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The trip was finally over and Kael was now on the outskirts of his home town, it was the driver's voice that pulled Kael's attention back to the present. He was easily distracted at the moment, it was a result of dehydration, extreme fatigue not to mention hunger.
Kael struggled to pull his body over the side of the truck and he grunted briefly as his boots hit the ground first and his body nearly followed. The only thing holding him up was the fact his fingers had wrapped around the side of the truck. He pulled in a few breaths to try and clear his head, to try and focus himself, and to stop himself from passing out right there and then.
"Thanks," He managed in a croak as he released the truck and he literally began to stagger through the town. The streets were empty but the sun was setting in the distance so most locals knew better than to be out at night. Kael's arm wrapped his side in a weak attempt to hold himself up and to stop the pain in his side from slowing him down.
He was in the worst shape he had ever been, his clothes hung off him and bones seemed to protrude from the various holes and tears in his clothing, it was a miracle he even had any clothes left considering how worn all of his outfit looked. His skin was covered in sweat, dirt lingered in his hair and his hands were almost bloody. Nails were torn and ripped away from skin to leave behind small aggravating sores.
Kael's hair hung in loose damp strands across tired eyes and those same eyes lifted to focus as best they could so Kael could find his way through the town. The man moving through the small town of Searchlight was a disturbing shadow of his former self.
Quinn was still moving a little slow when she closed up the shop that night, even though she'd received a clean bill of health when she'd left the hospital. The doctor had reassured her that there'd be no permanent damage from Jill's kicking her where she had, but that didn't keep the paranoia entirely at bay. She locked the door behind her, intending to just go home and do some more reading through the stuff she'd brought home from the courthouse.
Pausing on the sidewalk, she placed both hands in the small of her back and stretched. Maybe a shower first, just to relax some of the tension out of her muscles, then more paperwork. The days might have been getting shorter because of the season, but this day felt twice as long as normal for some reason.
"I wonder if I've still got leftovers in the fridge," she mumbled as she began to head towards her vehicle. "I really don't feel like messing around with dinner too much."
( I Missed You )
( What Can You Tell Me? )
"Get some sleep," she advised. "I'll wake you up when we get there."
Kael simply nodded his head, "Hopefully this won't all be a dream..and I'm back.." He trailed off again, his expression looked haunted for a few moments until he said nothing more and just closed his eyes. He tried to get comfortable and slipped his arms across his chest. The posture was very closed off, very guarded, almost as if he didn't trust that he would be safe whilst he slept.
"You're back," Quinn affirmed with a slightly grim nod. She pulled the truck out onto the street, her jaw clenching with determination. "I promise, this is no dream." She just hoped the emotional patching up would be as easy as the physical mending that Kael had in store for him.
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