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Ellister is lean and chiseled. With clothes on, he actually appears to be quite skinny, but underneath these layers, I realize how muscular he is. The definition of his pecs, every indent of his six-pack, the V leading into his pants… He’s like a sculpted statue.
A statue that’s currently limp as a ragdoll.
He’s easy to manipulate as I search for more stingers. I roll his body from side to side to get a good view of his back. Luckily, there are only two more stings. One on his neck, the other by one of his shoulder blades. Seems the bees went for the most accessible places and the fleshy areas where they could sink in easily. Which makes sense. They wouldn’t want to do more work than they have to.
Running my hands over Ellister’s khaki-clad legs, I don’t feel any bumps or stingers.
Last, I check his ankles, but his boots are high enough that they provided protection on that part of his body, too.
“Okay,” I breathe out, contemplating using what’s left of the water to clean his wounds, but just as fast, I decide against it.
I should save it for drinking. Ellister might be damn near invincible, but I’m not. I have no idea how long he’s going to be incapacitated, and I’m going to need every drop of water if I don’t want to die from dehydration.
I grab the honey cup.
Dipping into it, I rub the sticky substance between my fingers. “It’s not a magic fix, but honey can actually be used as a balm on stings. It can help with inflammation. Maybe it’s the same with the honey here. I don’t know. I’m gonna try it. I really hope it doesn’t do more harm than good.”
After applying a generous layer to each sting, I sit back on my heels to admire my work.
My eyes connect with Ellister’s unblinking one, and the vacantness there is unsettling. Gently, I close his eyelid for him, just like they do in the movies after someone passes away.
Ellister isn’t dead. His beating heart is proof, and I keep reminding myself of that fact by checking it.
Placing the side of my head over his chest one more time, I listen to the steady and reassuring thump.
Once I’ve laid the blanket out and folded it in half, longways, I decide to move Ellister’s body onto it.
After a lot of straining and grunting on my part, I manage to get the job done. Positioning the honey cup and the flannel shirt in the crook of his arm, I make sure we’ve got our supplies, then I go to the end of my makeshift stretcher.
I grasp the blanket near Ellister’s head, and I pull backward. We move about a foot. I do it again with more oomph. This time, I drag him about two feet.
I glance back at the mountain, eyeing a side where I see some cracks and indents. A deep crevice would do, but it’s farther than it looks.
Well.
This is going to be a laborious journey.
With another heaving grunt, I continue with my purpose and hope the blanket holds up while being raked over the ground.
HANNAH
Ellister’s rhythmic heartbeat is underneath my ear as I lie curled up next to him in the shade of the cubby I found. It’s not a cave like I’d wanted, but the overhang provides shelter. A blessing in this heat.
At this point, I’d give just about anything for a drop in temperature. A storm would be nice. I never thought I’d hate good weather, but these suns are ridiculously relentless.
They never set. Ever. They just keep going around and around in the sky in opposite directions, passing each other but never sinking below the horizon.
Just like when we were in the cave, I can’t tell how much time has gone by because darkness doesn’t seem to exist here. I estimate it’s been about two days, but I could be wrong.
Pleasant chirping and trills come from the forest. Turns out, there are birds around. They’re just quiet most of the time. They tend to get riled up when the suns collide over the trees, just like now. Their song has an actual tune to it, seeming structured with happy notes.
Sweat trickles down my temple as I listen to the noise and watch the clouds float by in the blue sky. My mouth is uncomfortably dry, and it feels like I have sandpaper in my throat every time I swallow.
I drank the last sip of water hours ago.
I’m just so damn thirsty, and I’m having trouble concentrating on anything else.
I even got desperate enough to fish out Ellister’s flask, hoping I could drink the Glow.
