Ch. 7 Desolation

Deron fell into step behind Ed, and followed him blindly. He had no idea what else to do. He assumed that this strange critter had become lost in the desert they now trudged through, and that he was headed back to more hospitable circumstances. Ed had led him down out of the jagged little mountain range, and back into the flat. At least the walking was easy.

They had walked through the day, and all night. As daylight approached once more Deron began watching diligently for cover. He had always spent his down time, be it day or night, rain, snow or sun, in a thicket. There was nothing he needed more than the security of a nearly impenetrable patch of trees and bushes. As he scanned the horizon, it became apparent no such place existed here. At this realization Deron broke the long standing silence.

“Hey Ed,” Deron croaked from his dusty throat, “I need a break. Where are we going to spend the Day?”

“I think the top of that hill would be good. We should be able to see real far from up there.” Ed said as he nodded his head toward their destination.

All Deron could see ahead of them was a little bitty hill, completely bald and directly in the path of the sun’s rays that would soon be beating down. Deron assumed he had misunderstood Ed. Rather than cause confusion with the, um, slightly slow antelope, Deron just continued on behind his leader.

Sure enough, upon reaching the top of the nubbin of a hill Ed declared, “This is the spot Deron the Moose. You lie down and get some rest. I’ll take first watch. After a little while, when I get tired, I’ll wake you up. Then you can watch for a while, and I’ll sleep. Ok Deron the Moose?”

Deron wanted to cry out at the absurdity of this statement. Wanted to tell Ed he was crazy for stopping here. Wanted to scream how he’d surely die of thirst while the sun baked him dry on top of this “hill”. But he was too tired to argue. He lied next to the only scraggly little bush available, one that cast a shadow the size of flea’s parachute, and closed his eyes. He was sure that form a distance he was easier to spot than a mouse in a wolf’s skin.

The last thing he saw before dozing into a fitful sleep was Ed the Antelope staring intently into the distance, turning his head side to side, shuffling in a small circle. Watching for what in this forsaken place Deron couldn’t imagine. There was no one else alive out here.

The last thought Deron had, before sleep over took him, was no one would be alive out here soon enough.