1. 2 a.m.
Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. Damn, or shit, for some variety. Sitting up, his rough blanket scratchy and uncomfortable, Sadik rubbed his eyes as he listened, hoping he'd misheard that telltale sound of a sick kid. Glancing at the water clock that sat in the centre of the tent, he groaned, rubbing his eyes again. Two in the fucking morning. He slipped his mask into place, snagged his pants, and trudged outside.
As predicted, Herakles hadn't had the foresight to vomit into the grass outside their camp, instead choosing to simply gag his last two meals up a few yards outside the main tent's entrance-flap. Waiting for a lull in the boy's heaves, Sadik nudged him with his foot before picking him up, slinging an arm over his shoulder and kicking dust across the mess in the process as he maneuvered Herakles away from areas where people would actually want to be.
"F-Fuck you, old man," came the shaky reply. Herakles was so skinny. If Sadik was wheedled enough, he might admit he was a little worried. "Where'd you learn a word like that, kid?" was the gruff response.
"Listening to you," was the attempted response, before another round on nausea put the kabobs Sadik had worked so hard on ended up on the ground. Disgusting. In a surprising display of kindness, he actually set Herakles down, instead of dropping him like he wanted. "Fair enough. So, something you ate, or you just got the stomach thing again?" It was in the interest of their camp if something had gone bad. That was all.
"Dunno." Sadik wondered how long Herakles had been out here by himself. 'Kid's voice is rougher than mine,' he mused to himself as he watched the gawky teenager lay on the ground, holding his stomach. When did his legs get that long, or his voice that deep? When did Herakles grow up, and how the hell had he missed it.
"Well, if you get any ideas, let me know, alright?" he grumbled, tossing his shirt on the ground to sit next to him. Well, this was a nostalgic scene. It hadn't been too far from here that Sadik had been holding Hellen's hair back from her face, wondering what in the world had been making her so sick. Although, it was with a snort that Sadik realised it couldn't be the same thing with Herakles. Thinking of Hellen, though, Sadik remembered the promise he'd made to her. 'I'm watching over him, just like you asked, aşkım,' he thought to himself. 'Too bad your kid's such a goddamn brat sometimes.'
As predicted, Herakles hadn't had the foresight to vomit into the grass outside their camp, instead choosing to simply gag his last two meals up a few yards outside the main tent's entrance-flap. Waiting for a lull in the boy's heaves, Sadik nudged him with his foot before picking him up, slinging an arm over his shoulder and kicking dust across the mess in the process as he maneuvered Herakles away from areas where people would actually want to be.
"F-Fuck you, old man," came the shaky reply. Herakles was so skinny. If Sadik was wheedled enough, he might admit he was a little worried. "Where'd you learn a word like that, kid?" was the gruff response.
"Listening to you," was the attempted response, before another round on nausea put the kabobs Sadik had worked so hard on ended up on the ground. Disgusting. In a surprising display of kindness, he actually set Herakles down, instead of dropping him like he wanted. "Fair enough. So, something you ate, or you just got the stomach thing again?" It was in the interest of their camp if something had gone bad. That was all.
"Dunno." Sadik wondered how long Herakles had been out here by himself. 'Kid's voice is rougher than mine,' he mused to himself as he watched the gawky teenager lay on the ground, holding his stomach. When did his legs get that long, or his voice that deep? When did Herakles grow up, and how the hell had he missed it.
"Well, if you get any ideas, let me know, alright?" he grumbled, tossing his shirt on the ground to sit next to him. Well, this was a nostalgic scene. It hadn't been too far from here that Sadik had been holding Hellen's hair back from her face, wondering what in the world had been making her so sick. Although, it was with a snort that Sadik realised it couldn't be the same thing with Herakles. Thinking of Hellen, though, Sadik remembered the promise he'd made to her. 'I'm watching over him, just like you asked, aşkım,' he thought to himself. 'Too bad your kid's such a goddamn brat sometimes.'