by Tera Shanley
Eloise consoled her, but it wasn’t enough and she left soon after.
The crisp and snowy morning came early to Dead Run River. Laney shivered as she tumbled into the clothes she had left warming by the wood burning stove. A hot shower felt good, but it was only a momentary relief from the bitter cold. Eloise met her at breakfast and they headed to the front gates together.
As they approached, Guist’s booming laugh could be heard at a distance. Eloise squeaked and ran for him. He was barely able to catch her as she rushed into his arms. Realization dawned on a surprised Mitchell’s face that she was there for livestock duty.
He rounded on Guist. “Did you know?” he demanded. “Is that why you were so gung ho to volunteer for livestock today?”
Guist shrugged. “Laney and Eloise were assigned to livestock yesterday. I had nothing to do with that.”
“You could have told me,” he snapped angrily. “I’m driving. Everyone’s here now so let’s go.”
She looked longingly in the direction she had come from. Was it too late to change her mind? She frowned. Probably. She hopped into a four-wheel-drive SUV with Eloise and three other cattle workers. Fifteen terrifying minutes later, Mitchell pulled the vehicle up to the gates of their destination. Guist jumped out and opened the gate, chatting with two guards stationed there while the rest climbed out of the SUV and into the frosty morning air. Mitchell tossed one of the guards the keys and took his post near the entrance to the gate. The guards pulled away, taking the getaway vehicle with them until the next shift would bring it back.
Laney hung back as the others headed for a barn off to the left.
“Mitchell?” she asked quietly.
“Laney, I have to work. This isn’t the place.”
“Well, you won’t talk to me anywhere else and you have to be here so I’m going to say my piece. I’m sorry. Damn it, I’m so sorry I don’t know what to do with myself. I’ll do anything. Just talk to me again. Please, just don’t hate me anymore.”
He had been doing a stellar job of avoiding her eyes, but on her last pleading sentence he looked at her as if he couldn’t help himself. “I don’t hate you. I wish I could, but I can’t. I just need time,” he finished, using her own words to burn her.
“Fine. I can wait.” She left for the barn without a backward glance.
He wouldn’t be watching her go as he used to. He was changing. Not the natural sort of change that came with growth or maturity. Mitchell was forcing the change to protect himself from something she couldn’t understand or control.
Livestock proved to be much more physically demanding than she had expected. They each had ATVs to drive the cattle with, but the day proved long. After feeding them and leading them to part of the river that snaked inside of the gates, they had to break through the ice for the cattle to drink. Two calves had been born late in the summer and one had died in the night. The cold had overcome his ability to survive. The other calf’s mother was nowhere to be found, so they had to use a technique called grafting to ensure the mother of the deceased calf would accept the orphaned one. It was a brutal process of skinning the dead calf and placing its hide onto the living one so the mother would adopt its new smell. Eloise had to leave the barn while a man named Unger coached Laney through the process. Eloise’s stomach couldn’t take it, or so the retching sound that came from the front of the barn suggested. When the cow and her new calf were settled into a bed of thick straw in a stall, they brought the rest of the herd in from the river to the shelter of a huge covered area. The thickly furred cattle huddled together for warmth, mouths moving rhythmically as they bellowed and chewed. The day had come to an end, but they still had to wait for the next shift of guards to bring the SUV back for them. Unger kept them busy in preparation for the next day, but at the sound of a smattering of gunfire and then a second, Laney rushed from the barn toward the livestock gates. She already had her Mini readied when she reached Mitchell and Guist. They had climbed sturdy wooden stepladders secured on either side of the gates. She could smell the Deads as soon as she was clear of the barn. There was nothing for her to do by the time she reached the team. They searched the woods with scopes, but finding no remaining walking corpses, Guist lowered his weapon.
“Clear,” Mitchell said as they relaxed their stance but remained alert on the ladders.
“So this is why you have been hiding out here, huh? More action?” she asked Mitchell.
He spared her a glance. Progress. “It’s one of the reasons,” he admitted. “The cattle make a lot of noise and attract a lot of the Deads’ attention. It’s slowed down, though, with the snow. They can’t move around in it very well.”
“Where is Eloise?” Guist asked her, sounding concerned.
“Not feeling well. They made us skin a dead calf.”
“Can you do me a favor?” Mitchell asked her.
“Will it get me out of the doghouse?”
He rolled his eyes. “Go grab an ATV. Tell Unger you need a trailer hooked up to it. We need to dispose of these Deads before the snow covers them.”
“Sure.” She jogged off, reveling in being needed.
She rode with Mitchell and loaded the Deads onto the trailer while Guist kept his post. When they were finished they drove a good distance to a deep ravine and dropped the bodies in one by one. Mitchell explained that it was their go-to Dead drop zone. When they returned, the new shift of guards still hadn’t arrived. Eloise was leaning up against the fence, huddled into herself to keep warm, while the other workers had opted to stay in the warmth of the barn until the shift change came. Laney plopped down beside Eloise and washed her hands as well as she could with snow. The cold prickled her raw skin, but she was desperate to rid herself of the rotten smell.
“When are you leaving?” Guist asked.
Laney looked up to see who he was talking to. He was waiting on an answer from Mitchell. What a frightening question. Her mind raced with the implications.
“Tomorrow,” Mitchell said in a deep, tired voice. “Dr. Mackey said the baby will be okay to travel tomorrow. I think Adam is ready to get away from Laney so he’s rushing their departure.”
“You’re leaving with Adam?” she asked, unable to control the fear-filled curiosity in her voice.
“Yes,” he answered shortly.
She pushed. “But why?”
Mitchell sighed. “Because they need armed escorts to get them to Fairplay safely. So I volunteered.”
He was leaving. He was leaving. Mitchell was leaving her. She jolted upright and then groaned as her skin protested. Her hands found her waist and she placed a gentle pressure on the wounds Dr. Mackey had been whittling into her flesh. She forgot about them sometimes, but her quick movement made the injuries scream for attention.
She rocked forward in an attempt to ease the stretching of her skin, as if it would push her open cuts back together again and provide relief. Mitchell hopped off the ladder and kneeled beside her.
“Don’t,” he said softly. “Let me see.”
He pulled her hands away from the tender area and unzipped her jacket. Lifting her shirt and hoodie, he grimaced when he saw the rows of injured flesh.
“Some of these look infected, Laney. I’m taking you to see Dr. Mackey when we get back to the colony. This has to stop.” He gestured to the cuts angrily. “You aren’t dying for their tests. They’ve taken enough from you.”
She tried to smile. “If they are infected it’s no wonder. Mel keeps assigning me to jobs that involve cow crap.”
Mitchell snorted and looked up at the sound of the returning SUV. He turned toward the barn and let out a shrill whistle to the other workers. Then he drove them back to the colony and took her to the doctor’s office as soon as bite checks were finished. As she climbed the porch steps, the first symptoms of an infection manifested. She wiped her moist forehead with the back of her shaking hand and sat up on the table. Mitchell talked to Dr. Mackey and the older man lifted her shirt to see for himself. He pressed h
is hand firmly on the side of her stomach and amber fluid dribbled out from under one of the butterfly bandages. Mitchell cursed softly under his breath.
Adam charged into the waiting room. “Laney, if you think—”
Before he could utter another word, Mitchell jabbed a finger at him. “No,” he said furiously. “Leave.”
Laney lay down as Dr. Mackey started the painstaking process of removing all the bandages. To take her mind off the pain, she focused on Mitchell: on the set of his serious jaw and the attractive stubble on his face. Her fingers itched to feel it. “If you hate him so much, why did you volunteer to escort him?”
He pursed his lips into a grim line. His caramel eyes were reserved. “I need a change.”
“Are you leaving forever?” she asked bravely.
He looked out the window and shook his head slightly. “Not yet.”
She winced as another bandage pulled one of the fresher wounds. “Will you hold my hand?” she whispered.
He hesitated. “Who has been coming with you to these appointments?”
“Eloise.”
“I’m going to get her for you.” He stood and turned for the door.
“Mitchell, please don’t leave.”
The look he gave her was tortured, haunted, like the ghost of the man he wanted to be stood within the pleading glance she gave to him. “I can’t do this, Laney.”
“Not just now,” she pleaded. “Don’t leave.”
Mitchell rubbed a hand over his face and opened his mouth to respond. His teeth clicked as he shut his mouth and left without another word.
Eloise came in a few minutes later, but the damage had already been done. To her body and to her heart.
Mitchell left early the next morning with the young family and three other guards. He didn’t come to say goodbye and Laney wasn’t able to see him off. Instead she was stuck in the deep throes of a raging fever that had scorched through her body and landed in her mind. You’ll never see him again, it screamed. The small part of her that was still sane was afraid the fever was right.
Chapter Nineteen
LANEY HEALED, BUT SLOWLY. Much slower than she was used to mending. Dr. Mackey had opted to leave some of her wounds open so they could drain as needed. For three days he kept her in the infirmary, watching her until a small wrinkle of worry etched itself into the bridge of his nose and threatened to become a permanent fixture on his face. The attention had been exhausting, though necessary. She knew how sick she was. She hadn’t felt that bad in years.
Guist knocked lightly on the door to the small recovery room.
“We’re here to bust you out,” he said with a grin.
Eloise helped to put her jacket on as they received a list of strict instructions from Dr. Mackey.
“She shouldn’t be alone,” he told them firmly.
“Don’t worry. I’ve borrowed a cot and I’ll be staying in her room until you give us the okay.”
When Dr. Mackey was satisfied she was in good hands, the three of them made the tiresome hike to her cabin. Leaning on them heavily, she waved weakly to a group of passersby who gave her well wishes. Her arms weighed a hundred pounds.
“Any news?” she asked Guist.
“Not yet. They’re supposed to be gone for five days though, so no news doesn’t mean anything.” He held the cabin door open for her.
Home sweet home. She’d missed her room. It looked especially nice with all of the colorful scarves hanging from the ceiling and the hand drawn “welcome home” sign strung across her back wall.
“I was only gone a few days,” Laney murmured.
Eloise shrugged unapologetically. After showing Laney all of the board games she’d smuggled in, she proudly pointed to the tin of brightly colored nail polishes by the washbasin. Eloise had obviously tried to think of everything to keep them occupied while she finished her recovery.
“I’m going to get us some dinner,” Guist offered as Eloise helped her to the bed. Frigid air blasted through the room when he opened the door and left.
When the fire was stoked and the room comfortably warm, she dressed in her flannel pajama pants and tank top, which she rolled above her injuries so the fabric wouldn’t irritate them anymore. Eloise cleaned them thoroughly and put away the first aid supplies. The door opened, letting a bone-chilling draft in as Guist stomped the snow off his boots on the mat out front.
“Look who I found out there,” he said.
Mel stepped lightly into the room and pulled the chair up by the bed. “I made you chicken noodle soup. I know you don’t have a cold, but I figured you could go for some comfort food.”
Laney looked at it hungrily. Soup sounded divine.
“So I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve been doing for us,” Mel said quietly as Laney dug into her meal. “You have been working so hard, and you haven’t complained even once about all of the samples Dr. Mackey has had to take. And you risked your life to save some of our people without hesitating.” She nodded at Eloise. “I didn’t know what to expect when you came here, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised. You and your team have a home here as long as you want it.”
The offer was a first for her. “Thanks, Mel. This place is kind of growing on me.”
Mel squeezed her leg and left her to the rest of her meal. “Do you guys have a schedule worked out with who is taking care of her or do you need some days off from livestock?” she asked Eloise.
“We worked out a schedule. Sean has a day off tomorrow so he is coming by first thing in the morning until we get off for dinner.”
A worried look flitted across Mel’s face, but no one seemed to catch it but Laney. “Mel, could I talk to you for a minute?” she asked the leader before she could get all the way out the door. “Guist and Eloise, could you excuse us?”
“Sure. I’m going to go get my overnight stuff. I’ll be right back,” Eloise said.
Mel sat back down in the chair beside her bed.
“I just wanted you to know you don’t have anything to worry about with Sean and me.”
Mel looked taken aback. “I would never suppose—”
“No, it’s okay. I know you guys have history, and I don’t know your feelings toward him, but if ever you think of hanging back on my behalf, don’t. Mitchell’s my man.” She smiled sadly. “Even if he doesn’t know it.”
“I don’t really know what to do about Sean,” Mel admitted.
“Well, I wish you luck with that. Arguing with that man is like trying to manage a lion with a sparkler.”
“Don’t tell him,” Mel said shyly. “I’ll work up the nerve eventually.”
“Your secret is safe with me.”
Laney woke the next day fervently wanting a shower. Sean and Adrianna had shown up just in time to help Eloise drag her weakened carcass up the mountain to douse it with hot water. Eloise showered too and waited patiently for her to finish. Laney had to stop frequently and take rests, since the simple task of shampooing her hair proved draining. Eloise left for work after their trek down the hill, and Laney lay in bed with her hair dangling down the side of it. Her dark locks dried quickly in front of the heat of the stove. Sean had taken a seat on Eloise’s cot with a book, and Adrianna was playing quietly with the checkerboard on the floor. Laney was drifting in an out when someone banged on the door so soundly the walls shuddered.
“Come in,” she called, not bothering to get up.
The door rocked open, and Vanessa stood there, leaning against the doorframe with a feline smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Mitchell’s going to be pissed when I tell him how much time Sean Daniels is spending in your room.”
Laney propped herself up on her elbows and glared at her tiredly.
Vanessa’s eyes dropped to the still red and enflamed injuries across her hip and stomach. “Ew, you look awful.”
Did the woman not have a censor? “Um, thanks?” she said with an arched eyebrow.
Sean apparently found no interest in Vanessa and leaned
back against the wall, continuing to read as if she hadn’t just let the cold air in and accused him of diddling the injured.
Vanessa closed the door behind her and plopped down onto the chair beside the bed. She stared unapologetically at Laney’s exposed and bruised stomach, her nose crinkled up in disgust. “What happened to you?”
Laney sighed and lay back down to dangle her hair in front of the stove once again. The heat was heaven against her scalp. “Doc had to run some tests and they got infected. Now I can’t be alone for a couple of days and Sean is the only one who has a day off today to make sure I don’t keel over.” She turned her head and smiled cheerily. “Since you seem so concerned about him being in my room, you could do Sean a solid and watch me for him until dinner. I’m sure he has better things to do on his day off.”
“No. I mean what happened there?” She pointed to the angry red puckered scar.
Laney gave a quick glance where she was pointing and plopped her head back onto the bed again. “A Dead bit me.”
Vanessa’s laugh dripped with sarcasm. “Funny, Landry.”
Laney shrugged. What did she care if Vanessa believed her or not? “Hey, while you’re here, can you paint my toes?”
Sean chuckled from the other side of the room.
“And maybe do a manicure on me and Adrianna?”
Vanessa glared at her. “Why would I do that?”
“Because you owe me. You know, for saving you and your brother’s life and all.” She was bored, and annoying Vanessa was proving to be very entertaining.
Vanessa groaned unhappily. “What color?” she asked, making her way to the tin of nail polishes.
“Adrianna, you pick,” Laney said.
One impressive and scandalously red manicure and pedicure later, Vanessa left the room grumbling about her “worst day off ever.”
The rest of the day consisted of napping, board games, and visitors. Finn, Eloise, and Guist came by and brought dinner for everyone. They all stayed crammed in the small room and ate amid easy laughter. It was late when everyone left and Laney was completely taxed, though happy, after entertaining for so long. She and Eloise got ready for bed and fell asleep to the sound of the wind picking up.