Mikey cowered away, too afraid to see the carnage about to unfold. Tara, however, found herself unable to do so. Her eyes followed the ill-fated victim until the moment their body was to shatter into a million pieces.

Time seemed to slow to a complete stop. She could see the gruesome outcome. The poor soul's body, breaking apart like a fragile glass jar. Little bits of them scattered as far as the eye could see. Their blood washing the landscape with a dark shade of red.

What was once a living, breathing human being would now be a mere stain on the surface of this cursed planet. Or so she had thought.

Time returned to its intended pace. Upon impact, a great dust cloud billowed high into the sky, consuming all daylight in an instant. With barely a second to react, Tara was engulfed by the blinding amalgam of dust, sand, and pebbles.

She couldn't see a thing. Not her little sister and not even her own hands that did little to shield her face.

"Mikey!" she cried out.

No answer.

"Mikey, where are you?"

She heard a cough, then a few more. Tara rushed over to its source. Oh, thank goodness.

Much to her relief, she found Mikey on her knees, clearing the dust from her windpipe.

"I'm here, stay close to me," she said as she gently wrapped her arms around Mikey.

The trembling child simply nodded, her eyes watering.

They huddled close. Mikey clung tightly onto Tara. They endured for what had seemed like an eternity before the dust began to settle.

Tara breathed a sigh of relief, for they had avoided becoming collateral damage. She took a moment to inspect Mikey for any injuries. Nothing serious. Though I probably can't say the same for...

She gazed in the direction of the impact. Mikey gasped. Much to their amazement, the scene was not at all as they had imagined.

There was no blood or remains but instead, an enormous pit. Tara and Mikey were awestruck. It was wide to the point that the opposite end seemed to touch the horizon. The bottom was nowhere to be seen as well.

"It's jus-" her sister spewed a few more coughs. The coarse sand still chafed her throat. "It's just like those craters grandpa told us about."

Tara looked down at Mikey, amazed at how she came to such a conclusion. The little girl's voice piped up, "It is a crater, isn't it!"

Neither of them had ever seen one but heard stories from generations ago. They were described as the aftermath of punishments from a giving god, who only raised his hand when the ground dwellers became ungrateful. In times of peace, this god would supposedly gift them with droplets of water trickling from the heavens. It was a fantasy that Tara could not fathom.

Where did that god run off to? Grandpa had said that it abandoned us entirely.

Tara paused, scanning the steep slopes of the so-called crater with her eyes.

Though if that IS indeed the case, what explains this gaping hole in front of us?

She knew that the answer wouldn't be found by just staring at it until the sunset. Still, she could sense Mikey's nervous aura. It was impossible to ignore.

"Our family must be worried sick about us. Besides, perhaps they know something we don't." Tara knew that the latter statement was nothing more than a load of horse crap. But the naive Mikey didn't need to know that. She promptly held out her hand, gesturing for Mikey to take hold.

Without skipping a beat, Mikey complied. Tara could feel the soft touch of her sister's hand on her own. Mikey was only four years her junior, but at moments like these, it felt more like decades.

At that moment, all the worries in the world drained from the little girl. Her expression relaxed. As long as they had each other, everything would be okay.

At least that was what Tara wanted to believe. As if Mikey's emotions had flowed into her, she felt a feeling of dread flow up her spine.

The idea of an object - a human no less - falling from the sky would have been inconceivable just ten minutes ago. Everything she had ever learned taught her that such things were beyond impossible.

The pair began treading towards the camp. It was a two minute walk away, too far for Tara in the state she found herself in. She could feel her heart beat rapidly, as though it were going to break free of her chest.

The world and everything she believed to be true was crumbling around her. Perhaps whatever was inside the crater could perhaps offer her some clarity. Maybe it wasn't a human after all; just a trick of the eye.

Something could've fallen from the sky, sure. Tara thought, But whether that something was a living, breathing person would mean the difference between a nonsensical situation and a very nonsensical one.

Then she felt it - her vision beginning to blur.

She froze in her tracks, hand still grasping Mikey's. Mikey jolted, stumbling back upon realizing Tara was no longer keeping pace. She gazed at her older sibling quizzically.

"Why did you stop, sis? I can see Daddy over there!"

Tara could only see the obscure outline of who was presumably her father. It looked around frantically before yelling.

"Mikey! Tara!"

Dad? I can't... Her vision grew worse and worse by the second. Something is taking hold of me...

It felt like a spell had been cast on her. It gripped her mind and body from behind, in the direction of the crater. With every step she tried to take, the tug grew exponentially stronger. Tara continued her futile resistance, but it was no use.

Mikey, I am sorry.

She released her sister's hand, choosing instead to make a run for the crater.

"Tara!" both Mikey and her father screamed, their words echoing. It was apparent that her hearing was also deteriorating at an alarming rate.

The cries continued growing fainter as her desperate sprint carried her toward the crater. Occasionally, she heard them rise again. Perhaps they were running after her, but not for long.

Soon enough, Tara could hear nothing except for the muffled sound of her own footsteps beating the ground.

She could only see an endless, gray expanse. Her destination drew nearer still.

Suddenly, the ground beneath her disappeared. Her knees buckled as she tumbled down the sandy slope of the crater. She tried regaining control to no avail. Her pathetic attempts evolved into a ragged roll. Small stones pelted every inch of her body.

What have I done to deserve this? When will my suffering end?!

As if the slope had heard her pleas, it suddenly became more and more gradual, slowing her down until she came to a complete halt.

Tara sensed her consciousness fluctuating. Everything was hurting. She was too battered to move.

A sudden chirp of a nearby bird crackled in her ear. Her hearing had been restored. It could be worse, I suppose.

She then conjured just enough energy to open her eyes. Greeting her were countless particles of the fine sand. At least these aren't fuzzy anymore.

She quickly realized that it was all just wishful thinking.

What happened to me? Tara winced at the particularly sharp pain in her ribs. I might actually believe in these "gods" if I ever recover from thi-

"I can't believe you're still here."

Huh? A stranger's voice... Are you my guardian angel?

"W-wait. What's going on..."

Seems like a bit of a clueless angel if you ask me...

Everything went black.