The Survivors Book III: Winter (2 page)

"
Michael, I need you to go get the guns," I said quietly, pointing him towards the old video store that adjoined the motel.  "When Maddy started having nightmares, I got Skye to move all the weapons into the downstairs office.  It should be locked up.  I want you to get them, and make sure everyone that's strong enough to use one is armed and trained to use at least one of those guns."

"
I thought we were going to hide them?" he asked, staring at me uncertainly.  I just shook my head.

"
We've got a simple choice here.  Either we take the risk that one of them might turn against us later, or we watch our friends die now.  I know which one I pick."  I fished a bunch of keys out of my pocket and offered them to him.  He nodded once, took the keys, and hurried off.   While he was gone, I turned my attention to the radio.  "Anahera, it's Sandy – can you hear me?"

"
Sandy!  Oh, Sandy, thank God, I was starting to lose hope."  Anahera's voice was shaking; I couldn't tell if it was from fear, adrenaline, or both.  "We need help, desperately.  Creatures attacked us a few hours ago and they've got us trapped.  They killed two of my boys; there's only four of us left and one is seriously wounded.  Can you help us?"

"
We're on our way," I replied, trying my best to keep my voice calm and reassuring.  "How many creatures have you seen?"

"
I saw four but I think there's more," she answered breathlessly.  "I can't be certain."

"
Just hang on, and stay put.  Do not open that door until you hear my voice.  We're coming to get you," I told her resolutely.  "Do you understand?  We're coming to get you, Ana."

"
I understand.  Please… please, hurry."

"
We will," I answered.  "We'll be there soon.  Just stay safe."

I clicked the radio off and put it back on my belt, then I looked at the people milling around.
 Several of them were looking at me.  They weren't stupid, they knew something was up.  Although it went against every one of my instincts, I had to get their attention all at once.  I drew a long, deep breath, and pushed my instincts aside.

"
Everyone, urgent meeting," I shouted at the top of my lungs.  "Drop whatever you're doing and assemble in front of the truck!"

I repeated myself a couple more times, then I raced over to the truck as well.
 There, I found Skylar and Elly watching me with trepidation.  I forestalled their questions with a gesture, and vaulted up to stand on the bonnet of the car so that I could be clearly seen by everyone in the group.

Within a few minutes, all the adults had gathered around and stood looking up at me, waiting to hear what I had to say.
 I looked down at them, feeling a strange mix of pride and fear, but I did what I had to do without hesitation.

"
As of right now, everyone is being issued with a gun," I told them, loudly enough that no one could pretend they hadn't heard later on.  "I expect you to learn to use it, but to only use it in self-defence.  These guns officially belong to me, and if anyone is caught using their weapon against another member of this group, or even threatening someone with it, they will lose the privilege indefinitely.

"
There is a lethal enemy in the area, and I need all of you to help me protect our innocents.  Can I rely on you?"  I looked down at Zain and Elly.  They both nodded, though Zain's expression was harder to read than his wife's.  "Good, because there is a complication."

This time I looked at Hemi, who stood with his brethren gathered around him.
 "As we speak, your home is under siege.  I'm sorry to be the one to tell you that two of your friends are dead.  I have a plan to save the rest of them, but I'm going to need everyone's help."

"
Just tell us what we have to do, and we'll do it," Zain said suddenly, his voice clear as a bell in the silence that followed my announcement.  I glanced at him, and saw the same unreadable expression on his face as before, but there was something in his eyes that I understood.  I nodded to him, and then I looked at Hemi and his friends, who stood in mute shock.

"
Hemi, Tane, and Iorangi."  I looked at each of them as I named them.  "We're going to go rescue everyone that's still alive.  Time is of the essence, so we'll take your quad bikes.  Michael will issue each of you with an assault rifle and teach you how to use it.  Make sure you all have a water bottle.  We're not going to have time to eat, so we'll just have to go hungry until we get back.  Go meet Michael in the video store; I'll join you once I'm done here."

Hemi stared at me for a second, and then grabbed his friends and rushed off.
 Once they were gone, I looked down at the people that remained.

"
Each of you will be given a small handgun, something light and easy to use," I explained.  "We'll work on getting you cleared to use the bigger guns later.  Skye and Doc, you're in charge of protecting the children.  I want you to feed them and move them into my loft as soon as possible.  It'll be a tight fit, but at least we can defend it easily until we decide what we're going to do next.

"
Everyone else, I want you on salvage duty.  Gather everything you can out of the ruins and move it into the bottom level of the video store – Skye will show you where.  If you finish before we get back, just get inside and stay there.  We don't know what these creatures will do next.  If you must go outside, then take someone with you.  No one goes out alone.

"
I'm leaving Alfred here, and he knows what those things smell like.  If he starts to growl, listen to him."  I paused and glanced around again.  "Does everyone understand?"

Grunts and soft-spoken words of agreement met my orders.
 I nodded once more and hopped down off the bonnet of the truck.  As I started towards the video store, Skylar fell into step beside me.  Once we were out of earshot of the others, she turned a pleading look on me.  "Can't you stay here?  I'm scared.  I don't want you to go."

It was a tone I'd never heard from my strong-willed baby sister.
 I glanced at her, and found her watching me with eyes that seemed way too big for her face.

Assuming she was afraid of our newcomers, I reached out and slid a reassuring arm around her shoulders.
 "It's okay, they won't hurt you.  They didn't mean to hurt you last time.  You'll have Doc right here, plus Ropata and Richard as well – you know you're safe with them."

"
What?"  She blinked at me owlishly.  "No, I mean, I'm scared for
you
.  You're going into battle.  You might get hurt – or worse.  I don't want you to end up like Sophie and Dog."

"
Oh."  I blinked right back at her, processing her words.  "I have to go, Skye.  Anahera's in danger, and she's my friend.  If I can do anything to help her, then I'm obligated to do it.  I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I just left her to die."

"
I know," Skylar lamented, scuffing her toe on the dirty asphalt.  "But I still don't want you to go."

"
Are you just being a big baby?" I teased, trying to use humour to lighten her mood.  "And after all the effort you've put into trying to convince me that you're a grown up now."

My reward was a cheeky smile and a nudge in the side.
 "I am grown up.  All grown-ups worry about their big sisters.  You're the only family I've got now."

"
Well, if I have any say in the matter, then that's going to change."  I wrapped my arms around her and drew her into a tight hug.  "These people are going to be our family now.  All of them.  I need you to be a big sister to those little kids, and I need you to be strong for me.  I trust you to keep things organised while I'm gone."

"
I will."  Skylar hugged me back and then released me.  "Just… stay safe, okay?"

I sketched a playful salute, then I pulled away from her and hurried the last few steps to the entrance of the video store.
 The stench of smoke was thick on the air, but aside from a layer of soot on the front door and the window sills, the building had survived unscathed.  I shoved aside a few broken movie cases and made my way behind the counter, where I found Michael instructing the chosen few on the use of automatic weaponry.

He glanced up when I entered and smiled at me; even in the tension of the moment, his smile made my heart race.
  The others looked at me, and each of them gave me a nod.  Hemi's face was a grim mask, and his friends looked no better.

I joined their ranks and gave the young man
's shoulder a reassuring squeeze.  "We'll get to her in time, Hemi.  I promise."

"
No matter how fast we get there, it'll be too late for the guys that are already dead."  Hemi looked miserable, and his shoulders sagged beneath my touch.

"
Then we'll just have to make sure no one else joins them, right?"   I gave him a gentle shake, and looked at the ring of faces around me.  One by one, they nodded their agreement.  Sensing that morale was at an all-time low, I looked each of them in the eye to try and assess their state of mind.

Michael looked as determined as I felt.
 He met my eye squarely, his jaw set in the look I'd come to know so well.  His smile was reassuring.  The others were not so confident.  Tane's face mirrored Hemi's; they looked sad and completely bereft of hope, and neither of them would meet my eye.

Iorangi was another story altogether.
 When our eyes met, I saw hot rage surging behind his impassive mask.  He was angry, really, really angry.  I drew a deep breath to steady myself, and then set about the difficult task of rallying my troops.

"
Guys, I need you to be here with me," I said softly, sympathetically, reaching out to my friends to try and give them hope.  "Anahera is relying on us.  We can still save her and the others, but we need to work as a team.  It's the only way we'll have a chance.  Can I rely on you?"

Unsurprisingly, Michael was the most vocal of the group and supported me without hesitation.
 Iorangi joined in a moment later, though I could see on his face he was motivated more by revenge for his fallen friends than any real hope of success.  His older brother glanced up at me when I spoke, his gaze lingering thoughtfully on my face, but something about my words did seem to stir him.  A few seconds after the others, his voice joined in, leaving only Hemi quiet and withdrawn.

"
Hey."  I shifted my attention to the young man, and put my hands on his shoulders.  "I need you, too, man.  Your mum needs you."

"
Damn, Sandy.  I don't know if I can do this."  Hemi's voice was laced with despair.  "I'm no fighter, man.  I'll just get in the way, and then Mum will die."

"
Don't talk like that," I protested.  "Your friends believe in you – I believe in you.  I know you can do this."  I was studying him closely enough that I could see he wasn't entirely convinced, so I decided to switch tack.  "Do you remember when we first met?"

"
Yeah, of course," he said, nodding.  "That pig, man.  How could I forget?"

"
Right, the pig.  And do you remember what you said to us afterwards?"  I didn't wait for him to respond, but supplied him with the answer.  "You said that you didn't know what you would have done if we hadn't arrived when we did.  You called us heroes.  Do you remember that?"

"
Well, not the exact words, but yeah, I remember."  He was staring at me now, trying to figure out where I was going.   I didn't keep him waiting long.

"
This is your chance to learn what it takes to be a hero," I elaborated.  "None of us are soldiers.  We fight because we have to, to preserve what's ours.  That's how heroes are born.  We're going to teach you, and we're going to save your mum at the same time."  I tugged him into a quick hug, then pushed him back and looked at him again.  "Can you do this for us?  For her?"

This time, there was fire burning in his eyes.
 "Yeah, okay.  Yeah.  I can do this."  He looked around at the others and saw conviction written across every face.  That seemed to bolster him up even more.  At last, he puffed up his chest and looked me right in the eye.  "Hell, yeah.  I can do this.  Let's go!"

"
Good lad."  I grinned at him and gave his shoulders a squeeze, then I released him and looked at the others.  My little pocket-sized, rag-tag army.  There were only five of us, but we had determination and courage on our side.

It would be enough.
 It had to be enough.

The quad bike's engine thrummed beneath me as we bounced along the overgrown path towards Lake Ruatuna.  Even though it was the first time that Michael or I had driven one of the little bikes, we were rattling along at breakneck pace, exercising just enough caution to keep ourselves from getting killed.

I spent half the time standing up in the saddle, bracing myself with my knees as we passed over uneven ground.
 Through the bike's suspension, I could feel the change in texture as we moved from the bush into the emerald tunnel lined with old railway sleepers.  We were getting closer.  A branch reached out and tried to grab my hair, but I ducked beneath it at the very last moment.  I gained a few scratches on my cheeks from accidents early on, but I was a quick study – the vengeful trees with their grabbing claws wouldn't get me again.  They were certainly trying, though.