The Survivors Book III: Winter (11 page)

"
There's no need to explain, Sandy," she interrupted me, a gentle smile touching her lips.  "I understand.  I was going to suggest the same at our next meeting, anyway.  It is a shame that we were not able to gather our things before we left, but our lives are more important than our possessions."

"
Yeah."  I nodded, screwing the cap back onto my bottle.  "There are plenty of things out here for the taking, but we can't replace you, or Hemi, or any of the others.  The mutants are spreading, and leaving death in their wake."

"
They are."  She closed her eyes, her expression turning grim.  "I underestimated the threat they posed.  Now, I wish we'd taken your warning more seriously."

"
Don't blame yourself."  I reached back, and rested my hand over top of hers.  "We're only just realising what they're capable of.  "That's why we're going south.  We're going to go as far as we can, and hopefully outrun them."

"
What about the others, though?"  She opened her eyes, and stared at me intently.

I blinked and stared back at her.
 "What others?"

"
The other survivors," she answered.  Suddenly, she grabbed my hand.  "There are others out here, though we rarely see them.  We must find some way to warn them, or they are lambs to the slaughter.  Even the bad ones do not deserve to be eaten."

"
I'm all for warning them, but how can we contact them?"  I shrugged helplessly.  "We had a shortwave radio, but we searched for days and only ever found the folks at the power station, which is where we're heading now."

Anahera went silent for a long moment, then looked me in the eye again.
 "Avalon.  We must go to Avalon."

"
…Excuse me?"  I stared at her, wondering if she'd been hit on the head a little too hard.  Of course, Anahera wasn't one to mince words.  She flapped a hand, and quickly clarified what she meant.

"
We must go to the suburb of Avalon, in Lower Hutt," she explained.  "There, we'll find the Anchorman.  He is the only means we have to disseminate information across the entire country."

"
The Anchorman?  You know where he is?" I asked, genuinely surprised by that news.

"
The who?" Michael asked, shooting a confused look at us.

"
The Anchorman," I repeated.  "He's the guy that runs the six o'clock news.  He's been running it ever since the plague."

"
Oh, that guy.  Yeah, I think you mentioned him once."  His expression turned sheepish.  "Sorry, I never watched much television."

"
Nothing to apologise for," Anahera said, waving the apology away.  She smiled faintly to herself, her eyes drifting out of focus.  "He's an old friend.  His name is Simon.  Simon Wentworth.  We knew one another a lifetime ago, back in university, and we used to keep in touch.  We haven't spoken recently, but I know that he was working at Avalon Studios around the time when the end came.  My bet is that he's still there."

"
Okay, so we want to go to Avalon – now there's something I never thought I'd say seriously."  I eased myself back into my seat, picked up my GPS, and thumbed in the location.  "That's a long, long way south.  Almost as far as Wellington."

"
It'll get us far away from the mutants, which seems like a very good idea if you ask me," Michael commented dryly.

"
No argument here."  I chuckled softly, and leaned over to pat his thigh.  "We can follow the State Highways south to Lake Taupo, and then try to cut across the Desert Road from there, but I'm not sure what kind of condition it's in.  Last time I was down that way, Mount Tongariro was still erupting."

"
Ah, the guilty lovers," Anahera murmured thoughtfully from the back seat.  "Yes, let us go visit them.  It seems appropriate, though you do not have a husband to betray with your lover."

"
I have no idea what you're talking about now," I admitted, glancing over my shoulder at her.

"
It is an old legend amongst my people."  She smiled at me dreamily, then turned her head and stared off out the window again.  "In Maori folklore, different aspects of the natural world are embodied with spirits, just like people.  The volcanoes, Ruapehu and Taranaki, were once husband and wife, but while Taranaki was out hunting one day, Ruapehu betrayed him with her fiery lover, Tongariro.  Taranaki caught them in the act and fled westwards towards the sea, where he rests to this day, glaring at the traitorous lovers from afar.  Ruapehu regrets her infidelity, and sometimes she sighs with longing for him.  Tongariro smoulders with jealous anger, for he knows that he can never truly own her heart."

I listened curiously as she told her tale; I knew as much as anyone that the Maori people had legends to explain every aspect of the natural world, but I'd never had the chance to learn that particular one.
 When she finished the story, I sat quietly for a moment, and then looked at her again.  "Were they real people?  Ruapehu, Taranaki, and Tongariro?  Were the mountains named after them?"

"
I don't think so."  Anahera laughed and shook her head.  "Every tribe has their own variations of the legends.  Another one states that there were once seven mountains around Lake Taupo, all male except for the lovely Pihanga.  The men fought over her, throwing molten rock high into the air and shaking the ground with their war-dances.  In the end, Tongariro won the battle, and with it Pihanga's hand."  Suddenly, she grinned.  "In that legend, Ruapehu is a male, one of the many vying for Pihanga's love."

"
I can't tell if those stories are romantic, or if it's disturbing that no one can agree if Ruapehu is a male or female mountain," I commented, amused.  "I mean, surely you could just lift up its skirts and check, right?"

Anahera chuckled at that.
 "My dear, if you can figure out a way to lift up a mountain's skirt and check its gender, then good luck to you."

***

We reached the campsite overlooking the ruins of Te Awamutu just as the sun was starting to set.  The rain was still pelting down, and it drenched me to the bone the moment I hopped out of the Hilux.  Ignoring the cold, I raced around to open the gate for Michael.  It was the same spot that we'd camped at on our way to Arapuni a couple of weeks earlier, and everything was just as we'd left it.  The only difference was that this time, we were leaving for good.

I waited by the gate while each of the trucks drove through, then the outriders on their little motorcycles.
 Once everyone was safely inside, I heaved the rusty gate closed, and sealed it with a length of heavy chain and an old padlock that we'd brought with us from Ohaupo.

As I wound the chain tight between the bars of the fence, I heard Michael shouting orders.
 By the time I was done, the trucks had been parked in a ring around our campsite, like a circle of wagons.  I paused to admire the simple utility of the action: not only would the trucks serve to protect us from the enemy, but they'd guard us from the wind and rain as well.  It amazed me to think about how the tricks used by our ancestors in the early days of colonization had come back into use, hundreds of years later.  I didn't have long to think about it, though; there was too much work to be done for me to stand around wool-gathering.

There wasn't enough space in the trucks to bring individual tents for everyone, even if we had enough, which we didn
't.  Instead, we'd brought along a single huge canvas awning, large enough to shelter us all from the rain.  I hurried over to help Michael, who was struggling to lift the heavy pole on his side of the awning.  One by one, the other three corners of the awning went up, and we rushed around securing the ground ties to keep it steady.

Michael smiled at me, then leaned down and gave me a quick kiss.
 "Orders, captain?"

"
I thought you were taking command tonight?" I asked, raising a brow.

"
Only when you're busy," he answered, a touch of embarrassment flitting across his face.  "I prefer to leave it in your capable hands.  I never wanted to be in charge.  I'd rather be able to focus on just keeping everyone safe."

"
Fair enough."  I gave him a quick hug, to reassure him that I didn't think any lesser of him for surrendering his leadership position, then I pulled back and did as he asked.  "We need a watch for the night.  I want four people on guard at all times, one to watch each side.  Two rotations, like normal, but give priority to those that won't be driving tomorrow, since they can sleep in the car.  Also, I want you to get Priya and that Yousefi boy, what's his name?"

"
Matt?" Michael supplied.

"
Right."  I nodded.  "I want Priya and Matt to take a watch.  They're old enough to start learning how to contribute."

"
Good call," Michael agreed.  "It'll make them feel more included, too.  I'll spare Doc the watch, though – I think he needs his sleep."

"
Yeah, spare the wounded."  I grinned suddenly and reached up to pat his cheek.  "But not me.  I'll take a watch.  I'm feeling fine."

"
If you insist."  Michael chuckled, kissed me again, and went off about his business.  I allowed myself a moment to savour the taste of his lips, then I went off about mine as well.  Thinking about Priya and Matt gave me an idea, another little task to make all the kids feel more included.  It seemed odd to put them to work to welcome them, but it was a strange world that we lived in.

I found the two oldest children sitting right where we'd left them on arrival, waiting obediently in the truck with the animals and the younger kids.
 They looked at me in surprise when I opened the door beside them.

"
Hey guys, I need help with something," I told them.  "You want a job to do?"

"
Yes!"  Priya agreed immediately, followed a moment later by Maddy.  The Yousefi boys were more reserved; the younger three regarded me silently with large, solemn eyes, but Matt, the eldest, nodded hesitantly.

"
Awesome.  Now, I'm going to split you into two groups.  Matt, Priya, and--" I hesitated for a moment, then looked at the second oldest boy, a scrawny kid of about eleven.  "What's your name?"

"
Javed," he answered shyly.

I smiled at him and nodded.
 "Javed.  Cool.  Okay, Matt, Priya, and Javed, I want the three of you to go over to that old house over there and see if you can find some dry firewood."  I turned and pointed past our campsite, at the ruins of the homestead that had once occupied the rear half of the enclosure.  "Be careful not to cut yourselves, okay?  Bring back whatever you find, and put it somewhere that the rain won't make it wet."

"
Okies," Priya agreed happily, practically leaping out of the car.  She raced off towards the ruins, leaving the boys staring after her.  They exchanged a look, then climbed out and raced after her.  Once they were gone, I turned and looked at the three remaining kids.

"
You guys are a bit young to go digging around in there, but I have a job for you, too," I explained.  Maddy smiled and nodded, but the two younger boys just stared at me.  Suddenly, I realised that they were frightened of me – possibly of all of us.  It had been a rough few days for all of them, and I was a stranger.  "Aw, hey, don't be scared, sweeties.  I won't hurt you."

Maddy's smile widened knowingly.
 "I'm glad you noticed, Miss Sandy.  They're very, very, scared."

"
I haven't been around kids very much, but I'm learning," I admitted sheepishly.  "You hear that?  My name is Sandy.  That's not a scary name, is it?"

The youngest child just stared blankly, but the older boy was around Maddy's age, old enough to understand what I was trying to say.
 He shook his head slowly.  I smiled at him in return.

"
It's not a scary name, because I'm not a scary person."  I hesitated for a moment, and decided to channel my inner child a bit.  "I'm only scary when the bad monsters come and try to eat you, and then I'm scary to them.  I go 'grrr!' and chase the bad monsters away!  Remember?"

This time, the boy smiled a little bit and he nodded again.
 Beside him, Maddy giggled.

"
Miss Sandy is very nice, I promise," she added in my defence, then pointed at the boys.  "The big one is Barry, and the little one is Ommie.  Don't worry, Miss Sandy – they're my friends, so we'll help."

"
That's great."  Relieved, I reached over and patted the top of the little girl's head.  "Thanks, Maddy.  What I want you guys to do is start spreading plastic sheets on the ground.  No one wants to sleep on the wet ground.  The plastic sheets should be in the back of this truck."

"
Okay!"  Maddy agreed cheerfully.  She picked Tigger up out of her lap and set the kitten on the seat beside her, then hopped up and scurried off.  Sure enough, the two boys climbed out and followed after her.  Once they were gone, I left Tigger to sleep and went off in search of my sister.

I found her few minutes later, sitting on the tailgate of one of the trucks, staring intently at the tip of her left index finger.
 Curious, I went over to her to see what had her so fascinated.  Just as I was getting close, I heard her issue a deep, soulful sigh.