Episode Four, Part 5:

W h e r e ' s   M y   L o v e ?

ᴅᴏᴇꜱ ꜱʜᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ʙʟᴇᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀᴍᴇ?

Wynnlow shot awake suddenly. It was as if the effects of the lightning were still active in his body, travelling in the veins beneath his skin. It took him a couple moments to piece everything together - remember what had happened, where he was, why his body ached so badly. 

Ignoring the pain, Wynnlow managed to push himself to sit up, looking around through the night until he realized he couldn't hear anyone. There was a distant rumble of thunder behind him, and the whistling of the wind blowing in his ear, but nothing that came from his friends. 

His eyes confirmed his fears, looking around only for there to be no one in sight. Not even a trace of one of his friends. He could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest, all his fears swarming into one, pulsing in his head. 

His bag... Wynnlow checked, he still had it tied to him somehow. The torch, bottle of water, a couple rations of food. It would be just enough to carry him out of the DeadLands... 

But that had never been an option in his mind, and even in now, even alone in the middle of nowhere, his priorities hadn't changed. He had to get to Sol. 

Mustering all his strength, Wynnlow climbed to his feet, unable to find his balance at first. He wasn't sure which direction he had come from, where he had been going, where everyone else was likely to be. There was a blur on the horizon, just west of where he was facing - something that he hadn't seen earlier. It led him to believe that Wynnlow had run through the storm, as what was beyond it wasn't visible before, so it was the only likely explanation. 

Now he had no other choice. Following the outline he could see was the only logical thing left to do, hoping beyond hope that maybe it would lead him to his family. 

- 

Within an hour, Wynnlow had reached what he had seen, discovering that it was a valley of caves scattered around fallen shrubs and rocks. He staggered his way through the uneven ground, stepping over sand, and dirt, and bones. His breath hitched in his throat, dreading to think about how long the remains had been out there. How many other people had died so far away from salvation. 

Wynnlow was afraid of what he would find, carefully peeking inside only to to see that most of the caves were too shallow for anyone to hide in. He could feel his hope fading fast, even for his own survival, and the dream of ever returning to a home was long forgotten. 

There was a crackling sound that seemed to echo in the void. Wynnlow looked around to see if anyone was following him - thinking that maybe he had misheard it for someone treading on a branch, but there was no one behind. 

He sighed, feeling a glow of tears cover his eyes, but he blinked them back. All he wanted to do was find his friend, but there was so much more at stake now: his brothers, his family - and Kodiak who had risked enough already to follow him out here. Not to mention the physical pain his body had endured from the indirect shock of the lightning. 

Wynnlow moved ahead, hoping that at least one of the caves would be deep enough for him to hide in comfortably. Just as he had settled on one, a flicker of light drew his attention away. At first, he thought he had imagined it. That his mind was just so desperate that it had gone to the extents of creating things to comfort him. But he backed out of the cave he was facing and crept over to the next, gulping as he peered inside. 

He didn't see anyone, but the light was there coming in constant bursts and flares. It had to be his family. Wynnlow exhaled in relief, the weight in his chest shifting a little, allowing him to breathe deeper. 

He hurried instead, but then hesitated, something holding him back. He couldn't shake it, but he had a gut feeling that he had to be careful, that he should suss out the situation before he made himself known.

The cave seemed to divide into two chambers: one dark, and the other where the light was coming from. He knew now that it was a fire - the disturbed sands making his eyes sting, the smell of smoke now meeting his nose, and a hum of voices blurring in the distance. 

Wynnlow went left, into the darkness hoping that he was wrong, and it was just paranoia taking over. ...There was no one there. He wasn't sure whether he was relieved or discouraged, his mind trying to decipher between the two when a noise cut him off. He spun around, the sound dirt being grazed upon, a small breath that let know he wasn't alone. 

And then he found her. 

Time froze, nothing even feeling as though it was moving, not even feeling like either one was breathing. As Sol moved to try and make sense of what she was seeing, Wynnlow sprung into action, immediately at her feet, kneeling down beside her. 

He reached forward, every mode he made out of instinct, his hand moving her hair out of her face so she could see him. 

The words escaped him as a murmur, already forgotten by Wynn the moment they were out, before he had time to register waht they meant. "My Sol." 

A whimper escaped her, tears already flowing down her cheeks as she dropped her head. It was as if she had been fighting so long for this moment. This chance to be vulnerable, to accept what was happening, to recognize all the hurt she had endured and not risk being seen as weak. 

She couldn't believe he was here. Her hands shaking as Wynnlow raced to untie them, constantly bringing his eyes back to meet hers, to make sure she was okay, to prove to himself that she was actually here, right in front of him. 

Once her hands were free, Wynnlow's thumb grazing over the wounds left behind from the restraints, he leaned forward, one hand holding onto her arm, the other behind her back pulling her up. She was weak - almost too weak to stand, her knees barely able to support her weight. Wynnlow pulled her arm around his shoulder, the other on his waist as he led to the exit of the cave. 

She winced in pain with each step, each cry draining more of what little energy she had left. Wynnlow stopped, twisting around to reach his bag and pulling something out. 

"What are you doing?" Sol asked. She wasn't able to speak any louder than a whisper, but Wynnlow still heard her. 

"Here." He answered, unscrewing the cap of his flask and holding the bottle close to her. 

Sol gratefully took hold of the bottle, devouring what she could of the water before cutting herself short. They would need some to survive the journey home, as much as she wanted to drown herself in it in the moment. 

As she went to pass the water back to him, she stumbled, dropping the sealed flask onto the ground. The metal echoed against the ground, rolling around as if to scream its presence to everyone that would listen. 

"No..." Sol whimpered, realization hitting her. 

"What is it? Are you hurt?" 

"We're not alone..." 

-

four // part five

ᴍʏ ꜱᴏʟ.