Arin walked down the path, the hot desert sun casting a long shadow in front of him. He sighed, wiping sweat from his brow as he placed his feet carefully along the rocky slope. The landscape of the Animas valley stretched in front of him, the river just below. As much as he hated New Mexico, he loved it here.

The creek beside him babbled along, the clear water running over smoothed out stones, plants growing along the waters edge in abundance. It always baffled Arin how much life a small stream can give to the desert. Even though there were plants all around him, Mesquite trees, cacti, nothing seemed as alive as the plants along the waters edge. They were blessed, he thought to himself. Their only worry was a rabbit picking too much at them, or the Spring thaws flooding their homes.

Arin, however worried in abundance. 2 days prior he had turned 18, a grim reminder of the future ahead of him. A future he did not want to face. The future brought uncertainty, and for an indecisive man uncertainty often meant stalling out. And most definitely, he did not want to stall out. Not like his father, and his older brothers.

His family had an awful reputation for being rather reckless, young, and well, washed up. Previously a big name in the town he was born and raised in, the Winchester name was tarnished by his father. The once proud company his great grandfather had fought so hard to bring up came crashing down, eventually filing for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. All thanks to his father.

If he did leave the desert he felt so confined inside of, and went on to college like he planned he would be the first to do so out of his 6 siblings. His 3 sisters, including his fraternal twin, were now married and settled down, despite being close in age to Arin. His 3 brothers were mostly highschool dropouts, with the exception of 1, who was now serving in the Marine Corps.

As he walked, something caught his eye.

A shine came from a nearby hill, a shine he had never seen before. And for some reason, the second the light caught his sensitive eyes he became transfixed. He stopped, and began towards it, climbing up the steep rock face without the same care he showed the much less vertical path before.

As he came close, there was an opening in the rocks. A cave mouth around 10 foot tall with a beautiful sapphire gemstone standing guard in the centre of the highest point. Arin swore he had never seen it before, but for some reason the new opening didn't strike him as odd. Infact, it felt entirely normal and homey. He gently stepped inside, reaching into his pocket and sliding out his busted up cellphone. He flicked on the light, casting the feeble beam around the cave.

Even though the sun was barely over the horizon, something was telling him to set up camp. This was as good a place as any, and if he needed anything he could always come back. But why would he need to leave? After all, it was a comfy place he felt, even if he couldn't quite see it. He swore though, every time he turned he saw a shadow flit from the edge of the light. A fleeting glance of something that dashed quicker than his mind could comprehend.

The cave felt alive under his feet. A gentle rumble, and pulsing in his soles gave him the impression of a heartbeat. But the was impossible, he was sure.

After around a half hour, Arin had sent up his sleeping role and a small fire, neglecting his tent. This was shelter after all, and the tent would only make extra time cleaning up tomorrow. He was returning tomorrow, at least he said he would. Though the way he felt now, that could become an entirely different story.

As the sun reached it's peak in the sky, shining directly down onto the landscape outside, Arin drifted into a dreamless sleep, his body sweaty and flushed.