Survival Instincts (Book 1): Sacrifice

by Andersen, J. . J.

  “Nix…” Rae started, looking at him from under her lashes so he couldn’t see her eyes and read her body language before she could talk to him about what she was feeling. He read her like a book though and put the knife down he had been using on the salad to stand right in front of her, his palms on the counter either side of her so his body leant over hers.

  “I know, Rae.” He said softly, pulling her face to look at him, his eyes darting to her lips and back to her eyes.

  “Now you’re a mind reader?” She teased gently as he smirked at her. He uncrossed her legs, moving to stand between them, pulling her body against his. She sucked in a breath at the warmth that blanketed her body as his skin brushed hers.

  “No. But you’ve been ogling my ass for the last fifteen minutes, so I can guess.” He chuckled. Rae blushed but didn’t deny it, he had a great ass.

  “Not just your ass.” She whispered, leaning in. He pressed up against her, his face leaning closer to hers, their lips so close she could feel his breath across hers. Nix pulled her beer from her hand, placing it on the bench next to them before sliding his arms around her waist. Rae wrapped her arms around his neck, her heart racing as her body throbbed. Her chest rose and fell dramatically as she looked up to his eyes then to his lips before moving her head in to take his lips with hers. She almost got there too. Almost had the kiss she had been dying for since high school, but she didn’t. Instead the door creaked open to interrupt them and Rae swore if it was anyone but Evie coming into the room, she would have shot them. Instead she quickly untangled herself from Nix and pushed him back from her so she could jump off the counter. Nix looked over his shoulder, seeing Everlynn walking over to them, her long blonde hair in a ponytail, swishing from side to side in an innocent way that said she definitely didn’t know what she had almost walked in on.

  “I'm hungry, is dinner ready yet?” Everlynn asked cheerfully. Nix chuckled and moved over to the plate of steaks and bowl of salad, then handed her the bowl of mash potatoes.

  “Yeah Evie, dinner’s ready. Let’s go.” He smiled winking at Rae as she grabbed their beers and went up to the room with the food. Rae tried to eat her food, but her stomach was still full of butterflies and tension. She had needs as a woman and she had teased her body into almost fulfilling it, now she had to deal with the disappointment. So, she sulked in the corner as she ate slowly then helped bathe the kids in silence, barely contributing to the conversation or bickering for the evening. She had a quick cold shower that helped push her libido aside then came out in fresh clothes, just in time for the sun to start setting. The others had packed up their things and right before they saw the sun disappear for the night, they were back in the car and back on the road.

  She sat next to Nix who had Everlynn asleep on his lap on his other side. He had sung to her to get her to sleep while James was back in his capsule sleeping next to John with Kenji and Jen in the front again.

  They were about an hour into the drive when they passed a sign saying Fort Garland, Rae figured maybe they could find some place to stay so they could all get some sleep but when she asked Kenji, he shook his head.

  “Nah, it’s not safe enough. I don’t think there is any accommodation here anyway, it’s tiny and way too much construction. If zombies were going to be anywhere, it’d be here. We should keep going until the next town, I’ll be okay to drive until then.” Kenji reassured. Rae nodded and settled into her seat, wanting to get some sleep, in case they couldn’t find anywhere to stop and someone else had to drive so Kenji could rest. She rested her head on Nix’s shoulder, snuggling into his side and sighing. He rested his head on hers and she used the steady rhythm of his breathing to help lull her to sleep, but just before she could doze off completely, the car jolted and sputtered beneath them, slowing down as it shuddered before coming to a complete stop.

  “Ah, shit.” Kenji cursed banging the steering wheel. Rae shot upwards, her eyes darting, trying to see outside but they were engulfed in darkness, not to mention not out of Fort Garland yet. She sat forward and looked at Kenji, her hand grasping Nix’s, the other wrapping around the grip of her gun. Kenji sighed and turned around to face them.

  “We’re out of gas.”

  Chapter Ten

  “What do we do?!” Nix squealed, waking up Everlynn who shot up from his lap.

  “Don’t freak out, Jen’s got this. What percent are your phones at? Cause we’re gonna need some light.” Kenji asked.

  “Use mine.” Nix yanked his phone from his pocket and handed it over quicker than anyone else could get a word out. Rae was the opposite; she wasn’t about to hand over hers. It had incriminating messages on it and she wasn’t trusting anyone with it. Thanks to Nix though, she didn’t have to. They got out of the car, with Kenji and Jen going straight for the boot. Rae used her own phone light to check the road, listening with narrowed eyes to the darkness. John climbed out as Nix stayed in the car with Everlynn and James, but left the door open in case he needed to get out and help.

  “Jen’s going to siphon some gas from one of the other cars just over there, Nix and I can watch James and Evie if you and John want to go look for some supplies, preferably some extra weapons that don’t make thunderous noises in a small town?” Kenji suggested. Rae nodded in time with John.

  “How does Jen know how to do that?” Nix asked, indicating over to Jen who was pulling a gas container from the boot and walking over to one of the other cars, flipping up the bonnet on it and yanking on one of the hoses attached to the engine. Kenji moved over to her, shining the light on what she was doing with the axe in his other hand, his eyes checking around them before turning to Nix with an answer.

  “Well she may not look like it or if you take my parents view on the matter; shouldn’t know how to, but Jen happens to be extremely mechanically minded. She plays chess like our father wanted, plays piano to please our mother but when they’re not looking, which I guess they never will be again, she is out at the mechanics down the road from our place and let me tell ya, she knows her car shit.” Kenji smiled proudly, looking down at Jen who offered him a small smile back before ripping the hose from the car and moving to pop open the gas cap.

  “Well I have never been more grateful to have a mute on board then.” Nix said as Rae finished making James a bottle and handed it over to Phoenix.

  “If you’re staying with the van then you have to feed the baby.” Rae said holding it out. Nix went wide eyed at the formula, not moving to take it “It's not rocket science.” She chuckled pushing the bottle towards him. Phoenix looked out passed her, at the darkness then back at the baby in the capsule, probably deciding the safest possible option. He must have decided on the baby because he sighed and took the bottle from her, tentatively offering it to an excited James who reached up to get it. Rae went to turn away, ready to go when Everlynn grabbed her hand, making her turn back.

  “I want to stay with you. You said I was safe with you.” Everlynn said softly, “You promised.” She pleaded. Rae wanted to say no, but the girl had the biggest, bluest puppy dog eyes, that were impossible to say no to. So, she nodded, earning a face wide grin from Evie. Everlynn jumped out of the van and grasped Rae’s hand tightly in hers. Rae led John and Everlynn away from the road and into the construction site on the other side. It was a half-built house, hopefully filled with abandoned tools that they could use. She stepped onto the concrete platform, squinting through the dark night, keeping her ears open for any indication that they were going to be attacked. Hearing nothing, she walked forward through the framing and walls of jib plasterboard.

  “I’ll check upstairs.” John grumbled, flicking on a flashlight that he had pulled out of his waistband. Rae looked at him incredulously.

  “Where the hell did you find that?” She demanded, pissed that he hadn’t offered it up before when they needed it for Jen. He scoffed.

  “Back at the cabin. That Gavin guy apparently didn’t think it was important enough to steal because he left it tucked in besi
de me. Bloody idiot, a torch is always your best bet. It offers light and this beauty here, has a thick metal exterior, which will come in handy for caving zombies’ heads in.” John grinned then went up the stairs before she could answer. Not that she was going to, she agreed with him. She only had a gun which she didn’t want to use while they couldn’t see well. Rae pulled Everlynn closer and shone her light through the room, moving over to a construction table in the corner. There was a small, solar light on it which Rae switched on, turning to see the dusty, stale state of the abandoned site. There were power cords on the floor in the corner, glass panels leaning up against one wall, and a whole load of timber floorboards stacked up on the other side, but what intrigued Rae, was the hand saw, hammer and chisel laying on the table. She grinned and pulled them into her arms.

  “Can I play for a bit? My legs hurt from sitting in the car.” Evie asked, looking up at Rae. She looked around the room warily. It seemed safe enough, but her stomach turned at the thought of not being able to get to Everlynn in time if something went wrong. Against her better judgement, Rae nodded.

  “Yeah, but stay where I can see you.” She said then handed Evie her phone “And keep this with you so you can see where you’re playing.”

  Everlynn nodded “Okay” She smiled then walked off to draw pictures in the dust with her fingers. Rae piled their weapons in the corner, then kept looking through the space for more, collecting everything she found including a drill that still had a bit of juice in the battery, all the while listening to Everlynn giggle and play, trying to catch moths using the light on her phone. Rae smiled back at her then rounded the corner to check the bereft kitchen for anything useful, warmth spreading through her at the sound of laughter. A sound she hadn’t heard or enjoyed so much in a long time. A sound that was interrupted by a shrill scream and the deafening shatter of glass on concrete. Rae tensed then sped back through to the living space, gasping as she found Everlynn on the floor, blood pooling around her with glass spattered everywhere. Raelynn rushed to Everlynn’s side, not caring how much glass cut through her own clothes and skin as she pulled the girl into her arms. Everlynn whimpered, her eyes fluttering, rolling back in her head. Raelynn laid her back down, checking where the glass had cut her tiny frame, but there was so much blood, she couldn’t find the source. She snatched her phone from the ground, using it to help her.

  “John, help me!” Rae yelled, her heart pounding as she tried to breathe and focus on helping rather than bursting into tears.

  With shaking hands, Rae ripped the bottom of her shirt off, wrapping parts of it around the more severe cuts. John came thumping down the stairs rushing over to her, yanking his belt from his pants.

  “What happened?” He demanded handing the belt to Rae who made it into a tourniquet for the deep gash on Evie’s thigh.

  “She was playing by some glass panels that were against the wall and must have knocked them over.” Rae sniffled, pulling back tears before picking Everlynn up in her arms.

  “What do you mean ‘must have’ Rae? Weren’t you watching her?” He bit. Rae swallowed deeply at his insinuation, not because it was harsh but because she agreed. It was her fault. She should have been watching Everlynn. Refusing to tell him he was right though, she nodded towards the pile of weapons.

  “Grab them, c’mon.” She snapped running from the site, back through the grass towards the road as John dropped the subject and grabbed the weapons, following her back. They rushed to the others, ignoring their shocked faces as they came over and laid Evelynn on the ground next to the van.

  “There's medical supplies in the boot. Get them!” Raelynn cried.

  Jen brought a blanket around and placed it under Everlynn’s head as Kenji grabbed the supplies. Nix knelt down to them, rubbing Everlynn’s pale face.

  “I heard the scream.” He whispered prompting her to elaborate but she didn’t want to. She just wanted Everlynn to be better and stop bleeding through her shirt.

  “She's going to need a blood transfusion. She won't make it without one.” Kenji tremored as he handed over the medicals.

  “How the fuck are we supposed to know what blood type she is so we can do that?” John growled, running his hands through his scruffy hair. Rae didn’t know what to do, Evie needed stitches and a blood transfusion, and they had a box of plasters and bandages, and as if the situation wasn’t bad enough, James burst into tears as if knowing his sister was in trouble. Rae looked over at Jen, as she pressed her hands on Everlynn’s leg to slow the bleeding. Her eyes fluttered open, trying to wake.

  “Can you make sure James is okay?” Rae asked of Jen then lent down to Everlynn, brushing her hair from her face.

  “It’s okay, Evie. Everything is going to be okay. We just have to stop this bleeding and get some more into you, okay? Do you know what blood type you are?” Rae whispered as Everlynn stared up at her with trembling white lips. She nodded slowly, her lids closing longer than Rae liked before opening again.

  “I’m AB negative.” Everlynn stuttered quietly “Ma-mama told me it was so-special, and I-I had to re-remember it.” She continued, her body shivering before her lids closed again and she relaxed. They didn’t have long. Rae tensed as Everlynn’s breaths became shallow.

  “How are we meant to find one of the rarest blood types there are, in the middle of a damn zombie apocalypse?” Nix breathed leaning back on his knees and rubbing his neck. Kenji shone the light around them for the millionth time to check if they were still safe and even though it looked like they were now, they wouldn’t be for long, not after all the noise from the accident. Rae sat up.

  “Me.” Raelynn replied, “I’m AB negative.” She continued then reached for the kit and rummaged through, pulling out everything they needed for the transfusion. They were lucky they had the kit from the cabin because it was a lot better stocked than Kenji and Jen’s one from the car. She was ready for the transfusion, but John put his hand on her shoulder to stop her.

  “You’re gonna have to sew that gash up before pumping her with anymore blood, poppet. Or everything is gonna come straight back out.” He said sombrely, directing Rae’s attention to the blood-soaked scraps of her t-shirt. She cursed under her breath, reaching into the kit again for the stitching needle and thread. She bit her lip as she tried to steady her shaking hands enough to thread the needle, but the tremor wouldn’t stop. Finally, Jen came around, James quiet and did it for her. She nodded in thanks then looked down at Everlynn whose eyes were fluttering open again.

  “Sweetie, we’re going to need to stitch you up before we give you any blood. It's going to hurt; I won’t lie but we’ll be as gentle as possible, okay? Can you be brave for me and stay as still as possible while we do this?” Rae soothed.

  “Can you si-sing to me.” Everlynn begged “Ma-mama would do it w-when I fell over.” she added.

  Raelynn removed the pillow from underneath her and rested Evie’s head in her lap, playing with her hair as she began quietly singing ‘over the rainbow’. Everlynn closed her eyes and used her small voice to sing with Rae. Jen waited beside them with the needle in her hand and with a nod from Rae, began stitching up the wound. Everlynn tensed as the needle moved through her skin and clutched Rae’s hand tightly, tears glistening down her cheeks, but she stayed still. She kept singing and when it was done, she finally opened her eyes.

  “Good girl.” Rae whispered, kissing her forehead. Everlynn sniffled as Kenji came closer.

  “We should do the transfusion in the van, so we can get moving. I don’t think our luck will hold out much longer.” John warned. Rae agreed and went to move when Nix shook his head.

  “Yeah about that…” He started looking over at Kenji to finish what she assumed was bad news.

  “We weren’t out of gas like I thought. The engine is cooked. As in, not even Jen could fix it.” Kenji admitted. Jen looked away with pursed lips, not happy about the fact and neither was Rae.

  “You’re kidding ae? You mean we’re stranded?” Rae deman
ded.

  “Not stranded. We have legs. Just looks like we’re gonna have to use them. Blanca is an hour and a half walk away, so do your transfusion thing then we better get going.” Kenji replied. Rae clenched her eyes shut; she couldn’t change it so she shouldn’t be mad, but she was. She just couldn’t catch a break.

  “It’s freezing out here and you’re suggesting we walk an hour and a half in the night, with zombies threatening our every step?” She clarified, pinching the bridge of her nose.

  “Unless you have a solution, then yeah.” He shrugged, looking back out over the road, his axe waiting and ready. John stood at the other side of the group with his gun, but she wasn’t reassured. They had to get moving, walking or not. She sighed and held her arm out.

  “Do the transfusion thing then.” She conceded. Jen hooked them both up to the tubing then stepped back, going back to the car to look after James. Nix stayed with her, letting her lean on his shoulder as her body grew weaker and weaker with every passing minute. She hated feeling weak, but it was all worth it to see the colour in Everlynn’s cheeks return. She had fallen asleep on Rae’s lap, and Rae was getting close to that point too when Jen came over and disconnected them with a nod. She packed everything back into the kit then left them. Kenji looked back to see they were done and clapped his hands together.