Page 1 of The Human Element (The Human Element Collection #1)
I’m falling.
I don’t have time to think of anything else before I slam hard into...sand?
Despite my eyes being closed, I can tell it’s bright.
Blinking several times, my eyes begin to adjust and I see it: I am in a desert.
To my left and right, there is nothing but sand as far as the horizon.
But as I turn behind me, I see them. The Giza Pyramids.
As a massive history buff I know them the moment they catch my gaze.
“Why am I here?”
Before being able to formulate a reason, my feet, on instinct, begin moving my body towards them.
I’m quite a distance from them now, and although I think the sand will give me problems, seeing as I’m barefoot, I am able to practically glide over the sand towards the middle pyramid with not so much as a stumble.
I am being pulled by this unexplainable force; I have to go to them. But why?
“You must open them.”
This thought erupts inside my mind, like it was coming from someplace else.
Or…someone. Open them? But that doesn’t even make sense?
Yet somehow, I know it’s the truth either way.
How I know-is the real mystery. After what feels like a lifetime passes, sand stretching for miles with no end in sight, I at last reach it- with a feeling of relief mixed with awe: the middle and largest pyramid of the three.
Standing just a couple of feet away from its exterior, I observe the stone directly in front of me. I lift my arm forward to place my hand upon it when before I could touch the magnificent structure, a thunderous crack causes me to jump, stealing my attention off to my left.
Up in the sky, I see a black blur hurtling towards me. Without a moment of hesitation, I sprint as fast as my legs can carry me over the difficult terrain, sand shifting uncomfortably beneath my feet as I try to gain footing and skid along the face of the pyramid.
Finally reaching the right side of it, and while attempting to catch my breath, leaning my back against the pyramid with a hand on my chest, I wait.
Finding some courage, I take a step around the corner to see the blur hitting the side of the pyramid with an impact that makes the ground shake violently, a large chunk of the pyramid comes barreling down.
The blur plummets into the sand, giving the earth another quiver.
The air begins to fill with dust from the debris and it blocks my vision from whatever has now damaged one of the Seven Wonders of the World right before my eyes. A massive sand cloud fills the air, and I quickly cover my mouth and eyes to keep from coughing.
As the dust begins to clear, I can finally see what caused such damage.
Thinking it was a missile, or a plane crashing into the pyramid-only to discover as the dust settles-it’s a man.
A man who just brought down a massive piece of an ancient creation that has stood the test of time.
But at closer inspection, this was no man…
My eyes first land on the large, black wings glistening in the sunlight.
Silky-looking, with hints of green that pop when they shift and move, my eyes then move to where the wings connect: a muscular body, heaving as he tries to regain his breath.
He stretches his arms into the sky, a bit sore, but otherwise unscathed from the impact.
How could he not have been killed from that fall? And what are with those wings?
Holding my breath, afraid one exhale could alert him of my presence, he looks at me, revealing his shocking emerald eyes.
Face chiseled, with near luminous silver hair that meets his shoulders and whisps playfully across his face.
A feeling of mesmerization and fear overwhelms me while I continue to watch him.
His eyes narrow, and although I’m still hidden behind the corner of the pyramid, all at once I realize I have been holding my breath for far too long and I have to exhale.
As if drawn by magic, my body vibrating all over, I step forward and reveal myself from the side of the pyramid.
Heart racing fast now, I keep my head down before bucking up the strength to face this terrifying, winged man.
Our eyes lock and the intense feeling from his piercing gaze reels me in like a helpless fish on a hook, until he finally blinks and I feel a release.
Breathing slowly, I again see the enormous wings extended behind him spanning the length of his own body.
He looks ready to attack or take off in flight.
After several moments like this, he seems to relax a little, finally realizing that I was no threat, slowly letting the wings fold neatly onto his back.
His eyes show a sense of urgency, and familiarity.
Yet there is no place I have traveled in my life that I have ever seen a man of his equal.
Confused, I continue to stare at him silently, waiting for him to say something.
But there isn’t a chance. Flashes of red and bright, white light crack in the sky above me.
The noise is so loud, I cover my ears, but the cracks continue over and over.
Dark clouds start to swirl in unison, blocking what is causing the light.
As if on cue, the figure’s wings whip back out and we meet eyes once more.
Before I can ask who or what he is, or what was happening here, he is shooting back up into the sky, swallowed by the swath of stormy clouds above.
The now damaged pyramid standing guard like a watchful companion, begins to shimmer and fade into nothing.
I reach out and try to bear my weight upon its rocky surface for support as the earth quakes again beneath my feet, but soon I fall to my knees as the pyramid disappears entirely—leaving nothing but a plume of dust lingering in its wake.
Staring up to the last place I saw the man, the final thing I see is the sky illuminated by a chaotic flurry of colors that fade into abrupt blackness.