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Back The Desert of Glass Save as PDF
Chapters (84)
  1. BY MICHAEL C. GRUMLEY
  2. Prologue
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. 63
  66. 64
  67. 65
  68. 66
  69. 67
  70. 68
  71. 69
  72. 70
  73. 71
  74. 72
  75. 73
  76. 74
  77. 75
  78. 76
  79. 77
  80. 78
  81. EPILOGUE
  82. II
  83. III
  84. IV

“Help!” a female voice screamed from behind him, inside the heavy structure into which he’d crashed.  He rushed to the open door and looked inside, spotting Mona on the ground scrambling forward on her hands and knees, her wrists and ankles still bound.

“Mona!”

“Help me!” she screamed.

He rushed to her and helped her onto her feet, looking for something to cut the plastic ties.  Finding nothing, he led her outside and hopped toward the damaged wall of the building where dozens of jagged edges were exposed.  He pulled her over and turned her around, peering behind her to carefully line her up.

He worked the tie around her wrists back and forth until the plastic broke, then lifted her up and used her weight on another edge to break her feet free.

“What is THAT?!”

Rickards turned and looked with her into the desert.  The wave of light was growing closer from all directions.

“I don’t think that’s good,” he said.

Mona then turned and peered past him with giant eyes.  “Is that my car?!”

“We have to get out of here.”

“Wait!” she yelled.  “ESHE!”

“Where is she?”

“Out there!” she said, pointing to the rock house.

Rickards burst into a run.  Painful and hobbling, but running, with Mona behind him.  Both took less than a minute to reach it.

Inside, Eshe was still squirming, trying to get free. And next to her, on the opposite end of a giant rock slab, was the still body of Mido Saad.

Unstrapping Eshe, they ran back outside, standing in the darkness and searching for a place to go.

“We have to leave,” said Eshe.

“I know,” said Rickards.  “But where?”

He ran back to Mona’s car and ducked into the driver’s seat, trying to start it.  The dashboard lights lit, but there was no sound from the engine.  He tried again, turning the key and giving a short pump of the gas.

Still nothing.

Rickards pushed himself out of the car and stared at the lead house with its two giant gaping holes.

It didn’t matter.  There was nowhere to go.

Nowhere to hide from what was coming—which was moving faster and was now only a few minutes away.

“Something’s going to happen,” he warned.

“What?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t think it’s good.”

What he was sure of was they were about to experience what thousands of Saad’s test subjects already had.

“Run!” he suddenly shouted.

“Run?”

“Now!”

“Where?”

“AWAY FROM HERE!” he bellowed and led them in a sprint in an attempt to put as much distance between them and the stone house as they could.  It was all he could think to do, not knowing just how far the effects would reach.

76

76

Dr. Layla Abo found it within minutes—the switch for Saad’s secret room, revealing nothing but a table, chair, lights and strange book protected under a pane of protective glass.