SOJOURNER (III): tmr gally

We should enter the desert

Leo short

It's dimmed quite a bit now that it is getting closer to the evening. We still don't dare brave the dim lighting, nor the storm. Just a few more hours, hopefully, cooped up in this building.

Lott grumbles to himself, and he stalks off. Sheil turns a blind eye to this, or maybe he doesn't notice.

My eyes flicker from Beth, who lies asleep against the wall over to Sheil. His eyes are bloodshot, and I want to tell him to sleep but I know he won't be able to. I couldn't either. The pair of us are on opposite schedules. I'm used to day travel night sleep, and he the opposite. As we have tried to get our schedules to sink together, it has just caused both of us to become fatigued.

Lott takes the bottle from his hands, slamming it into the concrete wall across from him. Sheil closes his eyes, squishing them tightly together. After a few seconds, he opens them, and stalks over to Lott.

Sheil grabs Lott's hands. He tries to whisper something to Lott, but Lott shoves him off. The two look like they are about to get into a fight, but Sheil doesn't hit back. He whispers to Lott, pointing over to me. Lott glances over, before muttering back. Their voices are impossible to make out. The building echoes, causing the sounds to crash against one another.

"They never used to fight," Beth laughs, looking up. "I thought those two would start screwing sooner or later."

I glance back over. Lott storms away from Sheil, rounding another corner. Sheil follows him off.

"Like me and Saph," Beth leans over, lying on the ground. She's gone sickly green. I move towards her, looking at her body.

"Klunk," I dig through my bag, pulling out my last granola bar. "Have you eaten?"

Beth shakes her head back and forth.

I hand it to her. It's official. I'm out of food. Judging by their behavior, I'm going to assume Lott and Sheil ran out yesterday. Sheil would never say anything to me, but I feel his panic. We won't eat again. My water bottle is empty, and it has been since yesterday. I imagine theirs are emptying now too.

Since I must carry all the medical supplies, I didn't have much room in my bag for anything else. I have less food than the others in my group, less water too.

We need to find someone in the next day or two, or we will die.

"What do you mean?" I ask, looking over Beth. "About Saph."

Beth shrugs, not answering. She stares back out the window, at the clouds rolling over our heads.

Dawn short

"Minho," I need to talk to you. I close the door behind me.

Minho sighs, peeling himself off the desk.

The posters on the wall are colourful. The sky is still dark, but now from the night. It is no longer grey. We are supposed to get going.

This can't wait any longer though. I've already tried to wait longer, but I can't anymore. It's been weeks. Since we before we left the Glade. Since before the ending was triggered by Teresa. I can't hide it anymore.

"Dawn," he begins, his voice is soft. "I'm sorry."

"What?" I demand.

He crosses the room, moving closer to me. He takes me in his arms, holding me. "I'm sorry for snapping. I don't know what came over me. I don't know why I did that."