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This is the second part of a story that was first published in our previous edition. To read the first part of the story, go to "Previous Editions," select "Spring 2021 Edition," and go to the "Literary Corner."
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First thing was first. They needed supplies.
Marvey hadn’t accounted for three people in the tank. All she had left was a few rations of beans. She took off the cap she used as her military disguise, thankful her sister was so obsessed with the military (for whatever reason) that she kept spare army uniforms underneath the seats of the tank.
With a sigh, Marvey thought back to the days before The Pit, remembering when she would worry over little, seemingly irrelevant things like dates and homework. It felt like all that was a thousand years ago, but really it hadn't been that long at all.
The Pit had opened the day before her birthday. She remembered exactly where she was, sitting at the kitchen island, eating cereal. It was breaking news: Giant Hole Opens Up in Red Cloud, Nebraska, read the broadcast. One hell of a birthday. There was helicopter footage, and the news anchor was speaking. Marvey didn’t listen. She was too caught up staring into the blackness that later became known as The Pit. It looked infinite, and as far as she knew it was. She almost collapsed when Caroline had volunteered to explore it. She had always been quite the patriot, and with just enough curiosity to dive into dangerous situations like this.
She remembered the amount of people fleeing the Midwest, leaving it dry and desolate. The dust bowl came back towards the end of that summer. What once was lavish, grass filled plains had turned into a khaki-colored sand storm, filled with carnivorous, strange creatures. After press released information about The Pit, other nations cut off ties from the US entirely, not knowing if this newfound mystery could bring with it disease, or if interacting with The Pit would create more pits. Canada and Mexico stopped accepting refugees after two months. All international flights were canceled. People were left to their own devices, causing chaos and danger to erupt through the states.
She sighed, shaking her head. Thinking of the past wasn’t good for her. It was too disappointing. Too depressing.
Turning to face Ciro, she announced their plan. “We need to find a nearby town. We need supplies. I don’t think we’re going to find a village here in Nebraska - this place is deserted. I say we head West for Wyoming. There, we’re bound to run into some sort of town.”
Marvey ended her speech with yet another sigh, thinking back to when she could use her GPS to find the nearest town. Now, people were scattered everywhere. Google Maps couldn't save them. As far as Marvey was aware, a few rogues had tried to create a map of the new United States, but none had come back from the MidDesert with their lives.
The drive to Wyoming would last almost nine hours. Marvey was thankful she had gallons of gas in a compartment of the tank. She knew when she had taken out the tank that she’d need lots of it. Foraging in the desert was no easy task, after all.
A Guide to Surviving The Desert - Tips, Tricks, and Tales
Tip: When on long drives make sure to stay alert. Desert creatures never rest, and they aren’t scared of the noise your vehicle makes.
Tip: Make sure to trade watch-shifts so that everyone has a chance to rest. If you’re traveling by yourself, make frequent breaks to eat and drink - but only if you deem it safe enough to do so.
It was the end of Ciro’s third shift when a small town finally came into view; Circus, Wyoming. Marvey told him to slow down as they drove through it, with eyes scanning the scene for any signs of life. It was silent as they passed through what seemed to be a ghost town. It almost looked like a set from an old western movie. After turning onto a new street, Marvey half expected to see a saloon; however, instead, something scuttled across the road. To her surprise, it seemed to be a chicken. Where there’s livestock, there's people.
“Stop the tank,” Marvey commanded.
With a sudden halt, the tank was still. After gathering what few things they had to guard themselves, they slowly exited the tank one at a time. To their relief and suspense, there was no response. Though they knew for a fact that there were people in this town, the sound of a large brood of chickens could be heard even in the middle of the street. Cautiously, they approached the noise.
“Hello?” called out Caroline. “Is there anyone here? We come in peace!”
After a short silence, Ciro shouted, “We just need some supplies, and we’ll be on our way!”
The trio gave each other a look almost as if silently agreeing that they seemed safe. Still approaching the sound of clucking chickens, the group stopped in front of a house. Well, more of a shack. Its first floor seemed stable enough. The wooden slabs that made up the floorboards of the porch were angled slightly to the right but seemed sturdy. The second floor, though, looked as if it were falling apart. The windows were tilted, and on top of the first floor, the second looked like a poorly made two-tier cake.
Ciro approached the door first, but before entering, he turned to give the group an unsure look. “Should I knock?”
Caroline snorted at his question and gave him a nod of approval. Apprehensive, Ciro knocked on the door and waited for a response, although no one was sure what they’d hear. After a moment's pause, a large clank was heard sounding throughout the house, followed by what sounded like the thuds of someone stumbling. The noise came closer and closer to the door, but before it was able to swing open, there was the sound of an excessive amount of locks coming undone.
Finally, the old wooden door creaked open to reveal what seemed to be a scientist. He was dressed in a dirt-covered button up and khakis that were wrinkled to no end. Most noticeably, he wore a lab coat tattered with holes and burn-marks and had multi-colored pens in his chest pocket. His spiraled hair came down to his shoulders in messy bunches, and his jumpy stature seemed to freeze at the sight of people.
“Oh wow,” he said in a nervous voice. “I haven’t had guests in quite some time! You seem like quite the impressive group! Come in, come in please!” He moved quickly and zipped around the cluttered house.
Marvey entered the house behind Ciro and Caroline, both of whom were taken aback by the amount of laboratory equipment strewn everywhere throughout the house. The trio gawked as they observed the strange, dusty place. They followed the stranger into a dank kitchen in which a small table and four chairs sat.
“Please, sit! I don’t bite,” said the scientist.
Still on edge, Marvey watched as both Ciro and Caroline sat down; then, when she deemed it safe, she sat down herself. Caroline was the first of them to speak, but Marvey could hear the hesitation in her voice. It was evident that she didn’t know where to begin with this odd man.
“So, uh, who are you?” she asked nervously.
He sat up at her question. “Right! Of course, how foolish of me. I’m Hank Greenrow. I’m a professor- er, used to be a professor before all of this madness. It’s actually quite interesting - this situation we’re in. Giant beasts going around eating livestock, a hole in the middle of some random Midwestern town. It’s all so bizarre. It’s only been a few months, but that’s all it took for our country to shut down. Really makes you think, huh?”
One of his points made Marvey think. “What beast? Your cattle are being attacked?”
Upon hearing this, Hank’s stature fell crestfallen. He slumped in his chair and looked to the side like a pouting child.
“You all wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Everyone here in Circus called me crazy. I’ve got half a mind to believe it too.” Hank sighed.
“Great.” Ciro rolled his eyes. “Now we’ve got a mad scientist on our hands.”
Hank’s face grew flush. “I’m not mad! I know what I saw. It’s just too bizarre to put into words.”
Without skipping a beat, Marvey sat up in her seat and asked, “Have you seen the dragon? Or like, any other giant flying lizards?”
“Yes!” Hank exclaimed, “Yes! A dragon! Come look! He devoured all of my cattle! He tried to get my hens too, but they holed up in their coop. I guess this dragon doesn’t have much object permanence.”
“We’re actually after that dragon,” Marvey continued with a firm voice. “So, any information you have about it would be very helpful.”
Hank seemed almost giddy at this point, a reaction most unexpected. “Well, of course!” He was standing in an instant, scurrying over to a messy looking chalkboard, the kind Marvey used to see in movies. There was red string and scribbled out post-it notes and what seemed to be polarized pictures; it was exactly like Marvey had seen in the movies. At the center of the board was a photo of a creature so large it was almost incomprehensible. Its scales ran down its body giving it a strange fish-like appearance. This was it. The dragon, or hydra, or whatever Caroline had called it. This was the creature they were hunting. Marvey stared at its giant yellow eye that sat on the crook of the two necks. She felt a strange mix of doom and duty. It was up to her and her friends to get rid of this vile thing.
Marvey had hardly realized that Hank was busy explaining away all that he knew about the dragon. She stood abruptly and interrupted. “You said it tried to go after your chickens right? What if we bring your chickens to it?”
Caroline lit up. “Yes! Lure it back to The Pit with the hens and send it back from whence it came!”
Ciro, ever the skeptic, pitched in. “But what’s keeping it from coming back?” He seemed worried. The poor boy couldn’t be any younger than thirteen; he had his whole life ahead of him. Marvey shook her head at the thought of Ciro living out the rest of his days in this apocalypse.
“There is! The hydra is beginning to show a pattern!" Caroline chimed in. "The information in the file theorized that about every two months, the dragon would come out to hunt. That's why Fillers would go missing around that time! Maybe, just maybe, if we lure the dragon into The Pit before his designated time of return, maybe he’ll get stuck in the vortex!”
“Do you have any proof it’ll work?” asked Ciro.
“Actually, before The Pit, I was a chemist and a botanist.” He gestured to his lab coat, “Ever since it opened up, I’ve been working on a formula to close it. I’ve always been interested in vortexes, and I think my current serum might work. But I have know way of knowing for sure.”
The group went silent. It was almost by some miracle that the three of them had met Hank. Just the person they needed at just the right time.
“Well, we’ve got nothing else to work off of. We’ll do both," said Marvey confidently. "Get the dragon into The Pirt before its designated time of return, and throw in your serum too. Let’s go after a dragon.”
Hank practically squealed with joy, his large frame jumping up and down. Marvey looked at the others and shrugged, assuming they’ve now sealed in another person to their party. They all watched as Hank ran laps around his house, picking up chicken feed, a pair of keys, a vial containing what she presumed to be his Pit-closing serum, and various small objects presumably for protection. The rest of the group stood up and gathered whatever seemed useful. A few cans of preserves, canteens with water, spare clothes. None of them knew how long this would take, and they were preparing for the worst.
The ride back to Red Cloud was the worst part. There were too many variables floating around in Marvey’s head. What would happen to the desert creatures? Would they get sucked into the vortex with the hydra, or would they stay here on Earth? What if some hens aren’t enough to lure the dragon? How do we get its attention? She shook her head, forcing herself to focus on the dirt road in front of her.
She looked down at the screens on the dashboard of the tank and watched as Hank’s van followed behind them. She wondered if he’d ever be able to get the smell of chicken out of his car after this and chuckled at her own thoughts. She then turned her attention back to Ciro and Caroline, the two of whom were making spears out of duct tape and old mop handles they had picked up back at Hank’s house. Marvey hadn’t known Ciro long, but he was one tough kid. He was smart and witty and very calculating. After this was all over, she wanted to get to know him more, and maybe return him to his family - if he still had one.
Marvey thought about Caroline, about how different they were even though they had grown up under the same roof. Maybe after this Marvey would stop dying her hair blonde. She admired how passionate her sister was, and finally having something in common with her wouldn’t be too bad. Even Hank now held a special place in her heart. He dove head first into this crazy plan with people he didn’t even know. She could tell he’d be a good friend in the future.
Spacing out must have taken up much more time than Marvey had realized because before she knew it, she passed a “Welcome to Red Cloud!” sign. She slowed down and waved to get the attention of Caroline and Ciro. They joined her at the head of the tank and gave each other a look of warning - Be on your guard. When they approached The Pit, it was deserted. All of the military officers that they had to sneak by just a few days ago were gone.
Caroline was the first to break the eerie silence. “It must almost be time for the dragon to go back into The Pit. Everyone is gone. We have to get this done, quickly, or he’ll end up coming back in two months, and by then The Pit will have grown even larger. Who knows what other nasty creatures could come out then.”
Marvey pulled the tank up about forty feet from The Pit. Being so close to it tied knots in her stomach, so she couldn’t imagine how Ciro felt. He’s too young for this, Marvey thought, watching Ciro practice fighting stances in the belly of the tank.
After a minute of silence, unsure of where to begin, Marvey stood. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
They met Hank outside of their vehicles and decided to make some noise to attract the dragon. People in the desert try to stay as quiet as possible, to prevent attracting attention from unwanted creatures, so some shouting should attract the hydra pretty quickly.
Ciro began to taunt the air, asking for the dragon to arrive, willing it so. Caroline and Hank followed soon after as Marvey clanged one of the makeshift spears against her tank. It didn’t take long before they heard a roaring WOOSH overhead, the gust sending Caroline's long curls into the wind. They all huddled together near the back of Hank's van, watching as the giant beast flew above them with immeasurable force.
In the dusk light, the creature looked almost purple, its scales reflecting against the red sky. Its eye, right in the crook of its two necks, scanned its surroundings, searching for its prey. The pupil sharpened when it saw the group, and the hydra started to dive, headed straight for them.
“Now would be a good time to do something!” shouted Ciro.
Everyone scattered. Marvey dropped her spear and ran with Hank toward the van, opening the doors and releasing the hens. They poured out of the van, piling onto each other in a cacophony of clucking. Hank took the seed out of his pockets and created a trail, leading the chickens to the pit as fast as he could. He took a second to duck as the hydra flew overhead, with it consuming a few hens in the process.
The dragon flew up into the air, getting its bearings after the initial attack. Hank ran as fast as he could, moving the hens with him as Ciro pushed them from behind. It was a chaotic plan, but so far it was working. Marvey ran back to her spear and continued hollering. When she noticed she had gained the attention of the hydra, she sprinted in the direction of the hens, hoping it would dive in after them.
In one fell swoop, the dragon picked up half of the chickens, swallowing with a large gulp and an earth-shaking growl. Marvey felt her heart sink to her shoes. It's not enough, she thought. These chickens aren’t going to be enough. Marvey thought quickly, and devised a new plan. Originally, Hank was going to toss the serum in after the dragon had dived into The Pit after the chickens, but Marvey knew that the hens that were left wouldn’t be enough to lure the beast to The Pit. It needed something more.
Marvey didn’t stop running until she reached Hank, who was desperately switching between throwing chicken feed and fixing his glasses on the bridge of his nose. Caroline had taken Marvey’s spear and started to clang on the tank, creating the perfect distraction to begin Marvey’s plan.
She tried to catch her breath as she shouted over the roaring winds to Hank. “Hey! Give me the serum!”
His face contorted. “What? Why? The hydra’s not even close to The Pit yet!”
“Just trust me!” was her only response. What else could I say?’ she thought to herself.
Hank hesitated. They had just met a few hours ago, and she was asking for something he had worked on for almost a year now. He sighed and reached into his lab coat pocket, pulling out a vile of green ooze. Part of Marvey was glad she hadn’t paid any attention to her science classes back in college. Even if she did, she was sure she wouldn’t understand the complicated chemical compounds Hank was delivering to her. As she wrapped her fingers around the vial, she knew this is what she had to do. Maybe it’s my destiny, she thought with a chuckle, saving the world seems like a pretty solid destiny.
With the serum in her hand, she started to shout at Caroline, who had just finished dodging an attack from the hydra.
“Stop yelling!” she called out. “Everyone quiet but me!”
Ciro, ever so loyal, stopped shouting immediately, giving Marvey and Hank a questioning look. Caroline stood still, staring at Marvey and probably wondering what in the heck she was thinking.
Marvey waved her hands in the air. “Hey, dragon! Over here! You want something to eat? I’ll give you something to eat!”
Marvey could feel every part of her being overtaken by adrenaline, her heart pounding in her ears. The dragon caught its eye on her and was going in for the dive. It was getting what it truly wanted - human. Now that Marvey thought about it, it made sense that the hens didn’t work as a distraction; the hydra's main source of food was humans. It was practically surrounded by them.
Marvey felt herself falling, and she watched as the hydra followed her. As she descended into The Pit, she opened the vial and poured out the serum, which flew upward and splattered directly onto the eye of the hydra. The last thing she remembered seeing was The Pit beginning to shrink. She was satisfied with what she had done. Maybe Ciro would be able to find his family; maybe Caroline would move on to better, brighter things; and maybe Hank would become a world-renowned chemist for his work. She knew she would go down in the history books as a hero.
A Guide to Surviving The Desert - Tips, Tricks, and Tales
Tale: Marvey Graham heroically sacrificed herself for the betterment of others and the world. Using Hank Duffman’s incredibly advanced serum, she was able to single-handedly close The Pit, trapping the famously known hydra and shutting off the presumed life source for all Desert creatures, turning them to dust.
Tale: Ciro Krawczyk was returned happily to his parents and older brother, all of whom had gotten separated from each other in a dust storm.