The Badlands: Kinship

 I feel Mia get out of the bed and I sigh with a solid disbelief. I find it so tricky to open my eyes. The world is but a field of blurred colors at the moment.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you." Mia says.

"Don't be." I say as I rub my eyes. "We still have to hit the desert today." I add.

"True. Are you feeling back up to it?" She asks before taking a drink from the pale canteen we have been sharing.

"Yeah. I am." I smile softly.

"You know, we will get through this right?" Mia says.

"You seem to say that more for your comfort rather than for me." I laugh.

"I suppose you would be right in that." Mia admits.

We both start puttering around the camp and packing things so they can be even easier to get set up tonight with the campout. We both clear the way and get to see the magic look of this all going back into the original states. I am always amazed to see technology in its progress.

Mia snatches the tech up and puts it away. I keep my electric whip handy on my belt and we make out way, Mia using a thing called G.P.S. which in all honesty I don't know too much about, but it looks like a weird square.

"So how does that work?" I ask.

"I am not too sure. Maybe the satellites didn't have people on them." Mia suggests.

"I see. So what's a satellite?" I ask.

"Satellites are supposed to be a pre war tech to help share all kinds of stuff. Information mostly." Mia explains.

"What kinds of information I wonder." I say without expecting an actual response.

I swear she must be thinking of how to word it because all I can hear is the wind and feeling the sand pelt my face as it's making this moment stretch on forever. Her silence now becomes a discomfort. Does she even know? The silence is something that leaves me in utter confusion and at a loss for words.

We keep walking. Thankfully, today is actually a nicer day. The cool breeze feels nice. Even though the sand stings, that cool breeze feels refreshing. Mia seems to be rather puzzled by my question. It feels like she may not know and I asked a question that simply got her thinking about the old world. I can't say for sure, but this is my ideal train of thought on this.

We continue as the sun advances across the sky. It must have been hours of walking now and surprising to my realization, but the pain seems to be slowly fading in my legs. Mia Looks at me every now and then, I assume to ensure I am keeping up with her pace. This journey just never ends it seems. Grueling heat, non-stop sweat, thirst that returns within three minutes of drinking fluids.

"You know, even though we are fairly quiet a lot, it is nice to have you around, Etha." She says and I almost give into my urge to stop in my tracks from the shock.

"I feel the same. We don't have to speak constantly to actually be comfortable either." I say.

"Well, I guess it's almost time to start readying up to set up our camp." She says.

I feel a little awkward, considering how casually we can talk. I mean, we have built a closeness for sure since we met for the second time back in Basha. My little slice of desert couldn't compare to this though.

"You know, since we met, life has been nothing but a real crazy adventure?" I laugh.

"Oh?" She sounds disappointed to hear this.

"No, I mean you made my life more lively and enjoyable." I try to correct the presentation of my words.

I don't know how well it worked because Mia is just mauling my reply over. I don't enjoy it when she wears this type of look, the one where she is processing every word. I think maybe I have to learn more words.

"I didn't mean that in a bad way Mia. I like being around you." I admit.

It stays quiet for a little bit. Sometimes the silence is just natural between us. That and half the time we are being bombarded by sand.

"How much farther would you like to go before we call it a day?" Mia says.

I didn't realize it, but the sun has already gone halfway over the horizon behind us. I suppose we better do it soon. I nod.

"Let's camp here tonight." I say.

She stops at the same time as I do and we look to each other and laugh. She tossed out the campsite gear and it assembles once more. Even though it amazes me, it now feels routine more than anything.

"Alright. So, we better figure out something to eat." Mia says as she sits by the camp fire site and sighs.

"I never even thought of that back in New Boston." I admit.

We both sigh deeply. It seems we both forgotten what we should have brought. She pulls out some of the rations she had packed away.

"Well, desperate times." She says handing me what looks like some weird hard bread.

"Thanks." I say taking it.

I am hungry. I cave and begin to try to bite into the rock like stiffness. Slowly the bread softens and my mouth salivate from my mouth attempting to bite into this thing. Let alone chew it. Mia also appears to struggle with hers at first. she turns red when noticing me seeing her with a square shaped slice of this really odd bread.

"What kind of bread is this?" I ask with my words muffled by the bread.

"It's ration bread. Meant to last a long time." Mia says, actually pulling the bread from her mouth to speak.

I nod. I can't exactly say much to that. The bread has a sweet tinge to it but overall is bland. almost as if I was to eat parchment. We sigh and both must be in agreeance subconsciously as we eat in silence. The idea she even has this as an emergency food is a great idea. as the meal progresses I admittedly feel this is a filling food.

The night sky begins to wrap itself over us, the daylight being forced into its corner. I look at her and nod my head towards the tent as I get up to head in for the night. She seems to understand as she follows me into the tent where we finish the rations from the emergency stuff she had set aside.

"So, we are probably another day or two out from the St. Lawrence Canyon." She says.

"Really?"

"That's about the halfway point. We will be alright." She says.

I feel like she is trying to re-assure me that we are indeed capable of making the trip to Old Ottawa. When we get there we can look at trying to get ahold of project purity. if we can use this ancient tech, we may just be able to change the very face of the badlands.

"We can change the face of life in the badlands." I say.

"Yeah, we will do it together." She nods.

"I'll keep you safe as I can." I say.

"And I'll do my best for the same." She agrees.

"So then, we'll stick together through everything." I sigh with a smile.

"when we get back from Old Ottawa, we will probably be known as heroes, Etha. Are you prepared for that?" Mia asks.

"That's something I will probably prepare for. It's one thing being buried underground, but a crowd? well I can't say ill be prepared for, but i will try." I say.

The idea of us becoming heroes is beyond what I ever thought possible. I only hope that we manage to pull off the idea that we are going to have clean and safe water to drink. many of us may even be able to grow food with that coming to be. Perhaps there is other technology beneath the we know as the badlands.

"We can look at having an easier time with this being available to everyone. Who knows how long our names would last." She sighs.

To me it seems as if she is the one daydreaming about these possibilities. I only hope we actually get what she wants to have from the old world. She has to have been awaiting for a moment like this for some time. I sit and observe her, the eyes where usually they are empty and heavy with burden, they are actually filled very much with hope. I wish to only be with Mia to see her end up doing the right thing for all of us.

"To think, we may even get a reward." She adds, at this point talking to herself. "Etha, we could get a home in New Boston and live easy for years if they even give us a quarter of the technologies value!" She giggles.

I smile softly. Then it dawns on me, she means getting a home together when this is all said and done. I glance to her and she seems to be expecting some kind of response. I feel like a stag that just got caught in the sights of a rifle and only noticed it a few moments before that trigger would potentially kill it.