As the bell on the camel echoed through the golden sea of sand, stars began to light up the sky. Fahd gave his camel a gentle pat. Night had fallen. It was time to make camp.

It was just another ordinary day for the caravan, visiting a few settlements in the morning to collect goods and then heading toward their destination.

But Fahd felt uneasy. His camel, Cactus, was acting restless, stomping his feet and turning his head. Cactus had always been hot-tempered, even spitting at tourists during rides, but he had never behaved like this, except once.

That was before the doomsday, Fahd had led an exploration team into an unfamiliar area, where they were caught in a rare storm and lost their way. It was Cactus who led them out of the desert. Since then, he had been Fahd's most trusted companion.

Camels, unique to the desert, had been known as the "ships of the desert" for thousands of years. It was in their nature to carry people and cargo through the harshest conditions. But by the 21st century, they had become more of a novelty. Their role as transport had faded, and most camel caravans survived by performing and posing for tourist photos.

Fahd's father was one of the first to shift the business toward tourism. He took pride in it, though Fahd had little interest.

He always said he wanted to do something meaningful, yet spent most of his days riding around on camelback. From time to time, he worked as a guide for scholars or documentary crews exploring dangerous areas. The only part of the family business he cared about was tending to the camels. He loved them deeply.

His father passed away before the zombies came and civilization collapsed. He never saw camels reclaim their value. Now that fuel was a rare luxury, camels, needing only water and grass, could still cover miles of desert in a day.

At first, people came to Fahd asking to borrow camels for transporting goods or escorting tourists. Then, they offered to buy them at high prices.

But Fahd never sold a single one.

Now that he had found a true calling, he quickly formed a caravan. More than twenty camels marched day and night across the desert. He traded rides for supplies and opened flexible trade routes for survivors. His experience as an adventurer became key to his survival. Zombies roamed the sands, but the caravan had the skills to avoid trouble.

The real threat came from people.

The distant roar of engines echoed like a beast growling. Fahd’s face tightened. He quietly gripped the handle of his gun as Cactus let out a strange chirp. Fahd gave him a reassuring pat and led the caravan away, crossing dunes into their familiar terrain.

That was their ground. He and his camels knew every grain of sand, every slope, and every turn.

And if those intruders weren't smart enough, they would become nothing more than sand in this golden sea.