Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4 - 7 2018 | Page 33

New Jounrey to the West
Carmel School Association Elsa High School, Xiang, Scott – 14
Chapter 1 — Inception: Isaac Solomon
I
left our city thinking I was ready, fool that I was. Behind us, the silhouette of the city fades against the
growing light: a forlorn outline sandwiched between an endless duet of land and sky. As the sun climbs
its way to the peak of the sky, we drive past a graveyard of buildings, all of which are torn and heavily
weather-worn, many reduced to ghostly frames, yet some with remnants of cement still clung to the
skeletal-like structures of these former giants. It awes me to find signs of life clutched in the grips of these
ghostly ruins, often existing in forms of gaunt trees or bristly weed. I could've sworn I saw flickers of
movement behind crumpled walls and eyes peering from dark crevices as we drove by.
On my side, Adar's eyes were fixed on the road ahead, his arms propped against the steering wheel.
Ajax emerges from the back quarters of the landmaster, landing on a seat behind me, tightly fixed on his
arms were a set of compound utility armband. Ajax is a kid of fifteen - hot-headed and overly eager only as
fifteen-year-olds could be; yet his skills in firearms and martial arts are unparalleled and furthermore, his
natural strength and endurance make him a valued player in this game of success or oblivion.
Heading into my quarters located in the abdomen of the moving station (the landmaster), I soon
drift off into a light sleep, only to be woken by a jolt in the vehicle. Turned out my ‘light sleep’ spanned
over the course of six hours; I found my team engaged in conversation inside the vehicle cabin. Adar looked
half-asleep as I reclaimed my seat beside him, his monotonous voice gracing the cabin for the first time of
the day.
“We have arrived at the border of the Gobi desert, I suggest we perform a data collection out
here.”
“And leave the safety of the landmaster? No way! There is barely any worthwhile data that could
be collected out in this wasteland!” Noah argued. Noah is the engineer of the landmaster, a boy of nineteen
with extensive knowledge of engineering.
“I share Noah’s concerns. The Gobi desert is treacherous with little data to be collected from the
old era, there is no need to take unnecessary risks, we shall drive overnight,” I told them. “We can collect
data once we leave the Gobi.”
“I’ll take the shift, let Adar rest and continue the drive tomorrow,” Ajax said.
“No, the Gobi desert landscape is rugged and treacherous, I will drive,” insisted Adar.
"Then we rest through the night and continue tomorrow."
"Agreed."
We started early the next morning. The next three days were long and dull, the heat of the desert sun
invading into even the comforts of our landmaster.
~
LOG ENTRY: Journey across continents
REGISTER: Noah Bolo
Date: Day: Statistics Notes:
04/08/151 1 15:41 of driving
Covered distance of current day ≈ 440 miles
440 miles from outpost city: New Mongolia
1345 miles to outpost city: New Tajikistan
Terrain: Slightly mountainous Adar is a resilient driver with
adequate skills.
05/08/151 2 16:06 of driving
Covered distance of current day ≈ 304 miles
744 miles from outpost city: New Mongolia
1041 miles to outpost city: New Tajikistan
Terrain: Rugged and Sandy Sand dunes and rock formations are
all the Gobi have to offer, it would
seem.