The Resistance

     Heat. Blistering, blood boiling heat. The unmerciful sun beat down upon my shoulder, my hair, dirty and oily was unable to deflect any heat that bore down on my neck. My skin stung and sizzled from the pressure of her weight, she press the itchy cotton of my top up against the raw brunt flesh that covered my upper back. The cotton rubbed and scratched, gouging in to my skin, making it weep causing me more pain.

The red, cracked waist land was just a deprived of water as we were, its surface as uneven and dry as the back of my throat. My feet hung loose at the end of my ankles, dust clouds puffed up around my filthy boots and then disappeared, settling back on to the ground. The small amount of dust that still hung in the air, along with the humid air its self, itched and irritated my already dry throat.

I struggled to bare the little weight that she was, her small young frame was curved over one of my thin shoulders like how I imagine a rolled up rug would. The small amount of weight that was hers could be carried by anybody but in this unbearable heat and the malnourished condition I was in, it would be impossible if not back breaking to carry her another yard. My bruised and blistered feet wobbled under my own weight but they shook like a tree in a thunder storm under hers.                                                                                                                  

I lay her down carefully on the red waste, taking off what was left of my shredded jacket and placing it under her head. Her face was as pale as a porcelain doll, as white as fresh untouched snow and her lips only a few shades darker but severely cracked, taking all of the beauty out of them. Her beautiful violet eyes were concealed behind pale eyelids that were closed, drawn like the heavy red curtains of an opera theatre I had read about in the history books.

She was so peace full and beautiful but at the same time she was frail and unattractive, I didn’t imagine that I looked any better but I still held out some hope that we weren’t such ugly ducklings. I dropped down next to her and brushed a few stray strands of hair away from her face, tucking them behind her ear. I pulled off my rustic walking boots to find that there was a hole in the left one, placing my hand inside my boot I pushed my index finger through the oval shaped hole, as I did this I let out a small sigh of disappointment. My farther had given me these boots and they had lasted me well.

I then looked down at my feet. From out stretched legs they looked small and lanky; my socked were stained with sweat and blood. I gently teased them from my battered feet to revile large blisters that mad my feet look like bubble wrap. A large bulge on the heal of my right foot was filled with a mixture of blood and puss, another on the ball of my toes was filled with some sort of warm clear liquid and on the sole of my left foot that was a beep purple bruise that swept the whole width of my foot. Utterly repulsed, I prodded them gently and winced at the shooting pain that ran through my foot to my ankles.

I looked at her pale complexion once more, a small breath escapes my lips, she was so still, so angelic. Tears started to form in the corner of my eye as I battled with the tiny drops of water I spoke in a rather shaky voice to her. “It won’t always be like this” I promised he as my words caught in the back of my throat  “I promise we will get there” I said trying to sound strong as the first of the tears rolled down my face. “We will find them” at this point the tears were unstoppable and my voice began to shake along with my hands “We will be safe again” She moaned and stirred, rolling over on to her side as she did this a small weak grunt escaped her chapped lips. “ssshhh, ssshhh, ssshh, its ok I’m here, I’m here” I brushed her fore head with my hand, she felt feverish  but then so did I. My head started to spin, I felt woozy and then nothing. Just black.