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Something cold and wet touched Tim’s cheek and he jolted awake. His eyes opened to see a tiny wave receding down a wet beach. He lifted his head confused at the site and why he was at a beach. He hadn't been to the beach since he was a kid. His mouth was dry and when he tried to close his mouth and moisten it he tasted salt and brine. Climbing to hands and knees he discovered not only were his clothes were wet but he was incredibly sore everywhere, almost like he’d been thrown into the tumble-dry fluff cycle of a dryer.

He sat up and looked around. He wasn't alone there were a few others with him but nobody he recognized. This seemed to be a beach on the ocean; aside from a sand bar there wasn't anything out in the water. Looking down the beach to both sides showed it went from horizon to horizon. Getting to his feet he ran up to the top of the beachhead. Cresting the rise he stopped at what he saw. In the distance was the faintest hint of a mountain. Between him and that mountain was a seemingly endless sea of sand. The desert went to the horizon to both sides here as well. An idea hit him and he pulled his cell from his pocket. He flipped it open and water poured freely out. his face sagged as he slid it back into its holder on his hip. Something was odd, but he couldn’t place what it was. Not that he’d ever been in a place remotely similar to this, but he’d seen movies. That nagging hint something was off wore on him and he sat down to think and look at the landscape. Then it hit him. There were no cacti anywhere. He wasn't even sure there should be any this close to a beach, but it was more then that. There was no hint of life, nothing. Not a bird or blade of grass anywhere, not even the buzz of an insect. Turning back to the beach he saw he was right; no washed up kelp, seaweed or grass along the beach. There was nothing. All he could hear were waves crashing on the shore.

He looked down at the group; the water had risen more and was almost touching a man’s outstretched foot. It was then that he noticed the clouds. Looking up now he saw the sky was thickly overcast but the clouds were pink, they were freeken pink! As his brain tried to comprehend the color he turned back around to the desert and the mountain behind it. As far as the eye could see was pink cloud. In the distance he could see flecks of green here and there but it was mostly just the pink. “Where in the fuck are we? Did we get sucked into the Never-Ending Story?” He asked himself. He tried to remember where he was last. He remembered getting fitted for and buying the suit he had on when he was at the mall. Then he got a pretzel, then he seemed to recall a woman screaming but that was a little fuzzy and it was the last thing could remember. Deciding the other might remember better or possibly even know where they were he ran back down to the water and to wake everyone up.

"65, 66, 67,68.." Sophia counted her money quietly. A whiff of dank basement, sweat and sausages broke her thoughts as the door to the office opened behind her. A thickly bearded man, short, stocky and blanketed in an inch of sweat and grime shuffled his way around her to the crates in the corner. Joseph might have been the owner of the restaurant but he was no stranger to hard work. Not to mention they were short staffed when the food order came in that morning.

Sophia looked around her for a moment. Crates of papers piled high to the ceiling, boxes of food from the delivery this morning. There was something crammed into every corner of the small office and right in the middle was a desk, at least that's what it used to be. That’s what it was supposed to be before the mess of papers and bottles of water and makeshift organizers and yesterday's lunch took over. She looked at Joseph. The nice little Russian man who helped her out with this job 3 years ago. How did things manage to become this much of a mess?

She was an out of work actress, whose last gig was a commercial shoot for hemorrhoid creme 6 months ago. But she wasn't sure what was more sad, that or today's pay. She looked down at the $68 dollars in her hand and contemplated her position. She spent her morning taking orders and serving Irish breakfast to slobbering old men, recovering from their hangovers and now had to run to an audition for a commercial on Tylenol. Is this truly my life?

Despite the fact that her audition wasn't for anything grand and luxurious, it was supposed to be helping her pay the bills. But she couldn't focus today for some reason. It was like something was pulling her away from herself. But enough of that, she waved off the distraction, put her money away and continued to clock out from her shift.

Sophia caught the train going downtown, she had some time to kill before her audition and decided she would grab some lunch. Her headache and growling stomach told her she should anyway. She grimaced at the thought of another salad, but her trainer would kill her if she hit the carbs again this afternoon. Especially before an audition. “42nd Street, Times Square - transfer is available to the …” the conductor rattled on as busy commuters hurried in and out of the train. The hustle and bustle and noise of the afternoon rush on the R train only seemed to put her to sleep.

When she woke though, everything was silent with the exception of waves softly crashing against the beach. No metal grinding against the tracks, screeching in the subway tunnels. No train conductors announcing stops or the tourists that sat next to her, gabbing about the ride and their time in New York City. Nothing. Her head was still throbbing though. The thought of needing a Tylenol sent her jolting up, her eyes widened in panic, and the fear of being late for her audition clouded her senses. It took her a long moment and a few deep breaths to realize the reality of her situation. She blinked a few times to gain focus on her environment. I suppose we’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto, she mumbled softly, glancing at the others on the beach. She looked up at the sky, a brow wrinkled as she studied the outstretch of pink. "Yeah …. we’re definitely not in Kansas anymore …"

Her clothes were drenched, and her belongings were no where to be seen. She patted down a pocket, a wad of paper, what seemed like a business card, and her cell phone which of course did not work. A soft sigh escaped her lips, which turned into a groan as she moved to her feet.

"So even Starkey admits to Elizabeth's faults... interesting." Julius was muttering to himself, surrounded in his study by mountains of books. Most of them were closed but coloured pieces of paper stuck out from several pages; bookmarks for useful information and references. Around him on his large desk were multiple open tomes with the one he was currently reading by his left side, kept open with soft pressure from his left hand while his right scratched away furiously with a fountain pen on an A4 pad. Somewhere in the building a bell rang, denoting the end of another session and soon the corridor outside was full of voices and the sounds of movement.

His concentration interrupted, Julius quickly scribbled down a note on a yellow piece of paper and stuck it to the outside of the page he had been scanning before leaning back in his chair with a sigh. The long hours of hunching over the desk had started a dull ache in his back so he decided it was time to get out of the musty study and out for some fresh air. After all, he mused, long hours of strain on the brain reduced efficiency while being surrounded by a natural environment with plants and living things enhanced one's concentration span.

It wasn't long before he had found a need for sustenance and left the university campus, heading into town in search of a properly made cup of tea (or a 'brew' as he liked to call it) and some quickly edible lunch. As he crossed Times Square he started to feel drowsy and he began to pay less attention to his surroundings.

The next thing Julius knew was he was lying on a beach, staring up at an unfamiliar sky with oddly pink clouds.

"Did... I just fall asleep and get a train to the beach?" His brain was feeling a little fuzzy, as if he'd been on an extremely extravagant night out on the town. With a groan he pushed himself to his feet and looked around to find himself not alone on the alien, in apparently more ways than one, beach. He did not recognise any of the others, neither from his past life or immediately from his last remembered experience in Times Square.

After summing up the courage, for he was ever the introvert at heart, to trudge over to someone, a woman, he greeted them with a nervous half-wave and an awkward, lop-sided smile.

"Erm, hello? I don't suppose you happen to know where we are? That might sound like an odd question... but last I remember I was in Times Square. I don't think there was anything in my tea..." Realising that he was babbling, Julius rubbed the back of his head in a nervous gesture he had picked up years ago and bobbed his head in place of a more formal greeting. "My name's Julius. I'm a PhD student at the university."

Sophia wore dark purple jeans that hugged her curves and a baggy guns and roses tank top that, due to looking as if she was washed ashore, wasn't so baggy anymore. Her black boots were worn and faded, and were tied all the way up her calf. Thank goodness for waterproof makeup, otherwise black and purple streaks of mascara and eye shadow would mark her face. She ran a hand through her hair, pulling the long pieces in front out of her face with a soft sigh, and evaluated her surroundings.

The air around them was warm and moist, though a cool breeze kissed her wet cheeks, dusting the crusted sand from her skin. Other than that breeze, and the constant crashing of waves, nothing else stirred around them. It was as if they were stuck in a painting. But the painting seemed to be incomplete. Where were the birds? The sun? The grass and sea shells and other little accessories that often littered a beach? Were they the only forms of life here? Not to mention the only vibrant color were the pink clouds that seemed to blend in with one another, seamlessly. Messy, scattered strokes of the paintbrush, that stretched so far, you couldn't see much else in the sky. There was a gentleman in a suit up at the top of the beachhead who started to come her way, and another, a shy looking, awkward one, dressed like he belonged in the dorms at Harvard. Glancing down at her own attire, she smirked. I do seem to be a bit under dressed for whatever shenanigans I've found myself in this time, she muttered softly to herself.

The scholar walked up to her first and spoke, she nodded in greeting. His name was Julius, which seemed to fit somehow. She chuckled softly as he rambled but then her face twisted rather seriously “Well, I knew that New York water was unique but this… either something was slipped into -my- drink last night and I dreamt all that happened today, or …” she looked around her a moment before continuing. For once, she was at a loss for words. Her shoulders slumped and a look of disbelief and confusion contorted her features. “I’m not sure, honestly - but I’m Sophia”. With a small, hopeless smile, she extended a clammy hand towards his along with a nod. She looked at the man coming down towards them and turned to greet him as well. “I don’t suppose you know where we are?” she asked.

As Tim headed down the beachhead he pulled his tie off and dropped it on the sand before unbuttoning the collar of his shirt and rubbing his neck. His eyes danced over the man and woman with him. It was apparent they didn't know each other or where they were.

"You're both awake, good; I was just about to wake you. I haven't been up long myself. I'm Tim." he introduced himself. "But, to answer your question, no; I have no idea where we are. I've never even seen a place like this in the movies, let alone in person. I was just up the hill there and in the distance there is a mountain, but that's it. I don't see anything else but sand in any other direction. I'm afraid I'm really not a very good judge of distance but I wanna say maybe ten to fifteen miles of sand between us and that mountain. There was some kind of red haze at the base of the mountain but I couldn't tell what it was."

"It also looks like the tide is rising. It's moved about 5 feet up the beach since I woke up. I don't get the pink clouds but it means the desert won't be bad, I hope. We can't stay here. You guys head for that mountain?" he asked gesturing over his right shoulder with a thumb.

Tim turned back around and started for the beachhead without waiting for a response and stopped. "Where'd my tie go?" he didn't actually want to bring it with him, but with nothing out here it perplexed him that it disappeared. He ran over to where he dropped it and saw the last tip of the tie disappear under the sand. He screwed up his face and said "I guess we aren't actually alone out here."

Julius eyed the sea that was creeping towards them with a degree of mistrust.

"Either you've been awake a lot longer than we have or that's a very quick change in the tide. I don't know of anywhere with that kind of rapidity." He was largely confused but still found himself fascinated by this strange and alien place. The sky, the sea, the desert. None of it made sense. Not a thing. There was no life anywhere, apparently, which worried him but nevertheless fascinated him. He perked up at the mention of a mountain.

"Where?" He asked, more cheerful. The others looked surprised at this sudden change in character so he felt the need to explain himself, calming his nerves temporarily. "Even if there's no rainfall if the mountain is high enough there's sure to be some ice and so water and life. We came out of the sea so the water cycle here can't be life-threatening and it's not so hot that there'd be absolutely no ice at the top of any mountain. The red haze might have something to do with the clouds - after they all, there are essentially a moving mass of moisture. If it was falling to the ground like rain it would probably look like a red haze?" Again, he was musing to himself and found he had veered wildly off his intended conversational course.

"In any case, I agree. The mountain is probably our best chance to find out where we are and the best place to find the necessaries for survival. Who knows? We might be lucky enough to find some intelligent life there."

That was when Tim mentioned the absence of his tie and they saw it disappear underneath the sand, as if dragged down by something.

"That's a bit of an ominous sign..." Julius commented with a nervous laugh.

Trying to move their minds on he slipped his arms out of the loose white shirt he wore over his t-shirt (his vague attempt to be trendy which had ended up being several fashion cycles late) and then wrapped it over his head. He explained his thinking to the others before they could dismiss him as a nutty academic.

"It's not that hot here, at least not right now. But that sun will dehydrate us pretty quickly unless we take some proper precautions."

"You have a point Julius" Tim said taking off his blazer and slinging it under one arm. "Shall we?" he asked with a broad sweeping wave of his hand before he started back up the beachhead and through the sand. Tim had to stop himself from prematurely judging the man. It wasn't his fault they were here and it was certainly understandable the man was under stress. Hell, who wouldn't be in this circumstance.

With nothing to really talk about accept speculation on where they were or how they got here the three wanderers fell to silence as they walked. Tim licked dry lips and studied his companions. Julius was obviously a studious guy. He seemed to know something about everything. That could prove useful, somehow. First we have to figure out where the hell we are, he thought to himself. He then looked over at Sophia. She hadn't said much but by her body language she was have just as many problems with their situation as the men were.

Tim signed and looked around. They had been walking for hours and this place was so unnervingly devoid of visible life the the silence they encountered as the left the beach behind made his ears ring. The only thing he could hear was the sound of the footsteps and the breathing of himself and his companions. Just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore he began to hear an odd hum in the air from far off. He was sure he was just hearing things because of the silence until his companions also began to look around, Sophia even asked "What is that?". Before Tim could even formulate a guess a flight of huge birds flew overhead squawking quietly. Their wingspan had to be more than three meters wide and he couldn't count how many their were because they moved so fast, they were here and gone. Fifteen to twenty five at least. He did however notice the dangerous predatory look of the head and the strong knuckled claws. These Birds were unlike anything he'd ever seen or heard about. Just as soon as they showed up they vanished into the horizon. He exchanged a few worried looks with his companions but no body said anything.

After the birds flew over Tim had his head down contemplating everything as they walked. He was starting to get the idea that they may not be on earth any longer. Everything was so, off about their situation. Either they got sucked through a portal to another planet or dimension or they were in some giant simulator being studied like rats. Neither seemed plausible but he couldn't think of anything else that would explain it. So lost in his thoughts was he that he didn't notice when Julius stopped and Tim walked right into him. After regaining his balance he apologized. But Julius hardly noticed with his eyes fixed forward on something. Tim followed the mans gaze and found what he was looking at. Before him was the mountain, now much closer than it was several hours earlier. The red mist turned out to actually be trees, an entire forest of red trees in fact. Also above the mountain much of the cloud cover had cleared and Tim could see the sun was setting behind the mountain throwing brilliant blues and golds into the GREEN sky. Without the clouds to block them Tim could make out stars and two distinct moons, a small beige moon and a large grey moon behind it. "Toto, were not in Kansas any more."

She normally would've snickered at his comment, especially that she had said the very same thing not very long ago. But her attention was fixed on the mountains ahead of them, the sky above them, the humming noise that had now become so loud, she felt the vibrations right down to her core. Or at least she thought it was loud.

Nothing made sense here. But after the birds flew past them, she started to feel more like a small, endangered fish in a very large ocean. And the ocean was obviously not earth. Or if it was, it was obviously not the earth she came from.

She was certainly uneasy, but she didn't express much else. Everything was calm and serene thus far. Ominous, definitely, but she considered it the calm before the storm. And there was no use getting worked up just yet, not when shit hasn't hit the fan yet and ah it has definitely not hit anything yet. It was there, hovering over them in the green sky. And she knew it was only a matter of time until it stormed over them. And so she remained quiet, cautious, and uncomfortable as thearly other two.

"You think we could claim credit for discovering a new uninhabited ... whatever this is?", she asked, using humor to try and deflect her concern of their situation.

"This certainly is a desert, isn't it?" He asked, rhetorically. In his mind he admonished himself for not knowing that for true fact; a desert was a region with a moisture deficit and they had been here for mere hours. For all he knew there could be a giant monsoon every month that washed all life away - then it wouldn't be a desert despite its appearance. Still, it was probably best not to go into semantics with his current compatriots; it was an unnecessary sidetrack and rather pedantic.

They trudged on in silence again, each buried in their own thoughts. For the most part Julius was curious about where they were; while he had not dismissed that they could still be on Earth, it seemed highly unlikely that they were. The landscape, the clouds, the red haze, the lack of any life whatsoever. It all added up to a great big mystery and although he was not familiar with every place on Earth he was sure if such a place existed he would have heard about it somewhere. But then that meant they were no longer on Earth which posed its own difficult questions, not least in logistics or scientific capabilities.

Then the birds came. Strange, alien creatures Julius had never heard of before nor seen anything like them. Added to their strange surroundings he decided that they were all either on hallucinogenic drugs or were, in fact, no longer on Earth.

"You know, I've never known where that saying comes from. But I concur." Julius agreed as they saw the spectacular sight before them. It would have been all the more exciting for him if they were in a safe environment, such as on an educational trip. But they weren't. This was, apparently, reality and they were on some alien planet and apparently alone with large, wild creatures.

"I'm sure we could. We would need to get back to tell someone about it first though so I suggest we focus on the basics." The others looked at him and he took a step back, waving his hands as their gaze turned to expectancy. "I just meant we should find some shelter, firewood, a source of water and food. Oh, we'll need the firewood in case it's like the deserts back on Earth at night where the temperature can drop dangerously low." He explained, doubling back on his thoughts as he realised how strange the suggestion of building a fire in a desert would normally sound.

"So... I guess we should explore the mountain a little bit?"

"Get back?" Tim was baffled. He hadn't once thought of getting back home since they woke up. He didn't know why, but it never occurred to him that they should be trying to get back home. "I'm sorry, I don't know why but the idea of getting back seems as alien to me as this place. I have a girlfriend, family and a good job, even a hefty savings account. I'm desperate to get home. But I can't get my mind off this place, the whole time I've been trying to figure out where we are and explore it."

Tim ran a hand through his hair. "If our ultimate goal is to get back home, shouldn't we head back to the beach? I mean, thats, thats where the portal or whatever dumped us out right? So wouldn't it make sense that if it was going to open again, thats where it would open? Not in the forest." Taking a deep breath he continued. "On the other hand what if it doesn't open again; or doesn't open for weeks or months or longer? Were almost half way, its still at least half a day to the forest and its getting dark. At the beach we have no supplies in the forest who know what we'll find but I think it'd be better than waiting at the beach for something that may never come. But, should we keep going or hunker down and wait the night out? Like you said Julius, nothing here to build a fire with, nothing for shelter or to lay on either, just sand. The day was rather mild, it's possible the night may be too. We also don't know how long the night will be. Since this isn't earth there is no rule that says night time darkness has to last eight hours. It might be four hours or sixteen. We don't have any way of knowing. We can't even judge the day cycle since the sun was behind clouds most of the day. What do you guys think? Do you want to wait out the night or push through?" He asked stretching sore legs, unaccustomed to hours of walking.

After he mentioned the clouds and the barren desert nearly devoid of life, Tim felt a twinge of uneasiness. There was something more there, he just couldn't put his finger on it. His tie disappearing into the sand popped into his head and he couldn't figure out why. There was a puzzle here and he couldn't put the pieces together. He suddenly desperately wanted to get out of the desert but he didn't want to push the others into anything and wanted to hear their thoughts.

Her gaze drifted around them as she pondered his questions. What did it all mean?! Why were they even here?! She hadn't the slightest clue, and neither did her compatriots. Frank was waiting for her at home, Frank the furry felion. He'd be getting hungry soon and there would be no one there to feed him. A feeling of emptiness passed over her, and she sulked. Her hands clenched tightly for a moment and with a deep breath, she released.

"Well, everything happens for a reason, right?" the emptiness echoed through her voice along with defeat. "We know nothing of this land, how to get home, or if it is even possible to do so. If not to find a way, then we should press on for answers at the very least. I saw none at the beach - so I figure this is our only way. We were all so preoccupied with the here and now, we should perhaps think on the possibility of us not being able to get back. Her jaw tightened as she realized the truth in her last sentence.

She had worked so hard for the life she had, not that it was much, but it was her life, and it was what she had made for herself, all on her own. She lived paycheck to paycheck, there was no 'hefty savings' for her, no significant other that would worry about her disappearance, and whatever family she had left had lived so far away, it wouldn't be for another few weeks until they worried where she was. A frown formed as she released the tension that creased her face. She wasn't sure if she wanted to go back, but on the other hand, she didn't want to die in the forest. Dying... death was the only feeling she got from the sandy front they were walking away from. She was able to survive on her own for so long, she could do it here.

It was near impossible to tell what time of day it was, how much time had gone by, how long they were asleep for, or even when exactly they were taken from their own world and or time. But she wouldn't know any of this if they stayed put at the beach. Tim was right, why hadn't they thought about it before? Either way, it was eating at her now. And so, with a look of determination, she nodded to the others. "I say we should go! Yeah ... lets go."

Julius blinked, surprised that his words had been misunderstood. Then he realised he had, as often happened, allowed his mind to drift along several theoretical pathways without updating those around him on his train on thought leaving his current thoughts well separated from those of his companions.

"I didn't meant to head back to the beach. There's no flotsam of any kind and we were the only signs of those transported through so I doubt that any portal will open there again. It was very specific in selecting just us three; I don't believe we were the closest ones to each other so it's not like this transportation just sucked up most of Times Square. Therefore it's not a natural phenomenon, probably intelligently made so getting back will mean finding the cause of the portal or whatever we wish to call it. Of course, surviving comes first." He added the last bit on hastily, not wanting the two to think he was merely some scientist with no common sense at all. He turned to Sophia.

"Like you said, we might not be able to get back and we should accept that as a possibility but not as the reality. Right now we should not take anything for what it seems; be suspicious of everything around us and not try and transplant our understanding of Earth's mechanisms onto this place's. I think that will increase our chances of survival as well as giving us clues to what happened we might otherwise have missed." He looked up the mountain, swallowing slightly at the steepness of it and the obvious lack of clear tracks, either man-made or even any visible animal tracks. It had been a while since he had been hiking and he feared his fitness levels had dropped considerably from being trapped inside library for so often.

"I think we should find some shelter regardless. You're right about the day/night cycle not necessarily being the same as Earth's but it could also be worse than that... some planets have day/night cycles centuries long. In fact Earth is unusual in its cycle because of the high speed it spins on its axis. Either way, we need to rest for a bit and putting a natural sleep cycle in place for ourselves couldn't hurt." He paused, glancing back up the mountain and at the strange trees and the sky.

"So... I agree. We should go until we find a good place to rest."

The group resumed the slow but steady walk towards the trees and the mountain behind it. "You're right again Julius. There was no debris or trash or anything there on the beach with us that one would expect to get sucked through a portal with us. Even more I think it's really important we don't stop moving till were out of this desert. I've been thinking. This desert shouldn't be here. The temperature is wrong. It's mild and hasn't changed much at all. Something has to be maintaining it. After I realized that I also thought of my tie. What if what ever creepy crawleys that pulled down my tie do so to everything in this desert. Bigger things would of coarse be harder but if they are sensitive to light they'd leave us alone during the day and be a good chance they come after us at night if we were to stop and rest in the sand. I think we should push on till we get to the trees at least."

Not twenty minutes later Tim realized he was right. As they walked he could start to make out what at first looked like foot high tubes of various sizes and heights sticking out of the sand here and there. Looking closely he saw they were insects. They looked similar to a caterpillar with long antennae that continually swept back and forth through the air tasting it. We were being watched. Insects he knew run off instinct, they weren't capable of experiencing curiosity. So they were being watched either as a survival thing or they were being hunted; and if it was a survival thing wouldn't they just drop back under the sand? That left being hunted. By now the others were noticing them but Tim tried to keep calm and rationalize what to do. Were still a few hours walk from the trees. If we run now we'll get tired and need to rest, and if we stop they will attack. We should just keep walking. "Don't run, just keep walking. We need to conserve our energy as long as possible." At the moment Tim could make out 6 of the creatures all within 50 feet, all just watching them pass by. Abruptly he saw another one ahead pop up out of the sand, it too just waited and watched.

She wasn't half afraid as she should've been. But she sure as hell didn't want to be there.

"We don't even know what they are" she said bluntly "... to think that we're being hunted is a bit of a stretch, don't you think? I agree we should walk briskly, but lets not jump to conclusions until we have any proof. We don't know a single thing about where we are or what we're doing here, and talking like that is just going to spread fear and anxiety. Whatever sucked down your tie, could've sucked you down as well, but it didn't. Just as Julius said, we can't take anything for what it seems. We need to keep a calm head about us if we're going to survive"

She looked down at her long baggy shirt, which has dried fully by now and sighed heavily. "And you were one of my favorite shirts" she said with a hint of regret as she tore enough cloth from it to make a bandanna of sorts. "Axl Rose was an asshole anyway" she muttered softly as she wrapped the cloth about her head, somehow completing her look. She glanced around at the creatures sticking out from the ground, but her gaze never fixed on one for too long. Something under her breath about New Yorkers and keeping their head down, no eye contact and you're in the clear! "The mountains don't look too far away, if we keep at a brisk pace, we should reach them by sundown. Just be sure not to pay them much attention, and hopefully we'll be fine. We should also keep an eye out for something to eat once we're in the clear. For I certainly am not going to survive if I can't get any dinner tonight." As the thought of food crept into her mind, her stomach grumbled softly.

"If they're hunting us then our best bet is to ignore them. They're not actively attacking us so they're more likely scavengers, assuming they intend us as nutrition at all." Julius eyed one of the strange creatures with interest, having never seen anything like them before. They truly were very different to insects he knew of back on Earth and the interest they showed in the three humans was unusual; most insects barely recognised humans as life forms at all while these ones were paying close intention to creatures they may not have ever seen before.

"We should move on but calmly. Scavengers will only attack when they sense weakness in their prey; if we exude strength and confidence then they'll most likely just leave us alone. They're obviously at home in this desert so those mountains will be our best hope to lose them, whether they wish us harm or not."

The long walk from the beach to the mountains was beginning to wear on him again. The terrain was not the easiest to traverse, although relatively flat, with the sand making every step harder than it would normally be. Even his treks in the mountainous Lake District back home in England had been easier than this; the ground gave decent purchase and there was plenty of water even though the terrain was much, much hillier. Those were a couple of years ago and his recent exercise was largely short burst sporting events rather than long distance stamina trials.

"If worst comes to worst we could probably try eating these creatures. Insects back home are full of protein, albeit very unappetising."

Tim's face wrinkled with disgust at the thought of eating one of the bugs. "Julius, I realize I don't know you, but; I think i'm starting to." Tim said laughing. "Takes a man with stones to think so logically in the face of this kind of terror. If you had pointed ears I'd probably nickname you Mr.Spock." Tim gave Julius a hearty slap on the back as the group continued into the night.

The hours slogged by and Tim's energy drained with every step. The bugs seemed ever present always there, always watching. Dead on his feet, time was almost meaningless his walk had slowly dropped to slow shuffle moving ever forward. Completely unprepared for it, his foot caught on something and he fell face first to the ground. He opened his eyes and realized he wasn't looking at sand. Sitting up he turned around and saw the root that caught his foot. Looking up Tim saw a dense dark canopy blotting out the sky. Remembering his companions he jumped to his feet looking around for them. He back tracked and found Julius face down in the sand snoring softly. Tim couldn't see any sign of the insects or Sophia. Tim managed to get Julius to his feet and, arm under shoulder, get him to a tree. Julius immediately fell back to sleep.

His own eyes puffy from lack of sleep Tim stumbled back out into the sand looking for Sophia. He jogged for about 5 minutes when he found her weaving tracks in the sand wandering off the direction. He started sprinting along her tracks and almost plunged headlong into a giant hole, nearly 15 feet in diameter. He and the hole were at the edge of tree line about half a mile north of where he left Julius. Tim could plainly see Sophia's foot prints leading right into the hole. Tim dropped to his knees and peered over the edge. it was so dark out and his eyes were so blurry that all he could see was blackness. "Sophia!?!?!" He called into the pit several times. Right before he was about to give up he heard a moan.