The eerie silence that emanated from the bare rocky landscape was pressing down on his ears with a dull ache. He heaved himself onto the plateau, and surveyed the stark empty terrain before him.

The sun beat down on his head relentlessly, making beads of sweat slide down his brow and sting his eyes. The sheer nothingness of the landscape hurt. All brown tan colors, seemingly innocuous but life threatening and bare. He took a swig of water and sensed movement to his left. A lone tree with sharp branches and no leaves stood on a rocky slope creaking in the hot dry air.

He better get a move on if he wanted to find some sort of shelter for the night. The thought of navigating the vast rugged terrain in the dark was a daunting one, but he’d make it out of here somehow, he had his wits and supplies to help him. He was going to survive.