Approach the village, obviously.

*John trudged begrudgingly towards the village. The three women walked closely behind. The village was a distance away, and before, he was going to complain about how they stopped the cart too far, but now that he was walking towards the village, he understood why walking was a better idea. The sand was shifting endlessly under the pressure of his weight. No matter how lightly he tried to put down his foot, his foot would sink and the sand would reach up to his knees. He took a glance behind to see how the three women behind him were doing. The sand had barely passed the middle of their shins, and they weren't exactly controlling how hard they put their feet down into the sand.*

*About 15 minutes of walking, or rather in John's case, wading in the sand. They finally reached the village. The village looked rather decrepit and seemed to have fell into a state of disrepair.*

'Hello?' John croaked, apparently the lack of water in the air had gotten his throat rather dry.

*John cleared his throat and tried again.*

'Hello?' he said, his voice hoarse but audible this time. 'Anyone here?'

*John waited for a moment. The village was still and quiet, the only thing that was making any sound was the wind.*