Demon's Design

Chapter 12 *Henry*

It started out as a slow steady walk, and for that he was grateful as he felt content and satisfied with their trek. However, soon he found himself struggling to keep up as her slow steady walk turned into a brisk jog. Just when he was about to ask her to stop, she would slow again to allow him to catch his breath before picking up the pace once more.

As the afternoon wore on, he had hoped there would be some reprieve as he saw the sun starting to set but she didn't look as though she was going to stop. His chest and sides were hurting, and it was getting difficult to move his legs forward at this point he was just lucky they were moving out of instinct because he couldn't feel them any longer. "Zandra..." he said between breaths trying to get her attention.

She let out an annoyed breath but stopped. "Very well, we will make camp here for the night and continue in the morning." There was a clearing off to the side of the road and she went over and prepared a place for them to sleep for the night.

Getting down on the ground was a bit difficult as his muscles were screaming at him every time he moved. He was sure that his pain, and the headache that was forming, would prevent him from falling asleep, but as soon as his eyes closed, he could feel consciousness fade away.

There was a wonderful smell wafting through his nose when he awoke, and when he opened his eyes he could see a fire, with Zandra sitting in front of it. Two pieces of fish were roasting on a pair of sticks that she was cooking, and his stomach rumbled aloud.

"Sit. Eat." She said reaching one of the sticks out for him to take.

Without hesitation he grabbed it, sat down next to her, bit into it, and then regretted his hasty decision. Pulling it away from his mouth he took several deep breaths with his mouth open as he tried to cool his burnt tongue.

Zandra chuckled for a moment before tossing him a canteen, "you're not very bright, are you?"

He gave her a slight glare, then ignored her comment as he took a long drink. The cool water was refreshing and helped to settle the gnawing hunger ravaging his insides, giving him the control, he needed to enjoy his meal on a steadier pace.

Once their meal was complete, Zandra threw dirt onto the fire to starve it, then turned her focus and attention towards him. "Okay, it's time for stretches. I am sure you are feeling our trip already."

"I don't know what you are talking about," he lied. The thought of standing sounded horrible, however he also didn't want to seem weaker than he already was. It was embarrassing to see the difference in physical abilities between the two of them, and it was just the basics.

"There is no point in trying to hide it, didn't I tell you yesterday to acknowledge your weaknesses? Now come on, I don't have all day." She said to him as she stood up, then offered him a hand so he could stand as well.

Letting out an internal sigh, he took her hand and winced as he stood upright. His muscles were tense and threatening to collapse, it took a lot of will power to remain standing. Forcing himself to keep moving he obeyed and stretched himself out, repeating the movements she had taught him the day before. It didn't take long for him to start to feel the tension being relieved, and he felt confident that he could continue walking.

The atmosphere between them was quiet as they continued on their journey, Henry had a hundred questions going through his mind to ask her but didn't know where to start. It also didn't help that she kept them walking at such a fast pace, he couldn't keep enough air in his lungs to vocalize much of anything.

Although progress had been made, it was clear Zandra was getting annoyed every time he had to slow down and on occasion stop to catch his breath. It was now midafternoon when he collapsed again, and she didn't turn to face him, though he could sense her frustration as it rolled off of her making him feel a pang of guilt.