A deadly silence. Everyone was frozen in their places, afraid to move or even breathe too loudly. The words were like the inevitable end that they avoided thinking about.
Miehar, holding the guide, his eyes filled with anger and anxiety:
"What do you mean? Are you saying they're dead? Just disappeared like that? And what about the others?!"
The guide, trembling slightly, turned his head away, then closed his eyes for a moment, as if trying to hold back his words:
"I don't know... Everything's become foggy. The storm, or maybe something else. I can't explain it. But we can't stop. We have to move before we disappear too."
Miehar, his face contorted with anger and worry, tried to steady himself in this terrifying situation:
"How do we continue? Three souls vanished before our eyes, and everything around us is strange and unnatural. We don't know where we're going, or if the ground is still beneath our feet! How do we carry on as if nothing happened?"
The guide, his eyes closed as if nightmares were consuming him from the inside, suddenly opened them wide, as if he had discovered a bitter truth he wished he hadn't seen:
"I know... but we must move... if we stop now, we'll be next."
The dark shadow returned to hover above them, the same shadows that had been following them with every step. Each of them knew deep down that Teacher Ishtar and the ten others had perished in that ferocious storm, and now they were facing a merciless reality.
No one could understand what had happened. The hope everyone had been carrying started to melt into the hot air.
As the caravan continued its journey through the barren desert, words filled with doubt seeped through every now and then.
Sara, her heart drowning in tears, her face reflecting the fear that was about to consume her words:
"I can't believe it... Teacher Ishtar is dead, along with three others... just like that... we didn't even have time to say goodbye."
Aram, beside Sara, his eyes fixed on the ground, filled with sorrow and wonder:
"My God... are we going to continue? Are we going to move on as if nothing happened? Four of us just died, and we haven't even stopped for a moment to grasp the gravity of what occurred."
At that moment, they felt Miehar's footsteps approaching them, his voice heavy with pain, but behind that pain, there was something else: an unwavering determination.
Miehar quickly moved toward them, stopping in front of Sara and Amer, his eyes blazing with resolve:
"Yes, we are all mourning what happened to them. None of us can believe what's occurred, but at the same time, there are other lives that need saving. We can't drown in the past here. We have a mission, and we still have hope that hasn't been broken. We must keep moving forward."
He looked at them sharply, as if trying to ignite the lost spark of hope in their hearts.
Miehar continued in a firm voice, giving strength to their bones:
"When we return, we'll honor their memory as they deserve. But now, we have to be strong. We must go on, we must move forward, because that's what they wanted us to do."
The caravan resumed its journey, and the guide's eyes fell upon a cluster of massive rocks that appeared to be remnants of an ancient mountain worn down by the passage of time. Yet, they provided a dark shade, exactly what they desperately needed.
The rocks stood still, like the fangs of a stone beast, their edges twisted as if they were doors to a hidden world. The shadow between the boulders came like a dark tunnel devouring the light, filled with an air of mystery and anticipation.
The guide spoke in a serious tone, though with a hint of relief:
"Let's rest there, between the rocks. We've walked for more than three hours, and the sun is starting to scorch us. There's no use continuing without a break."
Juan, wiping the sweat from his brow, said, "Finally, a logical idea... my feet can't take it anymore."
But not everyone was enthusiastic about the idea. Miehar frowned slightly, eyeing the rocks warily.
"Are we sure this place is safe? These rocks could be a hiding spot for something alive here..."
Aram, leaning on a stick he had found along the way, replied, "We don't have another choice. The heat will kill us faster than any danger we might face here."
After a brief discussion, they decided to proceed cautiously toward the rocks. Miehar and Juan led the way, with the guide following to oversee everyone's movements.
They reached the entrance of the rocks, where they discovered a narrow passage between two massive stones, barely wide enough for a single person to pass through.
Sara, focusing on the rocks, said, "It looks like an old passage, or maybe it was shaped by the winds."
The guide, touching the surface of the stone, replied, "It might be... what matters now is that we get in and find some shade."
One by one, they entered, some of them having to bend down. As they moved forward, the passage began to widen gradually, revealing a semi-open space between the rocks, like a small arena carved by time, partially blocking the sun. For the first time in hours, they felt a breeze gently caressing their faces.
Juan, sitting on the ground, sighed, "I haven't felt this comfort since the journey began."
Aram, watching the sky through the cracks in the rocks, said,
"At least we found some shade, and a moment to catch our breath."
While they rested, the guide remained standing, frowning, staring at the rocks around him.
Miehar, finishing his drink, asked,
"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."
The guide whispered in a low voice,
"These rocks... I feel like I've seen them before."
A deep silence followed, then Juan, lying down, said,
"If you haven't visited a desert we shouldn't be in, then I doubt it."
But the guide didn't laugh. He remained still, as if something was trying to return to his memory… or perhaps something he feared to remember.
Suddenly, the ground trembled violently, and a sound similar to a roar from the depths of hell emerged. The sand split open before them like the mouth of a giant beast, and a terrifying creature appeared, crawling as if it were a living nightmare.
It resembled a prehistoric lizard, but its body wasn't covered in normal skin; its scales were polished like armor, gleaming with a deadly shine.
Its front limbs resembled sharp claws capable of slicing a man in half with a single strike.
The creature moved in a terrifying manner, like an armored snail, but its length stretched for tens of meters, resembling a dragon without wings. Its eyes were massive, glowing like embers in the dark of night, reflecting a devilish intelligence.
Its open mouth, with curved bones, revealed two enormous fangs coated in poison. And when it snorted from its pointed nose, a burning steam billowed out as if it was preparing for an impending hellish wrath.
The screams of terror filled the air as the monster lunged at the teacher, Miehar, sinking its fangs into his body as if crushing him between its teeth. It lifted him high before tossing him into the air to swallow him, as if the earth had swallowed him whole.
The guide tried to pull out his dagger, but he was nothing more than an easy meal; the creature's claws dug into his body in the blink of an eye, tearing him apart as though he were a dry twig.
The students froze in terror, their minds unable to comprehend what was happening before their eyes.
The creature swallowed five students one by one, their screams fading into an eerie silence. After completing the horrific massacre, it paused for a moment, as if staring at the remaining caravan, its eyes foretelling the worst fate. Then, just as it had appeared, its armored body sank into the sands, disappearing, leaving behind a blood-stained ground and massive destruction.
The sands quickly swallowed all traces of it, while the towering dunes surrounded the area as if guarding the gates of hell.
A chilling silence spread across the place as if time had frozen for a moment. Everyone stood motionless, their breath quickening, cold sweat dripping from their brows despite the desert heat.
A faint tremor lingered in the air, something unexplainable, causing their blood to freeze in their veins.
At that very moment, Juan and Amer shouted in tense voices:
"Everyone, run! Head toward the opening on the other side of the rocks!"
With no time for questions, everyone snapped back to their senses as if electrocuted.
Their expressions shifted from confusion to pure terror, and they ran with all their might, as if fleeing from death itself.
Sarah screamed while running at full speed, "I don't want to die!"
Aram was pulling Zahra behind him, barely able to breathe from the terror.
Even Juan, despite his strength, was running disoriented, not daring to look back, as if hell itself was chasing them.
Amer, however, was one of the last to start running, glancing back for a moment as if wanting to see something, but he stopped when Juan shoved him hard, saying:
"Don't stop! Keep running!"
They ran relentlessly, not caring about the rocks beneath their feet or the pain beginning to gnaw at their muscles. Escape was the only goal, at any cost.
They didn't know how much time had passed—minutes? Hours? Time had become meaningless. All they knew was that they didn't want to stop, and they didn't want to know what would have happened if they had stayed.
But their exhausted bodies could no longer bear it. One by one, they began to fall onto the sand, gasping for breath, their bodies trembling, their eyes fixed on the sky.
Juan was the first to kneel, followed by Amer, then Sarah and Aram, until they scattered across the sand, their breaths quickening like the wind, their bodies shaking.
Amer stood for a moment, then collapsed onto the sand as well, drenched in sweat, but he didn't stop staring at the horizon, as if something was still chasing him in his mind.
Silence fell, and all they could hear were their heavy breaths and their hearts pounding in their chests.
After a moment, Juan slowly lifted his head, looked at the others, then whispered softly:
"Is... is everyone here?"
No one answered, not because they hadn't heard, but because they weren't sure of the answer.
Juan sat down on the sand, his hands clutching his head as if trying to tear his thoughts apart. His eyes were distant, staring into space, but they were seeing something lost.
He muttered in a rough voice:
"I was wrong... I was a fool."
Suddenly, he raised his head, looked at the place where Maher had stood before being swallowed by death, then turned toward Amer, as if searching for someone to reassure him that what was happening wasn't real.
But Amer's gaze was calm, stronger than it was cold, weighed down by silent sorrow.
Juan said in a trembling voice:
"Amer... I believed in crossing this desert more than I believed it was the right decision. There was hope, there was an exit..."
He slammed his fist into the ground, desperately:
"But I was blind. I'm the one who led us into this disaster, and now Maher is dead, and the others are gone... all of this because of me!"
Amer, who had been observing the silence around them, spoke in a calm and steady voice:
"Juan... none of us knew what would happen. We all thought we were making the right decision."
Juan looked at him in shock:
"How can you say that?! They died because of my decision! Don't you care about that?"
Amer sighed slowly, then looked directly at him, his voice warmer this time:
"Of course, I care, but regret won't bring them back. If we were in their place, would you want them to cry, or would you want them to fight to stay alive?"
Juan turned his face away, overwhelmed by the words, but he couldn't respond.
Meanwhile, Aram was moving among the survivors, silently counting them, trying to figure out how many were left. Each time he finished counting, he went back to count again, as if hoping to find a larger number, but the numbers were harsh.
He whispered, head lifted towards Amer and Juan:
"There are only seventeen of us left."
They exchanged glances, silent. The number was enough to convey the dreadful meaning.
Zahra was sitting on the ground, shivering as if ice had seeped into her body, whispering incomprehensible words:
"Scary... scary... no... I don't want... I don't want to die..."
Sarah grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently:
"Zahra, look at me! We're here, we're okay! You're okay!"
But Zahra didn't respond. Her eyes were staring into the void, her body trembling as if there was an invisible shadow surrounding her.
Before she completely lost control, Amer sat beside her and gently placed his hand on her back, trying to make her feel his presence.
He whispered softly:
"Zahra, breathe with me..."
She didn't respond, but she didn't pull his hand away either.
He continued in a deep, calm voice:
"I won't leave you here, I promise. We're together. You won't be alone."
Zahra closed her eyes, but her body continued to shake.
Amer spoke with an unusual patience:
"I know you're scared, but you're stronger than you think. All of this will end, but we have to hold on. Can you trust me? Just for a moment."
The wind howled around them, and the sand that had been still began to move under their feet like a living beast, pulling everything into its depths.
One of the students screamed:
"Quick sand! Run!"