The City Of Death

Chapter Five- Atlas

"Nah, I'm not getting all my sweat into everyone's water. That's not fair to them," I respond, and Annalise rolls her eyes.

"You know what's not fair? The fact that you're here, sweaty and exhausted, and you don't have any water yet. There's a reason we let Matt get his water first. Sometimes we even let him fill his canteen, drink it gone, and fill it again. So why haven't you filled yours?" Annalise wonders, and I shrug.

"Matt's in a slightly different position than I. He mostly only has to look after himself. I have to look after everyone, and that means making sure everyone gets water before I do," I answer, watching as she tries to readjust the pot. "Here, let me help you with that. At least until your husband gets back so he can do it." Annalise laughs and starts to tell me she can handle it. She stops when Rosalie runs into her legs, nearly making her drop the pot.

"Are you sure you're not too tired? I mean, Matt only makes it look easy because he does it every day," Annalise worries, but I wave the comment off. She gently transfers the pot to me before grabbing Rosalie and playfully holding her hostage. Rosalie squeals in excitement as her mother tickles her, her ringlets bouncing with each giggle. She finally breaks free and runs over to me, once again using the pot as a drum.

"Hey, Rosalie, where's your daddy?" I ask, and Rosalie's eyebrows furrow in thought, one little hand burying itself in her curls.

"I forgot my bottle. He go get it," Rosalie answers. She looks past me and squeals, taking off for something unknown. I manage to look over my shoulder and see Israel walking up to us, Rosalie already riding on his shoulders. I readjust the pot as Israel comes to stand next to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. He quickly pulls back when he realizes how sweaty I am.

"Well, I guess that's another reason Matt volunteers to get the water," Israel mentions, and I nod. It does make sense. I ask if he got what he needed, and he gestures to where both his and Rosalie's canteens are tied around his waist. He looks at me carrying his wife's cooking pot and sighs, taking his daughter off of his shoulders and handing her to Annalise. He then takes the pot from me, telling me he'll carry it the rest of the way. "Now. You should go get some water, King Atlas."

"Don't call me that. Besides, I've got something more important to do," I tell him, and he raises an eyebrow. "I've got to go find Gemma. You have any idea where she is?"

"Last time I saw her, she was in the fields. You might check there," Israel suggests. That's a good idea. She's usually either hanging around her supply tent, helping Savannah, or in the fields. It's when she isn't in one of those three places that it becomes an issue. I pat Israel on the shoulder, leaving him to get water for himself and his family. I'll get water as soon as Gemma, Savannah, and Matt are taken care of. Or, at least, until they've promised that they will go get some when they're done with whatever job is holding them up.

I make my way to the fields, having to stop about halfway through when I start feeling dizzy. I put my hands on my knees and breathe deeply, trying to keep the feeling at bay. Maybe Annalise and Israel were right. Maybe I should have gotten water. But I'm already almost to the fields. It would take less time to check for Gemma than to turn back. Once the dizzy feeling passes, I try to swallow down my spit to relieve my increasingly dry throat. Once Gemma, Savannah, and Matt are taken care of, getting water will absolutely be my priority.

As I approach the fields, I hear humming. That's a surefire sign that Gemma is here. The humming is coming from the corn, and I sigh. It's midsummer, which means the corn is at least knee-high. For most, that wouldn't do much to hide them. But Gemma, who has to stay so low to the ground, can go missing easily between the stalks. I follow the sound, looking between rows for a familiar face. Eventually, I spot the head of auburn hair I'm looking for. She's feeling along the dirt, getting her face so close to the ground her nose is practically touching the dirt when she finds what she's looking for.