Slumdog Hero

The sun dipped behind the distant dunes, painting the sky in strokes of pink and orange. Twilight descended, bringing the illusion of coolness even as the heat lingered, sinking into the earth, into her very bones, as if the day's burn were a simmering thing that refused to die.

But for all that, the night was better. Not good, but better.

"This is as far as we go tonight," Fii said, her voice ragged with exhaustion. "No use getting lost in the dark."

"Thank god," Serena groaned, sinking down against a rock. "My feet are killing me."

Luke grunted in agreement, dropping his gear beside her. "We need to rest anyway."

Fii nodded, glancing around. Their path had led them to an outcropping of boulders, providing at least some shelter from the night winds. "We'll hole up here until dawn. Hope this doesn't turn into a sandstorm."

"You jinxed us," Serena muttered. "Just watch."

"Positivity, Sparkles. Give it a try."

Serena flipped her off, but there was no real heat in it.

They made rudimentary preparations for the night. Luke gathered pieces of dried cacti and branches for a small fire, and Fii retrieved the solar stills, now empty of water. A meager meal of scavenged plant roots and dried fruit passed for dinner, leaving them hungry but not starving.

As the first stars emerged, so did the chill. The temperature plummeted, reminding them that while the days were a furnace, the nights belonged to the frost. They huddled close to the fire, grateful for its warmth.

Serena had erected another barrier using her hard-light constructs, creating a reflective surface that trapped heat while providing a small opening for the fire's smoke to escape. She had called it a "low-maintenance igloo".

Luke tended the fire, carefully feeding it bits of dry plant matter to keep it burning low and steady. "We'll need to take turns on watch," he said, not looking up from his task. "Keep the fire going, make sure nothing sneaks up on us."

"We're in the middle of nowhere," Serena protested. "What would sneak up on us?"

"I'm more concerned about 'what'," Luke replied dryly.

"Probably scorpions and sidewinders," Fii mused. "Maybe rattlers, too. Lots of little critters come out at night." She didn't mention the whispered sounds that had plagued her since midday.

"Scorpions, huh?" Luke didn't seem particularly intimidated.

Fii grinned. "Kurigali consider them a delicacy. Crunchy."

"Gross," Serena muttered, wrinkling her nose.

They divided the night into shifts, with Luke volunteering to take the first watch. As Serena and Fii settled in, he took up a position near the barrier's opening, gazing out into the dark.

"I'll wake you for your shift," he promised. "Get some rest."

Fii nodded, drifting into a light, uneasy sleep.

The next day, they set out at dawn, eager to make progress before the worst of the heat descended. Serena had condensed the remaining water from the solar stills into two hard-light spheres that hovered beside her, keeping the precious liquid clean and cool.

"Gotta admit," Fii said, nodding towards the floating orbs, "your power's pretty versatile."

"About time you acknowledged my greatness," Serena quipped back, but there was a faint flush of pride in her cheeks.

"We should look for more water sources today," Luke said, scanning the horizon. "Can't count on those stills every day."

"I'll keep an eye out," Fii promised. "Might have to move further east, though. Terrain's rockier there."

Serena stopped in her tracks, the floating water spheres halting beside her. "Hey, wait a minute. Speaking of powers... Can't you just use your gravikinesis to lift us all off the ground and fly us to the next settlement? Bam, problem solved!"

Fii arched an eyebrow at her, then pointedly looked down at her own boots. "First of all, that'd drain me in no time flat. Second, I don't think you want me getting tired and cranky with both your lives in my hands. Do you?"

"Well, when you put it that way..."

Luke cleared his throat. "We should keep moving."

Serena scowled but resumed her pace, the spheres trailing after her like obedient pets.

As they walked, Fii felt that now-familiar whisper on the wind. She tensed, scanning the surroundings again. Still nothing but sand and rock in every direction.

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But the sense of being watched remained, prickling at her skin. The Wastes were playing tricks on her, surely. She gritted her teeth and focused on the task at hand.

By midday, the heat was once again relentless. They paused to take shelter beneath an overhanging cliff, huddling in the small patch of shade it offered. Serena dispersed the water spheres and distributed cool sips to each of them.

"Does it ever not feel like an inferno out here?" she grumbled, wiping sweat from her forehead.

"When the sun's out, yes," Fii replied flatly. "Desert, remember?"

Serena scowled. "I can't wait to get back to civilization. I feel like I'm melting."

"Think cooling thoughts," Luke suggested. "Waterfalls, glaciers, polar ice caps."

Serena closed her eyes. "Polar ice caps. Yeah, okay. That helps."

Fii let her gaze drift upward to where the overhanging rock sheltered them. The stone surface was pockmarked with small craters and etched with winding grooves. High above, a solitary desert condor circled lazily on the thermals, scanning for its next meal.

Suddenly, Fii felt something brush against her leg. She jerked away, letting out a startled yelp.

"What? What is it?" Luke was on his feet instantly, scanning the area.

"I..." Fii stared down at the sand. Nothing stirred. "I thought I felt..." She shook her head. "Never mind. Must've been a breeze."

"Jumpy today, huh?" Serena eyed her curiously. "You're usually so Zen."

Fii shrugged, trying to brush off the unease. "Maybe you're rubbing off on me."

Serena brightened. "I'm an excellent influence. Just ask anybody."

Fii couldn't help but chuckle. "Right. I'll get on that."

Luke relaxed his stance but continued to survey their surroundings cautiously. "Let's get moving again. We need to make the most of the daylight while we still can."

They fell into a rhythm as the hours wore on—walking, resting, and scanning for water and food sources in between. As evening approached, they spotted a towering spire of rock jutting up from the desert floor in the distance, casting a long shadow across the dunes.

"There," Fii said, pointing. "Looks like a landmark. We can camp nearby tonight."

Luke squinted, then nodded. "Good call. Could be some caves or ledges at the base. Better shelter than last night."

They altered their course slightly, making their way towards the lonely pillar of stone. As they drew closer, Fii could make out deep vertical grooves scored into the rock, as if some giant hand had raked its fingers down the surface.

"Hey, check this out." Serena was bending down near the base of the spire, brushing aside sand to reveal rows of ancient petroglyphs carved into a flat stone slab.

Fii knelt beside her, tracing the intricate carvings with her fingers. Spirals, zig-zags, concentric circles, and the stylized figures of animals danced across the rock's surface. "Kurigali symbols. This must have been some kind of meeting place or marker for them."

"What do they say?" Luke asked, crouching on her other side.

Fii chewed her lip, deciphering the symbols. "If I'm reading this right, it's something like...'beneath the gaze of the spirit watchers, we rest our weary feet.'"

"Spirit watchers? Is that some kind of desert religion thing?" Serena tilted her head, trying to make sense of the swirling designs.

"Could be." Fii straightened, dusting sand from her hands. "The Kurigali believe there are spirits everywhere in the desert, watching over everything. Sometimes guiding, sometimes testing. They're always present."

"Huh." Luke glanced around, as if expecting to spot these elusive beings among the rocks and shadows. "And they're supposed to watch over travelers, protect them?"

"Something like that. It's all still pretty mystical to me."

"Or superstitious nonsense," Serena muttered under her breath.

Fii shot her a sharp look. "Say that a little louder, why don't you?"

"What? I'm just being realistic here!"

"Okay, okay. Peace." Luke held up a hand between them. "Let's save the theological debates until we're out of the Wastes, agreed?"

Fii and Serena locked eyes for a long moment before Fii finally broke away with a shrug. "Sure. Let's find someplace to hole up for the night."

They spent the next hour scouring the spire's base for a suitable campsite. A narrow ravine with eroded sides provided a natural windbreak, so they settled in, preparing solar stills and a small fire for the night ahead.

As the sky darkened to a rich indigo, the temperature plummeted again, their breaths pluming in the cold air. They clustered around the crackling flames, grateful for the warmth and the simple comfort of companionship.

"Fii," Serena said after a while, her voice uncharacteristically soft. "Can I ask you something?"

Fii glanced at her warily. "Guess so."

"Do you really buy into all this... spirit stuff? You don't strike me as the mystical type."

Fii stared into the dancing flames for a long moment before responding. "I don't know what it's like in the Metropolis, but almost everyone in the slums believes in some sort of superstition or another. Most of them can't even read, so how could they know if something's scientifically sound or not?"

Serena shifted uncomfortably. "That's not... I didn't mean it like that."

"I know." Fii shrugged. "Look, all I'm saying is that where I'm from, you need to hold onto something. Whether it's spirits or gods or whatever, everyone has their thing. For the Kurigali, it's their ancestral beliefs." She paused, considering her words carefully. "And yeah, sometimes I can feel... something out here. Like someone's watching. I don't know if that's spirits or just my own paranoia, but it's not something I can just ignore."

"Is it just me, or did it suddenly get a whole lot creepier out here?" Serena said after a beat of silence.

"It's just you," Fii said dryly. "Geez. You were the one who asked."

"Well, yeah, but now I kind of wish I hadn't."

Luke cleared his throat. "I don't believe in spirits, but I also don't believe in dismissing local knowledge and beliefs. You never know what might be useful. Or what might save your life when things go sideways."

"A surprisingly open-minded take from Mr. by-the-book himself," Serena teased, nudging his shoulder.

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Being willing to listen to new ideas keeps you alive in the field. Too much certainty can blind you to potential dangers."

"Hmm. Guess you have a point." Serena yawned widely. "Ugh. Anyway, I'm done thinking deep thoughts for the night. Who's taking first watch?"

"I can do it," Fii volunteered. "I'm pretty wired right now anyway."

"Sounds good." Luke reached over and squeezed her shoulder lightly. "Wake me when you're ready to switch off."

"I'll be fine. Just get some rest."