"She needs it much more than I do. Please accept it." Nahali looked at the blanket, then at Sawyer, then at the young woman, who wouldn't stop trembling violently. For a moment, her hard expression softened almost imperceptibly. She took the blanket and carried it to the young woman, wrapping her with maternal care. Her name is Paloma, Nahali said without turning to look at him.
She's been fighting the fever for 3 days. Sawyer returned to his corner and sat down again on the cold floor. The cold was beginning to bite his bones without mercy, but he didn't mind at all. He had done the right thing, and that was enough. Night fell over the desert, though it was impossible to distinguish it from day under that furious storm.
Sawyer closed his eyes, but couldn't sleep. He heard Paloma's labored breathing, the worried whispers of the other women, the constant tapping of sand against the walls. At some point during the night, he opened his eyes and found Nolly watching him intently from the other side of the cabin. Their gazes met in the darkness. She said absolutely nothing, but Sawyer could see that something had changed between them.
A small gesture of humanity had opened a tiny crack in the wall of distrust. The storm continued roaring outside with all its fury. But inside that small cabin lost in the desert, something new was beginning to be born. The hours passed slowly, like drops of honey falling from an old spoon. The storm showed no signs of calming down, not even for a moment.
The wind howled like a hungry wolf in the darkness, shaking the cabin walls with relentless fury. Sand seeped through every crack, forming small golden mounds on the dirt floor. Sawyer remained in his corner, completely still, arms crossed over his chest to conserve some warmth. Without his blanket, the nighttime desert cold cut him to the bone without mercy. But every time he looked toward where Paloma lay, wrapped in that thick wool, he knew he had made the right decision.
The women spoke among themselves in very low voices in their native language. Sawyer didn't understand the words, but he perfectly understood the tone of the conversation. They were talking about him without a doubt. Some voices sounded annoyed and sharp, others simply curious, and a few clearly frightened by the stranger's presence. Nahali remained awake, watching every movement.
Her dark eyes glowed in the dimness like those of a nocturnal animal protecting its pack. She didn't trust the stranger. That was more than evident, and Sawyer didn't blame her at all. In these difficult and dangerous times, trust was a luxury that very few could afford. Why are you traveling alone through the desert?
Nahali's voice broke the heavy silence of the night. Sawyer looked up and found her watching him intently from the other side of the dark room. I lost my cattle, he answered with complete honesty. A stampede three nights ago, 300 head. Everything I had in this world.
I was searching for them when I saw the storm approaching on the horizon. And your family? Does a wife wait for you somewhere? I have no wife, no family either. I only had that cattle in my horse.
Thunder, nothing more. Nahali processed the information in silence for several seconds. One of the other women with a round face and a naturally kind expression approached her and whispered something urgently in her ear. Nahali nodded slightly. "Sit Laali wants to know if you're hungry," Nahali said, pointing to the woman who had spoken.
Sawyer shook his head immediately. "Save your food for yourselves. You'll need it much more than I will in the days to come." Another exchange of meaningful glances among the women. Another small crack in the wall of distrust that separated them from the stranger. The night continued its slow, endless march.
Paloma was sleeping more peacefully, now her breathing calmer than before. The fever seemed to have eased a little, perhaps, thanks to the comforting warmth of the blanket. The other women also began to fall asleep gradually, one by one, until only Nahali and Sawyer remained awake in the darkness. One moon ago, we were 20 people, Nahali said suddenly, her voice barely audible over the constant roar of the wind outside. 10 strong men, 10 brave women.
We had horses, enough provisions, dreams of finding a better place to the north where we could live in peace. Sawyer listened in respectful silence. He instinctively knew that Nahali needed to tell this story to someone. The fever came without any warning. First, our leader fell, my older sister's husband.
He was a man strong as an oak, but the fever brought him down in three days. Then the others fell one after another without us being able to do anything. In 10 terrible days, all our men were dead. We buried them on the hill just behind this cabin. Did you find this cabin by chance?
Yes, it was fate. Whoever lived here left a long time ago, maybe years. They left some basic provisions and useful tools. We decided to stay here until Paloma fully recovered, but the fever won't let her go. Sawyer looked toward where the young woman slept, wrapped in his blanket.
Even in the deep darkness, he could make out the worrying palar of her delicate face. "I've seen fevers like this before in my travels," Sawyer said knowingly. "She needs clean water, lots of fresh water, and complete rest. Do you have a well nearby? There's one behind the cabin, but it's half filled with accumulated sand.
We haven't been able to clear it ourselves. It's too heavy work. When the storm passes, I'll clear it for you. Nahali looked at him with evident surprise in her dark eyes. You said you would leave when the wind calmed.
Those were your words. You said I should leave when the wind calmed, Sawyer corrected calmly. But I'm not going to leave you like this. Not until the well is completely clear and Paloma is much better. For the first time since Sawyer arrived at the cabin, he saw something completely different in Nali's eyes.
It wasn't trust yet, but it wasn't the open hostility from before either. It was something in between, like the first timid ray of sun after a long storm. Why would you do that? She asked directly. You don't know us at all.