rolling in the deep

13

"We're about to enter worm territory," Paul says to us. "We can't walk like regular humans. If we do, we're dead. We'll have to walk like the Fremen do." He turns to me. "Do you remember the projection that showed how they walk?"

I nod. "Yeah, I remember. It's the sandwalk."

He nods and turns. "It is. At least according to the filmbooks back home."

Jessica nods. "Yeah, yeah, okay."

"Okay," Paul says, "Follow us. Do the same moves."

We start doing the sandwalk as it showed in the filmbook.

-

The three of us are stopped in the sands as the sky is a little light. The compass in Paul's hand starts ticking. "I think this is the right direction," he says.

We drop some of our things in the sand before going up the steep hill in front of us. We still have to use the sandwalk, even when we fall.

When we do get to the top, we sit and look at the sky.

I'm so tired and drained that I don't even realize when I fall asleep.

I do wake up to distant rumbling. I lift my head up from Paul's lap; I don't even know how I got in that position.

The three of us share the same look in between glances to find the worm. Once we do find it, we see that it's pretty close. The rumbling fades a little, so we pause before looking at each other again.

We start sandwalking across the top of the hill to get away from the worm. We go over hill after hill until we hear the rumbling again. Stopping on the top of one hill, we keep looking around.

"It's close by," Paul says. "Let's get out of here."

We go to walk, but there's a thud.

"Wait," Paul says, and we stop to look at him. He lifts his foot up and puts it back down on the sand. It thuds again.

"Shit," I mumble.

"It's drum sand," Paul says.

The wind rustles, and there's more rumbling. The three of us snap our heads towards the rumbling and see the worm coming through the sand. Jessica gasps. Paul starts walking slowly.

"Run."

And we run.

By the time Jessica and I get on the rocks and turn around, we see Paul still running in the sand. The worm has half it's mouth above the surface as it gets closer and closer to him. My heart speeds up even more.

Just when I think he isn't going to make it, he does.

The worm raises up and looks down at him as he stands at the edge of the rocks, looking up at it. The worm makes a noise, earning a gasp from Jessica.

I would rather stare death in the face.

When a moment that feels like it will never end finally passes, there is a thumping sound.

"It's a thumper," Paul says back to us. "Someone set off a thumper."

"No shit, Sherlock," I whisper-shout.

The worm turns and leaves. "Paul! Rowan. Run!" Jessica shouts as sands starts to come up and is about to take us over like a wave.

We all run a few meters until we get farther into the rocks.

Paul seems taken aback when I grab his wrist and turn him, taking both our masks off and placing my lips on his. To be fair, I'm a bit taken aback too. I'm angry with him right now, furious even. But he just stood in front of something that scares me more than death.