Survivalist Reality Show: The Complete Series

by Grace Hamilton

  The man shook his head. “You’re not a very smart one, are you?”

  Regan chuckled, and then she jumped into action, pulling the shelf down with one swift move, startling the man and causing the gun to go off. Tabitha didn’t know what was happening. She felt no pain and didn’t think she had been shot, but adrenaline was pumping through her system and could have been dulling her senses.

  “Run!” Regan screamed.

  Heather was out the door and running down the sidewalk before Tabitha and Regan made it outside. Regan slammed the door behind her and followed Heather down the road. They ran several blocks before stopping to take a breather. The men hadn’t followed them, which was a good thing. Tabitha knew they couldn’t outrun a bullet.

  “Dang it!” Tabitha grunted once she caught her breath. “We were so close!”

  “I’m sorry,” Regan muttered.

  “It’s not your fault. Maybe we can go back with Wolf and try to offer a trade,” Heather said.

  “I don’t know. I think they were pretty serious. They aren’t giving anything up. We don’t have a gun, and there are more of them than us. It’s too dangerous. If we get shot or killed, we can’t help Lily,” Regan said in a soft voice. “Going in with a gun is only going to put them on the defensive. I’m sure they have bigger guns than us, too, and more of them. We don’t stand a chance.”

  “We better get the others and head back to the van,” Heather advised.

  Tabitha’s mouth dropped open. “But there’s medicine in there.”

  “It’s too dangerous. We’ll find medicine. We’ll search some of the empty houses,” Heather assured her.

  “She’s right,” Regan agreed.

  Tabitha felt defeated as they headed back, making a wide berth around the pharmacy. The men hadn’t given chase, which was nothing short of a miracle. But nothing else looked so promising as that Rite Aid had. There were homes dotted around the area with small businesses that had been abandoned, but no more pharmacies to try to raid.

  “Good job back there, Regan,” Heather offered with a slight smile as they crossed a small bridge leading around to where Fred and Wolf had to be waiting.

  Regan laughed. “Thanks. I have a feeling Wolf will not feel the same way.”

  Tabitha shook her head. “No, he won’t. Neither will Geno. Maybe we could keep what happened to ourselves.”

  That was the last they said of it, and Regan waved as if nothing had happened as they approached Fred and Wolf, who was looking them over intently. “Anything?” he asked.

  “No,” Tabitha said too quickly.

  “What happened?” Fred asked, his eyes darting between them.

  They quickly told a CliffsNotes version of their story as they headed back to the van, earning a stern lecture from each of the men. The whole conversation was repeated back at the van, earning yet another lecture from Geno, but Tabitha didn’t care how stupid or risky their actions had been. They had to do something for Lily, and they had to do it fast. No one had been hurt and she’d do it again if she had to. In fact, she was still considering marching back in there with the gun she knew was stashed in the front seat and demanding those men give her the medicine. In the back of her mind, she knew it wasn’t a good idea. She’d probably be shot. She couldn’t believe they were so selfish that they wouldn’t even part with a few pills to save a child.

  Going over it all again in her head, she could only shake her head.

  “You okay?” Regan asked her quietly.

  Fighting back tears of helplessness, she nodded. “I don’t like this new world. People are different. How can they not want to help a little girl?”

  Regan sighed. “I don’t know. It’s sad.”

  “Another tick in the no way column, too.”

  “What?”

  “How can I bring a child into this world when people are this greedy and uncaring about a child’s life?” she demanded.

  It took a moment, but then Regan’s eyes softened in understanding. “I’m sorry.”

  Tabitha sighed and headed off to get a drink of water before they had to start moving again. It would be nightfall soon. They were going to be making camp in the forest, which would provide them with water and possibly meat if Wolf could use the slingshot Travis had brought along to take out a bird.

  She hated to see the magnificent creatures hurt, but she was hungry.

  11

  Lily had heard Tabitha explaining what had happened in town. Travis had crawled out and left her in the back of the van all alone when he’d heard what had happened. It was because of her that they had all nearly been killed. She closed her eyes, wishing she could go back in time. She wouldn’t have run across the road. That had been stupid. Falling had been even dumber. It was embarrassing—and right in front of Travis!

  She groaned, imagining what she must have looked like. She knew there was a bump on her head, but hoped her face hadn’t been scratched up. She used her good hand to feel her face, confirming what she thought—her face wasn’t cut. Everything had been so sore, it was hard to know what was actually injured and what was just bruised.

  Her arm had been throbbing all day, though—there was no question about that injury being serious. No matter how slow Geno drove, the van bumped and bounced, jarring her arm, sending splinters of sharp pain up and down her limb and into the tips of her fingers. She rubbed her hand over her eyes. The makeshift bed she was on was hard, and her back hurt. She needed some relief. All the pain from the hard floor of the van, her injured arm, and bruised knees was overwhelming.

  “Are you okay?” her dad asked, coming into her line of sight.

  She nodded. “I’m fine. I want to sit up. My back hurts.”

  “Hold on and I’ll help you,” he said, climbing into the van.

  She wanted to tell him that she didn’t need his help, but she did. She hated feeling so helpless. He moved behind her, lifting her underneath her arms until she could sit. Sitting was almost an instant relief for her back, but presented a new problem.

  “I need to go to the bathroom,” she mumbled, feeling more embarrassed than ever.

  “Hold on. I’ll have Regan go with you.”

  “No, Heather,” she quickly replied.

  “Fine. Sit tight,” he said, leaving her in the van.

  Heather was back a minute later. “Hi, sweetie. You look like you’re feeling better. Scoot forward and I’ll help you get out.”

  Lily nodded, hating being an invalid. “Thank you.”

  Heather’s hand on her elbow carefully guided Lily down the road and off into the trees and brush on the side. Her feet were sinking with each step into the marshy ground. Lily took a second to inhale the fresh, if slightly stagnant air. The air in the van was hot and stale, and even though it wasn’t exactly cool outside, the breeze was refreshing.

  “Can you undo your pants?” Heather asked gently.

  “Yes,” Lily said, embarrassment making her face feel hot. She’d forgotten that Heather hadn’t helped her like this—it had been Tabitha up until now, but Lily hadn’t wanted to bother her, she’d had to be by her side so constantly lately.

  She managed to get the job done with no assistance—mostly. She got the zipper, but her fingers felt clumsy and she couldn’t manage the button. She wanted to cry. It was so unfair! Why did she have to be the one to get hurt?

  Lily stepped behind a bush, Heather standing nearby with her back to her. Once finished, she realized there was no way she could do up the button on her own.

  “Um, Heather?” she asked softly.

  Heather smiled and didn’t say a word as she buttoned Lily’s pants before grabbing her good elbow and walking toward the van with her, taking slow, small steps as they moved.

  “I think I want to walk a little today.”

  “No,” Heather said firmly.

  “Come on,” Lily whined. “I’ve been stuck in that van constantly. My back hurts and my legs feel weak. I need to move around.”

  Heather shook her h
ead. “You can ask your dad and Tabitha. I wouldn’t let you.”

  When they got back to the van, Geno was inside and ready to move farther away from town and back into the forest. Wolf was waiting for Lily at the back of the vehicle. Lily looked at him and nearly groaned.

  “Ready?” he asked her.

  “Dad, I want to walk,” she whispered.

  Tabitha happened to be on the other side of the van and immediately stepped in front of Lily. She put her hand to Lily’s forehead. “How does your arm feel?”

  She shrugged her good arm. “It hurts, but it hurts in the van, too.”

  Tabitha smiled. “I think it would be okay for you to walk a little bit, but you need to pay attention. If you get tired, or you feel dizzy, you say something. Okay?”

  “I will.” She turned to look at her dad, hoping he would give the okay.

  It took a second, but he nodded agreement after trading looks with Tabitha. “Fine, just a mile or so. I can’t have you tripping,” he muttered.

  She rolled her eyes. “I can walk, Dad.”

  He scoffed. “You sure?”

  She smiled. “Most of the time,” she said in a light tone, happy she could joke about the accident.

  “I’m walking right beside you,” he added.

  “Fine.”

  “I’ll walk on her other side,” Travis said, coming up to stand beside her.

  “It’s not so bad, guys, really it isn’t,” she insisted.

  “We’ll move slow. We’re in no rush. We’re following the highway back into the park, and with a clear sky, the moon and stars will provide plenty of light if it gets late,” Wolf instructed.

  No one looked like they believed she could or should be walking. Geno and RC moved past the group of walkers carefully, keeping at a crawl. The entire group had slowed their pace from earlier. She knew it was for her sake. Her plans to be independent and a valuable member of the group had been destroyed—she was the weak link. Geno would normally park the van a bit ahead, but he was sticking right with them instead, waiting for her to give up and get in the back again. She wasn’t going to give up too soon, though, even if her arm was throbbing. When Geno pulled away and disappeared from her immediate view, she smiled. She was proving herself.

  As they walked, the sky turned dark and it began to rain. Not a little rain, but a full-on downpour. She heard her dad mumbling under his breath, but Lily was used to walking in the rain and appreciated it after a long, hot day. Unfortunately, the rain falling on her now had Tabitha in a fit. Having gotten ahead of them, she came racing back to where Lily was walking with Travis and her dad.

  “Cover her arm!” she shouted over the giant kerplops of rain hitting the pavement and bouncing off the road onto her shins.

  “What?” Wolf asked, looking down at Lily’s bandaged arm.

  “We can’t let that arm get wet. It needs to stay dry,” Tabitha said, putting her hands out to cover the bandage.

  “Where’s the van?” Wolf barked.

  Fred pointed ahead. “I’ll wave him down,” he hollered even as he took off running, his arms flailing over his head.

  “Let’s keep going,” Regan encouraged.

  It was a serious downpour they were dealing with now. Lily’s pants were soaked, her t-shirt clinging to her skin.

  Suddenly, she heard her dad’s deep timbered voice begin to sing one of the songs he’d used to sing to her when she’d been a little girl. A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky followed by a boom of thunder as the storm kicked up another notch. Her dad and Tabitha were crowding around her, doing what they could to keep her dry and making her somewhat nervous as a result, but her dad’s voice was calming.

  It wasn’t long before she looked up and could see the van’s taillights with the bright reverse lights illuminating the road in front of her. She climbed into the back of the van without argument, happy to be out of the rain. She only felt guilty the others were stuck in the downpour.

  “We’ll go on ahead,” Geno shouted out the window.

  Tabitha climbed in with Lily, wanting to check the injury. With them inside, Wolf shut the doors, locking Lily back in her prison cell.

  12

  Regan paced outside the van, frustrated and worried over Lily. It had been two days since the violent rainstorm had made it nearly impossible for them to continue on their journey. They’d opted to stay in the preserve and take advantage of the thick tree covering, which provided them little relief from the rain. The rain had been coming and going in violent bursts, though, flooding the area over and over again with wide puddles of standing water before things calmed and it quickly receded into the marshes yet again.

  Last night, they had all slept on the hard ground of the ORV trail, the only place that seemed safe from flooding. When the rain had stopped some time in the middle of the night and the stars had popped out, creating a beautiful canopy above, Regan had felt like jumping up and celebrating. That feeling was long gone, however. Now, she was impatiently waiting for news about Lily. Last night, Lily had said she didn’t feel well. Everyone had done their best to pretend it was no big deal, but they all knew what it meant. Needing to relieve his own tension, Wolf had gone off in search of breakfast, hoping to find an unsuspecting bird or two, while Regan had resorted to pacing back and forth, over and over and over again.

  When Tabitha emerged from the van with a grim look on her face, Regan’s heart dropped into her feet.

  “What is it?” she whispered, not wanting to wake the others who were still sleeping around the outside of the van.

  “Lily has a low-grade fever,” her friend said, her a voice full of defeat.

  “Oh man,” Regan moaned.

  They had all known it was coming. Regan had tried to convince herself Lily was fine and would get better after a good night’s rest, but deep in her gut, she’d known better.

  “The fever is only the beginning,” Tabitha whispered as she quietly closed the door behind her, leaving only a small gap.

  “Are you okay?” Regan asked Tabitha as they walked away from the van, heading for a bit of privacy in the trees.

  Tabitha looked pained. “Her fever is going to get worse. I rinsed out the wound this morning, Regan, and I can already smell the infection. I can’t fight it with water. It’s deep in her tissue and will spread through her body. This infection could be extremely serious,” she said, her voice tight.

  “It isn’t your fault. You’re doing everything you can. We all are. And today is a new day. We’ll look for medicine or the honey you mentioned—whatever we can find,” Regan assured her, trying her best to project a confidence she didn’t feel.

  “We’re not far from the Big Cypress Preserve. Wolf says there’s really nothing more out here. We might come across a few houses here and there, but we’re too far from civilization to find a hospital or pharmacy,” Tabitha said hopelessly.

  Regan nodded. He had told her the same thing last night as they’d lain beside each other with everyone else asleep. She knew he was worried sick.

  “We could go back to the city,” she said quietly.

  “What? No way,” Tabitha said with horror.

  “No, I mean Naples. If me and a couple others left right now, we could be back there by tonight. We could scavenge around and find something and be back tomorrow night,” Regan said.

  “You know Wolf will never let that happen.”

  “It’s an option I think we need to present to the group. I know there has to be medicine there. It’s our best shot at getting her real antibiotics,” Regan said with a shrug—a bad option was better than no option at all.

  But Tabitha was shaking her head. “You’d risk heat exhaustion, trying to move that fast.”

  Regan took a deep breath. “The reservation might have what we need. We could walk all night and be there within a day.”

  “I don’t know if that’s any safer. We’re going into dangerous territory. I’m worried that, by the time we get there, the infection will be too fa
r gone for an herbal medicine to cure her,” she said softly.

  “We have to stay positive,” Regan told her, gripping her hand and squeezing.

  Tabitha smiled and nodded. “Thank you. I know that, and I am trying, but I know how serious this is. I don’t want to alarm Wolf, but this is dire.”

  “He knows,” Regan assured her.

  Tabitha looked pained. “I hate not being able to help. I know Wolf is counting on me, but this is so far out of my realm of expertise.”

  “You’re doing everything you can, which is far more than any of us can do.”

  Tabitha nodded. “I am. I promise I am.”

  “Are you going to ride with her again today?” Regan asked.

  She nodded. “Do you think the others will mind?”

  Regan chuckled. “Absolutely not. I think we all feel better with you by her side. I know I do, and I really know Wolf does. I don’t want that kind of responsibility.”

  Tabitha scoffed. “Thanks.”

  Regan patted her shoulder as they started the walk back to the van. Wolf had returned, obviously empty-handed. The others were up and moving about. Heather emerged from the trees and smiled at Tabitha.

  “Do you want me to ride with her?” she offered.

  Tabitha shook her head. “I’d like to stay with her if that’s okay with all of you?” she asked, looking around the group as a whole.

  Everyone nodded in agreement. Regan could see the looks of relief on their faces, too. Everyone was well aware that Lily was getting sicker by the minute. Tabitha was the only one who had real medical knowledge, so the burden had to fall on her shoulders, but nobody else wanted to share in it, either.

  “Is everyone ready?” Wolf asked.

  “Wait,” Regan said, prepared to broach the topic of heading back to Naples with the entire group present.

  “What is it?” Fred asked.

  Regan took a deep breath, already knowing what Wolf would say. “I can go back to Naples and look for medicine. It’s a full day’s walk, maybe a little more, but I could do it.”

  “I’ll go with her,” Travis quickly volunteered.