Against The Sun

WKIL 109

AUTHORS NOTE: So this chapter is going to start hinting at some things that need a pretty heavy trigger warning. Nothing in depth, but it's pretty heavily insinuated, and the effects of this on characters will be explored in future chapters. I really believe in giving trigger warnings but also understand the potential for spoilers so please, if you want the trigger warning, read the comment attached to this authors note. If not feel free to read on :) 

Oh i also went back and edited the last chapter to change what Ghoul has nicknamed Gerard. He shall hence forth be known as Pretty Boy :P

As hard as Ghoul tried, sleep was not easy in the back of the van. The road was rough and bumpy, jostling them around uncomfortably. For the first few hours the inside of the van had been uncomfortably cold, the thin blankets not doing nearly enough to keep them warm, but now the van was suffocatingly hot, causing sweat to run down their necks constantly, their hair damp and plastered to their foreheads. Ghoul was used to extreme temperatures in the Zones and even he was starting to struggle, but Pretty Boy and the Kid were clearly not coping, their faces too hot and bright red.

Jet made sure they all drank from a big plastic bottle of water at regular intervals. The brother's grimaced at the sour tasting, chemically treated water struggling to choke it down for the first few hours but they no longer seemed to care about the taste, gulping at it greedily. It was a good sign that they would hopefully adapt to desert life more easily than some. Truly fresh water was a rarity in the zones and treated as such, only brought out on special occasions. Ghoul could count on one hand the number of times he had tasted real fresh water.

It was late in the afternoon when the van finally arrived in Tent Town. When the van pulled to a stop Ghoul flung the doors wide whooping at the feeling of the fresh air hitting his sweaty, uncomfortably hot skin. "Freedom!"

"Such a drama queen," Bunny laughed, turning to help the Kid down from the van.

Ghoul hurried to help. In the daylight it was clear to see how badly the brothers had fared shut up in the smothering heat. They were pale and clearly unsteady on their feet.

"How are you feeling?" Ghoul asked as he helped Pretty Boy down. His hand was clammy and shaking a little in his grip.

"I've felt better."

Ghoul reached up to Pretty Boy's neck, frowning a little when he jumped away from his fingers.

"Hey, I'm just checking your pulse," Ghoul explained soothingly. He reached up again and this time was able to feel along Pretty Boy's pale skin for his pulse.

"Am I good?" Pretty Boy asked weakly.

"It's a little weak, which is actually a good sign," Ghoul explained with a smile. "And you're sweating, so you probably have heat exhaustion, not stroke, which is preferable, trust me. Here, sit down."

Ghoul maneuvered Pretty Boy around to the shady side of the van where Bunny was attending to the Kid and sat him down carefully next to his brother.

"So are you all Doctor-y too like Bunny?" Pretty boy asked as he closed his eyes and rested his head against the van.