Roaming Storm

S2E4: Duel in the Dunes ...for Desert Punks

ACT I [EXT. / WESTERN DESERT / A FEW WEEKS AGO]

Men.

Women.

Children.

(even the poor, innocent camels).

Every last nomad had been struck by a rather shocking performance, and continue to bake under the scorch of day. Many weeks have passed since then, and little signs of life appear present among the field of bodies. However, disregarding a few buzzards feeding on camel carrion, there is one sign of "life" -- that being a Watcherfly.

Having arrived back, the one-eyed insect hovers high over the crisp corpses, getting a clear view of them all. The Watcherfly then notices something new, and descends for a closer look. It sees a trail, a trail having been made by one of the nomads. A lone survivor among the fallen.

The nomad in particular appears to have been young, most likely a teenager. Judging by the shape of the trail -- as well as its leftward curve -- the teen was slowly crawling past the other bodies and towards something. From the looks of it, her intended destination was a nearby camel, as its corpse still harbors a bota bag of water, among many other supplies.

Unfortunately, the girl couldn't make it in time, laying face-down in the hot sand just a few inches away from the camel. And as shown, the buzzards have already beaten her to it. All that effort, all that remaining endeavor -- only to be the last to join her people. But if there's any solace to this, it's that she's not alive to see what's about to happen next.

Having taken a bit of a "liking" to the girl, the Watcherfly lands right on her motionless hand. And in just a few seconds, its eye briefly flashes in a bright purple light, spooking away the buzzards. Emerging from the light is something truly horrific -- dreadful. That of which the world has never seen nor could bear to witness.

A worm.

...

Alright, should probably be more specific. Well for starters, the creature is tiny, rose pink, and limbless like a worm. Though there are a few discrepancies, that being beady eyes and a bulldog-like jowl and nose. But the most distinctive feature would have to be its overall body -- being made entirely out of rubber.

Frankly, it looks like a toy one might find displayed in a prize counter. But said toy is very much alive, as it begins crawling over to the deceased girl, only stopping until it reaches the back of her head. The rubbery creature then opens its mouth as wide as it can, and bites down on her head. Well... more so tries to bite down on her head. Due to a lack of teeth, all it's capable of is just harmless mawing.

Realizing that fact, the rubber toy stops and raises its head. Keeping its mouth wide open, it takes in a deep breath and holds it in. As it does so, it begins tensing its body inward, as if it's trying to regurgitate. Eventually, something does come out, but it's not from the stomach. Rather it's from the mouth.

...

Okay, that applies both ways, but here's what happens. What comes out are sharp, needle-like protrusions in the guise of teeth -- surprisingly also made of rubber. With that taken care of, the creature proceeds to put its newfound teeth to the test. But just before it could sink them right into the girl's skull...

CRUNCH TO BLACK

>> >> >> NOW LOADING...

ACT II [EXT. / WESTERN DESERT / EARLY AFTERNOON]

Back over to present time, somewhere in the Western Desert, a person can be seen in the middle of travel. Said person is an Egyptian vulture, and his mode of transportation? A trusty hoverboard, allowing him to surf at beat-the-heat speeds across the vast, sandy ocean. In regards to what he's holding, it appears to be three bags. The first two are empty burlap sacks, while the last is a plastic bag with something inside.