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“Yes!”
Blinking, Tripp looked around, trying to figure out what had prompted such a response, only to spy what looked like a small image carved in the rockface to the left of them.
“What is that?” Tripp asked as Zakk brought the dune buggy to a stop and worked at getting out of his harness. He seemed to have an easier go of it this time around, and soon they were standing hand in hand in front of primitive etchings of what looked like a goat and a large humanoid creature.
“Petroglyphs,” Zakk breathed, almost reverently, head pressed to Tripp’s shoulder as they stood side by side, staring at them. Higher up the face was a swirl in black rock, etched deep, and lower was a herd of something horned.
They moved together as one, slowly turning, trying to take it all in.
“How long do you think they’ve been here?” Tripp asked, keeping his tone low despite them being the only ones there. It felt sacred, holy in a way church used to when his sisters could compel him and Winter to go.
“Longer than we can fathom. I don’t think my brain is capable of comprehending that kind of timespan. I don’t know whether to say eons or ages or even what that really means when last year feels like forever ago.”
“Do you think the people who lived here all that time ago imagined there would be people like us standing here, looking at their carvings and wondering why they’d put them here?”
“Not really. I figure they left them for their children and grandchildren to follow, so they’d know what and who used to be here, or where to go to find whatever it is those things are,” Zakk said, pointing to the etching of the herd. “I doubt they counted time like we do. Certainly not in hours. Days to them were just the sun and moon. Paths and maps were the stars. Simpler than GPS if you ask me. They can’t malfunction and lead you off the edge of a cliff somewhere.”
“I love your sense of humor. Don’t ever lose it.”
“It’s been with me this long. If I misplaced it somewhere I’d have to backtrack and try to find it. Life’s too long to be frownin’ all the time.”
“Yeah, no shit.”
Letting out a long breath, Tripp felt the weight he always seemed to be carrying in the center of his chest ease as he stroked fingertips through Zakk’s hair.
The sound of something scurrying behind them caused them to turn in time to see a lizard, running on its back legs, hissing frantically as a bird that looked like it was running on air, chased after it.
“What the actual fuck?” Zakk murmured as they watched the lizard take a hard left and the bird go running past it, zigging just a few seconds later to continue its pursuit.
“I…don’t even know what to say about that.”
Sagebrush rustled and that was the last they saw of either of them, so they continued their slow, careful exploration of the petroglyphs.
“I hate waking up every morning with a soul-crushing sense of dread pressing down on me,” Tripp blurted.
The moment the words left his lips he wanted to kick himself for ruining the peace of the moment with something heavy. When Zakk rounded on him, he ducked his head and swallowed hard. “Forget I said that.”
Squirming, he tried to turn his head when Zakk cupped his face in his hands and raised it so they could look eye to eye, but Zakk was having none of that, the pressure on his cheeks only growing the harder he tried.
“Nope, not a fuckin’ chance.” He’d leaned in so close their noses were practically touching. “I want to know why you wake up feeling that way.”
He could hear the sharpness of his own inhale as his mind fumbled to form the answers. He kept tripping over the things he wanted to say, censoring himself after every thought for fear that Zakk would think less of him. Unfortunately for him, that didn’t go unnoticed.
“I don’t want you to tell me what you think I want to hear. I’d like you to tell me the truth. Talk to me, for fuck’s sake. Let me in. If we’re going to be together, really together, then treat me like I matter!”
“You do matter!”
“Then talk to me, and not about some bullshit either. It’s just us, a bird, and maybe a lizard if he survived the attempt to make him lunch. No one else is gonna hear your confession. I sure as fuck won’t tell and I’m pretty sure neither the bird nor the lizard speaks English so out with it already. Maybe admitting why you feel that way will help you stop feeling it. I don’t know. I ain’t no shrink and I’ve never talked to one.”
“I have.”
Great, more words spilling from his mouth unchecked. This was either going to be a liberating conversation or the one in which Zakk walked away for good.
“It’s kinda necessary when you fuck up so bad someone winds up maimed because of it.”
“What happened?”
“An accident. Me being too competitive. Seemed like everything always came so easy to Winter, while I had to work my ass off just to keep up. Was so fuckin’ stupid. We weren’t ever supposed to touch those lawn darts without an adult around.”
