(Pov: Eirian)
"So, how are you guys doing?" Ael and Amiel came in and placed their bags down.
"We got most of it done today, but we still need one more day to bring back the medical supplies."
"Wow, real slowpokes, huh?"
"Does that mean you guys finished?"
"Nope," Ael said with a bright smile.
"And you called us slow."
"Yeah, but we had the harder task." He said, crossing his arms, and turned his face away.
'He never stops, huh.'
"I mean, you put the two handicapped people on one team. You're not competing against much."
He chuckled, "You're right. How about I make us some food? It's been a minute since I ate." Just as he was walking towards the kitchen, he could see some food on the counter. "You made some?"
"Yeah, help yourself." I laid out my hand, inviting them.
Ael happily walked over and sat down. "Don't mind if I do."
He looked at the food like it was some type of treasure trove, and took a bite. His face gleamed. "This isn't bad."
"What do you mean, this isn't bad. Were you expecting it to be bad?"
'What's with people judging my cooking today?'
"No, no, it was a compliment."
"Didn't sound like one," I said under my breath.
I looked over at Amiel, who was sitting on his sleeping bag. I brought him the plate I made, since he didn't want to get close to Ael from the looks of it.
"Here you go."
"Thanks."
I don't bother him; I knew when a man should be left alone. Right now, he is to be left alone.
I walked back over to Ael and whispered to him. "What happened?"
"Oh, you know, just pushed the wrong buttons."
I give him a stare.
"I said to stop looking at me like that."
"You deserve it."
Turning to look over at Ameil, I asked Ael something, "Anyways, how are you doing?"
"As good as I can be."
"That's good." I paused for a second. "So are we out of here tomorrow or?"
"I think so, if not, definitely the day after that." He turned to take a small glance at Amiel, "But the sooner the better."
I don't ask about the glance he took at Amiel, "How about I join Ameil tomorrow, you know more about the medical supplies we will need."
He took another bite of his food, swallowing it before he replied. "That's fine. I'll be sure to bring the anesthesia this time. He smiled as he said the second bit.
"You know what, no more food for you." I took the plate from under his hand as he was about to grab another piece.
"Hey!" He reached for it while he was in his seat. "That's mine."
"Well, not anymore." I started to take bites out of it of what was left.
***
The next morning came, and Amiel and I went off to the forest on the south side where they built the wagon. He told me that it was near the edge of campus, where the forest and the campus met, but a bit deeper. I didn't mind walking it since my wounds were practically all healed up. It's amazing what one's body can do in a few days.
I cast a glance at Amiel. He didn't say much, no, I think whatever happened the other day with Ael was still getting at him.
'Dumbass,' I think as Ael's face comes up in my mind. 'How do I even break this silence?'
I understood that Amiel was not one to talk much, but this silence was just going to make it worse for us when we head out. It would be better if we fixed whatever tension there was between them.
"So, hey... I know Ael can be annoying, so I wanted to apologize for whatever he did yesterda-"
"Why are you apologizing?" He cuts me off.
I paused, not knowing what to say, "I-it's just I feel like Ael-"
"Either way, it's over now. We all have an objective, that is to get out of here."
I didn't say another word. There was no need to. He knew that whatever was going on between them was not important and that we still shared one common objective.
"Anyways, we're here."
I stared at the wagon lying on the ground. The body of it looked strong. Not only that, but the way was built to be pushed by two people. It held two long logs on both sides of the wagon, extending a few feet beyond the body. Between the two logs, another log connected them and left space for people to push it. Enough for about two, maybe even three people to push.
I took another glance at Amiel. He really was amazing when it came to survival skills. Not only was he able to build a map of the whole campus, but he also came up with something like this on the spot.
"We should be done by noon," Amiel said, snapping my attention back to reality, "All we have to do is finish up the wheels."
He heads over to a log, takes out his knife, and starts to make his way through it.
"Do you really expect to do it like that?" I asked.
He simply stared at me, as if he was telling me just to come and help.
"Fine, I get it." Making my way over, I grabbed my knife and started doing the same on the other side.
It took about a few hours to get the four pieces we needed. After that, we took a break and ate the food we brought from campus.
As expected, not many words were exchanged between him and me. I had the sense that he just wanted to focus on the job at hand.
After we ate, we had to shave down the wood so that it had a perfect circle, well, perfect enough for it to roll properly. When done, we connected two logs parallel to the body for the wheels on opposite ends. The body of the wagon was heavy, so we had to head to a place to put it on a rock.
When the first set of wheels was done, the other side was much simpler. We kept using plant fiber to tie in the rest of the wagon, completing it almost at sundown.
"Done." I wiped the sweat off my body and lay on the floor. As I turned to Amiel, he seemed pleased with the results. To have this done in two days was an accomplishment.
Tomorrow, we will journey off into the wastelands.