The whole left side of my abdomen burned in a hot, searing pain. I sat up abruptly, clutching my side. Wincing, I opened my eyes, and to my shock, the sight greeted me as a desert landscape. The hot sun beamed down upon me. My head was fuzzy, and my body felt numb except for the pain in my abdomen. What had happened to me? The last thing I remember is walking home from work. Bright lights, heavy rain. It all becomes so blurry. I scratch my head. Standing up, I brush the sand off of me.

  I look around, taking in the landscape. Rolling hills, small cactus-like plants. Some mountains in the distance. Sand for miles. I turn around. Holding my hand up to block out the sun from my eyes. I spotted a giant spire a few miles away. Jutting out of the sand at an angle, it was humongous. Taller than any skyscraper I had ever seen. It was this thin, obsidian black tower. Like an index finger pointing towards the sky. I look around a bit more, but that is the noticeable feature. I reach into my pockets and feel around. No phone, no wallet. Strange. I'm still wearing the suit from last night, but it's a bit dirty now. Covered in sand and disheveled. I looked like a mess. With a sigh, I begin trudging towards the tower. There was nothing else I could do. An ominous feeling weighed heavy on my shoulders, but I had no idea what else I could do.

  As I approached the spire, a harsh wind cut into my skin. Despite the heat the sun was radiating, the wind was oddly cold. Bits of sand would occasionally be picked up by gusts and splash me. Trudging my shoes filled with sand. I was only a hundred yards away from the spire but felt beat. Was I really that out of shape?

  In the distance, I heard a sound growing closer. It was coming from my left. I turn. It is a circus of scratching, metal clanging, and the screeching of a door with rusty hinges. I squinted, focusing on where I thought the sound was coming from. Over the hills, I saw figures emerge riding horse-like creatures. First, one went over the hill, then three more, and then seven of them. Before I knew, a group of nine of them were approaching. I decided to duck down and try to hide. I heard a guttural cry from one of the creatures.

  Then they were upon me. Circling me were strange men wearing black suits of medieval-looking armor. A deep obsidian color like that of the spire. They looked like knights with a grate helmet hiding their faces, but atop their helmet was a crimson conquistador hat with large white feathers. They had flintlock pistols on their hips, and on the other side, they had a lasso like a cowboy. An odd combination for an outfit, but what was even stranger was the creatures they rode on. Strange creatures that looked like some cross between a lion and lizard, tan leathery skin. Giant frilled manes, giant beady slit eyes like that were on the sides of its head like a dinosaur. Their legs were clawed with four long fingers. They had thin, long tails with a scorpion-like barb at the end.

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  This is insane. This must be some bizarre dream. I pinch my cheek to try and wake myself up, but to no avail. The knights circle, blocking off any escape. What the hell is going on? Creaking and groaning sounds mixed with odd clicks escape the men's helmets. There is almost a back-and-forth between them. Could they be speaking to each other? One of them points at me. It makes a long string of clicks and hum sounds at me. It sounds like a machine.

  "A-are… are you trying to say something to me?" I ask it nervously.

  Again, there was another series of clicks and screeches, this time with some odd hand gestures I didn't understand.

  "I'm sorry," I say, shrugging. "I don't know what you are trying to say."

  It tilts its head at me. Then it turns to one of the other ones and makes some noise. It then grabs the lasso from its side and launches it at me. It wraps around my neck. I claw at the rope, but the figure pulls on it, and I stumble forward onto the ground. Sand fills my mouth as the rope grows tighter, choking me. Another rope wraps around my left leg. Then one around my other leg, then my arms. A flighty feeling seizes my heart. I let out a shout as I struggled. The ropes grow tighter and tighter as I am pulled in one direction, then another. One of the knights stands over me and begins reworking the ropes and tying me into a nice bundle. I try to resist pushing and struggling against him, but the knight is much stronger and can force me around. He picks me up and takes me over to his monster. He secures me to it. Then jumps onto the saddle. Kicks the side of the beast, and then we're off. The creature moves with absurd speed. Wind cutting into my face.

  "Let me go!" I protest, but my cries go unheard. This is useless; my language is just as foreign to them as theirs is to me.

  We were heading west. Or at least I think it's west. Maybe in a strange place like this, the sun rose from the south and set in the north. Whatever way it was, we were heading towards the setting sun. The sky was growing darker, and the long shadows of the mountains seemed ominous. Where were these people taking me? Maybe people was the wrong word for what they were. Perhaps they were just as monstrous as the creatures they rode. Behind those masks, maybe they had snout noses and one eye. I shuddered at the thought.

  I squirmed in my confinement, trying to get a better look at the others. I was with the one in the front. The other eight followed in a V formation like birds fly in. The way the monsters we rode on ran reminded me of a cheetah—the form, the motion, the speed. Despite the fear and panic, I can't help but marvel at these magnificent creatures—unlike anything I had ever seen.

  This all was surreal, like something from a movie or comic. Waking up in a different world, but in those stories, the people who happened to be were heroes or people with extraordinary abilities. I am just some guy. I can't imagine what these… things plan to do with me, but I don't imagine I will last long. As we ride to an unknown destination, a sense of impending doom hangs in the air.