North

Follow where you saw it headed

North

Dust blew idly across the road, lashing the eternally dry dust of death across Tim's forehead, his worn overcoat. Squinting, doing his best to ignore this, he idly placed one foot before another, perhaps focused on some imaginary spot in the distance, far beyond where the end of the road met the horizon and kept on towards infinity.

Tim carried not much with him. Not that there'd been much to keep. It had been hours, the day approaching midday and the sun upon him, wringing sweat from his fatigued and dusty skin. Still he continued, one foot casually in front of the other. 

At some moments, a car would rush past, kicking up more dust but paying him no other courtesy. Only once did a passing white van slow down by his side and lower his window.

"Hey man, where are you going? Looking for a lift?"

Tim didn't seem to notice at first. He turned his head, tried to seem polite about it:

"No thanks."

"No?" the driver replied, confused. "It's a hell of a walk to the next town, a good few miles."

"I'm not going there." Tim replied gruffly, not even slowing his pace as the van hummed alongside him.

"So where are you headed? To the..."

"Nowhere."

"Nowhere?"

"There doesn't need to be anywhere. A man can just walk, it's all a man ever really does. He just keeps going."

"But...hm." Confused and alienated, the driver slowly accelerated his van and left Tim behind.

He walked on at a zombies pace, ignoring the slithers of pain in his starving gut. He'd not eaten for days. Finally, he reached some grasslands away from the road. The heavy rainfall of last night had not evaporated under the glaring sun, dewy crystal drops kept sheltered by apple trees. Lands vibrant and nourished, but darkly untamed. Somebody's orchard? It was so wild. Perhaps abandoned and left to grow free. Reaching up, he snapped a red apple from a young branch before him. Crunch. Delicious, but he couldn't eat all day. Sandra was all the fresher in his mind, it was her kindness he now remembered. 

Looking up beyond the trees, Tim smiled for the first time in his new memory. Seeing the worn and darkened castle in the far distance, knowing what he'd seen and heard, he knew.

It had gone North.

Author's Note

Chicken, Remember, Tincture etc.

Reviews

[Maya]

Ohh, is the dragon called Sandra?? I'm very enthusiastic about this! :) Though I'm kind of thinking about the dragon from Shrek now :D I love your writing style, you know this by now :)

[Alex Ware]

Actually, Sandra 43 is the name of the woman whose wallet and ID he had in his overcoat ("Remember"). Thank you though :)

[Maya]

Ah, yes, that's so true. Thank you for this. You're awesome!