It was worse than we’d imagined, even after having a bird’s-eye view during our descent. The sense of claustrophobia was something I hadn’t counted on in such a flat landscape, either. It ate at my nerves and rang alarm bells throughout my head. I felt a tangible weight settling in over my chest. It was difficult to breathe. The border of the white pillars wasn’t far from where we’d stopped to rest. It rose menacingly from the earth like the crooked teeth of a man-eating Titan. Each pillar stood nearly fifteen-feet tall and about three feet wide. Once we were close enough to distinguish the bodies, though, I barely noticed the pillars at all. How could I? Even the oddly appropriated features of the victims were recognizably twisted in agony. Aliens from corners of space humanity hasn’t touched outside the imagination of Lovecraft and a few equally sick individuals. The ones on the outskirts were still breathing, moaning, or sobbing softly for the most part, but their bodies were too weak to muster a cry for help.
