𝑫𝑹𝑨𝑷𝑬𝑻𝑶𝑴𝑨𝑵𝑰𝑨 - Ardeth Bay

sixteen

Tiye walked sluggishly behind the three men, her shoulders hunched and head hung low. The only evidence left of her ever crying was her bloodshot eyes. They all walked to a British airfield in the middle of the desert, Rick knowing the man who ran it.

"Morning, Winston. Uh, a word?" Rick greeted the older man who sat lazily in the hot sun drinking tea. Rick explained the situation and waited for Winston's response.

"So what's your little problem got to do with His Majesty's Royal Air Corps?" Winston asked, still slipping his tea. Tiye rubbed her arms nervously and side stepped into Ardeths side, seeking reassurance that everything was fine.

"Not a damn thing." Rick stated truthfully.

"Is it dangerous?" The pilot asked, putting down his tea with hopeful eyes.

"You probably won't love through it." Rick nodded. Tiye glanced confusedly at Winston, questioning why he was excited about dieing.

"By Jove, do you really think so?" Winston was almost leaping out his chair.

"Well, everybody else we bumped into has died. Why not you?" Jonathan shrugged before realising what he said. "I am so sorry, Ti. I didn't mean it like that."

"It is okay, it is true." Tiye smiled sadly up at the sympathetic man.

"What's the, uh... What's the challenge then?" Winston continued with his questions.

"Rescue the damsel in distress, kill the bad guy and save the world." Rick briefly informed the man the plan.

"Oh!" Winston laughed to himself before standing straight and saluting to Rick. "Winston Havelock at your service, Sir."

Not much discussion into how they would fit five people in a two person plane but somehow they managed. Winston sat in the drivers seat, pioleting his plane while Rick sat in the passenger seat with Tiye safely on his lap. Jonathan and Ardeth drew the short straw by both being attached to both wings of the small plane.

"Are you all right?" Rick whistled down to Jonathan.

"Do I bloody look all right?" The man snapped back causing Tiye to giggle at his distress. Rick ignored him and turned his attention to the other side of the plane.

"How you doin'?" He whistled to Ardeth. He replied with a thumbs up and a gleeful smile.

"See that? I've never seen one so big." Winston gestured to the large sand twister. Tiye smiled silently to herself as she knew that was the monster with Evelyn.

"Never?"

"No!"

"Oh, my God!" Tiye and Rick said at the same time as both watched the giant sand wall form behind them, chasing them. "Hey, Winston! Pedal faster!"

"Hang on, everyone!" Winston announced before dipping the plane low, trying to out race the storm. Rick fired the gun at the monsters faced which formed in the sand. It did no damage and only made Tiye uncomfortably squished. The face roared and swallowed the plane whole, trapping it in its sandy grasp.

Suddenly the sand disappeared but the engine splattered and the plane crashed into the sandy grounds below. Rick threw his bag out before helping Tiye get out the plane and back on to Earth. Her legs wobbled as she stepped away from the plane, in too much shock to process what had just happened.

"Excuse me?" Jonathan's voice broke through the silence. He was hanging upside down on a plane wing. "Um, a little help would be useful, if it's not too much trouble!"

"Yeah, yeah. Alright." Rick sighed, helping the man off the wing.

"Rick?" Tiye glanced over at the man, her fingers were pressed against the piolets neck, searching for the non-existent pulse.

"Winston! Hey, Winston!" Rick called out, walking over to the woman. She shook her head sadly and stepped away.

"Quicksand! Get back! It's quicksand." Ardeth announced as the plane began to creak. He grabbed the pale woman and pulled her away from the deadly sand.

"Thank you." She smiled up at him. Rick saluted the sinking soldier as all four of them watched the plane until it completely disappeared.

They all took of into the direction of the City of the Dead, sand seeping into their shoes and heads hung low at the sorrow of a lost comrade and missing friend.

"I would just like to say." Tiye began, breaking the silence as she glanced behind them. "We are never fucking doing that again!"