Sooner Dead

by Mel Odom

  "You keep standing there, maybe he'll spot you and have one of his snipers take you out."

  Stampede shifted his glare over to Hella. "If they were out here, I'd know it."

  Hella wanted to be away from the place. Death clung to it. Corpses lay everywhere. She'd already stripped as much gear and supplies as she dared. Daisy was packed heavy and shifted under the burden. She wouldn't have to carry it far, though. They could trade along the nearest road or unload it at a trade post.

  Only a few meters away, Alice took joy in her new mobility. She'd been bedridden for more than a year with her illness. Except for the silver coloration, she looked like a little girl.

  "Has Scatter told Trammell that her daughter is going to have to stay with them?"

  Hella nodded. "Yeah. She didn't sound too surprised. I think she had that figured after learning about the bond between Scatter and Ocastya."

  Stampede shifted his rifle over his shoulder. "What's Trammell going to do?"

  "Go with them."

  "And where are they going to go?"

  "I was going to talk to you about that."

  Stampede grimaced. "We travel faster alone, Red. You know that."

  "I do. I was thinking they could come with us till they find a place of their own."

  "Might be hard for them to trust Trammell "

  "None of them have a choice, not if they want to keep Alice happy."

  "'They didn't have to take on that burden or risk losing themselves saving her."

  Hella looked over at Stampede and smiled. "I've known a few people that didn't turn away from that burden when it came up. We risked a lot coming here to help Scatter and Ocastya."

  Stampede's ears twitched. "We got lucky."

  "Only people who put it all out there on the line get lucky. I seem to recall somebody telling me that."

  "Just means stupidity rubs off." Stampede nodded at Riley, who was approaching them. "Looks like you got company." He hesitated. "Whatever you decide, Red, you know I love you." Before Hella could ask him what he meant, Stampede walked away.

  Hella started to go after him, but Riley called out to her. He stopped in front of her, and his faceplate popped open. Bruises showed on his face, proving he'd gotten pretty rattled inside the hardshell when the explosions had gone off in the stairwell.

  "Dr. Trammell says you're about to leave."

  Hella nodded. "We are."

  "About that." Riley cleared his throat. "Look, I know we've been through a lot getting here, but I may never be this way again."

  Thinking about that possibility made Hella's heart ache more than she thought it would.

  "I wanted to ask you, before you left and before the zeppelin we've sent for arrives, if you wanted to come with me."

  Excitement flared through Hella. Over the past several days, her imagination had toyed with that idea.

  "I mean, its probably strange after everything that's happened, but I want you to know that I wouldn't have allowed Pardot to kill you. There was a line there, and I wouldn't have crossed it. I hope you know that."

  Looking at Riley's handsome face, Hella believed that was the truth. But she knew the decision could just as easily have gone the other way.

  "You should see our world, Hella." Riley spoke low and excited. "It's a real civilization. We have roads, homes, plenty to eat. I would love to show it to you." Before she knew what he was going to do, he leaned in and kissed her. His lips felt hot and demanding against hers. She didn't break contact for a while. She'd never been kissed before and wanted to know what it was like.

  And for just a moment, she was certain she knew what it was like to be in love.

  Then she pulled away and knew she had a stupid smile on her face.

  Riley smiled back hopefully.

  "No." Her voice was a croak that she had to force out. "Your world and mine, they're not so different. Your world has predators in it too. If I stay in my world, I know the predators here. Most of them at least." She shook her head. "And I don't trust you. Not now and not ever. You can't just fix trust when it's been broken. I can do a lot of things, but I can't do that." She turned and walked away from him, knowing her answer had hurt him but that it had been true.

  Stampede stood beside Daisy and waited.

  "What?" Hella grinned at him. "Did you really think you'd be rid of me that easily?"

  "I wasn't sure."

  "You didn't like Riley from the beginning."

  "Not when I saw he was interested in you."

  "If I decide to spend time with a guy, it'll be one you approve of."

  "We'll see."

  Hella vaulted onto Daisy's back. "I'm ready to shake the dust of this place off me."

  "Me too." Stampede called out to the rest of their group. Scatter and Ocastya walked hand in hand, but Colleen and Alice—very excited by the prospect of riding the mountain boomer—joined Hella on Daisy.

  Together they headed west down the mountain. Hella looked back at Riley standing apart from the rest of the team, but she had no regrets.

  THE END