Sands of Redemption

30

Georgia didn't speak to Khalid for most of the next day. He, in turn, seemed perfectly happy to oblige her.

Ahead of them, as usual, the sand track continued into eternity, disappearing into the blazing horizon. To her left there was much more than just the usual fields of sand. Numerous tall rock formations had appeared without warning, as if God had become bored with the monotony, suddenly deciding to toss a surprise into the middle of nowhere.

They reared over her as though trying to reach for her, to pull her into their mysteries. It was so odd. On her right, the desert continued on as flat as a tack.

At the very least it kept her mind off Khalid for a time, not to mention the car, which was squeaking and rattling and banging worse than ever.

The road itself wasn't helping. There were potholes and little hills of sand clumped in awkward places. She didn't know much about deserts but it looked like it had been recently flooded over. She didn't know—how often did it rain in the desert? These were questions she could have asked Khalid.

That wasn't going to happen.

Mohammed slowed down the car to barely more than a crawl as he carefully navigated the way ahead. As they approached another one of those rock formations, this one so large it was almost a canyon, they stopped. Georgia released a breath. It still felt like her body was vibrating with the force of the car lurching. Wrenching open the door, she hopped out as the two men checked over the engine.

'Don't go too far,' Khalid shouted, his voice echoing within the canyon as she trudged her way through the blowing sand.

'I'm not a fucking child,' Georgia muttered under her breath.

Weaving in an out of the labyrinth of rock, Georgia enjoyed her alone time and the coolness of the shade. She stretched out her legs, jumped on the spot. It felt like only minutes later when Georgia heard her name and she left with a sigh.

The car was already idling when she climbed into the backseat.

'Alright, let's go,' Khalid said, putting his foot down cautiously.

The car rolled along smoothly for a few minutes. Georgia felt her heart lift. She could tell Khalid was encouraged. Mohammed was babbling something excitedly. Georgia lurched forward at a sudden jerk. The car began to shudder. It soldiered on for another minute or so before it finally died.

It was so quiet.

Khalid turned the ignition. It coughed back on, only to shut down with another shudder. He growled in frustration. Over and over again, he tried to restart the engine, muttering and cursing and praying under his breath. Beside him, Mohammed gave him advice in quiet Arabic.

Finally, Khalid gave up. As he surrendered the keys, a hopeless silence filled the car. Behind them the sun kissed the horizon goodbye, throwing a scarlet blush across the landscape, setting the rocks on fire. Georgia hardly noticed.

'Fuck!' Khalid roared, slamming his fist into the wheel, setting the horn off.

Both Mohammed and Georgia jumped. Climbing out, Khalid slammed his door so hard it was a wonder the car didn't simply fall apart.

Mohammed got out. Georgia followed with a sigh.

Wary of Khalid's wrath, she stood at a safe distance while he tinkered with the engine—again. How he was going to fix anything with no tools, she couldn't say. Kicking aside some sand, Mohammed dropped to the ground to peer into the shadows beneath.

With the sun almost set and the winds as fierce as ever, goose bumps were erupting all along Georgia's arms. She rubbed at her eyes, but they were constantly stinging. Gritting her teeth, she pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes in despair. She would kill for a shower.