Redwoods; Sleepyboisinc angst

100 degrees (or 40 if you're not American)

Do you ever wake up and immediately regret opening your eyes?

How about coming to consciousness and regretting the ability to hear?

Well Philza Minecraft has. He didn't know how he was the last to wake up, but it was very obvious, very quickly.

He could hear Tommy and Wilbur singing Hamilton at a volume that suggested they were only half trying not to wake him up. He opened his eyes and saw scenery whisking by outside his window. Car is moving, so Techno is awake and driving.

He shut his eyes and groaned. How were the others not feeling like shit? Were they immune to hangovers or something?

"Oh hi Philza!" Wilbur chirped.

Phil groaned again and slowly reopened his eyes. "And how are you lot so upbeat?" he asked while sitting up. "I'm always upbeat. Why aren't you upbeat?" Tommy countered.

"Because my head is pounding. Techno and Wilbur, how are you not feeling as shit? I know at least Wil drank more than me."
"Maybe I drank more, but I'm sorta used to this. Not the first time I've had to push through a hangover."

Phil stared at the back of Wilbur's head. That's concerning. He glanced to Techno and Tommy and saw both had slightly concerned expressions.

"Why'd you go quiet?" Wilbur asked after a moment of silence.

"I dunno, mate. Not something I think I can just get used to. What about you Tech? Are you ok to drive?"
"Heh, I'm the only one that can. Though if it wasn't safe, I wouldn't. I didn't drink as much. Oh and I have aspirin that Wilbur forgot to mention."
"Well that would be helpful."

Tommy shifted in his seat to look out the window and Phil did the same. They were almost to Death Valley and the heat waves shimmering over plains of dirt was setting the scene.

The heat in the car also set the scene. It was only the beginning of June, but the desert wasted no time heating up. As soon as the sun rose, the temperature skyrocketed.

Wilbur tossed a pill bottle at Phil, catching him off guard. He chuckled and gratefully took the medicine. As he turned back to the yellow and brown scenery, he smiled. Today would be a much needed low-stress day. He was sure of it.

——————

The first thing Wilbur noticed upon opening the car door, besides the heat, was the smell. They were at the salt flat in the middle of Death Valley and, unsurprisingly, it smelled like salt.

Salt and stagnant water. That's probably not safe to drink. Or swim in. Are the fumes bad too? Could the salt in the air crystallize in his lungs? Should he be breathing this air?

No.

No, we are not spiraling this early in the day.

Wilbur focused on just pushing his concerns to the side, a rather ineffective method for him but it was all he had. Phil put an arm around his shoulder and startled him out of his thoughts.

"You good, mate?" Phil asked with squinting concerning. Wil nodded. Did he seem not good?

Don't think like that.

"Yeah, I'm good. How's the white sand treating your headache?"

Phil took his arm away from Wilbur and turned to the view in front of the parking lot. It was a white flat of salt and sand stretching across the massive valley. A clearly well traveled and especially sparkling white path carved a reflective line through the flat. The path and flat ended at what could have been real water or a mirage. In the desert it was hard to tell.