More than the chilly rain caused the shudder that ran down my spine. Aside from feeling fevered, I was in the pajamas I normally went to sleep in. I seemed healthy or at least, uninjured.
Beyond the moldavite and patch of dirt were natural, rock-dirt walls about six feet tall topped by swaying grasses battered by the winds of the storm.
Had a meteorite hit Tombstone and flung me out of harm's way?
Confused, I shifted to my knees. I felt … weak. As if my muscles were having difficulty remembering how to walk.
That makes no sense! Frustrated, I climbed to my feet. One pocket of my pajamas was heavy, and I reached in to see why. My cell phone was there. Satisfied I could call for help, once I was out of the crater, I ventured onto the moldavite.
My feet sank into the soft glass, and I grimaced. Wobbling, I caught myself twice as I made my way to the edge of the meteor pit. Rain quickly filled my footsteps, leaving behind an eerie trail. I made it up the slope and over the edge of the crater before pausing at my second obstacle: the dirt wall that was my height.
Fevered and tired with the mild throb of an alcohol-headache, I leaned against the earthen wall standing between the prairies and me. It was much cooler than I expected, and I pressed my forehead to a flat stone for a moment. The rain was cold, and it felt good against my burning skin.
How did I survive being flung out of the city into the grasslands? I wasn't hurt that I could tell. The last thing I really remember was staggering through town with Carter.
Had he been thrown out of the town, too? What if he was hurt? What if my aunt and uncle were?
Someone's hand stuck out over the edge of the crater. I blinked, uncertain if I was seeing things or not. It was a strong hand, with a wide palm and long fingers. Definitely a man's hand by its size. What looked like a thick bone and leather bracelet was around his wrist.
I had been talking to Carter and then …
No. I had been dreaming of talking to Carter when a meteorite hit and flung me out of the dream and Tombstone simultaneously.
I shook my head. The series of events that ended with me in a meteorite made no sense.
First things first. Get out of this hole.
The man waiting with his hand extended spoke, his low voice barely above a whisper. Engulfed in trying to recall what happened, I didn't catch what he said and moved away from the wall.