Nick flicked his wrist and tossed a skewer at Sophia, who was still a good thirty feet away from the fire. He knew her well enough by now to trust that she could pluck it out of the air, which she did with such grace that the motion appeared effortless.
He let loose a disbelieving chuckle when he realized what he’d done. Both his throw and her catch would have been impossible back in his old life. It was another small reminder of just how much humanity had changed in the few short weeks since the System had descended upon them, upending their world and redefining what it meant to be human.
It made him wonder how much more they would change during the days ahead. But there was plenty of time to worry about that later. Right now, it was time to eat.
They both stopped to take a big bite of grilled fish, humming in satisfaction as the savory flavor broke over their palates. He swallowed, then opened his mouth to share his revelation with his companion, just as he felt a faint vibration coming from below.
Whatever Nick might have said was fated to be forever lost to time. As, unfortunately, was the remainder of his dinner.
Because that was the moment when the ground began to move. Within a fleeting handful of heartbeats, the shaking intensified tenfold and the sands started to buck and writhe. He rose to his feet, skewer falling unnoticed from his fingers. When it hit the ground, his grilled fish began to sink, lost from sight a bare second later.
By now, the entire basin was roiling, forming heaving swells of sandy earth that reminded him of a storm-wracked sea. He didn’t know if the shifting terrain signaled an impending attack, another event, or some bizarre alien weather. But he didn’t need to understand what was happening to get the hell out of the way.
Nick shifted his stance, struggling to keep his balance as he slid on his pack. A reflex that had become as natural as breathing. He tossed Sophia her bag, so that her items wouldn’t be swallowed by the hungry soil, already scanning for the best way out of the valley. By now, the waves of sand were big enough to knock him off his feet, and he hastily leapt out of the way as they converged on his position.
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While heading for higher ground, he started sizing up the valley, looking for the source of the disturbance or anywhere that he might be able to take cover. While Nick did get a resounding ping of danger from size up, it didn’t feel the same as when something was directly threatening him.
The warning didn’t seem to be coming from any given direction or location this time. Instead, the entire basin had suddenly become a threat. It must be a proximity triggered event, he determined, even though he had yet to see a notification appear within his view.
“Run,” Nick yelled. “We need to get to solid ground.” Sophia had evidently come to the same conclusion. He saw her sprinting toward the ridgeline, as the surrounding sand swirled and heaved. He ran after her, fighting to maintain his balance with every step. Over the next ten seconds, they struggled to escape the valley in time. But at that point, matters took a sharp turn for the worse.
When he glanced over his shoulder, he saw that a hole had opened behind him, widening by the heartbeat as it pulled the ground toward it in a ravenous tide. Faster and then faster still. Nick burned stamina, pushing his body into a greater burst of speed. Each step more difficult than the last as he fought to make headway against the widening sinkhole.
For a long, adrenaline-charged moment, he thought they were going to make it. But that was as far as either of them got.
Half a heartbeat later, the sinkhole tripled in size, transforming the basin into a steep ravine. The sands swirled and sucked at their boots, forming a vortex that spun them around the basin. Nick had just enough time to panic, since the sand had risen above his knees, when his balance faltered, and he came crashing to the ground.
Desperate, he fought to keep his head above the flowing earth, searching for respite but finding none.
Five seconds later, the floor gave out entirely and sand swallowed them whole. He saw his rising terror mirrored in Sophia’s eyes before they both went under. Lungs burning despite his Survivor trait, he fought to claw his way back up to the surface, but it was a hopeless endeavor.
Encased in a shell of increasing pressure and sinking depth, Nick knew only darkness, before he passed out and knew nothing at all.