"Hallowdrive? That's only a day's journey from here." I was surprised, Hallowdrive was only a day away from Everlost. In fact, Hallowdrive was the "safer" version of Everlost and people who pack up their families usually to make it to Hallowdrive in hopes of a new, better life. Orion nodded but didn't say anything. He looked a little put off and uncomfortable; he pulled on the strings of his shoes.

       "Hallowdrive's a great place from what I heard. Why would you ever leave there?" I asked, but he seemed more interested in his shoes and the rocks around him.

        "I don't know." Was all I got from him, before he fell quiet.
     I was surprised, this was one of the first times Orion was uncertain about something and I watched him like a hawk would a mouse. I was waiting for him to flash a smug smile and call me something insulting to cover up the fact that he didn't know something, but I was shocked when he stood up, brushed himself off and reached his hand out to help me. I watched him for a moment before I took his hand and he pulled me to my feet.

      "We should get going or it will get too cold out in the wasteland." And we started our way through the waste. Orion was subdued and he walked by a foot.

       Slowly, we climbed over rocks, tall sandy hills, and sharp ridges. Sweat rolled down my chin and I brushed sweaty red hair away from my face. Orion also looked like the heat and climbing getting to him, but he didn't let on that he wanted to rest. We would have to be careful not to walk in the wrong direction and I would regularly check the direction of the sun (just like my father taught me to do when I was younger) to make sure that we were going in the right way.

      "Are you sure we're going the right way?" Orion called over to me as he pulled himself over a large sand dune that I had gone around.

     "Yes, I'm positive we are going the right way." I said with an exhausted sigh and I again wiped my hair away from my face.

     "How can you be so sure?" he asked sliding down the sand and next to me.

     "Because I can be. Now can we rest? I need to rest." I didn't wait for him to complain, I slumped to the ground; mouth dry and foot aching. Carefully, I again pulled off my shoe and wrapped my bandages; I winced at the sight of my foot, red and swollen with puss oozing out. I bit into my hand as I reached over and started to squeeze the puss out, in hopes to draw out the infection. Tears slid down my face and my breath was coming out in short, sharp gasps. I wrapped a new piece of cloth against my wound and replaced my shoe on my foot.

     I felt cold and shaky, like I was both hot and cold and I hugged my knees to my chest. Orion looked uncomfortable and his eyes glanced wearily from the sky to me before going back to the sky. "I think it would be safe to rest here for the night." And he sat down in front of me. I didn't have the strength to argue, I just nodded and laid down on the warm, dusty earth. The sun was quickly setting on the horizon and so did the temperature and pretty soon I could see my breath. It's going to be a long night.