"Looks like a supply station of some kind," Gray said. "But why would someone build a bunker with supplies in it way out here in the desert?"
Before anyone could reply, muffled voices carried through the firmly closed wood plank door. Elton's eyes widened, and Tristan held up a finger to his lips in a request for silence. Thomas quickly made a hand motion to Rufus who had gotten to his feet and moved closer to the door. The dog looked from Thomas to the door, then returned to his spot and laid down next to Thomas. Maeve closed her eyes and prayed that the sand had covered the door again.
"Looks like they spent some time standing here." Sarge's distinctive voice came through the door. Gray grimaced, and Maeve hoped their tracks didn’t give them away. "Look around. They might be hiding nearby."
They could hear sand falling outside the door, and Maeve only hoped it was more sand covering the door, not falling away from it. The sound of shuffling feet and muffled voices carried through the door. Everyone held their breath. Gradually, the sound of voices faded away, but still they sat without moving, barely breathing. Gray wrapped Maeve's hand in his own and gave it a squeeze. Despite his earlier impatience, she was glad he was here with her.
In the silence, she could hear the wheeze in Shalara's breathing. It sounded like it was getting worse. When Maeve looked to the corner where Shalara sat with Elton, she could see her shivering even though the temperature in the room was getting warmer by the minute. Maeve disengaged her hand from Gray's and quietly walked over to the supplies, picked up a blanket and tossed it to Elton. Elton fumbled it, and it fell to the ground with a soft thud. Everyone started as the sound echoed through the small chamber like a firecracker. He made a face and quickly grabbed the blanket, placing it around Shalara's shoulders. She gave him a small smile of thanks and closed her eyes as Maeve returned to her spot next to Gray.
Time ticked by, and still no one dared to say a word. Ginger and Emery whispered quietly, and Maeve strained to hear what they were saying. Maeve's curiosity won out over her caution, and she opened her mouth to speak when Gray gave her a hard elbow to the gut. Startled, she looked up to find him shaking his head with his finger over his lips. He tipped his head toward the door, and Maeve rubbed her side and listened intently. A faint murmur of voices wafted through the air.
Time ticked slowly by. Without any ventilation other than the cracks around the door, the air felt heavy and close. The back of her shirt was soaked with sweat, and Maeve wondered how much oxygen was actually in the room.
"They're not here, Sarge," came a voice that Maeve recognized as that of one of the female survivors who had been guarding them. "They must have run into the desert when they heard us coming."
"They can't have gone far," Sarge said in his raspy voice. "Let's head out. It's getting light, so it should be easier to find them."
Minutes ticked by as they waited to make sure Sarge and his crew were really gone. Tristan was the first to speak.
"We have to get moving. It's not going to take Sarge long to figure out we didn't go trekking off into the desert once the sun comes up." He picked up a backpack and began filling it with supplies. "We need to be long gone by then."
Gray surged to his feet and began handing out backpacks for everyone to fill. Maeve and Elton worked side by side for a few minutes before she felt a hand on her arm. She looked up into Elton's worried face.
"Maeve," he said quietly. "Shalara's definitely sick. I think it's the same thing that killed everyone in Bellus." Maeve looked at his hand on her arm, and her eyes widened in alarm. She stepped back, causing his hand to fall away. Gray shot her a questioning look but continued to pack supplies.
"Why do you think that?" she asked quietly.
Elton motioned her away from the others. "Look." He knelt down next to Shalara and pulled up her sleeve where a purplish rash had formed. Droplets of sweat fell from Shalara's hair onto Elton's arm, and she moved restlessly. She gave a weak cough.
"What do we do now?" Maeve asked.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
"Right now," Tristan said urgently, "we're going to get out of here. Sarge will be back here before we know it. We have to move."
Gray took Maeve's arm and moved her gently back from Elton. "Keep your distance," he whispered in her ear. Maeve nodded and looked warily at Shalara.
"How are we going to move her?" she asked in a voice only Gray could hear.
"I don't know. She's too weak to walk, and we can't risk carrying her now that we know she's sick. We might have to leave her and Elton here."
Maeve turned horror-stricken eyes to Gray's face. "You'd just leave them here for Sarge to find?"
Gray couldn't meet her eyes, instead looking at the ground and scuffing his toe across the sand covering the concrete floor. "What choice do we have?" he said.
"Gray," Tristan called. "We have a problem." Tristan stood next to the open door, but a wall of sand stood in front of him. The dune had filled in the gap they had created. Gray grabbed two shovels from the stack that leaned against the wall, handed one to Tristan and began to dig. Rufus and Thomas joined in the digging while Maeve zipped up the full backpacks and distributed them to Emery and Ginger.
"Is Shalara going to make it? You can help her, right?" Emery turned hopeful eyes to Maeve.
"I hope so, Emery, but there's not much I can do. Elton thinks she has whatever plague killed off the people of The Hub."
Ginger looked startled by this news, but Maeve wasn't sure why. They had all talked about the possibility of Shalara being sick. "Are you OK?" Maeve asked as Emery went to see if she could help Gray and Tristan.
Ginger shook her head. "I think I had convinced myself she was just in pain from her ankle. What if we all get sick? Shalara cried all over Emery. What if she gets it? What then?" Ginger's voice rose in panic with every question.
Maeve ran her hand reassuringly across Ginger's shoulder. "All we can do is hope for the best. Emery seems fine right now."
Shalara started coughing violently just as a muted cry of victory came from Gray and Tristan. Sand cascaded from above the door opening like a gentle waterfall, but Maeve could see a clear path out of the shelter. "Maeve," Gray said loudly as he held the door open. "Get everyone moving."
"Thomas," Maeve said as she handed him a small pack for Rufus to carry. "You and Rufus go first. Wait just outside for the rest of us. Take Emery with you."
Thomas nodded, took Emery's hand and motioned for Rufus to follow him. Rufus rolled to his feet and loped after Thomas, with his pack securely fastened to his back. Maeve hid a smile as the large dog looked ridiculous carrying a backpack, but if he was going to survive the desert, then he needed his own supply of water.
"Ginger, Maeve, get moving," Tristan cried. "I don't like the way this sand is falling."
"What about them?" Maeve motioned toward Elton and Shalara.
"You're not going to leave us here are you?" Elton said, looking from one of them to the next with disbelief.
"Elton, you're going to have to get Shalara out," Gray said as he used his back to hold the door open against the wave of sand. "You've already been the closest to her, and we can't risk any of the rest of us getting sick. Come on, Maeve. You and Ginger need to get out of here."
Ginger walked quickly to the door, and with a glance over her shoulder at Maeve disappeared through the opening, getting a coating of sand on her dark hair as she left.
"Come on, Maeve." Gray made a come here motion with his hand.
Elton was trying to lift Shalara with no success. Despite his wiry frame, without Shalara being able to help, there was no way he could move her by himself. Maeve stood frozen, looking from Gray to Elton and Shalara. In her mind, she heard Emma's voice "sometimes it's not the big things we do that change the world." Gray's eyes widened, and he began shaking his head when he realized Maeve's intention. "Maeve," he said warningly. Maeve's gaze moved to Elton, watching the desperation in his struggle with Shalara.
"I have to," Maeve said. She grabbe
d a cloth off the pile of supplies and tied it around her face then picked up two more cloths and covered her hands. She sprinted over to Elton and lifted Shalara's arm over his shoulder. With a mighty heave, Elton grasped Shalara's hands with one hand and held her legs over his other shoulder, sprawling her across his back. Slowly, he stood and wobbled his way toward the door. Maeve grabbed his pack and followed, avoiding Gray's angry stare as she slipped through the doorway behind Elton.
Sand immediately filled Maeve's eyes and nose, and she was grateful for the cloth covering her mouth even if it didn't keep her eyes from tearing. Behind her, she heard the door slam shut as Gray and Tristan followed her. Elton joined Shalara's coughing as he stumbled toward where Ginger, Emery, Thomas and Rufus waited for them.
Just as Maeve moved to help Elton, a hand grabbed hers from behind. "What are you doing?" Gray's angry voice rose above the gentle whoosh of the falling sand. Tristan shot her a sympathetic look as he gave the two of them a wide berth. Maeve pulled the cloths off her hands and wiped the sand from her eyes.
"Trying to help," Maeve said calmly. "I can't believe you were just going to leave them in there."
"Maeve, you could have just infected yourself. We don't know anything about this disease. All we know is it's deadly. Why would you do such a thing?"
"Because it was the right thing to do?" Maeve said as she angrily pulled the cloth down off her nose and mouth.
"It was reckless," Gray said, taking a step back from her. "You're so busy trying to make amends for killing someone that you're willing to put yourself and all of us at risk."
Maeve stepped back as if she had been struck. "Is that what you think?"
"Isn't that what it's all about? You don't owe Elton and Shalara anything. We barely even know them, but you're willing to throw your life away for them − even if it means killing the rest of us, too."
"It was the right thing to do," Maeve said, drawing each word out in a voice she might reserve for a particularly stubborn patient.
"For who?" Gray asked. "Because from where I stand, it wasn't the right thing to do for us. Elton told us it passes through contact, and you chose to touch her anyway."
"I covered my hands and face."
"Do we know that's enough? I just don't understand why you would sacrifice yourself for someone you barely know. Do the rest of us mean that little to you? Do I mean that little to you?"
Before Maeve could respond, Gray brushed by her without another word to join Tristan and the others. She stood motionless, unsure what had just happened. She and Gray didn't always agree, but he had never raised his voice to her before. Something warm and wet brushed Maeve's hand. Looking down, she found Rufus staring up at her with his soulful brown eyes. He whined, and Maeve sank her hand into the fur behind his ears. "Oh Rufus, what am I going to do?"
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
"We can't take them," Gray said quietly to Tristan. "There's no way she makes it, and we can't help carry her. We can't expose ourselves even more."
Tristan shifted uneasily from foot to foot. "I know you're right, but it seems cruel to just leave them here."
A loud cough that sounded like air was being ripped from Shalara's lungs filled the air. Maeve, who had been standing next to Ginger, took a step toward Shalara, but Ginger laid a hand on her arm and shook her head sadly. Emery turned sad eyes to her sister, but Ginger once again shook her head.
"Please, Ginger," Emery pleaded. "Maeve could help."
"She can't, Emery. We hardly have any supplies, and we don't know what Shalara has."
"Maybe, maybe we could find that plagoran. Remember, I told you that the venom from their fangs can help heal people!"
Maeve smiled sadly at Emery, and Ginger crouched down so she could look her in the eyes. "Em, we have no idea where that plagoran is or even if it's still alive."
“We should at least try!"
Ginger pulled Emery to her side. "I don't think she has that much time." Emery said nothing, but her shoulders began to shake.
Elton sat next to where Shalara lay on the ground, holding her hand. He leaned over to whisper in her ear, and Maeve stepped closer. She thought she heard him say, "I'm sorry."
Maeve glanced over to where Tristan and Gray still had their heads together, talking, then took another look toward Ginger who was occupied with Emery. Thomas caught her eye and inclined his head toward Shalara. Rufus had taken it upon himself to play comforter and was stretched out next to Shalara on the opposite side from Elton. Thinning her lips in determination and knowing she was setting up another confrontation with Gray, she hurried over to Elton, knelt beside Shalara and handed Elton a canteen of water. She picked up Shalara's arm and felt for a pulse. It was thready and unsteady.
Elton gave her a hopeful look, but Maeve shook her head. "Shalara," she said. "Can you hear me?" Shalara nodded her head slightly. "It's going to be OK," Maeve lied as she brushed the hair back from Shalara's face. "Just breathe."
Shalara struggled for breath, then opened her eyes. Her lips worked to form words.
"I think she wants to say something to you," Elton said, his eyes never leaving Shalara's face.
Maeve leaned closer. Shalara wheezed in a breath, her eyes bulging with effort as she worked to push air out to create words. Elton's grip tightened on Shalara's hand, and Maeve thought she saw Shalara wince. Maeve noted Elton's knuckles had turned white with the force of his grip. She felt sorry for the agony he was enduring as Shalara moved restlessly, still seeking enough air to talk. Another wheezing breath. Maeve hadn't treated many dying people, but she knew the signs. Shalara didn't have much time left.
Shalara used what little strength she had left to grip Maeve's hand where it rested on her wrist. She pulled herself up slightly off the ground and slurred, "He's not..." Maeve struggled to make out the words as Shalara fell back to the ground. The hand gripping Maeve's wrist went slack, and Shalara's eyes slipped closed. The air wheezed out of her lungs, but her chest didn't lift to pull any air back in. Maeve felt for a pulse, but the skin under her fingers was quiet and still.
She raised her head to find Elton watching her. She didn't know what Shalara was going to say, but she did know that Elton had just lost his only relative. "I'm sorry," she said quietly.
He nodded, and Maeve thought she saw relief flicker through his eyes. He set Shalara's hand on her chest, stood and offered Maeve his hand. She took it, and he pulled her to her feet. They turned to face the others. Emery had her face buried in Ginger's chest, sobbing while Ginger stroked her hands soothingly up and down Emery's back. Rufus had returned to Thomas's side, and Thomas stood silently with one hand absently stroking the dog's ears. Tristan had stopped talking to Gray and gave Maeve a look of pity. Finally, she turned her gaze to Gray's. His eyebrows were drawn together, and his fists were clenched at his sides. A muscle twitched in his cheek, and Maeve was sure he was gritting his teeth together in an effort not to shout at her. He stared pointedly at her hand clasped in Elton's, then turned away from her with a look of disgust. She quickly dropped Elton's hand and took a step toward Gray.
"Wait," Ginger said. "You need to at least wash your hands and face." She stepped forward with a canteen and held it out to Maeve without getting close to her.
Tristan had moved to stand a few feet away from Maeve and Elton. "I'm really sorry," Tristan said to Elton. Elton nodded and swallowed hard. Tristan's voice became businesslike. "Clean yourselves up, and let's get moving." He gave Elton an apologetic look. "We don't have time to bury her."
Maeve poured water over her hands and used a disc of soap from her pack to thoroughly scrub her hands, arms and face. When she was done, she searched for Gray, but he was nowhere to be seen. Thomas stepped to her side and said quietly, "He went to scout the route." Maeve's shoulders fell, and Rufus gave her palm a lick.
"Come on," Thomas said, taking her hand. "Everyone else is waiting for us."
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
"Emery, there wasn't anything I could do," Maeve s
aid quietly. The sun's rays were just peeking over the horizon, stretching out onto the golden sand before them. A brisk wind covered their tracks almost as soon as they made them.
"I know." Emery sniffed and rubbed her eyes. Maeve didn't know what to say.
"It just feels like everyone around me dies, you know," she said. "Why is that?"
Maeve put one foot in front of the other, sand filling her shoes with every step, and said wearily, "I don't know, Emery. I'm not much help on that front."
Emery's shoulders drooped further, and Maeve felt her own eyes filling with tears. Between Emery's despair and Gray's anger at her for doing what she thought was right, she felt helpless and alone. She swiped at her eyes angrily and searched for something comforting to say.
Before she could find the right words, Rufus came loping up next to Emery, gave her hand a quick swipe with his tongue and lightly leaned his bulk against her leg. Emery looked down in surprise but gave a small smile as Rufus licked her hand again. Emery rubbed his ears and walked on, comforted by his presence.
"Even the dog is more capable than me," Maeve muttered to herself.
"I don't think you're not capable," Elton's voice came from behind her. Maeve jumped. She had forgotten he was right behind her, close enough to hear her talking to herself. "Thank you for trying to help Shalara."
Maeve twisted her hands together. "I wasn't much help. I'm really sorry about your sister."
Elton stopped her with a hand on her arm and turned her to face him. He swallowed and rubbed his cheek with his finger. "She was a good sister. I'll miss her, for sure."
The Lost City: The Palumbra Chronicles: Book Two Page 9
