Episode 53

They sat by the roadside until midday, and still Connor had not woken.  Smoke still covered the sky, black from the wet foliage that had burned.

“What do we do if no cars come by?” Miah asked Ben, watching Connor sadly.

Ben sat up from where he had been lying down out of boredom.  “Start walking, I guess…follow the road…hope we find a town or a phone or something…”

“Hmm…”  Miah's thoughts were a world away, and Ben's voice continued in the back of her consciousness.

He was still breathing; he was alive, but they needed to get him to a hospital, fast.  A gun wound wouldn't heal on its own, that she knew.  It would only get worse out in the open like this, too.  It would only be a matter of time before infection grew on the wound and spread to the rest of the body, taking its toll within days if the wound was bad enough.

They sat there by the edge of the road for ten more minutes, watching both directions.  When no cars came, Miah sighed and lay back in the grass, looking up at the sky.  She blinked as ash fluttered down, and Ben watched her.

She opened her eyes and looked at him. “What?”

He looked down, and then looked back at the road.  Miah crossed her arms and sighed.