Story
Ch. 2 Withdrawn Memories
I awoke to the dull throbbing pain that was my left cheek; it had swollen over night and looked as though I had an acorn hidden in my cheek. Sand, from the explosion, had caked the edges of the gash and was slowly sinking its way further down into the wound. If I didn’t act fast and clean it the wound would quickly become infected. I spared a small amount of water from my side canteen made of a sheep’s bladder to quickly clean and rinse the wound, then used my cape to dry and remove any other sand that had burrowed into the gash. It stung like hell as the small grains of sand scraped across the tender edges of the wound, tearing small streaks into the flesh. Blood began to trickle out onto my cape giving it a nice bloodstain the size of a fist. As the blood receded I slowly rose and looked upon the day with open eyes. Seeing myself over I quickly deduced that I was poorly equipped and thus the first thing I needed to do was find a town and solve this problem.
This proved to be a more difficult task to accomplish than I had first anticipated. Having been in the desert for days searching for Ryle I had quickly become very low on water and was not sure if I could venture to the nearest town and still survive. When I left Enquarim three days ago I had set out with only a canteen of water and supplies of food for four days. I had been strong headed and an arrogant fool to have left so unequipped. This arrogance had proven to be my downfall. Looking at the rising sun I felt its warm heat radiate my face and slowly realized that I was going to die out here. The sand below my feet had a cool crisp feeling to it as I set out in search of water or a town, whichever I could happen to come upon first. With each step I took the weight of my body seemed to double on my legs. The only thing that kept me going was the knowledge that if I didn’t I would be dead in a day. Slowly the sun rose high into the sky, taunting me with each passing minute, showering me with its heat and burning my arms and legs. Using my cape as a turban I shielded my head and neck from the rays, this small amount of protection however did nothing for my feet.
During the first night on my quest to find and kill Ryle I stumbled across a small sand trap. I was walking along when I felt the ground suddenly begin to give way below my right foot. My shoes slowly slipped off as I grabbed the edge of the pit and pulled myself up out of danger. With my shoes gone I was forced to continue onward with what I could. As the day had passed the sun slowly roasted the sand until you could have blown on it and made glass, with it nearing tenish my feet were severely burned and blistered. I stopped for a minute and drank the small amount of water that I had left and fashioned a crude pair of foot protection from the bottom of my baggy pants. With no more water, barely any foot protection and my turban I wasn’t sure how much further I could go. Summoning all of my strength I pressed onward into the scorching heat that was in front of me. As the wind blew and picked up sand it hurled it at my eyes encasing me into a blurry position. My eyesight was hindered and soon all I could see was the white wash of sun across sand. I bit my tongue to force the last drops of water into my mouth and felt the gooey sticky feeling of pure saliva with little moisture. My lips felt rough and jagged as the skin had started to blister and break causing sand to find its way into the new wounds.
As I slowly drudged on sliding my feet across the sand having no energy I suddenly felt extremely dizzy as though I had been sitting or laying for a long time and then suddenly stood up forcing all the blood in my body to move. I could hardly keep my balance as I swayed from side to side as though in a drunken trance. Stumbling, I moved forward three feet and fell to a knee. I pushed myself up and continued on for another three feet before I feel. My knees suddenly couldn’t hold my body, they buckled together and I came to my knees as the weight forced them down into the sand. The sand enclosed around my bare knees from making the crude shoes and I felt a warm tingling almost delightful as the knees absorbed the sands held heat. As I slowly tried to move my legs out from under me and position myself to rise the exhaustion and dehydration I had been hiding from myself suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks. I wavered a second and then crashed into the hard compact sand. My face smashed against the sand and it scrapped tears all across my cheeks. I lay there unable to move with my face in the sand and I slowly summoned the strength to turn my face sideways so I could not have sand in my eyes. Resting on the sand time passed, I drifted in and out of consciousness. Each time I awoke I wasn’t sure if I had awoken or if this was just another dream. I stared across the sand lost in myself with no recollection of time or place. Soon all the feeling left my body as it embraced the sand. I felt incredibly numb almost in an euphoric state, I prayed for death to come and take me to end this horrible charade of mockery. I wished that I would die and that it would be a quick death-a more righteous death-not dying out in the desert from dehydration. Have a coyote come and eat me. Anything. I knew what would happen to me and I didn’t want to have to endure those horrors. Soon my internal organs would push all the fluid in them out into my brain and most vital organs. Then they would degrade inside me; my stomach acid would eat its way through my stomach and slowly disintegrate my organs till I drowned in my own blood. The pain would be excruciating feeling as the acid ate away at everything inside my just slowly wasting it into a giant organ soup. I lay and contemplated my fate. Slowly I dreamed that I was rising. I was being turned over and then I felt it. The sharp pain that screamed its way, starting at my toes and erupting into my chest. The pain was extraordinary-like none I had ever felt before. I was flipped over and tilted my head so I could look upward. The sun shone down on me and I drifted off into a dream. In the dream I was flying, being lifted up and rising up into the clouds, all weight left me and I just floated. The sky began to move and I watched as a small cloud slowly drifted across the sky. Then the sun shone straight into my eyes and I blacked out.
I awoke to the dull throbbing pain that was my left cheek; it had swollen over night and looked as though I had an acorn hidden in my cheek. Sand, from the explosion, had caked the edges of the gash and was slowly sinking its way further down into the wound. If I didn’t act fast and clean it the wound would quickly become infected. I spared a small amount of water from my side canteen made of a sheep’s bladder to quickly clean and rinse the wound, then used my cape to dry and remove any other sand that had burrowed into the gash. It stung like hell as the small grains of sand scraped across the tender edges of the wound, tearing small streaks into the flesh. Blood began to trickle out onto my cape giving it a nice bloodstain the size of a fist. As the blood receded I slowly rose and looked upon the day with open eyes. Seeing myself over I quickly deduced that I was poorly equipped and thus the first thing I needed to do was find a town and solve this problem.
This proved to be a more difficult task to accomplish than I had first anticipated. Having been in the desert for days searching for Ryle I had quickly become very low on water and was not sure if I could venture to the nearest town and still survive. When I left Enquarim three days ago I had set out with only a canteen of water and supplies of food for four days. I had been strong headed and an arrogant fool to have left so unequipped. This arrogance had proven to be my downfall. Looking at the rising sun I felt its warm heat radiate my face and slowly realized that I was going to die out here. The sand below my feet had a cool crisp feeling to it as I set out in search of water or a town, whichever I could happen to come upon first. With each step I took the weight of my body seemed to double on my legs. The only thing that kept me going was the knowledge that if I didn’t I would be dead in a day. Slowly the sun rose high into the sky, taunting me with each passing minute, showering me with its heat and burning my arms and legs. Using my cape as a turban I shielded my head and neck from the rays, this small amount of protection however did nothing for my feet.
During the first night on my quest to find and kill Ryle I stumbled across a small sand trap. I was walking along when I felt the ground suddenly begin to give way below my right foot. My shoes slowly slipped off as I grabbed the edge of the pit and pulled myself up out of danger. With my shoes gone I was forced to continue onward with what I could. As the day had passed the sun slowly roasted the sand until you could have blown on it and made glass, with it nearing tenish my feet were severely burned and blistered. I stopped for a minute and drank the small amount of water that I had left and fashioned a crude pair of foot protection from the bottom of my baggy pants. With no more water, barely any foot protection and my turban I wasn’t sure how much further I could go. Summoning all of my strength I pressed onward into the scorching heat that was in front of me. As the wind blew and picked up sand it hurled it at my eyes encasing me into a blurry position. My eyesight was hindered and soon all I could see was the white wash of sun across sand. I bit my tongue to force the last drops of water into my mouth and felt the gooey sticky feeling of pure saliva with little moisture. My lips felt rough and jagged as the skin had started to blister and break causing sand to find its way into the new wounds.
As I slowly drudged on sliding my feet across the sand having no energy I suddenly felt extremely dizzy as though I had been sitting or laying for a long time and then suddenly stood up forcing all the blood in my body to move. I could hardly keep my balance as I swayed from side to side as though in a drunken trance. Stumbling, I moved forward three feet and fell to a knee. I pushed myself up and continued on for another three feet before I feel. My knees suddenly couldn’t hold my body, they buckled together and I came to my knees as the weight forced them down into the sand. The sand enclosed around my bare knees from making the crude shoes and I felt a warm tingling almost delightful as the knees absorbed the sands held heat. As I slowly tried to move my legs out from under me and position myself to rise the exhaustion and dehydration I had been hiding from myself suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks. I wavered a second and then crashed into the hard compact sand. My face smashed against the sand and it scrapped tears all across my cheeks. I lay there unable to move with my face in the sand and I slowly summoned the strength to turn my face sideways so I could not have sand in my eyes. Resting on the sand time passed, I drifted in and out of consciousness. Each time I awoke I wasn’t sure if I had awoken or if this was just another dream. I stared across the sand lost in myself with no recollection of time or place. Soon all the feeling left my body as it embraced the sand. I felt incredibly numb almost in an euphoric state, I prayed for death to come and take me to end this horrible charade of mockery. I wished that I would die and that it would be a quick death-a more righteous death-not dying out in the desert from dehydration. Have a coyote come and eat me. Anything. I knew what would happen to me and I didn’t want to have to endure those horrors. Soon my internal organs would push all the fluid in them out into my brain and most vital organs. Then they would degrade inside me; my stomach acid would eat its way through my stomach and slowly disintegrate my organs till I drowned in my own blood. The pain would be excruciating feeling as the acid ate away at everything inside my just slowly wasting it into a giant organ soup. I lay and contemplated my fate. Slowly I dreamed that I was rising. I was being turned over and then I felt it. The sharp pain that screamed its way, starting at my toes and erupting into my chest. The pain was extraordinary-like none I had ever felt before. I was flipped over and tilted my head so I could look upward. The sun shone down on me and I drifted off into a dream. In the dream I was flying, being lifted up and rising up into the clouds, all weight left me and I just floated. The sky began to move and I watched as a small cloud slowly drifted across the sky. Then the sun shone straight into my eyes and I blacked out.