The Beginning at the End of the World: A Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian Series (The Survivor Diaries Book 2) (28 page)

“How come I think I am in trouble for something I didn’t even do?” Ammie asked. Astute observation.

“You aren’t, I am because I called her boyfriend a jackass,” Bri said. Her angry heat hadn’t been dampened by the cold while searching. She could have melted the cave with one fiery dragon breath right then.

“Wait, whose boyfriend? Could you two just back up some? And why does this place look like a love den? I’m so confused,” said Ammie.

“Bri found out something, and it has her freaked out. She doesn’t have all of the facts,” I explained. I turned to Ammie. “Your uncle and I have been having problems for a very long time, before the Last War had even begun. I thought things were getting better when he was helping me run the Village, but I knew deep down that things weren’t fixed. Bri, I knew that we weren’t going to be okay, but I let myself pretend that we were.

“The war changed so much. It changed me. And your Uncle Mark tried, he really did. He’s a good man. But it was no use. I am not the same person anymore.

“When I look in Mark’s eyes, I can see all of my mistakes. All of the burnt dinners, forgotten errands, botched filmmaking attempts, and every time I ever disappointed him. I don’t see reflections of my strengths.

“But it’s different with him, Bri. His eyes reflect who I am now; my determination, my success in keeping us alive, and something I never even knew I had; iron will. He loves me for who I am now.”

“Holy fuckin’ shit,” exclaimed Ammie. “You and Jackson?”

“Keep your voice down, drunken sailor,” I told Ammie. “Yes, and this isn’t a ‘love den.’ Never say those words again, it’s creepy. Your sister came to get Jackson to help find Levi and interrupted a date.”

“A date? Is that what they are calling it now-a-days?” said Bri under her breath.

“Stop, don’t you get it? I need someone who wants the warrior in me, not the damsel.”

Bri looked at me for a long time, I mean
really
looked at me. “I get it.”

“And you, Miss, do you have anything to share?” I put Amanda on the spot, and her face grew red. “I know.”

“Know what? This has to be the most exasperating talk ever,” said Bri.

“Thomas,” said Ammie.

“Holy fuckin’ shit,” said Bri. “Where have I been?”

“I have no idea, drunken sailor number two. Where the fuck did you two learn to swear like that?” I asked.

As if on cue, we all burst into laughter. After a while, we were finally able to catch our breath.

“So, all secrets are out now?” I asked.

“Not exactly,” said Bri.

“Oh, shit,” I said and laughed when I realized I had done it again. “Drunken sailor number three, reporting for duty.” I shot off a salute. “Okay, I’m ready. What is it Bri?”

“It’s not as big as both of yours. I want to study psychology again, under Katie maybe.”

I put my head in my hands and shook it back and forth.

“I’m sorry, Aunt Laurie,” said a sad faced Bri.

“No, it’s not that. How did I miss it? I did exactly what I hated others doing to me. I put you in a little box of what
I thought you should be. I am such an idiot,” I said.

“Yeah, you are,” said Bri.

“Okay, smartass. I’ll talk to Katie when things get resolved with Levi. Ammie, you don’t have to continue your internships, really. You can quit one or both of them if you want. I am so sorry.”

“No, I like both of them,” she said. “So, am I off the hook with the Thomas thing?”

“Hell no,” said Bri. “I want details.”

“Sorry, but I think that we need to get back to digging,” I told them. “But I have one last thing. We can’t keep secrets from each other. We are Patton Women, and we will always know. Oh, crap. We are going to have to do this whole thing again with Annie.”

∞

Not one second after we had crawled out of the love den did I see a group of the security team and the MT running towards us.

I couldn’t see Levi or Jackson. My heart dropped, but as they got closer the group parted to reveal an unconscious Levi being carried by Aaron and Jackson.

I ran to them. “He has lesions and bites from where a pack of wolves were dining on him. Are the doctors ready?” asked Jackson.

Malcolm came up behind me. “We got our equipment dug out. It’s being set up in that RV over there,” he said. “Russell, what are his vitals?”

I looked Jackson up and down. He was alright.

They got Levi in the RV, and everyone came together in cheers of triumph. We finally had a real win this time.

“Okay, let’s get back to work,” Mark called out.

“I thought that the truck was dug out,” I said.

“It is, but the others aren’t. We can’t take any more chances. And Laura, they want to keep going,” he said.

“By all means,” I told him.

“We need to talk, soon,” Mark said.

“I know.”

Bri and Jackson were still standing outside of the RV where Malcolm was assessing his patient, waiting for news. Jackson didn’t look happy with Bri.

“Sorry I called you Colonel Jackass,” she said, not sounding the least bit contrite.

“What can I say, she’s a Patton,” I said.

“Yep, you two are definitely related,” he said.

“I’m going to help Uncle Mark,” she said. She let her anger go. She went over and grabbed Adam’s hand.

∞

“Colonel, may I speak to you?” I asked in front of a small group waiting to find out how Levi was doing.

“Certainly, Laura,” he said.

We walked casually to his cave entrance, and no one batted an eyelash.

That was easy,
I thought.

When we got inside the cave, I shot toward him, lips first.

“You never cease to amaze me,” he said lifting me up and laying me down on the blow up mattress.

“I hope I never do,” I returned. “I was worried about you out there. What happened?”

“We found Levi deep in the forest. He got turned around and lost. He built a fire, and he used a tree branch like a torch to fight off a pack of wolves.”

“God, how did you get him out of that without a scratch on you?” I asked.

“Ahh, we shot them,” he said.

“Oh, poor wolves,” I said. “This is their land, you know?”

“We saved Levi,” he looked at me, amused. “You are something else, you know that?”

I started to unvelcro my shirt. “Yes, I am.”

I revealed the pink bra again. “Why did you put it back on?”

“Because you said that it was the prettiest thing you have ever seen.”

“No,” he said slapping one hand to his forehead. “I meant the body underneath it.”

I felt the fire of my blush as he reached behind me and unclasped it for the second time.

“That’s much better,” he said as he threw it on the icy ground.

∞

I woke up to find myself still inside of the love den. How was I ever going to explain this?

“Specialist Patton, thank you for watching over Sleeping Beauty in there.”

“No problem at all, Colonel,” she said. Thankfully, she left off his new nickname. “And Colonel, I wouldn’t call her that if I were you.”

“Noted,” he said.

Before I knew it, he was at my side with a coffee in hand.

“Thought I would bring you this because I like my balls right where they are,” he said.

I took the mug and sipped the warm, brown water. It was better than nothing.

“I like them here,” I said as I reached for them.

“Oh, I get it. That drink is like a magic potion? I’ll make sure I remember that,” he said with a look of pleasure as I manually inspected him.

“Yes. And now I am doing positive reinforcement,” I said as I felt him respond in my hands.

“Heh, heh,” he laughed. “As much as I would like to continue this lesson, and that is clearly very, very much, we have to get out there. I made sure everyone heard that you fell asleep in here while I was debriefing you.”

“I enjoy your style of debriefing, Colonel,” I said, not ready to give up the intimacy we found last night.

“I don’t know what you said to Bri, but she sure did help me out this morning. She’s been standing sentry. I went to your tent just after you feel asleep so no one would suspect, and I saw her on the way. She said she would make sure no one woke you.”

“You know what?” I said as I got up and pulled on my pants. “I am getting sick of this sneaking around already. It’s just not me. I need to take care of it. Today. How is Levi?”

“He’s going to live. Doc says he will have a pretty nasty limp though,” he said. “Laura, what did you mean when you said ‘I’m going to take care of this’?”

“You have to trust me, Prince Phillip. I understand our people better than you do.”

He didn’t look too happy. “And you call
me
the loose cannon.”

∞

“Carrie,” I said. “I need the big tent set up for a Village meeting. I am not sure when I will be ready. Will you please take care of it?” I asked.

“Aye, aye, Cap’n,” she joked. Having all of the military around was beginning to sink in now.

I felt Jackson behind me, but I didn’t turn around, nor did I slow down.

People were gradually waking up. Some had coffee in hand and some were still digging. I looked where the trucks were lined up under their snowy concealment. Three more were uncovered while I slept.

I tore the lid off the com cave, and descended into the morning meeting of the MT. Jackson was coming down the ladder and when I said, “Everyone out,” he started back up the ladder without missing a beat.

Not everyone responded as dutifully as he, though.

“I’m not kidding. Go. I need to talk to Mark.”

This time they did leave.

When we were alone, he said, “I’ll pretend it never happened, and we can go back to where we were.”

“No, Mark. No more pretending. It’s slowly killing us both.”

∞

We talked for an hour and a half. I didn’t record it.

When we finished, we climbed the ladder and went to assemble my family in their cave. It was hard on Bailey, but in the end she stood up strong and asked, “When will the meeting be?” Is she really only eight years old?

The big tent was up and people were filtering in while I set up my video camera on its tripod and framed and focused the shot.

When everyone was there, Mark and I walked down the center aisle, hand in hand. It felt like our wedding day, but in reverse.

I searched out Jackson, and he looked devastated when he saw Mark’s hand in mine. He would understand soon enough.

“Good morning, Villagers,” I said. “Or should I say, good afternoon? Thanks for coming. I know that all of you are busy working, so we will be brief.”

I looked down at our clasped hands and knew that as soon as we let go they would never come together in that way again. I looked up, and Mark nodded at me. He was ready.

“We have to announce something that we have been told might hurt the Village. But I don’t believe that to be true. Mark and I have made the personal decision to separate.”

I looked out at the group as they stood there looking confused. Except Jackson, who looked like he was going to blow a gasket.

“There are some who say that you need us to be together for the feeling of security. But I don’t believe that. Your security doesn’t come from Mark and I being a couple. You proved last night that it comes from knowing that as long as we come together, we can accomplish anything. That’s real security.

“In the coming days, my family and I are going to need our privacy more than usual. I still love and deeply admire Mark. I don’t know what is in store for our future, but we have decided that this will not have an effect on the work we do for the survival of the Village. It’s not like the old world with its time for pettiness anymore.”

I dropped Mark’s hand and felt the weight of what it meant.

“One last thing, I hope that you will respect us enough not to spread gossip or take sides. Thank you,” I finished.

I hugged Mark and whispered in his ear, “I will always love you.”

He whispered back, “Like I said, I will never give up trying to get you back.”

I nodded and released him.

∞

I still had tears in my eyes when Jackson found me outside of the tent. No one said a word to us. They all just went back to whatever they were working on.

“What do you have to say?” I asked him.

“For the first time in my life, I’m dumbstruck.”

“Good. Now please go and gather your buddies. I need to have a military meeting. Include Mark.”

Minutes later, I found myself in the com cave in front of all of the military personnel, including Bri.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I want to give kudos to you all for the operation that brought Levi back to us. Colonel Jackson, you and your people did a tremendous job.