“I’m not particularly happy you took such a risk,” he said, placing a hydrating pack and cloth beside her.
She smiled. “You would have done the same if you had been up there.”
He scowled but didn’t argue the point. “Don’t think those dimples of yours are going to get you out of trouble with me.”
Skye bit her lip, her smile deepening despite the pain. “They’ve worked well so far.”
Leo paused, his eyes softening as he gazed at her. “I wish I could keep a smile on your face all the time, baby.” He reached over to take her injured hand in his, cradling it gently. “Will you close your eyes for me?”
Skye did as he asked and squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the pain. A sharp prick stabbed through her arm, and her eyes flew open. She slapped her hand over the injection site and scowled at the device he was dropping back into the kit.
“What the fuck, Leo? Daryl’s going to kill me if he finds out you used our last metabolic booster.”
“A dozen people have a chance to survive another day because of what you did tonight,” Leo retorted, his expression hardening. “I’ll tell Daryl I didn’t give you the option. If we’re going to have a chance of replenishing our healing supplies quickly, I’m going to need you working at full capacity. We don’t know what kind of condition the rest of the crew will be in once they make it back here.”
Her jaw clenched, and she glared at him.
Leo sighed. “I can’t lose you, Skye. You’re one of the few things in this world that’s beautiful and good. I’d do anything to keep you safe.”
All her anger slipped away, and her throat went dry at the intensity in his expression. “Leo, I… You can’t… Dammit. Don’t you dare make me cry.”
He leaned forward, brushing a kiss against her lips. The pressure was featherlight, but there was an unyielding strength in his kiss. “If you cry, they’ll just think you can’t handle a little pain. Everyone will know you’re not as tough as you pretend.”
“That’s just mean,” she said with a scowl and tried to swat at him with her good hand.
He chuckled, catching her hand before she could make contact. “You can make me pay for it once you’re better.” His expression sobered. “One day, when I’m running the camp, we’re going to do things differently. We’ll figure out a way to stop living like this. I’m going to keep you and Veridian safe. You’ll see.”
Skye frowned. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
Leo smiled, running his thumb over her good hand. “I intend to keep all my promises to you, baby.”
The earnestness in his expression made her heart skip a beat. She wanted to believe him, more than anything, but promises were as incandescent as dreams. Hope, however, was nourishment for the soul. Sometimes, that was all the sustenance they could afford.
Skye leaned forward and kissed him lightly. “You’re going to be a great camp leader one day.”
“With you by my side to kick my ass when I screw up, yeah,” he agreed and picked up the cloth. “I need to go ahead and clean the wound. Are you ready? It’s going to hurt.”
Taking a steadying breath, she nodded. “Yeah. Let’s do it.”
Chapter Three
The building shook as another crack of thunder interrupted the sound of the torrential rain beating against the roof. Skye wiped her brow with her arm and waded through ankle-deep water into the room they’d been using for storage. The storm had already flooded the lower areas of the building, but it was now threatening some of the more critical areas of the camp.
With a wave, she said, “A little more light over here, V.”
The light swung back toward her, and she motioned for him to hold it steady. Veridian was standing outside the door, holding up a portable light to illuminate the darkened room. She bent down, trying to identify the labels on the different containers. Their priority was to get the electronic equipment off the ground. Most of the other supplies in this room could handle a little stormwater.
Alanza motioned toward a stack of containers. “Found it. It’s over here.”
Skye nodded and made her way toward the dark-haired woman. Reaching down, she tried to ignore the sharp pain in her injured hand as she helped stack the heavy containers higher to avoid the rising water.
“If it gets much higher, there won’t be much we can do except swim,” Alanza muttered and blew out a breath. “What are the chances we’re going to get any sleep tonight?”
“Really? You could sleep through this?” Skye winced at the pain as she waded back toward the hallway where Veridian waited. Sleep sounded wonderful, but they couldn’t risk it while the water was still rising. Until the storm started to dissipate, they’d all need to stay alert.
Alanza trudged behind her, the sound of splashing water marking her progress. “I’d be willing to try if I didn’t have to worry about drowning in my sleep. What do you think, V?”
Veridian frowned and lifted the light higher as they approached. “No way. Chance and Leo might need our help.”
Alanza grinned at him and winked. “Even the youngest of us knows better than to sleep through a storm. Guess we’re all gonna stay up tonight.”
Skye tousled Veridian’s hair and reached over to take the light from him, inhaling sharply as the handle made contact with her injury.
Alanza frowned and reached for the light. “I’ve got it. Did you pull it open again while lifting the crates?”
Skye glanced down at her bandaged hand. “Not sure. I don’t want to unwrap it until we get things under control here. It’s fine for right now.”
Alanza nodded, brushing her dark, curly hair away from her face. The light she carried cast a warm glow over her dusky skin. “You might not want to mention to Leo that you were helping me move the supply crates. He’s not going to be happy.”
“Probably not,” Skye admitted with a sigh, knowing Alanza was downplaying it. “He’d be even less happy if our supplies get ruined though.”
Alanza made a noncommittal noise as they headed down the hall. “I don’t know about that. I think we could lose just about everything and he’d bounce back as long as you’re okay.” With a mischievous grin, she added, “I swear, that man is crazy about you.”
Skye smiled but didn’t respond. Veridian was listening to their conversation a little too closely, and she didn’t want to talk about Leo in front of him. Neither she nor Leo had ever publicly advertised how they felt about each other. In fact, they’d agreed to keep their feelings quiet.
Daryl had always gone out of his way to discourage relationships within his camp, claiming it was better to be free of any emotional entanglements. He had a point, but Skye had never been very good at shutting off her emotions simply because it wasn’t a good idea. As it was, she and Leo had danced around each for several years before finally admitting what had been growing between them from the start. It was impossible to live and work beside Leo without falling for him.
A loud crash interrupted her thoughts, and the entire building trembled. Grabbing Veridian’s hand, Skye dashed down the corridor toward where the sound had originated. She stopped short just outside Daryl’s office where they’d moved some of their other supplies when the storm had begun. From the brief glimpse through the doorway, the ceiling had started to collapse, most likely from the weight of the water on the roof.
Daryl shouted instructions to whomever was inside the room, “Grab what supplies you can. Niko, find something we can use to seal this room until the storm’s over.”
Veridian looked up at her. “I can help, Mom.”
Skye shook her head and pulled him back, unwilling to let him venture into a room that had already started to collapse. “We need to stay out of the way. Let’s go help Niko while they’re pulling out supplies. There are some sandbags by the entrance.”
Alanza moved forward and put her hand on Skye’s arm. “Let me take him, Skye. You know what supplies we need to get out of there.”
Skye no
dded, motioning for Veridian to go with the other woman. Alanza was right; Skye and Leo were the ones who usually tracked the camp’s inventory. Alanza had been like to sister to her for several years, and Skye knew she’d keep a close eye on Veridian. If any other part of the building came down, Skye trusted few others to look out for Veridian the same way she would.
Skye rushed forward into the room where the elements were battling. The UV guard that protected the building was still intact, but it didn’t diminish the effects from the storm. Her hair whipped around her face, and she caught the strong metallic scent of ozone in the electrically charged air.
The ceiling had mostly fallen inward, with building debris scattered everywhere. A large hole exposed the darkened sky as rain continued to pour downward. Leo, Chance, and Daryl were working together to secure the supplies and equipment. It was possible some of them could be saved, but the more delicate components had likely already been destroyed by the ceiling’s collapse.
Moving forward, she darted toward some of the smaller containers that were mostly untouched and began hauling them out of the room. It was dangerous, especially since the rest of the ceiling could cave in at any time, but without supplies, the days after the storm would be even worse. Ignoring the pain in her hand, she worked with the three men as they tried to save what they could.
Niko returned a few minutes later with pieces of scrap metal to help close off the door. He stacked it by the door and then went to help them finish gathering supplies. Daryl continued calling out instructions, but he worked alongside of them.
Skye darted back into Daryl’s office for another round, but a loud crack made her freeze. Her gaze flew upward to the ceiling, noting the pockets of pooling water that were threatening to overflow.
Leo grabbed her arm, hauling her backward and out of the room. He shouted a warning, and the three men rushed toward the exit just as more of the ceiling crashed to the ground. Part of a beam fell, its heavy weight smacking into Niko and knocking him to the ground. His scream pierced the air.
“Niko!” Skye shouted, moving forward and dropping to the ground beside him. The beam trapped his legs, but at least it hadn’t crushed his torso. There was still hope, but the longer he remained where he was, the worse his prognosis would be. She propped up his head to keep the flooding water away from his face.
Running her hand over his forehead, she said, “We’re going to get you out of here. Just stay with me, Niko.”
“Grab that end!” Leo shouted to Daryl and Chance, gesturing toward the opposite end of the beam.
“It’s no use. It’s too heavy,” Chance said, grunting out the words. “Do we have any rope?”
“In one of these fucking crates,” Daryl snapped. “Where’s the cabling device you used earlier? We can try to rig up something to pull it off of him.”
Skye frowned. They didn’t have time to set up something like that. She scanned the area for something they could use as a lever. Motioning toward the corner where another smaller support beam had fallen, she shouted, “Get that beam! We can slide it under and lift it enough to pull Niko out.”
Leo scrambled over the debris and grabbed the smaller support. While the men worked together to push it under the fallen beam, Daryl grabbed one of the containers and slid it into place to use as a fulcrum.
Alanza came rushing back with Veridian in tow. They each carried sandbags in their arms.
“I heard the noise…” Alanza’s voice trailed off as she spotted Niko. The sandbags fell to the ground. “Niko! No!”
“Alanza,” Daryl called out, nodding his head toward Niko. “We need your help to pull him out once we lift the beam.”
Alanza rushed toward them and dropped to the ground beside Niko. She grabbed his hand. “You’ve got this, Niko. You’re gonna be just fine.”
Skye noticed Veridian moving closer, and she motioned for him to stop. The water was getting higher, and it wouldn’t take much to knock him over. His face paled and his eyes widened with fear. He needed a distraction, but she wasn’t willing to risk him leaving her sight.
“Start stacking those sandbags by the door, V,” she ordered. “Stay outside when you’re finished, as close to the doorway as possible. We’ll be out of here soon enough.”
Turning back to Niko, she saw the pain was taking its toll on him. Running her hand over his forehead again, she said, “Just breathe, Niko. You’re going to get through this just fine.”
“That’s what they all say right before the end,” he whispered, his voice laced with agony.
“You’re too pretty to die,” Skye teased lightly.
He barked out a laugh. “Fuck, that hurts.”
Skye’s smile faded, and she tried to bury her worry.
“On three,” Daryl said, gripping the end of the makeshift lever with Chance and Leo.
He shouted his count, and the men moved together as one to dislodge the beam. Skye grabbed one of Niko’s arms while Alanza grabbed the other and they dragged him out of the way.
The moment he was pulled clear, the men lowered the beam back to the ground. Leo and Chance grabbed hold of Niko, lifting him and carting him out of the room and down the hall. Skye scrambled up and after them, stopping only to grab Veridian.
They hastened down the corridor back into the room they used for sleeping. It was an elevated area, so water hadn’t yet flooded this room. Someone had already started setting up sandbags near the entrance, just in case. They laid Niko out on his sleeping mat and began cutting off his clothing so they could assess his injuries.
“Grab an extra blanket from the stack in the corner,” Skye instructed Veridian.
She knelt beside Niko. His legs were already discolored and swelling, most likely from several fractures. Blood clots might also be a problem, but they’d need to worry about that later.
Leo grabbed the med kit they’d moved into the room earlier and opened it. He opened the container of pain medication and injected it into Niko. “It’ll take a few minutes to work, but it should help with the worst of the pain. We’ll brace your legs once it kicks in.”
Niko nodded, his jaw still clenched in pain.
Tears sprang to Alanza’s eyes, and she hastily blinked them back. Taking a seat next to Niko, she took his hand in hers. “You know, if you wanted to have a couple of women hovering over you, there are better ways to get our attention.”
“It worked, didn’t it?” Niko managed with a weak smile, but Skye could tell the effort cost him.
Veridian handed Skye one of their older blankets, and she quickly began cutting it into long strips. Not for the first time, she wished they had some of the more advanced OmniLab medicine. In the trading camps, they had bone molds that could easily repair broken bones within hours.
Skye met Leo’s eyes and saw the same worry reflected in his gaze. This type of injury was worse than a true break. Even if Niko survived, there was no guarantee he’d be able to walk, much less scavenge, ever again.
Daryl brought over some long pieces of metal he’d found and placed them on the ground. “See if you can brace his legs with these.”
Leo picked them up and began laying them parallel to Niko’s legs. Skye scooted back to give him and Chance some room to work. Veridian crept toward her, and Skye pulled him closer. He was trembling. The fear, adrenaline, and lack of sleep were too much for his seven-year-old body to handle. Taking his hand, she pulled him away from where they were beginning to lay out the strips so they could bind Niko’s legs. Even with the pain killer, the process would hurt.
She sat with Veridian on their bedding and motioned for him to sit beside her. He did, and she wrapped her arm around him.
“Will Niko be okay?” he whispered, cuddling against her.
Skye ran her hand over his hair. It was tempting to lie to alleviate his fears, but she wouldn’t do that to him. “Niko’s strong. If anyone can recover from something like that, it’s him. They’re going to do everything they can to help him.”
Veridian
looked up at her, his brown eyes reflecting his fear. So far, he hadn’t cried, but the emotion in his eyes revealed he was close to breaking.
She gave him a small smile and whispered, “Why don’t you get some rest, little man? We’re going to have a busy day tomorrow cleaning up everything.”
He swallowed and nodded, laying his head against her. When Niko’s scream ripped through the air, Veridian started trembling again. Skye pulled him tighter against her and covered his ears. Humming a wordless tune, she rocked him back and forth while they worked on Niko.
It seemed to go on for an eternity. By the time they finished, Niko had passed out. It was just as well; sleep was the best thing for him to combat the pain. At some point, Veridian’s eyes had also drifted shut. Skye stroked his hair, watching as he breathed the deep and regular breaths of sleep.
Leo crouched down beside her. “Hey. Is he okay?”
She looked up to see his eyes full of concern and nodded. “Yeah. We need to get the rest of the supplies out of Daryl’s office before the sun comes up, but I don’t want to leave V.”
Leo glanced over at Alanza who was still sitting next to Niko. It was unlikely she’d be willing to leave his side for as long as he was sleeping. They’d joined Daryl’s camp around the same time as Skye, and Alanza was frequently partnered with Niko as his scavenging partner. The two of them had formed a close bond over the years, at least as close as Skye and Leo.
In a low voice, Leo asked, “Hey, Alanza? You mind keeping an eye on Veridian while Skye helps me?”
Alanza nodded. “Yeah. Someone needs to watch Niko. I’ll sit with both of them.”
Skye disentangled herself from Veridian, resting her hand gently on his back to make sure he didn’t awaken. When he didn’t move, she stood and brushed her hands on her pants, wincing at the sharp stab of pain through her hand. She hadn’t had a chance to check the injury.
Leo bent down and scooped up one of the portable lights before leading her out of the sleeping area. He stopped before they got too close to Daryl’s office and turned down an adjacent hall.
Ruins of Fate Page 3