[SEQUEL TO THE HOLLOW]
Darryl continued the journey that he and Zak started. He encounters many things along the way, good and bad, but manages to make his way through it all. Can Darryl make it home safely?
But there's something more to this all. A...
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A fire crackled and flowed graciously in the cold, night air. Orange and yellow projected onto the nearby ground and on Darryl. The heat was, well, hot, but it wasn't overbearing.
Next to the fire was a chunk of deer meat. He was lucky to get such a big catch, but he wasn't able to eat it all. At least he would be full for the night.
He thought about saving the hid for further use, but he brushed the idea off. It would be too heavy to carry and he didn't know what to do with it.
Darryl faced the clear, night sky. No northern lights today. He longed for them. The northern lights helped him find solace when he wasn't finding any. Mostly, the northern lights just reminded him of Zak. All Darryl wanted was to see Zak again. To feel and breathe the same air as Zak again. He'd just hoped that this was all just some wild fever dream. But it all felt too real for that to be true.
The crackling of the fire hushed and the air around Darryl grew cooler. This was a signal to Darryl that his food was done cooking.
After a minute or so, Darryl picked up the piece of meat. He'd wanted to make sure that it was cooled down enough before he picked it up. He didn't want to burn his poor fingers. A nice meal would help heal his bullet wound.
It's been a few days since... the cannibals. Once he'd gotten far enough away from that horrible town, he sat down and extracted the bullet. He'd tried his best with that, and the stitching as well. He had dressed the wound after that and rested next to an enjoyable, warm fire.
He's had recurring nightmares since that event. The nightmares most likely reflected off of his fear, anxiety, and guilt. He had killed two people. He wondered what Zak would think. If he was still around. But the people that he had killed deserved it, he'd admit. He still couldn't shake the feeling that he had. He knew that maybe someday his actions would come back to haunt him. He would dread that day until it came. Even though he tried his best not to dwell on it.
Darryl finished eating his piece of cooked meat. It was cooked medium-rare, just how he liked it. It wasn't too hot, nor too cold. And since the fire was now just slow-burning embers, it brought the warmth back to him.
