It was the desert. Always the desert. High in the black sky hung the moon, the size of her thumbnail against the darkness. A cold wind chased sand across her feet. She shivered, pulling her cowl close around her upper arms.
Where was she? Jakku?
Rey turned in a circle, looking for anything that could be used to orient herself.
Nothing. In the distance all she could see was more sand. The rolling dunes spread out in an endless silent ocean. Above her, the sky was devoid of stars. There was only her, and the sand, and the moon.
Finn would come for her, wouldn't he? And Rose? And Leia? And Poe? And Chewy?
She had a makeshift family now. They wouldn't leave her alone in this place.
This is a desert. I know about the desert. Rey reminded herself.
The sun would be up eventually which meant she needed to find shelter. Taking note of the moon, she began to walk.
Every dune looked like every other- the same shape, the same height. The whispering wind erased her footprints almost as soon as she stepped out of them. She felt like she was walking in place. Even the moon hung unchanged in the sky, neither rising nor setting.
One foot in front of the other, she told herself. You're getting . . . somewhere. You just have to keep moving.
Where were the animals? The plants? Where were the stars?
She had been walking for hours but she didn't feel tired. She didn't feel anything except cold. Her heart started to beat faster, and her footsteps followed, until she was running across the sand. She would get tired soon. She would sweat soon. She would be thirsty soon.
"Finn!" Rey called, "Poe? Rose?! Where are you?".
They would come for her. "Leia! Chewy! I'm here!"
Her feet slipped in the cold sand. Rey fell. Pushed herself back to the feet, still calling and ran some more.
"ROSE!" Rey stopped running. She turned a frantic circle. Everything was the same. She was all alone. "FINN! POE! CHEWY! LEIA!"
She pulled her lightsaber from her belt and felt it sing to life. Holding it in the air, she waved frantically. Someone would see her. Someone had to see her. "POE! ROSE! FINN! LEIA! CHEWY! LUKE!" She struck out with the saber, slashing at the sand. It hardly stirred.
"FINNROSEPOECHEWYLUKELEIA!" She screamed, and again, "FINNROSEPOECHEWYLEIALUKE!" and again, "LIEALUKECHEWYPOEROSEFINN!" Sobbing, "PLEASE! PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!" She begged the moon, "Don't leave me-"