North

North Chapter 4 / 6

Daniel woke at the first light of day, feeling too hot and too cold at the same time.

He felt damp all over; a combination of cold sweat and the morning dew that had coated his clothes and hair while he slept. The pain of his broken leg swept over him like a tide, endlessly crashing then receding as it throbbed in agony.

He was too hot.

He knew his leg was infected. He could smell the stench of rot through the bandages.

He was too cold.

He pulled the sleeping bag up to his chin, trying to stem the shivers that were racking his body.

He felt sick.

He felt thirsty, but he couldn't even think about taking a drink because he knew he wouldn't be able to keep it down.

No, he should save that and let Johnny have it. Johnny needed the water. Johnny had to save them both.

Johnny.

Johnny lay beside him, half under the sleeping bag, half sprawled face down in the dirt.

Daniel reached out under the sleeping bag and put a hand on his chest. He was still breathing. He wasn't dead. They could still make it. He just needed Johnny to wake up. He had to keep walking. He had to get up.

"Johnny," Daniel said, his hand still on his chest.

Johnny's hand twitched against the dirt. Dirty fingernails scraping against the dry mud.

"Johnny, I know you're not a morning person, but you need to wake up," Daniel pleaded, then he whispered, "Please don't make me shout. I know you don't like it."

Johnny twitched again, then a strange sound. Squeaking. Grating.

"Johnny?" Daniel asked, as he tried to figure out what the sound was. Johnny was grinding his teeth as he slept.

"Hey, if you keep that up your gonna break something, and I know you have dental now, but you don't want broken teeth," he said as he shook him gently.

"Johnny?" He asked again.

Daniel needed a way to wake him, and even though he knew it was a dreadful thing to do, to use Johnny's own fears and hallucinations against him, if he didn't get get him awake and on his feet it might be the end for both of them.

"Johnny, we're gonna be late for class," Daniel said, immediately feeling like an asshole. "Kreese is gonna be pissed, man."

Johnny's breathing picked up, like he was ready to start fighting something that Daniel couldn't see, and his twitching hands clawed against the ground.

"You know happens if we're late," Daniel said. He didn't know what happened if they were late for class, but from the way Johnny jerked his head immediately it had to be something bad, and now he definitely felt like an asshole.

Johnny made a keening sound, then the grinding stopped and he finally lifted his head. He edged away from the sleeping bag, shuffling across the floor until he came to rest a few feet away.

"You with me?" Daniel asked, and Johnny slowly nodded his head, still facing away from him.

"You sure?" Daniel asked.

Johnny finally turned, his eyes wandering the floor as if he was still in a daze.

"You don't look like you're with me," Daniel said, worried by the slightly glassy look in Johnny's eyes and the fact that he hadn't said anything yet.