The Checkpoint

Chapter Two

"Self-destruct in 1 minute. Self-destruct in 55 seconds."

Raeiya groaned, her heart beating faster and coldness washing over her. Her heat pulsated as the blood dried but continued to ooze. She fluttered open her eyes, waking to a blurred vision. Red, red, lots of red. Her neck, clothes, lights.

Blood.

She winced and peered at the dashboard above her, which displayed a message, "Self-destruct. 50 seconds."

She thought nothing of it at first as she just woke up, "Oh, ok-"

Then came her realization.

"Wait, WHAT!?" She propped up, hitting her head on the dashboard again, causing the sight of her other laceration to tear open just a bit. Cursing afterwards while punching the screen, her fist already getting poked and scathed by glass shards. "Dammit, that hurt!"

"Self-destruct in 45 seconds."

"Forty-five seconds!? Oh shit!"

She struggled to unbuckled herself, her fear making her fumble. Her head was still hurt and heavy; with every movement, her head seemed to tilt one direction, almost making her fall over. Almost like a concussion, a miracle that she didn't get one earlier.

Blood dripped down her face hastily.

With her bloody and scratched hand, she used her other one to unbuckle herself from the very complicated seatbelt. She clicked the button and stood up a bit, hunched, careful not to hit her head again. She searched for a way out. Instead, behind her, she saw a beige backpack, stuffed and filled to the brim with stuff.

A stone, sparkling in a cupboard with a glass window under the dashboard.

No, a key.

She slid the drawer open and took it, looking at the orange key.

"Self-destruct in 35 seconds."

"Dammit!"

Scouring the knobs and buttons with her hand all around the capsule, blood catching her eye, she saw a button that said "Open".

"Self-destruct in 25 seconds."

With no hesitation, she slammed it with her fist. The door squealed with smoke and rose upwards, slowly.

"Self-destruct in 20 seconds. Self-destruct in 15 seconds. Self-destruct in 6 seconds."

"What? That's no fair! Who built this thing!?"

She was sweating, her fear rising and perceived vision closing in on the exit, the smoke covering the outside. The blood was soon dripping down the side of her face onto her clothes, and she could feel herself become unconscious.

"5 ... 4 ..."

When the door made a big enough exit for her to slip through-

"3 ... 2..."

-she grabbed the backpack, threw it and jumped out the door with an oof, landing on something dusty.

"1."

Raeiya looked at the small capsule, literally the shape of a pill and a parachute falling off it. She stood up, attempting to run further. Although, she tripped over a rock, hidden in the yellow dust, her ankle snapping and hit her knee on the ground.

Something inside the capsule clicked and she braced for impact, curling up in a ball.

"Oh, shi-"

It exploded; metal flew everywhere, yellow dust flew upwards, making a dust volcano. The sound was loud and booming, the waves from it pushing Raeiya backwards. She slid on her back, holding onto her backpack for dear life. She closed her eyes tight, whimpering in fear.

Her ankle and head hurt in her ears rang.

A few seconds later, it stopped, and her hair was a mess. Meekly getting up, she saw the destruction that was caused. With her vision hazy and her hearing slowing fading from the ringing, she saw.

Scattered metal, spazzing electricity. Some pieces were still falling from the sky.

She gasped, out of air, "Well, shit."

Putting her foot on the ground to stand, she immediately fell down with a cry, "Agh! Dammit!"

Her ankle hurt and the impenetrable pain continued to grow. From her ankle to her leg, from her head to her neck.

She had no clue what that capsule was for or why she was here. But looking around, she saw a noon sky and sand. Vast and empty. Trailing in the wind, flying in her face. Slowly looking behind her, limping in her left foot, searing with pain, she saw broken down cities of ruins, a giant pillar in the faraway distance glowing green.

A distraught desert, a dead society.

Broken buildings, rotten and crumbled on the horizon like a bomb destroyed the place.

She exclaimed again, "Well, shit." Raeiya touched her head to see blood covering her hand, bright red. She could feel it ooze out of her.

She knew that was a bad sign.

Raeiya sighed, took a deep breath and spotted something shiny in the distance. Limping extremely the few feet over, she swept the sand off the sparkling wonder.

It was the orange key. It flew in the distance during impact. Looking at it and at the ruins, she couldn't help but feel that the key would save the distraught desert and that she was the only one destined to do so.

If she was ever going to get anywhere, wherever that was, she would have to move.

She grabbed her backpack, hoisted it around her back, and limped into the desert.