“General,” I nudged him, “Wake up, wake up.”
While he rubbed his eyes, I explained to him our predicament, and urged him to leave. He
responded with great alacrity, and followed me, zigzagging down the path. I kept a watchful eye
on him, in case he darted towards the oasis.
Suddenly, I came to a halt. A wall formed a few miles in front of us. A silver moving wall,
accelerated by the wind, became larger and larger. I recognised it.
“Quick,” I muttered, after scanning our surroundings for alternative shelters, “Back into the
cave. A sandstorm’s coming.”
The wall marched forward quickly, and before I realised, it was right at my heels. I felt grains
rubbing against my neck, and scraps bounced against my sleeve. The General winced, clutching
his abdomen. “The wound has reopened.”
“Come on, General,” I lifted him. “We’re almost there.”
“General? What do you mean, General?” Lau appeared from behind the rocks.
The lemon coloured grass quivered. The wall moved closer. Lau’s eyes widened in realisation.
“No. No way.”
“Lau, I can explain-“
The General sped off in the opposite direction. Lau lurched, grabbing my patient’s hair. “You’re
not going anywhere,” he snapped. Shrieking, the General looked at me with pleading eyes. “And
you, my friend. I trusted you!” Lau spat at me.
The moving wall bit at the ledge. “Lau, this is not the right time-“
“The food and water you asked for, eh, you gave them to him, didn’t you? Didn’t you?”
“Let go of me, you swine!” The General struggled.
“Lau-“
“You’re a traitor!” Lau gritted his teeth.
With a sudden movement, the General cut off his hair with a dagger. My dagger.
“No!” Lau reached for the General, but I hugged his waist. “Let me go after him.”
“Did you see his dagger? That was mine, the one I hid, and he could’ve used it against you just
now. He could’ve killed you, but he didn’t.”
“You’ve gone too far.” By now, the General was out of sight. “Fine,” he shrugged. I released
him, panting. “I’ll deal with the traitor first.”
The wall swallowed us. Suddenly, I found myself trapped in a world of murky yellow, with
fists and elbows appearing now and then. Lau shouted indistinct words of abuse, and I tried to
push him away. “I trusted you—doctor my ars—hmph—“My eyes were watering, and I desperately
spat out mouthfuls of sand, but with no avail. Soon, everything I saw was dark brown. A pair of
claws dug into my arms, and I pushed them forcefully away. “Argh!” Lau’s voice disappeared into
the wind.
When the attacks stopped, I panicked. “Lau!” I screamed. Sand entered my mouth. “Lau…”
It was no use. The storm was swirling in front of me, tugging at my skin, spitting in my face. I
ignored its malicious assaults, and retreated into the cave.
The thick walls of the cave blocked the noise of the raging storm outside. After draining my
mouth and ears of sand, I closed my eyes, exhausted.
I reopened them at dawn the next day. The sun was bright as usual. I crawled out of the cave,
and collapsed on the ledge.
Red.
