Alex was panting by the time he reached the village. His lungs felt as though they were on fire and he yearned for some cold water. With aching feet, he reached the first house of the village and banged on the door wildly. As his throat burned with dryness, he yelled out for help, desperate for any positive interaction with another person.
With all the noise he was making, it wasn't long before he began to attract attention. Several men walked cautiously out of the other buildings, small children and woman trailing slowly behind them. When they saw Alex, their shoulders dropped slightly but they still looked warily at him, as if they were expecting him to jump at them, snarling and growling.
Alex tured around to face them and collapsed. He was so tired of everything, but at least now something was happening. In the vast expanse of the desert, it had all seemed hopeless, but with other people, with a chance of getting away completely, Alex let himself feel a sliver of hope blossoming in his chest. He knew he could survive this, just like he survived everything else the world had thrown at him.
The villagers seemed to lose all caution as he fell to the ground. They rushed toward him, whispering amongst each other. The children were ushered back inside of a building, while the men lifted Alex up and rested him against the door. Harsh instructions were pushed out, and water was steadily being dripped into Alex's mouth. He could almost cry with how sweet it seemed to taste in contrast to the heat of the desert. He felt like he could do anything now that he had slightly recovered. He was still injured from his time with his captors and Yassen, but at least now he was coherent enough to deal with it. It made things that much easier to deal with.
With shaking hands, Alex pushed himself up onto his knees and wiped the sweat off his forehead. The men let him have some space and gave him a canteen of water. Now that he was out of immediate danger, Alex let himself smile at the villagers and nodded his thanks. He stood up and took a long sip of water, easing his throat.
He looked at the men who had probably just saved his life and guess that they were some of the only people living there. He had counted 6 of them, and there probably weren't very many others who could survive for a long period of time out here. One of the men, the oldest of them Alex noted, stepped out of the group and walked towards him. He wore a large headdress and tunic, unlike the others who were all wearing tank tops and jeans.
The leaders voice was gravelly and much lower pitched than Alex had assumed. He was speaking and making gestures back out to the desert and the sun. Alex tilted his head and made a vague 'I don't know what you mean' gesture, pointing to the leader at the same time. One of the men huffed, but didn't say anything. Alex took that as his cue to talk.
"I don't know where this is. I'm just trying to figure my way back home. Thank you for giving me water, but I need to know how to get back to my life." All the men looked at each other vaguely. Alex sighed. Apparently he had no way of communicating with anyone here. Of course. Because why would his luck be any different now.
Just as Alex was ready to throw in the bucket and begin searching for a new way to get through to the people in front of him, an older woman walked out from behind the group of men. As she approached, the others tried to pull her back, but she waved them off with a walking cane in her hand. "So, you are lost and you seek a way home." She lifted his chin up, observing him from every angle. "I supposed I can help you. It may take a few weeks to get anyone out here though. Not many traverse these lands."
Alex grinned at her and nodded. "As long as I eventually get home, I can wait however long it takes." The woman nodded and pointed towards a smaller building. She began walking towards it.
"Then come. I wish to know how you came to be here." Alex followed, more excited then he could remember being in a long time. This woman had the same look in her eyes as Jack did when she was determined. He knew just based on that, eventually she would deliver on her words that she could get him home.
As he walked in a brisk pace beside her, he asked, "What's your name?" The woman paused, slowing in her walk.
She gave him a wry smile. "Names are a sacred thing, boy. For now, you may call me..." she pursed her lips, considering her answer. She then nodded, deciding. "I am called Arya, now come we have much to discuss. She walked into the building, but as she passed him, Alex couldn't help but notice the long, jagged scar that started at the back of her neck and disappeared underneath her dress.