The Survivors Book IV: Spring

by V. L. Dreyer

  "Sounds good, I approve," I said, not that they seemed to need my approval for anything. Still, if it helped them get things done, then I was happy to provide it. "Has anyone managed to talk to Melody's gang about what they want to do?"

  "That's a bit of a funny story, actually," Anahera replied. "I asked the twins, and they both immediately told me that they wanted to join my school. Those two have a voracious thirst for knowledge, if ever I've seen it. Melody… well, that's where it gets interesting."

  "Oh, let me guess," I said. "She bit your head off for even suggesting it, and now refuses to talk to you?"

  Anahera laughed and shook her head. "That's what I was expecting, but no. I think all that time she's been spending around the baby has woken up her maternal instincts. She told me she wanted to apprentice to me."

  I froze and stared at her in shock. "She… what?"

  "I know!" Anahera laughed again and threw her hands up in mock-despair. "The sky clearly must be falling, or that girl has gone mad. She's decided that she wants to be a teacher."

  "No, no, this actually makes some sense," I said, tapping a finger against my chin. "Think about it. She practically raised the twins. Not well, but she managed to keep them alive for ten years. She was only eight when she found them, and they would have been about two. She must love kids to do that. I think the problem is that we’ve only ever seen the protective side of her maternal instincts. She must have nurturing instincts as well, or the twins wouldn't love her so much. Not only that, but they were all literate when Gavin met them, which means she must have educated them."

  "Huh." Anahera paused for a moment to think that over, then she nodded slowly. "You're right, that does make sense. I must admit, I haven't spent enough time with her to get much of a feel for her, but your logic makes her sound more promising than I first assumed. Shall I take her on, then?"

  "If she wants to teach, help her learn to teach. It'll be good for her to feel like she has a reason to be here," I said. "What about Solomon? Has anyone managed to get him to talk yet?" Anahera and Doc paused, and exchanged a look. I raised a brow. "What is it? You look like you know something I don't."

  "Solomon's tongue has been cut," Doc said quietly, his expression unreadable. "I found out when he was in here getting treated for a cold a few days ago. Some bastard cut out part of that poor boy's tongue."

  I swore beneath my breath and squeezed my eyes closed. "The neo-nazis at Pukeatua. They did that to Charu, too. They must be the reason behind the disappearance of the Samoan gang in Tokoroa. I knew they wouldn't just let their territory markers fade like that. I'm sorry, Bobby, but the more I hear about your step-father, the more glad I am that I took him down when I had the chance."

  They looked at me curiously. I quickly explained Bobby's appearance, and what had happened to us when we'd travelled through Pukeatua months earlier. "I told Bobby that I'm willing to stand trial for Henry's death if he wanted me to, but he didn't seem interested. Still, I'm not proud of what I did."

  "As you said, you did what you had to do," Anahera said sympathetically. She patted my hand, smiled at me, and rose to her feet. "I should go start class, if we're going to have time to learn anything before lunch. Are you ready, Madeline?"

  "Yup!" she cried happily, leaping up to her feet. Maddy scampered over and grabbed Anahera’s hand, then she paused and looked at me. "Bobby's gone away, but you're going to see his mummy again soon. Her name is Isabelle. Don't worry, she's a nice lady. Sad, but nice." Suddenly, Maddy giggled and dragged Anahera off towards the door. "Come on! I want to read a big book today, with lots of words!"

  Anahera shot us a look of long-suffering amusement and waved, then she was gone. I glanced back at Doc and shrugged. "Well, I guess I'm going to be seeing Bobby's mummy again or something."

  "'Or something', indeed," Doc answered dryly, shaking his head. "Sometimes I just don't know what I'm going to do with that girl."

  "Eh, so long as she's using her powers for good rather than evil, let her be," I said with a shrug. "She's not hurting anyone, and usually her prophecies help us in some way. I'm not complaining."

  "Speaking of which," Doc rose from his chair and went over to make sure that the door was properly shut, then peered at me over his spectacles. "How are we feeling this morning?"

  "We are feeling just fine, thank you," I replied, rubbing my belly pointedly.

  Doc smiled and returned to his seat on the edge of the bed. "How's the morning sickness?"

  "It comes and goes," I admitted. "It's not that bad, though. You were right on the mark about the sense of smell; it seems to be getting sharper every day."

  "That's the one common symptom between every pregnant woman I've ever tended to," he replied, adjusting his glasses. "Did you start the notebook, like I suggested?"

  "Yeah." I handed him back the census book, then reached into one of my numerous pockets and pulled out a much smaller notebook that I'd scavenged a couple of days earlier. I flicked the booklet open to the page where I'd begun to keep a running tally of the days since I'd conceived. "Today is the forty-sixth day, according to my count. Should be pretty much accurate within a day either side."

  "Excellent, that’s very good," Doc said approvingly. "Keep that journal up-to-date, it'll be useful for pinpointing when we can expect you to go into labour. I also want you to write down any time you feel strange, in as much detail as you can."

  "Okay," I agreed. I glanced at him, suddenly nervous. "God, I didn't even think about having to go into labour. That's kind of terrifying. I'd ask if it's going to hurt, but that would pretty much be the dumbest question of all time."

  Doc chuckled softly and nodded. "Somewhat, but it's an understandable terror. Just remember that once it's over you'll have a bouncing baby boy or girl to add to your menagerie."

  "My menagerie? Gosh!" I huffed in mock indignation, then shot a glance over my shoulder at the door. "Actually, it is turning into a bit of a menagerie, isn't it? You mentioned that some of the newbies brought stock animals with them?"

  "Primarily chickens, but I believe they also have a pair of cows as well," Doc replied, flipping through the census notebook until he found the right page. "Ah, yes. Five more horses, two milking cows, six chickens, four dogs, and three cats."

  "Cats?" I sat up straighter all of a sudden and looked at him. "I was wondering why Tigger's been skulking around looking nervous."

  Doc made a thoughtful sound, but his interest clearly wasn't on the cat. A few seconds later, he glanced up and gave me a long look over the rim of his spectacles. "No matter how tempting it may be, resist the urge to drink milk from those cows."

  "I wasn't planning on it," I replied, raising a brow. "I'm mildly lactose intolerant."

  "Good, good." Doc sighed and took his glasses off, pinching the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. "I've been reading more into the prevention and treatment of listeria poisoning. Unpasteurized milk is a particularly dangerous source of the bacteria. Stay well away from it, and anything made with it."

  "Got it," I said with a nod. "You should probably speak with the kitchen crew to make sure they don't give it to anyone else who might be at risk. Maybe we can work out a way to pasteurize it ourselves."

  "Maybe," he replied, making a note in his book. "Hannah's baby shouldn't be having any, and neither should the youngest children. I’ll investigate the possibility of pasteurizing it, and talk to the kitchen crew in the meantime. I think I'll go do that right now, actually." He glanced up at me. "Is there anything else you wish to discuss today, Ms McDermott?"

  "No, I'm fine." I took the hint and rose to my feet, stretching languidly. "I should go find some breakfast, anyway. I'll walk with you."

  "Very well," Doc agreed, a faint smile touching his face. He slipped on his shoes, stood up, then together we made our way out of his room and down the hall to the common room.

  There, we found Anahera in the midst of gathering the children up and seating them around the fireplace. Skylar was
watching them with interest, and both Ryan and Hemi hovered near her with equally anxious expressions on their faces. Skye's back was to me, so I didn't notice the reason for their anxiety until I was almost on them: Skye was holding Hannah and Johan's infant daughter, Evelyn.

  Doc didn't seem to care about how concerned Ryan and Hemi looked. He marched right up to Skye and cleared his throat. "Miss McDermott, we must speak for a moment. Will you join me in the kitchen?"

  "Of course," Skye answered. "What's up?"

  "We just need to discuss food safety, because of the new additions to our group." He glanced at the two young men and lifted his brows. "I believe you both help out with the cooking on a regular basis, correct?"

  "Yeah?" Hemi asked, looking at him curiously. "You want us to come, too?"

  "Please," he said, then he glanced around at the others. "I've already spoken to Anahera and Sandrine; who else is regularly involved in cooking?"

  "Just talk to us," Skye said. "Hannah, Johan, and Elly are in the kitchen right now. One of us is always there for mealtimes, so we can disseminate the information to anyone else that needs to know." Suddenly, she turned to me and held the baby out. "Here, look after Evie for a minute."

  I took the baby without thinking. Skye led the others off towards the kitchen, leaving me awkwardly clutching the poor child with no real idea what to do with her. My last experience with a baby had been eighteen years earlier, with Skye. I'd always assumed that instinct would tell me what to do, but it really didn't.

  Evie squirmed in my arms and let out a disgruntled squawk; suddenly, I realised I was clutching her too tightly for fear of dropping her, and that she wasn't too happy about it. I took a deep breath and shifted my grip, struggling to find a position that was comfortable for both of us.

  There was a soft chuckle behind me, then I felt familiar arms slip around me and gently guide my arms into the right places. "That's it. She's old enough that you don't have to support her head. You can sit down, if you want. There's a chair just behind you."

  I felt Evie relax as my grip was adjusted, and I finally let out the breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding until that moment. If anyone knew how to take care of a baby, it was Michael.

  "No, no, I think I'm okay," I said. I glanced up and caught Anahera shooting amused glances at us from the far side of the room. Suddenly embarrassed, I turned my full attention to Evie instead. If I was going to have to learn to deal with one of my own, then I needed all the practice I could get. "Hello, Evie. I'm Sandy." To my surprise, the baby gurgled and laughed in response. I blinked and glanced at Michael over my shoulder. "Does that mean she likes me?"

  Michael grinned back at me. "Evie likes everyone. She's a very relaxed baby."

  "That's good. It seems like I'm the only one that doesn't particularly want to babysit," I answered dryly. I looked back down at Evie and gave her a little jiggle, to which she responded with a big baby smile. I took a deep breath and turned towards Michael to ask him something, but before I could say a word Evie spotted him and let out a squeal of delight. She just about threw herself at him, her pudgy little fists making grabby motions. This time, it was my turn to laugh. "Oh, I think someone has a crush."

  "She just likes me because I play with her," Michael answered, his deep voice shifting into the soft tone he used when dealing with kids. He held one finger up and wiggled it at her teasingly. "Isn't that right, Evie?"

  She grabbed his finger with her little fists, and promptly pulled it into her mouth. My heart melted; she was a beautiful baby, who looked so much like my vision of what Priyanka must have looked like at that age. Her skin was a little darker than Priya's, but she had the same expressive eyes, and round, sweet face.

  "Ow, my ovaries," I muttered jokingly as I watched Michael playing with the baby. It was so natural to him, so instinctive. He just… knew what she wanted and gave it to her. Kind of like how he always seemed to know what I needed. "You're such a people person, honey. How'd you get so good at that when there's no one left around?"

  Michael laughed, wrapping his free arm around me. That sandwiched little Evie in between us, but she seemed perfectly happy with the arrangement. "Just empathy, I think. My parents raised me with the belief that I should always treat other people the way I'd like to be treated. I just try to take a second to stop and think about that before I do or say anything."

  "That's… really quite smart," I said softly, glancing back down at the squirming baby in my arms. I felt a rush of heat up the back of my neck, and suddenly there were tears blurring my vision. I blinked them away and smiled to myself. "Good thing she doesn't have any teeth yet, she's got a heck of a bite on her."

  "Yes, yes it is," Michael crooned to the baby, leaning down to until his face was right in front of hers. "But you aren't teething yet, are you? No, you're not. Not yet. Soon, though. You've got a rough bit on your gum right here in the front, don't you?"

  Evie released his finger and made a two-handed grab for his nose with a delighted squeal, which she also tried to pull into her mouth. It didn't work out so well, but it left both of us laughing our heads off.

  "What are you two doing to my child?" Hannah demanded from the doorway to the kitchen. I feigned innocence, but Michael just grinned shamelessly and waved at her. A second later, Evie spotted her mother and let out another joyful screech, which turned into a demanding whine.

  "Uh-oh, someone's hungry," Michael said. He glanced at me and gave me a wink. "They sure look cute, but they just see us as walking, talking, snuggling food-sources. Well, her mother is. Good luck getting anything out of my nipples, kid!"

  Hannah laughed and came over to us, holding her arms out to take the baby from me. I surrendered her with more reluctance than I'd anticipated, and watched as she took Evie over to an armchair to feed her.

  "Speaking of feeding," Michael gave me a sideways glance and a squeeze. "Breakfast?"

  "Breakfast," I agreed, nodding firmly.

  Chapter Seven

  It took three more days for the floodwaters to recede enough for our convoy to escape from Taihape. It was early morning on the fourth day when the news finally came, and I'd just finished showing a few of the older kids how to recondition a scavenged car battery. Keeping the batteries functional was a constant problem for us, so the more hands we had to help out, the easier our voyage would be.

  "Whatever you do, don't get any of the acid on yourself," I warned one last time. The teenagers nodded their understanding. A few hands came up to ask questions, but just at that moment Hemi came dashing up to us, out of breath and excited.

  "Sandy!" he cried. "It's time!"

  "It is?" I stared at him, scarcely able to believe my ears. It felt like we'd been trapped in that little town forever, and it took a second for the news to sink in.

  "Yes!" Hemi shouted, practically jumping for joy. "We're free! We're free! Onwards, to Avalon and Tumanako!"

  That brought that reality crashing home. I let out a whoop of joy and punched my fist in the air. "About time! I can't wait to get away from this snow." I paused and looked at the small group of teenagers gathered around me. "Guys, fan out and spread the news. I want everyone packed up and ready to go by mid-morning. Let's get this show back on that road!"

  Everyone let out a spontaneous cheer, then they split up and ran off in different directions. I headed back towards our lodge. Along the way, I pulled my walkie-talkie out of my pocket and informed everyone else who had one about the good news. By the time I made it back to my room, the place was abuzz with excited activity. No one wanted to linger in the cold highlands any longer than we had to. Young and old, original members and new faces alike, everyone was practically chomping at the bit.

  I headed to my room, grabbed our luggage from the corner by the door, and started packing everything away. Michael and I had agreed to keep our clothing and personal items separate while we travelled, to make it easier on both of us when we had to find something. I was so used to it that I had both of our bags packed
before Michael even arrived on the scene. When he did, he was bright-eyed and breathless from running.

  "You’re such a slow-poke," I teased.

  "Hey, I got roped into figuring out how to move the cows efficiently," he replied. "Do these feel like the hands of a cowboy to you?"

  Right on cue, he grabbed my bottom and gave it a squeeze. I squealed in surprise and playfully slapped his hands away. Laughing, he grabbed both of our bags instead, and gestured for me to walk with him while he carried them out.

  "I heard that we found a horse trailer or something?" I asked along the way.

  "A small stock truck, actually," he replied. "I don't know how Zain managed to get that thing working, but he did. The man's a miracle worker when it comes to anything with an engine."

  "He is," I agreed without reservation. "A stock truck, huh? There's only two cows, so that should give us some room to spare, shouldn't it?"

  "Yep! Heaps of it," he replied with a grin. "We even managed to fit most of the barrels of petrol in. We are going to need to leave a few behind, though."

  "That's fine," I said. "We should leave some for Erica, anyway. She's going to need it when she comes south. I'll give her a call when we stop for the night and let her know where they are. Can you make sure that the spare barrels are put somewhere obvious, but safe and out of the elements?"

  "Of course." He paused for a second to deposit our bags in the back of the Hilux, then hurried off to do as I asked. I went the other direction, and headed for the barn where our growing herd of horses had been housed during our stay.

  I arrived to find Lily and Jasmine hard at work saddling horses, along with a couple of the new faces from Johan's group. I waved to them, and picked my way between bodies both human and equine to find my mount. Boudicca nickered when she saw me and gave me a gentle nudge.

  "Hey there, girl," I said in return, reaching up to rub her velvety nose. "Ready to get back on the road?"