Chapter 14: 168 Hours Left
Hendry didn't keep up, and it was surprisingly easy to forget about him on the long trek back. I let my mind roll over everything that had just happened, unable to make sense of any of it, but soon all thoughts emptied from my head except one - thirst. My tongue felt like I'd eaten a cotton field. Sweat poured from my body in dizzying sheets. I imagined my organs looked a lot like wrinkled prunes, but that visual only ignited my hunger.
The journey back should've taken less time in theory since I knew where I headed and how to get there, but it seemed to take hours. By the time I dragged myself onto the wooden porch by the front door of the church, my bones weighed too many pounds. I rang the doorbell that must've been used for deliveries a long time ago, then collapsed in the shade of the building. I knew I shouldn't be in the shade, but I didn't have the strength to move anywhere but inside.