Out of Darkness

Nate had been crawling for what seemed like forever. The temple felt like it was ages ago. It was dark in the tunnel he was in, but it was better than being killed by his previous attackers or, even worse, that rhino creature! He had no idea where he was going, but the tunnel had been built so it had to go somewhere! All Nate new was that it was beginning to get very hot. Feeling ahead of him Nate realized that he had reached the end of the tunnel, but it didn't lead anywhere. "Great..... dead end." He thought for a moment. "Even worse, a pun about dying..."

Out of frustration Nate kicked the roof of the tunnel and to his surpirse the top of it moved. Careful not to make his wounds worse, Nate sat up and pushed the stone opening aside. Sand fell on him, but once the opening was big enough Nate crawled upward and out.

"The desert..... of course. You just can't get a break Dabrowski." Nate looked at his wounds. The bleeding had stopped a bit, but without medical attention they could get worse. Part of his pant leg had been ripped by the blade that sliced him, so he tore it off and wrapped the cloth around the cut. He would have to find a stick so he didn't favor that leg. Then, ripping his shirt, Nate did the same around his stomach. The wrap wasn't too tight but it was the best he could do at the moment. Slowly Nate stood up and blocked the sun from his eyes. "Now, the question is how do I get out of here?"

The heat was beginning to beat down on Nate. All he could see was desert. The wind picked up a bit and sent some sand into his eyes. He removed his glasses, wiped his face as best he could, and a took a deep breath. Nate hoped that with the wind blowing it would create a breeze. Instead it just pushed hot air at him, filling his lungs with more heat. He returned his glasses to his face and smacked his lips, noticing his mouth had begun to dry out. Nate spun in a circle and started walking. He had no idea where to go. Then again, every direction looked the same, making them all both the best and worst choices.

It was getting worse and worse for Nate. He was feeling dehydrated and his head was spinning because of it. Flashes of the the past few days were starting to come to him: the first moments in battle, being attacked, the rhino, the tunnel..... all wasted escapes if he couldn't find his way out of this sand trap. Nate's upper torso began to feel heavy. He bent at the waist, his head starting to spin more and more. Then Nate's legs gave out. He fell face first in the sand, breathing in the small particles.

Nate sat up, coughed the sand out of his lungs and breathed in a bit of life. He was wasting away, but he couldn't give up. Steadying his leg, Nate stood as solid as possible and began trying to jog out of the area. There had to be a way out somewhere. He could only hope he was going in the right direction. He stomach and leg were killing him, but he couldn't stop for anything. He had to make it. Just when he thought things were hopeless he saw it..... a palm tree.........

(Nate has left the area)