ankle with every step she took, but Amelia gritted her teeth and barreled through it.
Denver, the one dude who had helped bandage up Tina, had been declared the unofficial water guard. Seeing her face, he handed her a small water purification tablet in a dissolvable capsule. Amelia just watched, too tired to offer help, as he rinsed a plastic bottle out in the water before filling it.
"Just wait a few minutes for the tablet to dissolve," he told her, popping the pill into the cap. Amelia took hold of the bottle gratefully. She didn't realize her hands were shaking until he, too, asked if she was okay.
She tightened her grip on the plastic to keep from fainting or snarling out a reply or both. "You look like you need something stronger than water, honestly," Denver said skeptically, which took her by surprise. Her anger vanished just as quickly as it had come as Amelia snuck a small, dry smile.
"You think ERAA's got anything stronger?"
"Besides from cough medicine? Nah." His eyes twinkled kindly. "Though, maybe if they'd have known what was gonna happen, they'd have packed something with a little more punch."
