Endless

Part 6 - Capital

I approach the capital on weary legs. It feels like too long since I've been completely rested. Always sleeping with one eye open, listening for dangers that could approach from any direction regardless of the village, city or desert where I sleep. My home is the only place I can truly feel safe. Where there are people I can trust to watch my back.

The first buildings are getting closer. The ground is littered with fragments of black pavement that ooze heat. I can feel it when I come close to them, like giant coals cast into the desert as the remains of a dying fire. The large buildings dance in the shimmering air of the intense summer sun. I lust after the shaded ground kindly granted by the crumbling remains of huge concrete buildings. The sun is making its slow descent toward the horizon where the sand whips into the air. Tiny wind devil's dance in orange hues where the giant star kisses the dunes. There isn't much daylight left but the heat would pour from the hardened streets for some time after nightfall. The Mut's would become more active as the cool twilight settled.

I rest against the first building I reach. I take off my duster and let the shade work some of the burn from my skin. I let Charmeleon and Golduck free in a burst of light. They stretch their arms and legs and relax in the shade with me. Something about having your molecules broken down, stripped of electrons and stored in a tiny sphere must make their muscles a little stiff. I grab some water and food from my pack. Provisions are running low and unless I can scavenge something in this city, the journey back is not looking promising. There should be something to find here. Not many sane people travel to the capital, so it hasn't been thoroughly ransacked. Golduck drinks heavily from the canteen. She needs a lot of water. She has been sparing in the last few days but blasting the Sandslash meant she had to use some of the moisture from her own body, leaving her dehydrated. Charmeleon drinks sparingly, he is not as desperate for water, though he eats voraciously. Creating fire burns a great deal of energy that he can only replace with food.

I walk us into a building that remains mostly intact, protected on several sides by the buildings nearby. There could be Mut's but they could be anywhere, so this building is as good a choice as any. Thankfully I hear no scratching and see no droppings hinting at a nest. I walk up a couple of floors and place a few rusting chairs and intact wooden desks on the stairs, making it more effort than it's worth for any wandering Mut' to traverse.

Tonight we will rest. Whatever this place has to offer won't be going anywhere and I have no inclination to stumble through this Mut' infested death trap in the dark and cold. I find a small room where the walls haven't completed fallen apart and lay our thin blanket on the ground as a little softener over the concrete. It's cold nights in the desert that make me grateful for Charmeleon's ever-present tail fire. I lie down and my family lies with me. It still hurts to not see Scy defiantly keeping guard, ever-vigilant as the rest of us go to sleep. She always looked out for us, always so cautious.

My exhaustion is staggering, physically, mentally and emotionally. I feel like I have been pushing for so long, wading through molasses in order to find answers to questions nobody ever wanted to ask. I hope there's something in this city.

Sleep engulfs me before the sun has fully set.

~~~

I awake to quiet. The sun cascades through the window and though it hasn't reached me yet I see Charmeleon twitch at the light on his face. How he manages to keep his tail away from us even when asleep is beyond me. He looks so peaceful. Golduck, on the other hand, has a talent for putting new holes in my duster with her sharp claws. I slowly lift myself out of the jumble of limbs. Golduck doesn't stir but Charmeleon cracks an eye at me. He lethargically stretches out and walks over to a window as I pull what's left of our rations from my pack. I nudge Golduck and she sighs, but sloshing water next to her gets her attention. She drinks sparingly from the canteen.