The Survivors (Book 2): Autumn (29 page)

Priya’s expression lit up like a Christmas tree
.  She nodded rapidly and scampered off to fetch her things.  While she was gone, I picked up my backpack and headed over to join Michael.  He was just climbing into the truck, but he paused to take my bag and placed it in the passenger’s side footwell.

“I’ll drive first, so you can eat,” he offered, pointing me towards where Hemi and the others were cleaning up the remains of their lunch
.  I noticed at a glance that they’d set something aside for Priya and me, which made me smile.

“That’s sweet of you
.  Thanks, honey.” I looked back at him and reached out to touch his hand.  “Are they going to go their own way home?”

“Nah, they’re going to escort us back to our place and stay the night with us, then go home in the morning,” Michael answered, closing his hand around my fingers gently
.  “It’ll be after dark by the time we get there.  It’s too dangerous for them to be driving along that track of theirs in the pitch black.”

“Good point
.  At least the Hilux has proper headlights,” I agreed, absently stroking his big fingers.  For some reason, the contrast between us never failed to fascinate me in my more introspective moments.  I loved every aspect of his body and his mind, no matter how different it was – but it was the differences between us that really intrigued me.

In the six weeks since we’d left our bunker home in Hamilton, his fair skin had turned dark with a smooth tan
.  On the other hand, I was still pale but had turned into a mass of freckles during the heat of summer, as I usually did.  His hair was still jet black, while mine had bleached even blonder in the sun.  We couldn’t have looked any more different unless one of us turned green – but that was okay, because I loved him for who he was, not what he was.  He could have turned into a giant flying spaghetti monster, and I’d probably still love him.

Priyanka scampered back to us with her backpack, the dog bounding along at her heels
.  Michael and I parted then, to guide our respective charges to their seats in the rear cab of the old truck.  I opened the door and helped Priya climb in, then showed her how to fasten her seatbelt.

“What’s this for?” she asked curiously, tugging at the strap as I adjusted it over her shoulder.

“This is a seatbelt.  It keeps you safe in case the road gets rough.  Make sure you leave it on, but if there’s an emergency and you have to take it off, just push this button here.” I pointed to the appropriate place, and then gave her a smile and put her bag in her lap.  “The doggie doesn’t fit in a seatbelt, so you need to make sure he doesn’t jump around for me, okay?”

“Okies,” Priyanka agreed obediently
.  She unzipped her backpack and pulled out her old teddy, so that she could cuddle it.  On a sudden, overwhelmingly maternal impulse, I leaned over and kissed her forehead, then closed the door and climbed into the front passenger’s seat.  By the time I was settled, Michael had managed to coax the dog into the back, and opened the window a crack so that he could smell the interesting things we were passing.

Hemi came over to give Priya and me our lunches
.  The food was nothing exciting, but it was hot and edible so I took it without complaint.

“We’ll be right behind you, eh?”
Hemi leaned against the sill of my window and looked at us.

“Sweet as,” I nodded agreeably
.  “You know you’re always welcome at our place.  Not sure where we’re going to put you, but we’ll figure something out.”

“Man, so long as we’re not sleeping in the rain, it’s all good.”
Hemi grinned vibrantly, then shoved himself back and went off to gather up his men.

In no time flat, we were back on the road again
.  We led in the Hilux, since the lads on the bikes had more mobility than we did.  We had to pick a path that the truck could handle, so it made sense for them to follow us instead of the other way around.

To my amusement, Priya squealed in mixed delight and terror every time we went over a bump or rolled down a slope
.  I glanced back at her every so often to check on her, and found her clutching her teddy and staring out the window at the passing scenery with enormous eyes.

The dog, for his part, mostly just slept
.  Priya’s enthusiasm seemed to have exhausted him, which I could understand.  She was young and full of energy, while he was elderly and tired.  I was pleased to notice that she didn’t do anything to wake the dog, and he didn’t seem bothered by her noises.

As the hours and kilometres rolled by, I found myself yawning as well
.  Michael didn’t need me to guide him; he remembered the route we’d taken when we had come through before.  Despite the jolts that the broken tarmac sent through our vehicle, I lay my head against Michael’s firm shoulder and closed my eyes.

It was dark when someone shook me awake.

I opened my eyes, feeling disorientated and groggy, but before I was even fully alert I knew that something was wrong
.  Michael’s shoulder was tense, and I could see him staring intently into the distance.

“What is it?” I whispered, following his gaze
.  Before he could respond, I saw exactly what had him tense: the horizon was glowing a hellish kind of red.  “Oh, God.  Please tell me that’s just the sunset.”

“The sun went down ages ago,” he whispered back, his voice taut as a bowstring
.  “That’s not the sunset.  That’s something else.  I don’t know what that is.”

“It’s a fire.  A very big fire,” I answered with dread certainty, then I stuck my head out the window and yelled Hemi’s name.

“We see it!” he shouted back over the noise of the engines
.  “Pick up the pace; we’re right behind you.”

I didn’t need to convey the message, Michael had heard him as well
.  He gave me just long enough to brace myself before he put his foot down, and the Hilux leapt forward.  Priya squealed in fright at the sudden increase in speed; a quick glance back showed that she was clinging to my seat, holding on for dear life.  Then the smell of smoke hit me, and distracted me completely.

“Oh my God, it’s big
.  It’s really big,” I exclaimed, leaning forward in my seat to try and get a look.  We were still a couple of kilometres from Ohaupo, but I could already taste the falling ash on the wind.  The truck lurched over a break in the road, almost throwing my head into the dashboard, but I didn’t care.  My home was on fire.  My sister could be in there.  It was all that I could do to sit still as we careened faster and faster through the broken streets.

Suddenly, we were passing familiar buildings on the outskirts of town
.  I knew before we even rounded the corner onto our street that it was our motel burning.  Michael slammed on the brakes and threw the truck into park, then we were both out the door.  Side by side, we sprinted the last few metres to the front of the building that had been our home, which was now illuminated by a terrible wreathe of flames.

The fire had consumed the front corner of the building above the kitchen, and burnt all along the roof
.  Fat raindrops began to fall all around us, but it would be too little, too late.  I looked at Michael and saw him frozen in shock.  I felt the same way, but I had to shake it off.

My sister
.  My sister might be in there.  Oh God, Skye!
I stared at the building, struggling to work out the way to respond.

Suddenly, a memory flashed through my mind
.  If Skylar had followed my instructions, then there would be hoses and fire-fighting equipment in a nearby building.  I turned and ran towards the building, ducking beneath a low-hanging something.  In the hellish semi-darkness, I couldn’t even tell what it was.  Behind me, I heard an explosion as a window blew out, and had to fight down the urge to be sick.

Hold on, Skye
– I’m coming!

I vaulted over a half-collapsed fence and dodged around a shattered tree that lay at an odd angle against the side of the house, heading for the porch
.  I could only pray that Skylar had done as I’d instructed, for her own sake.  With my path only lit by the crackling glow of flames, I didn’t see the hose sprawled across the ground until I stood on it and slipped.  I fell hard, the breath knocked out of me, but I was so focused that I was struggling back to my feet before I even realised that I’d fallen.  That was when I heard the muffled sobs of a child crying.

“Maddy?
Maddy, is that you?” I whispered into the dark space beneath the porch.  “Maddy-monkey, it’s Sandy.  Are you okay, sweetheart?”

“Miss Sandy?”
A little voice answered from the shadows.  A moment later, a tiny body flung itself into my arms, sobbing out of control.  “Granddaddy’s in the fire! Please, please, save Granddaddy.  I tried to get the hose to put the fire out, but it’s too heavy.”

My heart leapt into my throat
.  “Where’s Granddaddy? Is he in his room? Where’s Skye?”

“The man took her
.  Granddaddy’s in the garden.  The big boy hit him and he fell down, then they hit Miss Skylar and she fell down too.” Maddy sobbed in my arms as I struggled to make sense of what she was saying.  “Then the man and the boy screamed and yelled, and they picked up Miss Skylar and ran away.  But Granddaddy’s in there and he’s too big for me to lift so I tried to get the hose but—”

“It’s okay, sweetie,” I interrupted her, hugging her tight
.  I heard footsteps and familiar male voices, and then a torch beam illuminated us.

“There’s a hose here, and some fire extinguishers!”
I heard Hemi’s voice as they rushed past us, snatching up the fire fighting equipment from under the porch.

“There’s a fire hydrant fitting over there, the hose should fit on that,” I called over the noise, pointing in the direction of the old blue symbols painted on the pavement to mark the fixture
.  Hemi shouted something I couldn’t hear and ran off in that direction, lugging the hose along between him and a couple of his comrades; I couldn’t tell which ones.

Ignoring the pain in my knees and elbows from where I had fallen a moment earlier, I gathered Madeline up in my arms and carried the sobbing child back to our truck
.  There, I found Priyanka hovering nearby, looking terrified.

“Priya,” I called her name breathlessly, pulling her gaze away from the fire
.  “I need your help, honey.  This is Maddy.  I need you to take care of her for me, okay? Stay with the truck if you can, but if you see anyone you don’t know I want you to take her, run away, and hide.  Do you understand?”

“Okies,” Priya whispered, though she was obviously very frightened
.  I set Maddy back on her feet beside the older girl.  As soon as she realised that Madeline was younger than she was, something protective came out in my little foundling.  She took Maddy’s hand without any further instruction, and led the little girl to hide in the gloom behind the truck, where they were out of sight.

Once the children were safe, I turned back to stare at the fire
.  I could see the silhouettes of my friends rushing back and forth, and heard the hiss of fire extinguishers and hoses running, but the smoke was thick and black.  I remembered from my school days that smoke killed faster than fire ever did.  If the doctor was unconscious in there, then we had to get him out before it was too late.

The motel’s thick glass doors hung open, with only the faintest trickle of smoke oozing out of the ground floor
.  I hesitated for a second, then reached into the front seat of the truck and pulled out my backpack.  I snatched out a singlet and a bottle of water, soaking the fabric thoroughly before I tied it over my nose and mouth.

“What are you doing?”
Michael’s voice startled me; I hadn’t realised that he was there until he spoke.  I glanced back and found him watching me with concern, his face and arms already smudged with soot.

“Doc’s in there,” I told him
.  “I’m going to get him out before it’s too late, so either help me or get out of my way.”

He didn’t even bother to reply
.  In a single smooth movement, he slid his t-shirt up over his head and pulled it off, then grabbed the bottle of water from my hands.  He followed me as I turned and ran back towards the burning building, my feet splashing through the puddles left by the rain and Hemi’s attempts to fight the fire.

I heard Hemi shouting at us as we ducked through the open door, but I didn’t stop to see what he was saying
.  Every single one of my senses was screaming at me, warning me that what I was doing was dangerous – potentially even lethal – but if I didn’t do it then someone was guaranteed to die.  Michael was a footstep behind me, forced to run in a half-crouch to keep his head clear of the smoke; his bulk was a hindrance in a situation like that.

There were no flames in the foyer, but the smoke hung thick and heavy in the air
.  I burst out into the central courtyard, where I could see that the flames had originated from the kitchen and crept up the inside of the building to engulf Skylar’s bedroom and the roof above.  The back end of the building was still untouched, but the smoke had saturated the area, filling the building in a deadly, billowing black miasma.

Careful to keep my head clear of the smoke as much as possible, I hurried across the garden
.  I could feel my feet crushing our precious baby plants, but I didn’t care.  The plants could be replaced; our friend couldn’t.

“Where is he?”
Michael’s shout sounded like it came from miles away, even though he was right behind me.  The noise of the flames was deafening, overwhelming all of my senses.

“Maddy said he was here
.  She said he was in the garden!” I shouted back, staring around frantically.  Our doctor was not a small man, he shouldn’t have been that hard to find.  “I don’t see him.  You check the hydroponics room; I’ll check the storage room.”

I heard a vague grunt of agreement, and footsteps retreating behind me as I hurried in the direction of the room where we kept our spare supplies
.  The smoke was particularly thick in the doorway, and it took me a second to spot the human figure on the ground in the flickering half-light.  I screamed for Michael as I dropped to my knees beside him.  Stewart was half-conscious, but he moved weakly when he realised I was there.

“Turn it off.”
He coughed pathetically, and pointed at the wall.  I suddenly realised that he had been trying to reach the main switchboard for the power, on the wall above our supplies.  Understanding came a moment later; now that the power had come back on, it had the potential to keep feeding the fire far beyond our control.  I leapt up and flicked the rows of switches into the off position as fast as I could.

By the time I was done, Michael had found us, and was already gathering the doctor over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry
.  The doctor was struggling though, frantically trying to tell me something.

“Gas!” he grated, his voice so hoarse I could barely make out what he was saying
.  “Use that!”

Suddenly I realised that he was pointing at something, something half-hidden beneath the stacks of goods
.  I followed his finger and realised he was pointing at a huge fire extinguisher, one of the strange ones used for fighting special kinds of fire.  I couldn’t remember which kind, but I trusted him to know.  Whether he was delirious or not, the doctor was a brilliant man.  I took the hint, grabbed the extinguisher, then rushed after Michael as he hurried to get the doctor to safety.

In the courtyard, we parted ways
.  He headed for the exit, while I went for the kitchen.  Yanking the safety clip out of the nozzle, I closed to within a few metres of the edge of the flame and pulled the trigger.  A spray of thick powder exploded from the tip of the hose, and struck low at the base of the nearest flames.  They retreated a few centimetres, and I advanced a few centimetres, focusing my efforts on one step at a time.

I could vaguely see the stove through the inferno, and wondered if that was the source of the fire
.  It was too hot to tell, though.  Everything was melting.  Sweat dripped down my skin, and occasionally I had to dance away to avoid getting burned.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed me from behind and pulled me back
.  I found the extinguisher snatched from my hand by a pair of strong, dark-haired youths, their faces wrapped in cloth just as mine was.  It took a second for me to realise that it was Tane and his brother, who had come to take over from me.  Iorangi gave me a shove towards the exit and shouted something that I couldn’t make out, but I didn’t need to hear it.  The gesture was enough.

They’d stripped me of my means to do any good anyway, so I ran for the exit
.  The smoke had started to thin out, just a little bit enough to be significant.  Beyond the exit, I saw Hemi bracing himself against the power of the fire hose he had aimed at our roof.  I rushed to help him, but he shooed me away.

“We’ve got this
.  Go find your sister!” he yelled over the endless blast of water and the roar of the flames.

I had nothing to say to that.

I turned and ran back towards the Hilux, where I could see shadowy figures crouched around one another on the ground.  As I got closer, I could see the two little girls and Michael kneeling beside the doctor, who was struggling to talk around a terrible, hacking cough.  He was gesturing towards the north, but by the time I reached them he had lost the ability to speak.

It didn’t seem to matter, Michael had heard enough
.  As soon as he heard me coming, he rose to his feet and turned to me to relay the tale.  “He said that two men came wanting to trade this evening.  They came from the north, and said they wanted to trade for food, but it was late so
Doc tried to send them away.

“One of them panicked and hit him; he’s not sure which one
.  He fell down and passed out for a minute, and when he woke up he heard Skye screaming at the men.  Then there was a terrible crash and everyone started yelling.  He managed to get into the garden before he passed out.  Maddy said she saw the men carry Skylar away.”