Reaper ~ THG AU

Ch. 23: Water

"So..."

Acacius and I share an apple, sitting in the tree early in the morning. There's a bit of dew on leaves around us, making my mouth water. Acacius looks up to meet my eyes.

"She just walked by with nothing more than a spear?"

"Yeah. I was pretty surprised myself."

I finish my apple half, tossing the core before grabbing out my empty water bottle. Acacius eyes me, taking a bite off his own apple half as I stand. Finding a leaf with a lot of dew drops, I line up the lip of the bottle with the point of the greenery.

"What are you doing?"

"Collecting dew drops. It won't be enough water to quench our thirst, but it should help keep us alive.."

I gulp, the scratchiness in my throat causing me to clear my throat right after. It's almost painful. Acacius eyes the leaves around us before getting into his own bags. He grabs out both bottles he has, tossing his apple core to the side as he stands.

Silence fills us both as we work. Time passes with both of us focusing on collecting as many dew drops as possible before the sun is completely up and they're dried up. By the time that happens, we're both huffing and puffing from the lack of water.

"How much did you get?"

"Half a bottle...you?"

"A quarter." I cough, slipping back into my spot as Acacius watches me. "At least it's something."

"Go ahead and drink what you got. We need to get going and we won't make it far if you're passing out from dehydration."

"Look in the mirror, Ace."

I sigh, looking down at the little bit of water I collected. Acacius laughs, popping open his own water. He slips the empty one away before holding out his hand. I give him a confused look as he clears his throat.

"Hand over your water. I'll even it out so we're getting the same amount, okay?"

I don't argue, handing over the metal container. He pours a tiny bit of the water into my bottle, sweat dripping off his head. After a moment, he looks inside the bottles. He must have been satisfied, handing over my bottle without another glance.

"Drink up. We need to get going soon."

——

My head pounds, my lungs burning. My body aches as my throat itches. We're been walking for over four hours already, a much slower pace than the prior two days taking over. Acacius huffs beside me, reaching up to wipe away sweat.

The small amount of water we gathered this morning did little to quench our thirst. My limbs feel like mush, some of my curls sticking to my own forehead. A loud bang fills the arena, barely causing Acacius and I to jump this time.

"Who do think it was?"

"I don't know..."

I cough out, forcing myself to keep moving. Acacius does the same, his chest moving rapidly as he eyes the area around us. We haven't encountered anyone since the girl from 6 last night.

"Don't feel like sticking around to find out?"

"I don't feel anything other than that I'm beyond thirsty...." I wipe my brow again, my own breathing growing rapid from the lack of hydration. "Let's focus on finding water before our own cannons sound."

"Sure thing, Boss..."

He shoots me a smile, making me roll my eyes. We keep walking, desperately praying to who ever may be listening to help us find some before it's too late.