Lifeboat

14. The Stare

Finally free of the trees, we came to a stop beside an outcrop of rocks. Gasping for breath, I kicked off my shoes once again and sank down in a heap.

"Oh, listen to me, there's no way I can go on anymore."

A serious cramp in my right side crippled my every step. Let alone the exhaustion. It almost made me think that the violation my body had been put through was finally settling its debt.

"This is as good a place as any I suppose." Dante stood in front of me, blocking the dappled sunlight.

"Do you never get tired?" My weary voice must have caused him to consider his response before jumping to the usual bitter volley of words.

"Yes. But not when there's danger." He  threw his backpack off, glancing around. "However, this looks like it'll be okay for a while."

"Well, let's all thank our lucky stars for that." I wasn't sure if he'd catch the sarcasm or not.

The overhang of the rock formation had given me the perfect, cool and shaded area to settle down. As I stretched out on the mossy ground, Dante surveyed our afternoon campsite with a keen eye.

I raised my arms, resting on my clasped hands, underneath my head. A sigh of contentment expelled from my chest. I felt safer than I had in a very long time with Dante around.

He, on the other hand,
scanned the woods, as ever on guard for the unknown. Or known as the case may be. He certainly seemed to know more about what was going on in this foreign section of the world than I did. Although, that wasn't something that I wanted spelling out to me either, despite what he may have thought. What was it to me? The only thing I had been aiming to do was to get through to an authority of some sort. Given the time to think about it, I didn't know if this would be such a good idea after all. Apparently, Dante had opened my mind to other, stranger options. Not necessarily comforting ideas of the strange world around me, but his insight gave me plenty to think about.

"Do you know where we'll be able to meet the officials?" I mumbled.

Dante sat down on the ground close by, but facing away with his back to me. He still seemed on edge.

"Yes. But I don't think that's the path you want to take right now."

His smug, know it all words of wisdom, thrown my way, were beginning to irritate me. I took in a deep breath and shook my head, grinding my hair deeper into the sandy ground.

"Could you possibly not speak in riddles to me just this once, Dante? All I want to know is if you are capable of showing me the direction I need to go, so that I can settle back into a normal way of life. That's all. It's hardly quantum physics."

He slumped over his crossed legs and I swear I thought he was starting to pray. But before I could gain the satisfaction of seeing him humbled, a shadow loomed over us, from above the outcrop of rock, and a deep voice which could only be Marco yelled out to us.

"Allora! Andiamo o non?"

Dante smiled as he shielded his eyes and looked up to meet his friend's face. "Of course, you big loser! Did they drug you and shag you senseless or something? Let's get moving, all of us."

Switching my gaze from man to man, I couldn't work out who looked happier, Dante for finding his friend alive, or Marco for rejoining his companion.

"Do you think they'll come after us?"

Dante held out a hand to help his friend down from the rock face.

"Well, I mean, do you think they'll still want to follow us?"