When the sun crested the horizon behind him, Aiden was so tired he wanted to drop. He needed to make shelter for himself or he would never survive another day in the desert. Fine blisters formed on his forearms and rose on his nose and cheeks.
He pulled himself to a halt to put his next stage of the plan into action. Aiden dropped to his knees and started digging. It was slow going. The ground, baked hard by the pounding sunlight, made the top crust an unyielding slab. He kicked and clawed at it and broke through. He expended so much energy in the effort, he was forced to rest and take a sip of his precious water reserve before he could keep going.
Under the four-inch crust of hardened soil was a soft, sandy layer, the same yellow as the surface, but powdered from lack of moisture. Aiden
