by Marla Monroe
“Damn we’re glad to see you guys. What the hell happened?” one of them asked.
“Looks like we got sucked into a black hole and shot out somewhere else to crash on a planet,” Vernon said with a grunt as he tried to push on the locker. “That’s not going anywhere anytime soon.”
Della carefully crawled over a section of the locker to get a look at where it was wedged into the wall on the other side. Maybe if they tore out a hunk of what was left of the wall the fallen locker could be moved over enough the two men would be able to climb out.
“What are you looking at?” Vernon asked her.
“If you don’t see anything over there, we might be able to dig out the wall around the base of the locker here and it will move over some. The wall has it trapped so you can’t move it,” she pointed out with the flashlight she held.
“Good idea. I don’t think there’s any way we can move it on this end. I know I can’t pull it out of the wall.” He looked over to where the two men peered out at them. “Are you both able to move enough to climb out once we get this out of the way?”
“Yeah, we’re both fine. Lucky as hell, since that could have fallen on us but didn’t,” one of the men said.
“We were both asleep when everything started caving in. I curled up in the corner of the bunk until things settled down and PJ said he did the same. We’ve been talking, trying to keep each other company in hopes someone would show up sooner or later. Nothing we did to move this thing would budge it.”
“I’m Vernon and this is Della. We’ll have you out of there in no time,” her partner told them as he picked his way over to where she stood.
“Oh, I’m Corey and, PJ above me of course. Just let us know when you want us to help push against the thing and we’ll use our legs,” Corey said.
Della started pulling at chunks of wall with her hands but soon found that it wasn’t as easy as it would have been if the walls were drywall and not some form of plastic or vinyl. After a few false starts, she and Vernon figured out that if they used something sharp to cut a line through the top layer they could then pull on it and eventually break it off that way. The task took time and a lot of muscle power. She wasn’t sure she would be able to do anything else after they freed these two.
Finally, the last chunk of wall fell away and the top of the lockers had a relatively free path to slide on. She stood up from the crouch she’d been in and couldn’t stop the groan that left her lips.
“Move over on that side, Della. When we move this out of the way for them to climb out, it might just keep going with all of the weight behind it. I don’t want you to get knocked down in the process,” Vernon said.
She scrambled over the debris and stood near the doorway. Vernon crawled over the locker to the other side so that he could use his legs to push at the metal storage case as well.
“Okay. Get ready, guys. On three,” Vernon said.
When he counted to three, she could hear them all groan as they strained with their legs to push the heavy metal case away from the bunk beds. It started moving and as Vernon had predicted, it kept on moving until it hit the other corner of the room, allowing the chunk of ceiling and what looked like part of the room above to fall in as well.
“Crap! Can you still get out?” Vernon asked as he crawled over the rubble to get to them.
“Yeah. I think so,” PJ said as he started trying to squeeze through the small area left to him.
“Careful. Don’t dislodge something that could fall and crush you, man,” Corey gritted out as he, too, started to crawl under the beam that had settled across the room.
As soon as he’d gotten free, the dark-haired man started trying to help his friend pull free of the small space he struggled to get out of. Vernon joined the other man in pulling on PJ.
“Christ. Did you have to work so hard in the gym all these months? Your chest is too freaking big to squeeze through this hole.” PJ let go of his friend and started trying to pull on the edges of the hole.
“Let me turn a little bit. I think I’ll fit better if I do,” PJ said with a grunt.
They watched as the other man slowly managed to rotate a little so that his chest finally began to slip through the opening a little easier. Della winced as he scraped through knowing he would have some bruising and scratches after that. With a final whoop, they pulled him free of his trap and the two friends hugged before shaking Vernon’s hand.
PJ looked over to where she stood. “Thanks, hon, for helping get us out of here.”
“No shit! I was already making plans on how to reach PJ so that when I got hungry enough to take a bite out of him I had it figured out,” Corey said in a teasing tone.
“Fuck! What’s wrong with you man? You some kind of cannibal and didn’t tell me?” PJ asked, making a disgusted face.
She shivered, thinking about what would have happened to them if they’d been trapped there for more than a day or two. It wasn’t a pleasant thought.
“We need to finish clearing this hall. If you’re both okay, you can take the rest of the cabins on that side and we’ll finish on this side. Right now we’re using a metal pole to pry the doors open. See if you can find something similar,” Vernon told them. “Move any survivors out to the hall where we’ve set up a makeshift triage of sorts.”
“How many survivors have you found so far?” Corey asked.
“Not nearly enough.”
Chapter Two
Della collapsed on the makeshift chair back at the holding bay where they’d finally returned with their few survivors. All in all, they’d found five who hadn’t made it and seven who had. The female they’d found unconscious was still out, but one of the men had been a medic who thought she would wake up soon.
When they made it back to the holding bay, it was to find that there were far more survivors than there had been. She felt a measure of relief and began searching for her assigned husbands. They were nowhere to be found though. Either they were still stuck somewhere or they hadn’t made it. There was no way to know who any of the dead were that had been found. She knew where her men had bunked, but hadn’t been one of the ones searching that area. Maybe she’d get up the courage to ask if they’d made it to their cabin after dinner. Right now, she just wanted to rest.
It had taken them over an hour to get everyone back to the holding bay when it had only taken about fifteen minutes to reach the hall they searched in the first place. Carrying and assisting the wounded meant frequent rest stops and a much slower pace. Now her legs ached and quivered in exhaustion as she tried to relax on the box made into a chair.
“How are you doing?” Vernon asked, looking down at her with concern.
“Fine. I’m just exhausted. We’re going back again tomorrow, aren’t we?” she asked.
“Yeah. But we’ve got more men now, so you don’t need to go.”
“The more of us there are out there looking the better chance we’ll have of finding more survivors faster. Most of the other women aren’t really up for this, but I am. I’ll help.” She was a large woman and they needed all the hands they could get for search and rescue. If nothing else she could carry supplies back.
He nodded and started to walk off, but stopped and looked down at her again. “Thanks. You’re a good person, Della.”
She was surprised that he’d said anything, much less complimented her. She was a little disappointed that he hadn’t argued with her about going along to search for the injured and trapped. He obviously still didn’t see her in the same light as the other women. They were fragile and to be protected in his eyes. She was one of the guys.
A good person, Della.
Not a good woman, but a good person. It was something she’d fought against ever since she’d sprouted up like a weed in fifth grade and towered over everyone, including most of the other boys. She hadn’t stopped growing either. When she finally topped out at a smidgeon over five feet and nine inches, Della had breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wasn’t going to
be six feet tall. It might make her a shoe in on the basketball court, but it didn’t help in the boys department for prom night.
She shook off thoughts of her life back on Earth. They were long gone now, and it was her sturdy build that had helped get her chosen for the mission to Planet Omega. The fact that she was still fertile according to their tests had given her a chance, but her healthy constitution and athletic statue had been the crowning points to assuring her a place on one of the many shuttles leaving Earth’s slowly disintegrating atmosphere.
She watched as Vernon moseyed over to where Cara was tending to Cindy after the medic had stitched up her thigh and given her something for pain. He was obviously interested in the two women, where he hadn’t been in her.
What is my problem? I’ve just been stranded on some planet we don’t know anything about in some solar system or galaxy or whatever it is that we’ve probably never even heard of and I’m mooning over a man I just met. I’m married, for crying out loud, if they’re still alive. The blow to my head must have been more serious than I thought.
Della snorted at how irrational it was to be thinking about men at a time like this—or maybe not. She would need someone to help her in the future. She couldn’t hope to create a place to live or find food to eat by herself. Finding a man willing to be her partner was going to be important once they’d rescued everyone possible and made plans on what to do next.
So far the two men who had been her husbands according to the new regulations Earth set up for the transport to other planets were missing in action. If they weren’t found alive, she would be on her own.
She would worry about that later. Worrying about it now wouldn’t solve anything. With the crash of their ship on a strange planet, the rules had changed. There would be new rules and priorities in their present circumstances. She would just have to wait to find out what they were before deciding what her options were. Until then her best bet was to follow directions and stay out of trouble. She would help them look for survivors and gather supplies in the meantime.
All of the supplies that had been gathered was being gone through and separated by several groups of the men. The women who weren’t more seriously hurt had set up an area to prepare a meal. Della was sure she should be over there helping them, but the truth was, she was bone tired and maybe even a little depressed after seeing so many dead bodies. So far she’d been fortunate that she hadn’t seen anyone she’d known.
It had been interesting to her once they’d boarded the space craft to head to their new homes that they weren’t separated from the men by hall or something. She soon figured out why they didn’t just put all of the newly formed families together since there were only two small bunks in each cabin. But instead of placing them close to their new partners, they’d mixed them all up. One of the other women said she’d overheard one of the men say they hadn’t put much thought into where to house them until the last minute, more intent on selecting the right ones and providing every possible supply they thought they would need.
Finally, Della stood back up and walked over to where most of the able-bodied women were going through the food supplies being added to their piles by the men. One of the women looked up with a smile of recognition.
“Della! I’m so glad you made it. Want to help?” the curvy blonde asked her.
Caro Jernigan had been a model before the changes occurred. Her delicate facial features, paired with a body that didn’t quit, all curves and sleek lines, had made her one of the most sought after models in the world. Her long, honey-gold hair and bright blue eyes gave her an almost ethereal appearance in one picture, but in another she was the tough operative, seducing the audience out of their valuable money for whatever product she was representing.
As soon as they’d realized that women were losing their ability to conceive children due to Shear’s Disease, Earth’s governments had gathered and tested every female above the age of fourteen. Everyone below fourteen was sequestered below ground with the fertile females they’d singled out. Caro had found herself pulled away from everything she knew in life to live three and four to a room in minimally comfortable accommodations. She’d been used to the very finest of everything, but adjusted better than some who’d had even less beforehand. Living beneath the ground had been hard on everyone, but Caro had surprised them all by adjusting without complaint.
“Hi, Caro. It’s good to see you, too. Are you okay?” she asked, looking her up and down.
While the other woman looked fairly put together, it was obvious she was favoring her side. Della didn’t see any blood, but it was obvious the pretty young woman was hurt.
“I’ll live. I think I’ve got a cracked rib or two but the best thing for that is to stay active so I don’t get pneumonia,” she said with a pained smile.
“What can I do to help?” Della asked.
“Why don’t you help Jaci over there come up with some makeshift plates? There are thirty seven of us right now,” the ex-model said.
Della stepped over to where a light-brown-haired woman in her early twenties was sifting through boxes of broken plates and platters, pulling out what appeared to be in decent shape. When she looked up, pretty hazel eyes with slightly more brown than green in them peered up with wide eyes. She could see fear and worry on the young woman’s face.
“Hi, I’m Della. Caro said you might need some help.” She nodded at the pile of plates and such next to where she knelt on the floor of the bay.
“Yeah! That would be great. I’m not sure if I’m doing this right or not,” the nervous woman said as she grabbed a plate out of the box.
“Looks like you’re doing a great job. How about I clean the ones you pull out so we can put food to eat on them.”
“Good idea. It will make things go faster if no one has to wash them once we finish,” she said.
Della located the water they’d designated for cleaning and set up a washing station. Conservation was important, so she merely wet the cloth and wiped the surface of each plate or platter portion with the damp cloth to remove dust and such from it. After a good thirty minutes of this, she finally had everything they would use to eat with clean.
As they all gathered to accept a portion of their meal on the newly cleaned plates, Della studied her meal with a sigh. The sight of slightly watery rice with a slice of some sort of meat and what looked like scalloped potatoes that could have used some of the excess water the rice had didn’t much appeal to her, but she knew she had better eat while they had it. Who knew how long their food supplies would hold out and what they would eat once that happened. This wasn’t the planet they’d been heading for so no one knew anything about what was safe to eat or what might be out there ready to eat them.
She shivered and took a bite of the slightly dry scalloped potatoes. Someone sat down next to her. When she looked over she nearly dropped her fork. It was Kane Dancing Bear. He didn’t look in her direction, just settled in to eat. His long blue-black hair had been braided down his back now.
Realizing that she’d been staring at him, Della quickly turned back to her food and the two of them ate in silence. When he’d finished, he just sat there watching everything around him until she’d finished as well. Without saying a word, he took her empty plate and carried it along with his to the washing station where others were already busy cleaning the returned dirty plates.
She watched him as he walked away from where she sat, his ass filling out the dark jeans he wore to perfection. Long legs easily crossed the room without hurry as she watched how the T-shirt strained across his shoulders.
What is wrong with me? I’ve got no business eyeing him like that. I’m married, for goodness’ sake! He didn’t even say anything to me. He’s not interested anyway.
Yet he’d taken her plate for her. She huffed out a breath. That was just the polite thing to do. She really did need to get hold of her lusting hormones. Had the knock to the head scrambled more than her brains? She’d never been one to ogle strange
men before.
Once everyone had finished eating and the dishes cleared away, John, their leader by default, had them all gather in a circle around him so they could discuss their next moves.
“After talking to everyone, it appears that we’ve accounted for the majority of those who’d been on board. A large number of victims were found in the lounge area outside of the cafeteria. Evidently they were meeting there for some reason and when we crashed, it took a hefty blow. The entire floor above it collapsed on top of them. There didn’t appear to be any survivors or really any chance of survivors.” He paused as the news sank in and several people moaned as they realized that friends and possibly family they’d still held out hope of eventually finding alive actually hadn’t made it.
Della knew then that her husbands were gone for good. They hadn’t been real happy about being paired with her in the first place, since she was almost taller than they were. She’d been told by a couple of the other women on board that they hung out at the lounge most nights. She’d gone on one occasion thinking they would welcome the chance to get to know each other but had been hurt to find them chatting it up with another woman, so she’d left and never gone back. It seemed that it had probably saved her life.
“Several of the men are going to go back and double check the area just to be sure, but we really don’t see any way anyone could have survived the devastation they found. Another group of men are going to search the last area of the shuttle that is near the engineering area. We don’t expect there will be many if any survivors there since it’s the area where the fire originally started and the part of the ship that took the brunt of the crash.” John looked around the group. “Once we’ve searched every possible area, we’ll start salvaging what we need to survive. I believe our best chance is to use this part of the ship as living quarters and partition it off for privacy into individual little apartments. Once we’re established here, we need to start making explorations outside to determine what the planet is like and if there is edible food or not.”