Harvester by Erik Henry Vick

Author:Erik Henry Vick [Vick, Erik Henry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ratatoskr Publishing
Published: 2019-11-28T18:30:00+00:00

5

Toby stood in the center of the pavilion, looking out onto the maelstrom of sand and wind. He had never minded being alone; in fact, he needed his alone time. But at the same time, his current situation nagged at him.

The walls of the pavilion whipped to and fro, fighting against the stakes that held the silk down and wrestling with the wind. Toby looked around, taking yet another inventory of the materials he had on hand—the materials Lily had left for him. It didn’t seem likely that a silk pavilion would withstand the massive winds that he suspected accompanied a sandstorm. Yet again, he found nothing that would help him escape the storm.

Overhead, thunder boomed, and lightning lanced into the sand far out in the desert. Toby shrank away from the opening, away from the fury of the storm, then laughed at himself. It’s not as if this silk tent will offer me more protection than being outside.

Toby had never liked thunderstorms, and this new, drier version was no exception. Eddies of grit swirled through the opening, dust devils in miniature, and they danced around before losing their lifeline to the wind outside and collapsing back to mere dust. The taste of alkaline filled his mouth, and the odors of desert musk and cactus assaulted his nose.

Sand cascaded down the face of the dune that partially sheltered the pavilion and piled up inside the door. If the storm keeps going the way it is, it’s going to bury me in this little red tent.

Toby stood in the center of the tent, watching the sand pile up at the entrance, watching as the sky got darker and darker, Lily’s name dancing on his lips. Accompanied by the booming sound of the storm's displeasure, lightning marched across the desert toward him.

But still, Toby dithered. Do it, Toby, a voice in his mind said. Do it, do it, do it.

He wanted to be somewhere else—anywhere else—and he knew of only one way he could escape the growling storm. Calling her name aloud will bring Lily in a heartbeat. No one could blame you; the storm is becoming more and more dangerous.

Toby didn’t trust that voice in his head. It didn’t sound like himself.

But he wanted to trust it.

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