𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋//𝐆𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘𝐗𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑

Cherry slushie

He guided us under a slab of cracked concrete remains, large enough to cover each of us. The buzzing turned into an insurmountable roar. Massive drone type ships whirred in the vibrant blue sky, getting rid of any clouds if they happened to exist beforehand.

"They're never gonna stop looking for us, are they?" Minho looked up in dismay, fighting away a defeated expression.

"Not a chance." I replied dryly, exiting the pitiful form of shelter we had taken.

________________________

"Everyone good?" Thomas asked, nearing the top of the mountain of rubble. The rest of us weren't as quick, I took up the rear with Winston trailing behind me. His breathy groans grew as we hiked, along with my concern for him.

My lungs burned in the heat. Midday showed no mercy, the sun hailing down spitfires of warmth. Still, I kept going, envisioning what Gally would be doing if he were here. I let my mind implore the land of pretend while laboring my way up the dunes.

He'd probably be sweating bullets, Gally was someone who always ran hot. I was his opposite, always craving more warmth whenever I could get it.

He probably wouldn't be able to stand seeing me so tired. He'd carry me any way he could till he was too tired to go on. Then I'd give him a kiss on the cheek, jolting him alive with my encouragement.

He would be sweet to me and irritable to almost everyone else. He might snap if I caught him at the wrong time, but would apologize immediately. For about the millionth time, I desperately wished he was here.

I let out a whistle when I made it to the top of the giant sand dune. The first of many to come. Remnants of the rest of the city lay before us, along with a bridge sunken in sand.

"There's mountains, that's got to be it." Thomas pointed at the landforms that glimmered in hope. "That's where we're going."
The heels of my feet ached, begging for rest. I ignored them, preparing myself for the journey ahead.

In the distance, the mountains stood up proudly, daring us to come after them. They could've touched the top of heaven from this angle, so far above the rest of us.

"It's a long way off." Newt's light hair picked up the slight breeze coming in. His blatantly homoerotic scarf's tassels played in the wind.

"No shit Sherlock." I scrunched my nose at the grains of sand. They were starting to lift from the ground. "I wonder if there's a seven-eleven on the way there."

"There's no seven-eleven for miles y/n." Newt sighed, massaging his own neck. "What, are you craving a slushie?" He snarked, his drawl a dead give away of sarcasm.

I think I got some sort of sick thrill from his annoyance. Maybe I should get that checked out by a psychiatrist. Still, I always felt better after a few jabbing teases.

"As a matter of fact, yes. An ice cold cherry one. Well, only one way to find a slushie." Thwacking Thomas on the back, I sent him forward. "Come on Einstein, since you have such a hard on for mountains, lead the way!"

"Let's go find you that slushie." Minho joined in, fixing his jacket before stepping forward. He gave me a tired grin, showing a tamed friendliness.

Winston decided to beat him to the task. The second his foot went forward, the rest of his body decided to join him. He collapsed onto the sand. His body anchored itself from gravity, sliding slightly down the dune.

"Winston?!" Thomas rushed to the boy's side. "Hey, Winston?!"

"Holy shit Winston." I settled quickly on his other side, my knees digging into the sand. Grabbing his sand covered face, I turned it upright. Sound choked up from his lungs. He was struggling to breathe.

"Winston? Winston?" Frypan looked at Winston's eyes, searching for clues. "He's hurt pretty bad."

"What do we do?" Teresa asked, she held his shoulder, earnestly looking for a way to help. Winston coughed on, his chest rising and falling erratically.

"Winston?" Newt tried, shaking him gently. "Can you hear me?"

"Come on Winston!" I urged, lightly slapping his face, hoping it would help him speak. Panic shook through my limbs, another one of us couldn't die. Not this soon. "Come on!"

"I have an idea." Declared Thomas, who had stoically risen above us. "Newt, come and help me."