Page 83 of Searching for her Heart
I really wanted to walk at night as it was so much cooler but it was hard without any sun to direct me. But I knew that by that second afternoon, I was fighting a losing battle. Not only was my mouth the driest it has ever been in my life, but I could feel my body slowing down. A couple of times, I had seen things that I knew couldn’t possibly exist out here. Like a shiny purple jeep and a buffet table full of chicken wings. I think my brain was just starting to show me things that I wanted to see. Although why chicken wings specifically, I wasn’t sure. I mean, I like them, but they weren’t something I was craving right now. Really water was what I was so desperate for.
I spend each night curled in a tiny ball, trying to keep warm. And when I wake on the third day, I realize the sun is way past midday and I know I don’t have much longer left out here.They’ll find you soon, I tell myself again. I’d say it out loud except my mouth and throat are so dry I can’t spare any extra moisture. I stare down at the sand as I put one foot in front of the other, but I know how slow I’m going now. And when the sand suddenly rushes up to meet my face, it’s all I can do to turn my head so I don’t smash it.
Did I just fall down?
Luckily it’s just sand, so I don’t hurt myself more than just knocking the wind out of me, and I slowly roll myself to my back, the hot sand too much for my face. The sun burns into my eyes, so I turn my head to the side and stare off into the distance, my arms spread to my sides as I take a few deep breaths. Is this what dying feels like? My whole body hurts. I know I’m burnt from not being covered up, but this pain is a lot deeper than that. It’s like every muscle in my body is screaming at me.
My eyes slowly blink closed and I force them back open. I have to stay awake, just a little longer, they’ll find me. They’ll find me… they’ll… my train of thought stops as I see something dark in the distance. All I can do is watch as the dark blob gets closer and closer until I realize it’s the outline of a person. Are they running towards me? As they get nearer, I can tell it’s a man and as he drops down on his knees right beside me, I let out the tiniest whisper, “Indy?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
APOLLO
The only time I ever step outside of my home is when I need to hunt a sandcrawler. So, why now was I jogging across the sandy terrain? I didn’t have a good answer for that. All I knew was that for the past two days, I was feeling something strange in my chest. I don’t know what it was except that it was making me think I needed to go into the desert. There was a very specific direction I felt pulled towards. Knowing that was stupid, running off into the desert for no reason, I tried to ignore it. I tried for two god-damned days, but the need drove me faster and harder until I couldn’t stand it anymore. So today, I put on my long sleeve tunic and pants to protect myself from the sun and wrapped my head in a scarf and I took off across the desert at almost a sprint. What was causing this? Was I going mad after being out here for so long alone?
I half expected the feeling to dissipate as I move towards it, but it only gets stronger and stronger, I almost feel like I’m going completely crazy until I finally see something out in the distance. Amongst the surrounding sand, the soft green stands out.What is that?
When I’m only thirty paces away, I finally realize it’s a person laying on the ground.Shit.What are they doing out here in the middle of the desert without any supplies? I pick up my pace, running full speed, and when I’m a few steps away, I see it’s a woman.I drop down to my knees and I’m relieved to see she’s still alive and awake, as her beautiful green eyes stare up at me. “Indy?” she whispers.
Did she just call me… Indy?She knows my brother?Is he here somewhere? I lift my head and gaze around us, but see nothing. How long has she been out here like this? I gently pull the scarf from her mouth and help sit her up a bit as I slide in behind her so she can lean against me. I fill my hand with water, using the magic inside of me, and I hold it up to her mouth for her to drink. She does so without question. And I know she wants more, but if she drinks too much too fast, she’ll throw it all up. Deciding I need to get her out of the sun, I scoop her up and start jogging back to my home.
I’m startled by her fingers on my jawline and I look down at her. “You look different,” she rasps out. I readjust her so I can use a hand to give her more water. I’m thankful that she drinks it without question, and then I resume my hold on her as we keep moving. This time she moves her hand to my hair and I can see a small frown on her face. “How long was I out there? Your hair has grown so much.” I just grunt, hoping that the sun hasn’t damaged her mind too much. I really want to know how she knows my brother, but just knowing that he’s okay is a big relief. I’ve thought about him every day since I left, and wondered what he was doing and if he was happy. I hoped he was. The whole reason I left was because I wanted him to have a good life.
“I thought I was going to die out there… but you saved me, just like I knew you would.”
“Quiet, you’re dehydrated, you need to stay silent.”
She turns her head and leans it against my chest, not saying a word.She’s quite the obedient one, isn’t she?
At this speed, it doesn’t take me more than a couple of hours to reach my oasis in the middle of the desert. I barely slow as I enter, making my way to the center. This is my favorite place,where a giant pond sits with a waterfall pouring into it. I need to cool her down and get moisture into her, and this is the fastest way I can think of. I don’t even stop to undress us as I walk straight in with her in my arms until she submerged right up to her neck. I expect her to gasp or make some sort of noise when the water touches her, so when she doesn’t react, I start to worry.
I give her a tiny shake in my arms as I whisper, “Hey, little Angel, wake up.” Nothing. I move to the side where there are rocks sitting under the water that I can rest on. I sit her on one of them and squat down in front of her so I can hold her face in my hands. I see that she’s unconscious, but a quick check and I can tell she’s still breathing. Her forehead and cheeks are really hot and red, but I don’t want to submerge her and risk her choking on water. so I scoop her up and lay her across my arms so I can tilt her head back, getting her long wavy red hair nice and wet. I manage to get her to a point where her entire body is submerged except for her face, and I just hold her there and watch.
I notice she has long eyelashes and delicate features. Her face is filthy and burned, but even through all that, I can see how beautiful she is.Who is she to my brother?She acted like she was expecting him to save her.My brother managed to get a woman like this?Even as a loneling? She must be something very special. I feel a small pang of jealousy in my chest but try to mask it with happiness for my brother.
I slowly move her around in circles, and after a few minutes, I try speaking to her again. “Angel, why don’t you open your eyes for me now? I want to make sure you’re okay.”
I watch her face carefully and after a minute, I can see her eyelashes moving. Is she trying to wake up? I move one hand and attempt to feed her more water, and I’m thankful when she starts gulping it down. After that, ever so slowly, she starts to bat her eyelashes open.
I watch as awareness slowly starts to trickle into her face, andwhen her eyes turn to me I see them light up with joy, and before I can stop her she throws her arms around my neck and kisses me.
I have no idea what to do, I’ve never kissed a woman before, and was not expecting this. She probably thinks I’m Indy, but I can’t seem to pull her off. Her lips press to mine over and over and when her tongue touches my lower lip, I part mine in shock. That’s when she presses her tongue into my mouth and rubs it against mine. That’s the point when I lose all control. My arms band around her as I pull her body tight against me and kiss her back passionately. Is this what kissing is like for everybody? I had no idea it could feel so amazing. Somehow it lights up everything in me, and I can feel it all the way down to my growing erection.
After a minute, I come to my senses and slowly pull back, my eyes searching her face. She smiles at me, her eyes roaming my face. And as her eyes seem to register my features more carefully, I see the smile slowly drop and her eyes go wide.
“Holy shit! You’re not Indy!” I shake my head once slowly. “You’re Apollo!” she says, sounding both shocked and excited.She knows who I am?
“He told you about me?” I can’t stop myself from asking.
She smiles for a second before it turns into a grimace as she places her hand on her stomach.
“Apollo, I don’t feel so well.” I notice her hand has a piece of material wrapped around it that’s soaked through with blood.
“What happened to your hand?”
“Oh… the…” I can see her blinking heavily, like she’s falling asleep. “The giant sand worm shot a spike through my hand.”
Sand worm? Oh no, did she mean a sandcrawler?
