Chapter Thirteen: Horst:

Location: Hamburg, Germany

Diary Entry: Horst

Day Ninety-Nine

I found something very strange today. Yes, it was stranger than the sand and everything that had been going on itself.

I was walking along the dunes looking for food for my camp when I noticed something glowing in the distance. At first, I thought I was losing my mind. I put my hand over my eyes for a better look. A bright green light shot up towards the sky. I wondered, what was that? I wondered off of my path like a moth to a bug zapper. With each step, it felt like stepping on thumbtacks in the sand. Despite me wincing, I still kept walking. I could’ve sworn that I heard someone singing as well. I practically blocked out everything around me as I walked over to that light.

It’s calling out to me, I thought.

When I got close enough, I had to cover my eyes because it had gotten so bright. The singing turned into shouting in my ears. Every part of my being shouted at me to turn back. Still, I walked closer to the light. My body was bathed in the green by the time I got close enough to see the source.

A brown box with strange cravings sat at my feet. I tilted my head.

What is this?

I reached out and touched the lid. Hissing filled my ears as a burning sensation touched my fingers. The pain didn’t sink in until about ten seconds later. I jumped as I pulled back. My fingertips had turned bright red just from touching the lid. The color faded and looked at the box again. The more I stared at it, the more I had to open it up and see what was inside. Maybe I could trade the box for something more valuable like candy or jerky. I would kill for some fresh meat or veggies now. With all of that in mind, I reached down for the box again.

Through the burning and smell of roasting meat, I pried open the lid. When I looked inside, I became blinded by a sudden light.

The next thing I saw was hard to describe, but I will try and say it anyway.

I saw random numbers flashing before my eyes. I think there were words and letters, but they kept going too fast. A giant butterfly flapped it wings as if to the beat of a drum. A booming voice filled my ears.

The words came out all jumbled up at first. I remember hearing “sand”. Suddenly, a hole opened up in the darkness. Red lights began flashing at me. My hand reached out through the hole. My fingers started to disappear into dust. I tried to scream, but my voice got strangled up in the words. The rest of my body started to dissolve away.

That’s when I heard it.

You have ruined the planet. You brought this on yourselves. Now you must suffer!

I about fell backwards. But why?

The reason blasted me in the ears, causing me to fall backwards in the sand. The box in front of me crumbled and blew away in the wind. I sat there, panting. My body couldn’t move, but I couldn’t stop trembling. What I had learned of what this sand was and why it was here. But who would believe me? I still had many questions to ask. Who was punishing us with this sand and loss of fresh food and technology? How do we make it disappear? Would our world go back to what it was before it all drowned in this sand?

When I got my nerves back, I pushed myself to my feet and ran back on the path I was originally was to find my party. What I had learned that day would not to stay myself for long.