You ride through a haze of sand, barely discerning the horizon. The dromedaries seem to know their way back home, so you allow them to trample their heavy hooves in the direction they prefer. You’ve been unfair to these poor men, but life isn’t fair — or at least it wasn’t to you.
You come from a long, arduous journey. Not only that, but you were abandoned in the middle of nowhere, with no resources and no idea how to find safety. ‘Who would do something like that to you?’ you ask yourself, but no clear answer comes to mind. That question parches your heart more than this merciless sun — a question more unquenchable than your thirst in this desert.
You’re looking for something, but what? All you know is that you need to reach Zalenica as soon as you can. There’s something waiting for you there, though you’re not sure whether it’s good or bad. ‘Maybe happiness is in the journey, not the destination,’ you think, smiling sarcastically at your own inanity. You only know that life propels you, just as it propelled your parents to bring you into existence, and just as it propelled your friends to turn their backs on you. That’s the price one must pay for staying true to oneself. That’s the price you paid. You’re alone in the world, and what better place to exemplify that than a desert. But wait, you’re not alone anymore. A group of riders can be glimpsed in the distance. How many? It’s still indiscernible, but you’re too tired to care. Friends or foes? What difference does it make in the desert? However, the remnants of your survival instinct kick in, and you make a fateful decision:
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You let them approach. – go to this page
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You steer away from them, deviating from your course. – go to this page
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