Chapter 5
That fall, half a year ago, I spent two weeks at the Sandlane tracking station.
The Stellar Survey Initiative's deep-space navigation algorithms needed real-world data to verify their accuracy.
The electromagnetic environment there was the cleanest, with almost no interference from civilian signals.
During the day, I battled the sand and wind to fix the equipment, and at night, I curled up in a makeshift cabin, going over the data.
My lips were so dry that they cracked and bled, and fine sand stuck under my nails.
Samuel gave me a call, said the data looked great, and told me to head back early for some rest.
I bought a hard sleeper train ticket from Winedash to Besibook, leaving at 4 PM.
On the morning of my return trip, I left the tracking station and hopped into an SUV heading for the city.
The driver was Roy, who'd been driving this route for over a decade. He could probably do it with his eyes closed.
"Elowen, something's off with the weather," Roy said, suddenly slowing down and frowning as he looked up at the sky.
Outside the window, the distant horizon was turning a murky yellow.
The color was spreading fast, barreling forward like a wall of sand crushing everything in its path. A sandstorm was coming.
Out here in the desert, a sandstorm was no joke.
Visibility dropped to less than 6 feet, and the flying sand and rocks could shatter the windows.
Roy pulled over to the side of the road and said we'd wait it out.
As the words left his mouth, a violent gust slammed into the SUV, rocking it hard.
Suddenly, there was a deafening crash. The SUV lurched left, and I was slammed into the door.
The glass shattered, and wind and sand blasted in, whipping my face raw.
The SUV rolled over.
Roy shouted something from the driver's seat, but I couldn't make out a word.
The wind was howling in my ears, sand burrowed into my hair, eyes, and mouth. I couldn't see a thing.
In the chaos, I managed to unfasten my seatbelt, and my body slammed hard against the roof of the SUV.
I had no idea how much time had passed, but the wind finally seemed to die down a bit. I opened my eyes and saw the SUV flipped over off the road. Roy was covered in blood, but he was still breathing.
I fumbled for my phone. There was only one bar of signal.
My fingers were trembling, and I couldn't tell if it was from the cold or the fear.
Out here in the desert, the days were bearable, but once the sun went down, the temperature could drop to -4°F.
Roy and I were both in thin clothes, with no extra water or food.
The first number I dialed was Elias's.
The phone rang a few times before he picked up. "Hello?"
As soon as I heard his voice, I felt a lump in my throat and couldn't hold back my tears.
The wind was howling, so I had to shout, "Elias, I was on my way to the city from Winedash when a sandstorm hit. The SUV flipped over. Can you—"
But before I could finish, he cut me off.
I froze for a second, staring at the "Call Ended" message on my screen, thinking maybe I misread it.
I tried calling again. It rang twice, and he cut me off again.
I dialed a third time, desperate.
His phone was off.
I clutched my phone; the sand kept hitting my face, but somehow, I stopped feeling the pain.
I scrolled through my contacts for what felt like forever.
I didn't have any other numbers from the Voss family in my phone, and I didn't know any of Elias's friends. Elias was literally the only person I knew here.
I racked my brain, trying to think of anyone else I could call.
After what felt like forever, I finally found Samuel's number.
The phone barely rang once before he picked up. "Elowen? Why are you calling at this hour?"
When I heard his voice, I suddenly started crying out loud.
It wasn't because I felt hurt. I was so relieved that there was still someone in this world who would pick up when I called.
"Mr. Finch, I'm out here in the desert. The SUV flipped over, and I'm freezing," I managed to say.
Samuel's voice changed instantly.
He asked where I was, said he'd call for rescue right away, and told me to stay on the line and not fall asleep on him.
I leaned against the overturned SUV, phone pressed to my ear, listening to him working frantically on the other end.
He made call after call, his voice growing more urgent each time. He told me the rescue team was already on their way and urged me to hold on.
The sky was getting darker by the minute, and the temperature was dropping fast.
I wrapped every piece of clothing I could find around myself, huddled close to Roy, and watched my phone battery drop from 40% to 10%.
Samuel kept talking the whole time.
He told me about the latest updates on the Stellar Survey Initiative, how he'd once gotten stranded in the desert when he was young, and how the food at the base camp was way better than the one in Besibook.
I knew he was trying to keep me awake.
I had no idea how long I'd been waiting. My mind was starting to go fuzzy when, in the distance, I saw a light.
It wasn't a star. It was headlights.
When the rescue team finally pulled me up from next to the overturned SUV, I heard Samuel finally exhale, relieved, on the other end of the line. "Elowen, I'm glad you're okay."
I spent half a month in the hospital.
I had a cracked rib, a broken ring finger on my right hand, and bruises all over my body.
Elias didn't show up, not a single call, not a text. I guess he was too busy.
Spending time with Winnie in the flight simulator was obviously way more important than checking on someone waiting to die out in the desert.
On the day I was discharged, Roy made a special trip from Winedash to Besibook to see me.
He walked in carrying a bag of fruit, giving me a big, friendly grin. "Elowen, you really scared me," he said.
I said, "I'm fine. I'm glad to be alive."
The sunlight outside was bright and warm. I edited Elias's contact in my phone, deleting all the extra notes about his name, nothing else.