Chapter 1: What in the God’s Name is That?

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: What in the God’s Name is That?

The first thing Daniel Black felt was the heat. It wasn’t the gentle warmth of a summer day back home. This was a heavy, oppressive heat that pressed down on his entire body, instantly making his clothes cling to his skin with sweat. The second thing he felt was the grit of sand. It was everywhere. In his hair, on his face, and somehow, already inside his shoes.

He groaned, forcing his eyes open. The world was a blinding, blurry white. He squeezed them shut again, then slowly opened them a second time, squinting against the glare. Above him was a sky so blue it looked fake, with a sun that was a hard, white circle of pure light. He was lying on his back, and as far as he could see in every direction, there was nothing but rolling dunes of pale, yellow sand.

"What the fuck?" he muttered, his voice a dry croak. He sat up, his head swimming. He patted his pockets. No phone, no wallet, no keys. He was wearing a plain black t-shirt and jeans, clothes completely unsuited for this environment.

His mind raced, trying to piece together the last thing he remembered. He was at a bar. He was having a few drinks. Then... nothing. A blank spot. His thoughts immediately jumped to a single person.

"Chloe," he said, the name tasting like acid in his mouth. It had to be her. He’d dumped her just yesterday. Or, wait. His memory was hazy. He remembered her screaming at him, her face red and tear-streaked. He remembered her calling him a "selfish, inconsiderate man-whore." He remembered her storming out of his apartment. So, technically, she had dumped him. All because he’d spent the entire evening at a party talking to her friend, Lisa. He was just being nice. It wasn’t his fault Lisa was funny and had a great laugh.

But this? This was a whole new level of crazy. Did she have connections with the mob? Did she drug him and fly him out to some desert to die? It seemed extreme, but he wouldn’t put it past her. She was dramatic.

He stumbled to his feet, his legs unsteady on the shifting sand. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted at the empty horizon.

"What the fuck type of stupid shit is this? Am going to sue your ass when I get out of where ever this place is... If I even get out of this... Desert..."

His voice was swallowed by the vast silence. There was no echo. Just the faint whisper of the wind over the sand. He kicked at a small dune, sending a spray of sand into the air.

"Where am I even going to?" he mumbled to himself, shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand. "I have no idea where I am. No water. No food. This is just... perfect." He started walking, picking a direction at random. It was better than standing still. He could feel the heat radiating through the soles of his sneakers.

He trudged through the sand, his thoughts a jumbled mess of anger and confusion. He thought about Chloe, about how unfair she was. He was a friendly guy. So what if he looked at other women? It was appreciation, not cheating. He was about to start a new rant to himself when he saw something in the distance.

At first, it was just a dark spot on the horizon, distorted by the heat shimmer rising from the sand. He squinted, thinking it might be a rock or a person. As it got closer, it grew larger. Much larger. And it was moving. Fast.

The sand around it kicked up in plumes as it sprinted toward him. Daniel stopped walking. His brain struggled to process what his eyes were seeing. It wasn’t a person on a horse. It wasn’t a car. It was a creature. A massive, low-slung creature with thick, leathery skin the color of rust. Its body was long and muscular, supported by four powerful legs ending in sharp claws. A long tail whipped behind it, and its head was a nightmare of teeth and hunger, with two beady, black eyes locked directly onto him.

It was a giant lizard. And it was running straight at him.

Every instinct in Daniel’s body screamed at him at once. The rational part of his brain shut down completely. There was no fight. There was no trying to reason with it. There was only one option.

He turned and ran.

"HOLY WHAT IN GOD’S NAME IS THAT! " he screamed, his legs pumping as fast as they could through the sand. He didn’t look back. He just ran, the sound of his own panicked screaming and the heavy, thumping footsteps of the monster behind him filling the air.