Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ The Young Debris ❯ Chapter 4
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Elven_mistress 
sorry it took so long to update, life's been kinda busy.
Miscellaneous: Original Stories Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Post-apocalyptic / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.10.2009 | Pages: 4 | Words: 5.1K | Visits: 222 | Status: Work In Progress
sorry it took so long to update, life's been kinda busy.
Miscellaneous: Original Stories Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Post-apocalyptic / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.10.2009 | Pages: 4 | Words: 5.1K | Visits: 222 | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter 4
Kate smiled and snuggled against Trent's chest, except it didn't feel like his chest anymore, it felt more like a pillow. She supposed he had already gotten up.
Kate yawned and pulled the blankets up higher to warm herself. "No morning yet, please," she mumbled into the pillow..
Trent sneaked into the room then laughed as he whipped a pillow at her face, “c’mon sleepin beauty, wakey, wakey!” He stood still for a moment and then laughed again. Jumping onto the bed he crawled on top of her and kissed her cheek.
“You found my coffee stash didn’t you?” Kate groaned as she sat up.
Trent laughed and put a cup down next to her on the desk, he kissed her on the cheek and left, “c’mon Kathy-lee, morning waits for no one!”
Kate watched him leave and shook her head. Reluctantly getting up she scrambled around looking for her clothes. When she had finally managed to find all her clothes and get dressed, she took her time and painted her face, sipping the coffee Trent had left for her. She looked around the room and stifled a laugh. The place was a mess, Trent could never seem to figure out the purpose of cleaning. Shaking her head she wandered around the room, picking up dirty clothes and folding the clean ones, sometimes finding it hard to tell which was which.
It had been a several months now. No battles had broken out among the clans yet but things were getting edgy as food supplies started to run low as they waited to harvest the food that had been planted. Of course, Kate’s clan had plenty of food and a deep well that ran off a hand pump her father had installed five years ago that was shared with everyone. Some of her people thought that she should monopolise the clean water they had, mainly Kenny, but as far as Kate and Trent were concerned, they figured that they were all in this together so it would be unfair to withold something as precious as water. The well water tasted fairly normal but they boiled it before drinking and thankfully nobody had gotten sick yet.
Amazingly the other clans were doing fairly well, other than the food situation, and from the hill the farm was on, you could see everyone and everything. There wasn’t much to see although. All the fish in the lake had died or moved on to cleaner waters and the water itself had turned a rather foul grey colour and reeked of blood, sometimes a body would float down in the first couple of days after the bomb but now it just stank. Of course, the cockroaches survived, go figure. Other animals had survived as well. The wolves and coyotes had been hiding in their dens and were now more aggressive than ever, attacking even each other’s packs for food. There were rumours of a small herd of deer and even some livestock, including the large and hopefuly meaty buffalo, from farms that had survived and were travelling south. They had been elated when some had passed by a month before. They had managed to kill one small buffalo and a few deer and capture half a dozen sheep. Mice and rats were everywhere and were the main food for the carnivorous creatures, even some of the clans had resorted to eating them for the needed protein. The grass was starting to grow back in patches here and there, covering the dusty ground that was their hometown. A few trees were still standing, small, gaunt, crippled ones that were rather useless. The small apple trees that the Blood Moon clan had planted were having a hard time with the dry soil and hours were spent watering them and the garden troughs.
Winter was coming, I had been late May when the bomb hit, now it was September and their now desert would be a dangerous and cold place to be. They had few trees and no wood, although hours were spent picking through the ruins for wood that could keep them warm. Already two clans had left to travel south, hoping to find somewhere safer from the winter. Everyone else stayed, planning to rough it out in the only home any of them had ever known.
Imitating the animals, many of them had dug ‘dens’ similar to those of the wolves, homes dug into the hill like the pioneers once had, planning on using small sleeping spaces and body heat to keep warm like the animals. Kate wasn’t too big on the co-ed sleeping area idea, even though most of her clan believed they should sleep in the barn with the animals for warmth or share a room in the house.
Kate put the last of the clothes in the hamper and stretched, draining what was left in her coffee mug. It was just another day in their strugle to live, although the coffee did provide somewhat of a pick-me-up.
Trudging upstairs and outside, she went down to join the others with the morning chores; feeding animals, milking cows, collecting eggs, watering everything, and making dried goods and preservatives from the ripened vegetables. It had become routine now, get up early, do work, have lunch, more work, have dinner, work and go to bed. Most of the clans followed the same routine. A few smaller clans that couldn’t survive on their own had joined Kate and Trent. Few people bothered to paint their faces now, most of them made vests and dyed them their colours to save time in the now busy mornings. Although the leaders still insisted on wearing their yellow eye marks, it made it easy for the few wanderers that passed through to identify the leaders.
“Hey beautiful,” Trent came over and surprised her with a kiss, “enjoy your coffee?”
Kate just rolled her eyes and gave him a hug before returning to feeding the filly’s that she had named Amori and Stella.
“So,” Trent leaned against a stall post, “the wolves or the coyotes, I’m not sure which, have been trying to dig under the fence to get to the cows at night. Arthur shot a few with his bow but they just keep on coming.”
“Then bring them in at night.”
“Buuut Kaaate, we do enough work as it is, do we have to bring them in?”
She stared at him for a few moments as if thinking, “would you rather sleep out with the cows instead?”
“No,” he muttered dolefully.
“Well,” she picked up an empty bucket to go fill it with water, “bring them in before dark.”
Daniel, Trent’s number two who had been givin the task of bringing in the cows, dashed around and at the cows, waving his arms rather comically. He almost ran right into a cow that seemed to not even notice his efforts. The two girls sat on the fence could only laugh and tease him. Changing his methods, he slapped the cow on the rear and gave her a shove, resulting in a light kick that sent him back a couple feet winded and with undoubtably a cracked rib.
Kate had been standing there for a good thirty minutes and had had about enough as she watched from the barn. It was starting to drizzle out and from the look of the clouds and the moisture in the air it was going to turn into a downpour soon. Sighing she untied the cow she had just been milking and set it out into the barnyard before heading down to the field.
“TIME TO COME IN GIRLS!” she shouted commandingly before turning back to head to the barnyard gate.
The cows looked at her for a moment, then looked at each other, then made their decision and obediently lumbered up the hill to the barn.
Daniel just stared while the girls continued to laugh.
“I told you all you had to do was call them,” Lara laughed as she passed him, her arm hooked with Heather‘s, Trent’s number seven.
He stared for a few moments at the cows and then, as if waking up, he ran after the girls, quickly lacing his fingers in his girlfriends hand. Heather only giggled and asked him how his ribs felt as she gave his hand a squeeze.
Kate just rolled her eyes at the teens and closed the gate after the cows were in before trudging up to the house, only wanting to get into her bed and sleep.
“The cows in?”
Kate glanced at Trent before tugging off her clothes and pulling on a faded and well-worn nightgown, “yup, I had to call them in myself, I guess Daniel didn’t know I meant literally call them in,” She crawled in under the quilt and snuggled against his chest in preperation for sleep, she froze and then jumped away.
“You’re naked!”
Trent only laughed and grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards his chest, forcing her to snuggle back up to him, “I thought you’d be used to me naked considering.”
“Still doesn’t give you the excuse to not warn me,” she muttered under her breath.
He laughed again and drew her in for a kiss.
A timid knock on the door drew their attention away from each other.
“Excuse me, but the Mystic’s dog is outside and he’s injured pretty bad.”
Kate sighed and got up, slipped on some jeans and left, closing the door behind her so Trent could dress.
Trent just sat there for a moment, at first he felt rather annoyed. They hadn’t been…intimate in a couple weeks and he planned on it tonight, hence, his lack of clothing. But then after a moment he realised that if the dog was injured and at their doorstep, then where was Amria? Suddenly afraid for his ex’s safety, he tugged on some jeans before rushing out the door and up the stairs to the kitchen where Kate had the dog on the table, tending to its bite-like wounds.
“Wolf or coyote?” he asked, concern in his voice.
Kate didn’t look up, “I don’t know, they look like coyote bites but it could have been wolves too, they've been seen in combined packs lately."
She attached a brace to the dogs broken front-left leg, it yelping in pain as she tightened the bandage to keep the leg straight. She had done this enough times with the farm animals that had been attacked that she knew what to do.
“W…what about….”
“I’ve sent Kenny and Theo out to find her,” Kate replied coldly before he could finish the question. Even after all these months of forced contact she didn’t like her much, though Amria had come by many times for food and had tried to engage in friendly conversation with Kate.
Trent lowered himself into the chair next to her. Kenny and Theo, Kate’s number two, were the best trackers the clan had. They could find anything, even in the rain, since they had been trained by the military when the whole program had started. So following the dogs tracks back to the Mystic would be no problem.
When she finished she moved the injured puppy over to Danny’s bed outside their bedroom door and put down a fresh dish of water with a ground up tylonol, from their diminished medical supplies, mixed in nearby before returning to the kitchen.
Trent was still in his chair, his face clouded with worry.
Kate knelt down and rested her chin on his right knee and rubbed his left thigh with her hand.
“You okay?” she whispered softly.
His gaze shifted to her and his sad eyes met hers, “I’m just worried….what if the wolves got her? What if they are hungry enough now to attack people? Everyone will be in danger, things are hard enough without that to worry about,” he sighed and stroked her hair, smiling at how she tilted her head, obviously enjoying the sensation on her scalp. For some reason, it also had a calming effect on him.
She sighed and relaxed against his leg, her arm clutching his thigh, causing him to remember the events he had planned for that night, wishing they could just go back to bed. But they couldn’t, they had to wait for Kenny and Theo to return with news of, or with Amria.
“Hurry it up already, Trent’s probably having a cow.”
“Is someone there?” a weak voice called from their left.
Theo turned and lifted the torch high, hoping to get the light to go further. Something glittered differently that the rainwater…..a pool, a pool of blood. He gasped as he moved forward. The Mystic laid there in a pool of her own blood, her robe torn and bloodied, her mask was amazingly still in place if not a little askew but her left arm, the arm she had obviously used to protect herself, looked chewed and the flesh seemed to hang off of it in pieces. He turned and vomited, the sight having caused his stomach to lurch violently.
Kenny ran past the vomiting boy and examined the arm and then the rest of her body. It wasn’t so bad, in fact, the only part really badly injured was the arm, but that was also where all the blood was coming from. Tearing off a long piece of his shirt, he tied it as tight as her could around her bicep, cutting off most of the circulation and slowing the blood flowing out of her.
“Get a grip and give me a hand!”
Theo coughed and spat out the last drops of bile before wiping his mouth with his handkerchief and running over to help Kenny.
Supporting the girl, he helped her onto Kenny’s back, forcing her to sling her arms over his shoulder. Her good arm gripped his chest, squeezing the muscle to express her pain, while her tattered arm hung lifeless and dripping blood across his front.
The boys quickly secured her and moved out, heading back to the farm in the heavy rain.
“Thank you…your light…scared away the wolves…” were her last words before she fell unconscious from pain and lack of blood.
As they neared the base of the hill, Theo looked over at Kenny, “think she’ll make it?” he looked at her pained face nervously and with obvious concern.
“Not if we don’t hurry, pick up the pace,” Kenny grunted in reply as he tried not to slip on the muddy road.
“They’re back!”
Kate jumped awake at Lara’s shout, “bring her in the kitchen!” another voice shouted, it sounded like Theo.
Kate had to stop herself from vomiting at the sight of Amria’s arm.
Kenny and Theo eased her onto the table, the cloth having been already changed after the dogs' treatment.
Kate and Trent shoed them away and called in Samuel, Kate’s number five, and Jamie, Trent’s number one. The two were basically the only people in the clans with any real medical experience. And by medical experience that meant they had read as many books as they could get their hands on and observed and volunteered at the hospital. Sometimes a few people from a different clan would come to them for medical assistance, many in the clan had suggested for them to be paid for such services but Kate wasn‘t all for that idea since she believed proper medical attention was rare and should be shared equally.
They quickly pushed the two leaders aside as they got to work. Firstly they cut off her clothes, even her underwear since they were covering a few bite wounds on her hip as well, and they hesitated but pulled off the mask, lastly removing her boots and bloodied claws but leaving on the piece of fabric that was tied around her bicep. Her body and legs were covered in minor bites that were quickly washed, disinfected, stitched, and bandaged by Jamie. But the arm was a different story. Samuel had spent the entire time examining it whil Jamie tended her other wounds. It was literally shredded with many chunks missing. The whole forearm was chewed and you could even see the bone in places and cracks in the bone where the wolves had bitten down. The hand was lifeless and a greenish-blue, all blood having drained out. The upper half of her arm wasn’t too bad and could be saved with some work, it was the forearm that was the problem.
Samuel paused and contemplated the options, “I…I think... it needs to be amputated….or…or else it will get gangrene and infected, she'll die with all of it exposed like this.”
“Can you amputate it?” Kate asked nervously.
He looked at her, “I…I don’t know. I have the tools but…she’s just lost so much blood. If I don’t amputate it she will die, and… if I do amputate it I could do something wrong and she'll die. She’s unconscious from pain and lack of blood and her heart rate is low, along with her blood pressure. If I don’t do it right, it will kill her, she won’t wake up or anything but…”
“Do it,” Trent ordered from his seat on the couch, “give her a chance to live, she’s too stubborn to die anyways.”
“I would have to cut it off just above the elbow, the bone is kinda thick there.” he pondered another moment, “Kate, go boil water. Trent, go get my tools. And Jamie…tie her down, just in case.”
Then began the process of sterilising the tools and preparing the arm. Samuel had taken off his belt and tightened it just above her elbow with the help of Trent, an inch above where he had to cut…
It had been an hour now and they were done. Samuel prayed that he had done it right. They had cauterized the wound with a the hot flat woodstove shovel, searing the flesh shut to prevent any excess bleeding. The scarring from the burns being the least of their worries. That had definitely woke her up, causing her to give out an unearthly scream of pain before bursting into tears. He had given her the last of the morphine and a little valume they had in the medical supplies, which wasn’t much to begin with considering the neighbouring town’s hospital and their pharmacy was only a pile of rubble.
She was pale from lack of blood and it was hard for her to stay awake but she managed. Trent helped carry her to the couch and had propped her head up with a pillow and sat by her side, holding her only hand and stroking her cheek while offering comforting words.
She slowly recounted what had happened, she had been visiting the Black Sun clan, a group of thirteen people who favoured orange and dark forest green. She had stayed with them for too long and had misjudged the time thinking she could make it home even though she knew she should probably stay with the Black Sun’s for the night and would be welcome to. Her dog had first alerted her of the oncoming wolves. She ran, she ran as fast as she could, throwing down her bag to relieve herself of the weight. But their pack was too fast, too hungry. They soon overtook her and tackled her to the ground. She had got a few with her claws, but their injuries and her claws didn’t deter them. There was only four of them but it felt like ten the way they were tearing at her clothes. She had tried to swipe them away, using her left arm to protect her throat and chest while clawing at them with her right. That was when Kenny and Theo had thankfully arrived, the light and their voices scaring away the small pack.
Trent just sat there, his hand gripping hers tightly. His eyes kept straying to the bandaged stump of what was left of her left arm and then to her body, clad in one of Kate’s once-black flannel nightgowns.
Kate had long since left the room and was outside, smoking a cigarette. Something she didn’t do very often, only when she was very stressed. The sight of human blood made her ill. Animal blood she could handle, but there was something about the smell of human blood that bothered her. And she really didn’t like watching her boyfriend hovering and worrying over his ex.
She blew the smoke out her nose and took a deep breath of fresh air. She hated the smell of the smoke but it also distracted her from her thoughts. Tossing away the small bit left, she ground it into the ground with her heel, grumbling questions about why she even bothered to smoke, she knew it was bad for her and that she should stop, especially since the new ones made by the Black Sun clan had no filters. Looking down at the squished piece of paper and dried tobacco she vowed to never smoke again.
Sighing, she headed indoors to check on the dog and go to bed.
Kate woke alone, already knowing that Trent was still at Amria’s side in the living room. Getting a clean pair of shorts from their dresser, she pulled on a t-shirt and went upstairs to see how they were.
Trent was fast asleep, head resting on the Mystic’s belly, his hand still clasping hers. Amria’s face was contorted with pain as she slept, Trent’s presence the only thing calming her and allowing her to sleep.
Kate gave his side a light poke with her foot, “oi, wake up.”
He groaned and nuzzled the girls stomach, causing Kate to give his ribs a good kick of jealousy, waking him fully and winding him.
Suddenly realizing who was in the room his head shot away from its resting place and he looked up at his girlfriend innocently. “Good morning dear.”
“Don’t ‘dear’ me,” she growled threateningly as she glared daggers at him. She took a deep breath to somewhat calm herself, “how is she?”
Trent chuckled softly, “I think her body’s doin’ double-time, the colour is already returning to her cheeks and her pulse is getting stronger. I told Samuel she was too stubborn to die.”
Kate crossed her arms, “go do your chores,” and added before he could object, “I’ll watch her while you’re gone.”
He hesitated, but after seeing she wouldn’t change her mind, he left Amria’s side and went out to do his work.
She sighed and sat in the chair he had abandoned. She leaned back and watched the Mystic sleep, he was right, the colour had returned to her cheeks and she was breathing easier. Kate watched with jealousy, she wasn’t nearly as pretty as the Mystic was. Where Amria held beauty and grace, Kate possessed strength and determination. Her hair was raven black and coarse to the touch, her skin was tanned and calloused from hard work and her face held permanent creases from worry and concentration. Amria’s red hair was long and silky, and her skin was creamy and soft. Kate understood why Trent had a hard time resisting the Mystic’s body, even if he loved Kate’s heart.
A man is a man, and he can’t help himself. She concluded dully, rather displeased with the fact. She better wake up soon, I don’t want to sit here all morning.
And, as if cued to do so, Amria’s eyes opened and blinked. She looked rather dazed but awake at least. The first thing she asked was where Trent was, this upset Kate a little but she told her he was out doing his chores and then asked if she needed anything.
While Kate went to fetch the Mystic some water, Amria sat up and tried to avoid moving her left shoulder, fearing that it might hurt more if she did. When Kate returned, she thanked her for the drink and then the girls just sat there, staring at each other, eyes never wavering from their opponents, hardly blinking.
Just then Samuel walked into the room, intending on inspecting how Amria’s amputated arm was doing. Ignoring the uncomfortable aura coming off of the two, he quickly shifted her so he could get at the arm and undid the slightly bloody bandage.
“Well, there’s no infection,” he grinned, “I guess I did it right then.”
He looked at Kate, then to Amria and finally understood they were in the midst of a mental argument of some kind, their dangerous aura finally reaching him, “I think I’ll ah… go now.” Samuel quickly put on a fresh bandage and scurried from the room, fearing the two women like any sensible man.
Kate watched him leave with a bored expression in her eyes before returning her attention to the Mystic, “as soon as you’re healed you leave,” she stated, her voice threatening, daring her to argue.
Amria simply nodded, her eyes never leaving Kate’s, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Kate kept her eyes on her for a couple few moments before turning away and going back down the stairs to her and Trent’s room.
Trent walked back into the living room and checked on Amria, a little upset that Kate had left her side. But her knew the girls couldn’t stand each other’s presence, even if they were half-sisters. Sighing, he decided to go change into some clean clothes and perhaps have a bath.
Kate glared at him as he entered the room and grunted when he said hello.
“So we’re reverting to cave-man language, huh?”
Kate looked just about ready to kill him at that comment, but instead rolled over and ignored his presence.
He sighed and, after shrugging off his clothes till he was left in his boxers, he decided against the bath and climbed into the bed. Careful not to disturb her, he wrapped an arm over her waist and started making small circles on her stomach.
“You know it’s you I love, right?”
She nodded and he was sure he had heard a sniffle afterward.
He gave a gentle tug but she refused to turn over and look at him. He sighed, “I’m sorry if I upset you by staying by her side all night.”
Kate took a deep breath and rolled over, revealing her tearstained face to his very shocked one. This was the first time she had let anyone see her cry in a very long time.
“It’s okay… she…,” her nose scrunched up in irritation, “needed you there.”
Trent smiled and wiped away a tear that had slid down her cheek, pulling her closer.
“Forgive me?”
Kate laughed and kissed his nose, “yeah, I forgive you.”
He grinned and kissed her nose in return, “now… what are we going to do about her?” indicating their guest, who was currently resting on the couch in their living room.
Kate sighed. When she was younger her brother had told her about her sister Amria. She hadn’t been all for the idea per say. And she hadn’t been too pleased when she had started dating Trent either. But she was, in essence, her sister.
“She won’t be able to handle herself with only one arm,” she shifted uncomfortably, “she can stay.”
Seeing his pleased grin she gave him an icy stare, “but get one thing straight. She better keep her hands offa you and yours offa her.”
Trent laughed and gave her a reassuring kiss, “understood my love.” Pulling her up out of bed they dressed and went back upstairs for lunch before continueing with the days work.
Kate smiled and snuggled against Trent's chest, except it didn't feel like his chest anymore, it felt more like a pillow. She supposed he had already gotten up.
Kate yawned and pulled the blankets up higher to warm herself. "No morning yet, please," she mumbled into the pillow..
Trent sneaked into the room then laughed as he whipped a pillow at her face, “c’mon sleepin beauty, wakey, wakey!” He stood still for a moment and then laughed again. Jumping onto the bed he crawled on top of her and kissed her cheek.
“You found my coffee stash didn’t you?” Kate groaned as she sat up.
Trent laughed and put a cup down next to her on the desk, he kissed her on the cheek and left, “c’mon Kathy-lee, morning waits for no one!”
Kate watched him leave and shook her head. Reluctantly getting up she scrambled around looking for her clothes. When she had finally managed to find all her clothes and get dressed, she took her time and painted her face, sipping the coffee Trent had left for her. She looked around the room and stifled a laugh. The place was a mess, Trent could never seem to figure out the purpose of cleaning. Shaking her head she wandered around the room, picking up dirty clothes and folding the clean ones, sometimes finding it hard to tell which was which.
It had been a several months now. No battles had broken out among the clans yet but things were getting edgy as food supplies started to run low as they waited to harvest the food that had been planted. Of course, Kate’s clan had plenty of food and a deep well that ran off a hand pump her father had installed five years ago that was shared with everyone. Some of her people thought that she should monopolise the clean water they had, mainly Kenny, but as far as Kate and Trent were concerned, they figured that they were all in this together so it would be unfair to withold something as precious as water. The well water tasted fairly normal but they boiled it before drinking and thankfully nobody had gotten sick yet.
Amazingly the other clans were doing fairly well, other than the food situation, and from the hill the farm was on, you could see everyone and everything. There wasn’t much to see although. All the fish in the lake had died or moved on to cleaner waters and the water itself had turned a rather foul grey colour and reeked of blood, sometimes a body would float down in the first couple of days after the bomb but now it just stank. Of course, the cockroaches survived, go figure. Other animals had survived as well. The wolves and coyotes had been hiding in their dens and were now more aggressive than ever, attacking even each other’s packs for food. There were rumours of a small herd of deer and even some livestock, including the large and hopefuly meaty buffalo, from farms that had survived and were travelling south. They had been elated when some had passed by a month before. They had managed to kill one small buffalo and a few deer and capture half a dozen sheep. Mice and rats were everywhere and were the main food for the carnivorous creatures, even some of the clans had resorted to eating them for the needed protein. The grass was starting to grow back in patches here and there, covering the dusty ground that was their hometown. A few trees were still standing, small, gaunt, crippled ones that were rather useless. The small apple trees that the Blood Moon clan had planted were having a hard time with the dry soil and hours were spent watering them and the garden troughs.
Winter was coming, I had been late May when the bomb hit, now it was September and their now desert would be a dangerous and cold place to be. They had few trees and no wood, although hours were spent picking through the ruins for wood that could keep them warm. Already two clans had left to travel south, hoping to find somewhere safer from the winter. Everyone else stayed, planning to rough it out in the only home any of them had ever known.
Imitating the animals, many of them had dug ‘dens’ similar to those of the wolves, homes dug into the hill like the pioneers once had, planning on using small sleeping spaces and body heat to keep warm like the animals. Kate wasn’t too big on the co-ed sleeping area idea, even though most of her clan believed they should sleep in the barn with the animals for warmth or share a room in the house.
Kate put the last of the clothes in the hamper and stretched, draining what was left in her coffee mug. It was just another day in their strugle to live, although the coffee did provide somewhat of a pick-me-up.
Trudging upstairs and outside, she went down to join the others with the morning chores; feeding animals, milking cows, collecting eggs, watering everything, and making dried goods and preservatives from the ripened vegetables. It had become routine now, get up early, do work, have lunch, more work, have dinner, work and go to bed. Most of the clans followed the same routine. A few smaller clans that couldn’t survive on their own had joined Kate and Trent. Few people bothered to paint their faces now, most of them made vests and dyed them their colours to save time in the now busy mornings. Although the leaders still insisted on wearing their yellow eye marks, it made it easy for the few wanderers that passed through to identify the leaders.
“Hey beautiful,” Trent came over and surprised her with a kiss, “enjoy your coffee?”
Kate just rolled her eyes and gave him a hug before returning to feeding the filly’s that she had named Amori and Stella.
“So,” Trent leaned against a stall post, “the wolves or the coyotes, I’m not sure which, have been trying to dig under the fence to get to the cows at night. Arthur shot a few with his bow but they just keep on coming.”
“Then bring them in at night.”
“Buuut Kaaate, we do enough work as it is, do we have to bring them in?”
She stared at him for a few moments as if thinking, “would you rather sleep out with the cows instead?”
“No,” he muttered dolefully.
“Well,” she picked up an empty bucket to go fill it with water, “bring them in before dark.”
Daniel, Trent’s number two who had been givin the task of bringing in the cows, dashed around and at the cows, waving his arms rather comically. He almost ran right into a cow that seemed to not even notice his efforts. The two girls sat on the fence could only laugh and tease him. Changing his methods, he slapped the cow on the rear and gave her a shove, resulting in a light kick that sent him back a couple feet winded and with undoubtably a cracked rib.
Kate had been standing there for a good thirty minutes and had had about enough as she watched from the barn. It was starting to drizzle out and from the look of the clouds and the moisture in the air it was going to turn into a downpour soon. Sighing she untied the cow she had just been milking and set it out into the barnyard before heading down to the field.
“TIME TO COME IN GIRLS!” she shouted commandingly before turning back to head to the barnyard gate.
The cows looked at her for a moment, then looked at each other, then made their decision and obediently lumbered up the hill to the barn.
Daniel just stared while the girls continued to laugh.
“I told you all you had to do was call them,” Lara laughed as she passed him, her arm hooked with Heather‘s, Trent’s number seven.
He stared for a few moments at the cows and then, as if waking up, he ran after the girls, quickly lacing his fingers in his girlfriends hand. Heather only giggled and asked him how his ribs felt as she gave his hand a squeeze.
Kate just rolled her eyes at the teens and closed the gate after the cows were in before trudging up to the house, only wanting to get into her bed and sleep.
“The cows in?”
Kate glanced at Trent before tugging off her clothes and pulling on a faded and well-worn nightgown, “yup, I had to call them in myself, I guess Daniel didn’t know I meant literally call them in,” She crawled in under the quilt and snuggled against his chest in preperation for sleep, she froze and then jumped away.
“You’re naked!”
Trent only laughed and grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards his chest, forcing her to snuggle back up to him, “I thought you’d be used to me naked considering.”
“Still doesn’t give you the excuse to not warn me,” she muttered under her breath.
He laughed again and drew her in for a kiss.
A timid knock on the door drew their attention away from each other.
“Excuse me, but the Mystic’s dog is outside and he’s injured pretty bad.”
Kate sighed and got up, slipped on some jeans and left, closing the door behind her so Trent could dress.
Trent just sat there for a moment, at first he felt rather annoyed. They hadn’t been…intimate in a couple weeks and he planned on it tonight, hence, his lack of clothing. But then after a moment he realised that if the dog was injured and at their doorstep, then where was Amria? Suddenly afraid for his ex’s safety, he tugged on some jeans before rushing out the door and up the stairs to the kitchen where Kate had the dog on the table, tending to its bite-like wounds.
“Wolf or coyote?” he asked, concern in his voice.
Kate didn’t look up, “I don’t know, they look like coyote bites but it could have been wolves too, they've been seen in combined packs lately."
She attached a brace to the dogs broken front-left leg, it yelping in pain as she tightened the bandage to keep the leg straight. She had done this enough times with the farm animals that had been attacked that she knew what to do.
“W…what about….”
“I’ve sent Kenny and Theo out to find her,” Kate replied coldly before he could finish the question. Even after all these months of forced contact she didn’t like her much, though Amria had come by many times for food and had tried to engage in friendly conversation with Kate.
Trent lowered himself into the chair next to her. Kenny and Theo, Kate’s number two, were the best trackers the clan had. They could find anything, even in the rain, since they had been trained by the military when the whole program had started. So following the dogs tracks back to the Mystic would be no problem.
When she finished she moved the injured puppy over to Danny’s bed outside their bedroom door and put down a fresh dish of water with a ground up tylonol, from their diminished medical supplies, mixed in nearby before returning to the kitchen.
Trent was still in his chair, his face clouded with worry.
Kate knelt down and rested her chin on his right knee and rubbed his left thigh with her hand.
“You okay?” she whispered softly.
His gaze shifted to her and his sad eyes met hers, “I’m just worried….what if the wolves got her? What if they are hungry enough now to attack people? Everyone will be in danger, things are hard enough without that to worry about,” he sighed and stroked her hair, smiling at how she tilted her head, obviously enjoying the sensation on her scalp. For some reason, it also had a calming effect on him.
She sighed and relaxed against his leg, her arm clutching his thigh, causing him to remember the events he had planned for that night, wishing they could just go back to bed. But they couldn’t, they had to wait for Kenny and Theo to return with news of, or with Amria.
* * * * * *
Kenny sighed, hands on his hips, while Theo searched the ground with the flickering torch in one hand. It was dark out, the clouds covered the stars and the moon, but the light from the flame jumped off the drops of blood long since washed from the ground but there were tiny frequent puddles from where the puppy had ran and small trenches where he had slipped several times from his injured leg.“Hurry it up already, Trent’s probably having a cow.”
“Is someone there?” a weak voice called from their left.
Theo turned and lifted the torch high, hoping to get the light to go further. Something glittered differently that the rainwater…..a pool, a pool of blood. He gasped as he moved forward. The Mystic laid there in a pool of her own blood, her robe torn and bloodied, her mask was amazingly still in place if not a little askew but her left arm, the arm she had obviously used to protect herself, looked chewed and the flesh seemed to hang off of it in pieces. He turned and vomited, the sight having caused his stomach to lurch violently.
Kenny ran past the vomiting boy and examined the arm and then the rest of her body. It wasn’t so bad, in fact, the only part really badly injured was the arm, but that was also where all the blood was coming from. Tearing off a long piece of his shirt, he tied it as tight as her could around her bicep, cutting off most of the circulation and slowing the blood flowing out of her.
“Get a grip and give me a hand!”
Theo coughed and spat out the last drops of bile before wiping his mouth with his handkerchief and running over to help Kenny.
Supporting the girl, he helped her onto Kenny’s back, forcing her to sling her arms over his shoulder. Her good arm gripped his chest, squeezing the muscle to express her pain, while her tattered arm hung lifeless and dripping blood across his front.
The boys quickly secured her and moved out, heading back to the farm in the heavy rain.
“Thank you…your light…scared away the wolves…” were her last words before she fell unconscious from pain and lack of blood.
As they neared the base of the hill, Theo looked over at Kenny, “think she’ll make it?” he looked at her pained face nervously and with obvious concern.
“Not if we don’t hurry, pick up the pace,” Kenny grunted in reply as he tried not to slip on the muddy road.
* * * * * *
Kate was now asleep, her head resting comfortably on his leg, her hand limp on his thigh as he continued toy with her hair. Kenny and Theo had been gone for nearly an hour and with stress added to the exhaustion she already had, Kate had fallen asleep under Trent's gentle ministrations.“They’re back!”
Kate jumped awake at Lara’s shout, “bring her in the kitchen!” another voice shouted, it sounded like Theo.
Kate had to stop herself from vomiting at the sight of Amria’s arm.
Kenny and Theo eased her onto the table, the cloth having been already changed after the dogs' treatment.
Kate and Trent shoed them away and called in Samuel, Kate’s number five, and Jamie, Trent’s number one. The two were basically the only people in the clans with any real medical experience. And by medical experience that meant they had read as many books as they could get their hands on and observed and volunteered at the hospital. Sometimes a few people from a different clan would come to them for medical assistance, many in the clan had suggested for them to be paid for such services but Kate wasn‘t all for that idea since she believed proper medical attention was rare and should be shared equally.
They quickly pushed the two leaders aside as they got to work. Firstly they cut off her clothes, even her underwear since they were covering a few bite wounds on her hip as well, and they hesitated but pulled off the mask, lastly removing her boots and bloodied claws but leaving on the piece of fabric that was tied around her bicep. Her body and legs were covered in minor bites that were quickly washed, disinfected, stitched, and bandaged by Jamie. But the arm was a different story. Samuel had spent the entire time examining it whil Jamie tended her other wounds. It was literally shredded with many chunks missing. The whole forearm was chewed and you could even see the bone in places and cracks in the bone where the wolves had bitten down. The hand was lifeless and a greenish-blue, all blood having drained out. The upper half of her arm wasn’t too bad and could be saved with some work, it was the forearm that was the problem.
Samuel paused and contemplated the options, “I…I think... it needs to be amputated….or…or else it will get gangrene and infected, she'll die with all of it exposed like this.”
“Can you amputate it?” Kate asked nervously.
He looked at her, “I…I don’t know. I have the tools but…she’s just lost so much blood. If I don’t amputate it she will die, and… if I do amputate it I could do something wrong and she'll die. She’s unconscious from pain and lack of blood and her heart rate is low, along with her blood pressure. If I don’t do it right, it will kill her, she won’t wake up or anything but…”
“Do it,” Trent ordered from his seat on the couch, “give her a chance to live, she’s too stubborn to die anyways.”
“I would have to cut it off just above the elbow, the bone is kinda thick there.” he pondered another moment, “Kate, go boil water. Trent, go get my tools. And Jamie…tie her down, just in case.”
Then began the process of sterilising the tools and preparing the arm. Samuel had taken off his belt and tightened it just above her elbow with the help of Trent, an inch above where he had to cut…
It had been an hour now and they were done. Samuel prayed that he had done it right. They had cauterized the wound with a the hot flat woodstove shovel, searing the flesh shut to prevent any excess bleeding. The scarring from the burns being the least of their worries. That had definitely woke her up, causing her to give out an unearthly scream of pain before bursting into tears. He had given her the last of the morphine and a little valume they had in the medical supplies, which wasn’t much to begin with considering the neighbouring town’s hospital and their pharmacy was only a pile of rubble.
She was pale from lack of blood and it was hard for her to stay awake but she managed. Trent helped carry her to the couch and had propped her head up with a pillow and sat by her side, holding her only hand and stroking her cheek while offering comforting words.
She slowly recounted what had happened, she had been visiting the Black Sun clan, a group of thirteen people who favoured orange and dark forest green. She had stayed with them for too long and had misjudged the time thinking she could make it home even though she knew she should probably stay with the Black Sun’s for the night and would be welcome to. Her dog had first alerted her of the oncoming wolves. She ran, she ran as fast as she could, throwing down her bag to relieve herself of the weight. But their pack was too fast, too hungry. They soon overtook her and tackled her to the ground. She had got a few with her claws, but their injuries and her claws didn’t deter them. There was only four of them but it felt like ten the way they were tearing at her clothes. She had tried to swipe them away, using her left arm to protect her throat and chest while clawing at them with her right. That was when Kenny and Theo had thankfully arrived, the light and their voices scaring away the small pack.
Trent just sat there, his hand gripping hers tightly. His eyes kept straying to the bandaged stump of what was left of her left arm and then to her body, clad in one of Kate’s once-black flannel nightgowns.
Kate had long since left the room and was outside, smoking a cigarette. Something she didn’t do very often, only when she was very stressed. The sight of human blood made her ill. Animal blood she could handle, but there was something about the smell of human blood that bothered her. And she really didn’t like watching her boyfriend hovering and worrying over his ex.
She blew the smoke out her nose and took a deep breath of fresh air. She hated the smell of the smoke but it also distracted her from her thoughts. Tossing away the small bit left, she ground it into the ground with her heel, grumbling questions about why she even bothered to smoke, she knew it was bad for her and that she should stop, especially since the new ones made by the Black Sun clan had no filters. Looking down at the squished piece of paper and dried tobacco she vowed to never smoke again.
Sighing, she headed indoors to check on the dog and go to bed.
Kate woke alone, already knowing that Trent was still at Amria’s side in the living room. Getting a clean pair of shorts from their dresser, she pulled on a t-shirt and went upstairs to see how they were.
Trent was fast asleep, head resting on the Mystic’s belly, his hand still clasping hers. Amria’s face was contorted with pain as she slept, Trent’s presence the only thing calming her and allowing her to sleep.
Kate gave his side a light poke with her foot, “oi, wake up.”
He groaned and nuzzled the girls stomach, causing Kate to give his ribs a good kick of jealousy, waking him fully and winding him.
Suddenly realizing who was in the room his head shot away from its resting place and he looked up at his girlfriend innocently. “Good morning dear.”
“Don’t ‘dear’ me,” she growled threateningly as she glared daggers at him. She took a deep breath to somewhat calm herself, “how is she?”
Trent chuckled softly, “I think her body’s doin’ double-time, the colour is already returning to her cheeks and her pulse is getting stronger. I told Samuel she was too stubborn to die.”
Kate crossed her arms, “go do your chores,” and added before he could object, “I’ll watch her while you’re gone.”
He hesitated, but after seeing she wouldn’t change her mind, he left Amria’s side and went out to do his work.
She sighed and sat in the chair he had abandoned. She leaned back and watched the Mystic sleep, he was right, the colour had returned to her cheeks and she was breathing easier. Kate watched with jealousy, she wasn’t nearly as pretty as the Mystic was. Where Amria held beauty and grace, Kate possessed strength and determination. Her hair was raven black and coarse to the touch, her skin was tanned and calloused from hard work and her face held permanent creases from worry and concentration. Amria’s red hair was long and silky, and her skin was creamy and soft. Kate understood why Trent had a hard time resisting the Mystic’s body, even if he loved Kate’s heart.
A man is a man, and he can’t help himself. She concluded dully, rather displeased with the fact. She better wake up soon, I don’t want to sit here all morning.
And, as if cued to do so, Amria’s eyes opened and blinked. She looked rather dazed but awake at least. The first thing she asked was where Trent was, this upset Kate a little but she told her he was out doing his chores and then asked if she needed anything.
While Kate went to fetch the Mystic some water, Amria sat up and tried to avoid moving her left shoulder, fearing that it might hurt more if she did. When Kate returned, she thanked her for the drink and then the girls just sat there, staring at each other, eyes never wavering from their opponents, hardly blinking.
Just then Samuel walked into the room, intending on inspecting how Amria’s amputated arm was doing. Ignoring the uncomfortable aura coming off of the two, he quickly shifted her so he could get at the arm and undid the slightly bloody bandage.
“Well, there’s no infection,” he grinned, “I guess I did it right then.”
He looked at Kate, then to Amria and finally understood they were in the midst of a mental argument of some kind, their dangerous aura finally reaching him, “I think I’ll ah… go now.” Samuel quickly put on a fresh bandage and scurried from the room, fearing the two women like any sensible man.
Kate watched him leave with a bored expression in her eyes before returning her attention to the Mystic, “as soon as you’re healed you leave,” she stated, her voice threatening, daring her to argue.
Amria simply nodded, her eyes never leaving Kate’s, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Kate kept her eyes on her for a couple few moments before turning away and going back down the stairs to her and Trent’s room.
Trent walked back into the living room and checked on Amria, a little upset that Kate had left her side. But her knew the girls couldn’t stand each other’s presence, even if they were half-sisters. Sighing, he decided to go change into some clean clothes and perhaps have a bath.
Kate glared at him as he entered the room and grunted when he said hello.
“So we’re reverting to cave-man language, huh?”
Kate looked just about ready to kill him at that comment, but instead rolled over and ignored his presence.
He sighed and, after shrugging off his clothes till he was left in his boxers, he decided against the bath and climbed into the bed. Careful not to disturb her, he wrapped an arm over her waist and started making small circles on her stomach.
“You know it’s you I love, right?”
She nodded and he was sure he had heard a sniffle afterward.
He gave a gentle tug but she refused to turn over and look at him. He sighed, “I’m sorry if I upset you by staying by her side all night.”
Kate took a deep breath and rolled over, revealing her tearstained face to his very shocked one. This was the first time she had let anyone see her cry in a very long time.
“It’s okay… she…,” her nose scrunched up in irritation, “needed you there.”
Trent smiled and wiped away a tear that had slid down her cheek, pulling her closer.
“Forgive me?”
Kate laughed and kissed his nose, “yeah, I forgive you.”
He grinned and kissed her nose in return, “now… what are we going to do about her?” indicating their guest, who was currently resting on the couch in their living room.
Kate sighed. When she was younger her brother had told her about her sister Amria. She hadn’t been all for the idea per say. And she hadn’t been too pleased when she had started dating Trent either. But she was, in essence, her sister.
“She won’t be able to handle herself with only one arm,” she shifted uncomfortably, “she can stay.”
Seeing his pleased grin she gave him an icy stare, “but get one thing straight. She better keep her hands offa you and yours offa her.”
Trent laughed and gave her a reassuring kiss, “understood my love.” Pulling her up out of bed they dressed and went back upstairs for lunch before continueing with the days work.