It’s dry here.
Drier than Jack would’ve initially thought, even if it is the desert.
He looks up at the too bright blue sky that doesn’t show a hint of a cloud. Sighs. Coughs when it irritates his throat.
He isn’t sure if he should keep going, or if he should stop. Wait to be rescued.
That’s ridiculous, though. No one knows he’s out here. No one would’ve cared if he said anything, anyway.
Is that why he’s out here? To see if anyone actually cared?
The brightness is blinding. Jack looks down. A lizard looks at him, runs away. He hears the rattle of a snake. He wants to get away but he isn’t sure where it’s coming from and he doesn’t want to stumble into it. That would be bad. So bad. So very bad...
He wakes up with a gasp. It is night.
He glances around, checking his surroundings – lamp, outdated movie posters, PC, dirty clothes strewn about the room. He heaves a sigh of relief. Lays back down on his back.
It was just a dream.
He hears something, a rattling. Gets up, looks out the window. There is nothing but trees and the steady patter of rain onto well-trodden puddles.
He turns to go back to bed. His eye catches on something just outside his window. Rain falls on sun-bleached bone, and somewhere something slithers.
Something in his room.
Desert? Snake?
The slithering has become louder, louder, striking fear down to his bones. His eyes close. There is a rattle, larger than life. He feels something flick against his back. He whimpers with fear. Turns around.
Opens his eyes.
There is nothing there.
Prompt:
http://suddenlyprompts.tumblr.com/post/86510502400/rain-falls-on-sun-bleached-bone-and-somewhere
This story is also on my Tumblr (meganfish.tumblr.com) and FictionPress (fictionpress.com/~meganfish).
