The Survivors Book III: Winter (6 page)

"
Nothing's going to happen to me," he told me in that deep, husky voice that sent shivers down my spine every time.  "I am coming for you, do you hear me?  Just stay strong a little bit longer.  I love you, too, and I won't let anything happen to you.  Not again.  Okay?"

"
Okay," I agreed softly; the weakness I could hear in my own voice was alarming, but I was too exhausted to care.  I switched the radio off and clipped it back onto my belt, then lay my head against the old wood and settled in to wait.

***

I had no real sense of time passing as I waited, drifting in and out of consciousness.  Every so often, one of the mutants below me would snarl or yowl and bring me awake again, but I couldn't see what they were doing.  I could hear them circling below me, like a school of piranhas, just waiting for me to come down so that they could devour me.

"
Leave me alone," I mumbled sleepily, closing my eyes.  Maybe if I wished hard enough, they'd go away, and I could just go home.  That'd be nice.  I missed home.  I missed Michael.

"
Sandy?  Are you still with me?"

"
What?"  I blinked owlishly, startled by the unexpected voice.  It took a few seconds for my addled brain to comprehend that it was actually coming from my radio.  I picked the radio up and pressed the receiver.  "Hey, I'm here.  Please tell me you're nearby."

"
I am.  I see you.  Look towards the road."

I lifted my head and stared into the distance.
 My eyes didn't want to focus properly, but I could just make out the figure on the big quad bike, waving at me.  Relief rushed through me as I raised my hand and waved back.

"
Thank God.  I don't feel good, and the barn is full of mutants.  What do I do?"

"
I'm going to give them something else to worry about," he answered, his voice deep and commanding even through the radio.  With a direct line of sight to him, the connection was as clear as a bell.  I could almost feel his arms around me… right up until he threw a spanner in the works.  "You just get ready to jump."

"
Wait, what?  Jump?"  I shot a glance down at the ground below me.  "Are you crazy?  That's gotta be like three, maybe four meters."

"
Don't jump now, silly," he answered dryly.  "Just get ready.  I'll tell you when to jump."

"
I'm not sure I like this plan, but… okay," I agreed grudgingly.  "Be careful."

While he was doing whatever he had to do, I quickly unloaded my shotgun and shoved the spare rounds back into my pocket, then strapped the gun to my back.
 If I was going to have to fall that far, then having the gun loaded was a terrible idea, even with the mutants swarming below.  Besides, Michael said that he had a plan.

Once I was ready, I inched close to the edge of the platform and watched him getting ready.
 I couldn't see the details, but I could see him doing something with an object in his lap.  Suddenly, he looked up and waved at me, then I faintly heard the sound of his bike revving up.

A few seconds later, he turned the bike around and tore across the overgrown fields that separated the barn from the road.
 As he drew closer, I realised that I could see his M-16 resting across his lap, ready for action at a moment's notice – and there was something else, something that I couldn't quite make out.

He came on hard and fast, at an angle that kept him out of the direct line of sight of the things inside the barn.
 At the very last moment, he took a hard turn to the left and came to a halt directly below me.  Shrieks of what sounded like either hunger or rage filled the air.  Michael didn't even hesitate.  He threw the thing he'd been holding into the dark recess of the barn, and then lifted his gun and opened fire.

The sound of bullets filled the air with their terrible tattoo, and I smelt the stink of gunpowder on the air.
 Then, I realised that I could smell something else, something familiar.  It took a second for me to realise that it was gasoline.  Just as that realisation struck me, an explosion ripped through the back end of the barn below me, and the smell of gasoline was replaced by one of burning.

Michael shoved his gun back on its shoulder strap, and looked right at me.
 "Jump!"

"
But--" I started to protest, but the rapidly spreading fire drowned out my words.

"
Just do it!" he shouted over the noise.  "You trust me, don't you?"

A second explosion shook the barn, and very nearly made me lose my seating on the edge of the hayloft.
 There was no choice.  I had to do it.  I had to trust him.  I took a deep breath to steady myself, then shoved myself off the ledge.  For a second, I felt the sickening sensation of falling, but it barely lasted long enough for me to start panicking.  A moment later, I felt strong arms catch me and suddenly I was enveloped in warmth.

"
You're okay, I've got you," Michael whispered in my ear as he sat me down on the seat in front of him.  I started to say something, but a third explosion left my head ringing and my mind unable to focus; whatever I had been intending to say vanished like water through a sieve.

It didn't matter, though.
 Michael had me.  He helped me get comfortable on the seat in front of him, and reached around me to grab the handlebars.  I heard the bike rev up, and then we were off at high speed, heading for home.  The motion made my stomach reel in protest, but I couldn't bring myself to care.  Relief was a tangible force inside me, so overwhelming that all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around Michael's waist and bury my face in his chest.

So, I did.
 There comes a time in every person's life when they need someone else's help to survive.  This moment was mine.

That's what having a family is for, isn't it?
 The bike was too loud for me to bounce my thoughts off Michael, so I didn't even try to speak.  It had taken some time for me to acknowledge it, but they were there for me in my darkest moments, to help, protect, save, and love me.  How had I survived for so long without that safety net of social acceptance?

Hard questions.
 Shut up and rest, brain,
I scolded myself, then I closed my eyes and let myself relax.

At some point during the trip back home, I fainted.
 Even if I'd been aware of it happening, I probably wouldn't have been able to do anything about it.  As far as my body was concerned, enough was enough; it was time to rest.

When I started to come to again, I could no longer hear the sound of the bike, just someone moving around nearby.
 I opened my eyes slowly, then immediately regretted it.  The world around me spun like an out-of-control roller coaster.  Someone must have heard my groan, because I felt a hand alight softly on my shoulder.

"
Don't try to sit up," Doctor Cross said quietly.  Curiosity overwhelmed my urge to avoid the dizzying sensation, so I opened my eyes again and carefully looked around.

I was lying in my own bed, in the loft above the DVD store, but the place looked like it had been converted into a triage unit.
 Supplies, primarily medical in nature, were stacked up along the walls, and beside me lay Anahera's still form.  She was still unconscious.

"
Is everyone all right?" I asked, my voice coming out far huskier than I intended.  The doctor nodded, and put a glass of water against my lips.  I drank gratefully, then lay my head back on the pillow and looked up at him.

"
More or less, yes," he elaborated.  "I haven't seen this many concussions in one room since the time my son dragged me off to watch a roller derby match.  Everyone is alive, though."

"
And they'll be all right?" I repeated, glancing towards the enigmatic woman that lay beside me.  "What about Anahera?  Is it serious?"

"
She's the only one I'm concerned about at the moment," Doc admitted.  "Everyone else is going to be fine.  Only time will tell for her, though.  The human head is a delicate object, and she sustained quite a severe injury."

"
I need to get up, doc," I told him, shooting him a pointed look.  "How long do I have to wait until it's safe to do so?"

"
Until you feel better," he gave me a stern frown in return.  "Your sister has everything under control.  Stop worrying and rest."

"
Ugh.  Don't wanna."  I sighed heavily and closed my eyes.  "You know, I'm actually kind of surprised that Maddy didn't warn me that this was going to happen.  She was pretty spot-on about the fire."

My answer was silence.
 After a few seconds, I opened my eyes and looked up at him.  Eventually, he glanced at me and shrugged.  "I don't know what to make of Madeline's… premonitions, to be frank.  I am a man of science.  I believe what I can see, touch, and feel."

"
I know exactly what you mean," I replied sympathetically.  "If you'd suggested I'd be taking guidance from a psychic kid six months ago, I would have laughed at you.  Well, there isn't much we can do about it now, is there?  Tell me what happened while I was away, Doc."

"
That much I can do."  The portly gentleman hiked his scratched glasses a little higher up his nose, and sat down on the bed beside me.  "Things went as well as can be expected in your absence.  The Yousefis have done nothing to violate our trust, and have been working hard to make up for what they did."

"
Good."  I nodded, gesturing for him to continue.  "How are we for supplies?"

"
Better than we initially thought."  He gave me a rare smile.  "I might even venture to say that we have been very, very lucky, considering the circumstances.  The fire started in the kitchen, and consumed most of Skylar's room.  We've been able to clear enough debris to get inside, but it's still fairly hot.  The storage rooms have survived mostly intact.  With the exception of what was in the refrigerator, our food supplies should be fine – though, everything may taste like barbeque for the next few weeks."

"
We're going to need to find a new food supply before then."  I paused and did a quick head-count, then grimaced.  "We've got twenty mouths to feed, including Anahera's men.  There isn't enough here to last more than a fortnight, and that's if we ration it to the mouthful."

"
You plan to keep them, then?"  Doc stared at me, his expression thoughtful.  "Somehow, I'm not surprised."

"
What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, giving him a quizzical look.

"
Well, you and the boy do have a habit of picking up strays."  Suddenly, the old man chuckled and shook his head.  "Just where are you planning to put them all, Ms McDermott?  We didn't have enough room for them before the fire.  It'll be near-impossible to house them all now."

"
I don't know," I admitted.  "I just know that we need to find somewhere safe and secure.  I want to build a city, Doc.  These people are the future of humankind; we need to find somewhere safe enough to put down roots, and plan for the next generation."

"
Bold, idealistic, and slightly naïve," he summarized dryly.  "Sounds like just what we need."

"
Hey, if you have a better plan to save us from extinction, I'm all ears."  I stuck out my tongue and blew a raspberry at him.  Despite the childish gesture, he actually paused to think about it for a second.

"
I don't," he replied thoughtfully.  "Frankly, it's a valiant plan.  I have no idea if we can achieve it, but we do need to try."  His affirmation surprised me.  I shot him a startled look, and caught him smiling.  Before I could say anything else, he put his hand on my shoulder.  "Go to sleep, Sandy – or is it Sandrine now?  You'll need your strength if you're going to lead us to this idealistic new world of yours."

"
But I don't wanna sleep," I protested without really meaning it.  "You're so mean.  Hate you, Doc."

"
No, you don't."  He chuckled softly as he turned away, and walked back towards the door.  "If you hated me, then you would have left me to die in that inferno instead of risking your life to rescue me."

I had nothing to say to that.

***

I slept for another few hours, until my head finally started to feel right again.
 Although my body ached from the tumble I'd taken, I had been through worse and was more than capable of dealing with a little bit of pain.

When I woke again, the room was murky with the shadows of twilight.
 There were no windows in my little bedroom, but I had come to know it well over the time I'd lived there.  Darkness was falling, but it hadn't fallen yet.

I sat up slowly, careful not to set my head spinning again, but the rest had done its job.
 I felt much better.  Even when I switched on the light, my body didn't protest too much.  Thinking about my own condition made me worry about my friends, though; I glanced back at Anahera, and heaved a deep sigh.

"
Get better, mate.  I need you," I told her.  She didn't reply, of course.  Still, she was alive.  That was more than I could say for a lot of my other friends – and hers, too.  I blew out a soft breath, and murmured thoughtfully, "There are going to be a lot of people grieving tonight.  I should get out there."