Darren and Jack climbed the staircase to the outside world, and trudged over to Darren’s beat up green van. Jack, following Darren’s lead, threw his bag into the backseat and hopped inside.

“So, where exactly are we going, Darren?” Jack asked.

Darren laughed. “Right to the edge of our town, young man!”

He revved up his engine and the van started to creep along the driveway, windows rattling. Jack breathed a sigh of relief once they reached the road, for he knew that he wouldn’t be in danger of waking up his sleeping parents anymore.

Ten minutes later, the roads started to turn more dusty. Jack poked his head out the open window and could smell the scent of dryed up shrubs. The dark landscape in front of them displayed a desert-like scene. Jack’s thoughts were suddenly halted- he could actually hear the chirping sound of cicadas! Up until now, the harsh rain had blocked out any noise except raindrops clashing with materials. But the rain had stopped, and Jack could even detect a flowery scent among the smell of dryed shrubs.

The old green van slowed to a stop, and Darren jumped out the door, beckoning Jack to follow him.

“Grab the bags on your way out!” he called, and Jack obeyed. Jack and Darren started to trek across the desert. They stopped walking around fifteen minutes later.

“Here we are!” said Darren. Suddenly, a mournful howl consumed their ears. All too quickly, silhouettes of large animals appeared on the horizon.

“Darren! What do we do?!” Jack shrieked.

To be continued…