At Dusk

7

The coyotes start to circle us and Weston is too injured to fight. We try to keep them off but they are a lot harder to deal with than lizards.

"This isn't working," Oliver whines.

"I have an idea, someone cover me," I yell diving towards the ground where Weston lays in pain.

I grab Weston's big stick and I rip the bottom of my shirt off. I wrap the material around the end of the stick tightly before setting it on fire. I begin to wave it around trying to scare off the coyotes. Sweat pours down my face from the heat of the flame and I just pray that this works. They quickly begin to scatter in all directions making me sigh in relief. Once they have left I drop the stick and I rush over to Weston who's in so much pain.

"It's okay, I'm here," I tell him running my hand through his hair and wiping away his tears.

I get out the alcohol and I pour it over the wound after ripping away his trouser to see it better. I wrap the last of the bandages around the bite to try to protect it from the harsh surroundings. I hope this will do as it's all I can do with the supplies we have.

....

The next two days are living hell. We are on the brink of death without food or water and Weston's condition has gotten a lot worse. We sit down for a little break on top of a sand dune. Over the last few days, I have been trying to gather my thoughts and it has been extremely difficult.

"Dylan, I think we need to talk," I utter walking over to him.

"Yeah, I think we do," He replies and we walk a bit away from the others and we sit down in the sand.

"I," I stop to gather my thoughts before continuing, "I really don't care that you are a Dawner, we have always been told that Dawners are the enemy but I know you are people too with flaws and everything, believe me, that this journey is only for the people who destroy our lives, but I don't want to harm the innocent. You showed me the truth. I think I understand why you lied because I know the Duskers and I know they would have killed you if they knew the truth, they wouldn't have gotten it. I just hate that you didn't tell me, that you felt like you couldn't tell me and now I'm left confused because I fell for you and I don't know where the lies end and the truth begins."

I fidget as I express my feelings as it is something so foreign to me. I normally just build walls and hide behind them.

"Cam I wanted to tell you the second I saw you at the bonfire. I hate myself for not telling you, but you have to believe me that all of my feelings for you are true. I really like you and I will tell you anything you want to know because I want to prove to you that the person you fell for really is me. So what do you want to know?"

"I want to know everything."

"Well, what first?"

"How about your family?"

"Well, there is my mum Kyla. She is the sweetest person I have ever known, she is beyond beautiful, she's the best cook ever as she was training to be a chef before she met my dad. She has her flaws like everyone but her positivity makes you overlook them, when you're down she always knows how to cheer you up."

"You miss her, don't you."

"Yeah I do, she showed me that I can do anything as long as I stay positive and work the hardest I can."

"She sounds amazing."

I smile at him holding his hand as I see tears form in his eyes.

"Yeah she is," he says pausing, "Anyway, then there is my dad Leon, one of my mum's flaws was never leaving him. He's an alcoholic gambler, he didn't use to be like that though, he use to bring me fishing and we would sit on the lake having a packed lunch my mum had made us. I loved it, but then he got a new job and he worked all the time and he would either waste his money gambling or take it out on the alcohol, or on my mum. Every time I tried to protect her it would get worse for her and my siblings and me. When you told me you had been through the same thing I was brought right back and I felt helpless."