by V. L. Dreyer
"Ah, the guilty lovers," Anahera murmured thoughtfully from the back seat. "Yes, let us go visit them. It seems appropriate, though you do not have a husband to betray with your lover."
"I have no idea what you're talking about now," I admitted, glancing over my shoulder at her.
"It is an old legend amongst my people." She smiled at me dreamily, then turned her head and stared off out the window again. "In Maori folklore, different aspects of the natural world are embodied with spirits, just like people. The volcanoes, Ruapehu and Taranaki, were once husband and wife, but while Taranaki was out hunting one day, Ruapehu betrayed him with her fiery lover, Tongariro. Taranaki caught them in the act and fled westwards towards the sea, where he rests to this day, glaring at the traitorous lovers from afar. Ruapehu regrets her infidelity, and sometimes she sighs with longing for him. Tongariro smoulders with jealous anger, for he knows that he can never truly own her heart."
I listened curiously as she told her tale; I knew as much as anyone that the Maori people had legends to explain every aspect of the natural world, but I'd never had the chance to learn that particular one. When she finished the story, I sat quietly for a moment, and then looked at her again. "Were they real people? Ruapehu, Taranaki, and Tongariro? Were the mountains named after them?"
"I don't think so." Anahera laughed and shook her head. "Every tribe has their own variations of the legends. Another one states that there were once seven mountains around Lake Taupo, all male except for the lovely Pihanga. The men fought over her, throwing molten rock high into the air and shaking the ground with their war-dances. In the end, Tongariro won the battle, and with it Pihanga's hand." Suddenly, she grinned. "In that legend, Ruapehu is a male, one of the many vying for Pihanga's love."
"I can't tell if those stories are romantic, or if it's disturbing that no one can agree if Ruapehu is a male or female mountain," I commented, amused. "I mean, surely you could just lift up its skirts and check, right?"
Anahera chuckled at that. "My dear, if you can figure out a way to lift up a mountain's skirt and check its gender, then good luck to you."
***
We reached the campsite overlooking the ruins of Te Awamutu just as the sun was starting to set. The rain was still pelting down, and it drenched me to the bone the moment I hopped out of the Hilux. Ignoring the cold, I raced around to open the gate for Michael. It was the same spot that we'd camped at on our way to Arapuni a couple of weeks earlier, and everything was just as we'd left it. The only difference was that this time, we were leaving for good.
I waited by the gate while each of the trucks drove through, then the outriders on their little motorcycles. Once everyone was safely inside, I heaved the rusty gate closed, and sealed it with a length of heavy chain and an old padlock that we'd brought with us from Ohaupo.
As I wound the chain tight between the bars of the fence, I heard Michael shouting orders. By the time I was done, the trucks had been parked in a ring around our campsite, like a circle of wagons. I paused to admire the simple utility of the action: not only would the trucks serve to protect us from the enemy, but they'd guard us from the wind and rain as well. It amazed me to think about how the tricks used by our ancestors in the early days of colonization had come back into use, hundreds of years later. I didn't have long to think about it, though; there was too much work to be done for me to stand around wool-gathering.
There wasn't enough space in the trucks to bring individual tents for everyone, even if we had enough, which we didn't. Instead, we'd brought along a single huge canvas awning, large enough to shelter us all from the rain. I hurried over to help Michael, who was struggling to lift the heavy pole on his side of the awning. One by one, the other three corners of the awning went up, and we rushed around securing the ground ties to keep it steady.
Michael smiled at me, then leaned down and gave me a quick kiss. "Orders, captain?"
"I thought you were taking command tonight?" I asked, raising a brow.
"Only when you're busy," he answered, a touch of embarrassment flitting across his face. "I prefer to leave it in your capable hands. I never wanted to be in charge. I'd rather be able to focus on just keeping everyone safe."
"Fair enough." I gave him a quick hug, to reassure him that I didn't think any lesser of him for surrendering his leadership position, then I pulled back and did as he asked. "We need a watch for the night. I want four people on guard at all times, one to watch each side. Two rotations, like normal, but give priority to those that won't be driving tomorrow, since they can sleep in the car. Also, I want you to get Priya and that Yousefi boy, what's his name?"
"Matt?" Michael supplied.
"Right." I nodded. "I want Priya and Matt to take a watch. They're old enough to start learning how to contribute."
"Good call," Michael agreed. "It'll make them feel more included, too. I'll spare Doc the watch, though – I think he needs his sleep."
"Yeah, spare the wounded." I grinned suddenly and reached up to pat his cheek. "But not me. I'll take a watch. I'm feeling fine."
"If you insist." Michael chuckled, kissed me again, and went off about his business. I allowed myself a moment to savour the taste of his lips, then I went off about mine as well. Thinking about Priya and Matt gave me an idea, another little task to make all the kids feel more included. It seemed odd to put them to work to welcome them, but it was a strange world that we lived in.
I found the two oldest children sitting right where we'd left them on arrival, waiting obediently in the truck with the animals and the younger kids. They looked at me in surprise when I opened the door beside them.
"Hey guys, I need help with something," I told them. "You want a job to do?"
"Yes!" Priya agreed immediately, followed a moment later by Maddy. The Yousefi boys were more reserved; the younger three regarded me silently with large, solemn eyes, but Matt, the eldest, nodded hesitantly.
"Awesome. Now, I'm going to split you into two groups. Matt, Priya, and--" I hesitated for a moment, then looked at the second oldest boy, a scrawny kid of about eleven. "What's your name?"
"Javed," he answered shyly.
I smiled at him and nodded. "Javed. Cool. Okay, Matt, Priya, and Javed, I want the three of you to go over to that old house over there and see if you can find some dry firewood." I turned and pointed past our campsite, at the ruins of the homestead that had once occupied the rear half of the enclosure. "Be careful not to cut yourselves, okay? Bring back whatever you find, and put it somewhere that the rain won't make it wet."
"Okies," Priya agreed happily, practically leaping out of the car. She raced off towards the ruins, leaving the boys staring after her. They exchanged a look, then climbed out and raced after her. Once they were gone, I turned and looked at the three remaining kids.
"You guys are a bit young to go digging around in there, but I have a job for you, too," I explained. Maddy smiled and nodded, but the two younger boys just stared at me. Suddenly, I realised that they were frightened of me – possibly of all of us. It had been a rough few days for all of them, and I was a stranger. "Aw, hey, don't be scared, sweeties. I won't hurt you."
Maddy's smile widened knowingly. "I'm glad you noticed, Miss Sandy. They're very, very, scared."
"I haven't been around kids very much, but I'm learning," I admitted sheepishly. "You hear that? My name is Sandy. That's not a scary name, is it?"
The youngest child just stared blankly, but the older boy was around Maddy's age, old enough to understand what I was trying to say. He shook his head slowly. I smiled at him in return.
"It's not a scary name, because I'm not a scary person." I hesitated for a moment, and decided to channel my inner child a bit. "I'm only scary when the bad monsters come and try to eat you, and then I'm scary to them. I go 'grrr!' and chase the bad monsters away! Remember?"
This time, the boy smiled a little bit and he nodded again. Beside him, Maddy giggled.
"Miss Sandy is very nice, I promise," she added in m
y defence, then pointed at the boys. "The big one is Barry, and the little one is Ommie. Don't worry, Miss Sandy – they're my friends, so we'll help."
"That's great." Relieved, I reached over and patted the top of the little girl's head. "Thanks, Maddy. What I want you guys to do is start spreading plastic sheets on the ground. No one wants to sleep on the wet ground. The plastic sheets should be in the back of this truck."
"Okay!" Maddy agreed cheerfully. She picked Tigger up out of her lap and set the kitten on the seat beside her, then hopped up and scurried off. Sure enough, the two boys climbed out and followed after her. Once they were gone, I left Tigger to sleep and went off in search of my sister.
I found her few minutes later, sitting on the tailgate of one of the trucks, staring intently at the tip of her left index finger. Curious, I went over to her to see what had her so fascinated. Just as I was getting close, I heard her issue a deep, soulful sigh.
"What's the matter, baby sis?" I asked, suddenly concerned. There hadn't been much time to talk recently, so I had no idea how she was handling the emotional fallout from her painful miscarriage a little over a month before.
"Huh?" She glanced up suddenly, but relaxed when she recognised me. "Oh, hey Sandy. I cut my finger this morning, and it's annoying me. It's not deep or anything, and it's not bleeding, but there's this little flap of skin. It keeps catching on everything, and it's driving me crazy."
I blinked in surprise, then laughed. I just couldn't help it. After everything she'd been through, what made her sound sad was a little flap of skin?
"Gnaw it off," I suggested. "That's what I do. It looks gross, but at least it'll stop catching on stuff."
"You reckon?" She stared at her finger dubiously, then shrugged and lifted her finger to her mouth to do as I suggested. While she was at it, I went over and sat down on the tailgate beside her. It was rare for us to have a moment alone, so I decided it was as good a time as any to check on her well-being.
"How are you doing, Skye?" I asked softly, watching her carefully to gauge her reaction. "With the baby thing, I mean. We've hardly had time to talk at all."
She paused in her nibbling and stared at me for a moment, then shrugged and glanced away. "I'm… coping. It sucks, and it hurts – both physically, and in my heart – but there's no way for us to go back and change the past. At least we learned a lesson from it – listeria poisoning is bad, and now we know how to avoid it. So, when you and Michael have a baby, you won't have to go through that."
"What makes you think that Michael and I are having a baby?" I asked, startled by the notion. We'd talked about it in passing, sure, but mostly just as a joke.
"I've seen the way you look at him, sis," she said with a tender smile. "You love him. You really, really love him. The two of you should have a baby together, because all babies deserve a mother and father that love each other that much."
I stared at her for a moment, then turned away, feeling the heat rising in my cheeks. She wasn't wrong, but that was what made it so difficult to accept. Michael was so ready to be a dad, but I was not ready to be a mother.
"Maybe one day, but not today," I answered. Suddenly, I desperately wanted to change the subject. "So, anyway. I've got the kids finding some firewood. Can I trust you to take care of preparing dinner?"
"Of course," she agreed, rising to her feet. "I'll go see what I can rustle up."
"Thanks, little sis." I gave her a grateful smile. She returned it, and scampered off about her business, leaving me to ponder hard questions on my own.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The night passed more or less uneventfully. Every now and then, one of the watchers called out that they'd spotted something, and once I even thought I heard a growl, but when the sun finally rose there was no sign of danger. If the mutants had followed us, they'd retreated by morning.
We were back on the move as swiftly as possible, following the same road eastwards that we'd used previously. Once we left the earthquake zone, the going was smooth and easy. I napped in the passenger seat of the Hilux for most of the morning, leaving Michael to concentrate on driving. We stopped briefly at the cornfield to bolster our supplies, then we were back on the road again.
Shortly before noon, I felt the Hilux roll to a stop. I dragged myself out of the warm, comfortable embrace of sleep, to find that we'd already reached the point at the base of the hills where the road started to climb up into cliffs and narrow ravines.
"We can't follow the road up there," Michael said, looking at me for guidance. "Remember, there was that break we had to climb around?"
"I remember." I nodded thoughtfully. "We're just going to have to go around the base of the cliff. It's not going to be fun, but at least the rain's cleared up for now."
A few minutes later, I stood with my group spread out around me, enjoying a moment of sunshine while I could. When the last of them fell into place, I cleared my throat and addressed them.
"All right, guys, we're going off-road for a while," I said. "Unfortunately, there's a bloody great hole in the road up ahead, so we're going to have to take the long way. I need every strong hand that isn't behind the wheel of a car or the handles of a bike out in front, clearing away any obstructions. This is pig country, so everyone stay on high alert. Don't let your guard down. Now, I need two people to ride ahead and scout for the best route. Volunteers?"
The hands of everyone that knew how to ride the bikes – and several who didn't – shot up. I didn't even try to fight my grin. It felt like the bigger our group got, the more people wanted to volunteer to help. They probably just wanted to impress one another, but I didn't mind. It pleased me to see people willing to participate.
"Okay, Skye and Richard," I called, pointing to each of them in turn. "I need you two to find the path of least resistance and guide us to it. Be extra careful, and if you see, hear, or smell anything out of the ordinary, come back. Got it?"
Skylar blinked in obvious surprise. "Really? You want me to go?"
"You put your hand up," I pointed out. "Do you want to go or not?"
"Well, yes, but I didn't actually expect you to pick me," she answered. "You never pick me."
"It's just logistics, sis," I answered, chuckling. "You two are small, agile, and can move quickly, plus I know you can handle yourselves in a fight. Sending you two means I have the stronger lads here to help with the heavy lifting. No offense, Richard."
"None taken," he answered, grinning broadly. Richard was a slender, soft-spoken man, and while he was stronger than he looked, he didn't possess the brute strength of his kinsmen. I smiled back at him, silently acknowledging his understanding.
Skye cocked her head to one side thoughtfully, then suddenly she grinned as well. "Okay, cool! I like this logic. C'mon, Richard. You'll need to show me how to ride."
"Take the quad bikes, they're easier on rough terrain," I called after her.
Once they were off, I turned my attention back to the rest of the group. My group, I realised with a sudden flash of pride. My friends. My family. My… minions? The thought almost made me laugh out loud. Instead, I distracted myself with more logistics.
"Okay," I clapped my hands and started handing out roles. "Zain, I want you to lead in the Hilux. You know these trucks better than anyone, so make sure you sing out if we try to take them somewhere they can't handle. Doc, you're in the second truck with the youngest kids. Ana, are you good to drive?"
"Yes, I should be able to," she answered, nodding.
"Good." I smiled at her, trying to be reassuring. She wasn't quite back to her usual bubbly self yet, but she was definitely on the mend. "Please take the third truck. Elly, bring up the rear. Matt, Priyanka, I want you on watch duty. Do you know what that means?"
"Means we watch," Priya answered immediately, playfully pulling her eyelids back with her fingertips. "We watch for pigs, for bad mens, all bad things. Yes?"
"Perfect." I nodded and grinned at her. "If you see anything bad, or even something you're not sure abou
t, you shout as loud as you can. Okay?"
"Okies!" Priya agreed immediately, nodding. "We watch good. No bads get past us!"
"Very good," I acknowledged, pleased by both her enthusiasm and her quick uptake. I looked at Matt, and gave him a smile as well. "Do you understand what you need to do, too?"
"Yes ma'am," the youth answered quietly. "Watch duty. Anything out of the ordinary, we'll shout."
"Good man," I answered. "Don't hesitate, even if you're not sure. Take Alfie with you. I don't want you two taking any risks, got it?"
Both of the teenagers nodded their understanding. I looked at the rest of the faces in the crowd, and gave them a grin.
"All right, guys," I announced. "Everyone else is with me. Let's get to it!"
***
A few hours later, a cool wind told me that the rain was about to return, and this time it came as a relief. Most of the brush was thin enough for the trucks to just drive through, there were still occasional mounds of deadfall and loose rocks blocking the path. It was hard, heavy labour, and I ended up drenched with sweat in no time at all.
I felt a raindrop land on my shoulder and glanced up at the sky. Dark clouds were rolling in, but they weren't truly threatening. It wasn't a storm, just rain. A few droplets fell on my face, and made me smile.
"What are you grinning at?" Skylar asked.
I jumped at the unexpected sound of her voice, and spun around. "Damn, don't scare me like that. No one told me you were back."
"We just got here," Skye replied. "So, what are you grinning about?"
"Oh, just the rain," I admitted with a shrug. "I like the rain. It's peaceful. Soothing. Washes away all our sins, and leaves the world clean and sparkling."
"It's also wet and cold," Skye pointed out. "Anyway, I need to show you something so we can figure out what to do."
"Okay," I agreed. "Is it far? Should I get a bike?"
"Nah, not far. We can take mine. Richard's back there, talking to Ropata." Skye turned and led the way off into the bush. I grabbed my shotgun and hurried after her. We climbed onto the back of her quad bike, and then we were off.