Runners Chronicles
One
“Brendon, just-no put your other leg up.”
Brendon falls to the ground with thud. His backpack spills open, and everything scatters around him. Ryan hesitates, watching a can of food roll away, and grasps Brendon’s arm, tugging him into a sitting position.
“You okay?” he asks, brushing dirt off Brendon’s shoulder.
“Yeah,” Brendon croaks, rubbing his leg. He looks up at the wall he just fell off of. “It wasn’t that high. I’m surprised no one’s jumped it before.”
Ryan gives Brendon a weak smile, and starts shuffling to collect their belongs. “Yeah, well…”
“Well what?” Brendon questions, and reaches over to hold the backpack open for Ryan.
Ryan glances at him quickly, and takes the backpack from him. “No one’s wanted to leave yet.”
Brendon tilts his head to the side. “It’s not that we want to leave, Ryan. We’re just looking for Spencer.”
Ryan drops the can he was holding. “Br-Brendon. Let’s just go before anyone notices.”
“Right,” Brendon says, and stands up. He takes the backpack from Ryan, and shrugs it over his shoulder. “Which way?”
Ryan stands up and collects his backpack. “I’m not sure. They the desert zones, right?”
Brendon shrugs. “I know just as much as you, Ryan.”
“Okay,” Ryan sighs. “How about we start that way, just to cross the horizon before the sun rises?” He points in the direction to his right, the west, and nods his head.
“But,” Brendon begins, “the sun rises in the east. Wouldn’t it be smarter to go on against the sun in the morning, than when it’s setting and we’re tired.”
“I don’t know. Spencer, what-” Ryan stops, and his eyes go wide. He stares at Brendon, and watches him blink repeatedly. Ryan takes a deep breath, and says, “You’re right, Bren. We’ll go your way.”
“No if you think that,” Brendon whispers, his voice shaking.
Ryan shakes his head no. “Shall we?”
Ryan starts off in the direction of the east, and looks back, motioning for Brendon to follow. Brendon adjusts his backpack and runs to catch up. For a while, hours Ryan thinks, they walk in silence. The cool night air bites at his cheeks, and Brendon keeps blowing air onto his hands. Their breath fogs in front of their faces, and Ryan notices Brendon’s shivering.
“I have gloves you can wear,” Ryan mentions.
Brendon looks over at Ryan, and nods his head. “If you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” Ryan says, and stops. He pulls his shoulder bag over his head, and opens it. After shuffling around for a while, he finally pulls out a pair of white half gloves. He holds them out for Brendon to take. “Here.” Brendon smiles gratefully and tugs them on.
They start up and keep walking again. Slowly, slowly, the sky begins to let up, and the darkness fades. Brendon starts humming, and Ryan gets so engrossed in the sound, in his thoughts, that when notices the sky again it’s bright pink.
“What time do you think it is?” Brendon asks, and hands the gloves back to Ryan.
Ryan bites his fingernail. “Maybe five in the morning by the looks of it. You getting tired yet?”
Brendon beams at Ryan. “We’re on an adventure! We have no time to be tired; Spencer’s not going to make it on his own."
Ryan sighs in relief because he doesn’t have the patience for much, especially Brendon when he starts complaining.
-
Brendon just plops on the floor, his knees buckling under himself in utter defeat. Dust picks up in clouds around him, and he wipes sweat off his forehead.
Ryan turns around to glare at him, clenching his fists at his side and letting out a dramatic sigh. “Hey, dirt bag. Get up.”
Brendon shakes his head no. “Nope. I’m done. I want to go back. I’m done. This is it.”
Ryan wants to scream because just three hours ago Brendon was babbling on about adventures. “You can’t just give up now! We still haven’t found Spencer!”
Brendon scrunches his face up. “But it’s hot.”
Ryan’s eyes go dark. “It’s the desert, of course it’s hot.”
“I’m tired,” Brendon whines.
Ryan storms over to him, kicking up dirt on the way. “Get. Up.” He pushes on Brendon’s shoulder, and yanks at the younger man’s t-shirt. He pulls it, as if pulling Brendon’s shirt would get the man to stand up. “C’mon, let’s go! We’re wasting time.”
Brendon’s face is in a shadow, Ryan’s body blocking the sun. He feels good in the shade, so he lets out a contended sigh.
“Brendon,” Ryan deadpans, gritting his teeth. “Get your fat ass up.”
“Give me a piggy-back ride,” Brendon counters.
“What?” Ryan asks, jaw dropping.
“Give me-”
“No, I heard you,” Ryan cuts him off. “I’m not giving you a piggy-back ride.”
Brendon digs his feet into the dirt. “Fine, then I’m going to take a nap.” He leans his body back, and settles on the ground, shutting his eyes.
After waiting to see if Brendon was kidding, Ryan kicks Brendon’s feet. “If you break my back...”
Brendon’s eyes pop open, still in the shade of Ryan’s body. His grin is wide. “Really?”
“Ten minutes, that’s it,” Ryan states, and he barely has time to prepare himself before Brendon is jumping on his back. “I hate you.”
Brendon falls to the ground with thud. His backpack spills open, and everything scatters around him. Ryan hesitates, watching a can of food roll away, and grasps Brendon’s arm, tugging him into a sitting position.
“You okay?” he asks, brushing dirt off Brendon’s shoulder.
“Yeah,” Brendon croaks, rubbing his leg. He looks up at the wall he just fell off of. “It wasn’t that high. I’m surprised no one’s jumped it before.”
Ryan gives Brendon a weak smile, and starts shuffling to collect their belongs. “Yeah, well…”
“Well what?” Brendon questions, and reaches over to hold the backpack open for Ryan.
Ryan glances at him quickly, and takes the backpack from him. “No one’s wanted to leave yet.”
Brendon tilts his head to the side. “It’s not that we want to leave, Ryan. We’re just looking for Spencer.”
Ryan drops the can he was holding. “Br-Brendon. Let’s just go before anyone notices.”
“Right,” Brendon says, and stands up. He takes the backpack from Ryan, and shrugs it over his shoulder. “Which way?”
Ryan stands up and collects his backpack. “I’m not sure. They the desert zones, right?”
Brendon shrugs. “I know just as much as you, Ryan.”
“Okay,” Ryan sighs. “How about we start that way, just to cross the horizon before the sun rises?” He points in the direction to his right, the west, and nods his head.
“But,” Brendon begins, “the sun rises in the east. Wouldn’t it be smarter to go on against the sun in the morning, than when it’s setting and we’re tired.”
“I don’t know. Spencer, what-” Ryan stops, and his eyes go wide. He stares at Brendon, and watches him blink repeatedly. Ryan takes a deep breath, and says, “You’re right, Bren. We’ll go your way.”
“No if you think that,” Brendon whispers, his voice shaking.
Ryan shakes his head no. “Shall we?”
Ryan starts off in the direction of the east, and looks back, motioning for Brendon to follow. Brendon adjusts his backpack and runs to catch up. For a while, hours Ryan thinks, they walk in silence. The cool night air bites at his cheeks, and Brendon keeps blowing air onto his hands. Their breath fogs in front of their faces, and Ryan notices Brendon’s shivering.
“I have gloves you can wear,” Ryan mentions.
Brendon looks over at Ryan, and nods his head. “If you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” Ryan says, and stops. He pulls his shoulder bag over his head, and opens it. After shuffling around for a while, he finally pulls out a pair of white half gloves. He holds them out for Brendon to take. “Here.” Brendon smiles gratefully and tugs them on.
They start up and keep walking again. Slowly, slowly, the sky begins to let up, and the darkness fades. Brendon starts humming, and Ryan gets so engrossed in the sound, in his thoughts, that when notices the sky again it’s bright pink.
“What time do you think it is?” Brendon asks, and hands the gloves back to Ryan.
Ryan bites his fingernail. “Maybe five in the morning by the looks of it. You getting tired yet?”
Brendon beams at Ryan. “We’re on an adventure! We have no time to be tired; Spencer’s not going to make it on his own."
Ryan sighs in relief because he doesn’t have the patience for much, especially Brendon when he starts complaining.
-
Brendon just plops on the floor, his knees buckling under himself in utter defeat. Dust picks up in clouds around him, and he wipes sweat off his forehead.
Ryan turns around to glare at him, clenching his fists at his side and letting out a dramatic sigh. “Hey, dirt bag. Get up.”
Brendon shakes his head no. “Nope. I’m done. I want to go back. I’m done. This is it.”
Ryan wants to scream because just three hours ago Brendon was babbling on about adventures. “You can’t just give up now! We still haven’t found Spencer!”
Brendon scrunches his face up. “But it’s hot.”
Ryan’s eyes go dark. “It’s the desert, of course it’s hot.”
“I’m tired,” Brendon whines.
Ryan storms over to him, kicking up dirt on the way. “Get. Up.” He pushes on Brendon’s shoulder, and yanks at the younger man’s t-shirt. He pulls it, as if pulling Brendon’s shirt would get the man to stand up. “C’mon, let’s go! We’re wasting time.”
Brendon’s face is in a shadow, Ryan’s body blocking the sun. He feels good in the shade, so he lets out a contended sigh.
“Brendon,” Ryan deadpans, gritting his teeth. “Get your fat ass up.”
“Give me a piggy-back ride,” Brendon counters.
“What?” Ryan asks, jaw dropping.
“Give me-”
“No, I heard you,” Ryan cuts him off. “I’m not giving you a piggy-back ride.”
Brendon digs his feet into the dirt. “Fine, then I’m going to take a nap.” He leans his body back, and settles on the ground, shutting his eyes.
After waiting to see if Brendon was kidding, Ryan kicks Brendon’s feet. “If you break my back...”
Brendon’s eyes pop open, still in the shade of Ryan’s body. His grin is wide. “Really?”
“Ten minutes, that’s it,” Ryan states, and he barely has time to prepare himself before Brendon is jumping on his back. “I hate you.”