Dreamers- A Merome, Pooflan, Wroetostar and Minizerk Story

⋖Chapter 23⋗

Lachlan's P.O.V.

When I awoke the next morning, body aching for some unknown reason, I mentioned to Rob sort of as an afterthough that Simon had been feeling unwell. His eyes widened and he ran out of the shelter, a shot of confusion running through me. Josh had said they would come back, I thought they had only been moving further away, perhaps to the river, so they didn't disturb us.

I didn't understand what was going on until Preston came and talked to me, and Vikk too even though he probably knew more than me, explaining that they were gone.

"They've left." He whispered gently. "They've probably gone back home."

"Why?" I whispered, tucking myself up against Vikk's shoulder.

"Because it's all Simon's really known." Vikk said, his eyes trailing off into the distance. "He grew up on that land, he knows it back to front. He grew up with Josh there, he farmed it for years. I'm not surprised that that's where he wanted to die."

"But... what about Josh? Won't he come back?" I asked, even though I think I already knew the answer. Preston looked over at Rob, looking for something to say.

"I... I don't think so Lachy." He said gently. "The only thing he really has is Simon and once he's gone..."

"Okay." I cut him off, not wanting to hear the rest of it. I had figured it out.

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I thought about it for a long time, about Simon and Josh. I knew that Simon would die within the next days or weeks, if he wasn't already dead, but Josh... I didn't want to think about it. I knew he would take his own life and we wouldn't see him again, and that was difficult to think about it. I knew Josh but knowing that I wouldn't see him or Simon again weighed on me.

Vikk was very quiet, far quieter than usual. He was in a depression and I knew exactly why. He had known Simon and Josh before we had, not for very long, but long enough that they had formed a close friendship and on top of that, Harry was getting worse.

He had gone downhill almost as soon as he knew Simon and Josh had gone, slipping in and out of a half conscious state. He was just sleeping but when he was awake he was in a funk, barely eating or drinking anything and completely refusing to speak, even to Vikk. The older boy- I had worked out that Vikk was actually older than Harry- tried to force him to eat and drink, tried to get him talk, but nothing worked. He cried himself to sleep in my arms one night, about a week after Josh and Simon left, because it was all I could do.

The day after that I crawled into Rob's embrace, trembling and exhausted. He mumbled some comforting words into my ear for a little while but I wasn't able to sleep simply because my mind was buzzing too much, I had too much to think about. Preston sat on Rob's other side playing with dry blades of grass, skilfully weaving them into ropes.

"Rob?" I finally asked, biting down on my knuckles. He looked down at me.

"Yeah Lachy?" He said quietly.

"What happens now? What happens when Harry goes?" I whispered, shuffling myself so I was resting more comfortably in his lap.

"I don't know Lachy." He sighed. "We establish ourselves, we farm, we find new plants. We survive."

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I was standing on my tiptoes, reaching up as far as I could to grab at a vine, attempting to secure it in some branches to hold up the shelter. Rob laughed as I did so, standing by and being no help while I struggled and Vikk being the short bean that he only rolled his eyes and grinned at me, leaving me to my thing.

"Rob!" I whined, jumping up. "Help me!"

"No!" He grinned. "It's way to much fun to watch you struggle."

"Robbbbbb! Help me!"

"Mmmmm no." He said teasingly.

"But you're taller than me! I need help!" Finally he sighed and stood up beside me, that little bit of extra height he had on me because of the 5 years he had in been in the world before I was born, and we easily managed to hook the vine up to hold the shelter in place.

"Was it that hard?" I sassed, poking my tongue out at him. He elbowed me in my ribs and I pouted, flopping down beside Vikk because I didn't want to do anymore. Mitch, Jerome and Preston were further out in the woods, still gathering things for the shelter, while Harry slept on Vikk's other side.

"No but I just like annoying you." Rob said happily. "And your reactions are great."

I groaned and turned away from him, annoyed but still strangely happy. Rob's teasing didn't make me mad or anything, he had done the same teasing since we were little and it had never meant anything more than friendly jabs at the end of the day. Vikk only smiled and once Rob left he started asking me questions.

"Does he do that all the time?" I nodded, laughing.

"He teases me all the time, he's done it since we were little. It's just cause I'm younger than him and Preston." I smiled. "I don't mind though, I've got used to it."

"Harry teases me all the time too." He mumbled and said boy looked up at the mention of his name, not quite asleep. "But I'm older. It's just cause he can."

"Too right." Harry said hoarsely, smiling for the first time in a while. "And it's easy to tease you." Vikk pouted and I cracked up laughing.

"Now I know how Rob and Preston feel." I cackled, leaning back onto the ground. Harry smiled and Vikk continued to pout. "And why they love to tease me."

Vikk rolled his eyes and leaned back on the ground, and I quickly followed. It might have been the middle of the day but I think everyone was exhausted and no one wanted to actually do anything so Rob lay down too, and we were joined by the remaining three boys once they got back, dragging wood and vines behind them.

It wasn't long before everyone was fast asleep.