When Night Falls (12 page)

“Do you have a better plan?” he challenged.

Scarlett shook her head. “No, but what I’m saying is that we’re either going to need bigger weapons or a better plan.”

Rolf splayed his hands. “I’m open to suggestions.”

There was none forthcoming. Not even Scarlett had any ideas. This was not something they were taught in any academy, not on earth or on the cruiser. The fact that Rolf knew what to do at all was sheer amazement.

“Let’s check our supplies and find a spot to rest.” With a glance at Scarlett, he moved to where Mac and Lance had left their cargo. He bent down and untied the thick knot on top.

Too anxious to sit, Scarlett stood and watched as groups were compiled. Thirteen canisters of water, four weapons—not including Scarlett’s iron pipe, Ki
era had lost hers—and enough food for a few days, maybe less. It wasn’t enough.

“Okay.” Rolf sat back on his haunches and ran a hand through his hair. “This isn’t so bad, but we’ll need a few things.” He rose to his feet and looked each of them over. “We’ll get better organized after some rest. Scarlett. Kiera. You girls take the bed. I’ll—”

“Ew! But it’s so disgusting!” Kiera whined. “Look at it. What if there’s …
things
crawling on it?”

Scarlett didn’t know how Rolf did it. She would have lost her damn mind ages ago and killed the girl and dumped her body into space. The guy had the patience of a saint. Possibly two.

“It’s either the bed or the floor, Ki,” Rolf told her. “Take your pick.”

Kiera glanced at the bed in the corner, pert little nose wrinkled. Then she glanced at the thick layer of dust and garbage on the floor and shuddered.

“All right, fine. I’ll take the bed.”

Rolf turned to Scarlett, eyebrow raised questioningly, possibly waiting for her to put up an argument as well.

Scarlett shook her head. “I’m not tired. I can take first watch.”

“I’ll take first watch,” Rolf corrected her. “You rest. All of you,” he said to the rest of the group. “Mac, you’re up after me. I’ll wake you up in a few hours.”

Mac nodded.

He didn’t say much, Scarlett realized. She couldn’t recall having heard him speak at all since this whole ordeal started, and it became apparent why when he raised his hands and began forming shapes with them. Scarlett didn’t understand a word of what he was trying to say, but Rolf nodded.

“We’ll set up a spot for it,” he said.

“That looks good there,” Lance said, pointing in the direction of a large, white bucket pushed into one corner. “We can put something in front of it for privacy … for the girls,” he added with a grin.

“For the girls what?” Kiera demanded, blue eyes narrowed.

“Washroom,” Jack answered simply.

“Oh, ew!” Kiera squealed. “Sleeping in that filthy bed is one thing, but I am not—”

“We don’t exactly have access to the washrooms right now, Ki,” Rolf interjected. “If you want to hold it, be my guest, but we might not get very many chances.”

Kiera speared her hips with her hands and thrust up her chin. Her stubborn glower quickly contorted into sorrowful despair that had her bottom lip trembling and her eyes filling with tears. In ten seconds flat, she broke into sobs.

“I can’t do this!” she cried, dropping her face into her hands. “I want to go home! I want my bed and my clothes and
my
toilet!” Her entire body heaved and shuddered as she wept. “Why is this happening to me?”

Scarlett stopped short of rolling her eyes. “It’s not just happening to you,” she muttered. “At least you’re alive.”

Kiera sniffled. “Oh, a whole lot of good that is. Look at me! I’m locked in a filthy closet with a dirty bed and a bucket to piss in. This isn’t how my life is supposed to be! I’m supposed to be on earth with my family, going on trips to beautiful places and seeing the most important people and wearing the most gorgeous dresses. I should be making plans to marry Rolf next year.”

Scarlett hated to admit it, but it was the last part that kicked her anger the hardest. “Well you know what, life sucks. This wasn’t supposed to happen to any of us. We all have families we lost and lives we’ll never see again. You don’t think there’s people we miss and lives we don’t wish we had instead?”

Kiera glowered at her through puffy, red-rimmed eyes. “What do you know of it, fourth class? You had no life, other than wallowing in your little mud hut. This is a luxury, no doubt, compared to what you’re used to.”

Her temper exploded and she lunged at the blonde, shoving her into the wall before anyone could stop her.

“Scarlett.” Rolf reached for her, but didn’t touch her.

“I lost my family!” she snarled into the girl’s stunned expression. “I lost my home and my friends. I would give anything to have them back, even for one day. But I’ll be damned if I let some spoiled, two bit, little bitch disparage my memory of them. The next time you open your mouth, you better think very carefully on what comes out, or I swear I will cut out your tongue.”

With a final shove, she stepped back and turned away from the group. She pressed a shaky hand over her mouth, wiping away the pasty sensation. She closed her eyes and tried to calm the hot march of rage refusing to be tamed.

She was vaguely aware of Rolf instructing everyone to settle in. Kiera’s faint sniffling continued even as the airbed squeaked and the blankets rustled, indicating the girl’s turn in. Others moved around the room, settling in as well. The lights were killed and the room plummeted into darkness.

“Scarlett.” A gentle hand rested on her waist. A warm chest came up against her back.

“Don’t.” She tried to pull away.

The hand on her side fisted into the material of her top. A second hand glided down the length of her arm and closed over her fingers. She was tugged back and drawn away from the others. She couldn’t see where they were going until he stopped and dragged her down next to him on the floor. Without a word, he slipped his arm around her and pulled her head onto his lap.

Too exhausted to fight, she allowed it. She let herself curl onto her side on the floor with her cheek pressed into the hard cords of Rolf’s thigh and closed her eyes. There was a faint sensation as something warm and smelling of spices, sweat, and soap was draped over her. Long fingers combed through her hair from temple to scalp and Scarlett never stood a chance.

Chapter Twelve

The banging hadn’t stopped the next morning as they left the safety of their storage room and wandered their way through the Vendor Level collecting supplies. They stayed together despite Jack’s insistence that they could cover more grounds if they split up. Rolf dismissed the idea flat out.

“It’s not about covering ground,” he’d said. “It’s about staying safe and together as a team.”

No one had argued.

They hit several shops, grabbing only what they could carry. Rolf tossed them each a backpack and they went to work loading them with blankets, torches, any bit of nonperishable food item they could find, extra change of clothes, and anything that could be used as a weapon. Maybe it was deliberate on Rolf’s part, but Scarlett noticed they never went anywhere near her grandmother’s bakery, and after her restless sleep the night before in his lap, she was beginning to feel chinks in the wall she’d put up to keep the feelings she had for Rolf at bay. She didn’t know what kind of game he was playing, if any, but she needed to talk to him about knocking it off. He was taken, damn it. One of them needed to remember that.

Nevertheless, it didn’t stop her from watching him when she knew she shouldn’t and wanting him when it was clearly a bad idea. She wondered if maybe she deserved to be eaten for being in love with an unavailable man.

Kiera never said a single word to Scarlett that whole day, never even made eye contact. It was as though Scarlett no longer existed, which was fine. Lance, Mac, and Jack were too busy going over plans with Rolf to pay the girls any attention, which gave Scarlett plenty of time to observe them.

It was evident they respected Rolf. They trusted him to get them out of this mess. They believed in him when he told them to do something. It wasn’t exactly a friendship, although it was clear they were friends, but it was a silent agreement. At some point, Rolf had proven to them that he knew what he was doing and was capable of protecting them. Scarlett knew he’d proven that to her more than once.

Rolf remained the same, strong, resolute … unyielding. His continuous calm amazed her. She had no idea how he was keeping it together so well. He never seemed to falter in his decisions. It also made him appear much older than his nineteen years. But maybe that was why he was so good at his career. She knew they taught a lot of survival and military strategies during marshal training, but it astounded her how much.

They were going through racks of clothes in one of the boutiques when their temporary illusion of safety was shattered by the distinct chime of doors unlocking. Panicked glances were exchanged even as the boys unholstered their enforcers.

“Take cover!” Rolf hissed. But rather than take his own advice, he sprinted through the door.

Lance checked his weapon before following at Rolf’s heels. Mac moved to the door and stayed there, enforcer aimed at the ground, but held firmly, ready for use.

Scarlett dropped where she stood and scuttled under a T rack of sweaters. A few feet away from her, huddled under the register, Kiera met her gaze. Scarlett put a finger to her lips, signaling for the other girl to keep quiet in case she was too stupid to figure it out on her own. Jack was somewhere behind Scarlett, but she didn’t move in fear of making noise to check.

Silence followed, a mocking demon tormenting them with the promise of annihilation, or freedom. Across from her, Kiera whimpered and quickly mashed her fists into her mouth. By the door, Mac remained unmoving, gaze fixed hard in the direction Rolf and Lance had taken.

“What is it?” Kiera squeaked around the hands pressed into her face.

“Shh!” Scarlett hissed as she reached behind her for the pipe she’d stuffed into the opening of her new bag.

Seconds ticked by, each taking centuries to pass. Scarlett’s fingers closed over the iron cylinder and she drew it out slowly. She didn’t understand how those creatures knew how to activate the data scanners; but she wasn’t going to get bit a second time, not without taking the thing biting her down with her.

Mac’s arm jerked, yanking up and aiming. Scarlett stiffened. Her fingers tightened on the pipe. Sweat slicked along her skin and her insides wavered. But she kept firm.

“All clear!”

Every ounce of relief slammed down over her head like a two ton space craft at the sound of Rolf’s voice. She scrambled out from her hiding place just as he and Lance marched into the shop, followed by two others, a boy and a girl, roughly their age. Maybe a little older. The girl was bloody and limping. The boy had a gash on his head and was cradling his left arm. They both looked like they’d been dragged through hell.

“This is Marvius and her husband, Jerol.” Rolf said. “Have a seat,” he told them. “Let’s have a look at those wounds.”

The two scuffled into the room, eyes darting like pinballs in a machine as they took in the faces around them. Scarlett tried to offer them a smile, but they didn’t seem to notice as they dropped into the settee someone had pushed into the corner next to the change lockers.

Lance took the girl, carefully lifting the torn scraps of her trouser up to study the oozing hole where her calf should have been. The area was jagged, the flesh torn and festering. Scarlett knew that mark all too well.

Rolf surveyed the boy. He seemed fine except for the dislocated shoulder.

“What happened out there?” Kiera broke the silence.

The two newcomers exchanged glances.

It was the boy that spoke. “We stayed in our room when the alarms went off. We heard the screaming, but…” He shook his head. “This morning we decided to head out, to see what was happening. We met up with a group of other survivors who were headed down to the pods. The transporters weren’t working so we took the stairs.”

“We only got to deck nine.” The girl picked up the story where the boy left off. “They just … rushed at us! They were so fast. We didn’t stand a chance. One got me. Jerol pulled me free and we … we…”

Scarlett’s heart was a wild mess in her chest as she struggled to keep from leaping at the two.

“Was there a boy with you? About his height.” She pointed at Rafe. “Brown hair, green eyes … glasses. He goes by Hunter.”

The two looked at each other again, seemingly speaking silently back and forth. Then, just when Scarlett was sure she couldn’t stand it any longer, they shook their heads.

“It was a couple and their two girls,” Marvius said sympathetically. “I’m sorry.”

Scarlett slumped back against a nearby shelf, torn between relief and disappointment. As happy as she was that Hunter hadn’t been part of the group that was clearly dead now, she hated not knowing what became of him.

“They didn’t make it,” Jerol murmured. “We were going to try and get back to our room, but Marvius was injured. We needed to stop.”

“You’re safe now,” Rolf assured them, not unkindly. “I’m going to set your shoulder.”

As Lance and Rolf mended their guests, Scarlett wandered back to where she’d left her bag under the rack and hoisted it out. She shoved her pipe into the top pocket and swung the strap over her shoulder.

“Kiera, where are you going?”

Scarlett turned and watched as Kiera stalked towards the door, bag bumping against her back.

“I’m going to use the washroom!” she snapped back over her shoulder. “Not going in any stupid, disgusting bucket.”

“Damn it, Kiera!” Rolf was on his feet, his hands clenched.

“I’ll go with her,” Scarlett said. “It’s just down this strip. We’ll be back in five—”

“Fifteen!” Kiera argued.

Scarlett narrowed her eyes. “Five minutes.”

Mac raised his hand. He made a rapid series of gestures that had Rolf rubbing his face in aggravation.

“Fine!” he grumbled. “Just stay together.”

Together, she, Kiera and Mac shuffled their way out the door and down the path in the direction of the washroom sign. Mac stayed outside as Kiera raced in.

“Thanks,” Scarlett said in passing.

Mac inclined his head.

It took no time at all for Scarlett to do her business. She even brushed her teeth and ran a comb through her hair by the time Kiera joined her at the mirrored counters. Neither girl said anything as they cleaned up the best they could given what little they had. But Scarlett was all too aware of those scary doll-eyes watching her through the glass.

“Are you going to hit me again?” Kiera said at last, breaking the silence.

Scarlett patted dry her face before answering, “I never hit you the first time, and no.”

Kiera lifted her chin a notch and turned back to the mirror. She yanked out the elastic containing her endless coils of blonde hair and released them from their thick braid. “I thought that’s why you volunteered to join me.”

“I volunteered because I wasn’t too thrilled with the whole bathroom situation either,” Scarlett retorted simply.

Kiera sniffed haughtily as she dumped her bag onto the counter. She rummaged inside until she unearthed a brush and began the process of running it through all that hair.

Scarlett had long hair, enough so the ends brushed the lower part of her spine. But no way could she manage hair that reached the back of her kneecaps. Maybe it seemed extra-long because Kiera was so short, but it was long nevertheless.

Deftly, Kiera bound the long strands, twisting and weaving until it became a gold plait down the center of her back. She tied the end and tossed it over her shoulder.

“It’s unnatural,” she said. “Doing one’s business in a …
bucket
.” She gave a delicate shudder. “Ladies don’t do that.”

Scarlett bit back her grin. “I don’t think there’s anyone left to judge whether or not you act like a lady.”

Kiera looked at her through the mirror. “But I’ll know! I was brought up better than that.”

Rather than argue, Scarlett concentrated on putting her things back into her bag. She slung the pack over her shoulder and waited as Kiera took another five minutes making sure her face was in order.

Mac glanced at them when they finally left the washroom. He raised an eyebrow and Scarlett shrugged sheepishly. He gave her a lopsided grin that emphasized the gold flecks in the sea of light brown chocolate. A dimple formed on his left cheek that gave his square face an almost boyish appearance. It surprised her that she had never noticed how good looking he was with his wavy brown hair and brown eyes. He wasn’t as heavily built as Lance, or as dominating as Rolf, but he had a swimmer’s build with wide shoulders and a narrow chest. Plus he had a very nice smile.

“Can we go now?” Kiera snapped, then shouldered her way past Scarlett to march in the direction of the clothing shop.

Scarlett exchanged a baffled glance with Mac before following.

The others glanced up briefly from the data port Jack had open on the floor. Scarlett met Rolf’s gaze for split second longer before he went back to watching as Jack mapped out their next plan.

“We could probably make it,” he was saying when Scarlett, Mac, and Kiera joined the group.

“And this … chute, runs through all twenty floors?” Rolf pressed.

“More,” Jack said with a hint of excitement. “Dawn Light is actually built with hundreds of decks and over five hundred unregistered sections. Only twenty levels are actually accessible by passengers and crew. We were never given an exact diagram of the actual floor plan, but we were told about them during our first day through orientation. Even mentors don’t have access.”

“What’s kept in all those rooms?” Jerol asked, voicing the question they were all thinking.

Jack shrugged. “Only the captain knows. We were never told. But this chute is meant for the transport of things from floor to floor in a direct route. It runs through the entire ship from top to bottom.”

“Like a dumbwaiter?” Scarlett piped in.

Jack sat back on his hunches. “What’s a dumbwaiter?”

Scarlett felt herself flush as all eyes turned on her. “It’s a transporter of sorts. You put stuff in it and it goes between the connected floors. But it usually can’t carry people. We read about it in our Post-United History class at the Academy.”

Eyeing her warily, Jack went back to the device. “This one can. It’s meant for the transportation of large objects, like crates and tools for repairing the ship. It was used during the construction so it has to still be here.”

Scarlett refrained from asking if he meant it was a cargo transporter. She didn’t think Jack would appreciate being interrupted with her vast knowledge of useless things a second time.

“Where is it, Jack?” Rolf asked.

The other boy shrugged. “I don’t know. I think they might have sealed it up or … it’s not in the final floor plan for the ship.”

“Well, we can’t do anything tonight, not with Marvius’ leg the way it is. She’ll need to—”

The data scanner blipped a split second before the door crashed into the wall and a cacophony of groans tore through the air.