They reached the base of the rock formation, where Kael finally got a proper look at the other survivors. There were more people than he expected—at least two dozen, scattered across the shade of the rock, some sitting with their backs against the stone, others huddled together in quiet conversation. Their expressions ranged from exhausted to terrified. A few glanced up at Kael and Jeremiah as they approached, but most were too drained to react.
A young woman in an apron sat with her head between her knees, her hands shaking. A burly man in a security uniform paced back and forth, muttering under his breath. Two teenagers clung to each other, their faces pale and drawn.
Kael's gaze caught on a familiar figure—the woman from earlier, the one in the business suit. She sat with her shoes off, massaging her blistered feet. He made a mental note of the coincidence, though for now, he was just relieved to see she had made it.
He exhaled slowly, the weight of their collective desperation pressed against his chest. He was not alone in his suffering, but that was no comfort. If anything, it made the situation even more dire.
Jeremiah let out a hollow chuckle, shaking his head. "So we're all stranded here, huh? Just dumped in the middle of nowhere with no supplies. What the hell is this?"
The man in the dress shirt, sleeves rolled up and sand embedded in his hair, stepped forward. "We don't know yet," he admitted. "Some of us have been trying to figure it out, but..." He gestured vaguely to the barren landscape surrounding them. "There's not much to go on."
The middle-aged man crossed his arms, his posture rigid. "Speculation won't keep us alive. We need to focus on what's in front of us. Shelter, water, and food. In that order."
Kael swallowed hard. "And do you have a plan for that?"
The man met his gaze, unflinching. "We're working on it."
Jeremiah scoffed, crossing his arms. " 'Working on it?' It doesn't seem like anyone is doing much 'working' around here."
The man in the collared shirt frowned, his tired eyes narrowing. "That's not fair. Everyone here is exhausted both physically and emotionally. Not too long ago, we were all wandering the desert, wondering if today was the day we died. There are people with blisters, people who are severely dehydrated. Just before you arrived, I spoke with a man who could barely form words. We all deserve a moment to breathe."
"I understand, but what the hell are we supposed to do?" Jeremiah asked, voice sharp. He gestured wildly at the empty horizon. "We just sit here and wait?"
The middle-aged man sighed, shaking his head. "We don't have many options," he stated. "We don't know where we are, we don't know how we got here, and we don't know if anyone is coming to help us. Right now, all we can do is wait and see if more people show up—maybe someone will have answers."
Jeremiah scoffed and began pacing, kicking up small puffs of sand with each agitated step."That's it? 'Wait and see?' That's not a damn plan. What if nobody comes? What if we're all alone?"
Kael rubbed his temples. "I know it's not ideal," he added. "But rushing off without knowing anything isn't a plan either. We head to the mountains when we have no other choice. They might have water, but they're far away, and we might not survive the trip if we're already this weak."
The middle-aged man, who had maintained an air of detachment, suddenly focused on Kael. "You know where we can find water." His voice held a sharp edge. "Where? How long will it take to get to this location?"
Returning the gaze, Kael hesitated before nodding. "I believe that there is a mountain range in the distance—possibly covered in snow. It is far, but if it is true then we will be able to get water from there."
Now it was the middle-aged man's turn to scoff. "Snowy mountain peaks in the desert. Absurd. I thought you had something useful to contribute. You should at least be able to understand that what you saw wasn't real."
Kael flinched at the comment, a familiar sting settling in his gut. It reminded him too much of his failures—the investors who dismissed his ideas, the feeling of being out of his depth. The worst part was that now that he voiced the thought, it did sound ridiculous, he felt foolish. Maybe he had been grasping at straws.
He didn't want to say anything else.
The conversation continued without him as Kael looked up at the sky, a vast expanse of pale, cloudless blue. It felt impossibly empty, like the desert it loomed over. He tried to remember the last thing he had seen before waking up here—the city, the purple sky, the burning symbol on his chest.
Something bigger was at play here.
His hand drifted over the mark, feeling the faint pulse beneath his shirt. It still released a calming sensation, almost unnatural. He thought back to the woman in the business suit how she suffered on the floor, who was now here in the desert with him. How her own symbol showed up on her collarbone. And how one had also formed on his body before he blacked out.
Then an idea began to form in his head, a possible explanation for the strange occurrences. The events of the past day were unexplainable and strange, but they may be connected. However, the conclusion left him uneasy.
Kael's fingers twitched at the edge of his collar as he debated his next move. If the symbol was the reason they were here, shouldn't he say something? But, he was apprehensive. What if these men reacted badly? After all, they were still strangers to each other and he had no idea what the symbol meant. It could spark a reaction from one of them that he would rather avoid. They were tired and paranoid, and if he appeared suspicious—dangerous— he was sure they would not hesitate to turn on him. However, he figured if the mark was the reason for them being transported to this desert then it might be wise to share his concerns. There didn't seem to be any solutions or answers in the near future. Understanding why they were taken may be the key to their salvation.
Kael slowly breathed before posing the question, "Does anybody recognize this symbol," he said, pulling the collar of his shirt down to reveal the glowing symbol.
Silence.
Kael stared at the faces of the other three men, gauging their reactions. The man in the collared shirt was wide-eyed, frozen in shock. Jeremiah had sat up straight, his mouth half-opened. The middle-aged man did not respond, standing still, he looked... curious.
A prickle of regret crawled up Kael's spine as the silence stretched. His fingers twitched at the edge of his collar, suddenly aware of how exposed he felt. Damn it. Shouldn't have done that.
Kael exhaled sharply and yanked his collar back up, covering the mark as if that could take back the last ten seconds. "Forget it," he said quickly, his voice tighter than he intended. "It's nothing—."
"—I have something similar," the middle-aged man interrupted. "Do you know what it is?"
Kael's breath caught as the middle-aged man also pulled at his shirt, unveiling a familiar symbol located on the right side of his chest.
His was extremely similar to the one on Kael's chest. It was the same language, matching esoteric lines. The lines flowed and curved in odd patterns, intersecting with circles and dashes. The two symbols were extremely similar, but ultimately were different in appearance.
Kael swallowed hard before he responded. "No, I hoped that someone might be able to provide some useful information. It formed on my chest just before I passed out and when I woke up I was here. I suspect it might be a clue to why we were unexpectedly transported to this desert."
The man scratched at his grizzled bear, "So you suppose that these symbols are the reason why we were taken to this desert. Why?"
Kael took a deep breath pondering the question, then answered carefully. "Yes, I believe that they are a piece of the puzzle to why we were brought here. I do not know your experience when it came to receiving your symbol, but in my own experience I noticed a string of events that aren't likely to be coincidences."
"Ok, continue, explain why your thoughts, let's see where your theory takes us."
Kael nodded, gaining the confidence to continue with his line of reasoning. "I think this all started with the purple sky. When it first happened I was in my office building. I looked out the window and I saw a few people on the ground squirming in pain, grabbing their chests in pain as if something were clawing at their chest, or like something was being branded on their chests. When I got outside, a woman in the same position was on the floor. That same woman is now in this desert with us. I noticed this when we were walking in."
He pointed to the woman in the business suit. Then he gestured towards the middle-aged man. "She sported the same mark as you and I, passing out due to the pain. Shortly after, the mark also formed on my body, and I promptly fell unconscious due to the pain. When I regained consciousness I was here. I believe these aren't coincidences, I believe that they are all connected. From the purple sky, to the marks, to this desert."
"You propose that the marks were the source of our transportation to the desert. That's extremely interesting, but in the end how does this information help us? We are still in the same predicament."
"Well you have to think about it. The purple sky is an unexplained phenomenon that arrived in the city after the words of the mysterious voice. I assume you guys all heard it as it seems to be a prerequisite to receiving the mark. If everybody here came directly from the city, and if three people here have been confirmed to have it who are also from the city, then we can assume everybody transported here has a mark."
The middle-aged man turned to the other two men. "Well is that true, do you both have a symbol as well?"
Jeremiah and the man with the collared shirt both silently nodded, revealing the symbols under their shirts respectively.
Seeing that he was correct, breathed out in relief. He wasn't sure if he was correct but this supports it. Taking a deep breath he continued, "I believe that everybody in the city must have been transported here. I saw many people experiencing the same pain before I fainted. If the purple sky or voice was the reason for our teleportation then we must assume that no one knows where we are. I doubt a force of nature like that would have any rhyme or reason to where they teleported us."
Kael took a deep breath to calm himself, realizing the reality of what he was about to say. "That is why I think we are on our own, there is nobody coming for us. We can't stay here."
The statement hung heavy in the air. No one spoke, but he could see it settling into their minds. The quiet confirmation of a fear they had all been pushing away. If they want to survive then they must do it on their own. It was a depressing thought to entertain.
Jeremiah interjected, "Does that mean we'll all die? We're dying by the second, we have no supplies and now there's nobody to save us."
"Yes, and you don't know for sure. You could be wrong. And even if you weren't, do you suggest we leave? We'll die if we go out there exposed." the middle-aged man frowned.
Kael spoke up. "No, it just means that we can't stay here. No matter how absurd the sentiment of snow covered mountains is, it may be our only solution."
Kael could see it—the moment his words truly landed.
The man in the collared shirt had gone rigid, his fingers twitching at his side as if grasping for a response. His lips parted, but no words came. Jeremiah's reaction was sharper. His mouth opened and shut twice, his jaw clenching like he wanted to argue. The middle-aged man, was still. His gaze had darkened, the sharp intelligence behind his eyes calculating.
Kael cleared his throat to add one last thing."However, I do suggest we leave at night, the conditions will be less brutal. This minimizes dehydration and exhaustion, giving us a better chance of survival."
The middle-aged man sighed. "Ok then," then he looked Kael in the eyes "I'm sorry for my earlier comments, it seems like we will listen to your suggestion."
The collared man spoke up. "I'll go tell everybody else. Hopefully they'll listen to us and we can be prepared by sundown." He left to convince the other survivors of the plan.
After he left the middle-aged man returned his gaze towards Kael. "Young man, you were clever to have put those clues together. Your deduction was sound. Be proud." He held out his hand.
"Thank you... sir?" Kael responded, feeling a little nervous, but he returned the favor.
"Sir? Ahh, I don't believe I've introduced myself, my name is Victor Star, pleased to make your acquaintance." Then for the first time since they met, Victor smiled.
And for the first time in a while, Kael felt like he had done something right.