But Love Is Overrated Anyways

Chapter 24: But He Knew

"I'll take the first watch," Phil had decided the previous night. Dan could only nod, and curl up with his head on Phil's lap. Their bags were on either side of them, with most of their provisions and their tents, but neither had enough energy to move to get them. Phil rested his head against the tree behind him, his Adam's apple bopping slightly. Dan was still wet from the river, but Phil wasn't, and the longer Dan laid there the drier and warmer he got, Phil's body radiating heat without even trying.

Dan's chest rose and fell until eventually, his breathing was smooth, his body relaxed. He closed his eyes and saw Emma, laying engulfed in the tar, and decided to keep them open.

An hour passed. Two. "You should get some sleep," Dan advised as quietly as he could without it being a whisper.

Phil's voice was deeper, also quiet. They had to be quiet, they had to be quiet so no one and nothing could find them. Two of the most powerful mutants still alive, trying desperately to stay hidden.

"I'm not going to be able to. Just relax Dan, it's been a long day. You need rest."

It was a true statement, but that didn't mean it was accurate. Dan watched the woods, unmoving. He kept his eyes open and let his mind wander.

Phil ruffled his hair gently in a soothing, petting motion. And finally, after the sun was up somewhere in the sky above the tree cover, Dan fell asleep.

He woke up the same place as before, the same position, just a little stiffer. He got to his knees, crawling towards the backpacks.

"Can I sleep now?" Phil asked, eyes bloodshot.

Dan nodded, and Phil curled in on himself, breath quickly evening out.

Dan took the rest of the morning to get their things together. He checked their supplies, repacking things more neatly. They had enough food for a day or two, and only a little clean drinking water, but they had the supplies to purify some of it.

Dan drank some of the water and prepared a fire. He had nothing to light it with, so instead he allowed himself to venture a few meters away from Phil, checking for he wasn't sure what. His crowbar was in his hand. It almost never left his grip anymore.

He came across a small animal, like a beaver, but smaller with a thin tail. It looked at him and made a clicking, snickering sound like it was mocking him.

"What do you want?" Dan sneered. His voice cracked from disuse. The beaver-creature chattered, It's beady eyes staring at Dan like he was funny.

Then it was dead. Dan dropped his crowbar, the end slightly stained with blood.

—————-

Phil awoke to the sound of quiet cussing and some sort of scraping noise. He blinked awake, sitting up before his eyes had focused.

A meter or two away, Dan sat by a makeshift campfire with some sort of mystery meat on a spit over it. The only problem was that there was no fire.

Dan was scraping two sticks against each other, aggressively trying to produce a spark. "Dammit," he muttered. "Just.... light... al-fucking-ready..." he continued for another few seconds before glancing up and noticing Phil for the first time. He dropped the sticks. "I can't do this."

Phil rubbed his eyes. "It's cool. I mean... yeah." He set a pinecone next to him on fire, tossing it into Dan's prepared fire. It knocked down the sticks and made Dan facepalm, but the flame caught. "Now it's hot."

Dan ignored the pun. "I got lunch. And we can purify some of the river water."

"Exciting," Phil said, without any enthusiasm. "What's the mystery meat?"