Step Into The Dead Zones...

".......A barely audible hiss accompanied the stealth shuttle's automated ramp as it kissed the desert floor, exhaling the conditioned air of PACED into the furnace outside. I was here. Finally. This was the one, the truly dreaded spot on the planet, a place barely spoken of except in hushed, chilling tales of the evil lurking within its vast, empty inferno. And "inferno" felt too mild a word now. Before me, the horizon dissolved into The Dead Zones. Not the tidy, segmented coordinates from my maps, mind you, but an infinite, shimmering canvas of scorched ochre and rust. The air itself wasn't just hot; it quivered with an unseen, predatory heat, blurring the distant haze into a distorted nightmare. No life stirred, not even the phantom whisper of wind. Just the harsh, ancient silence that felt heavier, far heavier, than any simple pressure anomaly could explain.
My eyes zoomed, calibrating for distance....."