The sun was relentless. Heat blistered and overwhelmed my senses. A dry gale scratched my face, and swept moisture from my already chapped lips. I was ill equipped for the desert, and looked down to avoid drifts of sand. I took wary steps forward and steadied myself after each stride. I was a afraid of the sun; afraid of the wind; afraid I would not see the end of the desert; and mostly afraid of dying alone. The perspiration of fear formed and quickly dried on my forehead. I could almost feel adrenaline through my veins. The ground is all I saw. I looked up for a hopeful sign. My first mistake. My eyes met the horizon and an insidious gust of wind. The sun, sands, and chaffing winds blasted me back into the Afghanistan …show more content…
The guard's eyes were glazed over and he obviously had zoned out. Without hesitation, I leaped from the back of the truck to the sandy outdoors.
I hit the ground hard and ran. When I looked up the only thing I could see was the gaping mouth of the guard, opening and closing like a fish. I sprinted into the endless oblivion of sand, and would’ve gone on forever if not for the sand storm. Scared and alone stumbled in the chaos, what little courage I had left pushed me through the merciless terrain.
"One foot in front of the other," I mumbled over and over again, "One foot in front of th...AH." My face hit the ground and my foot was entangled in something. Upon further inspection, I discovered it was a frayed rope. Blindly following the rope my hand felt cloth, not just cloth. It was a GP medium! I scrambled inside, to escape the cruel elements. Upon entering, it was obvious that the owners were not opulent as there was only a map on the wall and a radio sitting in the corner. Using what was left of my strength, I made my way to the radio changing the channel to that of my base.
"Base this is Sierra Alfa Foxtrot Echo, over," I rasped over the microphone, praying for a response. I sat in silence for a minute, the sound of sand pelting the tent filled the dusty