* * *
Opening her eyes to the dawn, Scarlett looked to either side of herself to observe her two sleeping protectors. She felt undeniably safe, and honoured that they’d sacrificed their own safety.
Scarlett sat up in preparation to go and pee before the boys woke up. As she did so, she felt something peculiar in her abdomen. Instinctively placing her hand on the source of the sensation, she felt it again.
She laid back down and lifted her top, studying her belly. And then, she finally noticed. Her stomach had lost some of its definition over the last few weeks and become ever so slightly rounded. Something which Scarlett had put down to a poor diet. She poked it… and it poked back.
“What the hell are you doing, Scar?” Riley’s drowsy voice startled her, and she quickly covered herself, sitting upright again.
She turned her head to look at him, in disbelief. Riley was growing concerned. He shook his head anxiously.
“Are you okay?”
“I… don’t know,” she whispered.
Getting to her feet, Scarlett felt unexpectedly dizzy. She stumbled to the balcony, desperate for fresh air. Quinlan rolled over into Scarlett’s space as soon as she had moved, and Riley pulled on his boots.
Once outside, and trailing her blanket with her, Scarlett didn’t know how to feel. She knew she wasn’t dreaming, but had no idea how it was possible.
“Scarlett?” Riley probed.
“I think I’m pregnant, Riley,” she blurted. “I think I’m still pregnant.” Riley gawked at her, speechless.
“Are you sure?” he finally stuttered.
“It was moving.”
“You sure it’s not just gas?”
“I’m absolutely sure.”
Riley took a moment before hesitantly reaching out to Scarlett’s belly. She moved closer, taking his wrist and holding his hand to her flesh. He waited.
And then he felt it.
Slowly, Riley’s eyes met hers.
“Oh,” he muttered. “That’s… a baby.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Scarlett, this is amazing,” he grinned. “What you were talking about last night… there it is, Scar; there’s your motivation! This little baby needs to meet its daddy and its big sister. This is why you don’t give up, Scarlett.”
“How do you always know what to say?”
“That army base that we saw; remember me saying it was used as a medical facility when the evacs stopped? We should try to get in there and clear it. I’ll bet there’s an ultrasound machine. Whether it’ll work I don’t know, but--”
“Slow down, Riley,” Scarlett giggled. “I think the hardest part of today is going to be waking Quinlan up.”
Chapter Eight
Travis
Everything about the room Travis woke in was clean; from the bleachy smell in the air to the crisp, floral sheet draped over him. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed, other than the annoyingly bright ceiling fan spinning persistently above his head, was that he was in no pain. Until he attempted to sit up.
He realised now that there were bruises and cuts and scrapes on what felt like every part of him. A dull sciatic ache had settled into his leg, which he noticed was in a makeshift splint. He grunted as he shifted, adjusting his position on the firm mattress, only to feel a fresh pain sear across his ribs. A new voice startled him.
“Try not to move around too much. There was only so much I could do with a couple of chair legs and some duct tape.”
Travis’ head span in the direction of the voice and he was faced with a plump ginger lady. She had bright green eyes and what Travis interpreted as friendly features.
“I know you probably don’t feel it, but you were lucky,” she said. “It’s a closed fracture in your right tibia. I can’t say for certain whether there’ll be any lasting damage to the muscle, but provided that you were transported safely, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about.”
“Where am I?” Travis rumbled.
“As for your other injuries, it’s mostly scrapes and bruises. You’ve got a minor head injury, but I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. You got some shut eye thanks to it at least. Your feet were pretty badly cut up, so I cleaned them as best I could, and I’ve given you a homemade antibiotic just in case. Oh, and you’ve probably got a cracked rib or two. Nothing I can do about that though, sorry. I’m Kate, by the way.”
“Where’s Hope?”
“You’ll have the splint on your leg until the swelling subsides in a few days, then I’ll fit a cast. I’ve added crutches to the boys’ shopping list for their next run, so as soon as they find some, we’ll get you out of bed. What’s your name?”
“Where’s my daughter?” Travis demanded, surprising her.
“S-sorry,” she stuttered. “She’s with Piper. Sorry, I thought it best to give you the news first. Thought you’d be trying to get out of bed by now.”
“I want my daughter.”
“Of course,” Kate said, standing. “I’ll go and find her.”
She made for the door and Travis felt guilty. Whoever she was, she was clearly trying to help him.
“I’m Travis,” he muttered. Kate glanced back and smiled at him.
“Nice to meet you, Travis.”
When Kate closed the door, Travis peeled back the sheet, revealing to his horror that someone had stripped him down to his underwear. He looked at his leg. Kate wasn’t kidding. The lower portion of his leg was being held perfectly straight with a wooden chair leg either side, and lengths of duct tape were wound around it all to hold it in place.
Travis immediately noticed the extent of the bruising to his torso. Each breath he took felt like somebody was punching him in the chest, and he made a mental note to ask for painkillers when Kate returned.
Moments later, the door was being opened, and Travis swiftly replaced the sheet over himself. A young woman entered, trailing Hope behind, holding her hand. Hope’s face lit up on seeing her father, and she bounded over to the bed.
“Daddy!” she exclaimed.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
The second new face approached Travis and helped herself to a seat, perching at the end of his bed.
“How’s our little wounded soldier?” she grinned.
“I’ve been better.”
“My name’s Piper,” she said, holding out a hand. Travis shook it and Piper continued, unhooking a walkie-talkie from her belt. “It looks to me like you’re gonna be here a while, so I want you to have this. It’s a direct way to speak to me if there’s anything you need. Kate is gonna keep a close eye on you medically, but if you or Hope get hungry or bored, give me a shout.”
“I really need to get out of here.”
“Hey, you’re going nowhere for a while,” Piper said, placing her hand on his. “If you try to walk on that leg before it’s ready, you’ll make it unfixable.”
“No, I was tryin’ to get somewhere. I think there’s a settlement, and I need to get Hope somewhere we can stay.”
“Trying to get where, Travis?”
“I don’t know. It’s on my map.”
Standing, Piper helped herself to Travis’ bag, which was slung on the back of a chair. She pulled out the map and opened it out so that he could see. He pointed to the spot he’d been aiming for and Piper let out a sweet giggle.
“Oh, Travis,” she said, shaking her head. “You were right to assume it was a settlement. You made it.” Still apparently woozy from the accident, Travis’ brow furrowed. “Welcome to Homeside.”
Scarlett
Riley pulled up close to the wire fencing surrounding the military base. Hanging from it was a printed sign depicting what could only be described as a skull and crossed rifles, overlapping sniper crosshairs. Underneath in a simple font read, ‘The Headhunters’.
“That’s ominous,” Quinlan remarked dryly, stepping out of the vehicle.
“I’m sure it’s fine. That sign was professionally done. Probably right at the start of
the outbreak. Most of the military scattered when Jack and the rest of us did.” Riley shrugged and retrieved a pair of snips from his back pocket, “We haven’t got much choice anyway. If there’s anyone in there, they’re dead.”
Riley proceeded to clip the wire fencing back while Scarlett and Quinlan drew their weapons.
As they stepped foot into the waist-high grass, Riley also readied his gun and stepped in front of Scarlett, much to her annoyance.
“What are you doing, Riley?” she whispered.
“There could be Roamers in the grass. Remember the Pheasant incident?”
“Of course. But do you remember that I handled it just fine?”
“That was different. We didn’t know about the baby then.”
Scarlett rolled her eyes but continued to follow him, with Quinlan trailing behind.
Rounding the corner of the building, the grass finally ended and they stepped onto concrete.
Before they had time to think, the metal door burst open and three men came pouring out. They were dressed in army fatigues with rifles, aimed and ready to fire.
“Get down on your knees!”
“Who the fuck are you, what are you doing here?”
“Put your weapons down and your hands behind your head!”
“I said get down on your fucking knees!”
The screamed commands kept coming from two of the men, and in the confusion, Scarlett, Riley and Quinlan handed over their weapons and did as they were instructed.
“Please, please, just stop!” Scarlett tried.
“Shut up!” the smallest man yelled. “Stay down and shut up or I will shoot you.”
The third man finally approached them, but he had lowered his weapon.
“Who are you?” he asked Scarlett.
“Who am I?” she repeated. “Who are you?”
“I am Sergeant Major Ethan Grey, and the men with their rifles trained on your head are Corporals John McCarthy and Simon Perry. We are the last men standing of The Headhunters.” He bent at the waist so that his face was level with Scarlett’s. She could feel his breath and he spat when he spoke, “Now who the fuck are you?”
“Private Riley Mills, Sir,” Riley piped up. “If you check your records, you’ll find that I was supposed to be stationed here along with Sergeant Jack Austin and Privates River Blake and Chino and Diego Castellano.”
Grey straightened himself and turned his attention to Riley.
“Is that right?” he said, sizing him up. “So, where were you when the shit hit the fan, Private?”
“AWOL, Sir.”
“AWOL,” Grey repeated, nodding.
With that, Grey jabbed Riley in the face with the butt of his gun, knocking him backwards. Unable to stop herself, Scarlett stood. She batted Corporal McCarthy’s gun away and immediately swung for his face. While he was startled from the unexpected attack, Scarlett tackled his weapon free and took aim at him. McCarthy quickly held up his hands in surrender while Perry pointed his gun at Scarlett.
Confident that McCarthy was no longer a threat, she directed the automatic rifle at Grey instead, ignoring Perry. Grey smiled at her.
“What are you doing, little girl?” he chortled.
“Listen,” Scarlett growled, “I don’t want to use this, but believe me when I say I can. I’d kill all of you before you’d even have time to think.”
Wiping his bloodied nose, Riley stood. He gently placed a hand on the muzzle of the rifle Scarlett was holding and lowered it.
“Sergeant Major, this is Scarlett McKenzie. We didn’t come here for a fight. She’s pregnant.”
“And how in the goddamn is that my problem?” Grey sneered.
“It’s not,” Quinlan finally interjected, getting to his feet, “but she’s had some complications. We know this place was used as a medical facility, so we came to find ultrasound equipment.”
Surveying Scarlett’s face, Grey noticed the tears in her eyes and the desperation in her expression.
“Please,” she implored. “And then we’ll leave.”
After a moment to consider, Grey moved aside, motioning to the door.
“You’ve got half an hour,” he offered. “Medical equipment is all in the mess hall. Private Mills, when you’re done, I want to see you in my office.”
Entering the mess hall, Scarlett nervously observed as Riley cleaned the gurney situated in the far corner. She didn’t know what to expect; she’d never had access to an ultrasound when she was pregnant with Hope. She started to silently panic; what if there was something wrong with the baby? The more she thought about it, she couldn’t remember having felt the baby move that day.
“Alright, Scar, it’s all set,” Riley announced. “Let’s take a look at this baby.”
“Have you ever done this before?” she asked, approaching the bed.
“No, but--”
“I have,” Quinlan’s voice startled them both. “Well, I had three children and went to all the scans. I’ll give it a go.”
Scarlett smiled appreciatively and Riley helped her to lie down while Quinlan squeezed the gel onto her belly.
“Why do you look so worried?” Riley asked.
“What if I was wrong, or something’s happened to it?”
“Hey,” he took hold of her hand and Quinlan noticed, “I’m sure it’s fine. I felt it too, remember?”
“Okay, I’m gonna poke at you with this little stick thing,” Quinlan joked.
The three of them stared expectantly at the screen while the transducer was moved around on Scarlett’s abdomen. It wasn’t long before a distinct sound like a galloping horse began resonating from the machine. Scarlett completely lost it when she saw her baby, as clear as day, wriggling around on the screen. Fidgeting inside Scarlett’s womb was a fully formed little baby. Riley’s eyes became glazed on staring at the tiny miracle, and Quinlan let out a relieved sigh.
“So?” Scarlett said, keeping her gaze locked firmly on the screen.
“Well, I’m not a sonographer or a doctor, so I’m just gonna have to go by what I learned from my three babies. Judging by the baby’s physical development, I’m gonna wager that it’s about twenty-five-weeks’ gestation. It’s a little smaller than normal, but that will be down to your current diet, or lack thereof.”
“But the baby’s okay?” Riley enquired, concerned.
“As far as I can tell. There’s a strong heartbeat and he or she is moving around in there. I can’t see any abnormalities at all, which is very lucky considering what this little guy or girl has been through.”
“Okay, so we should find somewhere to hunker down for a while so that Quin and I can try to find some real food--”
“No,” Scarlett interrupted.
“What?”
Scarlett promptly pushed Quinlan’s hand away, covered herself up and got to her feet.
“No. We carry on. I can’t stop looking for Travis and the little girl I already have. I don’t want to give birth again without Travis; he should be there, just like he was the last time.” Scarlett picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder before starting toward the door. “Riley, see what Grey wants, then we can move on,” she called back.
When she left the room, Riley let out a deep sigh, dropping his head forward. Quinlan stared at him, sharing his frustration, but concerned that Riley was beginning to care too deeply.
“Hey,” he began, “you alright?” Riley looked toward the door and nodded. For the first time, Quinlan noticed how tired he appeared. “She’s stubborn.”
“She’ll come around. Until then I’ve just got to keep protecting her.”
“Yeah, well be careful.” Riley shot his gaze at him. “I can see the way you look at her.”
“I think you’re reading too much into it.”
“Come on, Riley. It’s admirable, what you’re doing. But try to remember why you’re doing it.”
“I know exactly why I’m here; because she needs me. I’d follow her to the ends of the earth if she needed
my help. I’m here to find Travis and Hope, just like you are.”
Quinlan could sense that Riley was becoming angry, but his voice came out as a mingling of malice and despondency.
Entering Sergeant Major Grey’s office, Riley felt as though he’d gone back in time. The walls, floor and large desk were all made from dark oak. The chair frames matched, and the seat and backrest were an offensive shade of green. One sat either side of the intimidating desk. Grey was staring at Riley from behind it as he closed the heavy door. He gestured to the other seat, silently insisting that Riley sit down. He did so and immediately tried to explain himself.
“Sir, the other men and I didn’t take our actions lightly. We had to weigh up our options and, in the end, we decided to help the people we met in the first few days of the pandemic.”
“Come on, Mills, I’m not interested,” Grey chuckled. “That was a long time ago. I had to keep up appearances in front of Perry and McCarthy. You understand?”
“Uh… yeah.”
“What about Scarlett?”
“Sir?” Riley frowned.
“What’s her story? Because I know you’re not that baby’s father, and I’m fairly confident it’s not the Irish fella either. And I don’t reckon the three of you would have come here just for a sonogram.”
“Uh, no. We’re on the road right now. We’re looking for Scarlett’s daughter and the father, Hope and Travis. That’s why she might seem a little on edge.” Riley suddenly realised that he shouldn’t be sharing details with a man they didn’t know.
“How long has it been since she saw them?”
“A few months, I guess.” Riley stood, “We’re all done now, anyway, so we’re gonna get back out there.”
“I’d like to speak with her before you leave.”
“I don’t think she’ll--”
Riley was cut short by the sound of gunfire from outside. At once, Grey got to his feet and they both raced out to the courtyard.
Riley’s eyes widened on seeing a young woman running toward the base fences, screaming; trying to escape four sighted Roamers.
Roamers (Book 2): Fear. Loss. Survival. Hope. Page 7