[color=0054a6]"Get back?"[/color] Tim was baffled. He hadn't once thought of getting back home since they woke up. He didn't know why, but it never occurred to him that they should be trying to get back home. [color=0054a6]"I'm sorry, I don't know why but the idea of getting back seems as alien to me as this place. I have a girlfriend, family and a good job, even a hefty savings account. I'm desperate to get home. But I can't get my mind off this place, the whole time I've been trying to figure out where we are and explore it."[/color]

Tim ran a hand through his hair. [color=0054a6]"If our ultimate goal is to get back home, shouldn't we head back to the beach? I mean, thats, thats where the portal or whatever dumped us out right? So wouldn't it make sense that if it was going to open again, thats where it would open? Not in the forest."[/color] Taking a deep breath he continued. [color=0054a6]"On the other hand what if it doesn't open again; or doesn't open for weeks or months or longer? Were almost half way, its still at least half a day to the forest and its getting dark. At the beach we have no supplies in the forest who know what we'll find but I think it'd be better than waiting at the beach for something that may never come. But, should we keep going or hunker down and wait the night out? Like you said Julius, nothing here to build a fire with, nothing for shelter or to lay on either, just sand. The day was rather mild, it's possible the night may be too. We  also don't know how long the night will be. Since this isn't earth there is no rule that says night time darkness has to last eight hours. It might be four hours or sixteen. We don't have any way of knowing. We can't even judge the day cycle since the sun was behind clouds most of the day. What do you guys think? Do you want to wait out the night or push through?"[/color] He asked stretching sore legs, unaccustomed to hours of walking.

After he mentioned the clouds and the barren desert nearly devoid of life, Tim felt a twinge of uneasiness. There was something more there, he just couldn't put his finger on it. His tie disappearing into the sand popped into his head and he couldn't figure out why. There was a puzzle here and he couldn't put the pieces together. He suddenly desperately wanted to get out of the desert but he didn't want to push the others into anything and wanted to hear their thoughts.