"The earthquake could have wiped away the footprints, right?" Orion asked, sitting before a fire with a half-eaten fish on a stick. The young man looked toward his fellow castaway, waiting for a reaction.

  Layla, lost in thought, didn't even consider that a viable option—not because of any negative feelings toward Orion, but because she could still vaguely see the old tracks.

  An old man could not have hidden his footsteps this fast, nor would he have been able to get out of our sight, she thought, pacing around the wreckage strewn across the white sand. "How can an old fart just disappear? Did he fly off with the seagulls?" she mumbled, returning to the fire’s comforting heat.

  Next to her, Orion had finally tended to his wound. A piece of torn cloth now covered the hole where the wood had pierced his arm. The adrenaline that had suppressed the pain was draining away, leaving his blood vessels screaming. His aching body signaled that it was in dire straits, needing rest he knew he couldn't afford.

  "I don't think that's impossible, actually," Orion said, munching on the last of the fish.

  Layla turned her head, her face unable to hide her disbelief. Did he get hit on the head? She sighed in annoyance, put her hands behind her head, and looked at the sky. "Have you lost it completely? What do you mean by that?"

  Orion swallowed, twirling the empty stick between his fingers. "It looked like he was having trouble walking, so I threw him that stick to use as a cane. I overthrew it—it almost hit his head." The pain in his arm flared, making him grunt. The twig fell into the sand. He took a shallow breath and continued. "Just before the cane hit him, it started floating behind him. I asked how he did it, but he didn't answer."

  Layla wanted to shout that he was crazy, but she stopped when she saw his expression. Orion wasn't the brightest, but he wasn't a liar, and he didn't joke in serious situations. "You’re sure it was floating?"

  Orion nodded. "That's what I saw. I’m lightheaded, so I might have missed something, but it really looked like it was floating."

  They sat in silence for a few minutes until Orion struggled to his feet, grains of sand falling from his worn pants. "We should probably move in the direction the old man gave us, right?"

  Layla grabbed a tattered bag from the rubble. Through the holes, Orion could see a small hand mirror and some fabric. "Well, are you waiting to bleed dry or what? Let’s go."

  They set off, Orion’s every step an agonizing struggle. Layla walked ahead, scanning the horizon for any familiar landmarks, insignias, or monuments she might have read about. After hours of walking, they found nothing but mysterious piles of white stones. Some were small; others towered seven or eight meters high. Some were rough, while others were polished so brightly by erosion that they reflected the sun like mirrors.

  "Aagghh!" Layla squealed, shielding her eyes from a particularly bright pile. "Damned stones."

  She paused. Wait. Why are some polished and others rough? The piles closer to the sea are rougher... that doesn’t make sense. "Orion, we might be getting closer to a settlement. It looks like these stones are being harvested or moved, or maybe…"

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  She realized Orion wasn't listening. He was using every ounce of strength just to stay upright, his thin blond hair waving in the salty wind.

  "I... I could use a break," he rasped, collapsing into the shadow of a massive white boulder. His head instantly falling on the boulder to rest his neck.

  "Hey, there’s a good chance a settlement is close! We need to move" Layla turned around and her heart sank. She knew Orion was in bad shape, but he looked deathly. Panic flared in her mind. "We can sit for a bit. But not long, okay?"

  "Thanks, Layla... won't be long," he mumbled.

  Layla paced around the enormous stone, her mind spiraling. If Orion died, she’d be alone. She was confident in her skills, but surviving an unknown land in total isolation was a terrifying prospect she did not wish to experience.

  "No, no, no, no!" she screamed at the sky, her fists clenched. The sun was dipping toward the horizon. Orion’s "small break" had extended into hours, and it looked increasingly like it might become an eternal one.

  Bonk. Bonk. Bonk.

  She slammed her knuckles against the white stone, crying out at the unfairness of it all. Twenty hits became many more, until she noticed blood on her hands. She slumped to the ground. "Why, why, why?"

  "Did that old man lie? Is he laughing at us? HEY, YOU OLD GEEZER! ARE YOU ENJOYING THE VIEW? COME CLOSER AND I'LL SHOW YOU A FUN TIME!"

  The ground rumbled, but Layla was too far gone to notice.

  "YOU ENJOY WATCHING PEOPLE LOSE HOPE? I KNOW WHERE WE ARE! THIS IS BOLTON, ISN’T IT? ONLY YOU GUYS ARE THIS CRAZED! ONLY YOU ARE THIS INHUMANE!"

  she grasped for air and continued.

  ′′ SCUM SCUM SCUM SCUM SCUM, ALL OF YOU′′

  She stopped screaming and looked around. No silhouette, no boat, no village, no army, only the boulder and Orion’s limp hand visible from the other side. But something had changed. An orange glow appeared on the surface of the white stone.

  Fuming and irrational, Layla lunged at the orange spot, which was roughly the size of a barrel, and punched it with all her might.

  A deafening, painful screech erupted across the beach, followed by a violent tremor. What did I just hit?

  The piles of white stones began to shift and gather, forming a massive, animal-like figure. It looked like a bear, or perhaps a deer, constructed of jagged rock.

  "Orion!"

  Layla rushed to the young man. His "stone support" was now flying upward, forming the head of the creature. She hauled Orion up, throwing his arm over her neck and dragging him away from the forming chaos.

  "WAKE UP, IDIOT, OR I’LL LEAVE YOU BEHIND!"

  BANG. BANG.

  The beast began to move. Clumsy at first, it quickly adjusted. It was gaining on them with terrifying ease.

  "ORION, PLEASE!" Layla’s mind screamed at her to drop him, to use him as bait and save herself. But she couldn't. She refused to be alone, she did not want to be alone, not now.

  She stumbled, falling face-first into the sand and dragging Orion down with her. "SHIT!"

  His face fully envelloped by sand while he laid on his belly.

  She scrambled to turn him over, resting his head in her lap as the beast loomed over them, its orange eyes glowing in the twilight. It seemed to be measuring her, looking for a threat, but it quickly realized there was none.

  "I... I’m sorry," Layla whispered. Not to the beast, nor to Orion.

  The beast raised a massive front leg, ready for a killing blow.

  "Well, at least we won't be killed by Bolton scum," Layla said, a small, sad smile touching her lips.

  The sun vanished beneath the horizon. The breeze died. In the sudden, heavy silence that was created by their stalemate, the beast lunged. A thunderous sound followed.