I landed hard on the ground. This time, everything seemed relatively substantial. I felt like I existed. Gravity again took place, obviously, and I was laying on a hard, grainy material. I forced my eyes open, and a blinding light made me squint. I stood up and realized I had been lying on dry dirt.

Looking around, still squinting, I found myself completely surrounded by Dry-looking land full of vegetation that looked just as dry. There were tall, green plants coated in spines. Some were short bushes that looked partially withered. There were rocky outcropping sticking out of the ground, as if they were trying to escape the barren earth. The moistureless air hurt my lungs, and I realized just how hot it was.

The next thing I noticed was quite pleasant compared to what I had gone through in the previous seconds. I realized my wing was fine. My cuts were completely gone, and my clothes look good as new. It was as if I hadn't collided with the thorny ground of Viper's Rose.

My mind was reeling. I knew for a fact that there was nowhere like this on my world. My famous stone of panic settled in my gut again, and this time I was sure it would remain for a while.

When my grief ebbed a bit, I realized that, somehow, I needed to get out of this wasteland. If I didn’t, it would become my unexpected graveyard, which was something I desired to avoid.

I took a high flight and made a wide circle around my general area. All I could see was the same barren land in every direction. It felt like I was right back in Viper’s Rose, but foreign and frightening.

“Okay, Brian,” I said to my myself, “All there is to do, is to fly in one direction, and hope it’s not too long until we’re out of this desert.”

Just as I was about to take flight, I stopped in my tracks. Desert? Where did I learn that word? I’ve never heard of a place like this in my life. This feels like a desert, but nobody ever told me that word, or what it was…

I decided not to dwell on that thought, I probably just heard it somewhere, and just didn’t remember it until now. I was under too much stress to fret about some word I picked up. But I was almost sure I hadn’t ever heard it before.

I took a random directional guess, and flew lower to the ground than I normally would. This time, I focused on distance. I need to go as far as I can to escape this Wasteland. Then, once I get somewhere more hospitable, I can try to figure out where in the world I was.

This flight was the hardest flight I ever had to sustain. As my breathing got heavier with effort, the dry air stung my lungs. Thirst grew in my mouth, and I felt the back of my neck beginning to sunburn. The heat made the air thinner, so it was difficult to get lift. I found my self desperately searching for updrafts, so I can catch a break.

I can fly at about 200 mph on a good day, but this unfortunate weather made it more difficult, and dropped my speed to somewhere around 150 mph. I flew for hour upon hour, and went into a state of robotic flight, trying not to focus on the pain. Finally, after maybe 12 hours, I ran out of steam, and made a rough landing. I relaxed my sore wings and focused in the distance. Still, nothing but rough ground ahead.

The sun had begun to set, and the temperature was dropping at an alarming rate. I thought to myself, Can I survive for one night? If I could fly for another 12 hours tomorrow, I was sure I could escape this death trap. But then, if I did, what would guarantee that I had a chance at survival wherever I end up?

I had no idea how the nights would be where I am, and what would be necessary. I was hungry, but I wouldn’t die during one night without food. Thirst was my main concern. Just like you, it can slay a demon in a matter of a few days. And I already lost half of a day in flight, which probably just accelerated my dehydration.

The temperature was another matter. It had gotten chilly, and it’s rapid decent was not halting. I made another abrupt decision to tough it out. I lied down on one of the smoother sections of dirt, and pulled my wings tight around me.

Despair crept over me. I had been running on adrenaline, only using my mind for survival purposes. But then, when I was about to sleep, my mind stretch and curled around the unknown, maximizing terror. I tried my best to block it out, but it remained in the better part of my mind. Ready to overwhelm me at the sign of the slightest weakness.

Then, my mind went alert at a sharp pain in my lower back. My ears were filled with shouting and rushed footsteps. I whipped up and spread my wings so I could escape through the air, but as I stood, I nearly toppled. My mind went into a complete spiral. The edges of my vision went blurry, and my thoughts slurred together. I clumsily turned to look at where the pain resonated, and I saw a dart, filled with feathers.

I’ve been drugged … I thought to myself. I tried to open my wings for a speedy flight, which only sent another wave of dizziness into me. At that moment something heavy slammed into my back and pinned my arms behind me. Whoever it was laid painfully on my wings, and I worried they would snap under the weight. The drug did it’s job and I felt myself slipping into my unconscious. The last thing I heard was a gruff voice calling, “Load it!” And then I was under.