33 BULLETS

A whole day later and we'd been walking with overhead clouds all day. It was a nice break from the pounding sun.

I had been in the middle of telling a childhood story about my brother and I fighting like Tasmanian devils over who got to be Mario when Thann stopped dead in his tracks, going frozen.

"Thann?" I asked turning his way. "Something wron...?"

And before I could even get out the whole word, I was in his arms and he was running like we'd just shot out of a roller coaster. "No see!"

The wind was already blowing like a tornado around us, so I obeyed and leaned into his chest, covering myself. I grabbed at my ponytail and tucked it between us, so it wouldn't fly all over. "What's going on?"

"Cold rain!" He shouted through his sprint.

"Cold rain?" I questioned.

And that's when I started hearing the bouncing.

It was like stones being thrown behind us, whistling through the air, again and again.

I opened my eyes to peek over his shoulder and he tightened his hold. "No!"

He zigged and something sharp scraped across my wrist. I didn't cry out but tucked myself in against Thann's chest.

The sound then boomed around us.

It was like three thunderclouds converging right on top of us.

Suddenly the heavens opened and crashing sounds happened all around us. I could hear tree limbs being broken, whistling shooting passed us as Thann would dodge something, rocks pounding the ground. Booms and hits. Winds crackling. Thunder yelling.

I didn't dare look, the sounds being scary enough.

Two more scrapes went down my back, and one glided off my head. I whimpered into Thann.

"Ngibona indawo yokukhosela. Bamba kancane!"

And in another minute we were falling and the sounds eased slightly.

We were stopped.

He sighed and squeezed me tight for a moment, but my head was still spinning and my stomach lurched. I tapped him quick and pointed down. "Please. Down. Quickly."

My eyes dashed around the room, but with no bucket handy I just twisted to a wall and was sick.

"El!" He cried and was at my side, a warm hand at my lower back.

Another round of sickness was my answer.

I bent to my knees and groaned. It had been more than twenty-four hours since the raw meat, but it ultimately caught up with my roller coaster ride.

When I finally opened my eyes, I widened in a scare. Thann was covered in crossing scratches. Not many were deep, but all seeped at least some blood. I went to grab his arm when he caught my head instead.

"El hurt." His thumb rolled over my hair in distress. His demeanor changed to fear as he brought back a reddened hand.

"Oh!" I called out to all the blood and put my own hand to my head. It was sticky but not that painful. Still a stupid 'ow' came out of me. But more of an automatic reaction rather than really hurt. I squished up my face and probed the cut. It was small.

He paled and I backtracked.

"Oh, it's okay Thann. Little hurt. Little hurt. Head hurt gives lots of blood. It's not as bad as it seems." I grabbed the shirt from over my head and pressed it to the cut. "It's okay." I tried to calm him. "See? Better."

He then eyed my wrist and then twisted my back. They did feel like cuts, but it was more like the sting of cat scratches.

"Hurt," he said again.

"I'm okay," I turned with a gentle smile.

Thann however had taken the brunt of the hits, a hundred slices crossed his arms and back. The one down his cheek was dripping, so I took off my shirt bandage and ripped the sleeve to tap at his cheek. He caught my hand and kissed my wrist over the scratch there.

"It's just a scratch," I smiled.

I then turned around and we were in some sort of mud underground hut, like a hogan. Dried red mud walls, a good large room with shelves at the back, filled with pottery and storage. A rag rug at the floor the size of Thann, like it was once someone's bed. A wooden ladder showing to the outside next to a pile of wood.

But as I looked to the upper doorway, I paled.

I stepped forward and took a few steps up the ladder to look out.

The land was being attacked by giant hail.

Trees were being beaten down, punches went through leaves like jelly, craters were being blown into the soft grass.

The giant rain drops that had imprisoned Jia and I had become ice, and it looked straight out of an Armageddon movie.

An ice chunk hit on a rock and rebounded right at me. I ducked just in time in fright, but it came crashing into the shelter.

Thann picked it up and though it looked like an apricot in his large hand it was nearly the size of a grapefruit.

"Hail?" My voice cracked with the sound of another thunderbolt booming across the sky.

My body hiccuped and my mouth flooded with saliva. Oh, shoot. I knew what was next. Calm down-calm down-calm down. I breathed out of my mouth for a moment, until the sick sensation was lowering.

I climbed back down and ran to hold onto Thann's side, seeking comfort. He dropped the ice chunk and wrapped arms around me like a parent consoling a broken child.

Without Thann's help, I would have been killed by that storm. One ice chunk to the head would have had me out.

Another hiccup forced from me and I held the sick back.

I really wished I had some water to wash out my mouth right about now.

I leaned out and looked at the pottery at the back. "Think any of those have water?"

His nostrils flared as he brought a breath in and he went and pushed a large pot from the floor away and grabbed one behind it. He opened it to a full jug of water and a ladle.

"Oh thank goodness." I stepped to it and rinsed, then had a deep drink. "Thank you."

He nodded and replaced the ladle and top.

I looked around the hut and asked my question aloud. "Who do you think lives here?"

He grabbed some logs and sat down at the blackened spot on the floor near the door. I sighed and sat on the rug, bringing my knees to my chin as I listened to the cracking happening outside.

Over the next few minutes, Thann had a fire raging and the warmth began to calm the room.

He searched through the pots and brought out a pouch of dried fruit for me. I wasn't hungry seeing the ice chunks still causing havoc outside, but knew I needed the calories to stay out of shock, so I started nibbling.

When he was satisfied I'd eat, he continued his search until he found some thick jerky.

We both had finished our meal in silence and he lifted me to his lap, cradling me across his body. It was so calming and needed. He took the rifle from my back and placed it on the ground.

I sat up, an immediate worry on my face being without my weapon and he smoothed over my cheeks. "Kulungile El. Vele uphumule."

I nodded to whatever his reassuring words were and leaned back into his shoulder. He rocked me softly until I fell asleep, the shock of the day zapping my energy.

It took three days for the hail to stop, and each day I got sicker and sicker.

Stupid raw meat!

I wasn't throwing up anymore, but the moment I moved, my head would roll and my whole body would go nauseous, and I was fevering like crazy.

By the third day Thann had me on my back on the ragrug next to the fire with two blankets he'd found in the shelves over me, but I was still cold. The only time I'd feel okay was when he was curled around me and while I'd love him to be my heater twenty-four/seven, he still had to trek into the hail to get water, firewood, or food.

The worst part was when he brought home a fresh kill and my mouth was watering to eat more raw stinking meat. Wasn't it bad enough that I'd been nonmoving for three days? I needed to extend that by begging for more?

I was stupid.

But not stupid enough to get caught eating raw again.

So I just pouted around every mouthful of cooked meat.

Tough gross jerk, I mumbled to the handful and then laid back down.

I guess a good part of taking a few days break, was my wounds were starting to heal. Staying off my injuries for three days was making it so that my energy was going to healing and not walking. My shoulder wasn't looking much better, but I could move it a bit more. The other bites, scratches, burns, and cuts galore were nothing but eye sores now.

Thann hopped down in the hut with my plastic bin.

I sat up quickly and excited. "Thann! You found my.... Oh," my head rolled and I laid back down.

His expression turned worried and he set the bin down and kneeled beside me. "El, okay?"

I gave a forced smile. "Yeah, I'm alright. You found my stuff?"

He smiled and turned back to the bin.

The plastic had a major crack down the side and no cover, so I guessed the hail did a number to it too.

Thann grabbed a washcloth and dipped it in a water pot, wetting over my forehead. "No sick."

"I think I'm feeling better. Can I go outside?" I pointed to the door where I could see dark clouds, but no hail.

He nodded. "Yebo. Isiphepho siphelile."

I went to sit up and he pushed me back down. "But I thought... can I go outside? El go out."

"No," he answered quickly. "El sick. El stay."

I sighed and watched a broken tree branch sway in the wind. "But I want fresh air."

"Medicine," he spoke instead.

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess that's wise." I turned to my belly and he climbed the ladder just enough to reach his basket that was outside.

I smiled over my hands to him. "You went to find the good medicine? Thank you."

He'd found the green leaf medicine in the stored pots and used it the last few days, but nothing worked the magic that the white paste did.

I let him work his magic with new stitches and the numbing paste and sighed content as it began to work.

While the white dried, he continued his treatment around my back and down my legs in massaging swirls. When he stopped, he kissed my hair and then stood to check the fire.

After I could actually move, I sat up and smiled dreamily. "Thann."

He grinned back and acknowledged before going back to poke around the fire. "El."

"Come here," I pointed to the spot beside me.

He crawled over and sat beside me.

I came and straddled over his lap and caressed his face, fingertips following every curve. "Thanks for taking care of me."

He palmed over my hair, and looked deep into my eyes. "Muhle kakhulu."

I didn't know what he said, but how it was said with that rich dark voice had me leaning in and kissing him.

He followed for only a second, before he grabbed my arms and set me back a few inches. "No. El sick."

I pouted. "I'm not feeling sick." I got a little suggestive and rubbed down his chest. "Actually, I'm feeling pretty good. Maybe we should...?"

He captured my hand before it continued any further south. "No."

I giggled and leaned against him, pressing our bodies together and trailing my lips over his ear. "Yes."

"No," but it was said with a tilt of his head and lacked conviction.

"Yes," I whispered huskily then gave love nips down his neck.

The next instant I was on my back with Thann hovering over me.

I giggled again and pulled his face to mine.

Off and on for another two days I was sick, but was starting to feel better. The nauseating feeling would kick me to the ground out of nowhere. I was walking around topside, getting water from a nearby stream when I suddenly just needed to lay down. Or when we were playing a game of tic tac toe in the dirt at the hut and a wave flew over me. Once I nearly passed out coming down the ladder. But each time Thann was there to help me lay down. He'd bring me a cool cloth for my head and rub my feet until I felt better.

The sixth day in the hut, I was finally feeling good enough that I felt like I could walk again.

Alright.

I was pushing myself, but babies!

I really wanted to get to Molly. I needed Earth girls. I needed gossip.

Thann wasn't excited about the idea of me moving but followed along after I just chose a direction and went.

The walking was slow and Thann wouldn't let me carry anything. He didn't even want me to carry my rifle, but I fought him for it.

It was my protection if Thann ever was gone or got hurt.

Now that my shoulder was a few more days healed, I really wanted to try to shoot again, but with thirty-three bullets left, I was squeamish to use them for target practice.

I had to have too many stops as I got dizzy, but Thann was patient.

I really wanted him to just pick me up and carry me to Molly, but I was afraid that would make me puke again. Fast movements still put me down.

We probably only traveled half of what I could on one of our first days when I was lugging the wheelbarrow loaded with stuff, but I was happy to be moving at all.

Being crammed in a single room hut while the land got pummeled around you was a great way to become intensely claustrophobic.

But now we were out under the stars again back living on potatoes and jerky.