all of them staring with obsessive intent, she let the tension slide from her shoulders. She couldn't control the situation. The only power she had was of intervention, and it was far too early for that.
Chapter Four
After running his tongue around his frothy mouth, Jake swallowed his stale saliva. It did nothing to clear the gritty lump nestling in his throat and tasted like he'd fallen asleep halfway through eating a biscuit. Finding just enough liquid to survive, most of it being sugary drinks of one sort or another, meant the bilious blockage never cleared, no matter how many times he swallowed.
Looking down, he instantly forgot his discomfort and lifted his glasses. "Oh, my." Dropping into a hunch, both of his kneecaps popped. Holding out a weak arm, he reached across, fearful that his hand would pass through the mirage.
However, when he touched the plastic wrapping, it crunched like plastic should. When he tried to lift the object, it was heavy like he'd have expected. Wobbling it on the floor, he watched the liquid swill around in the six large bottles. Jumping up so quickly his head spun, he looked over at his friend. "Tom! Over here!"
The tall man was about twenty meters behind, still sulking about the incident with Jake and the dead gamer. It would have been nice to have him by his side, like they had been for the past few years, but anything was better than losing sight of him. If they ever got separated... Grabbing his chest, Jake focused on his breath to combat his constricting lungs. It didn't bear thinking about. He turned his attention back to the bottles of water.
"Tom! I'm being serious, man. You've got to see this."
Stopping again, Tom looked up but didn't say anything. He then dipped his head into the wind and continued his slow march.
"I've found water, Tom!"
Tom snapped his head up.
"There's water here!"
Despite the distance and the dust, Jake could see the mistrust in Tom's hunched body. Jake wouldn't want to believe it either. Dropping back down, he dug a bony finger into the plastic wrapping. Initially, he didn't know which would give first, his weak finger or the plastic, but he finally burst through the cellophane. Grabbing the neck of one of the bottles, he wobbled it to get it out, the containers creaking as they rubbed against one another.
Once it was free from the other five, he held it up in the air. The weight of the large bottle made his arm shake. An unopened two-liter container. "Look, Tom. Water!"
Watching Tom's eyes widen and his mouth fall loose, Jake stood, smiling as his friend trebled his pace.
When he caught up, Jake handed it to him. "Can you believe it? It feels like weeks since we've had any."
"That's because it has been. Two to be precise." After twisting the lid free, Tom added, "Since we've had water anyway."
With shaking hands, Jake pulled another bottle from the pack. The adrenaline rushing through him made removing the lid difficult. Taking deep breaths, he tried to calm down.
Finally, the lid came free and slipped from Jake's grip. The wind caught it, and it fell away from him, skipping over the rugged landscape like a flat stone over still water. Shrugging, Jake lifted the bottle to his lips and a couple of trickles of the cool liquid slid across his chin, down his neck, and under his collar. Jake shuddered as it ran a cold line down his chest.
The fresh water spread through his mouth, hydrating every crevice. His body was so thirsty, the first mouthful was gone before it reached his sticky throat.
Just as Jake upended the bottle for a second swig, Tom said, "Stop!"
Looking first into the upturned bottle and then lowering it, Jake licked his cracked, wet lips. "Why?"
"If you drink too fast, you'll give yourself a bad stomach."
"If I don't drink fast, I'll die."
"Don't be dramatic, Jake. You won't die, we've only been a day without liquid."
"But Coke hardly counts."
"It's had to."
Taking a small sip, Jake swallowed and threw his friend a facetious
Chapter Four
After running his tongue around his frothy mouth, Jake swallowed his stale saliva. It did nothing to clear the gritty lump nestling in his throat and tasted like he'd fallen asleep halfway through eating a biscuit. Finding just enough liquid to survive, most of it being sugary drinks of one sort or another, meant the bilious blockage never cleared, no matter how many times he swallowed.
Looking down, he instantly forgot his discomfort and lifted his glasses. "Oh, my." Dropping into a hunch, both of his kneecaps popped. Holding out a weak arm, he reached across, fearful that his hand would pass through the mirage.
However, when he touched the plastic wrapping, it crunched like plastic should. When he tried to lift the object, it was heavy like he'd have expected. Wobbling it on the floor, he watched the liquid swill around in the six large bottles. Jumping up so quickly his head spun, he looked over at his friend. "Tom! Over here!"
The tall man was about twenty meters behind, still sulking about the incident with Jake and the dead gamer. It would have been nice to have him by his side, like they had been for the past few years, but anything was better than losing sight of him. If they ever got separated... Grabbing his chest, Jake focused on his breath to combat his constricting lungs. It didn't bear thinking about. He turned his attention back to the bottles of water.
"Tom! I'm being serious, man. You've got to see this."
Stopping again, Tom looked up but didn't say anything. He then dipped his head into the wind and continued his slow march.
"I've found water, Tom!"
Tom snapped his head up.
"There's water here!"
Despite the distance and the dust, Jake could see the mistrust in Tom's hunched body. Jake wouldn't want to believe it either. Dropping back down, he dug a bony finger into the plastic wrapping. Initially, he didn't know which would give first, his weak finger or the plastic, but he finally burst through the cellophane. Grabbing the neck of one of the bottles, he wobbled it to get it out, the containers creaking as they rubbed against one another.
Once it was free from the other five, he held it up in the air. The weight of the large bottle made his arm shake. An unopened two-liter container. "Look, Tom. Water!"
Watching Tom's eyes widen and his mouth fall loose, Jake stood, smiling as his friend trebled his pace.
When he caught up, Jake handed it to him. "Can you believe it? It feels like weeks since we've had any."
"That's because it has been. Two to be precise." After twisting the lid free, Tom added, "Since we've had water anyway."
With shaking hands, Jake pulled another bottle from the pack. The adrenaline rushing through him made removing the lid difficult. Taking deep breaths, he tried to calm down.
Finally, the lid came free and slipped from Jake's grip. The wind caught it, and it fell away from him, skipping over the rugged landscape like a flat stone over still water. Shrugging, Jake lifted the bottle to his lips and a couple of trickles of the cool liquid slid across his chin, down his neck, and under his collar. Jake shuddered as it ran a cold line down his chest.
The fresh water spread through his mouth, hydrating every crevice. His body was so thirsty, the first mouthful was gone before it reached his sticky throat.
Just as Jake upended the bottle for a second swig, Tom said, "Stop!"
Looking first into the upturned bottle and then lowering it, Jake licked his cracked, wet lips. "Why?"
"If you drink too fast, you'll give yourself a bad stomach."
"If I don't drink fast, I'll die."
"Don't be dramatic, Jake. You won't die, we've only been a day without liquid."
"But Coke hardly counts."
"It's had to."
Taking a small sip, Jake swallowed and threw his friend a facetious
Similar Books
Moscardino
Enrico Pea
After River
Donna Milner
Darkover: First Contact
Marion Zimmer Bradley
Guarded Heart
Jennifer Blake
Killer Gourmet
G.A. McKevett
Different Seasons
Stephen King
Kickoff for Love
Amelia Whitmore
Christmas Moon
Sadie Hart
When the Fairytale Ends
Dwan Abrams
Fatal Fairies (Renaissance Faire Mystery Book 8)
Joyce Lavene, Jim Lavene