Crimson Hail and the Secrets of Valour — Chapter 5.a : Your new home

Stomach filled to its limit with water. Intestines tied in knots. Worst of all was the burning feeling in his lungs. Is this what dying felt like? The burning went up to his throat, to his mouth and nose then suddenly, he vomited. Again, and again, a mixture of mucus with warm salty water violently exited his system. The vomiting was soon replaced with coughing and hyperventilating. His blocked ears popped, and he heard a combination crying, shouting, and waves crashing along the shore. Crimson, on hands and knees turned to lie on his back and looked into the clear, blue sky. How was he alive? Who rescued him? Did Marx survive too? He didn’t know what to do or where he was.

‘Hey buddy, how are you feeling?’ a startled Crimson jerked his head towards the sound and saw a man with dishevelled, coarse hair smiling at him.

‘I–I’m fine,’ he struggled to reply.

‘Sorry,’ the man said. ‘We were pulling so many people out we didn’t check to see if you were okay.’

Crimson sat upright and looked around. There must have been about 30 people close by, some recovering, some nursing others. He was on a pier somewhere and he noticed the base of a Hail Dome on the horizon. How could this be? Sahara Oshu should be the only place in the world with one.

‘Where are we?’ he asked the stranger.

‘Your guess is as good as mine. A bunch of us ended up here after the crash,’ the man replied…