Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Stones of Summer: Instinct ❯ Mid-Summer/18 ( Chapter 4 )

His back was littered with pockmarks I could only assume were from a childhood case of the chickenpox, and his ribs were well defined, a clear sign of malnutrition.
"Are you going to get in, or stare all day?" I feigned disinterest, picking at my dirt encrusted nails.
"I haven't a clue as to what you're referring too." He shrugged and dropped his hands to the button and zipper of his pants. I jerked back and covered my eyes.
"Keep your pants on you pervert!" He laughed and I blushed. It wasn't funny! I didn't want to see him naked!
"Oh relax, I've got boxers on, and any way, how would you expect me to go swimming in jeans?" I shrugged and turned away. I still didn't want to see him that close to naked!
"Aw, is someone body shy?" I cringed and flushed further.
"No!" I complained. 'Yes' my mind told me. He laughed and I scowled.
"Lass, I've already told you that yer' a horrible liar." I plopped down on the ground, ignoring him completely.
"Don't be a sour puss, besides, you should really take a dip, might get some of the filth off you." He chortled between words. I whipped around to glare at him, then returned my attention to the land in front of me.
"I think I'm just fine up here, besides I rather like my stink." The sound of sloshing water alerted me to his movements.
"Fine, suite yourself." In a movement I hope was discrete, I pressed my nose against my shoulder and inhaled. I didn't smell that bad...
"I saw that." I cringed and held my flaming face. Jerk! There were so many names for him but the only one I could say was jerk! I shrugged.
"It doesn't matter any way, it's not like I could go in if I wanted to, which I don't." The water splashed and made me that much more self-conscious.
"Why not? Can't swim?" He asked, tauntingly. I slouched down on myself some more and lowered my head in embarrassment. He laughed.
"That's it! You really can't swim!? After everything you've done, you're scared to get into a lake?" I twisted around to glare at him. I was momentarily distracted when I saw his jeans tossed over a rock. I squinted my eyes closed before regaining my thought and peeking them open.
"Don't tease me! Chris use to do the same thing all the time, and he never got me into the water!" I complained. He raised an eyebrow while attempting to float on his back.
"This is the boy you live with, right?" I rolled my eyes and huffed.
"He's hardly a boy at 26." He frowned and idly paddled in one place.
"You've got a crush on him." I wasn't sure if he meant it as a question or what, but my response was immediate.
"No!" A feeling akin to hatred and loneliness washed over me. "As if, all he ever does is tease and make fun of me." I hugged my knees and tried not to think of home. Despite the feelings I had, I still missed him unbelievably.
"Did." I glared back at him.
"What?" He continued to try and float on his back, sinking each time.
"All he ever did was tease you." I scowled and turned away.
I missed the normalcy of knowing I could count on him to be mean to me.
"Like that really matters, did or does, I'm still not getting in the water and I'm sure if I was at home, he would be teasing and torturing me about it."
Way shook his head and after plunging under then resurfacing he smiled at me.
"Has no one ever told, that's what boys do when they like someone. They pick on them and are mean to them, just so they can get that person's attention." I pursed my lips and then smiled.
"Oh? Is that so?" He grinned at me, he was waiting for my next question.
"Does that mean you've got a crush on me? All you are constantly doing is teasing." I laughed with him this time.
"Maybe, but I don't think you're ready for that." My mouth snapped closed so fast my jaw cracked. It had been fine until he had said that I wasn't ready for 'that', whatever it was. The point being, he was calling me young, immature. I stopped talking to him, stopped looking at him. He would catch the drift soon enough that he'd made me angry. He wouldn't bother apologizing though. He was getting to know me too well. I needed human contact or I would lose my mind. The sun beat down on us and I knew I was going to burn, but so was he, twice as bad.
"Get in the water Jance." I shook my head and wrapped my arms around my knees. I heard the splash and drips that water made when someone had gotten out of it and it was running of them.
"Don't worry lass, I've kept you alive until this point, there'd be no point in lettin' you drown now." I glared at him and puffed out my chest, trying to make myself look bigger.
"Over confident asshole. What makes you think I would trust you anyway?" He chuckled lightly, touching my shoulder with his wet hand.
"You have already, why not now?" I scowled having been caught in my own moves. A battle waged within me. I wanted to cool down and freshen up, but I was terrified of the water. I always had been, I don't know what started it, but I couldn't remember a time when I wasn't scared to go swimming.
I stood and left. This fear would never leave, of that I was sure.
The further we traveled the hotter it started to get. At least we were sure we were headed south. The ground grew drier and the sky brighter. We baked and burned, day in and day out. It didn't matter that our skin had simmered to a dark golden brown after all the time spent in the sun so far. We burned. I don't know how long after the lake incident both Way and I came down with sun poisoning. We lay in what little shade we could and puked whatever was left in out guts out. For days, all I could think of was the acid burning my throat, the shivers that wrecked my body and the headache that left me nearly immobile. We took turns fetching water, but wouldn't dare stay too long in fear of animals coming to drink from the small river and the reflection of the sun's rays off the surface.
"I blame you for this." I complained after helping him to drink from the bowl. He had it so much worse.
"You are your damn swimming. Don't listen to me, I'm just the one who can still feel her back." He attempted to glare at me, but it was halfhearted. I let him have most of the shade provided by the sparse trees and soaked strips of my sweatshirt in the water to lay across his back where the skin was blistered and red. He groaned in pain but otherwise kept quiet.
At least he wasn't a horrible patient. If he kept this quiet all the time, I might be able to put up with him.
When the worst of the symptoms passed we moved on. Our skin peeled in layers and I felt like a reptile. It had become our favorite pastime.
"Ew...." I groaned as a pulled a layer the width of my shoulder blade and twice as long off. I held it away from me with two finger tips and grimaced.
"This isn't ever going to get easier is it?" Way didn't answer me, too busy trying to pulled a wad off his own back. I felt my stomach revolt as I watched him do it. I jumped up and leaned behind a rock as I spit up.
I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand and pressed the other to my eyes.
"I don't know how much more I can take of this..." I murmured to my hand. Straightening out, I moved my hand from my eyes to my forehead and swiped the sweat away. A burning sting was the consequence of the action. I wrinkled my forehead and sauntered back to the fire.
"You'll be fine." He growled, glaring up at me. I gave him a light glance before looking to the sky.
"I wish it'd rain. This heat will be the death of us." My eyes burned from the intensity of the bright sky, forcing my to close them. I heard him shuffle, opening my eyes just in time to see his hand come around and smack the back of my head.
"We'll be fine." He growled again. I rolled my eyes and did my best to ignore him as he wandered off. Curiosity got the better of me. He was out of sight by the time I spoke up.
"Where are you going?" I turned and found him gone, yet heard him reply.
"To cool off." He was just going to burn again. I twiddled my thumbs, the curiosity eating away at me.
"I'm just gonna' go warn him about getting sun poisoning again." I was jumping up and around before I finished speaking.
'Yeah right, just keep telling yourself that.'I grinned and trotted to where I knew he would be.
The river came first into sound and then sight. The rush of the rapids was far down, but they still racked my chest with fear. Way was immersed up to his waist and I didn't need to look around to know I'd find his jeans hanging on some bush or tree.
"Are you going to actually come in?" I glowered at him and sat a distance from the water. He shook his head, water spraying around, and looked entirely like a dog, except for the fact that he was, ya' know, like completely underweight and peeling from head to toe.
"What are you think?" I grinned and his suspicious face.
"just comparing you to a mangy dog. At least you have the flea bites to match." My grin grew wider as he self-consciously scratched one of the said bites. We were both covered in them, along with a number of other bug bites.
I hugged my knees and stared of into space.
So completely absorbed was I that I didn't see Way advance on me. I was only made aware to his presence when he blew lightly into my face. I jerked back, falling onto my back, still staring up at him.
"Yer' starin' off again." I grumbled, sitting up and pushing him away with a hand to his stomach. He stood back and stretched out. His skin stretched painfully over his ribs, collar bone and hips bones. The skin across both hips was dry and scaly. I rubbed my eyes and buried my face in my knees to hide the blush.
"Let's go Jancy, you can't be scared forever." I bit my lip and pressed my nails into my skin.
"Why not?" Why couldn't I? Some people were scared of things their whole life, like never getting on a plane in fear of it crashing...
"Because we can't be scared. Your fear will hold you back, it will be your death." I shivered and moved away from him.
"Don't say things like that. It isn't funny." I had survived thus far, a bit of aqua-phobia wasn't going to kill me, at least it wouldn't be the first thing to worry about, not out here anyway.
"I wasn't trying to be funny." I settled my gaze on him, studying his face and eyes. Surely he was trying to get a rise out of me. It seemed like he was always trying to do that whenever I got depressive.
He stared at me as well, though what for I wouldn't know. I didn't want to be scared, it wasn't as though I liked being scared. I just was, there was no getting around it. But I could try. And like he said, it was holding me back. What if a crazed animal was chasing me and my only way out was through a river or lake. I would die! I would either drown or be attacked. I glanced to the lake and back at him with apprehension.
"You'll make sure I don't drown?" He smiled and nodded.
"I'll hold you, you won't go anywhere." I glanced at the water again, shivering despite the heat.
"Promise?" I couldn't trust the water, but I could trust Way, right?
"Promise." I nodded but just stared at the water. Could I do this? Was I ready? Of course I was! I wasn't about to give up, to coward out. I had gone through everything up until this point, what was a bit of water?! I buried my head in my lap.
"Just give me a minute." I whispered. "I've gotta build up the courage. Get back in, it may help me get over it quicker." Truthfully, it wouldn't, but I hated having him stand over me like he was. He moved without complaint and I was trying to stamp on my fear with deliberate failure. I didn't want to give this fear up. It was one of the few things left of the old me. One of the few things that my family would recognize if I returned home. Chris had picked on me from most of my natural born life for this fear, mom always comforted me and dad would just smile and pat me on the head when I cried about it. I didn't want to lose who I was.
"Turn around, I don't want you peeking." He rolled his eyes, giving me a look of humor.
"Really? I hit it dead on with the shyness? Yer' gonna' be in the water, I'm going to be holding you, and you don't want me to watch you take yer' clothes off?" I nodded and turned my finger in a circular motion to mimic what I wanted him to do.
"It's the principle of the matter. Now turn." I hissed. Rolling his eyes once more, he did as I asked, turning. I watched as the water sloshed against his lean stomach and starved-looking back. I could clearly see where each of his ribs were, and his spine too. I pulled one arm out of my t-shirt, not letting the garments slip from where it was. When both my arms were out I pulled it over my head and crossed my arms in front of my chest. I didn't think I could do this.
'Yes you can.' My stomach knotted intensely and if I hadn't already been sweating, I would have started now. I toed off my shoes and peeled my socks off. The one still held the vomit stain on it, but it had collected a few others with it. There was mud, and blood and sweat. I rolled them together and stuck them in one of my shoes so they wouldn't get lost. I unbuttoned and unzipped my shorts. I was really going through with this? In my head I knew I would probably die of a heart attack sooner than I would drown, yet my heart thrummed unevenly and my breath hitched.
Still, my hands went unstopped. I stepped out of my shorts and took tiny baby steps toward the shore.
"Can I turn around yet?" I bent my knees in tight and squeezed my arms around myself tighter.
"No-" He waved his hand over his head to tell me he was just joking. When my toes touched the water, I gave a startled inhale.
"What's the matter?" I gasped out in amazement.
"Sorry, it just was warmer than I was expecting." That made me a bit more comfortable. My nightmares when I was younger were about drowning in the unforgiving cold depths. Warm water might be able to trick my mind into thinking that it was a tub or shower. I inched further in with my eyes closed, within a foot of Waylen. The water crept up my calves, then thighs and goose pimples broke out all over my skin.
I held my breath the entire way.
I stopped moving when I felt Way's back pressed against my forehead. I exhaled heavily onto his skin and it was his turn to shiver.
"Can I turn around now? Or do you just want to stand like this all day?" I frowned. He turned any way, staring me up and down.
I blushed and shook my head.
"See, that wasn't so bad, now was it." I bit my lip and looked everywhere but to him.
"Come on now, a bit deeper." He took hold of my arms and pulled me along with him as he backed into deeper water. My heart thundered and begged me to be kind to it.
"How old are you?" I asked on an impulse, in an effort to rid myself of a peculiar emotion rising in my stomach akin to nausea. I closed my eyes against the heavy weight of the sun and instead focused on my breathing. We were laying out on a rock to dry, our clothes spread around us, drying yet not nearly as fast. I had convinced Way that the river had more use than just swimming. I don't think I'd ever completely trust the water, but this was a start.
He leaned away from me and raised an eyebrow.
"Why? You got somethin' against certain age types in partners?" What was he talking about? I shook my head this time and leaned back.
"What? No, You just got me thinking. Before, when you called Chris a boy," He frowned and pursed his lips. "I was thinking that, before I left, home I mean, it was two weeks till my birthday. It obviously passed I don't know how long ago, but I was just wondering how old you were." He shook his head and softly rubbed my arm up and down with the back of his hand as if to rid my skin of the raised bumps that prickled over me in my sadness.
"32." I nodded, pondered a bit on how long ago my birthday might have been then smiled.
"I think I'm 18."
"Who will take my place..." Sleep had nearly claimed me, but the soft lyrics coming from across the fire had grabbed my attention.
"When I'm gone, you'll need love, to light the shadows on your face." He hummed the tune a bit. He wasn't actually singing per se, more like speaking slash whispering
"Between all this sand and stone, could you make it on your own?" How was it possible to think of a song that encompassed everything you were feeling? Trying to think of one only made me recall the songs my parent's team would sing around the campfire. I didn't know the song he was singing, then again, I couldn't really hear him.
Without really meaning to, I sat up.
"Lass?" I couldn't just lie back down, he would think I was crazy. So instead I stood and shuffled to where he had sat up. I wrapped the deer's fur around my shoulders tighter even though it wasn't even close to cool this night.
I shuffled down next to him, falling back into a doze on my stomach.
It was silent for some time.
"If I could, then I would, go wherever you will go..." I felt some hair brushed back off my face.
"I'll find a way to guide you, through the darkest of your days..." I was right, I didn't know this song. Not saying much, I didn't know many songs. No radio.
"...runaway with my heart, runaway with my soul, runaway with my love..." From what my sleep frazzled brain could gather, it was a song about a person dying or leaving, and hoping there is someone there to take care of their lover, yet they aren't really dying or leaving, cause they'll always be there, wherever the lover goes. How confusing! Did Way have a lover he was missing? I'm sure he had family, just like me, that was wondering where he was, and if he was alive. Rescuers must have recovered the plane by now.
"If I could turn back time..." Sighing, I shifted my shoulders to knead the ground. It was awfully lumpy.
"What's her name?" Sleep was close, but I wanted to know who he sung to.
"And I thought you were sleeping." I smiled into the dirt.
"I am. Besides, would that have made you stop, singing I mean?" For a long time there was only the crackle of the fire, the slowness of our breaths and the life all around us. Twisting, I peeked at his face to see if he fell asleep.
He was staring at the stars. I turned back around.
"Did you fall asleep-"
"These stars almost feel alien to me. I feel like we're in another world, all by ourselves."
I hummed quietly.
"These stars are my home. I've been raised in the wilderness of China, remember?" I flipped over, pointing at a collection of stars, telling him that we were in the 'White tiger of the west' and that we were looking at Kui.
At some point, one or both of us had fallen asleep. I woke with my hand idly sifting through the overly warm ashes of a burnt out fire. Humidity was thick and I was pushing my fur, an Way's arm, off me in an effort to cool down.
I realized that I wasn't going to get much cooler short of striping so I stretched out along the ground. My shoulders cracked and my knees ached. What I would kill for a bed!
"Start the fire." A grunt came from the flopped out man next to me.
"Why, it's hot enough!" I whined yawning. He turned toward me with a glare.
"You want to eat?" My stomach answered for me. I grinned.
He grunted in agreement, twisting onto his side for more rest.
I rubbed the deer skin between my fingers, marveling at the feeling. Way had given it to me, sort of, a few nights ago when the weather as the sun went down got cooler and cooler. A few days passed when we decided to head in the opposite direction. It was only getting colder this way and that meant we were going north. We needed south, we needed to find somebody, maybe even my parents. I had fallen asleep by the fire as I did many a nights and woke in the predawn hours with frozen, aching ankles yet found the rest of me warm and comfortable. Well, as comfortable as one could possibly sleeping on rocks. Apparently, Way had skinned the first deer I had caught and had been hiding his little project form me the entire time. Showed how observant I was.
I didn't question him about and he didn't bring it up
We were off and moving again. I don't think it was necessary to keep moving now, I was sure we were well out of reach of those natives, I guess we did it out of habit. Maybe we did it out of hope of finding someone, something, anything.
We walked side by side, our feet crunching the ground every few seconds along with the scrape of the stick he used to bear the brunt of some of his pain. I stared at his leg as we moved.
"We'll need to hunt tomorrow morning, stay a few days at the next site, let you build your creepy little statues, and rest-" I leaned over and puked on to the rocks beside me. I wiped my mouth but stayed bent over. I could feel my stomach churning.
"I wish you would tell me when you're feeling sick." Well, guess what? It had never stopped. But I wasn't about to tell him that.
"I wished you'd tell me when your leg makes it too painful for you to go on." He grunted and I responded in the like. My stomach clenched painfully as more stomach acid was forced out of me. I just spit up murky liquid, yet the heaves were strong and violent. My stomach seemed to think that was enough torture for now. Once more, I wiped my face, this time on the hem of my shirt. Way pulled my face toward him and tugged my bottom eye-lid down.
"Yer' dehydrated." I shrugged him off.
"It's the heat." I brushed off his hand when he placed it on my forehead. "Let's keep goin'."
I really hated roots. I mean hated, with a passion, roots. I hated the taste, the texture, the way they made your teeth feel grimy, and the color they made your mouth.
That's why I sat hunched over between two rocks gnawing on a brown root, staring idly out at the distance.
"Here." He tapped my shoulder with a bowl of water as he hobbled over to sit. I took it and nodded my thanks, now staring balefully into my reflection. My face was grimy, brown and sweaty. Wisps of hair had escaped my ponytail, hanging around my face which looked hollow and thin. He slurped from his own bowl and hissed when he stretched his leg out.
"You know, yer' leg has been hurtin' for a while. I don't think it was just sprain-" He cut me off with a smack to my own leg. I rubbed the sore spot and pouted. What was that for!?
"I know well that it wasn't just a sprain, I didn't want to worry you, or the others." I stared him, not fully understanding what he was saying.
"It was broken, probably in more places then one." I smacked my own cheeks to gather myself. I was still didn't quite grasp what he was telling me.
"You mean, you've known the entire time! And you never splinted it?! What the hell is wrong with you!?" He seemed to not hear me and just continued to gaze off into the landscape. I pressed my lips together and tried not to smart off. My thoughts ventured off to the rest of our team, wherever they were. I hoped with all the strength in my heart that they had found a way out of that storm alive. My gut told me otherwise.
I glanced at him and realized he had been staring at me.
"What?" His mouth turned down at the corners making him look pensive. His eyes seemed to focus finally and he leaned forward.
I wasn't prepared and nearly vaulted myself away when he leaned in and kissed me. It was over before my brain could restart and I think I stopped breathing. We stayed like that for I don't know how long, just watching each other. Finally, as if given a cue, we both turned away and watched the shadows grow across the vast distance. I gnawed on my root some more and then stuck it close to my nose and smelled it. It smelled of an over ripe sock. I wrinkled my nose and put the vegetation down. Crossing my arms over my knees, I swiped across my teeth with my tongue.
"I hate roots." I grumbled. He chuckled and then got up to start the fire, patting me on the head as he went past.
Morning came faster then I would have liked. I was still tired and ached terribly. Standing and stretching, I was instantly reminded that my stomach was still on revolt. I had just enough time to bend over and move a step before I let loose what I had left of 'dinner'. I wrapped my arms around my stomach as it seized violently though nothing actually came up. I briefly became aware of Way's hand on my back before another series of heaves over came me. Once they were through, my legs gave out and I collapsed in a shaking heap of pain and fear.
"Why isn't this going away?!" Besides the acid that coated my mouth and throat, the panic with its slightly coppery taste was there as well. He had gotten the worse burn, why was I still sick?! It was all I could do to lock my elbows to hold me up. The gags reeked havoc on my already fraying nerves. My bottom lip was pinched sorely between my teeth and the edge of the bowl when Way thrust it forward. I swished the liquid around my mouth than spit. It was better than nothing. The bowl returned to my mouth and this time I swallowed the cool drink. It soothed my throat some what but felt like daggers in my stomach. I leaned over, puffing out air, working to keep the water down. It stayed put and the feeling passed.
"You may have food poisoning." He whispered and I groaned. I sat up and nearly fell back over, grasping tightly to whatever was closest, Waylen's arm. My vision settled and I took multiple deep breaths until I felt steadier.
"Why only me then? Why not you too?"He shrugged. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I wouldn't wish this on even my enemies, not that I have many of them, but this is really killing me." He brushed the hair out of my face.
"It really is." I held tighter to his arm and hunched over as another wave of pain forced the water back out. I stared down at the murky brown liquid in confusion. Brown?
"Here, drink some more. Yer' already dehydrated, that probably isn't helping any." I took the proffered water and panted with the effort of keeping it down. My stomach clenched and cramped painfully, forcing me to grimace and tears to form in my eyes.
"It was never this bad!" I cried out. It wasn't fair! Way just brushed his dirty finger tips through my hair again.
"That may mean that this is the peek and it'll get better and better from this point on. Stay strong, you'll get through this." A fierce cramp stole my breath and I fought not to spill my guts. With the amount of heaving I was doing, I wouldn't doubt it if my organs started to come up, in fact I was waiting for it.
The day passed slowly in this fashion. I slept when I could, and normally woke to vicious cramps or vomiting. Waylen made several trips to get water and I decided that we needed a better way to carry it than bowls.
Night moved in on us and Way forced food down my throat after mashing it up until it resembled grits than root pulp. I was thankful for that even if it did still taste bad.
I was hesitant to eat but Way convinced me after threatening me with a picture of what would happen if I didn't. He told me that I was starving to death because of this illness and that I would be dead in a few days if I didn't force myself to eat. I didn't need to be told twice. I would eat dirt if I had to, I wasn't going to die, not like this anyway. I planned on dying in some way that was out of my control. I sealed my lips tight when I thought of this. Way would have beat me to within an inch of my life for thinking such a thing, but it was true and it was what was keeping me moving, day in and out. If I could affect the out come, it wasn't going to kill me.
We moved around as best we could while we were both in states of disarray. My nausea didn't really pass, although it got lighter and Way's burns never fully healed, leaving red scarring welts across his back. We each spoke as little of death as we could and what we would do when, if, we ever returned home. That conversation didn't last long, the memories too hard to handle. It was impossible to picture what our lives would be like after all this was over because we both didn't think it would ever end, not unless we died. And to avoid talking of death, we avoided anything that would lead to the topic. There was little we could do. We spent ours days, however many there was that had passed, walking and talking, hunting, eating, and swimming. I still did not trust the water enough to go deeper then my thighs and after an afternoon swim when the swift current pulled me off my feet, I was leery to make any efforts in learning. That same incident filled my lungs with water and I was sure I would have been swept further down stream if Way hadn't caught me first. My legs were riddled with the bruises from the smooth river stones and boulders. My luck couldn't get any worse.
The day was wearing on as the sun started to slip belong the horizon and I was hoping the epic heat would go with it. Of course it didn't.
"We'll move just a bit further, then settle down." Way sighed. We were standing by a small band of trees with thick coarse grass lining the ground in bunches. It almost looked like over grown crab grass. I leaned down and stretched my back out. My muscles were hating me right now. Actually everything and anything was hating me right now. That didn't even make sense, but I knew it was true.
I yawned, my lips cracking and bleeding. I touched them lightly with my fingertips and stared at the brown-y red color of my blood.
SNAPCRUNCH!
Way's sudden screaming had me jumping away and around. I skidded along the ground until I was facing him. It took my a second to actually see him. He had dropped to the ground and was clutching at his leg, screaming mercilessly. I covered my ears and squatted down. Eventually he stopped and tears poured from his face which was red in anguish.
Carefully, I knelt down next to him and brushed my fingers across his forehead.
"Way? What'sa matter?" I whispered. He exhaled heavily and shortly through his mouth, keeping his eyes clenched closed.
Well if he wasn't going to tell me, then I would find out myself. I dropped my hand to his leg and allowed my fingers to slowly move lower watching his face.
He moaned in pain at the exact time my fingers were stopped my an obstruction. I whirled around, disbelief running through my frightened heart.
'A cat trap!' A tiger trap? Out here?
"It must have been set up by a village, which means we're close to one." Panic swept through my veins, taking control of my emotions.
"We need to get you out of this." I attempted to pry the metal contraption off of him, only creating a larger wound. Sweat drenched every inch of me and I was sure Waylen as well.
"I have to go get help. We can't do this on our own." I pushed to my feet, my hands and shins covered in a fine dirt.
"You don't go anywhere!" He grabbed his leg harder while grimacing. I sat back down and wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Relax. I won't be gone long. I'll find the nearest village and get help, you'll be fine." I squeezed his arm as I kissed his temple.
Jumping up, I took off at a run.
"Don't...leave! We stay together!" It pulled at my chest to hear him in such pain and fear, but I would not be scared. I would find help. If the trap was here, a village had to be close by.
"I'll be back soon!" I turned to look at him from over my shoulder. His jaw was clenched tight and he was red in the face. His brow was clouded in pain and his hunched form was shaking.
'I will find help!'
Just before I made to turn back, his eyes met mine.
I shivered with the finality in them.
He was accepting this as the end. Fear welled within in me, filling me up quickly. I ran back to him, dropping to my knees before I even stopped. I kissed his lips with all the harshness in my body, pouring everything we had been through into it. When I finally pulled away, I yanked on his hair, pulling it meanly.
"You don't give up! Don't give up! This is not the end!" He looked into my eyes and I could see the pain so severe he wanted to die. I ran my fingers across the plains of his face.
Could he read the desperation in me?
"Live for me if not for you." We stayed like that, foreheads resting on one another, breathing in each others labored breaths, each waiting for something.
It seemed as if we were each consumed by our own thoughts.
I pulled away.
Just a viciously as I had, he got a grip in my hair.
"Kiss me again." He tried to force our lips together but I resisted. Instead of kissing him, I spoke, our lips brushing ever so slightly.
"When I return, you can have all the kisses you want." Slowly, almost lingeringly, his hand dropped to lay uselessly on his lap.
He didn't return my gaze.
Once more, I wiped my fingers over his face,wiping sweat from his eyes and forehead and caressing his cheeks and lips...
"I will be back soon. Have faith in me." I whispered to him before standing and taking off, letting the instinct in me conserve energy any way it knew how. My breathing became longer, my feet padding along the ground at the bottom of each exhale.
"Jancy! Lass, I love you!" A smile sprung to my face but turned down quickly. The weight of my task was much too heavy for a simple smile to aid.
I pushed myself faster.
I was racing against nightfall. I was pushing myself with the sun, using it as my guideline. I looked around for any sign of a village of people and at last came upon something. A shrine, with dully shinning glass jugs standing in a row, the last rays catching them at an angle, making them blaze in the darkness, like beacons. I settled down at the front of it, bowing my head to my knees.
I didn't know what god with was in honor to, but I would pray all the same. I needed a miracle.
I pressed my forehead to the ground and closed my eyes.
'Whoever is listening, hear my pray. Guide me in my journey secure my place in the future. Save Way from the pain he suffers and aid him in the struggle he faces.' My kissed the dirt, pulled my blade from my waist band and sliced a lock of my grimy hair off, placing in front of the bottles. Bowing once more, I slowly raised to my feet. I felt all of my aches and pains so much more greatly as I gazed at the burning red of the ray-less sun balancing on the edge of the world.
But I had faith that whatever gods were listening would not fail me. I was not a religious person, nor did I think I ever would truly be one, but I had been dealt a shitty hand so far, they owed me.