True strength comes from those
who have fought their way out of the darkness
and wear their scars
not with pride,
but with acceptance.

-unknown

Emma

We make slow progress. We can't just walk back alongside the highway for obvious reasons, so we have to cut across the rocky terrain. Occasionally we have to climb. It's energy draining in this heat and we have to stop regularly to drink water.

It's not something we are happy with. It will mean less water to take home, but we have no other choice if we want to stay alive.

We don't speak much. Not just because we are both quiet people, but also to save energy. I don't question Arashi's sense of direction. He seems to know exactly where he's going, so I follow him without a second thought. I just want to go home.

"We'll take a ten minute break,"Arashi announces. We've been walking for what feels like hours, but it can't have been that long judging from the sun.

I nod as he points towards a small shadowed spot behind some weathered shed.

I drop down gratefully. My head is pounding and my feet hurt. I'm pretty sure I have blisters.

Arashi tosses me an energy bar. "Eat up," he says, "you'll need the fuel."

"What about you?" I ask when he remains standing.

"I'll eat later," he says without looking at me. His eyes are scanning our surroundings.

Taking advantage of our short break, I undo the laces of my shoes to inspect my throbbing feet, but Arashi stops me before I can take them off.

"Leave them on," he warns, "if you take them off now, you'll never get them on again."

"My feet hurt," I complain.

"It's because of all the walking," Arashi says, "and the heat makes your feet expand. Keep them up for now. Put your bag under them to elevate them. You can take care of them when we're home."

I grit my teeth, but tie my laces again. I know he's right. It's just that they hurt so much.

I lie down on my back with my feet up and groan against the strain on my muscles. "Do you see anything?" I ask.

"Rocks and dirt," he answers annoyed, "what did you expect? A luxury resort?"

"Sorry I asked," I mutter

"Break is over," Arashi replies. He picks up his self-made backpack again and starts walking. I hurry to get up and catch up to him with my own backpack. Every step is torture. It feels like my feet are going to explode.

"Could you please slow down?" I ask.

He lets out a heavy sigh. "Just suck it up and keep going. How did you ever survive on your own?"

"By not jumping on the back of a truck," I hiss. Who does he think he is? I'm sure his combat boots are much easier to walk on than my trampled running shoes. He doesn't have to be such an ass about it.

Suddenly I'm being pulled behind some sandy hill. "Keep your head down," Arashi says in a hushed voice.

We keep hidden as a car passes us on the highway below us.

Only when we can't hear it anymore do we get up and continue our trek.

It's getting steeper as we walk downhill and it makes my feet hurt even more. Then my foot makes contact with a loose rock and I trip.

My head hits the ground hard and for a moment I see stars.

I groan and try to sit up, but a rush of vertigo makes my lean my head back and I close my eyes.

When I open them again, Arashi's face is hovering over mine. His fingers prod the back of my head and I wince in pain.

"You're fine," he says and pulls me to my feet. For a moment I'm swaying and if my head didn't hurt so much, I'd glare at him. I just don't remember how to do that.

At least he's polite enough to help me down the rest of the hill.

When we reach the bottom he hands me the rest of his water. Without painkillers to go with it, it doesn't do much to stop the pounding.

"I think I have a concussion," I mutter.

"Nonsense," Arashi says mercilessly, "you didn't fall that hard. Just keep drinking water and keep walking." But he does slow his pace for me.

Once again I wonder what his life has been like before the invasion. I wonder what it is he doesn't want to talk about. What was so bad about it that he'd rather forget?

But I don't ask. He's made it clear it's none of my business, so I respect his privacy. "Do you think the others are okay?" I ask instead.

"They'll be fine," Arashi replies, "they'll take the spoils and return home. They have Burns. I do hope Gail gave Zander a piece of her mind."

I nod in agreement, but wince when it intensifies the feeling of hammers torturing my skull. "How long before dark?" I ask.

"Few hours," Arashi shrugs.

I bite my lip. I know the temperature can drop immensely at night. We're not exactly dressed for that.

"Just keep walking," Arashi says. It's like that's the only thing he knows.

Every step is pure torture and if the ground wasn't scorching hot and full of sharp rocks, I would have just told Arashi to take a hike and lose the shoes. Except, we're already hiking and I need my shoes.

Finally Arashi seems to take pity on me. He lets out a heavy sigh and throws one of my arms around his neck while one of his arms snakes around my waist. The support is only mildly relieving, but it's better than nothing.

Our progress is even slower now with the two backpacks we have to still carry, but food and water is too precious to abandon. So I grit my teeth and suck it up.

A smirk appears on Arashi's face. "You're tougher than you look."

I narrow my eyes. "I am not weak," I hiss in between groans of pain.

"I guess not," he says.

We hide again for passing traffic. Now comes the tricky part. We'll have to walk along the highway for a while. The rocks are too steep to climb here. Finding another way around can take days. It's not something we had anticipated, but then again, we've been stuck in the back of a truck. We didn't see much scenery. Peeking was too risky when there was still a chance of being spotted.

We wait until we are absolutely certain there is no more traffic nearby. Arashi gives a determined nod and pulls me with him again. "As fast as possible," he tells me, "if anyone approaches, don't hesitate. I gave you a weapon. Use it this time, will you?"

I sigh, but don't respond. I don't think he wants an answer. He just wants me to obey.

I just hope I won't need to. Can things just go our way for once?

Well, something is coming our way alright. But it's not the thing I was wising for.

Not good luck. Not quick progress.

No, it's a car.

And we have nowhere to go.