The Unknown

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It is hot. I know that’s theunderstatement of the year. My clothes stick to me and hang heavy. Breathing thru this makeshift breathing respirator is suffocating. Despite the difficulty, I dare not take it off. The outside air is a thick coat of sand and dust. It coats my goggles. I try to wipe it off with my gloves but it only makes it worse. My throat is starting to get that scratchy cotton feeling. I look at my watch. We have been up on the surface too long.

Leader was ecstatic when the scouts came back yesterday with news of this place. The last sand storm had unveiled a mystery glistening in the morning sun like a rare jewel. It was only an old farm house and a few barns. To us, it was like finding a cave of immense wealth.

Potential for food, tools, cloth and a million other items pushed the leader to gather our hunters. Even old wood from the wall that were barely standing was worth its weight in gold. Everything we find will be repurposed for the greater good of the colony.

I was given the direction to investigate the house. My teammate was in the kitchen and pantry loading the skid with anything he found. I had wondered into one of the bedrooms. An old canopy bed peaked out from the slope of sand that had penetrated half the room. Against the wall that was still standing was a masterpiece that we wouldn’t be able to carry this trip. It was a beautifully carved dresser completely intact. Leader would be over the moon with this find.

It was odd, though. This place held an almost nostalgic feel. I couldn’t put my finger on the feeling. It was almost as if I could imagine what it may have looked like prior to the storms. Post Rage Storm babies like myself never got to see the above world in all its glory. Maybe what I am feeling is from all the remnants that I’ve seen just like this. Paint and drywall crumbling and peeling away from the rotted and damaged studs. Sand invasively reaching every crevice covering everything with a shimmering blanket. It’s quiet. Eerily quiet like a death shroud silencing all who would have mourned.

I shake my head trying to get rid of the feeling and look at my watch. I wipe the grime and dust away just enough to see where the hands lie. I need to make this quick. We have 5 minutes to make it underground before the oxygen depletes.

I pick my way to the dresser watching my footing for any hidden holes. I ease my weight into each step making sure the floor will hold me. The dresser is old even for our standards. They would have called it an antique. Solid wood carved with delicate designs, it was a masterpiece to behold. I gently pull the drawers one by one. Some fall apart in my hands. Others are stuck as if they were plastered in place. I grab one remaining iron pull and yank. Once, twice and on three the drawer breaks free in my hand suddenly. The jolt caused me to lose my balance. I land with a thud on my rear in the sand. I pause and hold my breath. Listening for any sound, I watch the sand meticulously. My fall could have shifted everything.

I wait. Glancing at my watch I realize there are 3 minutes left. There is no movement. I breathe a sigh of relief. The sand barely stirred from my fall. Thank the gods! The drawer handle is still clutched in my hand. I place it in my satchel. It could be useful. I stand up and look at the space where the drawer was. Nothing. Empty. All that work for absolutely nothing. I don’t have time to keep searching. I smack my trousers beating the sand from becoming too thick and heavy. It’s time to go. I’m about to leave the room when a glimmer catches my eye. Something small glimmers from the floor. That wasn’t there before.

Stooping to pick it up, the ray of sun from the top of the sand dune hits it. The brightness blinds me for a second before I can focus on what I pick up. It’s a gold locket. A hummingbird that is only seen in paintings is carved intricately on the surface. The golden chain falls like liquid between my fingers to dance in the falling rays of light. I am mesmerized by its beauty.

Leader is yelling my name outside of the house. It sounds so far away as if a dream. The sound reaches my ears as if through layers of cotton. My body knows that I am running out of time but my mind will not let me stray from the locket. I study it as if the locket has possessed my very soul. The latch is weathered causing my gloved fingers to fumble as I try to pry it open. There is a feverish need to know what is inside.

Slamming it down on top of the dresser the hinge shatters into fine powder. My gloved hands are making things slow and difficult. I pull them off determined to open this jewel. My gloves land on the ground with a thud. My fingers stiffly and carefully pry the 2 sides of the locket. My labored breathing reverberating in my ears drowns out all other muffled noises. With a loud snap of metal the two halves give up to the struggle. The shock of what lies inside sends bolts of disbelief and chaos thru my senses. I feel the presence of Leader as my world slowly turns black. The last thing I see is a black and white portrait of my face laughing at my disillusionment.