The Last Days of the Wanderer

Chapter 2: Center City

Alex awoke to a sensation he hadn't felt in weeks, the feeling of cold water on his skin. The rain fell rhythmically around him, hissing as it touched the hot pavement. The smell of the fresh rain mixing with the thirsty dust was more pleasant an aroma than any he'd ever smelled. Pressing his hands to the warm pavement, Alex pushed himself up and crawled to Daniel.

"Daniel. Its..."

He laughed.

"It's raining."

Thunder bellowed, lightning cracked, and the sky split open drenching everything. The road was cleared of sand in seconds, and the cold cut through to Alex's bones. Daniel shivered.

"Where are we?" He said into the puddle he no laid in.

"The middle of the road." Alex smiled, getting up to his knees.

"Sure we're not dead?"

"Honestly? No."

Daniel pushed himself up to his knees.

"How long were we out?"

The wind howled drowning out Alex's reply.

"What?" Daniel shouted.

"I have no idea!" Alex shouted back. "Get out the canteens!"

Vitality surged through Daniel at the word, and he tore off his backpack to get to his canteen. When he found it the lid was already absent so he set it on the ground and cupped his hands over it trying to catch every drop he could. Alex did similarly until both canteens were full.

"Alex, we should get moving." Daniel shouted. "As awesome as this is, we don't want to get struck."

"Let's go."

Drenched from head to toe, Daniel and Alex began to walk again all the while drinking from the canteen and allowing it to be filled again by the rain. Alex unbuttoned and removed his shirt, allowing the water to wash him clean while the clouds blotted out the Sun.

Good idea. Daniel thought, unbuttoning his shirt like his brother.

The dust from the journey had caked over them in large chunks now washed away down their filthy pants, over their boots, and all over the dark gray, wet pavement.

As the squall began to die down around him, Alex shivered. Rather than put his shirt back on, however, he tied it around his neck and let it drape between his bag and his back. The cold cloth felt like it was comprised of needles both comforting and painful as it lay across his sun-scorched skin. After a few minutes of stinging pain, relief set in, and the cold removed any weariness left in his bones.

"Woah!" Daniel shouted, as a bolt of lightning struck a few feet away from him.

"Scare ya?" Alex grinned.

"Yeah, you?"

"I'd take electrocution over dehydration and sunburn any day."

"To each his own. Hey you see that?"

Daniel pointed toward the horizon. Through the mist of the storm, a small green sign with white lettering stood half eroded.

"Yeah. Can you make out what it says?"

"Something. Number. Miles."

"So we're close."

"I think so."

"We could probably walk 'number miles' in our sleep."

"Ha."

Alex shrugged.