Chapter 2: Two Moons, Two Lands

They’d been walking for hours and had dropped down to their pants and undershirts. They had both removed their socks and wore them as headbands to keep the sweat out of their eyes. The heat waves were thick. The deep red sand that laid out for miles upon miles only drew in more heat from the sun. Baking and boiling everything on its surface. Including them.

The heat was unbearable.

The two of them walked on and on leaving the car miles behind them. Kaleb’s face read that of disgust and complete dislike to his surroundings. He avoided touching or even acknowledging anything out of the ordinary, not that there was much to touch, as this whole dilemma was out of the ordinary. The heat had molded his face and forehead into a heavy frown as he scolded at the back of his sister’s head with squinted eyes.

In front of him walked Erin who, for hours, had been staring straight into the air watching as the twin moons cross the sky slowly above them. She hadn’t looked down once, only walking ahead of her brother in complete amazement. Her eyes were fixed to the astounding astrology angled above her and her mind completely ignored the waves of heat induced pain pulsing through her body with every step she took.

Kaleb: “E! Will you please stop you’re freaking me the fuck out. And the fact that there are two moons is freaking me out enough as it is!”

Erin: “Alright I’m sorry! This is the first time I've seen two moons in the sky and you’ve done nothing but cry and whine since you woke up. Try to rationalize where we are and how we got here and maybe you won’t be so freaked out!” They both stop as she turns around staring at his sweaty face waiting for an answer he didn’t have.

He rolls his eyes in frustration and continues walking past her.

Kaleb: “Well there has to be some type of explanation. Maybe there aren't two moons and there’s some type of weird optical eclipse or somethin.”

Erin: “Right—okay and the red sand? Where have you ever heard or seen of red sand Kaleb? Cause I ain’t never heard of the shit a damn day in my life!”

Kaleb: “I don’t know, okay! Maybe we’re on Mars..no wait-!”

He’s stumped. He knew what followed. Completely interrupted by his sister who bursts out into a chill inducing laugh. They type of laugh that could only sift from the tongue of a broken woman gripping onto her last string of her sanity. He stops where he was dropping his face into both of his palms while he awaits the inevitable embarrassment.

Erin: “MARS!? ‘Maybe we’re on Mars’ Kaleb are you dead serious right now? HAHA! Mars. We’d be dead Kaleb you do know that right?” She pauses and starts laughing hysterically again in his face. “We are stuck in the middle of a fucking red desert, there are two moons in the sky and I have yet to see a single form of life whatsoever.” Her voice gets slightly more serious as her eyebrows drop. She tries to adjust her grip on the current situation. “Not a bird, bug or bunny. Not so much as a plant out here, Kaleb. Not to mention no streams, no rain. We’re in the middle of god knows where.”

Kaleb: He drops down into the sand sitting and looking up at her irritably, listening to her rant.

“Are you done now? Can we keep walking?”

Erin: “If we aren’t on Mars, then where the hell are we?”

Kaleb: “I don’t know! I don’t know! Please stop making me think right now.” His voice starts to crack as his eyes water. He fights back tears as the frustration has started to become too much for him. “I’m so fucking tired and hot and my feet hurt and my Armani shoes are filled with fucking sand. I just don’t know, okay!”

Seeing her brother in this much pain caused her to drop her guard. She was no longer angry and instead had the urge to comfort him. They’d been on the move for hours and she knows that despite him being a teenage athlete, her brother Kaleb wasn’t made for the rural aspects of the world. A city boy if you will. She’d always been there to help him & teach him and without her he’s become a clean and reserved young man unfit to survive in un-cushy environments. It was their parent’s fault. Even before his 18th birthday he had already been given anything he asked for and more. Showered in money and beautiful clothing while being locked up in that beautiful building like a fortress. He had only known material. His world was very much made of money and it wasn’t good for him. He knows no struggle, no adversity, so of course this is far more difficult for him. Him as well as Erin. She couldn’t think straight. She was left brained, running on logic and dealing with his needy and whiny behavior since they woke up here was not helping her thought process.

Erin: She sits down next to her brother and rests her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’m scared too, but that doesn’t mean we just sit here and give up. You’re right there is some explanation as to where we are. I just don’t know how we got here or even where ‘here’ is. This might not even be-.” The ground begins to shake!

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The ground beneath their feet began to violently quake. Blaring sirens could be heard from all around them as the deep red sand began to drift and slide from beneath them. The ground began to crack and in the distance they saw the desert open. The cracks beneath them began to spread and grow larger and larger pulling more sand into the dark depths of this land as massive desert ravines formed around them causing portions of the rock planes to crumble.

The two get up and run. Forced to jump over a trench the two had no idea where to go. More and more divisions carved their war under and around the two surrounding them in falling red earth and canyons. The two once again find themselves bonded together by each other's arms and falling to their knees bracing themselves against one another.

Kaleb: “We’re going to die here! Oh my god I’m going to die here! Please don’t let me die here E!”

He tucks his head into her chest in fear.

Erin: “Oh my god! Look! Kaleb, look up!” She pulls his face up and they look into the distance to see machines climbing and rising out from the canyons and ravines that lacerated through the desert changing its appearance completely. Tanks. Actual metallic tanks drove up the walls slowly making their way through the dirt. Erin & Kaleb mouths gape, as they watch in disbelief. Men in armor carrying weaponry climbing out of the ground and pulling up boxes and equipment with rope attached at their hips. Like this was something that happened often. Erin wasn’t sure where they were or what was happening, but she didn’t feel good about it. She looked all around her to see them coming out from every canyon in the ground, but the division’s came separate. Confused, the two darted their heads in every direction trying to make sense of what they were witnessing.

On the left of the canyon formed men that had large and bold yet unique facial hair. They wore white or golden colored armor with corresponding clothing & weaponry. Each man standing either 4 or 5 feet tall, it was like they were all hand carved. Chiseled to perfection, wearing a matching metal helmet, strapped to High-Hell with belts and grenades and daggers as well as rope and small pockets for bandages. Their faces filled with scars and their ears came to a point. They were small men, small but angry. Behind them sat tanks you’ve only ever seen in pictures of war. Disastrously loud, and worn— like they’d fought many battles before.

On the right of the canyon stood a taller, more slim set of men. They’re undergarments black, with plated platinum as their armor. Swords on each hip & 15th century steel black headwear to protect their head. They looked like knights.

Kaleb: Kaleb shifted in Erin’s arms. “Erin, are those knights? Why? Why are there knights out here in this desert?! What the hell is going on!?” Erin loosens her grip on her brother, looking at Kaleb in awe. And he rushes to his feet.

Erin: Erin fought the sand that moved through the atmosphere almost vengefully as best she could. Following behind Kaleb, Shouting over the rumble of the Knights cannons.

“I don’t know! I don’t know! Kaleb, stop, wait! Slow down!” She catches up to him, grabbing him by his arm.

First came knights afoot, then cannons. Men, in armor on horses & with blades. The men yelled as they marched, chanting something rather familiar to Erin, “Regina autem pro caelo!” The knights yelled. It was Latin, she’d taken it once her senior year of high school, but that was years ago. She had no idea she still even understood the language until this moment. It translated to,

“We fight for Queen Sky.” Or “We fight for the Sky Queen!” She didn’t know which. The only thought running rampant in Erin’s mind was ‘what the hell is happening?’

Erin: “Why us?” She sighs. The confusion and adrenaline acted as fuel for her fear. Almost giving into it completely and shutting down. But she couldn’t. Looking over at her brother he stood there behind her, despite being bigger than her, he needed her. She knew he did. He was scared. She can’t afford to be terrified right now.

The sirens finally stopped as the earth stood still. After a brief moment of silence one of the short men bellowed an intense battle cry charging at a man in the knight armor. The rest all follow suit and charge at each other violently attacking and even killing one another. There were men being killed in cold blood in front of their very own eyes. The sound of the sirens, replaced and utterly forgotten with the birth of this battle. The rusted golden and white tanks rolled over dropping bodies and lifted red hills to fire at each other creating massive explosions and sending sand, dirt, and the occasional soldier, spewing into the air raining down on everyone.

Erin: Breathing heavy her heart was racing and her hands trembling. She felt her brother jumping and flinching with each shot from a rifle or explosion in the distance. “C’mon Kaleb we gotta move man get up we gotta go now!!” Practically dragging her brother off of the ground the two of them run across the battlefield with no idea of where to go and no cover in sight.

As they ran, the area seemed inescapable but the land had changed. After the earthquake the red sand grew scarce. The cracks in the earth reveal tan and brown earths as well as green plants and weeds. They follow them running away from the fight and trying to avoid falling into one of the countless trenches. After getting a decent distance away from the spontaneous arms battle they slow down and stop to catch their breath. Both of them hunched over their hands on their knees, wheezing. Just as the sounds of fighting grew quieter she could hear water. Running water. In one of these ravines was a river and it was close by.

Erin: “Do you hear that?! The water. There’s some sort of stream! We can follow it out of here and finally get something to drink. It’ll have to lead us to some forest, a civilization or something away from this fight and this desert! Let’s go!” She starts jogging away towards the sound and gets a fair distance away from Kaleb before realizing he was lagging behind, still crouched over vomiting. A combination of the adrenaline and heat caused him to Stress vomit onto the dry dirt. “Shit! C’mon Kaleb! We need to move! Let’s go!” She starts walking back towards him to assist him.

Kaleb: Finally standing up straight. “Wait, give me a minute. I can't right now just wait a sec. I think we just need to-.” A stray metal casing from a tank far off in the distance lands right behind Kaleb, crashing into the ground. Whoever was driving it must’ve mistaken them for escaping enemies and fired a tank round at the two of them. It landed firmly in the ground and for a split second the two of them stood there before looking up at each other, both with the realization of what was about to happen.

Erin: “NO!” She lunges at her brother who was frozen still in fear seconds before an explosion separated the two. Producing a shockwave blasting Erin backward onto the ground sliding over a meanly ledge leading to a ravine beneath her. She heard the racing water echoing upwards to her but was too focused on Kaleb. Who had been flung through the air and like a ragdoll and landed on his chest far away from her and where he stood. “Kaleb! Kaleb! I’m coming, it’s okay just hold on!” She claws at the ground and tries to climb up the ledge but couldn’t. The loose earth started to crumble. the more she struggled, the more the tears in her eyes blurred her vision making it impossible for her to see the cracks forming under her hands and arms.

Kaleb: Barely conscious he lays there silently but in agonizing pain. Staring at his sister and struggling to breathe as he slowly starts to inhale his own blood. His skin seared from the explosion and smoke arose from the burnt clothing on his body. He slowly raised his broken and mangled arm out to his sister before dropping it and coughing blood. He dropped his head onto the brown dirt now stained red in his blood. His eyelids become heavy and soon close as his breathing comes to a steady, then sudden stop. His heart couldn’t handle the physical trauma and Kaleb lays there— completely motionless.

Erin, who can’t even form words, attempted trying to brace herself to climb over to Kaleb. She couldn’t as the ground finally gave way beneath her weight and she fell down the crack in the earth hitting against the rough rocky terrain. Landing in the deep river that carried her down the dark and cold stream. She fights to stay awake in the turbulence of the current but ultimately loses the fight against the elements and slowly slips into unconsciousness. While her body spins and spirals in the powerful streams, her vision goes darker. It continued, darker and darker and at once, there was nothing.