Status: Active
Solemn Hour
4.
I bit my lip, "Nothing."
"Well, alright then." He smirked to himself, "Let's go."
We moved quickly through the tall grass; as quickly as it would allow us to move at least. I fell behind a lot, I couldn't manage to keep up with his tall stride for very long before my legs felt weak and I needed to slow down. I could sense his irritation every time my movements weren't up to par with his expectations. More than a few times he stopped to tell me I had to move quicker, there's no time to waste, keep up or be left behind.
Once more I fell behind, only this time I stopped completely. My muscles were screaming; we had to have been walking for five hours now. He walked a few more feet before he noticed the silence behind him.
"If you are going to give up just like that, then maybe you're better off back at Sanctuary, or maybe I should just leave you here on your own? You obviously have your pace made up." He spat, his back still turned to me.
I felt a sting in my chest, but it quickly faded and was replaced by a boiling heat in my blood. I marched painfully through the grass and whipped him around. He glared down at me.
I glared back at him and shoved his chest, "I've been following you for hours, only on the hope that I can trust you. And you think you can judge me by my lack of stamina? I've never been outside of Sanctuary. I've never had to walk for hours, with no break, with no food, and with no idea where I am. So instead of being so irritable and lashing out when I need a moment, maybe you should remember that I've made it this far without stopping. I think that's more than most people back in Sanctuary can say."I kept my voice low, but it was still some how aggressive. My breath came ragged and my face felt hot.
"Alright, Princess," He said smugly, "We'll take ten." He held my elbow and pulled me down to the ground. I sighed in relief as my muscles slowly loosened. I moaned as I lay back, stretching out my spine.
With my eyes closed I reached around, feeling for my bag. When my hand found warmth, I quickly pulled away, opening my eyes I saw it was Bryce's hand I had touched. His eyes were closed and he seemed somber and paid no mind to my touch. I sat up this time and found my pack, rummaging through it I found my canteen still mostly full of water. I drank deeply and savored the cool moisture.
"I never thought I'd appreciate water so much." I took another drink and groaned, satisfied.
I heard him laugh under his breath, "It's amazing the things you appreciate when you've gone without it for awhile. A drink of water, food, a warm touch.. A pleasant sight."
He reached for my hand, but retracted. "Sorry."
"It's okay." I said quietly. "How many of you are there?"
He looked at me confused, "There's only one of me Princess." He teased.
"And thank goodness." I mumbled, "I meant.. rebels.. You all don't travel, or live together?"
"Ah.. I see. Well.. Some do, but my mother, father and I were all on our own."
"And what exactly became of them?"
"My mother got sick, and my father dehydrated. About a month ago water was harder to find, water the Sanctuary hadn't contaminated at least. He made it look like he was drinking but really he was giving his rations to me."
"Contaminated? Why? And how?"
He looked slightly shocked, "You really don't know what they've been doing do you?" I shook head. "They take your sick, and take specimens 'for examination', but they're really growing cultures. Reproducing their diseases and spreading them into the water. Once they've taken what they need, they contaminate it, so the rebels can't get to it."
"And what will they do once it's all been contaminated?" It was incredible the lengths the Sanctuary seemed to be going at. It was sinister and inhumane.
"The last we heard from your grandmother was that they were working on a way to re-purify it, without the risk of disease remaining. Not all things are killed by just boiling it. A way of killing everything in it and sterilizing it"
"That's.. I can't believe it. I never felt right about the way things were in sanctuary, but I never would have dreamed they were doing things like this."
"I suppose it would be shocking to me too if I were being brain washed." I frowned and looked up, trying to take in the stars.
"I'm sorry, that wasn't necessary." I heard him mumble.
"No, you're right." I looked back over to him, "Are you ready to move?" I stood up and reached my hand out to him.
He got up on his own and smiled, "No, no Princess, you don't have to lift me up, that's my job to lift you up."
"I don't need to be lif-" I hit the ground with a hard huff. "What did you do that for?" He extended out his hand.
"Need a lift, Princess?"
I grabbed his hand and he yanked me up, "That doesn't count, you made me fall down." I walked past him and trudged through the grass.
A few seconds later I heard him call out, "It still counts, Princess."
"Well, alright then." He smirked to himself, "Let's go."
We moved quickly through the tall grass; as quickly as it would allow us to move at least. I fell behind a lot, I couldn't manage to keep up with his tall stride for very long before my legs felt weak and I needed to slow down. I could sense his irritation every time my movements weren't up to par with his expectations. More than a few times he stopped to tell me I had to move quicker, there's no time to waste, keep up or be left behind.
Once more I fell behind, only this time I stopped completely. My muscles were screaming; we had to have been walking for five hours now. He walked a few more feet before he noticed the silence behind him.
"If you are going to give up just like that, then maybe you're better off back at Sanctuary, or maybe I should just leave you here on your own? You obviously have your pace made up." He spat, his back still turned to me.
I felt a sting in my chest, but it quickly faded and was replaced by a boiling heat in my blood. I marched painfully through the grass and whipped him around. He glared down at me.
I glared back at him and shoved his chest, "I've been following you for hours, only on the hope that I can trust you. And you think you can judge me by my lack of stamina? I've never been outside of Sanctuary. I've never had to walk for hours, with no break, with no food, and with no idea where I am. So instead of being so irritable and lashing out when I need a moment, maybe you should remember that I've made it this far without stopping. I think that's more than most people back in Sanctuary can say."I kept my voice low, but it was still some how aggressive. My breath came ragged and my face felt hot.
"Alright, Princess," He said smugly, "We'll take ten." He held my elbow and pulled me down to the ground. I sighed in relief as my muscles slowly loosened. I moaned as I lay back, stretching out my spine.
With my eyes closed I reached around, feeling for my bag. When my hand found warmth, I quickly pulled away, opening my eyes I saw it was Bryce's hand I had touched. His eyes were closed and he seemed somber and paid no mind to my touch. I sat up this time and found my pack, rummaging through it I found my canteen still mostly full of water. I drank deeply and savored the cool moisture.
"I never thought I'd appreciate water so much." I took another drink and groaned, satisfied.
I heard him laugh under his breath, "It's amazing the things you appreciate when you've gone without it for awhile. A drink of water, food, a warm touch.. A pleasant sight."
He reached for my hand, but retracted. "Sorry."
"It's okay." I said quietly. "How many of you are there?"
He looked at me confused, "There's only one of me Princess." He teased.
"And thank goodness." I mumbled, "I meant.. rebels.. You all don't travel, or live together?"
"Ah.. I see. Well.. Some do, but my mother, father and I were all on our own."
"And what exactly became of them?"
"My mother got sick, and my father dehydrated. About a month ago water was harder to find, water the Sanctuary hadn't contaminated at least. He made it look like he was drinking but really he was giving his rations to me."
"Contaminated? Why? And how?"
He looked slightly shocked, "You really don't know what they've been doing do you?" I shook head. "They take your sick, and take specimens 'for examination', but they're really growing cultures. Reproducing their diseases and spreading them into the water. Once they've taken what they need, they contaminate it, so the rebels can't get to it."
"And what will they do once it's all been contaminated?" It was incredible the lengths the Sanctuary seemed to be going at. It was sinister and inhumane.
"The last we heard from your grandmother was that they were working on a way to re-purify it, without the risk of disease remaining. Not all things are killed by just boiling it. A way of killing everything in it and sterilizing it"
"That's.. I can't believe it. I never felt right about the way things were in sanctuary, but I never would have dreamed they were doing things like this."
"I suppose it would be shocking to me too if I were being brain washed." I frowned and looked up, trying to take in the stars.
"I'm sorry, that wasn't necessary." I heard him mumble.
"No, you're right." I looked back over to him, "Are you ready to move?" I stood up and reached my hand out to him.
He got up on his own and smiled, "No, no Princess, you don't have to lift me up, that's my job to lift you up."
"I don't need to be lif-" I hit the ground with a hard huff. "What did you do that for?" He extended out his hand.
"Need a lift, Princess?"
I grabbed his hand and he yanked me up, "That doesn't count, you made me fall down." I walked past him and trudged through the grass.
A few seconds later I heard him call out, "It still counts, Princess."