Foreboding

We set off jest after dawn but it don't seem to make no difference. Even in the early mornin hours, the sun's rays pierce our skin, promisin a bone dry, one helluva hot day ahead.

Mother Nature ain't goin easy on us today, Ike grumbles. An of all days too.

We gotta reach the pass before dark, I says. There ain't no time to be wasting.

By midday we reach the mountain jest before the pass. We dismount an start goin on foot on the treacherous slope. At this rate, we'll jest barely have time to cross it by the time the dark sets in. I have a bad feelin about this an a glance at Ike tells me he's thinkin the same. I'm impatiently beginnin to quicken my steps jest as I hear Ash shout, No time to stop! Jack says we gotta make the pas before dark!

I look behind me an see Saba kneelin next to a very sweaty an feverish lookin Emmi. The heat must of gotten to her but we cain't afford to lose anymore time.

Emmi needs to rest! Saba shouts.

She can rest later! Ash shouts back.

No, she needs to rest now!

We cain't stop now, Ike mutters to me. We're already behind schedule as it is an there's no way we're gonna make it by dark.

I know, I says, runnin my fingers through sweat-soaked hair. But you see her, she's dead on her feet. What's the use of makin her walk this slope jest so she can collapse before even crossin the pass?

That's easy, Ike says flashin me a grin. I'll jest carry her.

Yeah, I says rollin my eyes. If Saba'll let you. But there ain't no harm askin. I dunno why you didn't offer sooner.

It's cuz somebody miscalculated the time it'ud take to get here, jackass, he says while gittin up to go over to Emmi.

Fer once, I agree with him. Wasn't ezzackly smart plannin on my part.

With Emmi pitched on Ike's back, we finally start movin agin. It might of been my imagination, but I coulda swore the sun started sinkin faster after that, that no matter how many steps we take, the daylight's always scurryin away quicker than we can manage.

We gotta reach the pass before dark, I repeat.

I know, Saba says. I heard it the first hunnerd times.

I check the softenin sky an curse unner my breath. We're gonna be pushed, I mutter. Let's move.

We finally make it to the top of the slope an top fer a second. The others are lookin down at the dry lake bed. Saba comes up behind me an says, I cain't see the other side.

It's there, I says, but my heart is slowly sinkin. We shoulda had it in sight by now.

We couldn't of gone no faster in this heat, she says defensively.

I know, I says. It's my fault. We should of set off earlier or...Gawdammit! I thought we'd have plenty of time. Whaddya think? I chance a look at Ike.

Well...we might make it across before nightfall, he says, but I can already tell there's no point.

I don't see what the problem is, Epona says. We'll jest ride across as fast as we can.

Yeah, Saba says, an Ash nods.

We cain't go fast, I says shakin my head. There's too many cracks. Too many places a horse could stumble.

Well all right, she says. We'll go slow an steady an if it turns dark before we finish crossin, we'll jest set up camp on the lake bed.

We cain't, says Ike flatly.

He's lookin at me an I'm lookin at him an we both know this ain't gonna end up okay. Saba's lookin back an forth between the two of us with a furrowed brow.

What is this? she says suspiciously. We gotta cross before dark, we cain't camp on the lake bed...I ain't likin the sound of this.

That makes two of us, Ash says, eyein us warily.

Try three, Epona says.

Oh, Fergawdsake, jest tell us! Saba says. I've had it with you two an yer secrets, tell us why we gotta cross before dark.

Tell 'em, Jack, Ike says.

Gawddammit! I says. I dunno what to say. How do I tell them it's becuz they're gonna git their insides torn out? I look at the ground fer a moment, steady my breath, an pull my shirt over my head.

I show them the claw marks on my chest. Emmi gasps, Saba cringes, an the rest of 'em hisses at the sight. I turn around an show them the rest on my back.

Complete silence. So silent you can hear the heat waves vibratin in the air. I put my shirt back on an turn back around to face 'em.

Does that answer yer question? I says.

...

Hellwurms, Epona grunts as we're setting up. Why the hell didn't ya tell us sooner, Jack?

Same reason we didn't tell Saba we was comin, Ash says. Else she woulda bucked up an run off by herself.

I don't say nothin. Some part of me was hopin we woulda made it before dark and I wouldn't hafta tell anyone anythin, but like all those times before, my plannin ain't good for shit. Ike's dishin out the remains of his pine sap vodka an the rest of 'em's busy wrappin arrows and dippin them in it.

Riippp. I look towards Saba and see she's tearin away at the cloth like a savage. Her jaw is clenched an her eyes are burnin holes into the ground. Sometimes I wonder if she's crazy. Hellwurms would probably of made anyone wet their pants but she looks like she's ready to murder 'em. Or me. Probably me. She catches my eye an somethin in her snaps. She shoots up, stalks over, grabs me by my collar an pulls me off to the side.

One last chance, Jack, she says through gritted teeth. Yer gonna tell me everythin there is to know about where yer takin us an if you dare leave out anythin, I won't hesitate to offer you as a sacrifice to those wurms.

What was I supposed to say? Oh by the way, Saba, we're gonna be facin some man-eatin wurms on the way to Freedom Fields so you might wanna watch out. I couldn't afford to have anyone backin out, I says.

No one's backin out! she shouts at me. I said I'd find Lugh an rescue him an I'm willin to do whatever it takes. Fer the last gawddamn time you ain't doin me a favor by keepin things from me!

She takes a deep breath an says, An don't think yer foolin nobody, Jack. You keepin secrets from us is not cuz you care, but cuz you like bein in control. So even if the others wanted to back out, save themselves from bein wurm chow, it'd be too late. This is my mission. An now I have other people's safety to consider becuz you brought them along an wouldn't leave me alone!

She glares at me with her arms crossed, darin me to deny it. I don't.

Fine, I says. You know what? Yer right. I ain't doin nobody no favors by keeping secrets, an yeah, I know it looks like I'm walking all over yer mission, but guess what? Me an Ike are yer only chance right now. We're gonna git yer brother back, Saba. I swear on my life, or Gawdalmighty, let me rot in hell. I ain't afeared of death no more.

You ain't afeared but that don't mean the rest of us ain't! she says. Emmi's only nine fer Gawd's sake. She's too young to be here fightin off wurms and Tonton and whatnot. An the only reason she's here is becuz you let her think it was okay! It ain't okay. And Ash an Epona of got a life back at Darktrees. They're now my responsibility too to get them home safe. An Ike! He's gotta woman waitin fer him an a boy who may as well be his son. Why don't you ever think about the other people around you, Jack? Why? In the beginnin, this was all plain an simple until you showed up an decided to take charge. You draggin all these people with us without a second thought of what they might be leavin behind. We all ain't travelin light like you are, Jack. Everythin don't always revolve around you.

You dunno the half of it, I say back, anger bubblin its way up my throat. You think I don't give a damn about these people. That I ain't a decent enough person to consider loyalty, trust an responsibility? You know what yer problem is, Saba? You is stubborn. A stubborn, pig-headed thorn in the ass who thinks she's seen an knows all the woes of the world.

I take a piece of cloth an tear it an start bandagin an arrow with jerky movements.

I dunno what kinda life you had before this, I says, but I can sure as hell say it ain't nowhere near as bad as it coulda been. You been at Silverlake all yer life. You had family around you yer entire life. Yeah, life is hard, but you haven't known what it's really like. Sure, you been to Hopetown, sure you been a Cage Fighter, but where we're goin...you ain't seen nothin yet. But I have. I know what we're up aginst. The rest of 'em know too. An they're here cuz they choose to be. Cuz they know you cain't do this alone.

She looks at the ground, shakin her head. When she looks back up, I'm startled to see tears in her eyes. She ain't glarin no more. I notice the dark circles unner her eyes an the bags that make it look like they're droopin downwards. She's exhausted, an afeared, an...alone.

I jest want Lugh back, she whispers, voice quiverin like a child's. I jest need him here. Him an Em's the only family I got left. An now with Hellwurms. I dunno if we're gonna make it out alive.

She sounds so broken, so full of despair. With every word I can feel her pullin at my heartstrings. How true an pure down to the core she is. Which is everythin I'm not. I step towards her an take her into my arms for a hug. My chin rests on the top of her dark head an I can still hear her snifflin into my chest.

Yer gonna make it out alive, I whisper to her. I tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear an lifted her chin up so that I could see her face. Black eyes meet silver an I feel once agin like the first time we met back at Hopetown. She stands tall an defiant even unner all the weight on her shoulders. But she's still young, an I don't mean jest in age.

Yer gonna git yer brother back, I says again, stronger. If need be, I'll offer myself up as bait an die fer you if I have to.

I don't believe you, she says, but this time the corners of her mouth are lifted a little. You may be even a bigger fool than I'd of thought in the first place -

She cuts off an looks to the side, eyes widenin.

Uh, Jack? Yer bleedin.

I look where she's lookin an notice the blood drippin from my other hand. I must of sliced it with the arrow at some point.

A little blood never hurt nobody, I says shruggin even though a bolt of pain shoots up my arm as I say it. It's nothin really.

She grabs my hand an a trail of goosebumps run up my arm. I try to push her away but she then says, It looks deep. I'm gonna clean it an wrap it up fer you.

I already told you, it's nothin, I says. I cain't let these traitorous thoughts surface again. Her touch, her concern is drivin me crazy an I know this definitely ain't the time.

Bullshit, she says. There ain't no use goin into a fight already openly wounded. At least let me clean it so it won't git infected.

I sigh in defeat cuz I know she's right. Once agin, I inwardly beat myself over the head for the selfish thoughts an let her clean my wound. She's right. I ain't a fan of showin vulnerability, especially not to her. Cuz she's one of the only people who'll probly ever see or care. An those people are the ones I gotta watch out fer cuz they worm their way into yer soul an never come out.

Done, she says. See? That didn't take too long. Then she does somethin I didn't expect at all. She reaches over an places her palm on my chest, right where the claw scars are. I suck a breath in an try to fight the poundin of my heart.

I know you's afeared too, she says. Ike told me how you got these scars. You coulda left him fer dead, but you didn't. You took the hit. I'm sorry fer blowin up at you earlier. I really do trust you. But I ain't gonna have you riskin yer life fer me anymore than you already are. You gave me yer word, but I can pull my own weight.

I have faith in you, I says. An I mean it.

It's gotten dark now. The sun's jest barely peakin over the dunes an I know we don't got much time left. The rest of 'em's beginnin to light up the vodka arrows. The fire's castin eerie shadows into the pass, where I know the creatures from hell are waitin.

We don't got time to lose, I says. Let's go.

A/N: Half a year later and I'm still here! So sorry about the wait but a ridiculous writer's block and lack of time are my excuses, but I promise I'll finish this eventually. Jack and Saba feels if you're still up for it!